Okay, so it may seem a bit soon to remodel the house after the last chick flew the coop, but I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the upcoming days of major change in our lives. I started a new journal in the midst of the wedding planning, and so far the entries are rather random and very disjointed. Hubby and I have been having a lot of “what now?” conversations. So when I saw our friend Kati was participating in the 31 Days of Change project, I thought it might be a fun and encouraging way to gather my thoughts. And to put the house back together in the process of thought-gathering. So, with no other promises than posting something on here every day for the next month about being a brand new “Empty Nester,” and with absolutely no claims of expertise in that area, I’m going to make an effort to join in…

One thing for sure… Chickadee Kate was happy to take flight. She’s been spending afternoons feathering her future nest these past couple of months. She still officially lived at home, but all her thoughts and plans were centered on making her little house a home for her Hubby-to-be. We’d often tease her that we had our eye on her bedroom, just like she teased her sister Jordan about taking it over when she took wing five years ago. But amidst the good-natured teasing, there was a deep-down understanding of permanency.  Daughters getting married won’t be coming home for Christmas break. They are building a nest of their own. Which is how it should be. It’s what I raised them to do. Kate was so eager to be on her way that she didn’t even stop to put her shoes on!

The Barefoot Bride

So off we go into a brand new season of life. Starting October 1st, that will be the focus of my blog… the cleaning up, reorganizing, and re-prioritizing that must come now. I doubt very much it will all get done and have no irrational fantasy that I’ll know exactly what I’m supposed to do with the rest of my life by the end of the month, but hopefully it will help me take those first baby steps in a new direction!