What A Year!
- Casey Hendrix
- Jan 25
- 14 min read
Updated: Apr 23
I can hardly believe it's been a year since I've posted in my blog! 2024's been a whirlwind of excitement that has brought so much happiness to our family, so I thought I'd share.
I have to admit, Christmas 2023 was a very depressing holiday season for me. I was still missing my step-children that I'd lost contact with following my April 2022 divorce. I was living 2.5 hours away from my son and his wife, and hours from my friends. I had lost my job that was financially sustaining me and my teenage daughter, and had started a new job at a much lower salary. The job loss was mostly a result of chronic illness -- fevers, fatigue, infections and nerve pain I couldn't shake (thanks, in part, to a particular jab). As a result, I had to cancel our annual Christmas trip for me and my kids and settle for two night in an AirBNB. It was a somber holiday. Several family members were sick or hospitalized. It simply didn't feel like Christmas. And, I felt like I had aged 25 years seemingly overnight. You can see the exhaustion on my face.
I came home to Columbus determined to just survive somehow, even though it felt like an elephant was camped out on my chest. I was suffering some genuine depression. I was having panic attacks at work. We were not really making it financially, but all I knew was I could NOT take my daughter, Caryn, out of her Performing Arts High School and move back to middle Georgia. It simply wasn't an option. Something had to give.
I said a very simple, sincere prayer one morning in church, "Father, I cannot continue as is. I don't know why You haven't been able to manifest your healing in my body yet, but I know You love me and You are a good, good Father. I cannot continue working a full-time job if I don't get better, and moving back home would feel like the end of the world for Caryn. Please, do the following: heal me, provide me with an easier job making more money, and/or bring me a husband who can help me carry this load. I'm at the end of myself. I need your help."
I wasn't able to go home to celebrate my son, Chandler's, 23rd birthday properly, so I sent him a gift and hoped he remembers how much his mama loves him.
Around this same time I got online at PlentyOfFish.com just to find a local guy to go to dinner and maybe a movie with. I wasn't really husband hunting. I was just lonely and bored. I still didn't know a lot of people in Columbus, as being sick had kept me home more than I would've liked since our Summer 2022 move. Come February 2024 I began talking online with two men. Both were widowed by cancer. Both had a teen daughter and a teen son. I met the first, who we'll call John, on February 22, which happened to be John's birthday. I met the second, Scott, the following day on February 23rd, which happened to be Scott's birthday. I'm telling you, you can't make this stuff up!
I liked them both just fine, but something was special about Mr. Scott. As we chatted over tea and coffee at Panera Bread on Macon Road in Columbus, I instantly felt comfortable and at home with him. We had a great conversation for almost 3 hours before I headed home. Much to my surprise, he didn't ask me out for a second date. I was a bit disheartened, but based on my dating history, also not surprised.
Thankfully, he came to his senses and contacted me about a week later. We had our second date at MaBella's, midtown location, and really enjoyed one another's company. We bonded over our love for food and Theology. But, then we had a setback. I had been in urgent care 9 weekends in a row between mid January and mid March. My illness had continued to delay our plans for a third date. I, disheartened, sent him a sincere email explaining that I'd been thinking about it a lot, but after what he and his kids just went through with his late wife, I didn't think I'd be good for them. I was just too sick.
He was not discouraged, however. When we couldn't make it to a River Dragons ice hockey game due to me battling yet another infection, he came to my house and made me herbal tea and rubbed my feet. On another occasion he made me my favorite pizza, Lobster Margherita, with a dash of lemon juice. Yummy! And, he took me to the Yonah winery in Helen, Georgia, as well as to a showing of Swan Lake at the RiverCenter in Columbus. His persistence and care continued to win me over. Then, he had one last hurdle to cross. He had to win over my daughter who had issues with the male species after seeing how badly I'd been treated in the past.
Almost effortlessly, Caryn warmed up to Scott. Much to my surprise, she began to come out of her shell, be more engaged, and even hang out with him sometimes. They got along so well it was a huge relief to me. She was also super impressed when he took us to the Atlanta Symphony and put me and Caryn up in our own gorgeous room.
