Moving 101

Moving is always an interesting process. While packing up long neglected items, you really get a glimpse at how quickly things can accumulate. Its been interesting, to say the least. Moving with kids has its own interesting twist as you try to sneak things past them in a "donate" box. Hey, its still packed in a box, so they are none the wiser...and they never realize that box never made it to their new home.

I've moved almost every year of my life since I was very small. I don't even think I could accurately list all of the places I've lived just since I finished college. You would think I would have it all down to a science by now. But by far, this move has taught me my most valuable lesson. When in doubt...measure it.

I was confident that we had taken the railing off the basement stairway when we moved in so that we could get the dryer down the steps. I was right. What I failed to remember, was that we also had to take the basement DOOR off. So we swiftly get the dryer (thank God it wasn't the washer! Its much heavier.) all the way up the basement steps only to hit this roadblock.
Now, because I'm She-Ra, I said, "I'll just hold onto it here (from underneath at the top of the steps)" while the door is taken off. Moving tip #2, don't ever rest the entire weight of a clothes dryer against one side of your chest. It will cut off the blood supply to your head, especially for 5 minutes (the bolt wasn't cooperating), and you will become light-headed and nauseous--without warning. Good times...ah...good times.

Second fiasco that could have been avoided with a tape measure...the dining set. The table itself was easy. As a matter of fact, I didn't even have to touch it. But, we have one of those nice breakfast nook, L-shaped bench style seating pieces. We contemplated whether or not the seat would have to be disassembled before moving. "NO," I exclaimed, "we can make it work." We just need to wrap one end through the doorway, then pivot the other end out. Easy. So off we set on that task. Awkward as it was, we got it out of the old place and onto the truck. Getting it past the driveway of the new place was something entirely different. We should have taken it apart. But I was determined. NO, put that screwdriver away! We can do this!

So we had to turn the entire seating unit upside down to pivot it through the doorway. Success! It's in the house! Hurray. Off we scurry to the dining room. Only to find the wall configuration won't let us pivot it through there either. Not even upside down. The solution...hoist the whole thing over the half-wall that separates the formal livingroom from the family room, then pivot it through the archway that separates that room from the dining room. It worked!

And all this without a single sideways glance from the kids...they must already know we're crazy.

William the Informant/Enforcer...Part 2

He'll also let you know when you need to stop for fuel. If its near "E," don't even think about passing that next gas station. Glad to know I'll never have to rescue him from a roadside somewhere just for running out of gas.

He really needs to start riding in the back seat again. :)

Thinking of far away friends...

I think everyone has at least one. Those friends who come into your life so strong and make such an impact that your forever tied. They move away, or you move away, and you begin to talk and write less and less. But you never stop thinking about them, never stop caring. And when you do have time to talk, when the grind of daily life allows you to stop for just a moment, its as if time stood still. You pick up right where you left off. Once all the brief catching up is through and you really get into the heart of conversation, its as if those weeks/months/years since you last spoke were just a blink in time.

I'm fortunate to have several people in my life like this. Who know full well how quickly time passes and don't hold it against you. Who know that life is a two-way street and the phone lines work both ways so no one is completely to blame for the span of time between contacts. You know who you are, and I hope you know that I love you. :)

William the Informant

William has never been a discipline problem. With rare exceptions that can be explained away, he general does what he is asked, doesn't usually test boundaries, and is a strict rule-follower. Rare in a 7-year-old. Aside from the obvious advantage of rarely needing to reprimand him, there are others...

Everyone in a vehicle with him wears their seatbelt and does it correctly...or we're not allowed to move. Much to his sisters dismay, he has the house rules memorized and eagerly points out when she has broken them, especially if she is trying to be sneaky about it. He doesn't lie. I don't receive phone calls from the school about his behavior. He goes to bed without protest. I could go on and on.

But I've found the drawback, especially if you let him ride in the front seat of the car while you're driving.

He will point out, repeatedly, what the speed limit is, and that you either are or are not following it. If the sign says 35 MPH, you'd better be going 35. Exactly.

I think he has a future as a law enforcement officer. I just hope he'll break the rules a little and let his mom out of the speeding ticket.

Just like the seasons...

Autism Spectrum disorder, Bi-polar disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. They are all cyclical. They all have ebbs and flows of good and bad. They each have attributes that come and go, unpredictably. The negative consequences of these disorders can all be brought about by "triggers" or simply hit from out of the blue. The highs of each can get much too high, and the lows get way too low. The middle ground is hard to find, and impossible to maintain. Taken individually, the frustration must be overwhelming at best; combined, must be torturous. Yet, there they reside. All together. In my 7 year old.

Feeling sad, feeling grateful

I had a very humbling experience last night. I went to Children's Hospital to see a friend and her son. Her infant child who has just been diagnosed with a fatal genetic mutation. He is three months old. He is not expected to live past the age of 2 or 3. With all of my being, I just cannot fathom what that must be like, to look in his beautiful face every day and know that those moments with him are so limited. My heart is breaking for her.

And once again, though I need little reminder of it, I am reminded of how truly fortunate I am. Take a moment to say a prayer for that sweet baby and his mother and to count your blessings.