Thursday, February 25, 2010

Fast Forward My Life


Have you ever wanted to push the fast forward button on your life? You know that you are in no man's land and that in another month, life is going to get way better but you just have to get there? And there is no way out of it--you just have to get through it?

The summer I graduated from college was the longest summer of my life. I got a job from a temp agency (SOS staffing services!) and got hired at American Stores Co. I basically helped out in an office and had to wear nude pantyhose under my sandals (the horror!) and never had enough to do. I was starting BYU in the fall and I just knew I was going to love it if I could endure about 90 days of hell. I made it, barely, but it wasn't easy.

Now, I'm a grown woman with 3 1/2 kids and I still want to fast forward through the next 30 days. Here are the reasons:

1. The house mess (of course): This was my kitchen last Saturday:


Dust everywhere--cabs pulled out, filthy kids from the dust, I can't find a thing. The only thing that gives me hope is that my living room looks like this beneath all the furniture stuffed in there:




Right now, it looks like this:


But as I type this, I have a dude upstairs installing a new fireplace surround in my family room so I'm this much closer to a finished product.

It's not all bad. Sam put my cabs and appliances back with counter tops sitting on top so I can still prepare food and we have some semblance of normalcy. The entire job will be done in a month. I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.

2. The broken arm. This really isn't a biggie. Ryan doesn't seem to mind the broken arm too much. He keeps on keeping on. The biggest bummer is that he can't get in the bath, which is the highlight of this almost two-year-old's day. I want to give a shout-out to Glad press and cling for keeping the cast clean while he eats. Brilliant.


3. My church calling. I am on the stake primary board in charge of activity days. I am planning a day camp for 150 8-11 year old girls and their leaders on March 13th. We will be serving breakfast, making necklaces, doing workshops, doing a service project for Project Linus and watching a short DVD about Christ. Everyone keep me in your prayers because the whole thing could bomb. Every night I'm cutting out paper for these ^$%^@*(*! necklaces.

They are two-sided. I'm too lazy to actually glue the jump ring on and thread the ribbon through but you get the idea.

4. The weather. So cliche but I am so sick of gray cement skies. It was sunny two days ago so I washed and vacuumed my car (don't faint Sam!) and then it snowed yesterday. In a month, I know it will be better.


So that is why I want to FF my life. I'm even willing to miss my b-day to skip the entire month of March. Oh well, I'll soldier on.

ps. my friend Jill is involved in this awesome bike relay called Saints to Sinners (see button on my sidebar.) It is like Ragnar on a bike I've been told. I just love the name since the race goes from SL to Vegas. If I wasn't 300 pounds right now, I'd consider signing up. Check it out.

19 comments:

Heather said...

I'm would like to fast-forward to June, please. If you need help cutting stuff out, I'm available and I come with my own nifty paper cutter...just like they had in school that you can lose a finger with, which just adds to the excitment.

Jill said...

I have definitely had times when I've wanted to fast forward through my life, and I seem to recall the last months of pregnancy having something to do with them.

My husband worked at American Stores for 3 years back in the late 90's, luckily he did NOT have to wear nude panty hose.

The grey skies are definitely mood busters for me too, but we seem to be being treated to sunny skies every other day so it's not too bad right?

How exciting to have your house renovations almost finished!

Dave & Kami said...

Ok i love those necklace. How can i make them? I am going to be the camp director for my ward. I need to call you! Enjoy ur last few months of being a cute preggo mom. THey are so much easier when they are inside the womb then out:)

Jessica said...

I love the AD necklaces! Way cute! I know you and it will definitely not bomb! Let me know if you need any help.

Jill T said...

I think I say "one more month" every February! At least you have a new kitchen to look forward too!

I'm also going to put in a shameless plug about the Saints to Sinners Bike Relay.

A portion of all proceeds will go to researching a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) so people will be riding for a good cause too! :)

Thanks Brooke for mentioning the race!

Amy said...

you took the words right out of my mouth! In the next month, Landon should hear on 2 different job opportunities here in AZ. I should also know if I get the house I want! When it's all said and done, I could be happy and back to normal, or need to be committed somewhere!

I love the AD neclaces. Sounds like it will be great! And the weather. What can I say. That's why I couldn't stay in Seattle! This too shall pass, right??

Elizabeth said...

Pantyhose with sandals ... the things they make temp staff do.

Its raining here with 5 more days of it to go. I need the sun to feel happy too.

I feel like deleting whole sections of my life is that the same as ff parts of it?

Ashley said...

I want to FF to two weeks from yesterday. The RS party will be over and I will be finding out what the baby is. I am going to plan some other prizes for that day, like a trip to the Swirl, just to make it even more climatic.

I hope you don't get someone offended by what posted about Activity Days.

That house mess has got to suck. Stay the course.

Laura B. said...

Poor you. I can't believe you have to endure a kitchen reno while being pregnant. You should only eat out for the next thirty days. Cooking is hard enough...never mind the awfulness of cooking in a partial kitchen.

But, let's move on to the race. I TOTALLY want to do that. Could we please put a fun team together and do it next summer when all of creation are done having babies?? I would be in FOR SURE!!!

Linda said...

Sorry I can't be more help these next few weeks. . .I have my own two months of hell to look forward to. . .(taking care of a dying 91-year-old and trying to sell a house, pack and move - with a lot of cleaning of two homes) I'm getting some rewards this summer, too - a new house and THREE new babies!!
How fast can we fast-forward??

Linde said...

So glad to hear other people want to FF sometimes in their life! I too am tired of the gray skies and cannot wait for spring to reallly be here!

Hang in there!! :)

Linde said...

P.S...as we have been planning our Primary QA I keep thinking of you on the 13th!! You are in my prayers!! :)

Denise said...

You have three kids, are pregnant AND you bath your children every day in the winter???? Wow, you are supermom. (Or we're just really dirty.)

Megan said...

I'm with you. If I could skip the next month, I would be in heaven. I have whoosed out on winters since not living in Utah and all the snow we have been slammed with this winter is killing me. I'm tired of being cooped up in the house, tired of freezing, my coat is dangerously close to not zipping anymore and I'm determined not to go to my maternity coat. I'm tired of not fitting into my maternity clothes anymore but again refuse to go up a size. I'm tired of feeling like Shammoo when I try to get out of bed. I'm just plain tired. There is my rant. If you find the remote control that can skip a month, I am so there and will sell a piece of my soul to help you obtain it.

Travelin'Oma said...

We remodeled our house when I was pregnant. I'm still not quite over it, and my baby is 28. Good luck!

alexandra said...

Luckily it is only a month you want to skip, and all of the reasons have definite end-points! And weather is not unworthy of mention: cold, grey days are awful and I wish I lived somewhere where we would never ever have them. Like heaven. Or southern california.

This is really random, but for some reason this post reminded me of a story I heard on the radio where a dying old woman gathered her waning strencth and whispered on her death bed, "I am so bored." Sort of the worst death I can imagine (actually, maybe not . . .). I don't know why this post made me think ofthat. Maybe that lady wanted to fast forward, too, Iguess. :)

Amy M. said...

I want to fast forward my life too. Moving is a beast.

Corinne said...

yes for sure many times i want to ff my life! love your wood floors in the living room! please tell me jake won't pick vienna tonight!

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