Filed under: Uncategorized
Today I unpacked, unpacked and unpacked. Upon emptying our last few bins I realized there were a few things missing, a lot more clothes than needed and several empty bins that have no home 
Things missing:
My Wii fit balance board; some kitchen items and most importantly help in putting away all the crap in my new apartment!!! I have always had family close by to help and willing to help…this has not been the case here Many times today as this or that would occur I would think, I will just drive…oh wait I can’t. As I was in pain with lovely womanly crap and considering a doctors appointment, I realized I had to call insurance and FIND a doctor. Once I had went through that hassle, I realized Ben had the car and I had no way to the doctor! My thought, “I will just call mom and snatch a ride…oh wait, mom is now 18 hours and 1200 miles away. That won’t work.”
The biggest thing missing is family and friends. I miss my family and friends. I need friends but everyone is so kept to themselves that all you ever see is them running from their cars to their apartment building. I guess I can always borrow the internet from the neighbor and blog! Hopefully the internet people will get here quickly so I don’t have to borrow it anymore though!!!
Filed under: Uncategorized
We have finally made it to Oklahoma City. Actually, we made it yesterday. I-80 opened up around noon on Friday and we headed out and we had DRY roads almost the entire time. The worst weather of the whole trip was actually in Kansas!
We got to our place, signed all the final stuff and started un-sardining ourselves and children. I have to tell everyone that my children are the best travel troopers in the WORLD!! We only had 1 incident when our youngest wanted to get out. She was tired and it was 2 hours before we reached Oklahoma City. She throw a fit for about 2 minutes and promptly fell asleep! That was it. The rest of the time we had angels. No fighting, no whining, no incessant “when do we get there”. I am not that shocked by how great they were cause everytime we travel they are this good but I know it isn’t a common thing to have children so well behaved when traveling for long distances.
On top of not complaining at all while traveling long distances, we only stopped 2 times between Salt Lake, Utah and Colby, Kansas and 1 time between Colby and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We were all packed in the car like sardines in a can and I don’t think I would have been as good when I was there age as what they were. I should have taken a picture of HOW PACKED our car was. We (well Ben) fit 10 of the large rubbermaid bins in the back plus one of the long/large drawer storage system thingy. Around that was packed miscellaneous items. Inbetween the girls was the computer, TV and computer monitor. Below the girls feet were blankets. The girls could not put their feet down, they were lounged out in front of them for the entire journey. I am so proud of them!!!! Below my feet were tire chains (just in case), the lap top, the camera bag, my purse, drinks & treats.
Honestly, I have no clue HOW we packed what we did in the car. When we unpacked all the bins and items, it filled the living room of our apartment full. We had to create walking paths.
The journey was amazing and prayers were answered. Before we left when we had seen that I-80 was closed in Wyoming, I said a prayer asking for the roads to be dry and safe in Wyoming. I knew it was a lot to ask but I also knew that it was possible. As we drove threw Wyoming, even the area that had been closed, one side of the road was always bone dry. We drove freeway speeds the entire time!!
Today in Oklahoma, the weather is beautiful. It is sunny and warm…about 56 degrees when we were out. Now that is winter weather!! The city is flat, flat oh and flat! It is really weird to look all the way around and not see one mountain ANYWHERE. That will take some getting use to. Becoming lost is really EASY. I don’t have my East and West mountains to keep me oriented! So far, all the people I have encountered have been extremely kind and nice. Not that I expected them to be rude or mean but in some ways I have found people are more willing go out of their way to help rather than worry about only themselves. Wal-mart still has no customer service but you can’t expect anything different there…it is Wal-mart.
I am tired. It is 7 and I have to go unpack a couple more bins so that Ben has clothes for work tomorrow. I know these blogs are boring, but it is a update for any family that might come around!