Scott is a Theologian, software engineer/executive, well-read, intelligent, empathetic, cultured, deep-thinking brainiac who has brought so much richness into our lives. He's so much more than I was asking God for. A few months before I found him I told a girlfriend, "I've never met a man smarter or stronger than me, but I'd settle for one that is kinder." Thankfully, with Scott, I have found a foodie/travel partner who is both kind, of great character, smarter, stronger and all around just a great dude.
Come late spring, he continued to woo me with endless flowers, date nights and picnics in the park as the weather warmed up. He even helped me throw Caryn a Sweet 16 birthday party at a local escape room, and hung around to play board games with us and her friends before the girls hunkered down for their slumber party. It wasn't long before we both fell for Mr. Scott!
Scott joined us for Caryn's spring art show, and, eventually, I got to meet his children, Evie (17) and Ridge (15). Immediately, I couldn't imagine how anyone could not fall in love with those kids. Homeschooled, they had excellent manners and social skills, and Evie was as talented of an artist as Caryn was. I was starting to think we might have a future together.
Next, Scott took me to Epcot because I'd never been before, and he made us a reservation at Monsieur Paul's, where they highlighted a Michelin Star dish .... a sea bass that harbored more flavor than any other. Both of us curious if Michelin Star dishes really were better than regular food, we had to try it. We were fed a dinner of several courses, featuring various French wines with each course.
When it came time to try the pastry encrusted sea bass, nothing could've prepared me for the flavor explosion in my mouth. Wow!!! Michelin Stars really do make all the difference!
Next, we escorted her to a Kpop concert in Atlanta. While she was hanging out with her friends, Scott and I visited the World of CocaCola and the Atlanta Aquarium. I'd never been to either. So fun!
Scott and I had so much fun at EPCOT, we decided to try getting to know one another better by taking a cruise. He planned a Carnival cruise to San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Amber Cove. The heat was next level in late June, but it was worth it because it was my 45th birthday ... AND ... Scott proposed to me on my birthday with Dom Perignom, chocolate covered strawberries and breakfast-in-bed. We tried some amazing sushi on board, and had to try the Pina Coladas in San Juan, as Puerto Rico is the original home of the luscious drink! I've had a lot of virgin Pina Coladas and regular Pina Coladas in my life, but that was, by far, the best one.
I was a little disheartened by how "third world country" St. Maarten, Amber Cove and San Juan were, though. Something about seeing all of that poverty, and not being able to really do anything about it, bummed me out. However, St. Thomas fed us one of the best meals we experienced on this 9-day vaca by tickling our tastebuds at Agave Mexican restaurant. I can't say enough about that food, and it was within walking distance of the ship. The restaurant wasn't fancy, but the flavors were off the charts. Scott hired a limo driver to tour us around St. Thomas. We fell in love with Megan's Bay and the laid back culture of the island. It's one we will definitely be revisiting.
After dining on such fine food at Epcot, I was excited to see what the Chef's Table experience had in store for us on the Carnival cruise. It did not disappoint. While it was not quite as good as Monsieur Paul's, it was a delightful and entertaining experience with fun flavor combos, showmanship and good wine pairings.
We came back from our trip in time to see both of our artist daughters take part in Columbus State University's summer art program. They made 3D pieces and had a blast dabbling in various mediums. We're pretty sure both girls are going to attend college there. Not sure yet what Evie's major will be, but it will include art.
In fact, Evie will be minoring in Art at Columbus State University as a Freshman beginning August 2025.
The girls aren't having all the fun. Ridge joined them at the Stranger Things escape room in Jackson, Georgia where the show is filmed. The kids had a blast! We wanted them to enjoy what their hometown had to offer before they started making the move to Columbus in the fall.
Somewhere in all of this I took a girl's trip with my mom, Caryn and by friend Renee to Beaufort, South Carolina. We took a historical tour and landed there during one of the annual festivals. Such a cool experience and a cute town. And, Scott took my dad and Chandler fishing in Steinhatchee, Florida, where Scott owns a small home.
Scott and I also enjoyed the Atlanta Symphony and the Columbus Symphony some more, Caryn went to her homecoming dance, followed up by a fun night with friends on Halloween. I took Evie and Ridge to see "Venom" in theaters for Halloween, and we were all three equally disappointed with that film. The first two Venom films were much better. Who am I to complain, though? I enjoyed my new kids and yummy popcorn!
