living while in limbo

When Mr. T got the offer to come to Florida, he was so excited about it he pretty much packed up our entire house even though I wouldn't be moving for at least 4 months.

When we left Florida and came back here to our beloved cottage, we knew it wasn't going to be permanent as the owners of the cottage (our family) have plans to either sell it next year or move back themselves so we were hesitant to unpack most of the boxes just to have to pack them back up again in a few months.

Today, with a little too much time on my hands, I decided I'd had enough of living in boxes (and without my cool stuff) so I unpacked a few favorite things that I've missed since December.

First up - my turtles. I love turtles, they stand for wisdom and longevity and they're just plain cute. I don't collect turtles (I hesitate to collect anything because it gets out of hand so quickly) but I will admit to having more than one.

My dad was given this  mask years ago in Hawaii as a thank you for his work there. He named it Charley after all the Charley's Taxis around town (a company that still exists) and I instantly fell in love. I will have Charley with me in the nursing home. I'm so happy to have him back on the wall in our family room, I have missed you, Charley old buddy! Doesn't he look happy to see me again too?

A newer acquisition is this shabby chic chalkboard that we found at the San Juan Bautista Antique Fair last year. One day I'll actually get some chalk and write something on it. For now all it needs to do is hang around and look pretty.

There are a few more things that I haven't uncovered yet but while I was rummaging around in the box-filled living room, I decided to make a little change in there too.

I have wanted to replace the cushion on the wicker couch for a couple of years now. This is the cushion that came with my wicker set when I bought it 25 years a long time ago. It fit perfectly with my Victorian-style living room back then but times and tastes change.

There's nothing wrong with it except it is a little outdated and I really wanted a new color but I haven't been in a position to buy anything when all the new stuff comes out each spring. Maybe that was for the best because I got the exact color I wanted at an end of the season clearance sale this week. Yay me!

Notice all the boxes? Yeah, that's a small taste of what I've been living with since the beginning of the year. 

I liked the cushions but it still wasn't exactly the look I was going for so I decided to show the other side of the quilt.

Ok, better but still not quite right.

Yes, that's it! It's time to rediscover the lovely wicker that I fell in love with in the first place. I love all that white with the pop of the aqua cushions. 

Perfect!

At this point I don't know if we'll live here for for one month or six or more. Who cares if I have to pack it all back up again? I've decided to actually live here and not just exist in limbo while waiting to see what's around the next bend in the road.

home

Some things are just never meant to be, no matter how much we wish they were.

 This is a hard post to write. It isn't going to be filled with pretty pictures or craft projects. I won't be pretending that life is all cupcakes and sunshine.

A few months ago we set forth on a grand adventure, a real dream come true for me. We were finally going to be able to live in Florida while my husband pursued his career. I had dreamed about this possibility for years and now it was happening. It should have been the happiest time of my life.

In the weeks after I arrived in Florida it became increasingly clear that things weren't going to work out the way we had hoped and that we were going to have to move back to California. The fact that this happened sooner rather than later is a little distressing but that's the way this particular cookie crumbled.

Luckily I love California and I have learned that Florida is probably best left as a vacation destination. What does bother me is that although we were able to return to our house (thank goodness we couldn't move right away so although everything is still in boxes, we hadn't given up our house - Jasper's Cottage) I am not able to return to the life I left. I mourn the fact that I gave up a job I loved for nothing, that's definitely the part I'm having the most trouble with. 

 Right now the future is a little dark and unclear but I trust that things have happened for a reason and that good things will happen in the future. As Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook who recently lost her husband) wrote on Facebook "option A is not available and I mourn for option A...but I promise to do all I can to kick the sh*t out of option B."

So here's to finding option B...California style.

 p.s. One really good thing has happened since we got back home...Charlie's story starts tomorrow.