It's all becoming very real. My mind tends to fantasize things as "in the future" until tangible progress and results force me into actuality. For the past several months, ideas like getting married, going on our honeymoon, and moving to Madison seemed way too far off to touch.

The past few nights, my mom and I have spent hours going through my house, starting to weed out the junk, setting aside the sellable, and packing up the Wisconsin-bound. In two weekends, we'll be moving the bulk of my items to Ryan's house, which means I'll be spending the month of December amidst an empty house eating off of paper plates.

As I've said before, I am of the rare variety who actually loves and thrives off of change. It's exciting to me. But that doesn't mean it's still not kind of sad to see this chapter of my life come to a close. My single life is quickly fading away, as well as a lot of the items that made it up. But I look forward to a new kind of life, filled with companionship and young love.

Progress always makes me feel good, and the first night we worked, my Mom and I powered through a lot of it from my bedroom closets. Although at one point, I had to laugh... I was literally sitting on the floor and eating dessert while my mom was attacking one of my closets, tossing clothes into piles as hangers fell onto the ground.

"Why am I doing all of this work while you sit there and eat dessert? You better be saving a piece for me!"

I'm just keeping it real... with that said, I did save her a piece, and I was taking a much needed break to refuel :) But I will say, my mom is the mastermind in this process, always knowing exactly what is worth saving, what needs to go, and what can be sold. She makes the decision in a matter of seconds and can spot stains on clothing like it's her superpower. Meanwhile, I'm only good for making organized piles and loading bins and plastic bags. If I'm expected to make decisions, we'd be there all night, as I lovingly clutch an item of clothing and ponder whether I may again wear it someday.

To help with this transition process, as well as open up a little extra time in my schedule, a couple weeks ago I went down to a part-time status at work. This change came at the perfect time, and has been such an ideal fit for my always-busy life. If nothing else, it has freed up time for my mom and I to run errands and make plans for the wedding, and it's also given me flexibility to slot in the last of my photo shoots while I still have an Illinois address.

For the longest time, I have had to work full time because I have simply had little other choice. In fact, at most points in my life, I have had 2-3 jobs at one time. Something tells me that my new life in WI is going to be lived at a much different pace... but I think it will be good for me. It will force me to slow down, enjoy the present moment, and find time for things like cooking dinner and going to the gym.




T