It was a cold winter morning and we were standing in the living room of what would be our first house, reveling in the high ceilings and beautiful hardwood floors when our newborn had an epic blow out. It was one of our first excursions out of our townhome after she was born and I was a brand new mom. I froze – how was I going to change and clean her up in this beautiful house that didn’t belong to us yet?
Fortunately, my realtor was also one of my best friends and was an experienced mom of three boys. She stepped right in, helped me get her clean and changed without making any mess in this home. That’s my very first memory of this house that we have now lived in for more than 14 years! It might have been easier to wait until the baby was older to shop for a house, but we were motivated to move into the Brookwood area so that I could be close to home when I was on call at the hospital when my maternity leave was up. We moved in a few weeks later into this large and beautiful home as a family of three, and now have filled it to capacity as a family of six. We’re the Parks family!
Perry and I have loved being part of the Brightwater subdivision. We’ve brought all our babies home here and now have added a fur baby goldendoodle named Riley. It’s been such a welcoming neighborhood, both with lots of activities and the peace and serenity that early morning walks and times by Lake Matthews offers. It’s such a diverse community in many ways, and we’ve loved getting to know our empty nester neighbors and the new families that move in. We’ve participated in the annual Halloween parade for many years, and recently joined in at the new Friday night movie on the lawn, when lots of families came together to enjoy popcorn, popsicles and a family movie on a blow up screen. Other than the June bugs, it was a great time!
When we moved here, we thought that our kids would attend the Brookwood schools and bought our house in in part for that reason. But you know what they say: We make plans and God laughs! We’ve been homeschooling Analiese (14), Perry V (12), Aria (12), and Anora (8) from the very beginning. They used to be jealous of the kids getting on the big yellow school bus that stops at our driveway, but now that they’re older they’re glad they get a little more flexibility in their morning routine! Analiese is a powerful student with a love for writing and acting and is attending a week away at drama camp this summer. Perry V is a math phenom with basketball skills and such an outgoing and welcoming personality that I’m pretty sure he’ll be leading a church or business one day! Aria doesn’t miss anything – she is observant and sensitive with a mind like a steel trap. Anora has the vocabulary of a high schooler and is always ready for action and has boundless energy to keep up with her older siblings.
My husband has been fortunate in his work in finance to be able to work from home for the pandemic, which has been such a gift as I’ve continued my work as a physician. He’s always been our rock, but even more this past year as he’s supported our new teacher and helped the kids transition into a new homeschooling program as I experienced the roller coaster of COVID-19 in the office and hospital.
Six years ago I started writing a blog, www.ajourneytowholeness.com where I write about some of the lessons I’ve learned on living a holistic lifestyle while juggling marriage and motherhood. With the support of my incredible husband, I’ve been able to begin my life and weight loss coaching business and add my YouTube channel (Dr Andrea Christian Parks) this year. It’s been a whirlwind of a year, but I wouldn’t change a moment!