Decluttering

I have a couple of confessions I'd like to make.

One: I've been really bad about updating. Sorry (but not really!).
Two: My life feels like a complete mess. For Real.
Three: I'm a sentimental pack-rat.

So now you're probably wondering why I chose those three things.

One: Well, a detailed life update just probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.  Recently, I have felt like too much of my life has been on display, and it makes me want to shrivel into a shell again.
Two: I rarely have time to pull myself together.  Busy life schedule, relationships, leading a Bible Study, school, and potential dating opportunities have left me with a panic-y feeling that results in my mind always thinking, always on the alert, and I just flat out don't have time to get organized.
Three: I live at home...in the room I had in high school (which has been over for 6+ years).  While it has been a humongous blessing to be able to 'crash' to pull one area of my life together (my career), I have literally just been living around my old high school things for almost 20 months now.

These things are related, I promise!

Currently, I am on a break from classes and clinic - which normally makes me feel extremely bored and worthless.  For the last 11 months, I have been constantly on the go.  I didn't really get any breaks from studying because during my breaks from school, I was studying for a couple of different standardized tests. Needless to say, I've been busy.

I'm very thankful for this break.  It's a great opportunity to begin the cleaning process for my life.  I'm attempting to declutter.

When I graduate in May, if all works out to plan, I will be looking for a full-time job shortly after, and I will indeed be moving out of my high school bedroom.  It will indeed be the last time I live here in this house (for the second time!).  As a result, my mom has informed me that anything I leave behind is fair game for her to do away with.

EEEEK! This is where the pack-rat in me begins to hyperventilate.

So I've begun to research how to declutter.  And these are my tactics to hopefully finally rid my life of unnecessary objects:

1. Has it been used in the last 6 months? 
2. Could someone else benefit from the use of the object?
3. 3 piles: Donate, Toss, or Keep.  

It's definitely far from perfect, but it's a start.  And since I plan on taking this desk with me, I might just want to start there.  Here goes nothing.

[My] Life is a Highway...

...at least for another week.  Literally, I feel like I spend the majority of my day on the highways between College Station and Spring.  Maybe that's because I am.  With over 4 hours of time in my car A DAY, and over 200 miles driven EACH DAY, I'm beginning to realize that no, I never want to be a truck driver.  But thanks for the offer!

So, I have a 3-hour commute (total time) to sit at a desk for 4 hours.  Then I have an hour commute (total time, again) to be at swim practice for about 3 hours.  Dude.  I feel as though I've been run over!  It's so exhausting...and I wanted to share with you some things that I've seen/realized/thought about while driving.

While driving, I've seen these things on the road:

• A car battery hanging out in the middle of my lane (I had to swerve to avoid it!).  I hope the car that it belongs to doesn't need it soon...
• Lots of farm equipment traveling at unacceptable speeds
• A mobile home being transported
• Lots and lots of roadkill
• Lots of carnival rides heading back to where they came from (on more than one day!)
• The Historical Site sign in Millican is 5/6 missing.  I'm not joking...something happened to 5/6 of the thing!  It's so weird looking at part of the sign, and not knowing where the other part went!
• The sun rise through the foggy fields (this made Thursday's drive a little more intriguing)
• Brooding clouds.  Yes, clouds can brood.  At least they did yesterday...
• Lots and lots of cops/sherriffs/patrol units.  Don't worry, I haven't met any of them personally. 

While driving, avoid idiots like these:

• A guy in a green suburban eating lunch who is especially good at "lane drifting".  He's dangerous!
• The person who speeds up to pass you, gets in front of you, and then slows down...causing you to also have to slam on the brakes.  (GRRRRR!)
• The person who drives slow (like 15 below the speed limit) because they can.  Seriously, that's not safe!
• Fast lane-shifting semis.  Scary!!!

I've also done a lot of talking to the other drivers.  It's never really that mean, but come on people, didn't you take a driving test like the rest of us?!  It's absolutely ridiculous the amount of stuff people get away with these days.

