You hate the fact that you bought the dream and they sold you one..

Life hasn't exactly been all that easy lately. I haven't had a whole lot to say, because none of it is all that uplifting. So many things have been on my mind and so many people are hurting and there is nothing I can do about it. I can't even explain how I feel. All I can say is, that in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I can give a list of things that I am thankful for and pray for everything to get better. With that being said, these are the things that I am thankful for, the things that I couldn't make it through without...

1. I am thankful for my best friend. She is my rock and the only person that keeps me sane when times are tough. I truly believe that God put us in each other's lives when He did for a very important reason, because we have both been through the toughest times in our lives and wouldn't be able to get through them without each other. I truly believe that I wouldn't be able to be a responsible person in life without her support.

2. I am thankful for another very important person in my life who has been there for me off and on for many years now and has always treated me well and helped me build my confidence from the ground up. This person is genuinely a good-hearted person who picked up the pieces for me after my dad died and let me cry on his shoulder when all I thought I wanted to do was stay strong. This person has been there any and every time I have felt like I hit rock bottom, and for that I am thankful.

3. I am thankful for my family, who has always been supportive no matter what I have done in life. They have always been there for me and we have all surrounded each other through some pretty difficult times. If it weren't for my family, I don't know where I would be today, but I know for a fact that I would not be in a happy place if it weren't for my family. I love each and every one of them with all my heart. I know I can count on them.

4. I am thankful for my education and my career and all the opportunities both have provided for me. If it weren't for my education, I wouldn't have my career, and if it weren't for my career, I wouldn't feel the fulfillment and satisfaction of knowing I have improved the lives of other people. I absolutely love my job. It does have it's ups and downs, but I love coming home at the end of the day knowing that I have helped other people and made their lives better. Nothing is more rewarding than getting paid to help others.

5. I am thankful for a roof over my head and food to eat. There are so many people out there who are suffering more than I am. I am thankful to be warm tonight and to have a place to feel safe and secure.

These are just a few of the things that I am thankful for. I know it's not a long list, but these are the things that are important to me. It hasn't been easy, thinking of things to be thankful for after a year that has been so hard. There have been plenty of times this year that I have felt like everything is falling apart. But know in my heart, that with these things that I am thankful for, I will make it and I will be ok.

quote of the day

Patient: Well, I guess after I go home, I'm going to have to make the dog bark to wake my husband up in the middle of the night when I have to get up so he will wake up and walk with me to the bathroom.

Me: Yep. Your dog will come in handy.

Patient: That dog is somethin' else, let me tell ya. He is so hyper.

Me: What kind of dog is he?

Patient: Yorkie.

Me: What's his name?

Patient: Gizmo

Me: oh yeah, you told me that. That is so cute.

Patient: We should have named him hemorrhoid.

here I am again, kickin' dust in the canyon wind.

I'm still alive! I haven't even been that busy, I suppose that's why I feel I have nothing very news-worthy to say. Current events in my life are very boring. But here's a quick run-down of the most exciting things that have happened to me within the past few weeks:

• Walked/Ran and completed the Columbus half-marathon a couple of weekends ago. I actually thought it was more fun this year than last, even though I wasn't expecting it to be. I was a little bummed that my mom couldn't walk it with me this year, but she did go and show her support. We had a lot of fun and stayed in a really nice hotel and ate really good food the night before the race.
• I've lost 5 pounds since summer and I'm not really sure how or why, but I am certainly not complaining and as long as I can maintain this weight that I am at right now, I'm happy because all of my clothes fit.
• I finally got a raise at work. It wasn't anything to brag about, but it was still a raise and I am very happy and excited about it.
• I have currently budgeted to have a hot tub and patio by next year at this time. I have stayed on track with my savings and I am very happy to say that I will be making this happen within 12 months from now. I know it's not a pool, but a hot tub can be used all year round and does wonders for weary people like me who have back pain every day.
• I'm going to Wisconsin to see my brother in a couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited to see him and his family. I haven't seen them since Labor day and that's been far too long. It's going to be a quick trip, but I'm excited to go.
• I do have to work this year on Christmas Eve, which is a real bummer since I will probably end up working late that day. We are always really busy on Christmas Eve. On the plus side, since I'm working Christmas Eve, I will be getting a long weekend over New Years. I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do with my 4 days off, but I haven't ruled out a mini-vacation of some sort. It will be the pre-vacation to my Mexico vacation.