Filed under: Uncategorized
We are stuck in Utah! We are supposed to be on the road between Evanston and Rock Springs, WY. Instead I am sitting in my parents kitchen waiting, waiting and waiting. I-80 is closed!!! We could start driving but then we would just be trying to find a place to chill in Evanston, WY for a couple hours or days with no major airports to board Ben on a plane. The alternative: what I am doing. Sitting obsessing over EVERY weather website, calling and checking what the I-80 conditions are like from weather stations throughout Wyoming and hoping we get to leave before midnight tonight. I will keep everyone updated on our winter blizzard and trek half-way across the nation!
Filed under: Uncategorized
“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!” is how the phrase is said by Santa. By good night I would assume it means a good night rest…for me that was not the case. It was a LATE, LATE night last night (about 2 am) and the night before was even later. I needed a good night sleep last night but packing takes some time. All the packing that couldn’t be packed until last night or today.
Tonight…tonight I hope for a good night sleep. Tonight I should be able to sleep due to the fact that we are all packed up. My only concern now is the nice winter weather we are experiencing. Thank Heavens for a car that is good in the snow!
I will up date everyone once we get to Goodland, Kansas tomorrow. Well it may have to come once we get to OKC…depending on how tired I am after driving all day.
I hope everyone here has had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! It really is an amazing time of the year! I am so grateful for my Savior and to be able to celebrate his birth.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: leaving my husband while I vacation, taking a cruise, vacation, visiting Western Carribean
I got a phone call from my dad this morning. This is how it went:
“Hey, did you get a chance to talk to Ben about going on the cruise with us while you are in OKC. I know that Ben can’t come but how does he feel about you guys coming with us and leaving him?”
“He is fine with whatever I decide. I just haven’t decided if we will have the funds for it. He would love to come but really for the next few years he won’t have the opportunity to take extended vacations.?”
“What port is the cruise leaving from? How are all of you getting there?”
“It leaves from Miami. We are all flying the same flight on Delta the Saturday before the cruise. You will have to pay for your airfare, all the incidentals, a few hotel rooms and the cruise tip fee.”
“Okay. I can handle that.”
We talked for a few more minutes about logistics of it all and I promptly got on the internet to look for airfare. I searched for a bit when suddenly…duh dah dah duh – I found it. $132 round trip from Oklahoma City to Fort Lauderdale (same airport my family is flying into). I had to check a second time to make SURE it was really round trip for that price. YUP! WOW…can I say WOW! I promptly booked the flights (came to $180 per person after all the taxes and fees) and then called my dad to tell him the great deal I got on airfare.
I am going to Belize!! There are a few other countries on the list to but I haven’t looked it all up to see exactly which ones. I am pretty sure that Grand Camyan Island is one port we are visiting. The cruise is a 7 day cruise…yup 7 days! I have been so excited all day that reality hadn’t hit. I am going to Belize and leaving my best friend, companion, soul-mate behind. Now I am sad! I don’t know how much it will really feel like a vacation since the person I would want to spend time with the most is the one that will be left in Oklahoma. I am excited to get some time with my parents and siblings. Since I see all of them at least 1 time a week (my sisters and parents at least 2 times), I know that after 2 1/2 months I will be dying to see them and it will be great to spend time with them. The only thing that would make this the perfect situation would be if my love would be there too! As all my siblings are walking hand in hand with their spouses, I will be walking hand in hand with my daughters. While I love my children and cherish holding their tiny, perfect hands, that thought puts a whole “BUMMER” feel to the trip.
Going 7 days without even talking to my hubby is going to be hard. I am already bracing myself for it. Be positive, Be positive! When I look at the cruise and all the fun, amazing things it has to offer, I am grateful and excited for the chance. I just feel horrible that my husband will miss them!!! For all you tech savvy people…what ways are there for me to stay in touch with my love while I am on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean? Does Wi-Fi even work in the ocean if I were to take my laptop and IM or at least email him?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: change in life, clean house, crazy dreams, Move to OKC
*Update Note…this blog was originally intended to comment on the vagueness of dream interpretation…it evolved…sorry! I honestly don’t believe all the dream guide interpretation crap…I just found this odd that it was about frogs and the room was filthy and frogs can mean dirty…
Last night I had a dream. I thought it was an odd dream. I remember specifically 3 frogs in the dream. 2 of the frogs were huge, 1 was smaller. Just the fact that I had such a vivid dream and frogs were such a HUGE part causes me to wonder about the dream this morning. As I thought about the dream more details would emerge. In the beginning there were only 2 large frogs. The frogs appeared in the room my husband and I were staying in. This part of the dream was foggy. I feel like the location was a place we were going for a getaway, time alone…like we did for our anniversary at the Homestead. I actually even vaguely remember the name Homestead in the dream.
