In the mist of chaos, I think of you.

Do you ever stop for a minute and really think about the people in your life and what they're probably doing at that moment in time? To be honest, I don't always do that because I so easily get caught up in my own life. It's hectic and crazy when you have a business out of your home, two small children and then have to deal with the ins and outs of what each and every new day bring. It's hard to think about everyone else. But there's times when I like to take a break and actually ponder what other people may be doing at that given time. I find it rewarding to just think of others even if it's just for a second. It makes me smile and anything that makes me smile is so very worth it. Don't you agree?

I decided to take a break (something else that makes me smile) from packing more boxes (something that doesn't so much make me smile). The chaos has definitely begun. We decided to pack everything -- even our clothes, food, every day essentials -- because every second of this week we are going to need in the new house before we actually move our furniture and the rest of our lively materials to the new home. So, we have decided to start spending the night at the new house come Monday night. Which means we have two nights left in this home which has been our home for 6-1/2 years.

Leaving here saddens me, yet excites me. I don't know. I have mixed feelings. My biggest feeling right now is that of overwhelming chaos. I'm actually quite thankful now that we aren't able to be in our new house this weekend to paint. Things are definitely going the way they are meant to.

The first thought that popped into my head when taking this 10-minute break was what my friends and family are doing right now at this very second (Is that strange, I don't know? I think that's normal, right?). Maia is napping, Noah is doing a puzzle and Neil went to get more boxes at his work. It's kinda peaceful around here for the moment. I don't have to think of everyone in my house if I don't want to. So I think of my friends. It's kinda fun. Do you ever do that?

One friend is on the east coast laying on the beach soaking up some rays. One is sitting at her father's bedside as he battles through a very rough time in his life (God give them all strength). One friend is probably hovering over the toilet as she throws up again during these weeks of pregnancy so eloquently (not) & ironically (for her) called "morning" sickness. Another friend is spending the weekend with her brothers and sister-in-laws who came in from (way) out-of-state for a summer visit. Another friend is probably out with her family in celebration of her 29th birthday (Happy Birthday, darling!). My list could go on and on and on . . .

I just find it so easily to forget those around us when we, ourselves, are so busy. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our I'm-so-busy-I-wish-time-would-just-stop-for-one-day lives. But it's not going to stop no matter how much we wish for it to.

I'm honestly not even sure what my point is. Except that I wanted you to know that I thought of you today even in the mist of all this chaos. You deserve to be thought about. So this post is for you. I hope you are having a good day. A good weekend. Or at least trying to make the most of whatever kind of day has been handed to you.

The rest of this week is probably going to be really busy for me. Super duper busy that I'm not even sure how I'm going to make it through without passing out from exhaustion or having left-arm chronic pain from painting my heart out. It stinks that there isn't a Starbucks closer to the new house than 30 minutes away. Because everyone knows, Val needs her coffee!

Anyhow, I probably won't be around much. But I'll be thinking of you. And I hope you'll think of me, too.

If you are of the praying kind, please say a prayer that we can make it through the week. That we can get a lot of painting done. That our transition from this home of ours for almost 7 years, into the new home in a whole new town with people we don't know, will go well. I'm nervous and sad and scared yet very very very excited. I can't believe this is happening already. Wow, God is good.

Welp, Maia woke up. Now back to choas.

Thoughts residing in my head right now.

* I have to pick out a new comforter set for both Noah and Maia. Noah says he wants dinosaurs. I'm thinking plain ol' white or pink for Maia. We'll be switching Noah to his full-size bed and Maia to a twin. I can't (well, I don't want to) pick out paint for their walls until I have exact matches to their bedding. I know, I'm anal in that way. (So, I really think this is cute. It's Pirates, though. But I think I can add some dinosaurs in there. He already saw this and really liked it. I think matching wall color would be fun and he'd like this theme for years to come. But I also found this which is similar but way cheaper, and just about as cute. I am having troubles finding dinosaurs that I like in a full size. Your thoughts?)

