Life is Good

I haven't posted consistently for some time, and though the lack of posting was first brought on by stress, it later became just another symptom of a busy life.

I got a part-time job. I continued to volunteer in politics, at my kids' school, and at church.

My eldest got through 2 years of high school and surpassed me in height. My middle child survived Middle School and suffered occasionally from Middle Child Syndrome. My "baby" hit age 11 and 5 feet tall. I fought depression through winters and, just as I thought winter 2013 was coming to a close, was hit (along with the rest of the upper midwest) a miserable, drawn-out winter-spring mashup that culminated in 15 inches of snow on May 2, beginning a month that saw only 3 days without precipitation in my town. It was brutal.

The only good thing was that, for once, it wasn't only me complaining that winter had overstayed its welcome and I needed the sun to come back.

In May I found out that my job at a nonprofit agency was ending in mid-June. It was not funded for FY2014, and, honestly, it was time for me to move on and the members of the program I was running to step up. I was not really sad to be moving on, though I enjoyed the work, the agency, and the people I worked with.

And now? Well, I am no less busy.
Currently on the docket:

• volunteer work with a local political candidate (very short term)
• freelance proofreading/editing work
• taking over the Caring Congregation Committee at church, managing a group of 20+ volunteers, for at least the next year
• building a business plan for a communications consulting firm, possibly launching this year
• starting a new part-time gig (will post a bit more next week on this one)

At this moment, my family is spread about in a way that is entirely new to me. My husband is in London on a work trip and will (I hope) be home in less than 20 hours. My eldest is at a camp for the week, training to be a staff member. He will soon be at camp Thursday through Sunday each week. Middle is at Grandma and Papa's, going to movies, helping on their hobby farm, and fixing things. He loves it. Spence is here with me and the dog at the camper. We escaped from town this afternoon and invited his pal Tim to spend the night. They went to preschool together in Rochester, and Tim moved with his family to the farm. Our campground is about 3 miles from Tim's house and has given the boys the chance to maintain their friendship despite living 45 miles apart. It's pretty cool.

And I am sitting in the camper (too muggy outside), watching the sun set behind the beautiful bluffs of southeast Minnesota. The sky is the color of peach sorbet right now, and I am feeling more content than I have all week.

It's been a whirlwind. My life has seen so many changes in the last few years, and it seems that change is pretty much the only thing I can count on, as cliched as that is. I used to use this blog as a place to clear my brain, and I have missed it. As I move forward, building new routines and figuring out how the pieces of this life fit together, I hope that I will carve out time to come back here.

If you've stuck around through the years and made it through this little rambling piece, I thank you.
Here's to looking back. And to new beginnings.