Renewal of myself

I have been at home for two days..and have been thinking of things I want to accomplish and do this coming year. I have many goals but I need to start putting them down on paper or better yet on my blog so I can make sure that I will accomplish or try to make them. I miss blogging as it was always a way I could express myself and if no one reads this I am fine with that. Here is my list of things I would like to accomplish or do this coming year:

• Find my crafty "self" again..I miss creating things even if they were small things.
• Lose fifty more pounds before next fall.
• Study and take my RHIT exam by fall.
• Start planning our family vacation now. It helped so much last year by planning in advance last year. Mermaids here we come! (Tybee Island)
• Organize my craft stuff and maybe start a side business. My daughter just reminded me how crafty I was and she misses that. 

I am sure my list will grow but for now that is what I have. Being snowed/iced in has given me time to think about things I want to do this coming year. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Merry Christmas

I can't believe we are actually getting a white Christmas. The last time I saw this is when I was in Minnesota about ten years ago. It truly is beautiful and I hope there is more during the night into tomorrow. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family. Here are a few pictures:

This picture is four generations: my mom, grandma, Amber and me

Amber opening her gifts from us this morning. She was so excited to get some Aeropostle clothes.

Just a little smooch from my honey in the kitchen. He was such a wonderful helper while I was busy cooking and cleaning for our company that came in on Christmas Eve.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! xxx

Weekend fun

We have had a busy but fun weekend so far...
Friday we went to the mall with Amber and some of her friends. We actually had a great time looking at all the stores and I even scored a few deals at the Lane Bryant store. We went to Kohl's to get a wedding gift for some friends of ours that got married yesterday. Their wedding was so beautiful and so much fun. Their little wedding cake had sock monkey's on them:

Their motto is that "Monkey's make everything fun". I loved it. As the bride was saying her vows I got choked up too the emotion in her voice and quivering you could definitely feel how much she loved this man.It was so heart touching to see this.

It was a wonderful day of fun with friends. I love these two ladies so much. Jessica is my best bud and Mitzi is my friend I walk with whom I tell all my secrets to we have much needed "therapy" sessions during our lunch walk. We work together also. And now today is back to the grind yes I work on the weekends with my part time job and I need to finish my ethics memo for school. But it was nice to break up the routine of my usual weekends and have a little fun.

Fun at Tybee Island

Me, Mom and Amber at The Crab Shack. Yum! Jeff of course is the photographer here. :)

View from the third floor of The Reef where we at breakfast one morning.

Amber and Jeff at The Reef.

We are on River Street in Savannah.

Time to start planning

I have been a nervous wreck these past few months with so much going on in my life. My Mom's health hasn't been very good but she is starting to become stable again and I am so blessed she is still in my life. Also I just recently graduated from college with my A.S. in Health Information Technology. I plan on pursuing my bachelors in Health Information Administration after this semester. I needed a little time off. But the big thing I am starting to plan for is mine and Jeff's wedding. I don't even know where to begin! We are saving up money for expenses and a small honeymoon over a weekend but we haven't "set" a date yet. This is mainly because of financial reasons but we are thinking later in this year or early next year. I want to do something simple and very budget friendly. And I of course will be putting my creative hat on soon to think of decorations, color scheme, etc. More than likely it will be an outdoor wedding with a handful of close friends and family. I am very excited about starting this journey and will post some inspiration pictures on my blog. I miss blogging. Facebook is great but just sitting down and writing about my day or what I am feeling is something I miss. If anyone has any budget ideas for weddings please send them my way.

Got some exciting news to share..

Though I share more on my facebook and myspace pages now I still like to update my fellow bloggers as I do miss blogging but finding time seems nearly impossible but after I graduate I am sure my extra time will open back up. But.....I wanted to share something with you all. My boyfriend just proposed to me on Christmas Eve and I said YES! He has made my life so much better by coming into it since all the mess I had with my ex husband. Jeff makes me happy and we are so perfect for one another. I am just soooo very happy and can't wait to see what the future holds for us. God has definitely blessed me this time.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas..we definitely did!

Sharing some Halloween pics

This year I enjoyed the party as much as the kids did and forgot to take pictures of my spread and of the kids enjoying the party. The lighting was pretty dim in our house but I did manage to take a few pictures.

Amber is the tallest one of course in case you are wondering, these are the girls who spent the night. We have two boys for the party but they went home by 11pm. Fun times.

Yes one of Amber's friends dressed up as Gumby..we loved it. Phoenix was Gumby, Amber was a punk vampire and Makayla was a hippie.

And of course I got a smoochie from my Jeffy. <3 I love this man.

