Meet Cheyenne Bell :: Unexpected Widow + Authentic Empowering Mama

To say that I didn’t expect to be where I am today is an understatement. As a Type A, crazy, plan-every-detail, perfectionist, it was not in my life plan to be a widowed mom of two young kids living in a town where I never thought I would live. Yet, here I am. And, honestly, I can’t tell you that I am unhappy. Surprised, but not unhappy.

But let me back up a bit. I guess I should tell you what I expected from life. What I expected was to marry my high school sweetheart, live in a house with a white picket fence, have 2.5 kids for whom I baked homemade cookies after a busy day of homeschooling, and die holding the hand of my beloved after 50+ years of wedded bliss.

That’s not so much to ask, right?

An ordinary, simple, lovely, uncomplicated, storybook life. Complete with cookies.

I should’ve known from early on that I was not destined for such a life. Despite my best laid plans, nothing in my life has gone the way I thought it should. I did not marry my high school sweetheart. Instead, he broke my heart and forced me to grow into an independent woman. I don’t live in a house with a white picket fence. Instead, I just bought my very first, solo-mom, home four blocks from my sister with a hill country river less than a mile from my backyard.

I do not make cookies nor do I homeschool. But I DO have dance parties in the kitchen after the kids get home from school and I shut down my home office computer.

And I will not experience 50 years of wedded bliss to my beloved husband, because he suddenly and unexpectedly died in 2017. But, we did have almost eight years of wedded bliss before he was called home, and for that I am extremely grateful.

No, it seems that I was not destined for an ordinary life at all. But I am learning that all the unexpected twists and turns, ups and downs, interrupted plans, and, yes, even the shattered dreams, have ultimately made my life much more rich and full than I ever could have imagined.

The winding road my journey has taken has also brought me to a place in my life where I am finally able (and brave enough) to chase after some long-held dreams: to make a name for myself as a writer, as an encourager, as a motivator, as a champion for other women…especially moms.

So now you know the heart of who I am, and the journey that has shaped me so far. As for the “boring” basics; well, that’s much easier. I am Cheyenne. I am a mom of two young kids. My daughter, Aislin, is seven and full of music and light. My son, Hawkins, is five and is a laughing ball of energy and silliness. We became a family of three after a sudden heart attack took my husband, Garry, in October of 2017. Shortly after his death, we sold our home and headed to the Austin area to be closer to our extended families. As my mom likes to say, it takes a lot of people to fill my husband’s shoes. But I think they are all doing a darn good job of it.

I am an attorney by trade and practiced for many years before abandoning that career to become a stay-at-home mom. However, my dream was always to be a writer. A novelist, to be specific. And so when my life started over again without my consent, I decided to use that new beginning as a catalyst for chasing my dream of writing. And while I have not yet finished a novel, I am finding a great deal of satisfaction in writing a great many other things. Perhaps when my children are not bouncing off the walls, I will have more time to finish that novel…right?!

Besides writing, my passions include good coffee, better wine, old homes, antique shopping, reading, and biting off more than I can chew with DIY home projects. I am the owner and founder of Sense & Serendipity where I write about motherhood, widowhood, DIY & home décor, and wellness. I am snarky, sarcastic, sometimes inappropriate, and often use humor to diffuse tense situations. But I am also honest, transparent, open and do my best to inspire and uplift others as best I can. As I say on my Instagram profile description: I love Jesus, but I cuss a little.

I am glad to be a part of this Austin Moms community and I can’t wait to see where this new trail leads in my ever-changing, unexpected, beautifully complicated life.