A Year of Change

2010 is almost gone, and I have taken part in all the "must do's" on this New Year's Eve. I've watched a movie with my babies; I've sipped pink champagne; and I've set off fireworks (and managed not to burn the house down or blow off a limb!)

It's been a very eventful year. Some parts were really, really bad. Others were really, really good. There were days when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball in bed and not move for a month. There were other days that nothing short of the end of the world would have caused me to come down off my high.

All of these events led to some significant changes in me and my life. I'm stronger now than I was in January. Gaining this strength was not easy or painless. I coped with significant losses that, honestly, I did not feel I would ever be able to overcome. And, keeping in the honest mode, I haven't yet fully healed from some of the wounds I received during 2010.

But--and this is where you might consider me insane--I'm glad. I'm glad for the hurt, because it means I know what it is to feel. I'm glad for the losses, because I'm now free to start anew. I'm glad for the really, really bad days, because I'm able to truly appreciate the really, really good ones.

2011 is quickly approaching, and, although I'll have the list of New Year's resolutions like most everyone else, that won't be my focus for the new year. My focus will be on those I love--my Lord, my babies, my family and my friends--and on my new reality. My life is my life. My mistakes are my mistakes. My triumphs are my triumphs.

It's up to me now, so look out 2011!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”



                                           ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Top Ten Nicknames of 2010

If anyone has met me for more than 30 seconds, he or she knows I tend to nickname folks. And, in my defense, it's not just me; because, honestly, what fun would a nickname be if others don't know it?

So, here is my top ten list of most used nicknames during the year of 2010, in no particular order.

1) BP
2) The Warden
3) FL
4) BFF
5) Distraction (recent, yet frequently used, addition to the list)
6) Old Man
7) Jaw Pain
8) The Girls
9) Dips*&% (used with the over 21 crowd)
10) Twit (Okay, this one pretty much applied to any of my kids that were acting up. It fit them all!)

Of all eloquence a nickname is the most concise; of all arguments the most unanswerable.”



                                                    ~William Hazlitt

Words from a Great Philosopher--Take Two

If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.



                                               ~Winnie the Pooh
                                                                            Pooh's Little Instruction Book

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

I've caught the plague.

Okay, so maybe I'm being a wee bit melodramatic. I've caught the flu from my little girl. Although I love her sharing nature, in this case, I would have been fine if she kept it all to herself.

Now, I'm pretty good as a patient. Mainly because I spend A LOT of time on the phone with those I love. Anyone that I will call when I'm sick knows how to make me laugh and feel good even through muscle aches and chills. And I know that they love me when they will talk to me for hours on end just to cheer me up (in between naps and taking care of my baby, of course.)

Thank you for taking my mind off the ick!

“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator; but among those whom I love, I can: all of them can make me laugh.”




                                                         ~W. H. Auden

Lord Be With Me!

Short and sweet update.

My baby girl has the flu. This was confirmed after a four hour wait at the doc-in-the-box.

My refrigerator's defrost cycle and ice maker have both gone kaplooey. I am currently attempting to fix the problems by various means including blow drying the frost off the back of my freezer and removing parts.

My son is making up his own soup recipe and cooking dinner tonight.

Dear Lord, please keep me from dying of the plague, electrocution or poisoning. Amen.

If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. 
                                   ~John Kenneth Galbraith

The Greatest Present Ever!

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.



So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.


And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."


Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."


When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."


So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
                                                                                        ~Luke 2: 1-20

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. May the joy of the season be upon you!



An angel to watch over you, MAU!



                     Love,

                                                                                         

                              Christie

Baby, Baby, Baby, Oooooh!

It happened. Despite my best attempts for the longest time, I was indoctrinated into the Bieber Fever Fan Club.

As an early Christmas gift, I took my 7 (and a half, as she will be quick to point out) year old daughter to see Justin Bieber in concert last night. She was decked out from head-to-toe in appropriate Bieber attire, looking quite the part of adoring fan. Mom, having received word through the grapevine that the paternal escorts were to dress up for such great events, remained in a quandary as to what to wear up to the very last second. Going for the split-the-difference plan, I went with jeans with heels. This appeared to be an acceptable choice from a casual visual survey of the other moms in attendance. (It appeared the dads felt none of the same pressure to be dressed appropriately, but that's a whole different blog.)

After some anxiety causing delays (a wreck on the interstate), and some, um, intense driving (Thank you, God, for having the state troopers somewhere else!) we made it to the concert while the opening act was still on-stage. Meeting up with my friend and her daughter, those under the age of 10 were soon dancing and singing. Mommas were left grinning from ear to ear.

