let’s catch up

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Things around here are starting to calm down after the chaos that is back-to-school time. It’s not really getting quiet, it’s just getting more manageable, if that makes sense. Every year, I seem to disappear from my blog in May and then again in August-September. Even if I never mentioned I’m a teacher, I think the clues and sudden drop off in writing would give it away.

Beginning-of-the-year stuff and end-of-the-year stuff just kick my butt. You’d think after teaching more than ten years and blogging for almost eight, I’d have figured out how to do both of them at the same time, but when those months roll around, I lose the ability to focus on writing. I just don’t have the brain power.

So now I’m emerging from the funk of school madness, I feel like we need to catch up. I have so many things to tell you, so many posts started, so many ideas on lists waiting to be written I’m a little overwhelmed and mostly excited. While I unintentionally took a break, I feel refreshed and invigorated so the time off was nice even though I constantly had I-should-be-writing guilt.

Harper started kindergarten this year and it was a disaster. An absolute disaster. She was fine by day three, but those first two days of letting go of her mommy’s hand, boarding that big yellow school bus all by herself, and making it to school in one piece were hard. Hard for her and hard for me. This was the first year I got to be home for the first day of school and I was so excited to be here for the send off instead of just getting the play-by-play via text message. But then all hell broke loose, and I sorta wished I was back in the classroom so I could have avoided the tears and chaos.

But we survived.

The weekend after school started, my grandpa passed away unexpectedly. It’s been six weeks since it happened, and I’m just now sorting through the heartbreak and grief to be able to start writing about it. I have so many things to say and share, I feel anxious to begin and hesitant to start. My grandpa left a big hole and I’m trying to process where to start with his story.

Since last November when I transitioned into my new job, I’ve felt I was in a season of sitting and waiting. Not getting lazy, but I was just so full of joy and gratitude for God’s hand in our lives, I didn’t want to do anything else. It’s been a very restful and quiet time. I’ve had peace and comfort I’ve never known before. I think part of it is because I’m hitting my mid-thirties and feeling so confident and secure about who God made me to be and where I’m at. But at the same time, I’m feeling a transition coming. I don’t know what that means, but I think this season of rest and just soaking in his goodness is getting ready to morph into a new season. I’m excited about it. Also, a little hesitant because this place has been so good.

I don’t know what all that rambling means except I feel some changes coming and it’s not just because I’m hoping for cooler temperatures and sweater weather. I hear him whispering stay tuned, Mary, and I like that because I say that phrase a lot and it’s a bit suspenseful.

On an equally important note, I rearranged my office this weekend and nothing makes me more excited for life than rearranging furniture. Not exaggerating. All it took was moving two bookcases, fluffing all my decorations, and organizing some books by ROY G BIV to make me fall in love with my house all over again. Also, Chris finally hung some shelves in our kitchen I’ve been waiting on for TWO YEARS and it’s making my house feel all new and fancy.

I bought mums on Friday to encourage fall to make it’s way to Indiana. Just when I think it’s cooling off and I’m living the good life with my windows open and some fuzzy socks on, the summer heat comes back full force and I have to crank the air conditioning on again. I can’t live with this uncertainty so the weather needs to move along with its life or else.

(I’m not exactly sure what that threat means, but I’m leaving it because I am confident in my confusion.)

Okay, that’s it for now. I just felt a little check-in was needed. I’ve missed you guys. What have you been up to? Tell me how life is and what’s going on. Are you reading good books? Are you getting in weekend naps? Do you have fall-like weather yet? (Okay, maybe don’t answer that–I might not be able to handle your answer.) But really, HOW IS LIFE?