That's pretty much it. Pretty boring, I know. I have been entirely too lazy the past few weeks. All I do is go to work and come home and go to bed. It's pathetic. I am behind on so many things that I need to catch up on. So I guess I will go get started on some cleaning and then hopefully accomplish something else productive.

Quote of the day

Patient: I'm so sorry I forgot to have my husband bring my walker from home.

Me: That's ok, you can just have him bring it any time between now and when you go home. I just need to adjust it to make sure it's the right size for you.

Patient: Well my husband said he can bring it tomorrow morning, but he has to work really early. If he brings it in before work, will the hospital be open that early the morning?

I set fire to the rain..

Well, needless to say, there have been some updates to my life in the past month. The first one being that Ryan and I broke up and even though I am the one that made the final decision to break up, I'm 100% sure it was a mutual decision. I don't have anything negative to say about him. It just wasn't meant to be. My life has definitely been a lot quieter lately, but there are some lessons to be learned in all of this and I am going to take them for what they're worth.

Lesson #1: Don't ever forget who you are. In the process of being in a relationship with someone who has 4 kids, I devoted so much time and effort into them and their lives that I completely forgot my own. I put a lot of my priorities on the back burner and never took the time to sit down and remember my own wants and needs. I will no longer do that.

Lesson #2: Don't ever make someone a priority if they only make you an option. I made the huge mistake of making someone a priority over my friends and family, spending all my time with him and his family I guess to prove that I was committed. I do believe that the person you love should come first, but I know now that it was too soon to start prioritizing.

Lesson #3: Your true friends will still be your friends no matter what. My friends have proven time and again throughout my life that they are genuinely true friends, but this time they have really come through to show their support. Friends that I have not seen in many months have checked on me to make sure that I am alright. These are true friends and I can only hope that I would display the same level of kindness and caring to them as they have for me.

Lesson #4: Your family will always be your family. I love my family with all of my being. Although I may not always show it, I do. And to have them stand by me through all the good times and bad, well.. that's just what families do and I am so very blessed to have mine, because they are the greatest.

Lesson #5: Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't successful. I don't like to brag on my own accomplishments, therefore I hardly ever do. And I think other people tend to forget the fact that I am smart and I do know a thing or two about life and I have gone through graduate school. I will never again let someone treat me like I am not smart. Yes I will admit that I have had help to get to where I'm at today, who hasn't? But I have built this life by my own effort. I did the work to get through grad school. I got the job. And I have my own house and my own cars and I pay my own bills. I won't let anyone make me feel like I am not smart.

So those are the lessons I've learned through this experience. Everything happens for a reason. I can smile because I have good memories from it and now I've moved on. There is more waiting for me in this life and I'm ready to find out what that is.

Life and Loss

Most who read this regularly already know that my dad passed away last week. Words can't really describe how I felt when I found out. I guess you'd have to know my entire life story and understand the circumstances to really even begin to grasp the mix of emotions that I have been feeling over the past 28 years. I can tell you with complete honesty that when the phone rang last Tuesday night at 10:44 pm and I saw that it was my brother calling, I knew exactly, without a shadow of a doubt, what he was calling to tell me before I even picked up the phone. And even after he told me, I was still shocked. It doesn't make much sense, but then again, if you didn't live through the circumstances, you wouldn't understand. In the days that followed, I felt a mixture of shock, anger, sadness, rage, loneliness, fear, regret, bewilderment and grief. I can't help but wonder what if, even though I can't change anything. In the end, I don't have any regrets. I did what I thought was best in an effort to get him the help that he needed. He did not choose to get help. But that does not change the fact that I have lost my father and I am sad that he is never coming back.

