I’m on holidays

The noise, the bustle, the endless laundry, the trail of food crumbs from the fridge to every corner of the house, and the steady dose of grass tracked in from weed spraying, it fills my heart.

There is a certain kind of joy that only comes once a year, when I finally get to take a proper break and spend time with the people who matter most: my boys. For the next two weeks, I’m on holidays. And let me tell you, I am positively giddy.

This summer is especially sweet. Keiran is home after graduating from university, brimming with energy and ambition as he builds his business, Douglas Applications. He brought his best friend Treyton with him, who’s now living in the pool house and working alongside him. My house is buzzing. Quinn is back too, spending his summer working in the blasting department at Greenhills. He just made the Dean’s List and had his pick of disciplines in engineering before choosing Mechanical. Aiden, meanwhile, stayed in Edmonton to work on a research project for one of his professors. He will graduate next spring with his degree in Mining Engineering. Even though Aiden isn’t physically here, the calls, texts, and family group chat make me feel like he’s still part of the daily chaos. And of course, Tyler is in and out every four days while working at Line Creek. It’s a full house in the truest sense of the word.

And I love it.

The noise, the bustle, the endless laundry, the trail of food crumbs from the fridge to every corner of the house, and the steady dose of grass tracked in from weed spraying, it fills my heart. This is what I live for. This is what makes the hard work, the stress, and the hustle all worth it.

When the boys are home, it’s like winning the lottery. Their energy breathes life into every corner of the house. I find myself lingering in rooms they’ve just left, smiling at the sound of their laughter echoing down the hallway. I know these moments are fleeting, and that’s what makes them so special. As August rolls on, I start to feel that familiar pang of sadness creeping in, knowing they’ll soon head back to their lives, to university, to work, to the paths they’re carving for themselves, far from me.

I often joke that this is the longest breakup of my life, slow and painful and bittersweet. Because every time they leave, a piece of me goes with them.

But for now, I’m soaking it all in.

I’ve also done something this summer that’s made a huge difference: I’ve stepped away from all social media. I’ve been offline since July 4, and I can say with complete honesty that my mental health has never been better. The negativity, the constant scrolling, the endless cycle of comparison and outrage, I don’t miss any of it. Life feels quieter, calmer, and far more grounded without the noise of online opinion.

What’s also remarkable is that just as my boys are stepping into their own adult lives, my professional world is expanding in ways I never could have predicted. I never imagined that owning a small town newspaper would open so many doors in this industry. From being invited to speak at national and international conferences to connecting with leaders across the media landscape, I’ve found myself at the center of important conversations about the future of journalism. It’s a great time for my professional career to grow and thrive, right as my family life shifts into its next chapter.