The Busy Season

We finally have some of our Christmas decorations up! Since we aren't traveling for the holidays this year, we decided to expand our holiday decorations and events this year. Since Thanksgiving, the Impossible Girl and I have done a local craft fair and seen the Nutcracker together. We also have tickets to Mary Poppins at the stunning 5th Avenue Theater.  

While she has no interest in taking dance classes herself, she does have interest in her friends. She wanted to be sure she was there to support her friends dancing on stage. (And it got us out of the house while My Sailor wrote a paper for school.)

As a family, we're trying to build more and more memories together to keep us afloat should My Sailor not be around for the holidays next year. So far, it's included trying out Seattle's Musuem of Illusions. 

We play at home Saturdays and Sundays, because, if I'm honest, the weeks are a blur - and it's not something I feel good about. I rest assured that it's just a season in life right now - but I also have the glaring reminder that we only get this once. 

One childhood with this marvelous kiddo.

As the next deployment season looms, I find the joy now as I gear up to take on more of the load of life myself. I wonder how my schedule will need to adjust to accommodate whatever changes to our life that it may bring. 

Typically, Monday through Friday, The Impossible Girl has school and homework. Most days start at 6am for me, having me on the road around 745am to drop the kiddo off at school and head to work in the woods. There, I work until at least 1:30 and head back into town to launch into Personal Training world. I get about 15 minutes to change and then I have at least 1 client before I go pick up The Impossible Girl from school. Sometimes My Sailor can help with that. Sometimes he can't. Then I usually have 2 more clients before dinner. Then it's hang out for 2 hours, bath and bed. We get up and do it all over again, but tack on as much homework as we can get done in the morning in the scramble to get to work as close to on time as I can.  Saturday mornings I get up early to spend some time watching cartoons and sipping hot beverages with The Impossible Girl before I go to work for another 4-6 hours. 

  Sunday we've reserved for Family Day. We aim to spend it together, though there is no guarantee that My Sailor will get it off of work. 

  The schedule is undecidedly wild currently. My Sailor basically works 6-7 days a week, including 24+ hour shifts, and I work 2 jobs 6 days a week. We do it all without the help of childcare, after school activities (aside from Occupational and Speech therapies located in a city 90 minutes away round trip). 

It's really helpful to have some special days on the calendar this month. As a family, we are attending an event at the Hyatt for the holidays, and after Christmas we have tickets to Enchant - a light display at Lumen Feild. We are working on a time to hit up ZooLights at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium as well. Not sure when yet... 

  The family time making memories is worth it to not travel this year. Sure, I haven't seen my family in over a year - but the airplane works both ways, so the door is always open for them to join us up here if they choose to. This year, everyone is working around the holidays.

 There is a lot in life we don't get to choose. And honestly, I am 100% sure this schedule and pace of life isn't going to be sustainable, but we are making the most of this. 

  

It's not the stuff that makes the holidays. It's the smiles and the memories that truly buoy us and keep spirits afloat for the long separations coming up.