Happy New Year 2011....two days late :)

Good god, another year is gone! And once again, Im dusting off this blog in effort to get back to writing more....baby steps people! On one hand, I could use the excuse 'I've been so busy this year I haven't had time to write'...but on the other hand, that should really be even more reason to write; Because I've had so much happen & so much to write about. At any point, I regress...........

We've collectively turned the page on another new year, and so deemed appropriate are the updated list of "Resolutions"

"Resolutions"
--Maintain weight lost in 2010 (down to 120lbs) and lose/maintain 5 more lbs by March 1st, 2011

--Run a collective total of 5-5Ks by Dec. 31st, 2011

--Make an appt with a cardiologist & continue followup until heart issue is resolved.

--(more of a wish than goal) Somehow get my life back together & reclaim some semblance of belonging somewhere...i.e. put veritable "roots" down..expand my friendly circle of influence if you will...take advantage of this new "start" ive given myself...become secure with life & living it to the fullest on my own terms.

--Pay off at least ONE student loan in 2011

--Pay off my car in 2011...a year early :)

(more to come..)

A few answers

Well, I finally have my neurology appointment today...and im strangely excited...or maybe just anxious. I've had a history of migraines since I can remember...actually around 3rd grade is the first time i can remember; sitting in class & having this horrible pain in my head that wouldn't go away. They're pretty sporadic...never really nailed down a specific trigger; i could be watching tv, passing a perfume counter, listening to a lecture, or just going about daily business & BAM!...it starts...and within 10-20 min. can be the most excruciating pain known to man! My coping mechanisms tend to include 3-4 excedrine migraine pills, caffiene, water, dark rooms, pressure point massage, sleeping it off, & when desperate, Nyquil to knock me out! lol! Lately however, the last 5 or 6 spells have had me worried. The characteristics have changed & the pain has been consistented focused behind my right eye...not sure whats up with that. So, working in an ER, with access to some awesome docs & nurses' opinions, the general consensus was to definitely get it checked out. Most were surprised I didn't already have a doc following my history/symptoms. Anyway, five minutes later, I had a referral to a personal neuro friend of the ER doc! (sweet!!) I don't think they'll find anything crazy (hope not!), but even if they don't, hopefully they can at least give me somthing to help cope with the pain when it pops up again. Here's looking forward to a new phase in pain management...at long last! :)

Great Jehosephat's Beard!...where did it all go???

Well, thought I'd brush the dust off my old blog & give it another whirl! What was it...like, 2005 since I last wrote? haha! Let's see: I got married, graduated, had 3 jobs in the span of 1 year through strange circumstances, bought a house, got 2 dogs....you could say I've been a busy girl! By the same token though, we're talking 4 yrs..almost 5 now. Part of me feels there should be more...more to show for it...more of a sense of fulfillment. I don't know. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places...
Anyhow, like I said, its now 2010 & Im officially picking up on my blog...again, lol. While I'm at it, figures I should include my 2010 New Years Resolutions...of sorts.

2010 New Years Resolution List:
-Get my massage therapy license before Dec. 31, 2010
-Completely pay off my credit cards...again, lol
-Lose 15 lbs & get back into shape before June 1, 2010 (current wt 135 & counting!)
-do one home improvement project a month...big, small, doesn't matter...next up? Repainting the office :)

Time marches on...

Well, I'm feeling a little nostalgic now. I'm looking around campus and watching the new wave of students going through orientation. Oh, that confusing two weeks...moving into a new place, finding classes, meeting instructors, making sure your financial aid went through so you can even register, getting badges, permits, and other whatnot to make sure you're not some ex-con with a sinister plan to take over the Student Government. All this, while navigating your way through this huge, confusing, construction-ridden campus that is UTMB at Galveston. Anyway, seeing all of this made me remember my own journey a year ago, and, well,... I felt a little nostalgic...not that I would necessarily relive it all...don't get me wrong, that was a tough two weeks to get through, but it made me stop and think about life and how quickly it moves on without you even noticing. Sometimes you go so far down the road that by the time you look up, you're in such disbelief, like "did all that really happen?...Am I really this old?...What did I do in all that time?" Time is such a vague and interesting thing to me. Its amazing to me how much people will risk for treasure or material, whether gems, antiquities, power, increased wealth (get-rich-fast), etc.; but how easily we squander away what we can never get back: time, life spent, words said, etc...usually for 'treasure or material'.

