A Clean Slate

We knew that leaving everything behind that we had built in Russellville for 35 years and moving across the country would leave a "clean slate" in our lives...personal and professional. This clean slate is an opportunity and a challenge all at the same time. We have an opportunity to reshape our lives into the dream and the vision that we have had in our heads...to give time to the activities that we consider to be world changing. The quote "Be the change that you wish to see in the World" may actually have time now to come to fruition in our lives. Which is exciting! In comes the challenge...both of us LOVE so many things and have so many goals that we would like to accomplish, its hard to know: where to start, how much to work, how much time to devote to charity, how to know if you've done "enough" and where does a personal life come in? For me (Kristen) these questions give way to a lot of anxiety. I like to get a lot of things done, I hate to waste time and I hate to make mistakes. Maybe you can relate?





So for today, with a Shel Silverstein quote in mind, I have found a way to be at peace with the challenge that the "clean slate" dilemna produces.




There is a voice inside of you


that whispers all day long,


"I feel this is right for me,


I know that this is wrong."


No teacher, preacher, parent, friend


Or wise man can decide


What's right for you...just listen to


The voice that speaks inside.


--Shel Silverstein





And that is...to just do something. No one is going to be able to tell me the next right step, I might not get everything accomplished today, I might not do everything right today, I may not be able to begin and finish a project today............. but doing something to move towards the direction of our goals, however tiny or big the something might be, is a move in the right direction. And it only takes ten or a hundred or a thousand somethings, to fulfill the accomplishment of a dream.

Hello Childhood. Nice to see you again.

Two days before we moved to SC, with the house and studio were neatly packed up into the Uhaul, we stayed at my Mom's house for a couple of nights. As I was getting ready for bed, I brushed my teeth over the sink that I brushed my teeth over for ten years, put on my pajamas, coaxed Jack into bed, closed the door and hopped into bed. Right before I reached up to turn off the lamp, I noticed it. The bulletin board that hung on my wall for the last ten years...still holding all of my childhood memories. What a fun visit to the past. I thought I would share it with you.

Firsts

"Firsts" are so exciting because everything is new. We have wasted no time experiencing everything this new place has to offer...the following are some of our Columbia "firsts".

1. First time to buy wine in the grocery store right around the corner from our house and we didn't even have to drive to the next county to do so!

2. First people over for dinner...Lily and Allie. We had a cornacopia of carbs :)

3. First (and already second) houseguests...my mom and then Caitlin and Matt

4. First Columbian met...Mary (our very sweet next door neighbor)

5. First funny encounter with a Columbian...our next door neighbor who threatened to kill, eat and grill the Easter Bunny as a bad behavior deterrant for his grandchildren.

6. First time to have to pick up dog poop on a walk. Previously, I just made sure Jack had already done his business before we went on a walk.

7. First Columbian play...Jewtopia at the Trustus Theatre. They serve free popcorn! Who wouldn't like it?

8. First Shrimp and grits...my moms first and it was at The Blue Marlin. Tasty!

9. First Yogurt flavor eaten...Guacamole Tart. Deceptively good.

10. First Time to Realize that it takes FOREVER to get anywhere (especially if you don't know where you are going!)....Day One.

11. Our first Razorback Baseball game...this Saturday at USC! And we only had to move 800 miles away to do it!

12. First person that we took to the airport and we didn't have to drive and hour and a half to get there...my mom.

13. First time at a Retirement Community Friends and Family Party...last night. There were a lot of 90 year olds dancing the shag to "Tie the Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree".

14. First Sunday Family Dinner...as it turns out, Sunday Family Dinner has sort of turned into a tradition already!

We are still experiencing "firsts" and plan to add many more firsts, second, thirds, fourths to our list. Stay tuned :)

AND if you are reading this and you are one of our dear friends and family...know that the FIRST minute we missed you occured the very second that we got on the interstate to head out of town. Come see us soon!

Blessings

I am so blessed. I was thinking this today. Blessed to be doing something so exciting that I have always wanted to do. Blessed to have SO many great friends...more than i realized. Blessed to have found an awesome church family. Blessed to be financially able to make this move. Just blessed. It sounds cliche...to me because its something I hear people saying a lot. But to be able to say that we are blessed...truly blessed...is a profound thing. My old cynical-in-a-bad-spot-in-life-self used to think that I would never be able to say that I was blessed again. But even then, God was blessing me just in the way that he was using those bad times to sharpen the mental and emotional traits that I would need for this next leg in the journey. I just couldn't see it at the time (of course we never can). So, my old in-a-bad-spot-self sort of still feels like these blessings that I am reaping now are too good to be true. In fact, I feel a little guilty and undeserving. I almost (just almost) am afraid to do anything the least bit bad (even step on a bug) because I don't want to attract any bad karma. However, I shouldn't feel this way because it is possible, but more likely probable, that God just loves us that much. And he wants to bless us all. Because He loves us that much. Wow. Three more days until we move to SC!

Packing it up...

Packing up our memories in little boxes and carrying them with us...that's what we are doing right now. I have lived in Russellville my whole life, and its quite hard to imagine myself not living here. Right now, it feels like I am packing for a vacation, although it will be a quite permanent one. Sifting and sorting through 35 years of stuff.....business and personal.....and deciding what to keep and what to give/throw away is a daunting task. There is a limited amount of space for all of our things, so what can we bear to leave behind...because it can't all go with us. Its been fun to relive the planning of certain sets (This was from Easter 2000!) and recount the buying of certain things (My first prop). The teddy bear that Jack was photographed by in his first picture when he was just 9 pounds has to go (no room!). All of those old things have to go to make room for new things. Such is life I guess...new things are exciting but letting go of old is bittersweet. The old things now live on in our memories and will be visited often, but we are SO excited about new adventures. So, for now, we are only packing the things in our boxes that are absolutely essential for our growth in the future. Now, which auction box is that teddy bear in? I might need it :)

We are beginning on a new adventure. One that began as a whisper in our hearts but gradually started shouting until we couldn't ignore it anymore. We are sad to be leaving many GREAT friends, but so excited to see what God has in store for us as we trust Him for our every need. We want to share our adventure with you. Follow along and experience it with us!