i’m sitting in my new office space on a chilly, but gloriously bright, monday afternoon. i’ll confess to enjoying a full can of heritage dr. pepper. (my apologies to you, fetal søren, but i will explain the momentary joys of real sugar and dr. peppery goodness when you arrive and can understand english.) the temperature in the office has surpassed the 60 mark, so i can now feel my fingers. love the high ceiling, loathe the electricity bill.

tomorrow i turn 39. i was hunting for randy stonehill’s song, “turning thirty” and someone commented that he was dead. i doubt this is true and hope it is not, but having recently discovered that gene eugene has been dead for almost 10 years…i have to face the fact that i HAVE been living under a rock for quite some time and know nothing of the outside world. :\

anyway, i love arbitrary milestones and i believe 39 is a good one. i’d like to slam smack into my 40’s having had a blast turning the light out on my 30’s.

as i was soaking in my vanilla & blackberry white tea bubble bath, surrounded by all the animals from the ark - placed carefully by nimble toddler hands, two things occurred to me: one - next house, i will have my own bathroom; and two - i have come entirely too close to taking for granted the things in my life that many, many people would consider a luxury.

i have a beautiful, healthy, happy boy who will have all the opportunities to fill his life with joy and meaning. i have a husband who can spend every waking moment teaching and guiding our little boy into manhood. i can skip the daily commute and spend more quality time with my family. i can let my imagination run wild as i create a mural in our new baby’s room because i own those walls.

it’s so easy to peek through the neighbors fence and covet their lush green grass, while overlooking my own rolling piece of lawn. each bump and divot is creating me to be the woman God wants me to be. He has granted me innumerable blessings and only asks in return that i find my contentment in Him.

I have no fear of drowning
It’s the breathing that’s taking all this work

~ Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, and Matt Odmark

My interpretation of those lyrics is not quite what’s intended, but ‘meaning’ is much like ‘beauty’ - it varies in the eyes of each beholder.

I hear that line running over and over in my head, churning with each effort required to create a reality for my dreams. The decisions have been made and, sink or swim, I’m in the middle of a plan…it’s the blood, sweat and tears that are causing all the sleepless nights.

We have finally set a date for our move…July 23rd!  We’re very excited.  We’ll be near Nonni & Poppi and Aunt Adria & Uncle Howard…and Mommy will finally have a dedicated office space!  WhooHoo!

Master Simon is growing like a weed.  He will observe his 1st birthday in the new house.  We may not be totally settled in, but we will be at home.  For better or for worse.  And that, in itself, will be cause for great celebration.

Until recently, I’ve never considered the stabilizing beauty of baby steps.  I’ve normally charged through decisions with giant leaps…trying to get to the ‘greater’ thing in the least amount of time.  Sometimes at a ‘greater’ cost.  Now, with a family in tow, I appreciate and savour the planning for and anticipation of the greater thing.

i firmly believe that the mental ‘oomph’ used to make a decision is proportional to the veolocity at which that final plan comes together.  and, so, with a lightening fast amble, we are leaving northern virginia.

it’s been a crazy 8 years already, since my family indulged me for the umpteenth time and hauled my personal effects to Manassas.

anyway, we’re moving to a cape cod, on a cul-de-sac, in a development, in the country…so i guess we’re going to be surbumpkinites. 

it’s all about simon…and his big wheel.