Gets Even Better

I took this picture a year ago this weekend when S called me at 4pm on Sunday and said, "I really want to see you...let's meet for a few hours." I remember being so excited to be able to spend just a few more hours with her. How things have changed in just a year. This morning instead of waiting for a call from her asking if we could get together I woke up in her arms. How life has changed in the past year and how much more beautiful this life has become. I am truly thankful for her each and every day and so happy that we were able to work things out. The fact that we were able to work through our problems has just made our relationship stronger and more important to us.

So I am still thinking about blogging every day in 2010...how many of you are going to join me? Just blogging every day this month has been so wonderful and I really feel like my writing spark has returned. At the beginning of the month I talked about some of the things I wanted to blog about, but I haven't written about those things yet. Don't worry...I will. It just seems like I have so many thoughts and things running through my mind that I can't get them out fast enough. I would love to create a button for my blogging every day in 2010, but have no idea how to or where to start. Any suggestions would be great and it would be even better if someone would volunteer to help me create one. Hint Hint. :)

One of the things I love about the weekend is being able to watch Good Morning America. They do a segment called "Your week in 3 words" which is my favorite part. How would you describe your week in 3 words? Mine would be: Gets Even Better.

I Would Rather Be Here

I've decided that each Friday I am going to do a post on places that I want to escape to. I think this place would be on the top of my list: The Boundary Waters. When I went to camp we would always go on canoe trips and those were some of the best times of my life. Being up in the middle of nowhere is so peaceful and so quiet. Hearing just your paddle swish through the water is better than any sound I could find on my iPod.

Camping has always been something I love to do. There is just something about sleeping in the outdoors and hearing all of natures sounds while you sleep. Then there is the campfire....I love the smell and sounds of a campfire. Sitting around a campfire at night is one of the most romantic things to me...especially if it's a little chilly and you need to the fire to stay warm.

So right now this is where I would love to escape to...just me and my girl.

Thankful

When I went into the bedroom the other night this is what I saw. I don't mind Sophie getting up on the bed, but I do have a problem when she plays with the sheets and cover to make sure she is comfortable. Every once in a while she will do this and I always crack up at her. I really don't mind her getting on the bed especially since in human years she is 77 and I know the bed (and couch) are a lot more comfortable than the floor.

This morning at work someone said something about my lights being up at my house and I explained about the whole window thing and this one lady I work with suddenly went off about my landlords. She was saying how they are very casual about doing repairs, etc. I spoke up and said that I have never had a problem with my landlords and that I totally understand why the new window was being delayed.

It really gets under my skin people that think they know a little something about everything. This particular person is one of those people and it just drives me nuts. She seems to think she knows a little bit about everything and everyone. She was the one that kept asking me to go to church with her and every time I would say no she would respond with, "Well you know...casual Christians become Christian causalities."

I am so happy that today is Thursday!! Just one more day and then the weekend will be here. It will be easier going back to work on Monday knowing it's a short week. S and I will be spending Thanksgiving together with her Mom and her brother who will be driving in from Minnesota. It's crazy to think that just a year ago I was meeting S's family for the first time and dreaming and wishing I lived closer to her. I remember driving to her house last year and being so nervous, but also so excited. As I drove home last Thanksgiving I tried to figure out a way that I could move here and be closer to her. A year ago at this time I had a lot of dreams and wishes and it seems that almost all of them have come true.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Tis the Season

I have been waiting for my new window to go in to put up my Christmas decorations, but it still hasn't gone in. They were suppose to put in the new window on Monday, but the snow put a stop to that. When I was at work today I said heck with it and made a trip to Walmart to get some needed supplies. I pulled out my favorite inflatable that I have had for 4 years and was so happy that Snoopy went up with no problems; except the light was out. I also put up Christmas lights around a bush by my front window. I had bought 2 things of lights at Walmart, but realized that it needed some more lights. I decided to run to Dollar General and found just what I was looking for. Once home I put up the lights and one string of lights came on, but quickly went out. Thankfully I live just a block from DG, so back I went to exchange the lights.

When I realized the light was out on Snoopy I got another bulb that I had in a small lamp and put it in there, but realized it was a lot bigger and the plastic covering would not fit around this bulb. I debated about leaving it in there, but the bulb got pretty warm and I was afraid it would tip just a little and burn a hole in Snoopy, which would have been a huge tragedy for me. So back to DG I went and I got the right size bulb. I think we are good for a while now.

Here is a picture of my front window with the lights. If you click on the picture you will see why I need a new front window:
The wood around the window is bad and lets in a lot of air.

I really hope they put in the window tomorrow because Sophie and Ben have just about had it with being locked in the bedroom.

I also bought my tree, but will wait until the window goes in to put it up. Plus, after all my work outside and my 3 trips to DG, I am completely exhausted.

Making a Difference

One of the things I inherited with my job is being the person in charge of the Sal*vation Ar*my (SA) for my county. The SA and the hospital kind of go hand in hand since so many of the people that need assistance are here at the hospital for something. I really do enjoy this part of my job (even if it is all on a volunteer basis) and it is very rewarding when I am able to give a family a voucher so they can go get some food, or call the utility company and save a family from having their water/electricity turned off or help someone that just needs some gas for their car.