Scott and I made a couple of trips to or through Daytona with the kids, and then to to St. Augustine solo, staying in a cute AirBNB the first time, and at the Casa Monica hotel the second. I made use of the hotel's spa and got a massage. It was so very nice. We both fell in love with Cordova Chophouse & Bar, the hotel's signature restaurant, and the whole historic district, so we decided to plan a surprise for our kids at Christmas. More about that later.
Other trips and experiences I was gifted to enjoy included working with Midland Neighbors Magazine as their chief writer and content coordinator. My sweet friend, Crystal, hired me to help her launch her magazine. It was a long-time dream of mine to work in that medium, and even though my health didn't hold out for me to do it for more than 6 months, it was so fun. She and I also travelled to the Gaylord Oprayland Resort for a magazine conference. While there in my old stomping grounds (I used to live in Nashville and frequent the hotel, as it's one of my favorite places), I got an idea for my next screenplay. There's something about the air in Nashville. Creativity just floats around, waiting for you to grab it!
Crystal and her husband also joined Scott and I for a Black Crows concert in Macon, and we also took Caryn and Evie to an IU (Kpop) concert in Atlanta. On top of that, I did a first ... I had some sexy (for Scott's eyes only) pics made as a wedding present to him. Shannon B. Whittington Photography outdid herself! They turned out gorgeous!
I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't tired from the whirlwind of the year, but ohhhhh .... I'm not done yet. This so-extra husband of mine had even more wonderful surprises in store for us.
Scott, who is the ultimate logistics coordinator, simultaneously found us a beautiful home to rent in Columbus, and coordinated the move and combining of our two households for October. We were legally married on October 7 at the Columbus courthouse, and Caryn and I moved in with him and the kids later that month. Much to the delight of Caryn, Evie brought along her cat, Beans, to join our cat, Nero. They are the perfect compliment to our adorable, historic rental in a coveted area of the city.
As Chandler and Cadie were celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary, they spent Thanksgiving with Cadie's family. Our other three kids were joining various family members for Thanksgiving this year, so Scott and I went to Cedar Key, Florida, to stay in an AirBNB and have Thanksgiving with his parents in Lakeland. We also went fishing in Steinhatchee. It was a COLD day, but I braved the Gulf of Mexico to see if I could figure out why my husband loves it there so much. He convinced me.
It's heaven on earth out there on the water. I'm kinda excited about buying a house down there for our retirement.
One of the coolest things about catching our fish out on a chartered boat was having a restaurant who cooked them for us just two hours later. I love fresh seafood.
We'd barely recovered from the Thanksgiving trip when we decorated out new home for Christmas...
Then, we whisked away all our kiddos to St. Augustine for a newly established tradition of an annual Christmas trip. Scott rented us an AirBNB with a pool and hot tub. He even had a florist come in and decorate it for Christmas. It was adorable. We surprised the kids by telling them we were going to dress up for family photos, but when we got them into their formal clothes, we had a short wedding ceremony at The Lightner Museum's courtyard. It was positively magical! Our photographers, Kim & Dan Phipps of Got Ya Photo did a phenomenal job. I can't wait to see the video they made, as well.
We also celebrated Evie & Ridge's 18th & 16th birthdays at Top Golf and Fogo de Chao in Jacksonville.
We spent 10 days in St. Aug eating the best foods and having quality family time together under the magnificent Christmas lights of the oldest city in the country. My parents even came down for a couple of days, which made it all the more special. I tried my hand at cooking Beef Wellington for the first time. It was good, but I think attempt two will be better now that I know what I'm doing.
We took the kids out to Cordova inside the Casa Monica hotel after a horse-drawn carriage ride through the Festival of Lights. We grabbed breakfast crepes at Mimi's Famous Crepes in the historic district one morning, and really enjoyed Prohibition Kitchen for lunch.
We had a small gingerbread wedding cake made by Alms & Fare bakery, and adorable/delicious cookies made by Candy Teal.
Finally, we finished the holiday season off by taking the three youngest to Handel's Messiah at the Atlanta Symphony.
