DONE

One more post for the day.... I'M DONE! Yup, that's right. I'm done with my approval essay. The last one of these kinds of essays. Happy Day! All I have to do is get it to the right people.

Dreaming of Winter

Oddly enough I am looking forward to cold days. I know.. weird. I never thought I would say that but alias I want cold. I need cold.

This morning it was a balmy 58 degrees. I blame it on the humidity because it's sitting at 100%. Normally I would walk outside and think that it was kind of chilly. Not today. It felt really great until I walked up the hill of death to work today. Isn't it suppose to get easier the more you do it, not tougher.

good vs bad

Woke up this morning to it thundering and lighting outside. Of course the first song that pops into my head is Garth Brook's "The Thunder Rolls." There.. all I had to say was the song title and you too will have it stuck in your head all day!

Very exciting day yesterday.. tiring but exciting!

Things I love:
1. Getting my hair cut
2. Getting my hair highlighted
3. New thing I love, getting my hair lowlighted as well
4. Thing I really love... paying only $5 for this whole process!
5. My sister-in-law and really good friend getting engaged
6. 10 minute conversations that leave you a better person
7. long conversations that leave you a better person
8. Almost being done with my approval essay for Sem. (would love it more if I were done!)
9. my Eric
10. that Eric has a job interview today... keep him in your prayers
11. that Eric is enjoying himself and has already started to find his nitch
12. Feeling the baby moving around and kicking
13. The anticipation of holding our little one

Things I don't like:
1. My swollen feet and legs

Overall I think I am doing pretty good and life is good.

Good ole' sleep

Feeling a little better this morning. More rested up. Still miss the coffee in the morning. Will probably hear me complain about no coffee till December some time. I feel like coffee was my only real vise. I liked my vise. I want my vise back! It's not like it's that bad. I don't have any other drug problem, alcohol isn't a problem. Coffee... coffee just makes me happy.. coffee makes me a real person in the morning, and sometimes at night.

I did get a lot of rest this weekend. Saturday night we had plans to go out to eat with SMH before she took in a show. That was good to catch up with her again. We have seen her more in this last month then almost the whole time we were living near Sioux Falls. I am going to miss our dates.

After we ate SMH took off. We had plans with some other friends but I just didn't have enough energy to be a good host. So we took a rain check. Eric went and played some more Wii and I passed out on the couch, probably around 7ish. Woke up to go to bed around 11pm or 12am and woke up again Sunday morning at 9:30am. Took another little nap Sunday afternoon. I think I am in the growing stage again. Getting ready in the morning is harder again and I require more sleep and food. Always learning to listen to my body.

Rise and Shine

Please tell me that I don't have to do anything tomorrow!

I'm in need of much needed rest.

Don't get me wrong. The last couple days have been great and have been really great to catch up with friends, but it's time for a rest. I am so tired that I can't totally give my all to a conversation. I feel like I space out and my listening skills aren't as great. I hate when I do that. I want to be totally present with people and not just half-way there.

Oh.. one little random thing. I have never had to write my initials in the whole year that I have been married. My whole initials that is. SMG. I find myself really having to think about it. We use initials at the desk so people know who did what. And because there were so many Sara(h)'s here when I worked here last I am use to using the initials HMS. So, long story short.... I am all sorts of messed up!

I'm really struggling today at the desk. Probably why the rant about needing rest. I slept for a good 9 hours last night but I still feel like I could go back to sleep in two seconds. I did have dumb dreams again last night, forgot to put on my wrist brace on one of my hands so I woke up with both hands a sleep again, and I woke up at 5:30am with a leg cramp in my left leg. Other then that it was a great sleep. And the thing is that all 3 of those things usually happen during the night so that wasn't even that bad of a night. I can't really complain too much.

Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open

Last night we grilled out with some friends from Sem. Eric was able to meet more people and feel like he is a part of this whole fiasco too. Stayed out probably later then I should have but it was fun to be outside and around good company. Also always fun to catch up and here about peoples lives for the past year and a half.

