Life Interrupts

My daughter got a different job.  This entails her moving two states from where she’s currently living and working.  The last few weeks I’ve been involved in  helping her either look for a place to live or getting packed for the move.

I remember when the girls were little and moving was a thing – for a time Ken and I moved every six months.  It was never fun or easy.  I remember getting up early, getting organized and going until the house was somewhat set up.

Now I’ve been down twice now to help her move and I’m exhausted.  Yes I have more health issues which slows me down a lot.  Last weekend Ken and I were there to help her with the majority of her packing.  We worked all day on Saturday.  We got a lot done but less than I would have liked.  I say that but her kitchen was packed – except the things she’ll need through next week.  Her dining room was almost completely packed.

Sunday we got up, worked on more packing.  I didn’t do much.  I feel like I spent more time watching tv than packing.  She sorted and packed while Ken moved stuff and I assembled boxes and did some packing.

I am once again feeling my age as I help her get organized and ready for her move.  I know she appreciates everything I’ve done.  At the same time, I’m done and can’t wait for a free weekend again.

Slipping Away…

This summer is slipping away.  I mean to write here and tell all that is going on and then I look and time has passed. 
Work move is done – mostly.  They are still doing finishing touches but all of the offices are moved.  Most of the faculty are set up.  They still have to set up the mail boxes and paint the hall before they can hang all the bulletin boards.  For the most part though, the frustration and craziness of the move is done. 
Now it is time to settle into the new office and get used to the changes (though minor) that have happened in my office.  There are a few more organizational things in the office and there are definitely different office numbers to remember but overall I think we are in good shape.
Writing has been sporadic at the best.  I have gone through several steps for creating a clean file to e-publish.  I still have three or four more steps to go through.  I also need to buy some ISBNs.  At $125 each or 10 for $250, this is a big purchase for me.  Now if I had $1000 they would be a dollar each but that isn’t going to happen plus I don’t think I need that many. 
It is a business expense but at the same time it is an expense.  I know – it is an investment in my writing.  I should just do it.  I’ll have to see how the budget goes this next month. My hope is to have the files prepped and ready so that when I do finally purchase my own ISBNs I’ll be able to publish and start making money.  Then of course I have to deal with the marketing plan. 
This weekend I’m hoping to get my office cleaned and maybe even submit some writing to different publications.  I’m not making great progress on that yet today – still sitting in my jammies and writing… and waiting on a call to see if there is power in the office. 
I am alone in the house and it is wonderful to have the music I want on (perhaps a bit loud) and doing mostly what I want.  It is just nice to be ALONE.  I’ve missed the quiet that comes with hearing my own thoughts. 

Well no more stalling – time for a shower and cleaning the office.

Summer Slipping Away

This summer I have a long list of writing projects to get done.  I have not worked on them at all.  I submitted one article for a contest but aside from that nothing.  I need to get focused.  It just seems like there is so much going on I have no time to consider my writing tasks. 

At work, my department is moving.  This week is filled with finishing the packing process and prepping for the movers.  They are coming on Monday to take all of our stuff upstairs.  It may be a bit of a crazy week plus for myself and the student workers.  Of course there are some things that can be packed in my office now and other things that have to wait for the last minute.  The problem is making the judgement call on each item. 

Last weekend I visited Vicki which was great.  I also discovered a less expensive way to travel to visit the other two girls in Georgia – that is SUPER exciting.  The cost savings means instead of going down every other year we may be able to go down every year and possibly more often then that.

This weekend I am hoping to get some of my craft room and office organized.  I have a number of tasks to get done and hopefully can make some good progress.  Hopefully I can work on a system for keeping track of my writing projects – where they are, leads, and so on.  I’ve got ideas in my head but at the same time I haven’t solidified what I want done.  One of the things I want to do this weekend is to sort through all my available yarn and put it into the bins that Ken set up for me (it is a wire crate type set of shelves).  This will make it easier for me to see what I have which will lead to me not buying yarn unless I need it rather than guessing that I might need it.  The crafter in my head is saying you always need more yarn – there can never be enough yarn, but I’m gagging her (or trying to) and being a responsible adult. 