So, basically, I'll be super happy when next week is over and my commute will drop a total of 3 hours.  I'm so ready for it!  Cuz really, my iPod can only play so much music to keep me occupied for so long.  I'm just saying.  And, I hit 2 different rush hours: the 6:30 Houston rush hour, and then the 8:00 College Station rush hour.  There's basically no way I make it to work in less than an hour and 30 minutes.  It's just not possible. 

4-hour commute + increased physical activity (increased back pain) + 28 six and unders + emotionally draining move = feels like a truck ran over my body and then backed up...

Here's to a weekend where I get to organize my newly refurbished room in my parent's house!  Yes, I've been living around boxes all week. 

My planned Saturday morning sleep-in can't seem to get here soon enough.  Sigh.

Now it's time to pack up and get on the road to H-town yet once again.  Happy rainy Friday everyone!

On this Friday...

I slept until 9:30.
I ate breakfast and drank my coffee.
I checked email, twitter, and facebook.
I motivated myself to get started on the "closet purge of highschool-ness".

I found many amusing objects of my past today.

I want to share with you some of the finds:

These are my dad's.  He won it at a men's BBQ event.  And it ended up in my closet.  

Dried Corsages from high school events.  These two are from my senior proms (yes, I went to 2).

These are from various other dances (homecoming one year and a military ball and junior prom).

A Battalion from 2006.

It was about Dr. Gates leaving A&M.

A box of old "boyfriend" stuff.  This box seriously made a few giggles escape.  HA!

SAT study books.  Because every 23-yo needs these after college.

A newspaper from my mom about pharmacists.  She sent this to me while I was still in college - and it ended up under my bed in her house.  Irony.

Good ol' American Girl stuff.  These won't be going anywhere.  They are safely stored back under my bed.

Yes, my mom was concerned about the spiders in my mail box.  She was so considerate!  (sorry it's sideways...it wouldn't cooperate)

The big letter my orchestra buddies in Georgia made me when I moved to Texas in 8th grade.  Hilarious.

These were a big deal back in '99.  At 13, I wanted nothing more than to fill it completely.  Now, I'm tempted to just take out the quarters that are in there and use them...

You know you swam for 10 years when...you find 2 shoeboxes full of ribbons and another much bigger box devoted to trophies and plaques.

Who would've guessed I'm the proud owner of an iPAQ?!?!  Yeah, I don't even know what it does either.  Maybe that's why it was under my bed...

So there was my exciting day.  It's really funny how you have to make a big mess to clean things out and organize.  My back does not like activities like this...and I've figured out that I do carry my stress in my shoulders.  Does anyone want to give me a good back rub?!  

Nah, it's okay.  I'll just take my anti-inflammatories and lay around the rest of the night.  Now I just have to organize things to go where they need to go.

Any idea what do to with old school stuff?!  That might be the hardest question of the day.  Ugh.  

Oh, yes...to finish off my day, my younger sister L made an entire meal from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook.

Meatloaf:

Mashed Potatoes:

Mocha-chocolate brownies:

It was really good.  A good way to finish off an exhausting day...too bad nothing relieves back pain.

Part 7 Coming Soon!

Oh dear...the endeavors I have created for myself.

Upon my decision to accept a swim team coaching job in Houston, I have to clean out my room in my parent's house so I can move back into it...

Which means there's a lot of stuff to go through in the next few days.  Maybe I'll document some of the process.

In the meantime, I decided to start under my bed - and found the folder of letters that Matthias had written to me.  I was starting to have some serious doubts about whether or not I would be able to find them.  I haven't seen this folder in YEARS.

But, alas, I have discovered it in the depths of the under-bed.  And now, I am definitely going to be prepared to write part 7.  My heart is pounding because I am so stinking excited about this find.

sigh.

How great these things work out.

So, I apologize to make you wait longer.  But it will be on my list of things to work on in the next days here at my parent's house.

Woohoo!

Until later,
ED