As my husband and I walked into our retreat room, the room was fine and felt comfortable. As the dream progressed suddenly 2 large frogs appeared on our bed. As the frogs appeared in the room, I suddenly felt trapped. The grime and dirt started to appear. At some point our youngest daughter became part of the dream. Things go foggy again but then I vividly remember our car packed to the hilt and trying to make it to our retreat.
When we take our youngest daughter to the retreat, she starts to play with the frogs. As she does another smaller frog appears. The frogs are jumping all over the place with our daughter joyfully trying to capture the frogs. As she tries to catch the jumping frogs I watch the room transform for the worse. I remember me vaguely telling her not to touch the frogs because they were dirty and had diseases.
The dream suddenly jumped in locations and we were at a scummy motel near our daughter’s school (FYI – no such hotel exists in real life). I am picking my daughter up along with our other carpool child. I was stressing getting her in time. After picking her up and we are driving in the car, we started to talk then suddenly the dream jumped back to the scummy hotel that once was a retreat.
As the frogs continued to stay in the room my youngest daughter picks them up and throws them in the bathtub full of water, in which they start to swim. In one swoop they swim and then jump out and each the slugs that suddenly appear on, in or near the tub. I remember trying to escape the horribly dirty retreat.
After waking completely this morning, the dream still stuck with me. It was such an ODD dream and so different than I had ever experienced. The frogs were the biggest thing that seemed to linger in my mind. At first I tried to brush the dream off as just that, a dream. As the morning progressed, I found that the frogs would hop to the front of my mind. Even now these frogs sit in the front of my brain, their bodies vivid, slimy and green.
After trying to forget about it unsuccessfully, I decided I would do a web search on what frogs mean in a dream. After all, they had to mean something. Upon searching, I found this:
Dream Symbols
Dream Symbols were found in your search.
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· Moving forward in leaps, possibly amongst long periods without apparent progress · Making progress in ways that don’t appear to move directly towards a goal, such as through trial and error Dreaming of this animal can represent: · Having too much of one of these qualities, or that you could benefit by being less this way · Not having enough of one of these qualities, or that you could benefit by being more like this · Someone or something in your real life with whom you associate one of these qualities (an event, situation, threat, etc.) For more clues, pay attention to what the animal was doing or any particular characteristic that stood out. Category: Animals |
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A slug, similar to a snail without a shell, can represent: · Slowness, or slow to change · Steadiness, patience, perseverance · Changeable or malleable in form, thought, feeling, or otherwise · Leaving a residue, trail, evidence, or other aftermath · Sluggishness or perceived laziness Dreaming of this creature can represent: · Having too much of one of these qualities, or that you could benefit by being less this way · Not having enough of one of these qualities, or that you could benefit by being more like this · Someone or something in your real life with whom you associate one of these qualities (an event, situation, threat, etc.) |
I also found this:
Frog
To see a frog in your dream, represents a potential to change or something unexpected. The frog may be a prince in disguise and thus, signify transformation. Alternatively, the frog symbolizes uncleanness, fertility, or rebirth.
To see frogs leaping in your dream, indicates your lack of commitment. You have a tendency to jump from one thing to another. Alternatively, it may suggest that you are taking major steps toward some goal.
To dream that you are catching a frog, signifies your carelessness concerning your health.
