End of a Month/Beginning of Another Life

The end of another month is here.  I remember, as if it were just yesterday, telling my sister that the beginning of August feels like the end of summer to me because that is when school starts and that, to me, is the end of summer.  At that time, our conversation was taking place at the beginning of August and now like a day has sped by and it’s two days until the end of the month and a week to her wedding!!!  We’ve been planning this joyous event for an entire year and I just can’t believe it’s so close. 

I know there isn’t a soul out there that could even come close to really understanding what the past year of planning this wedding has really been like for us (except other brides and wedding planners).  The bride, me, and my mother have really felt it all and have been the three people doing everything, no hired wedding planner.  The bride has done 50%, if not more of it, completely on her own.  That may not sound like a lot to some, but when you factor in that she’s a full-time student and works two jobs outside of school… planning a wedding of this magnitude was a lot to handle and shuffle and organize and strategize over the months.  I’ve probably only been responsible for about 25% of it with my mother taking care of the other 25% and this past week has almost sent me into breakdown mode.  I only have 1 job to concentrate on and I’m at my limit where my mental capacity is concerned.  And beyond all of that, I’m so stinking excited and happy about it that I’m not in a bad mood.   I’m just anxious and feeling a little bit overwhelmed with all the tiny details that the three of us are still trying to put into place and make sure go accordingly. 

Through the midst of my anxious and overwhelmed feelings I am so thankful.  Its times like this that bring into my front view how truly blessed I am to have the family that I do.  We are all so close and there for one another.  This next weekend all of my immediate family will be staying in a huge condo together!  I think this is the first time we will all be under one roof for two nights since I was a child.  Now we have my son, the only grandchild for my parents, and future spouses thrown into this family of ours and all I think is how thankful I am to my Lord for the blessings we’ve all been given through each other.  Family is such an important part of life and in times like this when we all come together it rings even more so.  

My fiancé and I have discussed our many many options for saying our own vows and taking that step into marital bliss.  We want all our family to be standing around us to witness it, but do not want a wedding and do not want any sort of organized event.  It just takes too much time and money to plan and organize something like that.  After many conversations and lots of thinking, our options have come down to eloping either the weekend of my sister’s wedding, IN ONE WEEK, or having to wait until Christmas to elope when he’s home from this job.  I just couldn’t make that decision on my own.  He’s wanting it done and over with as soon as possible, I’m wanting all the family to be together for it, Christmas is just not the ideal time of year to do it because the holidays are so busy for us, blah blah blah, on and on and on we have went about this.  I finally decided to just lay it on my mother and sister for their opinions because the one major thing stopping me from doing it in a week would be taking attention or time away from the festivities around my sister and her fiancé.  I would never, could never, do that if that’s what it would do or she would feel that way.  The first words out of her mouth when I presented her with the idea and was asking for her most honest opinion were… “Oh my gosh YES!!!!!” she immediately thought that would be the greatest thing and give us one more thing to be celebrating that weekend.  So, I’ve just kind of stepped to the background and let my mother and my sister and my fiance’s mother make a few little decisions, like where and what time.  So, it has been officially announced that we are going to elope under a gazebo in a public park Saturday afternoon, after my sister’s wedding rehearsal.  There’s another wedding happening at her chosen venue that evening so we have no choice but to rehearse from 11-noon and then we have to vacate the premises and cannot return to do any preparation for her wedding until the next day at 3pm, so in all reality my family and the out of town guests that will all be there for the rehearsal are going to have nothing to do from noon until 3pm the next day.  We are just going to be eating good food and enjoying the company of everyone together.  My mom thought that would be the most perfect time for us to say our vows to one another and have a small 15 minute ceremony, if you will, since EVERYONE will be in town to share it with and support us. 

Phew…. I’m a little exhausted from writing all that down and my heart is overjoyed at the exact same time.  God is good, life is good, and after everything my family and I have been through this past year, experiencing something like this, all of us together, is going to be a wonderful thing.  It is definitely going to be a weekend full of memories and TWO joyous occasions to remember for the rest of our lives.

