Stress.

That’s a loaded statement all by itself. Stress can come in many forms: mental, physically, psychological, environmental, financial, the list goes on. One person’s stress is totally different than the next and how they handle it is a whole other giant.

Right now, our family is knee deep in our second huge move in under two years. It came to my attention while I was reflecting on this move that every one to two years, John and I apparently need a big life change. Sounds crazy but as I crunch the numbers, it’s true and it all started on December 17^th, 2005.

In 2005, we got engaged and planned a wedding.

In 2006, we got married.

In 2007, we became first time homeowners.

In 2008, we had our first baby.

In 2009, we had our second baby.

In 2011, we had our third baby.

In 2013, we had our fourth and FINAL baby.

In 2015, we made our first out of state move.

In 2017, we are making our second out of state move.

It’s almost as if we get bored or complacent with where we are in life and need something exciting to come our way. Over the years, I’ve learned how to cope with major life changes in a way that reduces the amount of stress in order to enjoy what is happening in that moment. It wasn’t until Cam (our fourth baby) came along that I really took each life change in stride, breathing into the uncomfortable feeling and rolling with it.

I look at everything as it is: our next adventure. The opportunity to meet new people, try new things and see new parts of the country. With our current house hunting process, I felt a sense of calm when we walked into the house we ultimately chose. In a matter of two days, we had walked through 12 different houses and this one kept coming back high on our list. I kept an open mind when we stepped into each house, but each time I had a feeling that this was not our house. We had seen the good, the bad and the SUPER UGLY. John pointed out the sheer number of tube tvs we saw walking through the house. I mean, was it circa 1990. So when it came to making a decision to keep looking or make an offer, we jumped in with both feet and knew we were making the right decision for our family and our budget.

Stress of finding a house, packing, unpacking and the lot is something that I don’t even allow into my mind. During the process, I have felt nothing but ease because I know that whatever happens is what was meant to be. We started looking for a new house with expert help. We attracted our new house and are in control of how we choose to make the house our home. Frequently, I hear from people, “I don’t know how you handle four kids and moving with your husband already gone.” And my only answer is, “We take it day by day. We enjoy the process and really have fun with it. We have our moments but they are brief. And when it comes down to it, we call in for backup reinforcements” We make packing fun, looking for houses fun, decorating fun, looking for new schools and activities fun.

It is not stressful to me to be in the midst of a busy basketball season and moving to a new house at the same time. This is where I thrive. I chose a life full of activity with lots of little people to love. I chose a life where I like to iron out the details and be in the thick of something. Moving is a change in our lives and I knew from a young age that I wanted to experience life. And in order to do that and really see what is out there, sometimes huge life changes needed to occur. They might scary, uncomfortable, make you fearful or full of anxiety but only if you let it.

The universe knows I am open to new opportunities, which is why I become comfortable and confident in knowing I can handle these situations when they arise. When moments get high in emotions and they always do, there is nothing like a good bubble wrap popping session that can’t take care of any heated moment. It’s a release for not only me but for the entire family. We seem to let go of any worry or stress and allow the fun back in.

It’s a good thing we are sitting on over 700 feet of the stuff at our house right now as we continue to pack up our lives and move on to our newest adventure.