The Purge of 2012

This post is going to come across as such a 'downer'.  But my truth is that each detail of this post has been evaluated, analyzed, nitpicked, and just when I was absolutely sure of how to proceed.... I would find another point to nit and pick, snicker.

Rarely do we have all the things we need or want, right?  I have always wanted to live 'outside' the city.  I love the perfect placement of our farm... the feeling of being in the country... but the reality of being just a few short minutes from any amenity or store we could need.  But HANDS DOWN the single most challenging obstacle of moving to the farm has been the loss of high speed internet.  YEP.  Funny how we moved out here to get away from the hustle and bustle of neighborhoods, traffic, noise... but we still want those modern conveniences like internet and Marco's Pizza delivery, snicker.  Can you believe that people that live over the river bridge in the most isolated places of the next county have high speed internet but yet we... technically still having a Huntsville zip code... DO NOT?  The nearest high speed internet stops short of us by .9 miles.  Are you laughing at me?!  I used to be able to laugh at me too, but several things 'added' to my life/schedule have now caused me to plainly look at my current situation... and I can't squeeze out a laugh, not even a giggle. 

This is what my daily life consists of right now.  We homeschool using primarily an online program.  3 kids, doing different lessons involving at times learning videos/youtube, etc.  One resolution to our internet problem has been to send the older two kids to Shawn's office some days after seminary to do their school.  There are other ways to homeschool but our current program is working wonderfully for us as far as curriculum and lesson planning, etc... all but that darn internet speed.

The kids have been begging for facebook for years!  Facebook would singlehandedly bring our internet capabilities to its knees... or better to say take it straight to the coffin.

I love to blog but it has become an absolute frustration.  To do anything with photos is hours worth of work and waiting.  I was able to do ONE blogbook as a journal but the last several years since then, our internet has not allowed me to do it, whimper.

I started my little antique business last year.  I grin that I told myself if I lost money that I would stop.  I have made a profit every month, yippee!  But a big part of my success was blogging and an even larger part of my success was using Craigslist to advertise my items.  I do not exaggerate in saying it can take over an hour just to list ONE item.  My creative outlet has now become such a frustration that I have been brought to tears more than joy.

And the daily draining of our satellite internet has caused yet one more BIG issue.  Due to my husband's career... he get calls during off hours from those that need him.  In the evenings or weekends, the process of him needing to gain patient information, etc, in order to help them is greatly hindered by how much internet we (the rest of the family) have used that 24 hour period.  Ugh!!  Sometimes he has to go into his office just accomplish what is necessary to help his patients.  Then to do the simplest things on the computer for his callings for church are such a frustration that it has become an overwhelming angst!

I guess I have typed all this simply for MY need to see it all in type.  Things have got to be edited.  Ironically, the things needing editing, once gave me such joy, but the process of deleting them has become so much easier due to them recently becoming anything but joyful.  I can see these very things being added back over time if we were to ever be included in the realm of those people worthy of highspeed internet.  But for now, it is time for me to deal with how things currently are!

So, for 2012, I will be closing my Antique Business.   I feel strongly that doing something like this booth will 'reappear' sometime in my future... but for now I am at peace with the fact that it was a whole lot of work, work made more frustrating by our circumstances, and that there are many more things in our lives that deserve that time and effort.

And I will cease blogging too.  Truth is I spend a whole lot of time with the laptop just trying to do the simplest post.  Truth is that outside of homeschooling, I am the family member that uses the majority of our internet time.  Not to mention the time I spent 'surfing' other blogs... and Pinterest is my other addiction.  Hee-hee... what am I going to do with all my time now?!!  It will be fun to refocus.  Free up some much needed internet space for those more important things.  The mood should be MUCH lighter in our home, and I sure welcome that improvement.  I guess I wanted to move to no man's land but not have any consequences/sacrifices.  It took several years of stubborness, but I still feel the benefits of our life out weigh the major drawback of lost conveniences.  I am officially off to simplify, edit, and PURGE.  This will be a good thing!