4 Months Squished Into 1 Post....

So 4 months has passed since I last blogged.
The looming thought of having to put 4 months into words has been very daunting.
Terrifying even. Where do I begin? How do I possibly catch up? Or can I?

So,  I will keep it simple and that will have to do.
July. Nashville, TN and Michigan.
August. Western Kentucky.
September.  Eastern Kentucky.
October. Kentucky and North Carolina.
November. Kentucky.

The RV remodel is finished. More or less. There are a couple items left to complete but it is what it is.
I vow not to take photos until they are done. Photos would just mess the whole thing up.

I am adjusting, sometimes through gritted teeth, to the transition.
34 feet + 3 slides = manageable. Comfortable. Doable.
34 feet  + 0 slides = smothering. Dysfunctional. Chaos. Clutter. (at times)

The girls have the bedroom and my guy and I sleep on an IKEA sofa bed in the front. I was a little worried about this decision, but it has by far been the smoothest part of moving into this RV.  Smart call. The girls love having their own room. Mama likes them having their own room. No more stuff in the living area. They have their own closet and cabinets now.

So, I’m adjusting to a different environment and though it feels like home because it’s just the way we wanted it to look, some days like today are hard on the psyche. Bad weather, non-compliant students, and more stuff I’m tripping over that must go to Goodwill.  That is when it stops raining, of course.

The weather here the last couple of weeks has been rainy, cloudy and cold. Weather.com agrees that it will stay that way for the immediate future.  If I can just make it to the end of the year when we head to a warmer climate, I’ll have it in the bag!

On a brighter and exciting note, I have two publishers who are looking at my book. I am thrilled with the possibilities. I have already started on my second book and will be working on that throughout 2011. I will know more hopefully soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to your Christmas with family and friends!

New Year's Resolutions...and Reservations

New blog entry.

What's for dinner?

Book editing.

Mop.

Birthday card for mom. 

Esther study homework. (which rocks, BTW)

 So, yeah.... That's my to do list today. But, only part of it. It's about twice as long. There's emails and messages that I want to answer too. I'm finding that trying to balance the balance itself is a full time job. Why can I not just get it together? I'm merely typing out loud here.

Wanna know something else? I've been out three times this week. Maybe. That goes for last week too. So how can I have so much to do when I don't go anywhere? The weather has been frigid, with some snow and it just hasn't been worth the effort. We have gotten above 50 degrees for a couple of days and it feels like a heat wave. Short sleeves and no jackets here. You'd think we were in Florida. 

Crazy tourists.

Our tanks in the RV were freezing up and the water lines weren't thawing out so we've been staying with friends for a couple weeks until it warms up. The space has been nice, but I do miss our little home.

And...I've had access to a dishwasher. The small luxuries! I had refused to use it...until yesterday. I didn't want to get used to having one again. Six months of washing everything by hand, and you just get used to doing it. Not that I or the girls like it, but used to it. Just sayin'.

Confession: I'm a list maker. 

Nice, neat, long, laborious lists. You'd think that if I put so much time into it, my life would be more organized. Ha! It's funny because the girls had been on a schedule since they were a couple months old. Sleep, eat, school, activities...

Ordered. 

Everything. 

And I like it that way. 

In our sticks and bricks, their was more normality. Being mobile has brought some changes. We are up later. Much later. And so are the girls. That takes some getting used to.

Lists are not so effective when everyone is too tired or crabby to accomplish them! So, I'm working on putting it all down, putting it all away and just going to bed. Period. The editing, changes to our website, and administration of it all is just going to need to wait. I'll just move it to tomorrow's to-do list. Ha!

This girl is tired. 

Fulfilled.

Busy.

Challenged.

Loved.

But, tired. 

Mentally.

Physically.

And a little cooped up. We went to the grocery store for an hour or so yesterday. The girls thanked me. Enough said. It's comical when your kids enjoy going to the store. 

We have a conference in Greenville, SC this next week and it will feel good to get back on the road. I've been chomping at the bit, and our day trip to Nashville, on Thursday, for meetings was a welcome respite. There wasn't any time for shopping or sight seeing, but eating lunch at Panera was a reminder of civilization. The two hour drive, there and back, was good for adult conversation.

We've been parked for a couple months now. It has been an excellent time to close out 2009 with time to gather our thoughts for 2010. Slowing down long enough to do that has proved beneficial, but I'm excited about traveling again. I want 2010 to be a phenomenal year, but also want to keep in perspective what we can handle and what we cannot. 

I don't want to lose focus of what my priorities for this year are.

What my goals are.

What I can manage. Effectively.

Who I can help. 

Where I can be used.

And none of it is possible if I am too tired to do it all.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to sleep. And rest. 

To put it all down and walk away.

Physically. And mentally.

It will all be there tomorrow and I know that part of being effective is actually feeling like accomplishing that to-do list in the first place. 

I resolve to get more sleep. 

Better sleep. 

Deep sleep,

All the while pushing away the thoughts that I'm lazy for doing it. Or irresponsible. Or selfish.

I reserve time for the most important things in my life (sleep being one of them) and let God handle the rest. I'm expecting great things for 2010 and looking forward to everything falling into place.

What changes are you making for 2010?