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.