All in all, my dad was not a perfect father, not even close. He was not a perfect person, not even close. He had many faults and he did not do his best to be a good dad to me. But he was still my dad. He led a life that I will never understand. He did a lot of things that I will never understand. But I loved him regardless. And although I don't have too many happy memories of my dad, I do have some that I will never forget... I remember my dad taking me fishing some pond around Bryan. I don't remember where it was exactly or who owned it, but I can remember going a few times just the two of us and my dad teaching me how to get the fish off the hooks without getting cut. I remember my dad sitting me down one day when I was still in elementary school and telling me that when I grew up I could be anything I wanted to be and no matter what it was, he would support me. My dad took me to Las Vegas many times, but we took a trip for my 21st birthday, which was on a Sunday. We had a very early flight that morning, so we stayed overnight at the hotel at Detroit airport the Saturday night before. He set the alarm for midnight so we could get up and go down to the hotel bar and have a drink at the very minute I turned 21. We talked about how cool it was going to be when the bar tender asked me for my ID. When the clock turned midnight, I ordered my drink, and the bartender served me without even asking to see my ID. We laughed and laughed and I will never for get that. For that same trip, he let me choose where I wanted to stay and we stayed at a suite at the Venetian where I won $750. My fondest and favorite memory of my dad is a boring one. There is not much to tell. But I will never forget one Saturday that my dad took me out for breakfast to Lester's Diner in Bryan just the two of us. I was probably 6 or 7 years old. We sat at a booth at the diner and ate our breakfast and he paid attention to me and only me for the entire time we sat there. I remember feeling so special for those couple of hours. I don't remember what either of us ate or what our waitress looked like. But I can remember the song that was playing and ever since then, it has been one of my favorite songs only because it has always reminded me of Lester's Diner and spending that time with my dad. The song was "Saturday in the Park" by Chicago.

I pray that my dad is at peace now.

Life is good.

It has been quite some time since I've posted, but this summer has been very busy yet very fun. So many things have been going on, I'm not quite sure where to begin...

The big summer project right now is Ryan's pool. He's putting in a 16' x 32' pool in his backyard. He found the one he wanted in Cleveland, went there and tore it down, and now is in the process of putting it back up. It is going to be so nice when it's done. I've been helping when I can, when I'm not at work and when I'm not too tired from work to help. We worked on it for a good 8 hours today in the 95 degree sun all day. All the sand is down and the forms for the bottom are set, but it has to be completely leveled off yet. It's going to take a while to get it all done, but it's going to be amazing. He has been putting a lot of work into it.

Work has been going decent. We were pretty busy a couple of weeks ago and the other PT I work with was on vacation, so it was just me and my boss and the assistants. It was a little crazy and stressful. Now the other PT is back from vacation and we are not so busy, so it's been alright. I am really feeling like an official PT now and actually feel like I know what I'm doing and have some authority around there. I'm not on a power trip or anything, but I do feel like I have more responsibilities now and have earned my place there and gained respect from my peers. Even though the work can be hard (literally heavy lifts), I'm enjoying taking on more complex cases. It makes me feel good to have built a good reputation there.