October is my second favorite month of the year, so I wish all of you a very happy and blessed October.  Pictures will be posted soon of all our family events!  I’m going to be married on October 6^th!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW J

Nothing New in Life

“What’s new?”

“What’s new?  What’s new with you?”

“Well, I’ll just tell you what’s new!”

There is absolutely not a whole lot of anything new in my world.  Does this make me lame?  I swear for the first time, in a very long time, I spent this past weekend completely alone… At home, minus the new puppy, Elsa, doing nothing except watching my favorite TV series, reading, a little laundry, and eating.  It felt good except for the eating part.  J  I’m going to be out of town for the next two weekends in a row so I thought I should definitely take advantage of my alone, calm time. 

The changing seasons always take me by surprise.  Like it’s been so unbelievably hot this summer and we have set some serious records with the drought that we are still having, but Sunday night I walked onto my back steps to let Elsa tinkle and I could smell it.  Fall is approaching.  It was only 68 degrees out and it felt so good, and I was genuinely shocked.  Like deep down I never expected to see fall again!  We went from last week getting up in the mid-nineties still to this week, staying down in the mid-eighties and cooling off to the sixties at night!  Whoa!! It’s such a shock and my puppy thinks so too.  Something came over her out there in 68 degree weather so I grabbed a stick and away she went.  By the time it was over we had played and raked leaves until almost dark…. Now THAT felt good! 

The strangest part about all this is that this year has been a little deceiving.  The leaves here have all been turning the beautiful colors of autumn and falling off the trees because it’s been so incredibly hot and dry.  To the eye, it’s looked the fall for about 6 weeks, but the minute you step outside you are suffocated with 111 degree heat!  So extreme!  I wonder what this is going to mean for our fall season and then winter.

My camera has been put up, resting, for the time being.  I’ve just been too busy and focused on other things, but the next two weekends out of town are going to picture taking weekends.   I’m working on a project for a Christmas present and then it’s my little sister’s bachelorette weekend away in Dallas and we’ll be taking lots of pictures there! 

8-29-12

________________________________________________________________________

I wrote the above post exactly a week ago and just never posted it!  I got too caught up in whatever I was doing and forgot to publish it.  So, on the contrary to my title up there, something new has happened.  My boyfriend's job ended in Montana and after a two day drive home we got to spend all of 30 minutes together before he had to leave to get back on the road for the next job.  I was desperately hoping for more time but the good news is he's only 6 hours away so I'll be going to him the next couple of weekends.  After our hugs and kisses of not seeing each other for almost 9 weeks he completely stopped me and, to my surprise, got down on one knee and officially proposed.  We've talked it over so many times that I guess I just assumed it was already a done deal but he knows how much I value the tradition behind certain things and wanted to make that happen for my sake.  I mean after all... I may have been the one to say we were going to be "tolerance partners" instead of spouses but all romantic gestures should not be forgotten!  Right??!!  Thank you Babe for that. 

On a more serious note, I have to admit that this feels weird but in a good way.  I honestly didn't think I would get to this point so fast, but I've prayed long and hard for direction and then strength to accept where that direction led me and when you know you love him... know deep down that you are in love with him... there comes that point where you have to chose to move forward or chose to move backward.  This girl has NO intention of ever moving backward again.  It was too heartbreaking and too destructive to myself the first time.  So, as scary as it may be it's a choice to be made and lived everyday.  I feel capable now, where as before I didn't and it feels real good!

New Puppy/Love Life

Allow me to introduce the newest member of our little family… Elsa.

I have been contemplating getting a puppy for quite some time, but I lived in an apartment where pets are not allowed and then I’ve just been too busy with the move and the remodel that I haven’t taken the time to really search one out.  Well, our little goldfish died about a week ago and so I decided to make a quick stop by the pet store to see what they had.  We found two goldfish that we just had to have but I got a little side-tracked by the puppies for sale.  Of course, I found one that I thought was the most adorable and I kind of got the feeling that I wanted her.  She was a registered Daschund about 8 weeks old and her price was $299.  I told Lil Man that we would have to think about it because that was a little too much money for Mommy to spend right now. 