The fact that we are taking a HUGE step and moving to OKC gives me the answer to part of the frogs. The fact that my house is in halves right now gives me another (half clean and organized, half disheveled and dirty). The fact that as the frogs stayed, the place became more and more dirty explained it for me…I think. I have really felt that my packing for OKC has caused my house to be utter chaos. It is: half clean, half dirty; half packed, half left the same; half really organized, half disheveled. I really wanted a clean, organized home for Christmas. As it stands, I have a home that is basically clean and unorganized. That wouldn’t be horrible if it weren’t for the fact that all the time I normally spend cleaning I currently am packing. Each day I seem to fall further behind in my cleaning but a step or two ahead in my packing. Why can’t I have both? I guess I could make my house spotless each night before bed but then all the work I started in organizing and packing would be a waste because I couldn’t leave any project overnight to start again in the morning. I HATE THIS! I like to clean my house and go to bed with a clean, well-organized home.
I think my subconscious is trying to blame OKC for a dirty house 
I also think that the frog eating the slug had to do with the fact that moving to OKC is a huge jump and change but it is one that will take away the slump we have found ourselves in; the one of “where are we supposed to go in life?”.
The only part that really concerns me is the fact that over and over it states that there is a cause for concern of health if you are holding a frog. Why then was my daughter holding the frog and why did no one touch it until she did? I guess I have been a little worried that she is getting sick…I don’t know.
More than anything, I just want to sleep good tonight. I packed up a lot of the house today and cleaned and organized what was left in those areas. I have a lot LESS stress regarding the move but I have a lot MORE work ahead of me.
At least the meaning of frogs wasn’t imminent death I think my subconscious was trying to tell my conscience brain that I need to get my butt in gear even more and clean a little more each day while still packing. So today I did just that. I cleaned and organized all my cupboards in my kitchen while packing the kitchen. I also packed all the girls clothes and got their clothes for the next week set aside. No more frog dreams tonight I hope! I can’t handle the stress of them!!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: message from unknown caller, phone message etiquette
“Hey Tauni, it’s me! How are you girl? I was just wondering what you were up to? Give me a call back when you get the chance!!!”
Nice! Since there is about 6.7 Billion “me”s in the world, it would be nice if she would have narrowed it a bit with a name, or at least a phone number. I guess I could probably narrow it to about 3.8 Billion “me”s given that I know it is a woman leaving the message and it takes out the entire male population of “me”s in the world.
I am not one that enjoys leaving voicemail messages for ANYONE; I just don’t do it unless I absolutely HAVE to. When I do, I really try to avoid leaving the message so void of information that the person has a guessing game upon their hands. When I do leave a message, this is how it goes…
“Hey (insert name), this is Tauni (Last name). If you could give me a call back at (555) 555-1212 or (555) 222-1313, I would really appreciate it. Once again those numbers are (555) 555-1212 or (555) 222-1313. Thanks!” Click.
I really try to keep it short, sweet and to the point. I occasionally will leave a small message regarding what I needed to talk to that person about, but I try to avoid that if possible. I figure that a voicemail or other telephone message is just that, a short message to inform that person you called and would like them to call you back. I almost always leave my number 2 times. I LOVE when I get messages that have the phone number stated 2 times. I don’t have to listen to the message again to get the number. I HATE, HATE, HATE…let me state this again…HATE when I get a message from someone, the message is extremely long and they state their phone number only one time towards the middle or even the end of the message. The first time through I have to listen to the full message; if I don’t catch the phone number in its entirety, I am stuck listening to the message again up until the point the phone number is stated.
Isn’t there some voicemail etiquette out there? I mean really, the rules would be simple and EASY for everyone to follow.
Leaving a message Etiquette:
1. Always state your name in the beginning. Do NOT assume the person receiving the message will know your voice hence you only need to state “me”.
There is one exception to this rule: your spouse and close, close, close family and friends that KNOW your phone voice very well (i.e. you talk at least 4 times a week on the phone)…you can say to them “this is me”. You don’t have to state phone number because they will already know it.
2. Following your name, state your phone number.
3. Remember this is a message not a one-way phone call. Make the message as short as possible. You can discuss everything when they call back.
4. Before ending your message, leave your phone number again, just in case they missed it the first time.
See? It is simple!
As for me and my voice message, the message is still on my phone. I THINK after listening to it about 2 million times, I now know the person I should call back! Hope she doesn’t mind that it is only a couple weeks late!