In addition to work and helping build a pool, everything else in my life seems to be going good at the moment. I have made a lot of positive changes in my life that I'm really happy about. For one thing, I am working very hard on having a new attitude of not sweating the small stuff. I am trying not get bothered by little things that used to really irritate me. Life's too short to get stressed about small things. Another positive change - I have quit drinking. Completely. I thought about it for a long time and never could make myself give it up. But I have decided that it's for the best and the best thing for me to do is just not have any alcohol at all. So I am done. I dumped out every alcoholic beverage that I had in the house and that's it. It's been an adjustment, but nothing I can't handle. A lot of diet pop and crystal light and iced tea and I am fine. Life's too short for being too inebriated to enjoy it. I've also taken up some better hobbies (when I have time for hobbies). It had been a really long time since I actually sat down and read a book for enjoyment. Last week I went to walmart and bought 4 new books and I'm already through 2 of them and will probably get to the library the next evening they are open to see if I can find a few more. I barely use Facebook anymore. I used to be a Facebook addict. Now I really only check it once a day for about 30 seconds. I have a lot more free time to do productive things than sit around updating my Facebook page every 5 minutes. I'm also going to start cooking more often and stop eating quick fix meals like nachos and hot pockets. I haven't cooked a decent meal like I used to in a really long time. I'm going to start again.

So that's what's been going on with me. I feel like it's all been good. This has been a pretty good summer and I think it's going to continue that way. And at the end of summer, I have a week's vacation over Labor Day to look forward to. Life is good.

I haven't had much to say in a while. It's been a lot of the same for me. Busy busy busy. The summer is just flying by with activities, but all good so far. I've been spending a lot of time up at the ball park to watch baseball games, which has me reminiscing a lot about when I was a kid and playing up there myself. I really miss those days. Life was so much simpler then. I miss having a summer that consisted of riding my bike around town, swimming at the pool, and playing softball. I really miss those times. With that being said, I am going to try my hardest to win the lottery and retire early so I can re-live my childhood, because here are the things I miss most about it:

1. Swimming at the pool uptown from 1-5 and 7-9 every single day all summer long (and if I win the lottery I can pay to restore it and do it again).

2. The house we lived in on Fayette street that is next door to my mom's house now (and if I win the lottery I will buy it back just so I can go hang out in it whenever I want to and remember how much I loved it).

3. Sleeping in.

4. Walking to the Frosty Haus (Cruiser's now) and getting ice cream at random times during the day.

5. Riding my bike all around town.

6. Actually having time to read books and magazines.

7. Sitting on the front porch in the evening watching traffic go by without a care in the world.

8. Climbing trees.

9. Going out to my Grandma Ziegler's house and doing all kinds of awesome activities.

10. NOT having to work.

Puppies

Well it's been awhile. Life's been pretty crazy, but I wouldn't change it. Well, I'd change the working part for an early retirement, but other than that, no I wouldn't change anything. Work has had it's fair share of challenges lately. Let's just say that if I could go to work and just do my regular job every day without other people stepping in and trying to alter/change things without my knowledge/consent, then I would have nothing to complain about. But since I don't live in a perfect world, I spend a lot of time whining when things that are out of my control go wrong/get blamed on me/make my work day miserable. Oh well. I guess that's life.

On the plus side, I have a great group of friends and family. And I just found out that my brother and his family are coming home for the weekend so that gives me something pretty fun to look forward to. Plus, Ryan's oldest son graduates high school this weekend and there are a TON of graduation parties to attend. It's going to be busy, but fun.

The only other news in my life is that I am currently contemplating getting a puppy (again). I haven't made my mind up yet, especially since this particular puppy is very expensive, but I am really seriously considering getting it. It is so cute. It's a Padderdale (if I am spelling that right) and so adorable. Ryan's youngest son and I have already named it. I think I might just have to splurge on it and get it, just so Ramona can have a friend to play with and I can finally get another dog after not having one for so long. But we'll see. This puppy is going to cost $500 and I have a trip to Mexico planned for January. Those two items would pretty much use up my entire tax return from this year, so I have some serious decision making to do, because the Mexico trip has already been paid for and is happening no matter what :)

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there and especially mine who is truly amazing. My mom is the greatest mother a person could ever ask for and I love her very much. I appreciate her more than words can say. She has done so much for me in my lifetime and made so many sacrifices for me. She is the strongest person I know and I am so thankful for her.

