Emotional Attachment to Stuff - Storage Cleaning Part I

Today was the first day of our storage cleaning. We didn't get as much accomplished as we hoped, but Josh has been sick with the flu and it was pretty warm outside. Between the two, we weren't able to complete the project. However, we were able to get through about half of the unit.

It's amazing to me how much emotional attachment I had to some of the stuff... from pictures to appliances, extra kitchen stuff to projects...

For example:

• The bottling kit we purchased the year we wanted to make root-beer with the kids; 
• The canning kit we purchased when we planted a huge garden; 
• The popcorn popper from Christmas when we had movie marathons because I was not feeling well; 
• The extra TV trays from before we had a kitchen table; 
• Boxes of office supplies - pens, paper, envelopes, paperclips - when we started the website company;
• And so much more.

We are going through the process of identifying what will come the RV, what will stay in storage, what we will sell, and what we will donate. It's a liberating step - freedom from the trappings of things, no matter how wonderful the memories, because we no longer use or need them.

I feel good!

Our New Home

We are simplifying our lives! It's a new adventure. :)

Moving into an RV gives us the opportunity to sort through our "stuff" and figure out what we really need, what we want, and what we can let go of.

So - details. We bought a 25' Monterey Road Ranger:

From the door - the kitchen/dining area

 

 The bedroom space - I couldn't get back far enough to get a better picture. :)

 The bunk beds - for now they are stacked with clothing, but we are sorting through and minimizing... we'll keep the top bunk for storage, but want to open up the bottom bunk as an extra bed. Of course, we also have the couch, so we can still host company!

We're settling in nicely. We are looking for the right accessories (i.e., a small knife block, a small dish-drainer, etc...) so the kitchen works a little bit more effectively. We're also trying to figure out where to put the small television, and are thinking about removing one of the kitchen benches to open up the space a bit and put in a small chair. 

All in good time. :)

Quote of the Day

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." – Robert Fulghum

This resonated with me, and I wanted to share it. I seek to live in a state of wonder, a state of gratitude and awareness for all I am, all I have, and all I hope to become.

Travel Time, Work Time?

I generally travel by plane, leaving lots of time while traveling to catch up on work... waiting at the gate, reading while flying, etc...

Thursday I'm traveling to Seattle.

I had to remind myself three different times today that I am driving... because three different times I said or thought, "oh, I'll prepare that / read that / write that while I'm traveling this week." Ummm, no.

I'm looking forward to the small road trip. It's been a long time since I've driven more than a couple of hours, and the quiet time will be good for me. If, of course, I can talk myself out of bringing work to do in Seattle upon my arrival. I will not be working while driving!

Leadership = Listening

I've been the "acting director" the last two weeks at work, and have been reminded of many important leadership lessons. The number one lesson: leadership = listening. Listening is not one of my strengths; my extroverted self tends to verbally process, meaning my mouth is often moving before my brain has engaged.

I've been aware of this for years, and have invested a great deal of energy in keeping my mouth closed. Last week, I realized that I still have some work to do. If I want to be an effective leader, I need to focus on listening.

I don't think I've ever wished for big ears before...

Slowing Down a Little...

I have decided that I need to slow down a little. I want to accomplish so many things! However, I'm recognizing my own limitations, and that trying to do everything, all at once, does not allow me to excel at anything.

The challenge for me has always been that I like everything that I am involved with! I don't want to give anything up... so, the compromise is to just do a little less of a few things. Instead of taking 2 courses per quarter, I'll take 1 (yes, I did just drop a class. I'm working through the guilt of that one). Instead of teaching 6 credits per semester, I'll teach 3. And, instead of trying to be everything to everyone, I'll focus on being the best ME I can be, recharging myself and giving myself the same grace that I would extend to others...

Check up on me. I'll probably forget this in a month and will need a reminder that it is okay to be a work in progress. :)

Saying Goodbye to the Elberts

We loved having Mike and Amanda in town for a few months. It was even better that they lived only a mile and a half away. I had so much fun being an aunt in person, not just over the phone

Before they left, the family stayed with us for the weekend. I loved it! The kiddos were having fun, I got lots of hugs and snuggles, and there were more people to cook for. It was an all around win. :)

 Kaiya, patiently waiting for the chocolate chip cookies that we made together to cool enough for her to eat them.

Snuggled together watching The Avengers... and yes, Aunt Jaime may have given them too many cookies, and let the kids eat them in the living room. :)

We were sad to say goodbye, but loved the time we shared together!

Watching the Super Bowl... For the Food...

We aren't football fans. We tried a few years ago... we picked a team whose colors we liked... but that didn't last for long. So, we watch the Super Bowl, kind of, mostly so we can eat all the fun snack foods.

Today was a potluck with Mike and Amanda... I set out cheese, crackers, and summer sausage. 

I also made Bacon Cheeseburger Biscuit Balls:

Baked Potato Skins:

(sour cream and green onion added individually to satisfy personal tastes)

And Peach Crisp - thanks to Amanda's mom's canned peaches:

Amanda brought 7-layer dip and chips and homemade pizza. We had so much food!

The game isn't quite over, but we're about done eating. I'm not sure we'll make it to the end now... but we might get in some leftovers as a snack before bed!

Babysitting

Last night we had the pleasure of babysitting Mike and Amanda's kiddos. Love them! Cam wasn't feeling well, so when he asked to watch a movie we couldn't say no. 

Once the movie was on and Cam had his blankie, he was feeling the need to cuddle.

My favorite part? That he put his hands up behind his head... in true Elbert style. :)

Oh, and that his cute little belly is hanging out. 

Kaiya chose not to wear any clothes for the evening; she had her swimsuit on when we arrived, but it made her "too hot" so she had to take it off shortly after her parents left. Needless to say, I didn't take any pictures of her, although she was very cute. 

 

Kaiya informed me after dinner that she had a plan for the evening agenda: "I was thinking that we could play duck-duck-goose, hide-and-seek, and then color some pictures with my new markers." 

 

Of course she had a plan! She is my niece. And we did play hide-and-seek and color... but duck-duck-goose wasn't in the cards for the adults in the house. :)

We had a great time babysitting Kaiya and Cam!