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween. We didn't get to trick or treat due to all the rain but we did have a few small kids show up for candy. Today I am getting motivated to go into work to finish up reviewing charts for my boss. She needs this early next week so I have offered to go in today. Also I have a bunch of coding homework to do too. This semester I have two coding courses, a CPT coding class and the other half of my ICD-9-CM coding class. Then next semester it is my practicum. I can't believe I will be graduating in Jan! And walking in Feb 10! I am going to continue on to obtain my bachelors in Health Information Administration. It should only be a two year since I have done my first two years for my associates. I am very excited. Have a great Sunday everyone!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween, this is one of my favorite holidays. We have a party planned for Amber and her friends so maybe I will have some pictures to share with you all. I have quite a bit of cleaning, baking and stuff to do today but wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Happy Weekend!

Today has been a great day except for the cold and rainy weather. Brrr! We took Mom to the Church Mouse Bazaar this morning and she enjoyed herself even in the cold. The bazaar had a few booths of handmade goods people have made to sell and we always enjoy looking at them all and getting ideas for our own craftiness or for my Grandma who is very creative with knitting, crocheting, and plastic canvas. I have been thinking of getting back in touch with my creative side. I use to love to scrap book, make things for Christmas gifts and of course making my Christmas cards. So much has happened in the last four years but things seem to be getting for us so maybe soon I can actually slow down and do some of this. The bazaar also has a yard sale that Mom and me love to rummage through. Jeff scored a computer for $20 that he is busy upgrading and will resale on craigslist. Amber of course got some new books to read. Mom and I got lots of goodies. I picked up a few candles, a purse, wreath that I will spray paint for Amber's halloween party, and some odds and ends. Mom bought some sewing kits, a basket, odds and ends and her best find a cooker for $7. It is like a rotissere but is flat for you to lay the meat or veggies on. I can't wait to try it out.
Now we are trying to warm back up and I am cleaning house. Later on I will work on some school work as I have quite a bit to turn in tomorrow. And next week is finals for these two courses. I can't believe I am so close to graduation...only three courses to go! And that includes my practicum that I will do at my job. I plan on continuing my education and going to Medical College of Georgia (online of course) for my bachelors in Health Information Administration. So wish me luck that I have all my core classes completed for entry as a junior at their college. I am quite nervous.
Well I have missed blogging as like most of my friends myspace and facebook have taken over alot of my time. But I have been reading everyone's blogs and hopefully I can keep up with mine better. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Stay warm! xxx

What a great week!

I had the best week, even though it has been pretty hectic at work. Wednesday was my birthday and Mom and Jeff had a surprise for me. I had thought we were going to the SS office for Mom so I got off work at 12pm. Well when I got in the car, Mom said surprise we are going to Grandma's. She said our gift can't fit in the mailbox and Grandma told me I would have to come and get it. I was totally surprised. When we get to Grandma's she told me that my gift was a new car! I was floored! It is a 2001 Ford Focus! I was sooooo happy. I have needed a car for a while now as mine died, the one I bought back earlier this year so this was exactly what I wanted and needed. We ate out for my birthday at a little chinese resturant and visited with Grandma for a bit and then traveled back home. We didn't get back until almost 9pm. I had a very blessed birthday and one of the best yet. Jeff had known about my surprise for almost a week before we went, he was busy getting insurance on the car and talking to Mom about it. They are so sneaky and I love them both so much. This weekend we might go out for drinks and dancing. I am very excited about that and also my friend Sheri is coming home from California for a while so I will get to spend some "girly" time with her. Well that is about all going on. Hopefully my blog posts will be more frequent..and hopefully I can start keeping up better with my blogging buds. I miss yall. Have a great weekend everyone!

Long weekend..

I have had a wonderful long, four day weekend. Enjoying time with my family, cleaning a bit and just overall being lazy for the most part. Amber is out of school this week for spring break so I wanted to at least take a few days with her. We visited an old friend of mine on Sunday and Amber will be spending time with her tomorrow night. They are having a girls night. I went ahead and gave Amber her Easter basket this past weekend because she will be with her Dad on Easter weekend. Things like this are hard for me but I am willing to share because it is his weekend.

My Mom is doing okay. I have been very worried about her. She had cardioversion done two weeks ago and the effects of the cardioversion lasted only a few days. She went right back into A-fib at her next cardiologist appointment. She was very discouraged and has become very depressed. I try to keep her in good spirits but I know she is tired from all of this. They put her on a stronger medicine to hopefully convert her but to give her some stamina. So far it has been making her feel worse so we will see what the cardiologist says tomorrow. They are already talking about a second cardioversion.

