"I'll get it together, I promise"

We're here. We're alive. Just trying to keep our heads above water and haven't had time to post our regularly scheduled programming.

It's like the Pillsbury Dough Boy said: "I'll get it together, I promise"

June is kicking our booties and the move has been unexpectedly long and difficult. We spent most of the weekend cleaning, painting, and hauling the last of our stuff from the old place and are finally and completely in the new apartment.  Although the new place has been a perpetual mess since last Thursday, when we officially moved in, we are slowly putting things together. I suspect it won't be presentable for company or the blog until late July. Sorry. I know people are waiting. Trust me, no one wants that more than me. Actually, Dan might want it more because until everything is in its place, he has to live with the mess and with me - the most unpleasant person to live with until I regain control of all the things.  

I feel like I need to give our unofficial move sponsors a shout-out. We wouldn't be barely surviving without them.

Lemon iced tea and Orangeade Snapples and the clerks at Best Way Food bodega on our old block. They never once judged us for the amount of sugary liquids and chips we regularly purchased in the last three weeks.

Our granny cart. It hauled WAY more than it was ever made to carry and if it hobbles through the rest of June alive, I shall memorialize it on the blog.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It fixed a multitude of sins.

My excessive collection of decorative table runners and dish towels. They made the most effective, affordable, and pretty packing materials.

Uber. I don't want to know how much money we forked over to that company on account of our laziness. In all fairness, we were heavily over-committed to projects and gatherings in not-so-convenient locations and it was a choice between sleep and productivity or riding a train.

And praise for my Handy-Dandy. He spent a whole day last week assembling two large IKEA shelves by himself - all for me. He's my special boy.

Last night we detoured to the pier on the way to my dance class (which was later canceled).

Someone caught a small shark.  I'll just leave that image right here.

And then there was a magnificent sunset on the first day of summer.  We saw our friends on their rooftop so we shouted up to them and they invited us up to enjoy the last drops of the longest day of the year.

We leave Saturday for our trip to Colorado followed by Kansas. I'll try to write some catch-up posts but it might remain quiet here on the blog in the meantime. Sorry. We will be back for good in July.

Moving Day?

Life is crazy chaotic right now.  All my plans to make this stupid move smooth and seamless?  Ha! Truly, by this point in my life I should just except it. STOP MAKING PLANS. And STOP OVER COMMITTING.

Sometimes I think God likes to trick teach me by throwing me into situations that amp-up my anxiety level like nothing else and then throw in some more curve balls. He should stop that. I never learn anything from those lessons because as soon as I dust myself off from chaos I continue to march on my merry way into dreamland where I make perfect and beautiful plans, convinced it will all happen exactly as I say.  If we get our routine back in place before the end of summer, it will be a gift from God.

Since I don't want to deal with life right now I'll just leave with cute pictures of the kitties in sunny Kansas.

That right there is Peach Fuzz, or Peaches for short.  I loved him the most. 

Oh for the love of!

Oof!  That's cute baby Philip.  He was a charmer too.

Ahh, to be a kitty...

Update

We've had a chaotic week. Stress is running high for both of us, and life feels unsettled. I always feel guilty and reluctant to say that because I know it could be worse and lots of people experience way more chaos than we do.  But I'm personally trying to stop diminishing how I feel because of what I think other people will think or judge about it.  I have a right to my feelings. 

I'll explain more about the new apartment later but we did end up getting the keys last Friday night.  Woot! We haven't officially moved.  Our life and possessions are currently divided between two places, which adds to the chaos.

Between the move, Dan's grandma passing, regular life, and other commitments we are sufficiently overwhelmed.  But I did want to share a few of the brighter moments from that last week and the Memorial Day weekend.

I attended a nice baby shower last weekend.  The handmade felt balls that Mandy made for our wedding made another appearance.  I'm glad they got some more use.

I went to a Pampered Chef party for the first time which was fun and I'm excited for a couple of new gadgets.

And we attended an NYC Football Club soccer game for a friend's early birthday.  It was a nice escape from life to go to the game for a few hours.

And good to spend time with these ladies.  

We've been so busy and preoccupied that we haven't gone grocery shopping. We had yogurt for dinner one night, pizza the other, and chips on Tuesday.  No lie.  Chips for dinner.  Our sleeping is off, both apartments are a mess, work is overwhelming right now, and we're emotionally spent.  We canceled all plans for this weekend, including the "official" move.  We will be on a flight to Kansas by 6 AM tomorrow morning.

Things will settle, we just have to hold our breath and let the wave wash over us in the meantime.

For Our Grandmas

Dan and I have both lost our maternal grandmothers in the last few months.

My grandma passed away in February.  She was 92.  She was a firecracker, a strong and loyal woman with a sense of humor.  When I think of her I'm amazed at the changes in the world she witnessed in her lifetime.  She was a true product of her generation.  While she is missed, I know she lived a long and full life and was ready for rest.  I am grateful we were able to have a nice visit with her this past Christmas and I felt like I was able to say goodbye.  My last memory of her is of my mom feeding her homemade lasagna.  She was fully with us, enjoying homemade food, she was sweet and funny - even joking.  It's a good memory, simple and maybe trivial I'm grateful for it.

Dan's grandma passed away yesterday after a truly courageous fight.  While I only knew her for a little over two years, I loved her.  She was so sweet and kind, a gentle soul, compassionate, and delightful.  The quintessential grandma.  She was a lovely woman and will be deeply missed by many, including us.  I see so much of her character in her children - Dan's mom, aunts and uncle, and I see her in Dan as well.  A good person through and through.  She radiated love, even in the midst of pain.
  

We mourn over the void that's left in our lives when those we love leave this world.  But I am comforted knowing that it is only the living who anguish over loss.  For we believe that those who pass are in eternal peace. No more pain, no more suffering, no more sadness. They are in the world we long for - and as hard as it is for us to accept, how can we not be happy for them? The sadness is ours, not theirs. We miss their presence here on earth and struggle to find a new normal without them but they never truly leave us.  They live in our hearts, in our memories, and even with us in our future - sharing in our lives from a distance.

We were blessed to have both our grandmas at our wedding, to share in our union and know us as a couple. Their presence helping us to feel bonded, each with a new family.  That doesn't change in their absence. We know of their love and we keep it with us.

Please be praying for Dan's family and the recent loss of their beloved matriarch.