Scrapbooking!

So, there was a decent amount of stuff we brought to Altus with us that I insisted was 100% necessary to haul because I would need stuff to keep me occupied while there. Mitch was not happy that I had a few boxes worth of scrapbooking materials, another huge box with my sewing machine and supplies, a box of old family pictures to organize, and a box with multiple books and journals. I reiterated that he was going to be busy with learning to fly the C-17 and I wouldn't have anything to do. Subsequently, if he didn't want a bored and whiny wife, I needed my stuff. My usual bargaining chip with things I want to do that make Mitch's blood pressure rise, is that I will take care of it all; I will pack it, lift it, move it, etc. Luckily for me he was at SERE (survival training) while I did most of my packing, so my entertainment boxes made the cut. Win.

Fast forward a couple months...
I hate being wrong. I will admit it when I am, but I loathe to do so. When it came to my attention that our time is (finally) ticking away now (not fast enough), I realized that I hadn't touched any of my things I just couldn't imagine my life here without. Oops. In a (very) motivated act of preserving my dignity, I got busy. I had planned on making a Cleveland Browns blanket for my sister for Christmas, but I got side-tracked by my trip to Washington. I whipped out my machine a few weeks ago and finally got it made for her. One thing down!

Part of my disinterest in working on my scrapbooks is that we don't really have anywhere for me to do it. I am the type of person that cleans my dishes as I go, so not having a space to organize my supplies was horrifying. I decided to suck it up and spread out on the living room floor while Mitch was at work. The scattered spread was enough to make my eye twitch from organization withdrawals. Eventually I got a system going with the help of some envelopes in substitute for drawers to complete my makeshift workspace.

The scrapbook that I am currently working on was originally intended to document pilot training for Mitch. I had started it and given the beginning stages of it to him as a welcome home gift when he got back from initial flight training. It has since morphed into a documentation of both of our lives since our AF journey began on graduation/commissioning day. I am not the most talented scrapbook-er, but I really like how it is turning out so far. Just putting it together has made me emotional as I reflect on the last couple years. I still can't believe that this is our life. It's amazing to me how we (as a human race) ever think we can plan for our futures. If you would have told me that we would be here and living this life even a couple years ago, I would have laughed at you. I feel extremely blessed to have had all these amazing opportunities because of Mitch's career choice. I hope that these pages I am sharing convey the joy you can find in life when you stop planning and just see where you end up. :)

So, moral of this story...I have maintained some of my dignity and also have been super productive the last few days. Next up is working on my t-shirt quilt and probably some more scrapbooking. I may just admit defeat on the books I meant to read and journals I was supposed to keep...you win some you lose some.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for making these pages as special as they are by sharing our life with us! :)  Here are some of the pages I've been working on :)