Having already celebrated Christmas with our kids, Scott and I mostly kept close to home while the kids went to visit with relatives. We did spend a day with my parents and family in McRae. One of the most fun things he and I did in our two weeks with no kids was go to the Westin hotel in Atlanta and see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. That hotel was something else.
Per usual Scott, he spoiled me for Christmas with two new rings, a tennis bracelet from Frank Reubel Fine Jewelry of St. Augustine, and a new car. Yes, finally traded in the mom-van for a ride that made me feel pretty LOL.
Between Thanskgiving and Christmas we had celebrated a lot with our families, so in January, less than one year since we met, we hosted a fancy chef's table dinner party experience at Epic, a fine dining restaurant in Columbus. This party was mostly a chance for Scott's best guy friends to fly in and meet me. They came from as far as Seattle and New Jersey, and we had such a wonderful time. The decor was by David Benefield Highland Hall, and the fabulous cake was by How Sweet It Is Cake Studio. Chef Jamie helped me design the perfect menu for our guests, and it did not disappoint. Many left saying that was the best food they'd ever eaten. In the back of my mind I was thinking without saying, "but you've never eaten my mother, Karen's, food." It was so yummy, and the wine pairings perfectly selected. We even had our own signature cocktail. But, still, it's hard to beat my mom's beef bourguignon. I'd love to see those two in a cook-off.
Scott and I were empty nesters for the new year, so we treated ourselves to Dishoom Bistro that evening. One of the best restaurants in town, we were floored to be one of only two couples there. The food, drinks and atmosphere was amazing. I can't figure out why they are not packed year round for the best Indian food anywhere. This pictured desert is a frozen one called Kulfi, and it's my new favorite.
As we look forward to 2025, I have stepped away from my jobs at the Shannon B. Whittington Photography Studio and Midland Neighbors Magazine. I'm meeting with some medical specialists to see if we can get to the root cause of some of my pain/fatigue. So far they keep diagnosing me with Fibromyalgia Chronic Fatigue and Brain Fog. But, genetic tests have also shown I'm battling Factor-H Deficiency (Mitochondrial Disorder), which causes my body to not fight as hard against infections and inflammation (slow to heal and slow to have muscle recovery after exercise). Also, I've been battling MCAS (panic attacks of the auto-immune system), Hystamine Intolerance (unidentifiable, multiple allergies), Dysautonomia/POTS (problems regulating heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature), Adenosis (extreme inflammation of uterus), Hypertension (high blood pressure), Thyroid Nodules, Fatty Liver Disease, Diverticulosis, Stomach Ulcer & Erosion, Eczema/Psoriasis, Migraines and Perimenopause. I will also be having a hysterectomy to remove several Fibroid Cysts and address the pain of Adenosis, or possible Endometriosis April 2025. For more of how I'm fighting these disorders as I await God's complete healing to manifest in my body, click here.
Shout-out to God for healing Caryn's Scoliosis of the spine. She recently received a clean bill of health. He spine is only slightly curved now, and can be treated with chiropractics. A huge answer to prayer. No surgery required! Upon her first diagnosis in 2019, they told us surgery and a rod in her spine would be her only option. God is so good!
Evie and Ridge have found new jobs at a local restaurant, and Caryn is job hunting. Helping them prepare for young adulthood is what we're focused on this next two to three years. We know this is our last eighteen months or so with kids at home, so, God willing, we're planning a trip for the three younger kids to Chicago and Mackinac Island this summer, a cruise with Chandler and Cadie later in the summer, and then a Christmas trip to the Creation Museum in Kentucky.
But, first, Scott and I will be taking a "honeymoon" out to Seattle where we'll hang out with his friend Greg, and his fiance, Pam. Then we'll take a train down the Oregon Coast, rent a car, and see the Redwoods of California while visiting a winery or two. I'll also be doing some research for a couple of screenplays I'm working on. After staying in Medocino's coast, we'll visit San Francisco for a few days, then take a train down to L.A. We will barely be in L.A. for a day when we fly to Las Vegas for four nights before venturing on to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Lastly, we'll spend a few days in the picturesque Sedona, Arizona. More blogs about that trip to come!
Crazy how much a life can be changed in a single year. Thank you, God, for answering my prayer. And, thank you, Scott, for gifting us with this extraordinary life <3
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