Here's to "Someday"

I've always been a saver. Just ask my brothers, they'll tell you. Whenever they were in a pinch and needed some extra cash, say to order that pizza when Mom was away, they could always count on me. Whenever they were craving Halloween candy, and Easter hadn't arrived quite yet, they knew where to find my stash.

My brothers and I were raised by the same 2 parents, but somehow I think I came pre-packaged with that saving instinct. Myles did, too. Sometimes, this is really good, but sometimes, it's good to remember it's OK to just enjoy.

When Carly was born, one of his sisters gave us a wonderfully beautiful quilt. She made things very clear: "Don't feel like you have to keep this all pretty, or just to look at. Let her use it and love it, really, please."

I've found myself continuing to buy cute scrapbooking paper, only to stuff it somewhere until I have time to use it...someday.

Myles and I have found ourselves saying lots of times, "Oh, it would be fun to live in Brazil (where he was a missionary) or take you to Spain (where I studied abroad)...someday."

We also have an inside joke called "for now." It started in our first studio apartment. We were excited to open our wedding presents, only to look around in dismay, wondering where we'd put them! That's when we started saying, "We'll put this here, just for now." Of course, those "just for nows" turned into months and years.

That same sister-in-law of mine has a husband who builds houses for a living, and so they were used to moving around for awhile. She decided that when she moved into the house she's in now, she'd decorate it and make it hers, right away. Now, she's glad she did. We thought we'd be where we are "just for now" while Myles finished school. Eight years later, we're wondering why we never chose that color of paint, etc.

So, as we took down our Christmas decorations this year, with the possibility of some of our "somedays" becoming todays, I could let go of a lot of things, things I'd been saving. I felt joyful as I thought about people I knew who could enjoy things we wouldn't be needing or bringing to a tiny apartment across the ocean.

And, so, if you're able to visit, please do, and come quickly because I won't be saving that good German chocolate for...someday!

Ah, the Simple Joys in Life!

"Oh, Mom, can I please eat my orange first?!" (Then she ate some chocolates).

"This is just what I asked for, and I got it!!"

The girls have had more fun with these little stocking stuffers than anything else they got from Santa. It reminds me of the year he brought a pretty cool train set, and whenever people asked Macy what she got, she said, "Chapstick!" It also reminds me of when my sis-in-law tied a helium balloon to her son's new bike for his B-day because it was too hard to wrap it, and he was more excited about the balloon than the bike!