Establishing a routine

It seems strange after 31 years of life, 15 years of working, and 9 years of marriage to say that I'm establishing a routine... but, here I am. I've tried to prepare myself for the probable fact that I will have to reestablish my routine many times over the next few years. Yet I continue to be "thrown for a loop" when something happens which isn't scribbled in my calendar. When I look back on my life, I can see traces of the Lord molding me for a time when routine would be a relative thing, not a fixed schedule. In case you don't know, I'm a boring, routine, type-a, plan-B-won't-do kind of gal. Fortunately, the Lord has been gracious and ever so patient with me. I still struggle with worthless worry and needless anxiety at times, but if 3 years ago, you told me I was moving to another country in 4 1/2 months, I'd be a wreck. My husband, Bradley, and I dealt with 6 years of infertility, and if it didn't teach us anything else, {which it did}, it taught us patience - to go with the flow. When we were on plan N in our attempt to have children, we thought, "hmm, maybe He's trying to mold us for something." ;o)

{So, back to the routine.} I have been blessed with a nanny position for almost 6 years now, caring for 2 precious little souls, Zach and Max. {These two little boys will forever have my heart, and they are the only reason I was hesitant to move away. More about them later though...} I have worked full-time, M-F for most of my career with their family. This past summer, I lessened my work week to 4 days since I was struggling to keep up with my home business. {Max is a busy little guy who doesn't understand that Brandi cannot play super heroes all day.} So, I began a new routine, and it was quite helpful, not only with my business, but with my housework too. As our desire is to "wean" me from the boys, and visa versa, I'm now home Tuesday and Thursday mornings, while Max is in pre-school. For the past few weeks, I've been in limbo {did I mention that I'm type A?}. Max's school was adjusting their release time weekly, until they were finally staying through lunch this week. Now, I will finally have a set routine: M - home; T/Th - work 1-6; W/F - work 8-6. Aww, that looks so nice and polished.
Very simple. Very orderly. Very boring. Perfection!

This Monday, the first day of my new routine, I spent the entire day painting {pictures coming soon} and refinishing our hallway. I've completed 1/3 of the project, and I hope to be done by the end of next week. This new schedule is also allowing me to feel like I'm catching up on daily house chores, as well as larger household tasks. Since I only had the morning today, I installed a handle on the bathroom door {all by myself, thank you very much!}, and did a little organizing in the black hole, aka my office. I organized children's books, and as I did so, I came across some items Bradley and I had purchased when we were hoping to adopt 2 children a few summers ago. It was bittersweet to see the items, and I nonchalantly thought, "I can go ahead and pack these up since we won't be using them before we move." Then I stopped, slightly stunned. Pack?! Wait, what? Haha... I mean, why would I pack when the move is... whoa.

It's weird how the obvious can still slap you in the face.

Then a sense of relief came over me when I realized that I could actually start packing now. I know, some of you are thinking, "duh, why wouldn't you pack, you knuckle head?" But for those who don't know me well, I sometimes over analyze things. {Assuming you're reading this - stop snickering Krista and Missy!} So, I guess I'll start collecting boxes in order to begin packing.

That will be my routine this coming week: paint; install door knobs; and collect boxes for packing.

And next week? Well, I don't know. I think this is a sign that my routine will be changing somewhat frequently over the upcoming months.

I'll just have to tune in next week to discover which episode life airs.

Yes. I'll do that.

So, I think I'm establishing a routine.

And what is that routine?

It's a routine that is unpredictable; sometimes stressful; and always adventurous.

Yes, I'm establishing a routine, and my routine is called Life.

Bonne nuit!

The List of Many Things...

This past Saturday I helped host a bridal shower for a wonderful friend of mine, Lana. I have a lot of love and respect for her, and I cannot express my excitement for her and her fiancé! So, for the past few weeks, quite a bit of my time and energy has gone into making her day special. I was stressing, thinking, "okay, after the shower I'll concentrate on prepping for Cambodia." {Have I mentioned that I'm moving to Cambodia? Oh, well, yeah, I'm kind of having this huge, life-changing experience happen, and well, I'm occasionally freaking out.} So, whenever anxiety would rear it's ugly head, I was able to talk myself down, knowing my full focus would eventually be on the 500+ things I have on my 'moving out of the country' to-do list. Well, the shower happened. Gifts were opened; tea was sipped; sandwiches and fruit were relished; bonds, new and old, were formed or tightened; and a beautiful bride was loved and celebrated. Finally, I was able to breath, relieved, knowing that my sweet friend now knew a small portion of how much we cherish her and her friendship. Leaving the tea room at the antique mall, I knew that I was ready to handle whatever was ahead of me...tomorrow. I phoned my dearest hubby to request I have the night off, and he responded with pizza (extra cheese, light sauce, and mushrooms - yeah, I can be a little particular) and Sprinkles cupcakes - yummmm!!! We spent the evening with grease, soda, sugar, and a murder mystery. *sigh* Actually, those first two usually make me sick if not administered in low doses, but when I do indulge, how sweet it is! Sunday was church, singing at the nursing home, and then running some needed errands before retiring for the evening. Then Monday came. The day I would begin conquering the many items to be done. Everything went well throughout the day. Many things were accomplished.
But.
Yes, but.
Still, nothing that directly prepares us for Cambodia. AGH! Wesley came over to help me with my website for Flirting with Fonts, but after a lot of confusion and some frustration, we realized I needed an update which required an hour-long download. So, I sent him on his way, with many thanks. Yet another thing that wasn't marked off the list of Many Things. Inside I started panicking, but I was able to brush it off because I still had some painting to do. Yes, that would be something to mark off the list. {Yay!} In case you are unaware, I have this knack for picking "oopsie" paints from the Lowe's mis-tint shelf. Quite a few colors in our home are a result from either an "oopsie" color, or a Brandi creation, using 1 or more "oopsies" with another color we have on hand. I went to work mixing and testing; mixing and testing; pausing to see if Mr. Bates was going to take that nasty comment from Thomas; and then some more mixing and testing. 3 hours and 2 Downton episodes later, I still didn't have the perfect color. Ugh. Bradley arrived home from his rehearsal (he sings in a jazz group - did I mention he's awesome?), and I went to bed feeling defeated as I stared at the invisible list of Many Things. I'm honestly not sure if my anxiety or Bradley's battle with allergies was the culprit for my tossing and turning, but eventually sleep overcame. Besides, there's always tomorrow.... and if there is no tomorrow, then there won't be anything to worry about, right?!

What's in a name?

When my mom was 10 she heard a song titled "Brandy" by Looking Glass. The phrase, "Brandy, you're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be," stuck with her until she held me in her arms for the first time. Unfortunately she never took the time to dwell on the rest of the song. You know, the whole Brandy's a barmaid, pining away for a man who loves the freedom of the sea more than her. Yeah, I've given her a hard time about that, but ironically, I still love the song and my name. It's different, but not bizarre, like me.  And hopefully my husband would agree that I am a fine girl, as well as a good wife. ;o)  Another irony about my name is that although it's an alcoholic drink, I've never tasted a drop. For biblical reasons, I do not drink, but I imagine the amber-colored brandy has a rich, dark flavor. Mysterious, quirky, and sophisticated. Yeah, that's me...well, sometimes. Thanks to the encouragement of others, I have decided to create this blog, and each post will give you a taste or "sip" of the many, many notions that run through my head.  If you choose to follow my thoughts, I hope you will be inspired to raise your glass to life. Every day is a blessing, and blessings should be celebrated. So, here's to you, me, and all of God's creation.  Mazel tov!