Jimmy Autrey
@thehalloweendad
I'm the father of two sons and a Pomeranian. I love all things spooky. My house looks like it's Halloween all year long. I love reading, gaming, and movies.
It was a little bit cooler outside today, so the kids were able to play on the old trampoline their uncle gave them.
One of my favorite things about the new house is that you can sometimes see bats flying in the air when sitting on the porch at night.
The smoke from the Canadian wildfire reached our house today. It's hard to believe it was still so thick this far away.
I moved some more stuff over to the new house this morning. After that the kids and I caught up on our favorite games' battle passes. I really wish the temperature would cool down so we could enjoy our yard.
Tonight I finished reading The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie. This was an interesting take on slasher horror novels. It focuses on the aftermath investigation of a summer camp killing spree instead of the murders themselves. I enjoyed the story and its unique take on the subject matter. ⭐⭐⭐
Today was another gloomy day, but we got some stuff moved into the new house. I've resigned that it will take us at least a month to get everything in the new place.
My mother had a lovely funeral service today. I drove straight home afterwards, so I'm exhausted from 8 more hours of driving. At least I'm home now for a good while and back with my boys.
An eight hour drive turned into 11 hours, but I finally made it to Asheville. Tomorrow is my mother's funeral service. I'm going to drive straight home after. (I left my kids at home to spare them even more car time than they've endured these past few weeks.)
We got a lot of progress done on the move today. These photos feature the new Haunted Mansion curtains I got for the dining room. We have decided to make the dining room spooky Disney themed.
The humidity here has made a mess of my hair! We are enjoying our new yard though.
Today I decided to wear one of my mom's sleep shirts. She always liked Reba's song "Fancy." I miss her so much already. My new house has a lot of random small closets. I think I might fill one with some of her clothes and other belongings as a tribute to her. Every time I miss her I can look inside.
My mother passed away yesterday evening. I was holding her hand when it happened. This morning I made arrangements at the funeral home, then we drove 8 hours back to our new house. I want to crawl into bed and mourn, but I need to power through so the kids can live in a functional house.
It's been a long and sad day, but we're still in NC. I'm trying to be here until the end of Mama's life.
We're back in North Carolina this 4th of July to visit my mom in the hospital. She's not really conscious, but I hope she knows we're here. I played some of her favorite songs because the nurses say she might still be able to hear it.
My mother has been mostly unconscious for the past week. Hospice called me tonight and said they think she's finally at the end of her life. My heart is broken, but I keep thinking of this little sign someone gave me after a different loss. 😭
We're slowly moving into the new house. It's crazy hot outside today, so that has slowed us down a lot. Hopefully we can get a lot more done tomorrow.
We had a very exciting day. We have some big news to share. Today we closed on a new house. We love it so far. I'll share pictures after we get fully moved in. One nice thing was we could see the town fireworks show from our front porch.
This evening we ran some errands and checked out the new Halloween items at the At Home store. They have some beautiful stuff this year that I will use all year. If you're spooky year-round, you might especially love their throw pillows. I bought three different designs, but I wanted more. 🎃
I'm trying to hold it together for my boys' sake, but I'm very broken inside today. My mother seemed to be improving when we left yesterday, but this morning she wasn't responsive to the nurses. She hasn't woken all day. Her doctor worries she might have had a stroke during the night. 😭
We're heading back home this evening. It was nice seeing my mother, but we have obligations at home. My mom is doing better than the doctors expected. She might even pull through against all odds. She's definitely a fighter. It's encouraging that she seems to be improving instead of getting worse.
We're all worn out, but we had a good day with my mom. She has lost a lot of her memories, but she was able to have conversations at least today. I also bought some cute concrete statues for my yard at a roadside stand. (No, I didn't buy the huge Bigfoot one, but I wish I could have.)
We're on our way back to North Carolina for the weekend. We wanted to spend some more time with my mom while she's hospitalized.
I forgot to post our pictures of the day yesterday. Here they are.
My brother took over for me at my mother's hospital bedside so I could drive home. I needed more clean clothes and to see my kids. I was happy to be back home, even if it's probably just temporary.
I spent another day at the hospital with my mother. She slept most of the day, but there were some sweet moments when she told me she'd always love me. It seems she's close to the end despite only being 68. She may get moved to a Hospice facility tomorrow.