Today I'm working at the desk again. Trying to get people to get their schedules in so I know what I have to work with for the fall. It is also a bit of a crunch because I need to know if I should hire more people to fill spots. Always with the pulling of teeth though.

Yesterday got some more stuff unpacked around the house. Today's goal is to get some more unpacked and feel like we are actually moved in. We do need to take some more stuff down to storage but the elevator is broke for real this time and so that is going to have to wait. I just hope it gets fixed soon because I feel like the boxes and totes are going to start attacking at any moment. There are just so many of them and so much clutter. I am REALLY starting to hate clutter. Little by little though. I keep telling myself 9-10 months.. only 9-10 months.

Oh yeah.. and I need to write my Approval Essay. Only 17-20 pages long. Yeah kind of sucks! I just need to push through and do it. Normally I would make myself a hot cup of coffee with hot chocolate mix in it. Enjoy a few sips. Sit down in front of a computer screen. And start writing away. There is just something about that infusion of caffeine that really does it for me. It's my drug of choice really. Just thinking about it makes me happy inside. Excited really... but alas I can't do it. The baby wouldn't enjoy it too much. So for now I dream about it....

Here But Not Yet

Physically I'm back. Our "stuff" is here. We are slowly unpacking our lives again into a new place. Trying to pick-up from where we left off but finding that to be semi hard. Life is just different again. Both of us making changes to how we do things individually and as a couple. Eric is trying to find a job, always a lot of work and frustrating. He has been really working hard at looking and I am really proud of him for that.

Mentally I don't think we are really here yet. Still feels like a long weekend on vacation. Life has not totally gotten back to normal yet, whatever normal is. For some reason I feel less settled now then in all my years of moving. We added it all up and in the last 8 or 9 years I have moved 15 times. This moving thing should be a piece of cake, but for some reason I feel like I am having a hard time finding my feet under me and feeling like we are actually here.

I'm back at work, the infodesk. Doesn't feel like much has changed but at the same time everything has changed. Or maybe it's just that I have changed. I forget how much time has passed. It's been almost a year and a half since I have lived here and sat behind this desk. I'm married now. My last name has changed. Which I'm not use to people not knowing me by married name now. We are expecting a little one the end of November. So much living and so many milestones have happened in the last year.

Maybe it feels like I am taking a step back by being here. I feel ready to be in a congregation. I want to be settled. I find myself missing the familiarity of the routine that Eric and I had.

Internship always seems like it will be simple. Move for a few months, learn, and come back to continue where you left off. But it's not like that. For that year people became our family and helped us grow as people and as a couple. For a year we shared our lives with people. A very formative point in our lives as we were newly married. And for a year we were really close to good friends. Many good friends. We were close to a place that both of us knew well and we didn't have to rely on the other.

So I still feel like I am here but not yet. I feel like this isn't really reality yet. Not really a dream but not really reality.

Ugh!!!

What a weekend...

I am so tired...

I am so tired from packing, moving, and unpacking. From getting up at 4:30am and driving 4.5 hours.

I am so tried from figuring out all of the mailing changes, insurance stuff, cable set-up, and our little fender bender situation.

Oh did I mention our fender bender situation. This older gentleman backed into the side of our car in the Wendy's parking lot. Oh wait, it gets better. It was on Friday lunch time right before we went to pick-up the moving truck. And it gets better. This little fender bender put us behind in time for picking up the truck about 45min to an hour. AND because the Wendy's parking lot is "private property" the police dude that showed up 30-45min after we called couldn't issue a ticket to the guy. But the nice police man did brake it to the guy that if he could issue a ticket it would be his fault. So.. we were worried that we would have to fight about it with this older gentleman's insurance. Heard from his insurance guy this afternoon... as the cable guy was here and didn't know what he was doing.. and had to make a statement.

Good news, his insurance is taking liability for it!