I got all the way to my driveway and was talking to my boyfriend about how I thought we were ready for a little addition but I really wanted to adopt because I just can’t bear to spend that money when so many are neglected and forgotten in the animal shelter.  So, with his persuasion I pulled back out of my driveway and drove to the pound.  The minute we stepped inside my heart just ached.  Filled with so many cats and dogs the place was extremely full.  We were directed to where the dogs were and after about 10 minutes I came to her pen.  She was the only one I had seen so far that was not barking and going crazy while I walked by.  She just calmly peered up at me and perked her ears.  I started asking a lot of questions because she is an American Pitbull/Lab mix and I needed lots of information in order to make a decision on this.  I mean I have a little boy that will be living with this dog so of course I needed to know as much as possible about her background.  When the young man helping me got to the part about how they were going to have to put her to sleep within the next few days because of what she is.  I knew deep down I wasn’t leaving there without her. 

I understand people’s fears where Pitbulls are concerned but when they are not mistreated they are not aggressive.  Plus, this little baby girl is a mixture between pit and lab so she is very playful and sweet in her personality.  She’s also very shy.  At 12 weeks old she will be raised from this point on, in our home with kids.  I have no doubts that she will be a wonderful family pet and I’m excited to have her.  

My boyfriend is really the one who wanted a dog.  He’s traveling now for work and living out of a camper.  He needs a companion to be on the road with him so Elsa will eventually be that for him.  She’ll be home with me now at the beginning until he comes home again and then if it works out she will be able to go and travel with him.  Even though we are not married yet, this dog is our dog, and we will share her back and forth since his job keeps him away from home. 

Now, on to a few other things… 

I haven’t written about marriage again since I first announced that we had been talking about it because he hasn’t actually proposed yet.  I’m not one to jump the gun, but he is away from home at the time being and it looks as if that’s going to be the schedule for the remainder of this year.  We have both agreed this is what we want and we have both agreed that eloping is going to be the best way to do it.  So, with all of that said, this is everyone’s fair warning that there may be a week he gets to come home unexpectedly and we might decide to just go down to the courthouse and do it!  There’s just no planning these things around a pipeliner’s work schedule so I’m not even going to try.  We have the blessing of our parents and loved ones and that’s the most important thing.  

I’ve really done some praying and thinking throughout this summer where this relationship is concerned.  It is so easy to get caught up in our worldly lusts and desires and forget to seek God in the decisions that we make.  I’ve worried for a long time over if my first marriage was the result in my hasty decision making without taking the time to be still and listen to what God willed for my life.  I’ll never have that answer but in my thinking about it, I’ve tried to be consciously aware and seek to be directed in all decisions from now on.  Getting involved with another man after my divorce was really scary.  I was extremely cautious because of Lil Man.  I didn’t want him to be exposed to anything that would confuse him and make him feel insecure.  And I guess because of that I didn’t really date before my boyfriend came in the picture.  I remember going out a handful of times but it was always on a night when Lil Man was with his father so he didn’t see it or anyone that Mommy was going with.   

Then August rolled around and my boyfriend, who was actually my high school sweetheart, found me through knowing my little sister and decided to ask me out to lunch.  We had lots to catch up on and it stills makes me smile to think about how everything came about.  We both live in the same town, and have for the past several years, why didn't we ever bump into each other?  Why was it only after I was divorced that he decided to try and contact me?  He knew I was married but we were always friends.  So many variables, and because he waited so long, or maybe because it had been almost a year post divorce... everything just fell into place.  He was so patient with me.  Would I have been that patient if the situation had been reversed?  Everything combined makes it very hard to doubt that it was meant to happen.  That we were given this second chance for a reason.  I've been absolutely the happiest this past year and I'm hoping for many many more happy years to come with him.  Is this how you know it's for real... forever?  Does anyone ever really know?  