I have had alot of my plate lately but hopefully soon I can clear my mind more and keep optomistic. I still feel run down but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel soon. I have a loving family and I am trying to focus on that to pull me through all of this. I plan on taking a mini vacation this summer and hopefully be able to take Mom with us. She has not been on a vacation in many years. She needs that. Please keep us in your prayers everyone in blog land. Okay I a off to read a few blogs...trying to play catch up..

What a lovely weekend...and some life changes

This weekend has been very pretty, I am SOO ready for the warmer temps and prettier weather. I love seeing everything bloom. And I am already thinking of what I would like to plant in the yard. I have been thinking of making another iris bed, even though it takes a year or so for them to bloom it is all worth it. I use to love planting flowers.

I have really been thinking about alot of things lately, things I want to change. One big change I want to endure is changing my eating habits and trying to lose weight. I have set a small goal and hopefully I can stick to my guns with doing better. Seeing my Mom struggle all her life with weight and now to have many illnesses some due to her being overweight really has bothered me. I wish there was a magic pill to lose all the weight but there truly isn't. I think by exercising, eating right and drinking plenty of water I will shed the weight off. Wish me luck, as this is something I have struggled with for over 10 years now. If anyone has any advice I am up for it. You can email me or leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

I am also wanting to start to enjoy life again..really I have fallen to the routine and not enjoyed each day at it comes. I go to work, come home and cook, get online and play, and then do schoolwork. Hardly spending time with my family, hardly enjoying my hobbies, I am about to change some things. I have missed having a blog and all my blog friends so I hope to really keep up and type often on here. Myspace and Facebook are the devil..I am convinced. I have been enjoying Facebook more now though. So that is about it from my end. Just alot of life changes...hope you are all doing great.

Guess what?

I got a new (used) car today!!! I was so excited since I haven't had a car *really* since November when I was in my car wreck. I have been so scared to drive too but I got back on the road today and drove it home. I can't wait to drive it to work next week. I know I am such a dork to have such small things mean so much, but they do.

Tomorrow I am off from work...trying to destress from work and school. I am a little burned out. But I really took off because my Mom has a doctor's appointment in the morning and I want to make sure everything is okay with her. I still need to finish up our old house, we need to finish up with cleaning and moving everything to the storage unit.

So what has everyone been up to? Noone comes by to see me anymore..sniff sniff...

Time for a quiz

This was stolen from Shanny

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

I had a pretty serious car wreck

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No I didn't, I am making goals for this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit?

None.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

More stability with money, my degree.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Jan 1- Mine and Jeff's anniversary

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Staying in school with all the drama that was going on.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not setting up a good budget for us.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes, I had a car wreck in November and I am still paying for it.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A digi cam.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Jeff and Amber. They have put up with me through all the drama this past year brought.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The ex, some people will never grow up.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Bills, bills and more bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Christmas but unfortunately it wasn't all that great. :(

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

In the Ayer

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter? About the same.
c) richer or poorer?

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Saved money for a trip this year.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With my family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Yes, Jeff is truly a wonderful man, and I fall in love with him more and more each day.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

CSI, Bones, House, Forensics shows and Crime TV.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope, I hate the same people.

24. What was the best book you read?

I didn't read any books last year, this year I hope to read at least three.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Can't think of any new discoveries.

26. What did you want and get?

Amber to have a good Christmas, and she did.

27. What did you want and not get?

A vacation.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Iron Man.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

We went out to a nice restaurant and came home and watch movies. I turned 31 this year.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Winning the lottery for sure!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Professional but at times cute.

32. What kept you sane?

My boyfriend, daughter, Mom and my pug.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

No one in particular.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The presidential election.

35. Who did you miss?

Amber, when she went to her Dad's alot during the Christmas holiday.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Brigit. She's quirky like me and is a really great friend.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Have patience.

Worrying won't help situations, take each day as it comes and hope for the best.

It's that time of the year

I just wanted to wish all my friends a Happy Holiday!

It's the weekend..

Wow I can't believe I haven't posted in a month and a half. Things have been wild around here. I seem to be going non stop and never any time to relax and unwind. Hopefully after the New Year things will slow down a bit. The holidays are always a struggle for me and my family. It seems always something gets in the way of making it a great holiday.

I was in a car wreck a few weeks ago. I thankfully walked away but I am still having some problems with my neck and back. The guy who hit me t-boned me in my side. Luckily he hit more towards the backseat and not me. I start therapy on Monday. My car is totaled leaving us with nothing to drive. Times are hard so Jeff being the barter person he is. Bartered an older laptop and gave the guy a little money for a car. Unfortunately the transmission went out so now we had to fix that. I know in my heart things will get better but gosh what else is going to happen? I am already a worry wart anyway so this really bugs me. I just feel blessed Amber wasn't with me when this happened.

