I recently ran into a neighbor that I hadn't seen in months. Her first words to me were, "It's been months since I've seen you! What have you been up to?"
And I blurted out an answer that made me cringe, "Just been crazy busy!"
I hate that. We all say it. Or some variation. And I didn't say it to make myself sound like I was in such demand or glorify my "busyness."
I was just so overwhelmed with everything that had actually been going on that I couldn't put it into words. Here's the real answer and the reason why scrapbooking and blogging haven't been happening for the past three weeks.
Awards - My husband won a huge national writing award. It's awesome!!! And I couldn't be more proud!! The award is being presented to him in D.C. at the National Press Club later this spring and he's nominated for two other awards at the same banquet. So of course, we're pulling the kids out of school and going.
Trips - We had a beautiful trip planned to Mackinac Island this summer with several other relatives and their families and it all suddenly fell apart. We were also trying to fit in trips to Texas and Maine and Libby had an 8th-grade trip to D.C. And they all started falling apart due to other obligations and overlapping time frames with finals and AP exams and it just got crazy. Add to that the award trip that we suddenly had to plan and there was simply no time or money to do it all. So we're back to square one and I'm cancelling hotels and adding in new ones and trying not to freak out because I simply can't make everyone happy. Oh, and did I mention that Emily and I are embarking on a college trip during spring break? Add in more hotels and appointments. I'm thrilled that we're getting to plan some trips so I'm definitely not complaining. I just know that there's a lot of disappointment due to all the changes we've had to make.
Sickness and seizures - Tom's had food poisoning. Or a terrible stomach flu. It doesn't really matter which one. All that matters is that it's over. UGH. Andrew was home sick last week, as well as Libby, and Andrew suddenly has a fever today. And Libby ended up in the hospital two weeks ago with a seizure that wouldn't quit again. She's fine!!!! Just needed some strong meds.
New car - I've had my minivan for 13 years. It was time for a new one. I tried a bunch of other cars and came back to the Odyssey. She's not brand new but I love her.
Football - Indoor football season is in full swing and we're loving this season! Except when players get hurt but I couldn't resist taking the photo of Andrew's team taking a knee while they waited for the injured player to get treated. He's okay. :)
Fainting - Emily is old enough to donate blood now and was eagerly awaiting her appointment during the school's blood drive. I warned her to tell them that we're a family of fainters and she lived up to the legend. She passed out three times before they let her go.
Four concerts - Both Andrew and Libby had state band/orchestra competitions this week. Which meant that they each had preview concerts. On different nights and at different times the week before. So four concerts in two weeks. And two gold medals!!! Worth every moment of practice. :)
Prom season - Emily promised to make prom dress shopping painless this year and she totally did. Found the perfect dress on the first try and it was on sale. Awesome!!! (The dress she chose is in this picture but I won't tell you which one.)
Maroon 5 - And The Year of the Concert has begun! My sister-in-law and I took our girls (and a friend) to see Maroon 5 last week and it was spectacular!!!! I absolutely hate fighting the Chicago traffic for concerts but it's always worth the hassle. Adam Levine is a phenomenal performer and I will definitely see them again!
More - There's more stuff going on but I'm exhausted listing it all out so I'm gonna stop here. Either way, there's enough "crazy" in my "crazy busy" comment to justify the comment, I think.
Happy Monday!
