The Luckiest No Matter What!

On August 28th, 2011, my life changed forever.  I lost my brother Eric, then 25, to a heroin overdose... on my parents' 29th wedding anniversary of all days. It's been a real challenge for us all to honor both the joy of my parents' marriage and the heartache of losing my brother at the same time- how do you even begin to do both of those justice?  My mom posted a picture on Facebook today of my dad and brother snuggling on the couch together when he was little. She wrote a beautiful post about how important these two boys are in her life- being so grateful for my dad and his steadfast commitment as a husband and father and also wishing so badly my brother, her son, was still here and healthy. I can't stop looking at the picture- I just keep going back to it and going back to it. It has stopped me so much in my tracks that I wasn't able to come up with words of my own for a long time.  I think, as I'm reflecting, that picture has made me emotional fo...

I've somehow gotten very sick twice this summer... in the last month! I'll spare you the details, but these two sicknesses, while completely different, both knocked.me.out. I don't I have been this sick in my entire mom life. It was truly awful. If I was not a mom, and still had some time off in the summer the way I do as a teacher, I would've probably been in bed for at least two days with the first sickness in July and probably more like three or even FOUR days with the second one that happened only a few weeks later in August. BUUUUUUUUUUT, you know that's not how a mom, or any parent for that matter, can roll especially in situations where you are the one home with kids full time. Parents don't get sick days from their job as 'mom' or 'dad.' They can't shut their door and lay in bed neglecting all of their responsibilities and priorities. Ah, how nice it is to lay in bed when you're sick... In reality, I was able to stay...

It is the end of August. For the last 30 years, since I was five years old, that has meant the start of a new school year for me. The start of a new school year brings a combination of feelings that are special and unique. You've got so much hope  for the year to come- making wishes, setting goals, deciding what kind of student or teacher you want to be, picturing yourself at the end of the year, in June, and all that you will have accomplished and learned. There are nerves -  will I mesh well with my teachers/students? Those first moments when you meet at open house or orientation or the first day of school are so powerful, but scary too! Being nervous comes with it many questions you ask yourself- How will this year surprise me? Challenge me? Push me? Inspire me? Will I meet expectations? Make new friends? Feel safe? Feel that I belong? Excitement   is also present- there is nothing like going to pick out your school supplies or backpack or lunchbox. It is so fu...

It's no secret that my family LOVES Canada. We've seen a lot, but have SO much we still want to see of the second biggest country in the world. In the future, we hope to go way out west to see Vancouver and surrounding areas and way out east to visit Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia and then everywhere in between: places like Montreal, Quebec City, The Bruce Peninsula, Water Lakes National Park in Alberta, etc, etc, etc.  Canadian adventures will absolutely be a part of Hundt travel plans. So far, we've been able to see a lot of Ontario- it's proximity makes it easy to drive to, which has been great for us. If you live in the midwest, especially Michigan, Ontario is SO close! I wanted to take time to love all over some of my favorite parts hoping to inspire others to cross that Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron or take the bridge/tunnel in Detroit and go explore all the beauty and fun our neighboring country has to offer. Here are some of our most FAVORITE sport...