A little cheese with your 'whine'...

Okay, so the title was a little cliche'. Today, my university program class all got together without any faculty present to basically get out on the table any issues, concerns, or problems anyone had whether with each other or the faculty. There were two mediators present from outside the university to help facilitate. Basically, everyone thought the program would be something different, and no one is happy. Of course, there are some that have personal problems with other people and others who are happily oblivious to any drama going on around them.
While I did have my 'pearls of wisdom' to expound upon the class, I basically had to come away from the session with a smile and a mindset that "it takes all people." In the game of life (yes, i see it in many ways as a game :), you will not like everybody. You will not get all the breaks you think you need or rather, deserve or feel you have worked towards. In the game of life, you may....just may,...find yourself in the midst of being manipulated, or dare I say,... find yourself manipulating someone else. It is at this point, that I am time and again grateful for God's grace in my life. When life gets hard and I need a 'whine session', God is there to listen, but it doesn't stop there. It does no good to 'stir up the toxins' if you have no intention of flushing them out. God continually reminds me of the blessings and fortune He has allowed to come my way. By the same token, He has a good way of reminding me that I make many decisions of my own free will. It is human nature to become discontented, but it should be the Christian's nature to learn to be content. I feel we should all learn this concept.

Anybody out there???......

Okay, here's a little run down on myself and what makes me tick.
I'm what people would consider a 'good girl'..."don't drink, smoke, or chew...or go with guys that do."
When I have children, I want to be a stay at home mom and raise my own kids. (imagine that)
I love to cook, crochet, and take walks through pastures with wildflowers.
I believe in creationism, I do not believe in any form of evolution.
I have a strong southern pride,
I plan to own a gun in the near future...heck, i might even join the NRA
I love Lynerd Skynerd
My 'comfort zone' is anything domestic...i.e. my place is in the kitchen :) (just kidding....sort of)

My point of all this is...I don't seem to find many people around me that have the same interests as me. In a group of girls i was with, we all asked each other if we wanted to have kids, and how we would raise them...everyone looked at me like i was Crazy that I actually wanted to stay home!. Of all the outlandish ideas! When i talk about planning to get a personal handgun, most girls i talk to are either 'yankee anti-gunners' or too afraid to look at them much less hold or shoot one. Don't even get me started on cooking. I actually know a girl that had never cooked bacon before in her life before a party we had a couple of months ago...like...she didn't know how. (she's older than me). I don't know, I just find it interesting sometimes. I find myself wondering what girls do all the time nowadays. Am I totally misinformed? Are there any girls left who aren't total 'girly-girl' about everything in their life?

Personal privacy or Public awareness...???

Gosh its been a long time since my last post. Sorry about that. Today I did something for the first time. I searched an online sex-offender registry. You know, to see if there were any living next door to me or whatever. Sure enough, the search came back with 26 offenders within 1 mile of my residence. I wasn't surprised so much that there were any, ....just that there were that many...that Close!! I mean, 1 mile ain't much... Anyway, while I was searching, I began thinking about all the controversy that has come up in the past and even now about predator registries. Personally, I feel a little torn on the issue. Being a private person myself...(yeah, and i have a blog :) I am all for 'rights to personal privacy' and all that, but as a single (well, engaged) white female of college age, my priorities are still shifted a little more to the 'my own personal safety' side. You see, on that side, I say "you forfeited your right to privacy when you did whatever you did to get on the registry in the first place." I don't know. Like I said...I was just thinking about both sides of the issue and thought it would make an interesting blog someone else just might have an opinion on. Thoughts mighty welcome :)