The Cat Transition

The cat transition. 

One of my concerns when planning our move was how well our cat would adjust to our new apartment. After all she had spent her entire thirteen years living in the same house. 

According to the research I had done there would be a predictable transition period. In order to make the move as smooth as possible it would require premoving considerations, actual moving concerns, and possible post moving trauma. This became one more consideration on my ever growing lists of moving requirements. 

Prior to the house going on the market, we had the carpets professionally cleaned. Knowing that Abby had a tendency toward hairballs, we made the decision to board her while the house was up for sale. Luckily, the Boarding Bungalow was just around the corner. With a name like that I thought I could convince her it was a vacation. Each day I would stop by to spend time with her keeping my fingers crossed that the house would sell quickly. 

Fast forward to a few days ago when we moved into our apartment. I've decided that all my research was done in vain, because Abby was just so darn glad to be back with us she didn't care where she lived. Abby basically LOVES the apartment and is in cat heaven. 

She has claimed the second bedroom as her own, and pads around like she owns the place demanding food and treats. Most of the time she can be found purring contentedly sitting in either Chuck or my lap. So much for all that reasearch. Go figure Abby was made for apartment life! 

Williams Square

Williams Square.

Back in the mid-eighties Williams Square opened in Las Colinas. It quickly gained recognition due to the majestic mustang statues that welcomed guests to the building. 

My father was the first property manager of this regal landmark, and took great pride in the building. That first Christmas after it opened Chuck and I purchased a beautiful watercolor painting of Williams Square, and gave it to Dad as a gift. It followed him from home to home, and always held a prominent place on the wall wherever he lived. 

Ironically, I now live literally within sight of this structure. Early in the morning when I'm taking Cooper out to do his business, it greets me as I say hello to Dad. In addition, the watercolor painting is now mine, and is earmarked to be hung in the foyer of our new apartment. It's interesting how life works sometimes. I just want to be open to these small moments that bring joy to life. If you've never visited the mustangs they are worth the trip. Combined with lunch along the Mandalay Canal Walk at Las Colinas it would make for an enjoyable afternoon. 

Clown Car

Clown car. 

What happens when you attempt to downsize from 3,000 square feet to 1,300? Well you end up with a kind of clown car experience! 

Even though you've already gotten rid of about half of what you own, it becomes apparent that you should have pared down to about one third before you moved. 

So in the continued "stages and layers of decluttering," according to Courtney Carver there is still more work to be done. But do you know what? I don't really mind.  This smaller new home seems just the perfect size as I enjoy the tree lined view from my window. With Cooper laying on my shoulder, and Abby purring contentedly on my chest I'm feeling pretty good about everything. 

Of course, there is still more to be done here and at our house before we can declare the move officially over. But, what I've learned about stuff is it's kind of like that big lizard you see at the zoo. They pretty much take on the size of their container. So for now I'm keeping my container small and my stuff fewer. 

Anticipation

Anticipation. 

Poodles are known to be very intelligent dogs. Their command of understanding language is impressive. My husband, always the teaser, finds himself reminded by me that Cooper understands English. 

What's even more impressive about poodles is their ability to observe and anticipate. Cooper is extremely devoted to me, and loves nothing more than to be by my side. He is always watching what I am doing, and is quick to learn my routines. 

He knows that after taking care of his business in the morning to race to the top of the stairs to wait for me to return to the bedroom. He jumps off the couch as soon as my i pad closes each night around ten o'clock knowing it's time to hit the sack.

Recently he's picked up on a new routine revolving around the new, fancy bedding we bought for our Open House. He waits patiently on the floor as I fold down the comforter, and remove the miriad of fancy pillows, both Euro and American. He then jumps up to my side of the bed while I add the extra blanket on Chuck's side. As soon as I'm through he moves over to allow me to unfold my blanket. From there it's a matter of waiting for me to turn out the lights so he can curl up beside me. 

