Wow! I'm wondering if this just might be one of my driest periods *ever* since starting this blog way back in 2006! I've been trying to convince myself for several weeks now that I need to get back to posting, but the whole thing has been so overwhelming I just couldn't figure out where to start. Today I just decided I'll start at the beginning – more or less.
But right after I wish my stamping friends a Happy Valentine's Day!
Ok. So…… in case there might be some reader out there who hasn't yet heard, way back in August (eek! That's 6 MONTHS ago!) I decided to put my house on the market and begin the long, slow process of relocating to Idaho where my (now 2) grandchildren live. Little did I know just HOW long that process would take, though, and while I thought I was up for the task, perhaps I wasn't quite as "up for it" as I'd initially thought. I admit to feeling pretty wrung out pretty often these days.
Technically and thankfully, the house didn't take very long to sell by today's standards; we had a buyer on board within approximately a week and then began the escrow process. But it turns out the whole "selling/moving" thing was a pretty big task I'd bitten off. (Dang, just like childbirth, why don't we REMEMBER the pain from the LAST time?!? I KNEW there was a reason I'd sworn way back in 1996 that I'd never move again!) Thank GOODNESS for all the help I've been blessed with – from my parents, my brothers, my son and his wife, neighbors, and my stampin' friends, too!
Anyway, I had a ton of "stuff" (both personal and related to my Stampin' Up! business), and consequently a gazillion decisions to be made and carried out regarding whether to keep the items? Sell them? Store them? And "how"? How-to-pack "the stuff" and make it all fit on the moving truck and still be able to locate it on the other end, etc. So the ton of stuff translated into a ton of work, from which I'm still not fully recovered, either physically or mentally, it seems.
Point to ponder: why do we spend the first half of our lives *acquiring* stuff, and the second half wondering what to do with it and almost wishing we didn't *have* it?!?
So the bulk of my "stuff" (both personal and Stampin' Up!-related) has been in storage since October (translation, I basically haven't stamped since before then, either). I finally found an apartment I liked mid-January and have been in the "process" of moving in ever since. Can't BELIEVE how it's managing to take so long, but somehow it is. I suppose part of that is that I've got about 20% of the space here in my new place compared to the space I moved out of, so I'm having to be really selective about which items I bring in. (And of course most of the 80% that will have to stay in storage is in front of the 20% I need access to…. so THAT might have something to do with the speed with which this process isn't happening, too!)
Nonetheless, I'm pushing forward, determined to make headway, even if slow. And learning to be patient with myself. ('Cuz the alternative is frustration.) Earlier this week I got the kitchen (mostly) settled (definitely a one-butt kitchen; you can stand in the middle and reach just about anything you need to without taking more than 1 short step), so now I'm starting to turn my attention to getting back in the Stampin' Up! saddle. That's a HUGE part of my life that I miss terribly. But I'm coming to the realization that holding classes and meeting with stampers will certainly look very different going forward than it has in the past, since I won't be able to hold classes in my home, and everything will have to be done off-site. The meeting-room rental options I've seen so far have been discouragingly pricey, but I'm remaining optimistic that there's an answer out there SOMEWHERE…… if only I can uncover/discover it and figure it out!
And you can bet I'm looking forward to THAT day! 🙂
