Since my niece, Leigh Ann Blais moved to California with our Latest Little Pawner Madyson Blais and her husband Alex three months ago to live the Navy Life together, we’ve realized that after 32 years of Leigh Ann living at home- we miss her as much as she misses us. 

At My Home AKA WorthamWorld- My Nieces & Daughter In Law, Leigh Ann Blais, Stephaney Mahaney, Stephanie Hafele Preparing To Head To An Event With Me

  

Leigh Ann Blais On Location With My Team At Willow Lake Event Center

  

Leigh Ann, Alex & Baby Madyson Elizabeth Blais

 My sister is often as surprised as I am that Leigh Ann is actually in another state.  We never expected her to leave and often wondered if she would since even after marrying Alex, she moved back home from Seattle after realizing how hard it was to be away from us.

If you ask my son or nieces if my sister and I often meddle in their lives- they will quickly answer yes but who do they come to when they have a problem?  That’s right they come to Cindy or I and rely on us far more than they realize. 

Meet My Multigeneral Team- Texas Twins Events/The Pawning Planners

 

Madyson Elizabeth Blais

  

Looking Forward To Her First Halloween- Maddy

  Could it be that our family is too close?  We don’t think so since Cindy and I put raising our children right before anything else in our lives and although we’ve always had to work in order to support them- we made a career out of making sure everyone got along even when they occasionally got into arguments with each other.  Teaching them the importance of having a close relationship with one another isn’t always easy when we often work together at events for The Pawning Planners and Texas Twins Events because “everybody thinks they are an expert around here!”

Friday afternoon while on a conference call with Leigh Ann in California along with my son on one line, my sister on the other and my niece on the call from work- we all listened to Leigh Ann tell us how much she missed seeing us everyday and hanging out.  I’m fairly certain that if she didn’t have baby “Maddy” she would’ve been home a month after leaving.  Leigh Ann loves dressing Madyson up everyday and posting photos for her Instagram store and since Madyson models for numerous boutiques, it is part of the job. 

Instagram Model- Madyson Elizabeth

   

This little cutie is growing up so fast and we miss her terribly.  The twins, Maryssa & Makenna Mahaney loved having Maddy at home and FaceTime everyday to talk with Leigh Ann and Madyson. 

Maryssa, Madyson & Makenna Our “Little Pawners”

  

Madyson and Maryssa

  

Headed To DFW To Meet Alex From WorthamWorld- Maryssa , Leigh Ann, Madyson & Makenna

  

At DFW- Leigh Ann And Me With Signs Maryssa & Makenna Made For Alex


Wearily, Cindy and I faced the realization that Leigh Ann and Maddy would be leaving with Alex a month after he arrived in Texas to help Leigh Ann pack up everything for the move.  Although Cindy’s house was “busting at the seams” with her husband, three granddaughters and both of her daughters- losing her latest granddaughter would be hard for her since she loved waking up and playing with the baby.  The stress of too many people in the same house arguing over the bathroom and storage space was outweighed by the joy of having a baby around. 

Leigh Ann, Stephaney & Alex At The Wedding

Since I officiated the wedding along with making the bouquets & boutenniers- Cindy and I had time while decorating at Virginia’s apartment to discuss the changes that marrying a naval officer would bring.  We knew that one of our kids would be moving far away from us and never expected that Leigh Ann would choose to stay home rather than relocating to Japan to join Alex.  Once he was reassigned to Seattle we knew she would have to move to join him and although my entire family talked to her daily and tried to cheer her up with ideas of things to do in Seattle, a combination of homesickness and depression set in on her and after six months- she returned home and advised us that she was pregnant and unable to cope with being alone while Alex was at work.  Cindy and I had noticed from our FaceTime calls that nothing had been unpacked in Seattle and although we suggested unpacking and featheringher nest would be a good idea but the climate, the loneliness and perhaps even being in a quiet house left my niece not feeling her best there- Leigh Ann simply couldn’t adjust. Cindy and I were flying to California to meet with a production company, so I flew Leigh Ann out to join us before she moved home from Seattle.  We asked what was wrong and what could we do to help her adjust not knowing that she had already made up her mind and the rain in Seattle contributed to her days of making Alex breakfast and becoming lost and overwhelmed by the boxes that lined every wall of their house.  She missed joining us at events, having lunch with the twins at school and joining the family at our numerous outings and activities.  Leigh Ann couldn’t find a way to entertain herself after years of tagging along with us and we couldn’t find a way to help her learn to adjust.