We have a joke between us, or rather... I joke, about me choosing him not as my "husband" or "spouse" but as my "tolerance partner" (and he hates this!) because throughout all this time alone and thinking and praying I've come to the conclusion that love is not what it's all about.  I do think that there has to be attraction, and there has to be desire.  But I know now from personal experience that love is not going to be present all day everyday.  It's going to come and go.  And sometimes when it's gone it may stay gone for a few weeks or months even.  So why dwell on that in a negative way and why let it take over your mind?  I say look at it from a logical way from the very beginning of what your actually doing each and every day with this man/woman that you're living with and possibly sharing children with... they are the person you are choosing to tolerate everyday to the best of your ability.  They are the ones that you promised to cherish and respect and, yes, love everyday.  But we are human and far from perfect.  Sometimes the love part is just impossible to find on certain days.  In my experience I couldn't get over that.  I let it consume me to the point of depression and a whole mess of other things that I've had to overcome.  I'm simply using this term (tolerance partner) as a means to keep my mind and heart focused on the right path to what's actually going to be taking place at this certain time.  And even though you may not agree with my choice of words or angle at which I'm choosing to approach this issue, there is truth in the fact that marriage is work.  A WHOLE LOT OF WORK!  And it's not something to be taken lightly.  So, after all that, I love my boyfriend... I'm in love with my boyfriend.  I don't doubt this, but one day maybe 10 years from now when I wake up and don't necessarily feel this love and I'm a little annoyed with him over something, I'm still going to cook him breakfast and pick up his dirty laundry and text him an "I love you" on his lunch break just because I will have vowed to be married to him.  And even though my heart won't feel like being sweet and nice I'm going to be anyway because I will have chosen him over all the millions of other men out there to be the one that I put up with or "tolerate" on those bad days for the rest of my life.  Just like he will have done the same.  I don't really know why but it gives me more confidence in myself to look at it this way.  

My little sister's wedding is just around the corner.  We've now been planning and preparing for almost a year and we are 8 weeks out.  I'm absolutely so excited I can barely contain it.  This wedding is going to be, by far, the nicest and most traditional wedding I've ever been to or been involved in.  We still have a lot to get done, but I know the outcome will be so very worth our hard work, and my parent's money.  ;)  Maybe that's why marriage has been on my mind here recently because of all the preparation for my sister's.

I may have already put this on my blog at some point but I'm going to again because it helps me so much.

"Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances"  ~Benjamin Franklin~  

             

House Projects in Life

In my last post I made a promise to myself and all of you that I was going to start posting more often and stop using this blog as a once a month update.  It seems the last 3-4 months have turned in that direction and I'm wanting to steer it back.  Writing is comforting to me.  I have always been able to express myself better in writing than in any other way and that's what this blog is really all about, right?  I started it as a creative outlet for my emotional self to unload on in a semi private way.  What is it about exposing personal things about yourself and your life online for potentially the whole world to see??!!  I'm not really sure but it's fun.  I keep private journals so I have the ability to vent things that are a little too personal for my blog, which combined gives me the means for total expression of my emotional self depending on however I'm feeling on a particular day.  That probably doesn't mean much to the average person, but it does to me.  I think everyone should find that "thing" that allows them to fully and completely express who they are.  Most people during their normal day don't really get to do that.  Because of society and manners we all stifle who we really are in order to please others and be presentable human beings in life.  Every now and then we need to let out our pent up thoughts and feelings in a healthy way.  Writing is mine!  Find yours!

We are down to 74 days until my sister's wedding.  It's getting so incredibly close and the pressure is really being put on us to finish all the littlest details.  There is hundreds of these I feel like!!  It will all be beautiful in the end but getting there is tedious.  One thing that is finally booked and in the plans is our bachelorette weekend spa getaway in Dallas, TX!  Yipeeee, I'm so excited about this.  We are going to get to stay in a suite in the Hotel Zaza, a luxury boutique hotel.  Just looking at the pictures online get me to giggling.  I am very excited about this and how much fun we are going to have just us three girls, Bridesmaid, Maid of Honor, and Bride!  Lots of work to be done before and after though.

My house has come along quite nicely.  And as promised here are a few pics to show everyone some of the work we put into it.  Please, please do not hold my decorating skills, or lack thereof, against me.  I have not made that a priority yet because my money is still saved to complete my master bath and the kitchen.  Hopefully by Christmas I can have these two things accomplished.