When I was going to school to get my bachelors degree I had no idea what field I wanted to work in. I did a few internships at different places, but nothing really ignited that spark in me. When I was picking out where I would do my senior internship I had narrowed the choice down to a shelter for pregnant teens or a community center that provided emergency assistance. The employees at the shelter told me that there was a lot of down time and I would have plenty of time to study, but the employees at the community center explained how they were busy all the time. I knew I was doing this internship to learn, not sit around and study.

I started at this agency in September 1998 and I know my experience there changed me. I loved the work I did there and it was so rewarding to be able to help people that had no where else to turn. As a side note: it was also at this agency that I found a tiny black puppy running around the parking lot one morning and ended up taking her home with me and she now comes to name Sophie. So, this agency is important to me in more than one way.

When I graduated I got a job at another community agency and was the Case Manager for the Homeless program. I loved my work there and I loved getting up in the morning to go to work. Every day I went to work I felt like I was appreciated and like I was making a difference in the world. My first few weeks there I had a family come into my office that were living in their car. They had just moved here from the east coast because they had heard there was a job here for the husband, but when they got to KC there was no job and they had no money. They had 2 small children (ages 2 and 1) and had no where to go. Within two weeks I had them in an apartment (with all donated furniture), the husband had a job and the wife was attending GED classes.

By working with the SA I kind of feel like I am, again, making a small difference in the world. Times are really tough right now and I see so many people struggling. The difference between when I first started out in this field in 1998 to today is the fact that there are so many people that are struggling and they have a full time job.

So when you go about shopping this holiday season and hear that familiar bell ringing, please remember all those that are struggling right now. And if you are able to, any help you can provide will benefit so many people and I promise you will walk away feeling like you made a small difference in the world.

First Snowfall

As you can see from this picture.....I am very happy. When I woke up it was snowing, but was only sticking on the grassy areas. By 7:30am it was snowing harder than I have seen in years. The snowflakes were huge and it was just beautiful outside. It has snowed all day long and is even snowing a little bit right now. It was in the 60s just a few days ago, so it is melting a little bit. I think it's above freezing right now, so that is another reason it's melting. If we were below freezing all day I would say that we have received at least 7 inches of snow.

Since it's such a heavy wet snow the power flickered on and off most of the day and then around 2pm the power went off completely at the hospital. Within a few seconds the generator kicked in, but it only powers the necessary things...one of which is not my office. So I hung out at the nurses station until the power came back on about 30 minutes later.

My co-workers are giving me a hard time and saying I am completely responsible for the snow since I have been wishing and praying for snow for a month now. I guess it doesn't take long to figure out how much I love snow. I heard today that the day we get our first snow is the number of snow storms we will have for the season. So since today is the 16th, that means we will have 16 snow storms this year. I would love it if that was true. I realized today that I don't have a shovel, so I guess I am going to need to buy one soon. Thankfully I don't have a huge driveway, but I would still like to keep it clear.

The snow really has lifted my spirits. At the end of last week I got my period and it was a bugger this month. It all started on Friday when I was soooo tired and I could tell I was getting moody. After S went to work on Saturday morning I stayed in the house (on the couch) and was pretty much there all weekend. I was depressed (for no reason) and just didn't feel like doing anything. Usually my periods aren't bad, but this month was just horrible. I googled "PMS getting worse with age" and I found several articles that stated that since woman are born with their eggs the older you get the more hormones are needed to "wake" up the eggs to ovulate. Kind of makes sense, but still.....it was a bitch this weekend. I am so glad it's over...at least until next month.

I was suppose to get a new front window today, but with all the snow it didn't happen. When I left I wasn't sure if it was going to snow all day, so I still locked Sophie and Ben up in my room. Sophie was really happy when I got home and Ben is still not talking to me. As soon as my new window goes in I will put up my tree. All my life I have dreamed of having a big front window to put my Christmas tree in. After 36 years my dream has finally come true.

Grandma A

Today marks the 14th anniversary of my Grandma Alice's death. It just seems like yesterday that I was sitting in her house (which later became my house) and we were talking about life.

My Mom's parents lived just a few miles from us and we saw them several times a week. After my Grandpa passed away (I was only 10) my Grandma started spending more time with us and she would babysit for my brother and I when my parents would go out of town. I remember one time she was staying with us and it was snowing and as she pulled out of my parents driveway she slid and we ended up getting stuck. She wasn't the best driver and I remember closing my eyes most of the time when we drove around with her. :)

When I got married she was so excited about her new dress that she told my Mom that she wanted to be buried in that dress. Ten days before my first anniversary I got a call from my aunt asking if I could go over and sit with my Grandma since she didn't like sitting alone at night. My Grandma remarried two years after my Grandpa died and her husband was going to church that night and my Grandma was nervous about being by herself. When my aunt called and asked me at first I really didn't want to because it was my only night off work. But I did go and had the best night with my Grandma. We sat and talked about current events and life in general. A week later she was gone. I feel like that last night with her was a huge gift to me. It was just the two of us one last time. She was buried on my first anniversary in the dress that she loved so much.
One of the things my Grandma loved was Hershey Chocolate bars. She always had them in her house and it seemed like she was always snacking on one. When she was buried I put a Hershey's Bar in her casket and every year on the anniversary of her death I would put one on her grave. This is the first year that I will not be able to do that.

Since I can't make it to her grave this year, I will instead enjoy a Hershey Bar while I think of all the great times we had together and how grateful I am that she was my Grandma.