These past few weeks have been a whirlwind…I haven’t got a chance to write about it. I have barely got a chance to slow down and catch my breath even. Two weeks ago we got pre-approved for a house!!! What?! It seems crazy that everything is coming full circle. We have been saving our butts off for the past 2 years to get to this point. I can’t believe it is already here! House hunting is super exciting, yet super scary too. This housing market is crazy right now in West Michigan. If you don’t get on a house right away, it may be gone the next day….not a good combo for an indecisive girl with anxiety. House hunting has consumed me. I check my email for listing updates like my life depends on it…for the record, my life does not depend on it. I have never checked my email so much in my entire life. My heart skips a little beat when I see a listing update show up. I am a piece of work. I need a xanax. We have not found a house yet, we saw one tonight that would have been perfect, except for the fact that it smelled like animal (it even had new carpet) and there has been flooding issues. I don’t do flooding issues. One thing that really makes this house hunt difficult is the fact that I am a builders daughter. My dad builds very high quality/high end homes…he doesn’t cut corners. So, growing up, I was always around very very nice homes he was building. I have high expectations…and not all houses live up to that. I have to keep reminding myself (my husband does too…boy does he have his work cut out for him) that this is our first home, it is not going to be immaculate. We will see where these next weeks take us and what comes on the market. I know we will find a house…it is just a matter of when. And this impatient woman is going nuts.
Another thing that happened in the past 2 weeks is the solar eclipse on August 21. Seriously, one of the coolest things I have ever seen, and by us the sun was only 80% covered. What a historical moment though. The first total solar eclipse to go across the entire continental U.S. in 99 years (I believe). My inner 5th grade, wanna be meteorologist, self was freaking out. I contemplated a career change that day. I love weather (ish) stuff. It fascinates me. Growing up I really wanted to be a meteorologist/tornado chaser…how I got a nurse out of that I have no idea. My mom and a few of my sisters came over to watch the eclipse through my eclipse glasses. We were afraid it was going to be cloudy, but the clouds went away for about an hour and a half during the eclipse. It could not been timed more perfect. The big guy upstairs knew what he was doing. It is my goal to travel to Ohio (or wherever) for the next solar eclipse in 2024 so I can see it in totality. Bucket list!
Speaking of bucket lists…I am making a 30 before 30 list. I am currently 26 and am making a list of 30 things that I want to do/accomplish before I turn 30. (I may have stole the idea from a friend…but it is such a great idea!) I currently have only 15 items on my list, but I keep coming up slowly with ideas. Is it bad that I want to keep coming up with different craft talents that I keep coming up with…like learn calligraphy, learn how to crochet. I will learn these things! Even if it takes the full 4 years…and even if I turn out to be really bad at it. You can’t win everything right? I think it will be fun to have these goals over the next 4 years of my life. I love checking things off lists I have made, I feel it will be very satisfying to check all 30 things off in the next 4 years. And at the end I will be able to look back and look at all the new things I have accomplished. Then I can start my 40 before 40! 🙂
In Michigan the past week has been on the chillier side…that can only mean one thing…winter is coming wayyyyyy to soon! However, I often forget there is that awesome time in-between summer and winter, where the weather is just perfect. It is almost the time between summer and fall almost too. Where the temps are low 70’s, high 60’s. That has been Michigan weather this past week .and a half That being said, I finally broke down and hauled out my Autumn candle. This is the one thing I look forward to the most about the fall…my candles! Seriously, I have way too many candles, I have an addiction. It doesn’t help my addiction when my husband also loves the Autumn scent candle from Bath and Body Works…especially when he offers to go and buy more…even though you may already has 2 left from last year. Anyway…I digress. I finally broke down and brought out my Autumn candle before September even hit. I tried to hold out…but I couldn’t any longer. And it was HEAVENLY!
Now, to my last endeavor of the last 3 weeks. I am hosting a Christmas craft night at our church this fall. Well…my mother-in-law is hosting craft night at our church. Me being the super crazy craft person I am, took it upon myself to find the crafts to make. So we are making pallet Christmas trees or a “Joy” sign. I have an unhealthy obsession with coming up and planning this kind of stuff. It is now my dream to plan 2 craft nights each year at church…yes I already have my spring crafts picked out 🙂 I haven’t started putting together my pallet Christmas trees yet…but I have started on my Joy sign. It is soooooo cute so far, lots and lots of glitter. It doesn’t get much better than that, or Christmasy. I am not looking forward to winter at all, because, well, snow, but I am looking forward to Christmas. It is my all time favorite holiday! The joy that surrounds the holiday is unlike any other. I love sitting by the Christmas tree when it is lit at night, with a cup of hot chocolate, watching a movie or reading a book, with a candle burning…oh my goodness I am craving this right now. It is even pretty when the snow is gently falling (did I just say that?)…as long as it is not falling heavily. People are in a better mood overall too, as long as they are not trampling other to get the best deals on Black Friday. It is also the time that we get to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is the very beginning of the Christian faith. Doesn’t get much better than that.
living gracefully 