* I really really really want my computer back. Or, at this point, any computer. If it has to be new, so be it. I'll just be even more in debt. Sigh. Since I have to have a mac (all my software is for a mac) and since I have to have a computer that is fast but has a lot of storage capacity (it seriously is a must with what I do), and *if* I have to buy a new one, I will probably get this one. I just pray I can do a lot of biz this year to pay for it. *deep breath* (Fellow mac-ies, what do you use?)

* I need to return a cable to a photography place (Tallyn's) in Peoria because it didn't fit in my lighting system and I'm waiting to hear back from the place first to see if they even have what I am needing. (Please respond to me! Please. You are usually so quick. Don't let me down now!)

* I need to make a list of all the places that I need to do change of address for. The ones that I know there will be dozens (probably hundreds) of, are my work-related contacts, businesses, catalogs, vendors, etc. Ugh. I almost forgot about doing this.

* We begin painting on the new house the 6th. I will be doing most of it myself. Any ideas on how to keep my kids entertained (in a house that has absolutely nothing in it yet) and not be in my way? (You and I both know they'll want to "help" and then would make a huge mess doing so. They're kids. It happens. What can I do to distract them for long periods of time?)

* I get to see Jenny-Jen on Saturday!! She is coming "home" from Hattiesburg, MS. I cannot wait to see her. It's almost been an entire year. We're having lunch and shopping. Girls day out, no kids! I have missed her so much.

* Packing up my office, especially packing up all my client files, old negatives, etc., is going to be a tremendous job. I'm already in denial that it has gotta be done. I can just pick up the office and move it like it is, right? The file cabinets. Man, that will be a huge job. How do you recommend I do that? (I've never had to move my business before!)

* I want to be back on vacation.

* I need to go through all the magazines that I have not read in months and months and throw them out because I am not moving them to the new house. I guess I will get off of here and do that next. Anyone in need of Parents, Child or Family Fun? I want to read them, but I never ever have time to. I'd honestly rather read a book. I'm discontinuing my subscriptions to save some trees and piles of waste collecting in my house :c) (Btw, did you know that Child is discontinuing it's magazine? I love that 'zine, too. Parents is taking over it's subscriptions. Shoot, that stinks. But they will still have their great website packing with parenting info.)

* My list of to-do's and thoughts going through my head is just way way too long.

I dislike packing boxes because . . .

. . . it feels more like an end right now than a new beginning

. . . two married people are not capable of packing the same way. I prefer organizing as we go, marking all the boxes with exactly what is in each one, but dear hubby would prefer to throw everything from one shelf into a box and mark it "stuff"

. . . even when you feel like you have way more boxes than you need, there never are enough

. . . when I think I have everything of one kind in a box (like all of my candles), I realize there's just one more after the box has been sealed and taken downstairs. Ugh. My trying-to-stay-organized state-of-mind then starts to become mush.

. . . every once in a while I will find a tiny spider hiding in the corner of a dark box. I hate spiders.

. . . My kids keep wanting to stack them in their own way, crawl all over them, walk on them, jump on them, push them over, you get the idea. Today when I re-stacked a whole bunch of already-packed boxes, Noah goes "but that is my castle". (sigh)

. . . it makes me feel like I have way too much stuff. If you were to talk to Neil, he would say "it's not that you feel, it's that you do". But he'd then just let it be, roll his eyes and laugh (nicely) at me. He's so good.

. . . the little people and furry friends running all over my house are No. Help. At. All.

. . . I'm afraid I'll pack something I might need tomorrow and then not be able to find it. And I'm sure it will happen.

On the flip side, I feel very fortunate that I even have this chance to pack boxes and move somewhere we really want to move to. It's definitely a blessing. But as we all know, with most things, getting to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow sometimes takes sweat, tears . . . and a little complaining :c)