Countdown to Disney!

Saturday morning we leave for Disney World. Tomorrow, Hubby has taken off work to help get us ready. I am so excited about this that I can hardly stand it but at the same time I am completely overwhelmed. There is so much to do to get ready, so many loose ends to try and tied, so much to organize and pack and remember. I have made list after list and lists of my lists and that is the only thing keeping me on track. I finally accepted that some things simply aren't going to get done before I leave. The van won't be repaired before we go on the passenger side where it has a nasty boo-boo. But the mirror can still be adjusted to see behind us, even though it wobbles a bit and the crunch on the door doesn't affect anything functionally so it can wait until we return. I did get my new glasses - YAY for sunglasses attached to the new pair!

We also got school supply shopping done. We even managed to get a new all in one printer. It's so frustrating that we have TWO printers and neither of them work even semi-decently. But now we have a cool happy printer: an Epson Stylus NX300 for under $50! And now we all have backpacks and notebooks and binders and pencils and all the fun supplies that come with a new school year.

All my textbooks are in, of course, as is my Magic Pen which I am so totally in love with!!! I am so excited to be going back to school! I'm nervous, too. 10 credit hours over 4 classes is a huge change for me. I'm confident that I can do it but it is going to be hard work. With the change in routine from all of us going back to school, I am trying to make some other lifestyle changes as well.

Specifically, the fitness center is free for students and I plan on taking advantage of it. All of my barriers (read: excuses) don't apply now so we will see how it goes. I read about a program called Couch-to-5K that I am going to give a try. I know how strange it sounds but jogging is the most appealing form of exercise to me; I'm just so fat and out of shape that I can't do it. There is a scene in the movie What Women Want where they are showing a Nike Women's Division ad showing a woman jogging talking about how the road doesn't care what you're wearing or how long it's been since you ran and all that stuff and ends with "Nike. No games, just sports." I LOVE the sentiments expressed in that commercial. I also love the symbolism of running away or outrunning the stress. And, of course, the universality of running: anywhere, anytime, no special equipment needed. I would love to get back into shape enough that I could run. Hopefully my knees can handle it!

So here I am at 1:30 in the morning, writing instead of sleeping. My mind won't shut off. So many changes have happened this summer that it's mind-blowing. Overall, they are all for the better. Some came with pain, some came only after a lot of frustration. Some of the changes have been a LONG time coming (like 15 years!!) and others caught me by surprise. Change is constant though and even when it is painful or awkward, it should be embraced and counted as a good thing. After all, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. And if it does kill me, well that's not a bad thing either. LOL

So don't be surprised if I don't post for a while. We leave on vacation Saturday and get back right before school starts. (Thank goodness for house sitters!) Then school starts and everything changes again. Not to mention that I've been doing a lot of my writing in a couple of other places. (Who can resist writing in a journal with all the bells and whistles that my Magic Pen provides?! LOL) Wish me luck and take care of yourself while I'm gone. I'll think of you while I'm gone (though admittedly not all of the time - go figure!) and catch up when I am back...