OCD

Sometimes my OCD comes in handy...take for example our move from RI. When we packed our house up, (because I didn't trust anyone else to so it as good as I could) I had a system. Each box was packed according to what room it would go in at the new house. Each room was assigned a color (kitchen was red, family room was orange, bedroom was blue, etc). When the box was packed it was assigned a number, which was printed on little circle tabs in the assigned color and placed on three sides of the box. Then colored tape was wrapped around the box so we could identify quickly which room it belonged in. Each box was also listed on a spreadsheet. I recorded the box#, room, contents and date packed. I also had a column for date unpacked. My obvious display of OCD helped once we got here, as I was able to unpack very quickly.

It also helps when planning parties or any other event. Nathan will tell you that I am queen of lists. I makes lists for EVERYTHING. Some things get more than one list. (You should see the ones for our Halloween Party...) I have one notebook all full of lists/notes about baby things. Like a list of what to take to the hospital for the birth, people we want to send announcements to, projects I want to complete before the baby is born (all broken down by trimester too), wish lists of things I want to buy, etc. The ironic thing about that whole notebook is we aren't pregnant...and now that we are going to adopt, many of those lists will not be needed. But the exciting thing is that new lists will have to be made (yay for lists!!)

The OCD makes things tough for me too...especially when I have no control over a situation. It stresses me out and causes insomnia, headaches, etc. I actually keep a notebook and pen at my bedside so I can write lists in the middle of the night...which is {supposed} to save me from the insomnia. Putting my thoughts on paper {supposedly} gets them out of my head so I can sleep...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. That is where Ambien comes in.

That brings me to our current situation: I lost our camera. Well, I'm not sure if I lost it or if Nathan lost it...but it is lost nevertheless. Not my new Nikon (thank heavens!) but our little point and shoot digital. Now, I know it is just a camera, but it is FULL of stuff from the football games. Videos, interviews, pictures...all of which have not yet been downloaded. I am freaking out that I may have lost all that stuff and I will have not enough material to do the band video. We have torn the house apart, checked every inch of both cars and it remains nowhere to be found. This creates quite a problem for my OCD brain. I cannot sleep, I cannot work, I cannot focus on anything else...I'm not even hungry (which is ASTOUNDING)... all I can think about is that blasted camera.

So last night at about 2am (so I guess technically this morning) I thought about something that could help me {maybe} find our camera. I got up and went online to look at our bank statement (yes, at 2am...) and found something that helped to narrow down our search. But my mind was still racing, I had to consciously stop myself from waking Nathan to talk to him about it, you know, because he had to get up in two hours to go to work.

Here's to hoping we find it soon - or I think my brain may explode.

(Oh, you know how on Excedrin bottles it says to not take more than 2 in 24 hours? How important do you think it is to actually follow that? I just took my 5th and 6th tablets in 48 hours...this headache WILL NOT go away)