Kitchen before

Kitchen after: We stripped all wallpaper, textured and painted the walls, sanded and refinished the cabinets to look a little rustic, replaced all cabinet hardware to a rubbed bronze finished knob, and bought a new fridge.  I still want to replace the counter top and back splash so there is some contrast, and get a new sink and faucet. 

    

Before dining nook

After: This was a chore!!!  We stripped wallpaper, which was 3 layers deep, textured the walls, painted the walls, below the chair rail we decided with bead board because the walls were just too banged up after the wallpaper stripping.  Plus I liked the change in texture.  We painted the bead board a contrasting color and replaced the light fixture. 

Living room before

After: repainted all walls and all trim and doors.  The entire house was white on white before and it was awful!  Very scuffed up, very dirty, very chipped.  Just the new paint everywhere made the house look about 10 years younger.

We are shopping for a big entertainment center to take up that big wall and house the new TV.

Hallway before

After: again, new paint on every wall and all trim.  I fully intend to put a floating floor down on top of these stick tiles but money and time has postponed that until later.

Lil Man's bathroom before

After:  All wallpaper stripped, texture applied to walls, walls painted, trim painted, new hardware everywhere (toilet, faucet, mirror, light fixture, paper holders, towel holders)

Lil Man's bedroom before

After: new paint on all walls and trim

L shaped hallway leading to third bedroom which is my office right now and a big mess.  It's been the "catch all" room since we moved in.  We painted all walls and trim in there also.  I chose to do all the same color throughout the entire house so it's neutral and clean looking.

My bedroom before

After: Again, the same new paint on all walls and trim. 

The view from the front.  I haven't done anything to the exterior.  My plan is to paint the shutters and posts and darker more contrasting color that matches the brick and new landscaping.  Unfortunately we are going through a bit of a drought right now so I'm waiting until fall comes and some rain to redo the bushes and flower bed.  Everything is dieing right now and I'm using water to keep the trees alive but not the grass.  It's just too hot and dry; it would cost me a fortune.

So, overall, it's a work in progress but it's home now.  It feels comfortable and finally smells like I like it to when I walk in the door.  I couldn't be happier for the time being and look forward to everything I'm going to do in the future.

I'm Barely Keeping Up with My Life

I absolutely, positively, without a doubt, more than I can even express in words….. CANNOT KEEP UP WITH MY OWN LIFE!!  I lay down every night and just go “phhheeewww”, audibly expressing what my brain is doing!  J  It’s just crazy how I let myself get so busy, but I have, again, and it’s about to come to an end.  I have officially stopped working my second job on the weekends because of all this madness.  Now I will at least have those two days to try and catch up.  You guys don’t even want to see my to do list… it’s several pages long! 

So, for now let’s just catch up a little on the most recent events that have happened.  Since my last post, I have traveled about 1,500 miles all the way to Lakeside, Michigan and back for a week long vacation.  This was an awesome time!  For the very first time I packed up my Lil Man and myself and we just took off.  Twelve hours in the car was a little difficult his first time but with the help of modern technology, an iPod and a DVD player, we survived just fine with multiple stops to get out and stretch our legs.  I grew up for the first eleven years of my life in Maine, which I think I’ve mentioned on here before, so going north was so exciting for me and I was definitely not disappointed.  Simple things like the beach and the trees around our cabin reminded me soooo much of Maine.  Then when you add that our first night and day there the temperatures never got above 65 and we were on the beach bundled in towels and hoodies…. That REALLY reminded me of Maine.  It was beautiful and something new; that’s always exciting.  As for my son, I’m not quite sure what he was experiencing but at some points throughout the days I wondered if it didn’t border on some sort of out of body experience.  He literally was so happy and having so much fun being 100% loose and free outside, in the sand, close to water, with toys that he would just run and face dive right into the sand and then run and fall in the water and then run out screaming and dive back into the sand!  (LOL, I’m getting a little tickled thinking about it!)  It was like for the very first time he could just cut loose and do whatever he wanted and get as dirty as he wanted and Momma wasn’t saying anything about it.  Because of the low temperatures every night the water was extremely cold the whole time we were there but before I could allow him back inside I would have to rinse him off and,let me say, that was a chore.  He’s screeching and howling because the water is so cold and I’m laughing because sand is EVERYWHERE.  In his ears, up his nose, caked in his eyebrows, down his swim trunks… EVERYWHERE!  But, it was definitely an experience that I plan on having every year from here on out.  My Lil Man just absolutely loved the beach and I’m looking forward to many more memories made there in our future. 