Badnews, Eric didn't know how to help the cable guy so he left and told us to reschedule. GRRR.... it was just that he didn't know what he was doing. So... 5 hours later from when we were suppose to have cable, that same guy is coming back to actually set it up. I hope he can figure it out this time. This all happened after I checked around and called Comcast back to tell them he just didn't know what he was doing. Sometimes I feel like I have to do other peoples jobs for them.

Slowly but steadily we are getting moved in. Hung up some pictures this evening so that always makes me feel better. I know I am going to sleep well tonight after such a long day!

Movement

What a great weekend. Tiring but great!

Friday night we babysat our nephew. He is such a good little kid, he will be 2 in October and is so good. We went over to some friends and grilled out. We then just sat around the fire and talked. It was great! Much needed time just to be. It was also fun to see Eric in the parent roll. JJ fell asleep in his arms while we were sitting around the fire. I know it meant so much to him and it was so cute.

Saturday we packed things up around here. Eric ended up not having to work so we had the day to do things together around the house. It was actually a lot of fun. Then Sara came up for Supper. It was great. We ate supper, watched some Olympics, okay so more yelling at the tv, and then Eric's parents came. It was just a great night. Eric and Sara tried to see how much watermelon they could eat. They are both so competitive and just can't help themselves when the other throws down a challenge.

Sunday was my last day at LCDR. I didn't know how hard it would be to say good-bye. It felt good to have that sermon done and I made it through both of them without too many tears. I will really miss the congregation. They have made my year here bery blessed. It is always good to be able to look back on a year and to be thankful for all that God has given you.

Today I went to my last doctors appointment in Sioux Falls. It has been a couple of days of good-byes. That was also hard because I have been going there for about 5 years now.

So many changes. Good and bad. A lot to let go of and so much to look forward to.

Realization

I need a vacation.

I had a great morning but not so much a great afternoon. I can't go a whole summer again without a vacation. That was not a good idea and I think has just made me less patient. It has made me somewhat bitter because I don't feel like I ever got a summer. I didn't realize that I felt this way until today. Or that not getting time off has taken its toll. An extra day during the week doesn't count.

The stress of not having time away and moving is finally getting to me. I finally hit a wall. I will really miss where I'm at right now but in the back of my mind I realized that I feel that I finally get to enjoy my summer in 1 1/2 weeks. And that feels good. And I don't want to apologize for needing that time. I don't want to apologize for wanting to have a summer and to enjoy a full weekend. I need to do something for myself and my family.

Visiting

I spent this whole morning visiting people who are for the most part shut-ins. I have had so much fun, for many reasons:

1. I don't have to be in the office
2. They have the best stories and so much has happened in their lives
3. They are so grateful for an hour of you your time
4. I learn a ton
5. I get to give communion to those who haven't had it in a while
6. My morning goes by so fast
7. When I get done I am super tired but at the same time have much more energy

So life is good. It's such a nice way to finish up my time here. To have a year and then to be able to look back on all that you enjoyed that you did, what you would do differently, and how if you had more time what you would do.

Life is good.

Packing and Things

Oh the process of packing.....

For some reason, I blame it on the baby because I can, I feel like I have been in the process of packing for a month now. And what stinks about packing for that long is that it feels like it goes on forever and ever! There are just some things you can't pack till the very end. There are still 2 weeks until we move, so to take pictures off the wall would just slow the process even more.

The last month and a half has flown by. It has gone so fast because there has been so much going on. All of a sudden all that business has come to an abrupt halt. It feels like the world has stopped turning. It's not so much the motion of not going forward but the abrupt halt that is tough to take.

In two weeks we will be moving into a new place, figuring out where our stuff goes for 9 months, figuring out life together in a place we haven't lived in together before. In 2 weeks we start to set-up baby stuff. To really prepare for this baby to come and for it to become more real then ever. In 2 weeks we wait on God's timing for Eric to find a job. Eric went up to the cities yesterday to get his name in at a place that helps find jobs for people. Now it's a waiting game. In 2 weeks life changes again....