May the Fortune Be With You

** Note: We did not move. Months after this post, we changed our minds as I couldn't bear to move a different country and leave my family behind

"Prepare today for the demands of tomorrow."

We had take-out Chinese the other night. I love Chinese, especially chicken chow mein. Mmmm…
But as for the fortunes--

Well, I don't see where exactly the fortune is in that one. How about, "Tomorrow you will magically have ten thousand dollars in your bank account," or "All your pre-Gracie clothes that you have been hanging onto for three years will fit you on Wednesday of next week."

Forget it. I get the fortune shown above.

Tomorrow has a lot of demands, but frankly I am not even interested in thinking about them let alone preparing for them. Perhaps I am lazy, or maybe too tired, but I hate demands and I hate preparing!

In a couple of months, we are going to be moving to England. Have I begun sorting through the enormous amounts of stuff I have accumulated in 26 years? Of course not. I haven't even thrown out last night's garbage (I really have to do that! Ew). In fact, I still haven't yet finished unpacking the boxes since our move from California to Texas last September.

And I really need to begin all of this, because I have to figure out just what I need to hold on to, what will fit into a single suitcase. Goodbye treasures I have hoarded my entire life. Goodbye pictures that never made it into scrapbooks, high school yearbooks, beloved teddy bears and my favorite bedroom decorations since kindergarten (which have been hiding in boxes since middle school). Farewell bath products that expired four years ago but still look pretty in their package, cheerleading uniforms and prom dresses that I will never fit into again, and super cute shoes that hurt my feet. Adios awesome DVD and CD collection, wedding presents from Pottery Barn, Venetian glass mirror (the first expensive gift I ever bought myself!) and antique trunk from the 1890’s.

I really should sort it all out, but I haven't. My heart breaks just thinking about leaving it all behind.

And of course, deep down I understand that my procrastination stems from the most serious of my preparing.

Goodbye Mom.

And Grammy and Grampa, and Aunt Sharon and my uncles and cousins and my brother.

Leaving the US and moving to England was my idea and I am so excited to have the opportunity to move to a foreign country, which was always a dream of mine long before I studied abroad in college. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to hurt any less when it is time to go. And while I have wonderful friends and a great life in store for me in England, it can never replace the life I have lived and the family and friends I have loved here in the US.

Seriously, why couldn’t my fortune have said anything else?

I guess it could have been worse. Once, my grampa’s fortune read, “For better luck, wait ‘til spring.”

For all the fortune cookie lovers out there, here is an Etsy tribute.

Normally I am not an earring person, but these earrings from Inedible Jewelry are too stinkin’ cute to not feature. You can find these at http://www.inediblejewelry.etsy.com

Mamameo’s Fortunate Fortune Cookie soaps look delicious! I love how they even come in a take-out box. Better still—you can customize your fortune inside (just make sure the fortune is a little better than my one!). You can find these at http://www.mamameo.etsy.com

Once again, Colby Lane Designs has a bib that is too cute not to include in my blog. If you missed the last shout out, click here. This fortune cookie bib is darling! You can find this soft chenille backed bib and so many more at http://www.colbylanedesigns.etsy.com

Want a onesie to go with the bib? Just head over to Trixie and Radar for this General Tso baby creeper. Too cute. You can find it at http://www.trixieandradar.etsy.com

And if you really love fortune cookies, maybe want one to hold a special message for someone (proposal… how cute would that be?) you adore, head over to http://www.linzb.etsy.com and pick up one of these life size porcelain fortune cookies. They come in other colors, but I love this little blue one best.

Good fortune to you all!