6/11/09

Life is funny in more than two ways

Thursday~June 11, 2009

I'm sitting in a coffee shop by myself. That's always good. I'm a bit bogged down, but light at the same time. Ryan and I have finally made the decision to put our house on the market. That means lots and lots of work, getting ready to sell and then packing up and moving if someone happens to buy our humble abode. (My insides just did flip flops, just so you know.)

I'm feeling lighter at the same time because we've finally started moving forward with something we've been terribly indecisive about. Sometimes moving along in the unknown feels much better than not moving at all. We're looking to move back to the area I grew up in, and we're excited about this adventure. I've become a city girl only to an extent, and we love it here in so many ways, but we want to be near my family, in a smaller community where community IS the heart of the place. This also makes me think of one of my favorite things about blog friends. I get to take you with me wherever I go.

In the midst of this, I'm making plans for the BlogHer conference in Chicago next month. I had no idea there would be so much going on, so many parties and lunches and all sorts of things to choose from. For now I'm pretending this isn't overwhelming at all. I'd like to just wing it. I've never been there and have no problem admitting I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just glad to have this chance to see blog friends, to share a room with Kim and her darling baby girl, and to have a good girl's weekend.

Isn't life funny? Always such a mixture of things. Even if we have seasons where we're free of pain or sorrow, life is still a whole lot of work. To fight that seems a bit silly. It only leaves me frustrated and quite ugly. I can't really even believe it myself, but I'm starting to truly embrace adversity because I've seen the good it brings in the end. That scares me. What will I be handed if I continue to gain strength? What will I be taught if I'm a willing student? Then I realize that the lessons will continue to come whether I'm open to them or not, so the fear is as pointless as trying to fend off the lessons themselves.

Yes, I know. This philosophical waxing is super profound (and repetitive, since I say the same stuff all the time).

So I'll leave you with a funny Miles story, in which the ingredients he sometimes brings to the mixture of life are hilarity and embarrassment...

So we're checking out at the grocery store and the lady that's bagging our groceries is getting the total stare-down from my son. As I take the last bag from her, saying thank you and turning to leave, I'm not quite fast enough because he says it...

"Why is that lady a man?"

My mouth freezes, and I try to turn the cart around to leave but it's tricky. So I've given him time to add, "See?" Then he does this hand motion, brushing his upper lip with his pointer finger to make a moustache.

Nice. Yes, she was still RIGHT THERE, acting as if she wasn't looking at his attempt at charades from the corner of her eye.

So we got to have the talk about how it's best to ask questions about people after you've walked away from them.

Yeah, life is funny.

41 clicked right here to comment:

Beck said...

I think it was really rude of you guys to point out my moustache like that.
Good luck with the move! We've been mostly very happy about having moved back to my hometown.

Jo said...

Ahh yes, moving. A house on the market. Looking for another house. I'm not gonna lie to ya. Probably some of the most stressful months of my life (then again, my daughter was 8 weeks old when our house went up for sale, and 4 months when we moved 800 miles away). Anyhoo, being on the other side of a big move, I can say (1) it was worth all the angst, and (2) God is good even when life isn't.
And yes--it does feel great when you can finally move forward with a plan--even if the plan involves a journey on a bumpy, overwhelming road.

K and/or K said...

I will miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My future daughter and I will come see you when we are back home visiting someday! It will be nice to have friends there too! :-)

Angie said...

Congrats on the decision to move! I hope it all goes smoothly and that you can sell quickly. :) My B and I just put a contract on a larger home with lots of land for our little family to grow in. Exciting times!

Hilarious story about Miles. They have a way, don't they? My Ash used to call kitties, titties. You can only imagine the stares I got with that one.

Growin' With It said...

sounds like we are sorta on the same page in that book of life! hang in there sister!

Kristen@nosmallthing said...

Ha ha ha! That cracked me up! My William used to always call men with long hair "ladies." It would thoroughly confuse them to see men with long and and if they had an earring, whoa!

Miles is hilarious.

Good luck with the house selling and the moving. I live very close to my entire family and it is such a blessing!

Kristina P. said...

Good luck with selling your home! We're still in our first home, so I don't know the stresses that go along with selling.

And I would love to go to BlogHer one year.

Lara Neves said...

I love what you said about embracing adversity. And I never watch Oprah, but it was on last night while my husband fell asleep watching TV and she said something similar and it was a total epiphany to me. I need to do that. I'm fighting it all and am just a big ball of stress and not-niceness.

Poor lady at the grocery store. Sigh. But funny Miles. :)

Megan@SortaCrunchy said...

