view from the hill called sanity

I think I'm beginning to figure out how to live with this crazy schedule of mine. I have so much going on that to say I'm just "busy" doesn't seem to do justice to all the plates I have spinning that could all suddenly come crashing down to the floor. I won't name all those plates, but there are a lot. I am in a state of feeling completely inadequate to all the tasks and am feeling disappointed because of having to say "no" to things I typically would want to be a part of.
So I'm learning to delegate (even when I'd rather do it myself). I'm learning to take time to really rest and not feel guilty (even though my natural inclination is to hide under a rock and avoid it so therefore I react and don't rest at all). I'm also learning to just do one thing at a time and know that it doesn't all have to happen at once(even thought I can get into a hyper frenzy thinking it all has to be done TODAY). And I'm learning that I just need to carefully plod (or walk, depending on how dramatic you want to be) through trusting that by God's grace all will be accomplished in His time.
I'm also learning tp pray. Shocking, I know but it's about time, really.
So I thought I'd take this moment in my busy day, when I've passed tasks off to other people, when I've said "no" to having lunch with friends, to write and to take a minute to remember that I don't have to do it all myself. Ultimately, God's will shall be done even if I'm having a nervous breakdown. Hopefully we can avoid that, but even if I were to drop all those plates, trust comes from knowing that He will catch them...or maybe let some of the smash all over the ground for good reason.

a beautiful day

The hurricane has given way to something that actually resembles fall. I did get to stay home on my hurricane day. It was so great: Rain, dark mornings, candles, coffee, and sleep (sleep before coffee).
My beatiful day, however was interupted about noon when someone called and suggested that I go to that conference that was still going on. But since they still were telling people to stay off the roads, and no one I talked to seemed to think that was a very good idea, I stayed home. I did struggle with guilt, but what's new?
People at the conference did act a little funny when I said I had stayed home yesterday. But they were all out of towners and must have not heard about the semi that got blown off of I-4 and onto the road underneath it...in the middle of the city! I'm glad I stayed home.
About 3:00 the sun came out. The weather here never ceases to amaze me. But how I do long for home.
Do you think I could ever convince everyone I love here to move back to Indiana with me?

Hurricane Days!

It is somehow the consolation of the children of Florida. Poor kids, they don't know the elation that us yankee kids grew up with: anxiously waiting the night before or even sometimes the morning of to find out that freedom is just around the corner! It's a snow day!

Today I felt a little of that elation. There's no work tomorrow! But then again, I'm writing this from my office...on Sunday. I would much prefer to be sitting here picking some stuff up and doing email for an hour this afternoon than have to come in all day tomorrow, though.

Here's Wilma's projected path. Hopefully it will be all wind and rain and no tornados. After last year, though I'm so over this whole hurricane thing. I have a very numb attitude toward the whole thing. I honestly don't care, except for the fact that I don't have to go to work tomorrow. That part is fun. But I figure we'll deal with it like we dealt with it last year. I sure hope it won't be like it was last year, though. We already lost our roof once, hopefully it will last this time. It was harder than I realized at the time. Instead of crying all the time, I internalized it all. Hence the stomach issues and the ultrasound and the many many sleepless nights at Carly's house on her airmattress. Uggg. Those were the days.


10pm addition.
hmmm...I may be at work tomorrow after all. I just feel like my hopes have been dashed! Dangled like a carrot and taken away! The conference I was supposed to is going on, which I can understand since there are lots of people who flew in for it. But for those of us who will have to drive through it????
Maybe it's just my intense need for non-people time that makes me far more disappointed than I ordinarily would have been.

Photos!

Finally! I've discovered how to do photos on my blog!

I think that when I first began my blog, posting photos was kind of a pain and I had to upload them elsewhere and then link that to my blog. Pain. Complexities I didn't feel like dealing with. But somewhere along the line, it became easy! So here I am...posting photos like mad!

Here is a photo I wanted to post long ago in my posting entitled, "Well, isn't that delightful." If I were as cool as Daniela I could insert a hyperlink to take you back to that posting. But I'm not. So go back and see this photo also featured in the edited version of this post. You'll find it in the March archives.

Fish desiny fulfilled

Dear Rachel and Rebecca,

I need to tell you something. I gave Baby Bear Bear to Soganey. I hope you two don't mind, but BBB was living quite a meaningless existance hidden in my picnic basket with all the other stuffed animals that I own that I really have no use for. Cornelia, of course, is the exception. Even Norman is in there. Norman of course is too precious to let out. But then again Norman has fulfilled his toy-destiny by being beloved and popular while I was in college.
BBB, however has never had the opportunity to be loved. Until now. Because Soganey absolutely loves her Fish. His name is now Fish. I'm trying to teach Soganey to identify him based on his name. She knows "toy." When you go say, "Go get your toy!" She comes back with whatever it is she currently wants to play with. She's very good about playing only with things that belong to her. So now BBB (aka: Fish) belongs to her. My hope is that one day soon I'll be able to say, "Go get your Fish!" And she'll happily go and get Fish.
I know that this may significantly shorten Fish's life span, but isn't it important that he's happy now? He's experienced more of life in his five days out of the basket than his seven years in the basket. So don't cry for fish. Be happy. For his toy-destiny has been fulfilled.

love,
Amy


Soganey with toy...not fish. Keep checking back for Fish photo.

title? can anyone think of a good title?

Do I really need a good title for one little posting? I can't think of anything and since I'm basically just writing to update folks on the lightbulb situation (there has been some concern expressed), I don't know if I really need one.

Ok, so I bought new lightbulbs. GE reveal or something. 60 watt if you're curious. 75 is too bright. I like my light soft. It only took me about three days from the time the bulb went out until I actually bought the thing. I didn't live in dimness too long.

In other news, I'm dog sitting for my friend Theresa. Techinically I'm cat sitting, too, but the cat seems pretty content to stay in the garage so I've only seen her a few times. I even checked to make sure that the kitty door wasn't stuck or something. It's not. She just doesn't want to come into the house apparently.

Sophie (the dog) is highly affectionate and definitely has an under developed sense of emotional object permanance. I move around a lot, especially when I'm either going to bed or getting ready in the morning so I kind of feel sorry for her when I go into a room only to stay for 5 seconds. But in that 5 seconds Sophie has managed to find a nice comfy spot on the floor. Then she has to follow me into the next room and do the same thing all over again. Soganey (Heather's dog that I actually live with as opposed to only this temporary thing like with Sophie) has gotten used to me and no longer follows me around unless she wants something from me.

I still think dogs are too much work for me to ever get one on my own, but I do like them more and more as time goes on. But please don't ever let me actually adopt one. Remind me how much work it is before I do such a thing.

Tanks in advance! (See http://danidoodle.com/thank_you/tanks.shtml)