My heart-melting moment came towards the end of the concert. My daughter turned to me with this serious, sincere look, hugs me, and says, "Thank you Momma!" Yep! That was the look that will win my heart over and over again. It was SO worth the hearing loss and sleep deprivation.

Baby, baby, baby, oh

Like baby, baby, baby, no

Like baby, baby, baby, oh

I thought you'd always be mine, mine

For you, I would have done whatever

And I just can't believe we're here together

And I wanna play it cool, but I'm losin' you

I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring

And I'm in pieces, baby fix me

And just shake me 'til you wake me from this bad dream

I'm goin' down, down, down, down

And I just can't believe my first love won't be around

Appreciation

Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate my friends? You talk about wonderful, amazing, incredible people! I would have to say I am one of the most fortunate women in the world.

My best friend Hannah rolled into town yesterday to work on some home projects. Afterwards, we were able to go out and just have some "girl time," which was great. In addition, we met up with some old friends, and I was able to make some new ones.

I'm so thankful for my life!

True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island..to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.”



                                      ~Baltasar Gracian

My Apologies

I want to apologize for my little outburst on yesterday's blog. Not that I didn't mean every word of it, or that I recant the sentiment. I apologize because I like to be positive even under negative circumstances, and yesterday I wasn't.

The good news is, my positive is back! First, Hannah is rolling into town tonight so we can go out with some old friends. Second, during her stay, she's going with me to look at bling! It will be a few months before I'll actually GET the bling and be able to wear it around, but I'm going to have a blast picking it out! Finally, I was able to spend a fantastic day with my baby bro and his fiancee along with my family and some of her family.

Yep! I found my positive!

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”



                                                  ~Robert Collier

GROW UP!

I'm done. If you want to read my blog, read it. Stop stalking me through a proxy server thinking you are fooling anyone. You aren't.  And it just angers me that A) you think I'm stupid enough not to figure it out and B) you keep lying to me. GROW UP!


“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”



                                         ~Abraham Lincoln

Thank You!

Have you ever received a "thank you" from someone that made you feel like YOU were the one who should be giving thanks?

This week has just been amazing for me in that way, and I'm sure that has been a significant part of my happy mood of late. First, I received praise from someone whom I admire and respect at my place of employment. Then, I had one of my work kids state she wanted a caseworker just like me from the other agency with whom she works. Following that, today, one of my work kids and her therapist purchased me a bracelet and earrings for a Christmas gift. And then, to wrap up the day, one of my other work babies drew me a picture with "#1 caseworker ever!" written across the bottom.

There are just some days you couldn't ask for more! Thank you all so very much!

"You are the greatest gift I have ever received. The love you show me is great and far more than I could ask for in my life."

DANG!!!!

I was happy today. Not just a "It's a nice day." type happy. I was almost giddy.

It's been a very long time since I've felt as happy, and I must say, I've missed it. I've been smiling and laughing and talking (Okay, no shock there.) all day long to anyone and everyone. I guess today I was realizing how much I love those in my life, and the blessing these people--my friends, my family, and my almost family--are to me!

My life isn't perfect. Far from it. But it's pretty dang great, imperfect and all!


“We've got to learn hard things in our lifetime, but it's love that gives you the strength. It's being nice to people and having a lot of fun and laughing harder than anything, hopefully every single day of your life.”

                                         ~ Drew Barrymore

“When you express your gratitude, you will bring joy to others’ lives. When others know joy, your life will be filled with happiness.”


                                         ~ Arthur Dobrin

Words from a Great Philosopher

Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?



                                     ~Winnie the Pooh

Mustang Sally!

I'm so excited! I just found out I'm going to have a Mustang parked in my driveway very soon! I'm more than a little excited that the driver will be there too!

“Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven.”



                                       ~Tryon Edwards

In a Hurry

There is a song by the band Alabama called "I'm in a Hurry (and I Don't Know Why.) It first came out when I was in college, and I remember cranking the radio up at work to listen to it. During that time, I just knew I had the craziest schedule between classes and my part-time job. I really wish I could go back in time and Gibbs-slap myself.

Each year I think things will calm down, or I'd at least become more organized. Nah! Things to do and places to be just seem to multiply, and my organizational skills just never seem to catch up. I could let this make me crazy. Instead, I try to remember a few facts.

1) All housework will be there tomorrow. If my babies need me, they will have me, laundry be damned.
2) Tomorrow really is another day. Short of the trumpets blaring and angels descending, there always will be additional time to accomplish most of what I want to do.
3) God first, family second, work third. If everything stays in this order, I should be good to go.
4) Life is a gift meant to be enjoyed. I won't foolishly waste this gift being stressed 24/7.

