I can’t even begin to describe the whirlwind and absolute madness of this week. I’m trying desperately to go with the flow but I am so NOT a go with the flow kind of gal.

So I am tired, I am stressed, I am juggling about 25 balls in the air and praying they don’t come crashing down and conk me on the head.

I may be out of touch for a bit but don’t worry – I’m still hear, checking in, reading Bloglines to keep up with everyone. And I’ll be back soon!!

Back to work, back to routine.

It was hard getting going today…and keeping going. I so badly want to finish up the office/spare room clean out, mainly because I feel like there is now stuff everywhere. But this will probably have to wait until Saturday – I can do a bit here and there before that but the major sorting needs to be finished when I have more time to dedicate.

Tonight I came home from work, made a Dream Dinner (lemon chicken piccata – yum!), sorted a few things, ate dinner and went to home group. I called the Y on the way to group and asked how late they were open and I decided then and there that even though it was “late”, I was going after group. I stayed around and talked longer than I planned and it was 45 minutes before closing when I turned down the street. BUT I DID IT. I went in and did almost the full workout the trainer had worked out for me. It’s not much, because my frail body can’t handle much, but I did it! I was very proud of myself – and now I know that I can fit it in to my schedule, even if it is after everything else in the routine is finished for the night. I’m kind of worried it might keep me up, exercising so late, but I’m feeling tired now so hopefully it won’t!

I got home and sorted a bit more and paid bills that I was ridiculously behind on. It’s amazing what I let slip over the holidays. And crazy, too! But that’s organized and caught up on at least and that makes me happy. Now I have a couple other things to do and then it is off to bed for the workout queen!

Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier.
Alfred Lord Tennyson

• Financial stability and increased responsibility
• Two great missions trips
• Increased physical fitness (or maybe instead of saying an increase…since it’s at ZERO…to say some degree of physical fitness!)
• Make better choices…in what I eat, how I spend my time, how I spend my money….
• Grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus Christ

I watched the funeral service this evening for President Gerald Ford. Although I am too young to remember much, if anything, about his presidency, I do remember my Grammy coming to the house on election day. She asked me who I thought should be the next president – Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter. I said that I thought Mr. Ford should be the next president and when she asked me why, I said because he seemed like a nice grandpa. I remember crying when they told me later that Jimmy Carter had won and would be our next president instead.

And so tonight, I watched and cried for Mrs. Ford who lost her love of nearly 60 years and for their children and grandchildren and those who dearly loved this man. I cried because I miss my Grammy, especially at this time of year.

I wish that I could drive down to DC and walk in the rotunda, to pay my respects to this man but I don’t want to make the trip alone. So I will stay close by the television and absorb as much as I can. I so appreciated one of the eulogies tonight that ended with “well done, good and faithful servant”. It is what we all want to hear some day and I believe he already heard them, Tuesday evening after his passing.

It has been a busy week. I feel like I have constantly been on the go since the Friday before Christmas (and surely before that!) And as my vacation week winds down, I am thinking of all the things I wanted to do but didn’t quite get to yet.

I did organize the pantry and the hall closet. I still want to organize the linen closet and then the biggie…the office! I spent the day today with Nan and we challenged each other to get our offices cleaned out and in functioning order by the end of January. We gave ourselves to the end of February to sort through, discard, etc. anything we remove that isn’t brought back in immediately to make the room (and ourselves) functional. I also called my parents and asked my dad to come build some shelving for me around the room. That should be a nice place to put my collectibles and such so they aren’t taking up valuable space on the desk, bookshelves and so on. I don’t think my landlord will mind – it’ll be a nice addition to the room and when my dad did it for my mom, it turned out very nice.

On another note, I was supposed to go with my friend to visit our old pastor’s church tomorrow. But my friend and his family are down with the stomach flu. So now I am trying to decide if I should take this opportunity to go visit another church (which I’ve never done on a Sunday) or just go to mine as usual. I don’t know. I’m torn. I was just looking at some of the local churches online but only found one that was appealing to me. On the other hand, our pastor is going to talk about a new study we are going to be doing at the beginning of the year and I’m somewhat interested in hearing what he says about that to the congregation.

Tomorrow night, I’m hanging out with some old friends. I don’t want to stay out and ring in the new year…I’d rather be home, safe and sound, watching the ball drop at midnight than driving home with crazy people who have been drinking. So we agreed to dinner, maybe a movie, just having fun but calling it an early night.

Monday I am sleeping in! And, if I can store up enough energy (and boxes), clearing out the office!!! I’ll do more before and after shots. I wish I had done a before of the pantry and hall closet but they do look fantastic now, if I do say so myself. I don’t know what it is about me and the overwhelming desire to reorganize everything to start the new year but I do this every year.

This is the longest week on record. I feel like a little kid who can’t wait for Christmas – only now it’s because I am off from work for a week. I am so terribly tired and really need to get some things taking care of around this house…and I’m hoping for some relaxing downtime too.

Our puppet team from church performed tonight at another church, so I went right from work over there and now I am online finishing up a project that absolutely has to be finished this evening. I’m so thankful for this job with its variety and busyness – it’s definitely keeping me on my toes!

**UPDATE** It’s 12:24 AM and the project is officially finished and signed off on. Whew! Now it’s off to bed.