Moments Worth Mentioning

Once again a new year is upon us. It’s amazing to me all that can transpire in 12 months. I remember thinking that 2007 was a crazy year… If I had only known how insane 2008 would be!

What I have learned in 2008:

1) Largest lesson hands downs: Nothing comes with a guarantee…. including jobs.
2) I am 100% capable of replacing windshield wiper blades, installing mini-blinds and jump-starting a car.
3) I would much rather have a boy in my life to help me accomplish those things.
4) A glass of wine with a great friend is about as essential as the air we breath.
5) BlackBerrys sound come with mandatory attendance to BA (BlackBerrys Anonymous).
6) 30 degrees in Michigan and 30 degrees in Georgia feel completely different. The exact reason remains a mystery.
7) It is completely OK to reconsider what you want to do when you grow up… at any time in your life.
Sometimes you are given LOTS of (huge/gigantic/unfair) lemons. But in the long run the troubles only make the lemonade taste that much sweeter.
9) Myspace and Facebook are really not as essential as we all think.
10) Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans…

Heres to 2009!

My life continues to stay unusually busy…

Saturday night I had the privilege of attending a Christmas party with my old coworkers. The doctor I used to work for always throws a big bash for his office and operating room staff at his house this time of year. It was a fun evening of white elephant gift exchanging, a catered dinner, and some live music. We even had a little extra excitement thanks to a minor emergency that involved a ping-pong ball, a slightly temperamental Golden Retriever and a young boy that really wanted the ball back…. Needless to say the 40 people in attendance included multiple surgeons, nurses and several athletic trainers. The boy was in good hands!

Sunday evening I went to see some friends and stayed out way to late playing Scatagories. Monday morning came way to soon and lasted way too long. I had all-day orientation for my new job. The one and only highlight from the day was the Chick-Fil-A sandwich that was provided for lunch. Otherwise, it was a complete waste of eight hours of my life. (Just being honest).

Today I made the 45 minute drive and officially started the new job. I am choosing to be thankful for a paycheck at this point and not complain about the work. I will say with absolute certainty though that this postion will be a very short term assignment.

Tonight I am slightly shocked that Christmas is 48 hours away. If it is possible, I think I have absolutly forgotten and/or been too busy to realize that my favorite holiday is just about to come and go. First of all, the 60 degree temperatures have zapped every bit of holiday cheer out of me. Secondly, my family and friends have taken on an attitude this year that less is more, and have decided that we arent doing the over-the-top gift exchanges. (Which I am certainly thankful for.) But without the endless shopping and gift wrapping the season seems to have vanished right before my eyes. I am hoping that after work tomorrow (thats right, I’m working on Christmas Eve) I will be able to sit down and really enjoy the time with family and remember what Christmas is supposed to be about.

To be continued…

Some people collect shoes, others collect books. I think we all have some sort of collection stashed away… It just seems that some collections are stranger than others.

My dad, bless his heart, (my southern twang is coming back very quickly) collects Star Trek Christmas tree ornaments. He has purchased EVERY “Trekie” ornament for the past 15ish years. Keep in mind that most years the dear folks at Halmark introduce 2 or 3 new Star Trek ornaments. His collection has become a bit of a running joke around our house. We give that man so much hell each and every year as he dusts off the 50 or so (very tacky) tree decorations. And don’t think for a second that his idea of holiday cheer is allowed anywhere near the family Christmas tree. His ornaments have been banned to a tree of their very own. My step-mom has no intention of letting the Star Ship Enterprise mingle with the snowmen and angels that adorn the real tree.

Honestly, the collection is probably worth a fortune. But that’s really beside the point…

Without further delay, my (very proud) dad’s 2008 Star Trek tree:
Be impressed.

To say that my family and I are enjoying our time together would be an understatement.

My brother has emerged from his college frat house cave and has actually been spending some time with us. My dad made the comment that he has seen John (my brother) more in the last few days than he has in the last few months. I’m trying to decide whether or not he missed me, or if he is just trying to dust off his image knowing that Santa is coming soon. I’m fairly certain its the latter.

Last night found the four of us hunched over the living room table sipping hot chocolate and playing board games. We spent several hours hysterically laughing at one another. For those of you in the market for a fun game to play I highly recommend “Last Word”. The rules are simple and the game guarantees tears of laughter! We also tried our luck at “Partini”. Also very funny but strangely complicated as it involves Play-Do, humming songs, and miming.

The stage is set…

The four of us in deep thought…

Dear ol’ dad trying to mold something out of Play-Do. Truly entertaining!

To go from having NO commitments to a new life that is full of opportunities, social gatherings and family outings has been slightly exhausting. I have officially been in Georgia since last Friday afternoon. I can honestly say that this (Tuesday night) has been the first time I have sat down long enough to collect my thoughts.

Saturday and Sunday I spent the time unloading my belongings and then trying to find a place to put them. This involved countless trips up and down stairs and stacking and re-stacking boxes in various rooms. This only caused my family to feel the need to reorganize some of their things… It was a vicious cycle.

Tonight was the first meal I have eaten at home since I have been in town. Starting Friday night for dinner and every breakfast, lunch and dinner since, I have gone out and eaten with a different family member or friend. Its been a very yummy and high-calorie way to catch up! For a girl who NEVER ate out over the past year and a half these past few days have been quite the treat.

Monday my dad and I headed to the Mall of Georgia for a little Christmas shopping. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we wandered though the gigantic mall sipping on our Starbucks. We finished the day at a car dealership where my dad surprised my step-mom with a new car for Christmas. And of course we went out to dinner afterward to celebrate…

Today I ate lunch with some old co-workers and then ran all over town taking care of various Welcome Back To The State Of Georgia errands. By the way, AT&T charges you $36 to relocate and get a new local phone number. Unbelievable.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my new employer to fill out paperwork and take a drug test. (I’m keeping my fingers crossed-JUST KIDDING). It looks like I may actually be working again by next week. It has been a very quick mini-vacation… Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded it being a little longer.