Counting blessings

I've been in a weird mood lately. I've had a lot of things on my mind. I can't really explain it (nor do I really want to on a public website), but I just can't stop thinking about so many different unresolved things. It's very emotionally draining. However, I am a firm believer that God puts certain people in your life and the exact right time and for specific reasons, and I have to thank Him for my best friend who always listens to me and lets me vent about anything and everything. I have grown wiser over the years when it comes to opening up and talking about things. I am really careful these days to think before I speak. I am so glad though to be able to vent things out to someone who actually listens without interrupting me. I don't know what I would do without her. She is truly my mentor in pretty much everything.

In other news, all I really do these days is work. I have worked 2 weekends in a row now. But on the plus side, I don't work another weekend until June 25. I normally don't work 2 in a row, but another therapist couldn't work today and needed to switch. I was scheduled to work Memorial Day weekend, so I switched with her for that weekend so now I will get a long weekend at the end of this month. I'm pretty happy about that. If my vacation days that I've requested actually work out, then I will be getting a few other days off this summer which will be very much needed. I also got asked to go to Mexico in January next year, which I am SUPER excited about! My one friend at work has a timeshare in the resort part of Mexico and her husband didn't want to go and said she should just take a bunch of friends, so a bunch of us girls are going and it is going to be a blast. I can't wait. I have been needing a vacation so bad.

Things with me and Ryan are still going good. We are both just so busy that I feel like we have hardly seen each other in the past week. He was gone with the senior class on their senior trip as the advisor and I have been working a ton so maybe we will actually get to spend time together sometime soon. I am working in Archbold all next week to cover for their therapist who is on vacation. Even though they work longer hours, my commute won't be as long, so maybe it won't be such a stressful week. We'll see. Wish me luck.

Happenings

I have been really really lazy about updating this... I feel like life has been a bit of a whirl-wind lately. Not a whole lot new has been happening, I'm just staying super busy with work and everything else that life has to offer. I can give you a quick rundown on what's been happening with me since I last posted.

1. I've taken the diet and exercise plan that I keep writing about and actually applied it. I saw some pictures of myself from a few weeks ago and could not believe what I saw. I had to make a change. So I finally did and I'm starting to see a few results. There are times when it's really hard, like when everyone else is ordering the good food at work and I'm stuck eating a salad or the diet food I've packed, but the results are worth it.

2. I am currently playing the lottery like it's going out of style. Not that I hate my job, but it's getting a little stressful lately. I hate to say that, because I truly am blessed to have the job that I have, but there are many days (more here lately) that certain things are really starting to get to me. I can honestly say that I would have no trouble retiring today if I really could.

3. My house is infested with mice. I woke up in the middle of the night last night to the sound of an animal crawling around. My cat started going crazy and ran into the bathroom. I followed her and found her staring at something up in my shower curtain. It was a mouse. I caught it with a plastic walmart bag and threw it out. I went to Dollar General today and bought $20 worth of mouse traps (both live traps for in the house and poison traps for in the garage) and have caught one more mouse in one of the live traps and threw it outside too. Ugh... It is so gross to have rodents in the house. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my cat is a good mouse-catcher.

4. My best friend's mother passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. My friend's name is Renee. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. She's going through a really tough time right now. Her mom was older, but it is still sad when someone passes away, especially when it's so unexpected. Renee has been such a good friend to me through so many things, not just at work, but with everything. I can only hope that I can be there for her like she has been for me.

5. I am in need of a vacation very bad. I really really wish I had the vacation time to take off work for another week long vacation in addition to the time that I have already requested off. I am taking the week of fair (Labor day week) off work and taking the day of Relay for Life off work. But other than that, I haven't decided what vacation days I am going to take this year. I don't have another full week of time built up yet, but I am thinking that I need to get away for a while. I think I've earned it.

the queen of hearts is always your best bet..