We arrived around 6:30 this evening and it was still a little warm before the cool front moved in so we immediately took the kids and went straight down to the beach.  We didn't even change their clothes we just turned them loose and they had a blast, fully dressed in the sand and water.

He's throwing handfuls of wet sand and it was slinging all the way back up to us!

We finally stripped them down halfway because they were covered in so much wet sand.

The next morning was beautiful, but only about 60 degrees with 25 mph wind.  I was very cold taking this picture!

But he's not!  Having too much fun to be cold.

Of course I dressed Lil Man up one evening and tried to get a few nice shots with the beautiful beach behind him, but he wanted to run and dive in so bad most of my shots turned out with funny expressions on his face. :)

I was able to get a few good ones, especially with the help of my friend. 

Nothing like a sunset, beach fire with weenies and s'mores!

Lil Man has told my friend's daughter a funny story in this one.  I was so glad I captured their expressions. 

These two pictures were taken by my friend's Aunt who was there letting her boys fish and swim with us.

Our fishing day!  This was about the biggest of all our catch, but he didn't care.  Catching them and reeling them in was all he needed to be thrilled.

This evening there was a little rain storm trying to stir up over to the side of us.  It blocked half of the sunset for a moment. 

It then cleared away and got a little hazy out on the horizon.  The kids found another little girl to play with.

This picture was taken by my friend on her iPhone and it was four individual shots originally that she combined to create this one panoramic picture of a sunset we watched one night down on the beach.  Because of the cloud cover, we were seeing this really beautiful, bold streak of bright light in the sky and it was breathtaking. 

 

Returning from vacation is never fun, but it must be done.  Getting back to work is always good to me because I’m a better person when I’m on schedule and organized in my routine, but work is still a little hectic due to our temporary change in schedule and then dealing with the crossover of all our records.  Going 100% electronic is so exciting to me because that’s just how the world is going right now, and ultimately it will make my job a lot easier and simple.  Doing everything by hand while we are seeing patients and then spending the off days entering it into the computer in order to submit it electronically is way more time consuming than it will be once we eliminate that middle step.  Wooo hoooo!!!

My family has almost gotten settled back in with all of their prospective jobs and responsibilities.  Considering that all of my immediate relatives travel for their careers, except my sister, I constantly feel like I'm mentally keeping tabs on everyone.  Until, of course, it's time to move again!  My boyfriend’s new job has moved him out to Bozeman, Montana right now and I’m insanely jealous that I can’t be there to see the scenery with him, but it is just too far.  Hopefully this job won’t last more than 5-7 weeks and he’ll be home again for a short visit before the next job kicks off. 

Other than all that, my little sister’s wedding is the next biggest, pressing issue right now that has been on the back-burner for the past 7 months, but we are only 2 months and 28 days from the BIG DAY so it's time to focus full force on it!  I can’t believe how fast it’s gotten here and we still have so much to accomplish that all my spare weekends are going to be planned around what still needs to be done.  There are so many tedious things to do we are all going to have our work cut out for us... working from all over the U.S. 

I hate that my blog has turned into a once-a-month update instead of a continuous rolling sequence of events that happen in my daily life and I fully intend on changing this very soon.  I’ve got to find more time for myself and continue a few small things that I need because as happy as I am, and as comfortable as my life is right now, I still have my moments where I feel as though my sanity may be slipping and all I want to do is pile up with a book, or work on my pictures, or write.… I think everyone has their little private, “alone time” things that sort of keep our minds and souls in balance.  We must put those things in a priority slot at least once in awhile so we don’t lose them. 