Yeah, just go with it. The BlogHer excitement and events and all of that. Go with it and enjoy it and be in it - if not for yourself, than for ALLLLLLLLLLLL of us who will be watching (with not just a little jealousy) from the sidelines . . . errr, our computer screens.

Best, best, best wishes on preparing to move.

And that Miles - what a Truth-Sayer! Funny stuff.

Anonymous said...

Oh NOOOOOOOOO! He didn't! Having been on the receiving end of a similar question from a kindergartner when I worked at the Y, I shortly started bleaching.

Bummer that you're moving, but I know you've been wanting to for a long time.

jmt said...

It seems as if you just post something and within ten minutes you've got over ten comments. Ridiculous, but great for your "move" to not include your blogging space. Good luck with everything.

a Tonggu Momma said...

Oh, man... did he REALLY? Excuse me while I sink through the floor in embarrassment FOR you.

And now I can laugh because I commiserated. And because it wasn't my child. BwwwaaaaHaHaHa!

Melanie said...

"What will I be taught if I'm a willing student?"

I know exactly what you mean.

Sabrina said...

Kelly emailed me and told me... We both said: SAD! But at the same time happy that you guys are moving forward with your lives... But all the same, you will be missed.
Good thing, its a quick drive out there! :)

Off the Beaten Mommy Track said...

good luck on the move! change is good, but also pretty frightening. I liked the way you said we just have to be open to adversity and whatever may come our way. For us, it was tough moving to another country, but it has its rewards although we do get homesick. For you though...moving back to your hometown must be nice! Cheers.

Kim said...

1. Moving rocks and is scary and is overwhelming and and and. good luck!

2. I can't wait for our girls weekend. Lunches?!?! What lunches???

3. That is why I wax.

Elisa said...

I have loved moving back to the town I grew up in. Mostly.

I'm so jealous that you are going to BlogHer. I was going to go... I had it all planned. I just had no idea you had to buy your tickets like 6 months ago! I mean, I lived in Chicago... I could have shown you a SWELL time. sigh. Some day.

I love it when kids do stuff like that. Only my kids yell it loudly enough for the entire store to hear. I feel your embarrassment.

Ronda's Rants said...

I understand about the feeling of "making the decision"...we are pondering right now...I am not fond of that stage...I am ready to make a decision already!
Good luck with your process!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness,Miles certainly does keep you on your toes! He definitely made me laugh!

Lesley said...

how exciting....making a change..new chapter....and omgoodness...that is so funny...reminds me of my sister who at the age of 4 saw a very overweight lady on the corner and said...hey hey hey fat albert....tact....definitely something that is learned

Elizabeth said...

I thought you may be moving to the country eventually, I think since you wrote about the time you spent there a few months ago. I am way too involved in your life:)

BlogHer will be a treat, esp. with such a fun roommate!

I have been on the receiving end of that sort of question too, which is why I wax obsessively now.

jodilee0123 said...

Were you shopping at the Cub in Bloomington?

Stephanie said...

Moving?? (sniff.) I kind of only stumbled through the rest, but I liked it.

Mama-Face said...

i have often pondered the whole concept of how much more I could grow if I would take on more.

coulda woulda shoulda.

You have lots on your plate right now and that's a whole bunch better than having nothing on your plate. Wow...that is profound. Enjoy. :) I love your funny little boy!

Kristen said...

Congrats on the decision to make a big move like this. Family is so important. One of the best decisions we made was to move back to the NL-S area. It was so exciting when everything worked out with jobs and selling the house, but when the new job started for me I hated it at first as I so badly missed the people I used to work with. I compared everything and thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life. After 4-5 months when I got in the swing of things I realized I had made the best decision. I know love my job and would never go back to where we were before. I love being by my family as well as when something goes on the people you can always count on are your family. Best of Luck to you in the big transition.

LisAway said...

Oh! Big news! I hope that will be nice for you on your lonely weeks to have your parents nearby.

Cute Miles. I love those embarrassingly funny slips. And the teaching them about it later. And that they pick up on it pretty fast. We have a neighbor boy who's seven and still says stuff like that. It's not cute anymore. Like he says Hi! to someone and David says a very friendly Hi! back and he says, "I wasn't talking to you." Which he wasn't, but he's old enough to know not to actually say it. (But if it had been a 3 year old it would have been funny because he doesn't understand that it actually sounds rude, even if you don't mean to be rude at all. And somehow it's a little funny.)

Kelly @ Love Well said...