It's almost that time of year, when the weather warms up and the sun comes out. I am looking forward to it! It's supposed to be almost 80 degrees tomorrow. I am very excited! I went to get the mustang out today and it turns out the battery is dead. I ran to Napa really quick and bought a new battery and am currently waiting for Ryan to come over and put the new battery in so I can get it out and drive around tomorrow! Plus I have to get it ready to go by next weekend so Hunter and Katie can take it to prom. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone all dressed up next weekend. I have no idea what I'm doing with my hair, but I think I have the rest of my "look" figured out. It should be a fun time.

Things have been going great for me, other than work. Work has been stressful and busy, but everything else is going great. I need to find a way to get more caffeine in my system so I can stay awake most days, but other than being tired, I am super happy. I never thought I deserved such a great life, but I truly have everything I could have ever asked for and more. I am so blessed. I don't say it enough. I have so many good things going for me right now. Everything in life has it's ups and downs, but it just seems like no matter what, I have a reason to smile these days :)

The clock's ticking, I just count the hours.

It's been a while, but I haven't had anything too exciting to post. I've been busy with work and everything else that I don't have a whole lot of free time these days. The end of March was ridiculously busy and I'm glad it's over. I had the conference one weekend and then Ryan was gone in Columbus the next weekend and in between it seemed like we were really busy at work and there were so many other things going on. It's nice to be back to a somewhat normal pace. This month is busy, but not too crazy. This weekend is the reverse drawing. Next weekend I am on call for work. The weekend after that is prom. The weekend after that is Easter (I think) and the weekend after that I work. But it's getting closer and closer to summer and warmer weather :) And I am very excited about that. I'm sick and tired of this nasty cold and rainy weather. Literally. I have a cold. I'm ready to lay out and get a tan and do things outside. I'm contemplating planting a garden this year. I had one a few years ago and it was somewhat successful. It would be nice to have free vegetables again. We'll see how motivated I get this year (or how much time I have). All in all, life is going good. I'm really happy and I wouldn't change a thing. I am really blessed. I don't know what I did to deserve to be this happy, but I am sure thankful.

News and Happenings...

So I spent the weekend in Columbus this past weekend learning about new ways to treat stroke patients. It was a 2 day conference on a Saturday and Sunday. It was well worth going to, but very long! I learned a lot of new techniques that I'm excited to start using with some of my patients. My work actually sent me to the conference so they paid the cost of the registration, which was awesome. It was 14 CEUs. I just got 3.5 from a conference last month, so I only have about 7 more to go and I will be all set for my renewal in 2012. However, I don't think I'll be going quite so far away for the last 7 CEUs. Columbus isn't too terribly far, but with the fact that it was a 2 day conference and lasted all day both days, I went with another girl from work and we stayed at her sister's house, which was about 20 minutes away from the conference. It's always awkward to stay at someone else's house, let alone someone you don't even know and have never met before. I felt really out of place. They were super nice though and that made it easier. All in all, I am really glad I went and even more glad that it's over.

However, I'm off work today, because I can't walk without shooting pain up the side of my foot. I haven't been able to walk well since Friday. I have no idea what happened. I went running on Wednesday, because I'm training for a 5K in June and a 1/2 marathon in October. I went 3 miles on Wednesday, came home, and felt fine. I was actually quite happy that nothing hurt when I got back. Thursday I felt fine. Then Friday at work I was pretty miserable with pain in my foot and ankle every time I walked (which is all day with my job). So I had one of the PTAs do a grade 5 joint mobilization on my foot, because I thought that would make it feel better... and it did.. for about an hour. After that, I was more sore than before and could barely hobble around Columbus all weekend. Luckily we got to sit down for most of the entire conference, but even just walking from the parking lot to the conference room about put me in tears. I made a Dr.'s appointment for today and went and got an x-ray. My foot isn't swollen or anything, so she's really not sure what is wrong with it, but it's possible that I might have a Marching fracture, which is caused by repetitive activity like running (or marching). So I should know by the end of the day what the x-ray results were. Needless to say, no one was very thrilled at work that I'm not able to work today. I called by boss last night to tell her and she found someone to cover for me, but they are still not very happy. Or at least they weren't when I went to go get my x-ray there. I guess we'll see what happens. My doctor was talking about having me wear a post-op boot to see if I can make it through the workday with that if the x-ray looks ok.