I have a friend coming out to have lunch and chat.  I’m looking forward to her visit as we always have a good time together.  Ken will be off with his brother cutting up wood.  It will be just us girls.  I’m excited for this as I don’t often get time with friends just to hang out. 

Hopefully all of the activities this weekend will be multiple steps towards getting some of these writing projects and tasks done.  My biggest obstacle at this point is my messy office and that will be my focus this weekend.  Then I can hopefully post (somewhere) a list of things to get done and start crossing them off. 

Done…

The semester is done.  I think I’ll end up with one A and one B.  If I’m lucky the B might be an A-.  I’m glad it is done and I learned nothing from my science class that I will use or remember and some good things from my Prose Stylistics which I’ll use when I’m editing.

Yesterday was a busy day with errands and running around.  Ken helped Dominic unload from his move up from Indiana and I hung out.  I wrote in my journal for the first time in forever – that felt really good.  I have to type up a poem I wrote while I was waiting. 

One of my essays was published in Circle Magazine.  They contacted me for some they could use so I sent them in a few.  It was a one page essay that I wrote a while ago. 

I have to make a list of deadlines I don’t want to miss for writing.  There is a grant I want to write for and a few competitions I want to enter.  There is also a few publications I want to look at their guidelines.  Yup – there is definitely a to-do list for the summer.  It should keep me busy and out of trouble…well at least busy.

Vicki has made a very successful start to her job.  She is busy from the moment she steps in the door until she leaves.  She is even taking work home with her already. 

Now that Ken and I are on our own, we have a few things to get done – like rearranging things in the house, the basement fixed and so on.  It is nice to settle into a schedule with him and getting used to there being no buffer between us. 

I’m getting shots in my knees for the next two weeks.  I started last week and it was interesting to say the least.  I nearly passed out on the nurses – I guess I should actually drink water before I go to these appointments.  Fortunately, I’ve noticed a decrease in pain this week for my knees and I’m hoping the other two shots will keep that going in the right direction. 

The next couple of weekends will be busy with a visit to Vicki – Gin and Stephanie are coming up from Georgia so they can see her new place – and helping Kelly and Dominic move to their new house.  I’m excited for both.  We haven’t seen the girls in a while and it will be a quick visit but we aren’t going to do a lot of running around but just hang out at Vicki’s apartment and be together.  Kelly and Dominic will be moving into the next stage for them.  While I’ll miss them living near us, I’m happy for them to be on the same page and moving forward.

After that I’m hoping for a slower pace so my weekends will be less hectic and more about writing and relaxing…

B U S Y!

