When even normal days seem busy.

Are you afraid blogland? I know that I'm starting to be. The holidays have been sneaking up on me, much like the cold weather, and today I blinked and realized that they are almost upon us. And don't get me wrong. I love the holidays, when they arrive. I love to see my family and relax. I love to give gifts and receiving them isn't too bad either. This year I'll get to go home to WI for Christmas meaning I'll get to see my sister and her husband and some extended family that I haven't seen in far too long. And I hope to connect with some friends back home too. Once we get to the holidays Chris is on break from school and is able to relax more than usual. There is cards and cookie decorating and beautiful church services and family and food and fabulous fun too spare.

But there is just so much *crap* between then and now. And my week this week is a perfect example of it. I did not have a busy week on paper but now it is Thursday evening and I'm wondering where all the time went. During the preparation for the holidays even the non-busy days become frantic and I don't like it.

Take a look at the random busy stress-inducing things that happened this week that were not on my calendar:

* Our custodian's mom died leaving all the church building things in disarray this week and which now means I have to come into the office tomorrow on my day off and move my entire preschool SS classrooms so that they can have the confirmation banquet this weekend. I feel awful that my coworker's mom died but it doesn't help matters to have your Sr. Pastor inform you of something that you need to do before things can go on and that there is no one available to help me. Grr.

* My friend delivered her baby 10 weeks early. While I'm sure this is a bigger event on her "not planning to do this but here it is anyway" calendar much of yesterday was spent having trouble concentrating waiting for news.

* Yesterday at 4:30 my apartment office called to inform me that they are retiling my bathroom starting tomorrow morning and I needed to move everything out of it by then. Oh, and it will take 3 or 4 days to finish. Yeah, thanks for the notice...glad I work Wed nights and that I new about it a day ahead of time.

* And about said bathroom - they are doing the one that doesn't actually need the most work. Which I find very confusing. At least we have two so we won't be without a bathroom, thank goodness!

* Oh, and Tuesday I spent a lot of time dealing with a flat tire. I had to get the temporary tire on and then I was really late to staff meeting because of it (like a hour). Then I had to go get it patched and fixed over my lunch hour. Luckily it was just a nail in the tire and could be patched and put back on. I don't want to go replacing stuff on my new car just yet.

Now none of these things are holiday related. They are everyday events that happened in one week, but they remind me of how the holidays can get. Even on days when you aren't busy it becomes difficult to slow down since there is so much to-do and so much that just comes up.

And I know that life is going to get even more busy soon. The day after Thanksgiving I'm wrapping gifts at Southdale to raise money for my Argentina trip. And this is after swearing I would not return to Southdale on Black Friday ever, my work days at Marshall Fields still haunt me. But I'm going to eat my words and hopefully make some money.

There is the children's Christmas program, a bunch of extra gift wrapping nights, a cookie baking church event, Sunday School, Wednesday nights, a big church talk to give to the confirmation and kids (45 min worth, ugh), a temple talk, christmas shopping, cleaning, and prepping for Jan so I can leave over Christmas.

I know it is coming and I'm feeling daunted. I want so much to skip directly from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. Nice meals, good friends and family, church services and the whole hearth and home thing.

It will happen and I'll get there and feel all the more grateful when I arrive but it is going to be a crazy 6 weeks! Good luck. If I'm going to need it, I know you will too!