Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! This year is filled with much thanks. This has been a hard year and I am coming through it stronger. I am thankful for my health and strive with the new year to improve it even more. I am thankful for my Sweetie. He is my everything. Our relationship has gotten even stronger through this year. My friends are amazing. They know when to step back and when to step in and come over without calling. There are many friends that I wish I had seen more of recently, but lives are busy. The part I am thankful for is that I know when I need them, they are on call. I am thankful for BestFriend. She is my rent-a-sister. She trusts me and believes in me like no one else. I am thankful for Bug and Mom for much of the same reasons, they give me hope, make me feel safe, and take care of me. All of my family and friends are amazing. I am thankful for the family in town, miss the family out of town, and feel very lucky for the friends that I have met over the internet.

This Thanksgiving is SIL's MIL's. It will be completely different than others. For one, since we are not hosting we are able to attend the Turkey Trot. That is right. Instead of sleeping in we are getting up and getting together with BestFriend and MIL and walking 5 miles. WOO HOO. Since Brother moved and will not be with us this year, I am happy that it will be so different.

This whole Thanksgiving week, really week and a half has been great: organizing, bachelorette party, seeing Thomas, bowling with BestFriend, sushi with Jim, seeing Cirque Jungle Dreams with family, seeing Thomas again, making dessert for tomorrow, tomorrow is the walk and dinner, Friday is P from work's wedding, Saturday is girl time with BestFriend, and Sunday is movie and pool with BestFriend to celebrate a special day - it is the one day out of the year that isn't her unbirthday - heehee.

I am thankful for my life. The good, the bad, and the ugly makes me who I am. And, quite frankly, I think I am pretty cool.

Please keep praying for Deb. She is fighting hard but is missing her 8 year old daughter this Thanksgiving.

May everyone have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. And a special warm wish to Brother. May it feel warmer than the 22 degrees forecasted.

Send Prayers

Deb, the cancer ass kicking queen of the universe, needs our help. She has relapsed and once again is fighting Leukemia. Please send prayers to her and her daughter.

This is scary.

Please everyone donate blood, donate plasma, get on the bone marrow registry. Do what you can. You never know who you are going to help.

Right now Deb needs our help, debutaunt.com .

Other great links
Leukemia Lymphoma Society
Team in Training

Another edition of bullet point update

• I had a great b-day. It was relaxing just like I wanted.
• On Friday I got a stomach virus and was throwing up for 14 hours. It was no good. We left for the Ren Fest that evening - yes while I was still sick. I had to go. I didn't want to miss the time with the family. I felt better Saturday morning and enjoyed the remainder of our weekend.
• It was very cold for Bug's first camping experience. And even with that Sweetie and I are looking at tents, I want to camp more. Bug was a pro. She did great the whole time. No accidents or problems sleeping.
• Monday was my Dad's b-day. As tradition states, Mom and I took off and started our Christmas shopping. We were very successful and had a great time.
• Today was Bug's Thanksgiving dinner at her school. It was a ton of fun. Sweetie and I went and Bug was thrilled. I love hanging out with my little friends.
• Tomorrow is the last trash pick up before Thanksgiving. And while I am not hosting, I am using this as an opportunity to get the kitchen in tip top shape. Let's see if it works.
• This weekend is Christmas decorating. I cannot wait. I love this season. And Bug is big enough to REALLY be into it.

Happy B-Day TO ME

Today is my b-day. Right now I am at Mom's waiting on our guests to arrive. Today has been wonderful. Waking up to a text from BestFriend, cards from Sweetie and Bug, cookies delivered to work, and beautiful weather.

So far 32 rocks. Half my life ago I got my drivers license. My brother took me - it meant so much that he did that for me. Today I found myself back at the DPS, 16 years later renewing. It made me think back and smile.

There has been so much drama lately. I am happy that I can be there as support during all of this, but mostly, it makes me very grateful for my life. Although busy, and boring, is mine and good.

I just hope everyone who needs help, finds it. PLEASE!!!

we are all connected

First, my weekend was wonderful. Friday was a romantic date night. We used the remaining gift certificates from Sweetie's Halloween winnings last year. It made a $155 meal only $18. Woo hoo!
Saturday was my b-day gift from Bug, Madagascar 2. It was a fun movie. She slept through part of it. Fine by me as she was in my arms.
Sunday was brunch with Jim and in the evening was bowling with BestFriend. Bug beat me. Of course she had bumpers up and I didn't. All in fun, right?
We had quite a packed weekend.