P.S.

Pics of my house are coming, I've just been soooo busy.  It's next on my list for my next post.   

New Babies in Life

I haven't posted anything lately because of how crazy my life has been.  After the funeral and all my family went back to work, I concentrated on finishing my remodels and moving myself and my son into our new home!!!!  We have officially been here now for 19 days and it's wonderful.  I'm still not all the way unpacked and that's why I haven't posted any pictures yet, but that is coming very soon.

These pictures were taken a few weeks back of a very special little baby girl.  As a gift to her mother I volunteered to take a few newborn pictures of them.  Our day went very well and I'm really happy with the way they turned out.  She is a beautiful baby and one of the sweetest little ones I've been around in a long time. 

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

Snoozing in the sun is one of my favorite things to do as well.

We forget just how precious new life is until we are in the presence of it.

There is nothing sweeter in the world than the love of a new mother to her child.

And these two beautiful ladies were a match made in Heaven.

Thank you girls for a very precious afternoon!

Ok, now, catching up with the latest.  Remodels on the house are all complete except the master bath and for now I'm just going to keep the door shut and not go in that room.  My father is not available at this time to finish it so me and my Lil Man are sharing a bathroom until Dad is home again and I have more money! 
Everything with the boyfriend couldn't be better... he has actually taken a new job which requires him to travel and at the moment he is in Oklahoma and about 430 miles away. :(  This doesn't exactly thrill me, but we will have to make the best of it for the time being because it's a great opportunity and something he really wanted. 
Work is totally NOT the same ol' same ol' right now..... It's anything but that!!  My boss has recently sustained an injury to his shoulder and will be out recovering for another 4-6 weeks!  Life at the office has drastically changed, but with the grace of his wonderful wife, and the patience and understanding of our patients, we are going to be just fine until he can return and go back to work.  We are still working on switching everything over to electronic health records, which is very exciting, but with the change in schedule it has definitely added it's own amount of stress.  I am so thankful for our summer holiday time coming up next week.
Which brings me to my last bit of news, me and my Lil Man will be going on a week long vacation with my best friend and her daughter to Lake Michigan!  YIPEEEEE!  I've been excited about this since Christmas when we planned it and it's almost here.  We will leave Saturday morning for the 12 hour drive to Lakeside, Michigan and then stay 5 nights at a relative of hers' cabin.  Almost six days of nothing but swimming, fishing, sun bathing, cooking, and relaxing while the kiddos play.  I'm in desperate need of this break.
Pictures will be coming when we are back home!     

Moving Fast Life

I feel so overwhelmed.  Why is it that for a fairly simple woman with a fairly simple job in a fairly simple life, I can get to this point where I'm so exhausted and overwhelmed with everything left to do in a day's or week's time that I'm about to just lose it and shut down?????  I guess I'm putting too much on myself but... pheeewwww! 

For starters, it's been an emotional month.  So much has happened with work and my secretary being gone a lot due to her own personal chaos, then closing on my house and renovations beginning, and then everything that has happened with our close friends and them losing their son.  Just one thing after another happening in my world and I'll admit it... I'm a little bit of a control freak and all of those things happening within a few weeks of one another has left me feeling a little out of control and so what can I say.... my panties are a little twisted because of it.  Not to mention the emotional strain all that puts on a person. 

Tomorrow will officially mark 8 days until I have to be out of my apartment and there is just sooooo much I still want to do to the house before all of our stuff is put into it.  I have the help of my wonderful boyfriend and will have my parents this weekend, but it's almost more than we can accomplish in 8 days plus make time for the actual move.  YIKES!!!!! 

But tonight I'm in the apartment letting my Lil Man stay up a little longer watching his cartoons and underneath all this overwhelmed anxiety plus exhaustion, I'm really excited and becoming more proud everyday of what I'm moving towards.  The house couldn't be more perfect for what we need right now in our lives and once I'm finished with a few touch ups, it'll look brand new and be worth more than I paid for it.  And that's what it's all about.  I know I'll feel better soon!