<<, II, >>

There have been times in life that I'd love to rewind and have a do over.  Like the time I called a guy I taught in my cycle class Fred for three months.  Would have been great, but his name was actually Bob.  And after three months of being nice and patient about it, he casually mentioned one day after I said, "hey Fred, how was the weekend?"  "Great.  Got to see my grandkids.  And, my name is actually Bob.  Like boob but without one of the o's."  Whoops!  I can't tell you how many time's I've said the wrong name, his was the first that I definitely had it wrong for so long.  Clearly, he thought this through enough to make sure I'd remember it correctly for the next year or so I kept teaching him.  And, I guess he liked me (and class) enough that he kept coming!

Then there's times of life that I just want to pause.  Freeze the instant and make it a whole day, or even a week.  Most often those "pause" moments are just so short, but they edge such a clear memory.  Sitting on the beach of Hawaii with Mike.  Snuggling with that little newborn babe.  How you feel when you finish that big goal.  How you feel right after an awesome workout.  We all have those times.

Sometimes, I hit a point of life that I really just want to fast forward.  That would be describe how I've felt the last 5 months.  Having a colicky baby, husband taking a new job, husband commuting back and forth to new job, selling and showing a house, buying a house in an area we've never lived in, then throwing in all of the normal things you do with three kids and a dog, then throw in a couple side jobs that I do for fun, and boom, it's like I couldn't get through it all quick enough.

But, we did it.  We're in Omaha, in an awesome house, and super excited to enjoy this new adventure. 

Now that we're in Omaha, and moving forward with a bit of breathing room, I have to remind myself that it really wasn't all just a fast forward time. First of all, I share a huge thanks to the folks who knew when to offer up yet another play date at their house, or to the cute teenage young women who jumped to help me out on short notice, or the awesome family who hung out with our two oldest so we could pick out the house I'm now sitting in.

And I have memories like the ones below that are just too good for me to ignore.  Sometimes you think things will just go smoothly because you're juggling a lot.  And sometimes it just doesn't happen, because when you juggle so much at once, things have a way of falling through the cracks, so you have to roll with whatever comes your way.

-During one house showing, I decided to take Kermit and the girls on a walk around a lake while Max was at school.  Should take up the whole hour and be a great way to get out and enjoy Minnesota.  Would have been awesome, but Kermit has been a bit neglected this past while, and hasn't been getting as many walks as he should.  Or as the vet puts it, he should have a bit more of a waistline.  About 3/4 the way through the walk, he just stopped.  Started into a small seizure and seemed to be a bit overworked.  Trying to figure out how I'd carry him, push Alexis in the stroller and keep Tayler from waking up in the bjorn was a lot to juggle.  Thankfully, he snapped out of it, snagged some water, slept the rest of the day, and hasn't had another one since.

-I found the best way to find if a showing was a good one or not, was from the carpet tracks upstairs.  Our main floor was hardwood, but the upstairs was carpet.  You could tell super quick if a showing was from someone looking or someone looking just by the carpet tracks.  I found it a bit entertaining, and left it freshly vacuumed before leaving every time (kept all the kids downstairs while I backtracked myself out), then was sure to make the first trip upstairs right when we got home.  Kinda fun to see where they went as they looked. 

-Then there's the day that we'd sold our home, but were asked to vacate for half a day so the new owners could do a home inspection.  Sure, no problem.  Only that my car died about a block from home.  Again, while I was pulled over trying to feed the new baby, tackle Alexis who was so mad that since we couldn't drive anywhere, she'd miss her swimming lesson, and then figure out what I'd do with Kermit (again).  Didn't really want to walk to the house mid appointment.  Gratefully, Mike was in town that day and came home to help figure out the car.  Which needed an oil change.  Badly.  Whoops.

-Our home in Omaha is actually a new house.  Wahoo!  And, we were able to pick out the finish work.  I say we, but it was actually Mike.  He did it all while he was in town, and would send up a small picture text to me with the text. "granite for kitchen.  pick one of these."  or "sample exterior paint color.  pick one."  Sounds simple enough, but it seems like every time we had to make a quick decision I was headed to the park with the kids, at a soccer game, or some other place where looking at a picture was like one more crazy thing  added to the mix of energetic kids.  In short, I didn't have too much input, and the place looks awesome.

-Soccer.  Oh, soccer.  Max was so excited to play.  But from my perspective, taking three people to evening soccer twice a week (since Mike was working in Omaha) was not at the top of my fun list. Super thankful for the help from other soccer moms, my neighbor, the young women, gum, and a pink backpack.  All of these helped at different times to manage Alexis, who was tired and ready for bed, or just not in the mood to hang out while her brother played.  And while it would have been easier to bag it, I'm glad we did it.  For Max.  Who loved every minute.  And figured out how to put on his own chin guards and socks so we'd get out of the door on time.  Even if they were backwards, and I just had to redo it (making us late).  oh well!