Venice Beach- Leigh Ann, Cindy & Me

  

Ranger Game- Leigh Ann With Twins Maryssa & Makenna Mahaney

  

At Our Best Friend’s Tammi Leggett’s- Leigh Ann, Madyson, Maryssa & Makenna

Adjusting to holidays away from home wasn’t easy for Leigh Ann. Every year has been spent at my home with my husband and I cooking, our favorite Christmas movies on the television and all of our kids coming by to eat, open presents and visit.  My son and his wife often have several stops on holidays since his father and I are divorced as are Stephanie’s parents which had them jumping from one house to the next in order to visit everyone and not step on any toes.  Since marrying- my son often is exhausted from going to 5 different houses of relatives and misses being able to spend the entire day with us.  Cindy and the kids often spend the night on Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving Eve in order to spend the entire holiday with us at WorthamWorld.

Leigh Ann doesn’t enjoy cooking but we are trying to give her a few “pointers” because Cindy and I realize that eating out twice a day isn’t cost effective on a Navy salary.  As we “roll into” the holidays this year and my nieces first year away from home for the holidays, I worry that the holiday season may cause another bout of homesickness but assure myself that having Madyson will hope her cope.  The “one thing” my niece always wanted was a baby and the Blais family struggled with fertility issues for three years before being blessed with “Baby Blais.”

My son and his wife have no plans for children since they both work for me while also holding down other jobs and have 3 dogs, a snake and a fish tank to keep them busy at home. 

Stephanie & Robert Hafele On Location For Texas Twins Events

  

Stephanie Hafele On Location At A Wedding For The Pawning Planners

  

Stephanie Hafele On Location For Texas Twins Events

  

Maryssa & Makenna With Robert & Stephanie On Location With Me

  

On Location Stephanie Hafele Handling The Photography For Pawning Planners Clients

  

Robert & Stephanie On Location At A Fundraiser Sponsored By The Pawning Planners


My team are pretty busy running here, there and everywhere to address the needs of my unique businesses- Texas Twins Events, Texas Twins Treasures & The Pawning Planners.  Leigh Ann and her sister Stephaney along with my daughter in law are often called upon to sing at weddings and events-Our Wedding Singer & My Niece- Leigh Ann Blais. 
Traveling to events with my family often involve some 
pretty funny stories with competition on which vehicle is the most fun to ride in-Leigh Ann Explains Why Her Car Is The Most Fun In Our Caravan Of Suv’s.My son and his wife often ride in my SUV with Maryssa & Makenna along with their mom, Stephaney in Cindy’s car depending on how many boxes of loaned items I’m bringing to an event which makes our “road trips” pretty funny with each driver calling the other regarding directions, rest stops & restaurants since no one ever agrees on anything and I often have to make our children and grandchildren flip a coin to make a decision as a group.

Cindy and I often don’t care where we stop to get gas or even grab a bite to eat but, throw the rest of the team in and the twins want to go one place with my son and his wife choosing another and you get the idea.

Maryssa and Makenna have worked at hundreds of weddings and events as ring bearers and flower girls but are “moving into” photography and set up since they will be 12 in a few days and consider themselves to be too old but, I’m pretty sure they enjoy acting in any capacity at an event as our mini me second generation twins. 

   
Although having a bird “leave the nest” has been a difficult transition for all of us, thanks to FaceTime and phone calls throughout the day, we stay in touch and look forward to seeing the Blais Family soon and follow all of my nieces posts on Instagram and FB since she refuses to start a Twitter account. 

   
Cindy and I use our social media accounts daily with FB being “more personal” and Instagram featuring family and business rounding out with Twitter featuring blogs and postings from Texas Twins Treasures.  Since Madyson is representing numerous brands, Cindy and I constantly ask Leigh Ann to start a Twitter account but she doesn’t understand the selling points that Twitter offer.  From authors selling books to sellers from stay and Ebay, Twitter is a huge selling platform for Cindy and I.

As I head downstairs to strip and stain my latest trade in exchange for an event- you can bet I will be listing it at Visit My Treasure Chest At Texas Twins Treasures! After listing the item, I will post a tweet to gain exposure from my connections and RT whatever they are selling in order to find a buyer.

I’m sure everyone on Twitter uses it differently but for us it’s a great way to gain exposure if you have something to sell while keeping up with our twins, friends and followers.

Thanks to Skype and FaceTime, it’s easy for us to keep up with my niece and grandniece but conference calls with the rest of my family make us all feel like nothing has changed and we are all on a road trip to an event just like “old times.”

Although we never expected any of our children to move away, it’s still an adjustment for my family.  My son lives one block away from me and Cindy still has her daughter Stephaney and the twins at home to keep her company but when we all get together, the void of not having Leigh Ann here is still evident and will take some getting used to on our part as well as hers…

Wendy M Wortham