Now I Can Breathe

  

(Me baking Beth’s Christmas Coffee Cake)

This has been an insane month.  And now we are on the road to Utah, and I can breathe a little.

 

This is so cool, it’s the first time I can blog while we are driving (well, Tucker is driving) because Tucker’s work gave him a traveling internet connection USB thing.  Perfect time to catch up on the blog…when I’m sitting for 12 hours and can’t do anything except moderate the kids!

 

But backing up.  Several things made December even crazier than normal.  I think the main things were: custom orders (tons!), my schooling (finals!) and Tucker’s job (traveling, intensity).  So they were all good things, but just added to the chaos.

 

For the past month, I have had to utilize every spare second of my life to fit in the extra activity.  Literally.  I was always cutting vinyl, making signs, trading with Lindy to go to school parties, helping donate to needy children, shopping for Christmas, singing with Harmony, dealing with sick kids, taking people’s family pics, preparing for Utah, and did I say cutting vinyl, vinyl and more vinyl?  Somehow I think everything got done. 

Except if you had come to my house last night, you wouldn’t have thought so. You would have wondered how we were actually going to leave today. My house has been so chaotic.  But Tucker and I worked together until 1:00 am to get laundry done, suitcases packed, house clean (I have to leave my house semi-clean….at least laundry done, dishes done and trash out) and car all packed up and ready to jump into this morning!  I feel like I deserve a two-day nap.

 

Here is a memo board that I stressed and stressed over.  The lady told me she wants is REALLY blingy, with leopard and hot pink.  It’s big, 24”x36”, and she told me she wants a memo board and cork board.  She was planning to spend $100, so I wanted it to be really good.  When she came to pick it up, she loved it…but we realized that when she said “memo board” she meant white board…and I interpreted the criss-cross ribbon type memo board!  Ugh!  But luckily she loved it and said she’d have me bling a white board for her daughter after Christmas.

 

I have tried not to let my mind dwell on the stressors and negative aspects of life.  Like feelings like I’m failing on the balance of myself and my activities versus the kids and theirs, or feeling disgusting because I’ve eaten SOOOOO bad lately with no exercise at all, or feeling like the most disorganized person on the planet.  And just plain old dwelling on all the things I DON’T do.  I’ve really tried to push those thoughts out because if I don’t, then I totally negate all the good things I AM doing.  And most of all, I feel like I was still able to emphasize the most important things of this season to my children: Christ, Family and Service.

 

I have to admit there were several times I thought “there is no way in the world I can be ready for a huge road trip to UT”.  But there is something deep inside me that is driven by relationships and keeping them strong.  Which takes effort.  My mom was always a example and a proponent of that to me growing up.  And I want the same thing for my girls.  Plus, my track record tends to prove that no matter how stressful it feels leading up to a road trip, the experiences and memories we walk away with are always more than worth the effort. (Girls, I hope you always remember that!).

 

OK, now on to more blogging!