Endings or New Beginnings?

All week, I've been wondering what I would blog about on my day. I was thinking something with gossip or fashion or any one of the many things we tend to talk about here. Or prom! My daughter's prom was on Thursday, and it was amazing. Here she is:

 

But then, I realized, we have a theme going this week that seems to coincide with my life right now so I am sticking with it. Everything we blogged about this week touched a chord with me.

Monday: Julie Kenner, Memorial Day. I was celebrating Memorial Day. Coincidence? Well, okay, we all were…

Tuesday: Julia London, on setting goals– as I was packing stuff and telling myself that in my new house, I will be more organized. There you go! There's a goal. Aha! But I was also thinking about diet and exercise, and ways I can improve to be as awesome as Julia when I get to be her age  And writing goals, which keep slipping away as I keep packing. OMG, I need goals. I need to stick to goals.

Wednesday: Kathleen O'Reilly, on weather. Cue huge thunderstorms and tornadoes! Tornadoes descending on MY AREA which is hardly ever threatened by scary weather that is not snow related, on the very day Kathleen blogged about the weather. I was in ignorant bliss on Wednesday morning when I read her blog and commented, just hoping it would be cool enough to sit through my daughter's graduation ceremony on Thursday night. Then bang, the tornado warnings came and neighborhoods right near me were being blown away. What?! Yes. So scary, weird, and unpredictable. And my daughter's graduation was suddenly in question because schools were cancelled and the Symphony Hall holding the event was in an affected area.

Thursday: And then along came Dee Davis, blogging about dream houses just as I was starting to get frantic about moving into mine in time, with all the things I still have to do. Which included my daughter's graduation, planned for Thursday night. But then, at 11 a.m. came word that it was postponed until Sunday.

Friday: If all had gone as planned, I would have watched my daughter (my second child, my youngest) graduate from high school last night. But it will happen Sunday instead, which is good because I will have time to reflect on it again and download pictures for Monday when I blog again.

But it's still on my mind. Graduation is the end of a chapter, but also the beginning of a new one. My daughter is sad to be leaving high school, but also proud of her accomplishments– and so happy to be starting college in the fall, with new friends and opportunities ahead. I feel much the same about moving. We're closing the door to one house (but keeping the memories! Lots of those) and opening the door of another. In this case, one we really love and that suits us instead of one that felt like it would do for now, as all our other houses have felt. Here's the current house, when it was being landscaped last summer:

Cozy, just big enough. And this is it, the new house! Picture taken in winter, unfortunately, because it's so pretty now with everything blooming and green. I would show you pictures of the inside, but I will wait until I have pictures with our stuff. Let me just say, I love my new kitchen. And other rooms. Lots of space, and I'm counting on visitors. Wouldn't it be fun to have all my Whine Sisters come stay with me at once?

 

I'm really excited about it. I just wish I could jump ahead and be there instead of living through this tormented, tedious process of moving. But hey, it will all get done, I keep reminding myself. It will happen. And I had better love it because I think I will be vacationing at home for probably the next twenty years. Anyone have some good, cheap but healthy recipes? Pass them on.

So how was your week? As eventful as mine? Highlights, lowlights? Share your thoughts on beginnings, endings, and everything in between. And I am not kidding about those recipes. Please share!