Nothing else much is new with me. Things are still going good with me and Ryan. It's been a crazy month with things going on. Basketball is just finishing up. I was in Columbus all weekend this past weekend, he is in Columbus all weekend this coming weekend, and then the next weekend is the Athletic Booster's banquet and reverse drawing, which we are obviously going to, then the weekend after that is another sports banquet and the weekend after that is prom, which I am now going to. I never thought I would get asked to prom at the age of 28, but what do ya know...haha. Ryan is the class advisor for the senior class plus takes pictures for the yearbook so he has to go so I get to go. Plus I want to be nosy and see what all the kids wear and what cars they are taking. I'm pretty sure one of Ryan's sons is going to take my Mustang this year, so that's a good excuse for me to get it detailed and looking nice. His son is taking my good friend's daughter, so it will be fun to see them go together.

So all in all, I am doing nothing today other than propping my foot up on some ice and popping Alieve every few hours. Keeping my fingers crossed that it feels better by tomorrow, because I really do not have a whole heck of a lot of sick time to take for this. Wish me luck.

I wouldn't wanna have it any other way.. I just can't get enough.

Wow, I've been busy.. It's been a while. Things are still going good for me for the most part. Work is ridiculously busy and stressful. I'm looking forward to some future low-census days. I worked yesterday, and with "springing forward" I feel like this is barely even a day off for me. Then I go on to work all week this week, have a conference in Columbus on Saturday and Sunday, then back to work another full week, so my next day off is not until a week from Saturday. I will have 1 day off for 3 weeks time. That really sucks. At least my work is paying for the conference. That's about the only positive factor in all of it.

The rest of my life is going quite well. It's hard to juggle work and a social life when you are the only one who has to work weekends and late hours, but I'm managing. It's a good thing I have today to get my house cleaned up though, because I've pretty much neglected it for 2 weeks straight and it was starting to look pretty bad. Hope I can get things at least halfway back in order before the next 2 weeks of craziness begins.

Overall, I feel very blessed to have the life that I have. Things are going great and I never thought I could be this happy :) Nothing in life is ever "perfect" but at least for once I feel like things are going my way and I have a reason to smile.

Hold on.. Never turn back.

Life's experiences definitely end up teaching valuable lessons for the future. I know my own life's experiences are becoming a huge factor in how I handle those in my current life. I never thought I would say that the things I went through during my childhood would ever be worth anything, but for once, all of that unhappiness is teaching me a lesson for the present time in my life. I'm more equipped to handle the current situations than your average person would be and for that, I am thankful. I am so blessed to have the most wonderful man in my life who knows exactly what to do at the exact right times to make me feel better. I don't know what I ever did to deserve something and someone so great. Maybe I just have a hard time believing that I deserve this. But this is real. This is something I have waited my whole life for.

you made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

Quick post.. because I'm really exhausted and I'm supposed to be getting around to go out again. A friend at work told me today that "new relationships mean you sacrifice sleep in order to spend time with the person." How true. I have been running on approximately 6 hours of sleep per night for the past 14 nights or so.. But it's all been 110% worth it. Juggling work and a social life on very little sleep is worth it when you have so much to smile about! I might be drinking coffee like it's going out of style, but I'm living the good life and have absolutely no complaints. Ok well... I will complain about the fact that I had to work today and missed an entire day of basketball tournaments, but I'm off to go watch the girls 2nd tournament game here in a bit and should have another great night!

Lila Mccann - To Get Me To You

I think I'm really pretty smitten

It's as official as a referee with a whistle. This hot commodity is no longer on the market! :)