Friday, April 3, 2009

From daily planner to legal notepad

Throughout high school, college, and until last week, I have always used a small planner. You can see the whole week at a glance and each day had about 10 lines. It wasn't tons of room, but it worked. It got me through high school college, and teaching. I carried it everywhere. It even fits in my new cute coach purse. I take it eveywhere. I have to know my schedule and it just worked. But recently, it hasn't been enough room. I was running out of room in my planner! This has never happened to me. I didn't know what to do, so I started adding sticky notes to my planner, which sounds like it would be a good idea, but it really wasn't. There were sticky notes all over the week..."jaclyn's wedding gift" "grocery list" "packing list for Austin." It was actually a big mess. Just yesterday one of my students said "Ms. Oropeza, don't forget to turn in the cell phone." I was like what? He says "I found your sticky note. Don't forget. " They were everywhere, so I had to find an alternate way. And that is how I got to the legal pad....pages and pages of endless lines...Each day is a new page and each day I fill it up with lists and lists of things to do. I feel so accomplished when I cross something off.

I tell Brad that I run a business...well, really I co-run a major business with my mom. I call it the Oropeza-Snead wedding business :) If you've planned a wedding you know its no simple job. and the details are outrageous! I knew 3 flowers before I planned this wedding: roses, peonies, renunculus. Before brad, I only knew roses, and now I have all kinds of info in my head and on legal pads. Call caterer, cake person, musicians, etc...

so whats the big deal with the legal pad? You're probably saying "it's just a legal pad, lauren...stop killing trees." But for me it's symbolic. My life used to be enough to put on a small aggie planner, but now it's bigger...it's expanding... now i have more responsibility...

...and that is how I know I'm growing up....from daily planner to legal pad. In less than 5 months I will be a wife and who knows where i'll go after the legal pad, but I'm excited about what life will bring us.

4 comments:

The Trombleys said...

A wife MAY still fit on a legal pad (one of the big ones though since you have two peoples' lives to organize), but a mom takes up a WHOLE frig. :)

Claire said...

oh the woes of growing up and adding responsibilities. I still use little paper, but it is a mess like your previous situation. I might have to put some thought into moving up to bigger paper too...

Mom said...

God continues to build my confidence. I co-run a business. Wow! There's no limit to what we can do!!

Adam & Emily said...

That is such a good idea! I'm not organized. I never have been. How in the world did I graduate from College? I would even write History notes in my Science notes section because I would run out of room. I have always been a mess and it works for me. Planning a wedding made me be organized...as much as I can be. It was weird. I had one notebook I wrote everything in. Like who to write thank you notes to...that was big! I am so proud that you are already organized, it will be smoother:) Happy wedding planning!

Emily