Truthfully today she doesn’t but yesterday she was a horrible stench that looked like a dog. I usually have no qualms about her being in the house. The past few days I have dreaded even bringing her in at night. I honestly have never allowed her to smell this foul but as of late have not had the time to bathe her then spend an hour getting rid of all the dog hair left in the bathroom. As the large snowflakes started to fall around 10:30 am, loud whimpers protruded through the door. I KNEW it was cold outside because I had been out for 3 hours that morning putting a new door on the storage shed. My heart really felt badly for her but my olfactory sense just couldn’t tolerate it. I begged her to please go in her dog house and stay warm and dry but she stubbornly sat whining at the door.
I debated back and forth whether I had the time to clean the bathroom following the bath. I decided I did have the time and as I went to bring her in the house I realized although I had the time I would NOT allow that smell to be removed in my bathtub. This job would need to be a professional job. I quickly shut the back door with Lady left outside. What a sad puppy she was and I am sure if she could talk I would have heard some cussing and “why would you tease me like that?”
I promptly found the phone which was a feat in and of itself (our house has been UTTER chaos between putting on a new front window, new front door and storm door, packing for Oklahoma and having Christmas in 11 days). I called around to a couple places and found one that had an opening and I could take Lady in immediately (which was important because her whining had turned to the trademark hound dog bawl).
Upon arriving at Petsmart, I retrieved Lady from her carrier in the back (she stunk to bad to allow her to run free in the car) and hurried out of the cold into the warmth of the building. Lady was well-behaved and listened to all commands as I filled out paperwork to have her bathed. I had never had Lady bathed at this particular Petsmart. In all actuality, I have always bathed her myself except for one other time when I had a coupon from puppy training. I had provided rabies information to other Petsmart groomers but I didn’t currently have the paperwork on it. The sweet girl helping me called over to the other Petsmart to obtain the vaccine information.
Once she had hung up the phone, I asked her, “Her rabies vaccination is good until twenty-ten right?”
“No, ten-ten.” she replied.
I chuckled to myself over the semantics of our conversation. I simply was asking if the rabies were current until 2010 and she was simply telling me they were good until October 2010 without realizing 2010 is the other 10 in her 10-10. I signed all the papers she put before me and handed over the leash. Lady reluctantly went behind the swinging door as I walked back out to my car in the freezing snow.
Tonight as I sat on the couch and Lady jumped up next to me, I no longer smelt the putrid smell and thought of the conversation of the day previous. Although the conversation was a bit ditsy, they had done an amazing job with Lady and she had even left with a little red bow attached to her head. I wish I would have gotten a picture before she and the girls managed to remove it. She did look rather cute.
Thank you Petsmart groomer girl (I don’t even know her name). I appreciate you allowing me the ability to have my dog in the house without wanting to gag! I am also sure that my neighbors appreciate you and the fact that Lady is not outside bawling to be let in!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bloggers block, DIY jobs, installing new windows, moving
Is there such a thing as “bloggers block”? I mean writers block exists but does it exist for bloggers? After all, usually when someone has writers block it means that they are actually working on a book or a piece that isn’t just random ramblings about their life. If no one has ever invented the word for the “bloggers block”, then I guess I better because I am having it. I shall name it bloggers block, bb for short. I have reached a place where I don’t know what I should write about. Since I couldn’t think of just one, you will get to bear with me as I brainstorm about many. Who knows what this post will really be about…hopefully it is something interesting.
Ideas:
A. I could write about the fact that my house is in a psycho transition change with new, beautiful presents under the tree with packing boxes sitting by partially filled full of the necessities we will need. I COULD write about that but I think any constant readers I do have are sick and tired of hearing about my moving. I think I will pass on boring you while causing myself more panic about what I don’t have completed.
B. My children. I love to write about all the cute things they do and say. Like my 3 year old opening a Christmas present prematurely after I told her she can’t open the presents until Christmas. When I questioned why…she simply stated, “I didn’t open the present mom. I just looked inside to see what was in it!” The logic of a 3 year old…who can argue with it?!?