All in all, I am tired but happy. Its been wonderful to see some long lost faces and to reinvent my social life. I have no doubt that these next few weeks will be crazy, busy and really fun!!

Stay tuned.

For the hundreds of you waiting on the edge of your seat for an update from the Great State of Georgia, please be patient. My dad and I are currently working/pulling our hair out trying to get our “home network” up and running so that both of us can have internet access. You would think it would be a simple process…

On a serious note, I am home. My 6 feet worth of semi-truck space was delivered yesterday without issue. I am slowly unpacking and settling in. Its been a crazy few days of driving, moving and even trying to kill my beloved fish (again). Don’t worry he is just fine! Story coming soon…

Ohio

Entering Kentucky

Waking up in Kentucky… Very pretty!

The Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee.

Some final sights from my last evening in Michigan…

I’m leaving about 6ish inches of snow…

A very frozen pond…

And a bright blue sky…

Goodbye Michigan, until next time….

I am a firm believer in the power of perfect timing. We are often brought to the brink… To a point where we feel like we can’t go on for one second longer. And only when we reach that point do we realize that someone else is in control and has a plan in place.

Truth be told, I was there. I was at a point where I had lost my sense of ambition, lost my ability to see into the future and ultimately lost all hope. I felt betrayed. I wanted to scream out that the events of my life seemed extremely unfair. I felt like whatever I touched seemed to turn sour and although I tried so hard to make the right decisions things always seemed to turn bad.

Almost two years ago, I made a conscious decision to leave everything I knew for a fresh start. I yearned for a new life away from the absolute mess that I found myself in. I walked away from my family, my friends, my church and my marriage. The events that lead me to that extreme decision were complicated. I think its only normal to look back at such drastic decisions and wonder if the right choices were made. In the past month or so, I can honestly say that my mind has been full of “what-ifs”. I could see that my new career was not exactly going as planned. I also found myself more lonely than I have ever been in my life. What had I done? What was I making the sacrifices for?

My heart has been on a (secret) roller coaster. In the midst of my downward spiral of my job I had begun to realize that a certain boy would never change. I was investing so much of myself into something that would never be. I gave a very fragile heart to him, only to not be loved back. It wasn’t fair, and it was a pain that was as much physical as it was emotional. Needless to say I was there… at my brink.

Prayers and tears were many. I prayed for hope, for strength, and mostly for the ability to feel Him in my life. Within days I was told I was being laid off. I was being forced to return to Georgia. If this wasn’t a sign I’m not sure what is. We often don’t get our prayers answered in the way we want. But we do ALWAYS get what we NEED. Never before have I ever felt such a strong presence of God’s will. The lost job would be a means to an end. It would allow me to walk away from a toxic love story and a way to force me to reevaluate my career choice.

So, here I am, tears streaming down my face as I look around at stacks of boxes. I am days away from undoing everything that I started so many months ago. The lessons I have learned in Michigan reach far beyond anything that I would put on a resume. I have learned that sometimes you have to take risks and that we are all so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. And ultimately that we will never be given anything that we aren’t capable of handling. I am certain that the move to Michigan has put my family and I in a better place. The appreciation we have for each other at this point is greater than I could have ever dreamed for. My relationships I have with my friends are now stronger and much more “grownup”. I have realized who the good ones are, and have allowed the not so good ones to fall by the wayside. It is easy to see why I was lead up here.

Tonight I am so thankful for the blessings, and even more thankful for the answered prayers.

I have been back in Michigan for a few days now. I have gotten 95% of my things put into boxes and sold every piece of furniture minus the bed that I need to sleep on. I have made phone calls to disconnect utilities and other phone calls to change my mailing address. I have gone to the grocery store for one last time to stock up on the bare minimums to get me though a few more days. It’s beginning to look a lot like… Moving.

In the midst of the commotion I have found myself frequently pausing to really take it all in. As crazy as it sounds I am a little sad to leave this frozen tundra. I don’t know how to explain it. What I do know is that I have made Michigan my home. I have embraced the snow covered roads, the giant squirrels and the bitter cold to a point where I now call it my own. When in Georgia I find myself saying, “I’m getting some snow tonight” instead of “They are getting some snow tonight”. I’m not really sure when that transformation took place. Probably somewhere between the GM strike and my bee sting. Its been quite an adventure up here. Forgive me for being just a little sentimental.

All the while I have been hit with Head Cold 2008. My brother and step-mom were horribly sick while I was in town for Thanksgiving. It was basically inevitable that I would come back to Michigan with a few a their germs. Sure enough, as I waited for my luggage at the airport I started sneezing. At the moment I am surviving on DayQuil and TheraFlu. I guess its a strange blessing that I didn’t have to work this week.

When I was at home last week I had a taste of reality as I stepped back in time about 10 years. I was spending the night in my bedroom that still looks exactly like it did when I left to go to college. I am borrowing the car and informing my parents of my evening plans. I am sneaking into my (parents) house after they have gone to bed. Not because its past my assigned curfew, but because I don’t want to wake them up. Its a drastic change from what my life has become in the last year and a half. And unfortunately, it is what I will be going back to next week when I once again call Georgia home. I am of course immensely grateful that I have a family that is willing to help and take me in. It is just slightly bitter sweet to have to take three steps back when I worked so hard to take two steps forward.

Heres to a new chapter, a new beginning and being able to breath…