Well hello there blog world! I don’t have much time this week since I’m packing for a rafting trip this weekend (heading down to Cataract Canyon in Moab for four days of river bliss) but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about you!
The last few weeks I’ve been in craft mode overdrive, making not one but three scrapbooks, sewing seven pillowcases (out of a sheet from tjmax), and submitting my quilt to both my county and state fairs. I even designed (and launched) a new blog, transcribed all my fading letters into digital word documents, proofread the second novel I wrote with my fellow naughty princesses and finally got rolling on compiling the hours of video footage I’ve saved from college. It has been AWESOME accomplishing so many things on my to do list, so much so that I’m slightly worried about putting all of this progress on hold while I prep for (and TAKE) my Grand Canyon adventure in the coming weeks.
We have a lot to do in the short amount of time before October 1st. There are boats to gear up, coolers to freeze, booze to buy, arms to strengthen, wetsuits to try on, and a hundred of other little things to think about (we’re going to be living off a boat for 21 days – little things like drinking water and toilets become a big deal). And as excited as I am for all that, I can’t help but be a little bummed to be stopping short of crossing off my entire list.
Until now this year has seemed indefinite, a much needed break from worrying about my future to just focus on saving money and trimming loose ends from the past. But as of September first I’ve started feeling the pressure of the future again, my real life beginning to loom in the distance. It’s exciting, and I can’t wait to start living it, but at the same time I’m not sure I’m quite ready to leave these projects unfinished.
My next two months are booked solid and November and December won’t be empty either; I already have a trip to Tucson set and trips to Denver and Seattle almost locked down. I have friends coming to stay for Thanksgiving and a Fantastic Europe Adventure coming in February to start REALLY PLANNING for. Time is going fast and I’m starting to worry that I won’t finish all the things I wanted to do this year. What if I start the next chapter of my life still tied down by things from before? What if when I’m there I’ll be wishing I’d had a few more months here?
I still have at least four scrapbooks to make from college alone, not to mention all the memories I need to go through and organize from my pre-college life. I have old music videos to edit, our novel to publish (if we manage to do it digitally we’ll definitely let you know) and there is also this little matter of finishing up THE letter (which btw has turned into more of a novella – clocking in at around 150 pages right now and I’d say is about 75% done… I know this last push is going to be the hardest though, because while I know I’ve already worked through most of the hard stuff, saying goodbye to something I’ve cared about for going on six years isn’t easy). With so much left to do, will I ever really finish?
It’s all good though, because how can I really complain about all the awesome projects I might not get to do because my life is too awesome to have time for them? I’m happy, and being busy is all I can ask for, especially when it’s the kind of busy that I know is taking me places I want to be.
I don’t think you’ll ever vanquish that to-do list, because it will just keep growing. But look at how much you’ve done already! I want to read that novella by the way…maybe you should publish it!
i just want that novella to be done. i know i’m so close and it’s going to be awesome to just let it go. part of me wants to just drop it here, but i know it will come back around if i don’t just FINISH it. i just don’t have any time. i’m seriously afraid i’ll end up taking it with me on my eurotrip. i refuse to let that invade that part of my life. uhg. pain.