C. My husband and/or my life. Ben is getting all A’s in college this semester; a huge feat considering he has been working 40+ hours at Mona Vie and up until the week of Thanksgiving 20+ hours at UPS. I could write about the fact that when at UPS, Ben’s boss and he got along for quite a while until Ben slept in one morning. After that he was on the hit list and no matter what he did, he could never get off it. When we went to the ward party, that EXACT boss was there. Seems that he has moved in with his mom and his mom lives in our ward. Hmmm…AWKWARD!
D. Home Repairs. Now this is one that might actually interest someone. Ben and I are DIYers (Do It Yourselfers). We often tackle home repair projects with nothing other than read knowledge. Our projects all seem to come out looking good and with good solid workmanship. Some of that may take a while. Such as our Kitchen that took 3 months…yup I didn’t have a functioning kitchen for 3 months. That was lovely.
I could also tell the story of being 5 months pregnant and due to a busted pipe and Ben working 2 jobs; I was not able to take a shower in my own home so I had to drive to my parents’ house. That was a fun time. That time was right before Christmas. I also recall that all water in the house had to be turned off for about 5 days and I didn’t even have the ability to use the bathroom (while 5 months pregnant) because of no water in the house. Yeah, Ben didn’t finish that job…I found a great plumber! That story also involves me being too naive to realize that I PAY Home Owner’s Insurance for a reason and I should have made a claim.
When mentioning DIY jobs, I can never forget the downstairs bathroom, aka guest bathroom. Our condo has 2 levels, a main level (I call it the downstairs) and the upstairs area (I call it upstairs). The main level bathroom was out of commission due to the above mentioned water leak. That repair just barely was finished to my satisfaction. I still have a couple little things but for the most part it is now what I would call complete. It was out of commission completely for 1 year, useable but unfinished for 2 years and has now been completed for 1 month.
This last story is my favorite. Replacing windows! This last week I got an AWESOME deal on vinyl windows. It was $50/window. For those of you that haven’t cared to look at the price of vinyl windows, that is a steal of a deal. ONE window would usually cost me about $145-190 depending on which window in the house I was replacing. Anyway, my parents offered to pay for the windows for me for Christmas. Double bonus…great deal PLUS no cost to me. I called around to find the cost to have the windows professionally installed. My parents said they would pay for the rest of the installation if we wanted or we could get something else. NOT having to replace the windows sounded so nice, so I started to look. I quickly determined that we would have my parents purchase a front door for us instead of paying for installation!
Saturday morning we (Ben and I) set to work. Our daughters were at a church party for the Primary kids, so it was perfect timing. I had read up a bunch online on how to replace the aluminum windows with vinyl, Ben had not. As I set to work doing as I had read, a van pulled into the condo parking lot. It just so happened, our neighbor had ordered new windows from Lowe’s and was having them installed that day. SCORE US! The installer was a nice, older gentleman and he answered any and ALL of our never-ending list of questions. I know the only reason we were able to remove the old window so quickly was because of his great advice! We started at 9:30 and by 12:00 (and after a quick trip to Home Depot) we had the new window in. Another trip to Home Depot and the window was secured in with screws. The rest of the window took a couple hours, not because of time consuming steps, but rather because we lollygagged a lot more than we should have.
That night as I was washing the hand prints from our new window, our neighbors walked past and commented on the beautiful new window and how it was an all day job. I chuckled and told them, “Actually, it was done at noon…it is the little things that took until 9:00″. That is the truth too! If before we had started the destruction and installation process we had known all the things we would have needed to do the job, the window would have been in and complete (including the new tile window sill) after 3 hours. Instead, it was a learning curve in which we had to learn and purchase. We spent a lot of time going back to Home Depot or Lowes.
This week we plan on finishing the last two windows. BEFORE we start the demolition of the old window, I will have all the things needed for the installation already purchased and readily available. Timing it out we figured it should take us no more than an hour. After many, many, many DIY jobs, I have learned…double that time and that will be about how long it will take. One afternoon off work SHOULD do the trick; I just hope it really does!