Congratulations on making a decision about the move. Just think -- with your family around, you won't has as many terrible Tuesdays.

And yes -- we had a man-woman like that at the Wal-Mart in our former small town. The kids would stare and stare. I felt bad for him-her (still not sure, for the record), so I tried to be extra kind. But it's hard to counter those darn kids.

Kazzy said...

So, how far away will you be going? My husband gets very antsy for change too and it is weighing heavy on me right now.

Best of luck.

Keyona said...

No matter how long it takes we'll be here through your whole move!

Erin said...

Good luck with moving. As someone who moved halfway across the country less than a year ago, I know all that it entails. (And good luck selling your house!)

Miles, Miles, Miles. Isn't he just a cutie? He was just being honest. Maybe I'll have that same conversation with my kids right away...

Debbie said...

So much in this post!
Miles. What are we going to do with him? Don't you hate to squash that lovely honesty and openness? However, soon you will have to wear disguises to go out!
Selling and moving. Wow! That is huge. And again, please elaborate on why you aren't moving near me. Did I mention free babysitting? Just think about it.
And I didn't know you were going to BlogHer. I will be even more jealous of everyone that weekend. Darn it all.

Dana said...

Moving is never easy, but I'm sending good wishes your way. Sounds like an exciting adventure.

Roban said...

I've seen comments from you from time to time on others' blogs and thought I'd drop by.... Enjoyed reading your post about moving and the whole lady-is-a-man thing. Kids can sure put us in a tricky spot from time to time!

Good luck with selling your home and moving. I was in a military family, so I moved all the time as a child. Now, I'm not much of the moving type. The last time I changed towns, I was really torn because I was leaving a good friend. We're still friends, today though, and its been about 15 or 16years since my move. And as you said, bloggy friends get to go with you....

Looking forward to reading more on your blog,

Roban

charrette said...

Hey, I read and commented on this post a couple of days ago, but my comment is strangely NOT HERE. Weird. Darn those cyber-goblins!

So now my kid is begging me for a Target run, and I am indulging him because he has nothing to wear to church tomorrow, all of which means...Hold that thought. I'll be back. Later. Again.

xo

charrette said...

See? I told you I'd be back...

SO much in this post. SO much swimming around in that head of yours right now.

As much as I hate moving, I'm happy for you to be closer to your family so you'll have a stronger support system in place when Ryan's traveling. You need that. And I think you'll love being in a small town. You're that type o' gal (chatty, accessible, kind-hearted, and friends with everyone.)

And Miles? is hilarious. Even though I'm sure you were mortified beyond belief, that makes for one hysterical story. At least you talked to him about what would be more appropriate for that inevitable NEXT TIME....

If it makes you feel any better...I just locked in a mortgage rate for our already-paid-off house.... Yep, that's how we're paying for boarding school. I have to force myself not to think about it too much.

Love you --

charrette said...

oh, and don't even talk to me about BlogHer. Maybe someday, when I'm rich and famous....

But I know you'll have a wonderful time! I'm jealous of all those bloggers who'll get to meet you in person.

Bonnie said...

So true about adversity. You really can't fight it but once you embrace it and realize you will come out a better stronger person on the other side it's amazing how it builds character. I've had a lot in my life the past few years and it really has made me a better person.
I'm a little jeolous about you moving closer to your "home". I often I would like to do that but then I second guess myself.
Your little guy is so funny. They are just so honest!

Mary @ Parenthood said...

HAHAHA...

My niece does that to us from time to time. I remember one time explaining that the man walking near us preferred to wear ladies clothes sotto voce, only to have her yell my explanation to the entire world, followed by "Why?"

I was momentarily embarrassed, but I do think that in a perfect world our kids could ask those questions directly instead of needing to wait until we've walked away. It is a bit like the emperor's new clothes from the child's perspective, isn't it?

All the same I was grateful that when we visited 24 Sussex this weekend (and yes - best weekend ever!) that it was someone else's kid loudly wondering why the man was hiding in the bushes if he didn't have to pee!

Dedee said...

I really shouldn't laugh about the moustache. I know I shouldn't.

~snort~ bwahahahaha!

And the moving on in the unknown and at least moving, yeah, I know that feeling. Prayers for you through all of this.

Radioactive Tori said...

Good luck with moving! I will think good thoughts for you!

My son always asks if someone is a man or woman. We have had that talk and he still does it!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations & consolations about the move! It's exciting and terrifying all in one. Thankfully, I get to come along with you or I'd cry myself to sleep at night.

Loved Miles story! Gotta love those lil' moments, huh?

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