Our house is a chaotic jungle of possessions.  Vicki is packing, organizing, stressing, and prepping for the move.  Ken and I are doing our best to help her; unfortunately, most of it she has to handle herself.
In addition to all the prep for moving, she is making appointments with moving companies, trying to buy a car, and in disbelief that she got her dream job.  The disbelief will go away once she signs her paperwork on Friday and completely disappear when she is working long hours to get the new library up and going. 
This means Ken and I will be alone again.  It is odd when people say to me “Aren’t you going to be sad?”  My answer is how can I be sad that my daughters who are all three brilliant amazing women in their own ways have done exactly what I raised them to do.  They have gone out and grabbed their lives and are living them. 
It amazes me when I talk to them and hear about their lives.  I may not be involved in their daily life.  I may not talk to them daily or even every week (depending on everyone’s schedule) but I know if they need me or have news – Ken or I are their first call.  I’m so proud of who they are and what they have accomplished. 
We have a lot going on in the next ten days.  Vicki, her godmother, and I went  Indiana to look at apartments.  We looked at four apartments and went to five complexes.  The first apartment was small and very much like her college apartment – a bit shabby and old.  The second one was a viable option even though it was small and the bathroom had an odd setup.  The third one they took her to one I couldn’t get into and when she was about to walk away they said well they might have one that was accessible and took us to that.  It had a great layout with full size washer / dryer and place for her laundry but even though it was a new complex the cabinets and counters were very old looking (i.e. something from the 60s).  The other thing was the one they showed us they weren’t sure it was in a cat building.  Vicki’s concern was that she would have to choose between having her cat (not a choice there) or being in a place I could visit (not a choice there either in her mind).  The fourth place was just a fiasco.  We had an appointment with them and had talked at length about her needs before we set up an appointment but when we got there – they weren’t sure they had anything.  Then the woman said well I have two that might work and of course of the two the more expensive one was the better option which was nearly $50 over her budget.  We walked away.  
The last place we went to is the one she was most excited about.  We were two hours early and walked through the apartment.  It was nearly perfect!  There were lots of closets, a wood burning fireplace, washer/dryer hookup, fenced patio, end unit, and just a nice layout.  It is a two bedroom, one bath with a nice sized living dining room.  The bathroom is a normal layout.  The kitchen is a typical galley kitchen for an apartment, however, it has a gas stove.  There is lots of light, room, and a good feeling to the apartment.  The two drawbacks, it has plush carpet and no good place for cat litter box and there are two steps to get into the building.  These were concerns for Vicki.  I told her not to be worried about the steps because even though we had walked around so many apartments I managed the two steps.  Also Ken (today) suggested we get a chair mat to put under the litter box to protect the carpet.  This addresses the problem for the carpeting.  
The woman who showed us the apartment kept asking Beth if we liked the apartment.  She also was the most helpful when we called.  She went and took pictures of the actual apartment so Vicki could see it before she put money into her application.  Also we spent some time with this woman and she would be one of the people Vicki would be dealing with.  She is also a cat person and was very fun to be around.  We took the apartment.  She has a place to live and the utilities are set up.  We haven’t nailed down some of the details.
Next weekend we will move her to Indiana with the help of some wonderful people.  Up here Alex and one of my student workers is going to help with loading the truck on Friday.  Then when we get to Indiana, Kelly and Dominic and their families are going to help with the unloading.  This week it will be finishing packing up and finalizing details.  My goal for next weekend is to get her settled into her apartment – boxes unpacked and furniture placed and items put in something of order. 
Will there be tears? Oh hell yes!  I’m happy for her but it will be sad to leave her in Indiana.  Just as I cried when Virginia and Stephanie moved to Georgia – it isn’t sadness though – it is more happy tears to see them move forward with their lives and know that my role in their lives is changing.  I welcome that change.  Afterall, I raised my daughters to be strong, independent, self-sufficient women, which they all are.  

Swamped and a Tad Bit Overwhelmed

Today I am going to work early so I can accomplish a couple of tasks early before others come in.  We – the department I work in – are moving so there are a lot of details to deal with.  Registration starts today so not only do I have to register for classes today but I have to juggle all the questions and issues that will arise with registration.  Scheduling for Spring 14 starts today and we have several classes that have to get into high demand rooms, which is why I’m going in early.

In addition to these tasks, I have homework to read / review in order to gain a better understanding of one section and lab I did really poorly on.  I have a book to finish reading for tomorrow as well as comments for a debate in class we are allegedly having. 

When I get to work early, I plan to leave my door closed until I have the scheduling done.  I’ll have it unlocked but closed in the hopes no one sees I’m in so I can focus on the task at hand.  After the schedule is entered – at least the first swipe at it – I’ll register for classes and tackle my emails. 

People ask me all the time how I manage to do all that I do – I schedule it.  I woke up this morning with my alarm and started with I need to shower, dress, and then… it is just what I do in an effort to prepare myself for what needs to happen and hopefully not forget anything.  If I outline what needs to get done then it stays in my head and I try to work on those things.  Now to be honest there are a number of times that I don’t accomplish what is in my head because other things come up but I do the best I can to be organized and get things done. 

I have confidence that I will accomplish what I need to – both with work, school work, and home stuff.  It may not all happen today but it will happen – even if I have to put in extra time here and there.