Now if I could just will the weather to cooperate with the rest of our DIY jobs on the list to be completed before Christmas and OKC, then that would be nice. After all, we only have 2 weeks until we leave and I have to get the new front door on, the 2 windows installed, my house packed and help my parents install a new bathroom sink (don’t ask)! Yes, I could pay someone to do these things but then where would my fun come from in driving myself NUTS while trying to turn myself into superwoman and turn Ben into He-Man?!?
Filed under: Uncategorized
Lying in bed listening to the alarm chime it was time to get up, dread seared through my body. The thought of facing a new day was about more than I could handle. Why do the nights move by so quickly? As my mind filtered between my dreams and reality I heard our children scurrying about and knew it was definitely time to get up.
Ben was still in bed next to me I thought. As I rolled over, I noticed he was no longer in bed and the clock was showing 8:05. 8:05? I could have SWORN it just went off a minute ago at 7:00. What happened to the last hour? Ben called from downstairs asking me to help with getting Katy ready and I realized that the time really was 8:05.
Disconcerted and definitely exhausted I dragged myself out of the soft, warmth of our bed to face the morning scramble. After I had completed the immediate timed tasks, I curled up in a warm blanket, watch the fireplace and took in our beautiful Christmas tree.
As Ben brought me a cup of hot cocoa (he is the best ever by the way, I didn’t even have to ask) I informed him, “I am not going anywhere today, you can take the car”. He raised an eyebrow and questioned, “What about picking up D?” CRAP! Today was a day I wanted to lounge in my pjs, wash and fold laundry and snuggle the one daughter home with me. I didn’t want to brave the cold and drive around the valley picking up children. As my hopes were dashed, I prayed that something would happen to enable me a quiet, stress-free day at home. I have felt like a chicken with its’ head cut off lately. I really just needed a quiet day of absolutely NOTHING, a mental health day if you will.
An hour later my phone rang as I was headed up the stairs to the shower. “I will call them back.” I thought as I continued up the stairs. Approximately 30 minutes later I checked my messages. My prayers were heard. The kids were sick and not attending school. I could lounge all day in my pajamas and do absolutely nothing other than laundry! I cannot tell you how thankful I have been for that phone call today!!!
So as you guessed, I am still in my pajamas (yes I am aware that it is 4 in the afternoon). I have no plans of changing. I have managed to wash and put away most laundry, still have 3 loads to finish. I also managed to pack my first bin for Oklahoma. Since so much of what we are taking is items used on a daily basis, packing has mostly been put off until the last minute. Today I washed and put away our Black Friday deal towels and packed the old ratting ones to come with us. Most will not be making the trip back. I managed to pack a few other small items that we cannot go without in Oklahoma but we have enough here that we won’t miss a couple missing for the next 3 weeks.
3 weeks…that is it. Luckily my Christmas shopping is complete and almost all the presents wrapped. I now have 3 weeks to slowly pack away our lives for the next 4 months. I keep thinking I don’t have to pack that now, it can wait; the entire time realizing, it can’t wait, I have to start packing. I think I am in denial. After all, this is just like a vacation, a really LONG vacation. Packing for a really long vacation is more work than just packing up the entire house. Packing like this isn’t throwing everything in a box, I have to calculate what HAS to come and what can be left behind. At the same time I have to realize I am not just packing for a vacation and I do have to plan daily living items into the packing room. Some items we love and cherish will have to be left home, no room for them to come and they aren’t essentials.
My day of nothing has been GREAT. I definitely accomplished more than I planned in my lazy state this morning, yet all the while I have managed to have a relaxing day at home. Tonight I will pack up some toys and even put some in the permanent “give away” pile.
I know I have stated a million times that I hate laundry days, but today, just today, I am grateful for it. I have been able to accomplish something small while still maintaining my lazy, nothing day. This is the first and LAST time you will ever hear me say I am grateful for laundry days! Usually my days are crammed pack full of things to accomplish and laundry is just added to that list. Today my only thing to accomplish was laundry. I am grateful. I am grateful that I didn’t have a day of nothing but I did have a day of rest!