This weekend was also good in a different way. A friend of mine had a miscarriage. I was able to send her my support and tell her that I understand. I hope it helped a little. I know it helped me when so many women told me that they had been through it as well.

Tonight and tomorrow night are busy as we prepare the house for the cable guy to come. Not only does it need a deep cleaning anyway, but we are finally getting cable. We have been without it since like 2001. We are adding it to save money. I know sounds so funny. So now we have to make room for a cable box.

Then my B-day. I am doing it very different this year. Since it is midweek, I am not having everyone over. I know it can be a pain to go someplace after work and then worry about getting home in time for bed. So I am declaring my b-day celebration on the weekend. We are going to Ren Fest this weekend anyway, what better time to celebrate. Plus we will be camping, so much fun!! So instead, tomorrow, we are going to Moms to eat some pizza and maybe play a game or two. We will see how it plays out. It will be weird not seeing all of the family tomorrow, but I am holding out for the weekend for the big fun. It isn't like it is a big birthday.

And I am back on the study bandwagon. I walked this morning listening to my lectures. I am very motivated to get this certification complete. It is like being in school again. Yay the semester is over, but the process is not - know what I mean? Next test hopefully is beginning of the year.

I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving. This year is SIL's turn for Thanksgiving and my turn for Christmas Eve. We are doing the Turkey Trot. It is a great way to start the unhealthy day :-) And we are already registered, so we will be there. I have wanted to do this for so many years. YAY!

feeling better

I have been sick. But today I am feeling better - YAY.

Next week is my birthday. I love birthdays. I love the day for me. However, I can never answer the question about what I want. I have trouble coming up with something I truly want. This year Sweetie picked his own gift. And it was a big one. So he said I should do the same. So I am thinking this one over. I know I want my house organized. I don't mean a maid service, but some time dedicated to getting off our asses and getting the place pretty.

I know what Bug is getting me. She is taking me to see Madagascar 2. It comes out tomorrow and she wants to see it. She is so much fun to take to the movies, so that is the plan. No present needed from her, just sittng with me watching a funny movie eating popcorn and candy.

Well I know one thing Sweetie is giving me - or rather doing. For the first time in his life he is going to give blood. This is awesome and means the world to me. In fact, everyone should give blood for my b-day.

So celebration wise, we aren't doing anything crazy. We are going to the Ren Fest the weekend after so I plan to celebrate there. Come one come all and join us in our fun. The actual day I plan to have a lazy evening with nothing crazy.

This weekend's plans changed yet we still have a full weekend planned, funny how that happens.

I have not fully been studying this week. I think I need the break. It is exhausting to think of 3 more tests. But I can do it, I just need to get off my ass and study.

Tonight we are going to see DarkDiva belly dance. This time she will be in the front row. Awesome. We also have a romantic date as well as bowling with friends planned for the weekend.

election night

We early voted and now we wait. Regardless of the outcome, it is exciting to be watching history in the making.

And the verdict is

I PASSED I PASSED I PASSED!!!!!!

All the hours of studying over the past two months, all of the hard work, all of it was worth it. I passed the first portion. It was the hardest test I have ever taken. There were a number of questions that I didn't know. It took the entire 3 hours to test. And I even used the 15 minute software tutorial at the beginning (in addition to the 3 hours) to jot down all the equations I could think of. It was hard. At the end I was exhausted. I wasn't in the fed up mind set, but rather respecting the test and knew if I didn't pass that it was ok as it was a hard test. Then they make you take a survey on how you studied and how the testing facilities were before finding out your test score. That took forever. And then I saw it:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

I am so happy. Thank you thyroid for being normal and letting my brain work. Thank you Sweetie for being so awesome with Bug. Thank you Bug for making me want to improve myself. Thank you Mom for listening to me freak out on a near daily basis. Thank you BestFriend for believing in me and pushing me.

One down three to go. I am taking the weekend off and beginning the next section's study on Monday.

Right now I need food. My right hand is killing me from being on a mouse for three hours. I guess I was clinching, lol.