Friday, January 22, 2010

Time goes on

So this weekend last year...We were celebrating D's 30th birthday. Great friends and family came out to celebrate with us.

Thinking back and reflecting on that time I am feeling a lot of anxiety. I realized that this weekend last year was the last time I saw my brother alive. He was happy and smiling and joking. I am so grateful to have those memories. But it has been almost a year since Mark died and I am still struggling with the pain. I know the pain will never go away completely. And I don't want it to. I want to have the memories that I shared with Mark. But there is NOTHING I wouldn't give to be able to have the time to make more memories. One more day would be a blessing.

Monday, December 21, 2009

SO BLESSED

There are people in my life who never stop amazing me.

I have wonderful friends who go out of their way to love and support me. They go above and beyond the "call of duty" to be there for me whenever I need them. Their support comes in so many different ways, but none the less, I am blessed to have them in my life.

I have an amazing extended family too. My aunts and uncles who are suffering in their own ways have always welcomed my family with open arms. They have made sure that we always feel welcome in their home. They have supported me in some of my darkest hours. Once again, I am blessed to have them in my life.

Most of all I am so truly blessed to have my husband. He never stops amazing me with his love. He has supported every crazy whim I have ever had, like moving just to get out of Florence or having babies for other people. I have always known he was a wonderful man, but he continues to amaze me with his love and support. I appreciate his love more than I could ever show.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Life Lessons

Recently I have been finding a lot of quotes on the Internet that I find to have some meaning... Now, the meaning may not be deep or profound... but they all ring true with me some how.

*The real mistake is not making amends as soon as you realize you’ve made one.
* If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
*Wait at least two weeks after a break up before scheduling a haircut.
*Cut everyone a little slack; none of us is perfect.
* Even a fabulous sale won’t make the wrong size fit any better.
*Laughing at his jokes beats cooking skills, hand’s down.
* Black is more slimming than a grapefruit diet.
*Recycled trends only work if you weren’t old enough to wear them the first time they were popular.
*By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
*When people tell you their flaws, believe them.
* Don’t ask if you look fat if you can’t handle the truth.
* She who says the least knows the most.
* Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
*Giving a good BJ beats cooking skills, hand’s down.
*Thou shalt not drink and text.
*Don’t worry about what people think, they don’t do it very often.
*In three months, everything will be different.
* Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.
*Find joy in the simple things.
* The person who tells you everything about everyone is telling everyone everything about you, too.
*If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before.
*Be open to change, but never compromise your values.
*Remember that what you want isn’t always what you need.
* The most destructive force in the universe is gossip
*Great love and great achievement require great risk.
*More often than not -YOU are what’s getting in the way of you having everything you ever wanted.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Year in Review!!!

Yes, I know that the year isn't over yet. Matter of fact, there are 2 months left. But it seems like this year just needs to end already. I am so over 2009.
What happened this year???
January... D's 30th Birthday! Good times... great cake, great friends!
February... Valentines Day... Good family time with D and R. Went to the Asian Buffet and went to see a movie.

February 16th... the day that changed my life... My brother passed away. That day will always be ingrained in my mind. That day was one of the most gut wrenching days I have ever had. I don't really remember much past walking through the door of my house and just hugging my mom. The rest of the week is just a cloud. I remember going to the cemetery and the funeral home. But I don't remember any of the details. I feel like I was in a major deep fog.

The next several months were a MAJOR blur. I visited J in May. I was angry at that point in my life. Not at J or anyone else. Or angry for having to make the trip. But at myself. Angry for losing my brother. Angry at myself for being so sad. Anger that I couldn't just move on. We had some great times that weekend. But I regret picking a fight and letting my anger cloud my judgement of people. I regret not giving people the benefit of the doubt and allowing myself to get to know them. Not for my sake, but for J's.

July came and went with a wonderful visit from J!

Nothing else of note happened until October. D had an appendectomy. He recovered very well and is on the mend.

November hasn't happened yet. But I am sure it will have some highlights and low lights... cruise and a birthday celebration. I turn the big 3-0!!! I would be lying if I said I was looking forward to the birthday... because I certainly am not. 30 feels like such a big deal to me. Everyone I talk to says "you're just a baby" "30 isn't bad at all". Well those kind words don't really put me at ease.

December will be a very hard month for me, not only with Christmas but Mark's birthday is December 9th, so I plan to spend the day at the cemetery.

So I am anxiously awaiting the end of this year. Not because I think it will instantly heal my hurt. But because I need to be able to say that I am moving on some how.

Monday, October 19, 2009

What a WEEK!!

It has been a very eventful week this last week. Saturday I made a cake for my mom's 51st birthday. We went to celebrate with Mom and the extended family in N KY. Not only did I amke a cake, I also made enough lasagna for 20 people along with garlic bread! It was a wonderful time to spend with great family!

Then all hell broke lose on Wednesday morning. D wasn't feeling well at all, which was very unusual for him! I thought it could have been the flu, told him to stay home and see how he felt... then he was telling me some more symptoms... then I started to worry. We made our way to the ER...low and behold it was an acute appendicitis. He wasn't having the tell tale symptoms so I wasn't overly worried. And apperantly neither were the doctors, he didn't go into surgery until 8 pm... a whole 12 hours after we walked into the ER! A lot of sitting around that day! His surgery went very smoothly, thank goodness. He was released on Thursday around noon. So we spent as much time waiting for him to have surgery than for him to recover and be released:) We spent the next 4 days sitting around. Thankfully he is feeling so much better now!

Saturday night was a ton of fun! R had sleepover again. She had the usual friends over along with a new addition. So 4 girls under 1 roof equals very loud night!! They all got along great! They all seemed to have a great time carving pumkins and eating cookies! Then came bed time...we have 2 beds that they could have slept in, but no... one girl, R still slept on the floor!!! Silly Kids!

So through all the craziness, we still managed to maintain our sanity. Now lets just hope that when I have my surgery, things go just as smooth!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A life well spent!

When I started this blog I struggled for a decent name for it. At the time it was just a name, but lately it seems that it has started to have some meaning to me.

Lately I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my life. And overall I have been VERY happy with my life. Yes, it has been very hectic. Yes, it has been sort of stressful. Yes, it has been filled with drama. But it has been GREAT! I am feeling whole and fulfilled. I am feeling loved and in love. I am feeling like life will go on for me regardless of what has happened in the past. And all of those feelings are good!

So I feel like I am really living my life well spent!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

What a weekend!!

This weekend has been an extended weekend for me. I took off of work on Thursday and Friday to hang out with my daughter. We spent Thursday shopping and all we came home with was a ONE EYED KITTEN!!! She is so sweet. And only 1 eye... we have named her One Eyed Willie... calling her Willie for short. She seems to be fitting in well in our house.:)

Friday we went to see a movie and just hang out:) We had a great time out and about! When we got home I had to make a cake for my Mom's birthday. I didn't wanna go with the boring chocolate cake again. I decided to try something different. I made Cinnamon Bun Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese filling and buttercream frosting. It was surprisingly easy to make. And wonderful!!!

Saaturday was a busy day. I had to get up early and make lasagna for mom's party. I think it will become tradition to have lasagna and cake on mom's birthday, since this is 2 years in a row now. It was also a big hit.