There ARE times when I forget these simple facts. But, luckily, I've become really good at mentally Gibbs- slapping myself back to reality!

I'm in a hurry to get things done

Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun

All I really got to do is live and die

But I'm in a hurry and don't know why.

                ~Alabama

Surviving

***SARCASM ALERT***SARCASM ALERT***SARCASM ALERT***SARCASM ALERT***

In a desperate attempt to survive my "long and lonely life," I found two random strangers with whom to spend a Friday night. If only I could have had some fun!

Whitney--The hardest working "non-working" mother I know. Student, volunteer, mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. Oh! and she's selling her house too! She just might be a little stressed!

Robin--One of the best friends any woman could want. Funny, intelligent, loving, sympathetic and decidedly evil when the need arises. The perfect soul to have in your corner!

The three of us eating some Italian goodies!



Always good having another psych major as a friend! Cuts down on therapy costs!




Even better when you have a social work major as a friend too! Her definition of bizarre and mine are the same!



Okay, apparently double-dog dares still work with me. Random cute little boy at the bar. Very nice, and I felt VERY old! (Left with Whitney and Robin, just so everyone knows!)



"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

Good Morning Sunshine!

There are days when I become nostalgic for parts of my childhood, especially during this time of the year. Memories of favorite t.v. shows, games and trips circle in my mind like a carousel; and some of these memories make it into my contemporary life.

For instance, I have always sung the song, "Good Morning Sunshine" to my kids in the morning. This was the intro to the Captain Kangaroo t.v. show on PBS, a favorite in my young days. The song is the only part of Captain Kangaroo my kids will ever know, though, as the show was long gone before they were even a glimmer in my eye.

It makes me wonder, what part of me will people remember when in a nostalgic mood and I'm long gone?  Who knows? All I do know is that I will strive always to be the best person I can be, and in this way, I hope to produce the best memories for those I love!

“Nostalgia: A device that removes the ruts and potholes from memory lane.”



                                                         ~Doug Larson

A New Reality

So, I'm officially single again.

This wasn't how I planned out my life. Trust me. I was planning on rocking chairs on the front porch holding great-grands in my lap with my hard-of-hearing hubby. Those visions were my reality.

Now I'm adjusting to a new reality. Getting the kids up and going in the mornings with no backup. Juggling work, kids, church, home, more kids' stuff, etc., and trying to do so without losing my mind. And, more than likely, more work hours on my plate.  

What I see in my future is me continuing in counseling and hopefully furthering my career. I see my two children growing and becoming all that God wants them to be. I see myself spending more time with my parents and brother and his wife. I foresee rocking on the front porch loving on nieces and nephews, and, yes, eventually--WAY in the future--grands and great-grands. (I don't see a hubby there right now, but that's not to say there won't be one.)

Most importantly, I see myself happy, truly happy. Being alone or being with someone no longer determines that fact for me. That's my new reality.

“Pleasure may come from illusion, but happiness can come only of reality.”



                                                  ~Chamfort

A Vacation of a Lifetime

Taylorville Primary Singers

Well, if you haven't guessed by this point, my family and I went to Walt Disney World for a vacation.

Not only did I get to enjoy Disney World and all its pleasures, I also watched my baby girl perform with her primary school choir in Downtown Disney. If I was a better writer, I might be able to describe the pride I had the moment I saw my baby singing and dancing on stage. Since my talent isn't up to par for the task, just know that there have been few moments I've ever been as proud--and I've never been prouder!

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.

The End

13 years, 11 months and 22 days.

Thank you so much for your love, friendship and support. You will always have a piece of my heart.

“As I look back on all that's happened..growing up, growing together, changing you, changing me -- there were times when we dreamed together, when we laughed and cried together. As I look back on those days, I realize how much I truly miss you and how much I truly love you. The past may be gone forever..and whatever the future holds, our todays make the memories of tomorrow. So, my lifetime friend, it is with all my heart that I send you my love, hoping that you'll always carry my smile with you, for all we have meant to each other and for whatever the future may hold.”

A Week of Quotes--Day 7

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.



                                                    ~Walt Disney

A Week of Quotes--Day 6

All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.                                                        ~Walt Disney

A Week of Quotes--Day 5

When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.



                                                    ~Walt Disney

A Week of Quotes--Day 4

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.



                                                     ~Walt Disney

A Week of Quotes--Day 3

The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.



                                                    ~Walt Disney

A Week of Quotes--Day 2

I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.



                                                ~Walt Disney