The remarkable thing is that no training was involved in any of this. Coooer just paid close attention and figured it out on his own. He amazes me every day, and continued to be the best dog ever!

Eight Years

Eight years. 

It's hard to believe that eight years have flown by since I retired from full-time teaching. At the time I had no real plan as to what I would do next. I just knew that I wanted to be open to the opportunities that came my way. 

I began by subbing at my old school, and that led to becoming a part-time reading tutor for the district. Although, I was happy to be retired I realized that I still had a lot of teaching left in me, and began what I considered "the perfect job." Three mornings a week every other day, done by 12:30, the opportunity to work with upper elementary students, and co-teaching with the best teacher ever whom I now consider a life-long friend. 

I've been involved in many capacities with my local retired teachers organization as photographer, historian, and third vice-president where I helped to collect hundreds of children's books for our local schools. 

I've been available the last two years to take care of my father and step-mother and their affairs. I've been able to travel care-free down to visit my daughter, son-in-law and precious grandson on a regular basis. 

I've traveled to the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Lake Tahoe, and the Everglades, and look forward to more traveling. I've read more books than I can count, and became an early adopter of the i pad, which began my interest in blogging 

I've been writing Grace Found Daily now for over two years, and have reconnected with many friends from the past, and made a few new ones as well. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love, and encourage others. 

Now as we leave behind our too big house, and move to our apartment, I can't wait to see what the future brings. Thanks for all your kind words and support throughout the past two years, and more than anything I look forward to checking in with you throughout the week. 

Decluttering

Decluttering. 

Truer words were never spoken than Courtney Carver's from her blog Be More With Less, "Decluttering comes in waves and stages and layers." 

For most of us decluttering might happen on a whim when we can't seem to fit anything 
more into the junk drawer, or we can't find a favorite shirt in the closet. The simple rule if you haven't used it in a year might come in handy at this time. 

But sometimes decluttering becomes more of a necessity if you are truly downsizing your residence. When fourteen rooms become seven you know there is no way all that stuff is going to fit. 

For us the first layer of decluttering had to do with a much needed attic clean-up. It was only after we removed everything from the walk-in attic into our bedroom that we realized how much stuff we actually had. As we began to make decisions about what to discard we found ourselves completely overwhelmed. 

After a multitude of drop offs at Goodwill we were quite proud of our accomplishments, until we decided to go on to round two. 

The house was getting ready to go on the market, and we knew there was still more that needed to go, except this time it was much easier. Beyond the sheer physicality of the job, the feeling of lightness was quite freeing as we let go of more and more. 

Thinking you can declutter once and be completely through might not be realistic. In fact it's already become apparent that when we get to the apartment we will need to do a little more decluttering.  Let go of what you can, but give yourself time to move onto the next stage. You will begin to appreciate the space you have brought back into your life. 

Still Waters

Still waters. 

In a few days we will be moving to an apartment that sits beside a small lake. The water is what first  caught my attention when Chuck and I drove by the complex last fall. It was not in our plans to move, but I remember thinking, "I could live here."

Over the last few years we had kicked around the idea of moving. Our house was really more than what we needed, our once small town was now a city bursting at the seams, and Chuck was commuting two to three hours a day. 

We were wanting a simpler life, and more time to do the things we wanted to do. Between home maintenance and commuting we found ourselves thinking there had to be more to life. 

It just seemed to make sense, as different areas of our life fell into place.  Our new home would be only a few minutes from Chuck's work, it would require no yard or pool maintenance, and because it was a fraction of the size of our house keeping up with housework would be a breeze. 

We are excited to begin this new chapter of our lives. We are committed to embracing a new life as opposed to our old lifestyle just in a new setting. I don't think we will be watching as much tv as we venture out more to enjoy life. 

I couldn't help but smile a few weeks back when at church we heard the words of the 23rd Psalm, "He leadeth me beside still waters." I leaned into Chuck and whispered, "We're being led beside still waters." It was a good feeling.