My mom is having some difficulties and she isn't being too compliant with her diabetes. She is not eating like she should and letting her sugar get too low. I spent some time with her yesterday. We went to a craft bazaar at the church and got some great ideas for my grandma to keep her busy. But when we got back to her house she wasn't acting right. So I made her something to eat. It took her a while to eat it but after about an hour or so she started acting alright. I have been getting onto her about not eating a full meal and in between meals. She needs to eat more. :( I just hope we don't have to spend Christmas in the hospital like we did last year. My grandmother was in the hospital on Christmas and then after New Year's my Mom was in the hospital. It wasn't a good holiday let me tell you.

Onto good news Amber has her first band program at school on Tuesday. She is a little nervous but I know she will do good. I am proud of her. She plays clarinet and she is first year band. They are playing three Christmas songs and Amber knows them all pretty well and plays great.

Well that is all that is really going on now, just alot of chaos before the holidays. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.

All about my man

I saw this on Lisanne's blog so I am borrowing it :)

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV. What’s on the screen? Usually the News or something on the Discovery Channel or it might even be something on Comedy Central.

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Blue cheese or Ranch.

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like? Beans and peas.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Corona.

5. Where did he go to high school? Arizona.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 10

7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? Anything with Superman on it, computer parts/cables, and of course Car magazines.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Philly Cheese steak.

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Chinese, jalapenos, salsa.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Raisin Bran.

11. What would he never wear? He wears most anything from shorts to khakis. Though he has told me he isn't too fond of slacks.

12. What is his favorite sports team? Broncos (I believe).

13. Who will he vote for? Obama.

14. Who is his best friend? Me. :)

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Nag him sometimes about things. I can be a nuisance sometimes and I know it. :) But he still loves me.

16. How many states has he lived in?I wouldn't even begin to guess. I would say though close to 12 maybe.

17. What is his heritage? Korean.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?Chocolate cake.

19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes he played football.

20. What could he spend hours doing? Surfing, watching music videos, car racing videos on the internet.

The weekend's over

It's funny to me how time flies when you are having fun and staying busy. Here is a recap of our weekend.

Saturday - Mom, Amber and I all went shopping ALL day long. We went to the Church Bazaar early in the morning and we go each year together. I got a few Halloween decorations. I found a skeleton garland, I thought it was too cool. It now hangs in my doorway from the kitchen to the living room. Mom got alot of books (as usual) and Amber also found some books too. Then we went to the Salvation Army in search of a floor lamp for Mom. We didn't have any luck with finding a lamp there but Amber found a few small toys to play with her Barbies. Yes Amber does still play with her Barbies. :) We ate at Krystal's for lunch which was good. Then our last stop was a Vintage Fleamarket. I could go nuts in this place as they have over 180 booths with all kinds of old stuff, candles, handmade goods and more. I was good though. Mom found a floor lamp in good condition for only $8! I can't believe it. She really enjoyed her day with us even though she did have a few episodes of not being able to breathe too good (she has COPD). But all in all it was a very fun day for us girls. My poor hunny, Jeff had to open/close so he was at the store for 16 hours. He was beat when he came home at 2am. Amber and I watched "Fingerprints". Let me just say that wasn't a good movie at all. I was disspointed. I wanted to see a good horror flick and this was just bad.

Sunday- I spend most of the day working on my lab assignment for Data applications and tried my best on my Algebra pretest's, finally making a 85!I have three more tests to take and that includes the final to have done by this Thurs. Also my Data applications final is due by Thursday. I should do well on the Data App. final, I usually do good in all my computer courses. :) I cleaned up a bit and also did mounds of laundry. I can't believe how much laundry I did. We ate supper at our favorite chinese resturant. And boy have I missed eating there but I doubt we will eat there again soon. For a while we ate there twice a week, and we got burned out on it. So now we just eat there maybe once every few weeks. Which is also better on our budget. :)

Well that is about all I did for the weekend, I kept pretty busy. Today I am off from work, and I will start back working on my Alegbra soon. Wish me luck. After I pass this class I have only more semester of this three part Algebra class. I just was never good at Math. Have a great day everyone!

What a lazy weekend!

This weekend has been a really lazy one. Most of the time we are always on the go whether it be going yard saling or to thrift stores. Jeff shares a love of yard sales and thrift stores with me. I am blessed by this. But this weekend we have just stayed at the house. We watched a few movies and I have been gearing the house up for Halloween. Going through my decorations I realized I didn't have as much as I did last year so I am not sure if I put them up in the attic with the Christmas decorations or not. I guess I will find out closer to Christmas. I love the cooler temps we have been having. The only downfall is I can't open the windows because we don't have screens on them. We may end up putting some on ourselves if they aren't too costly.

I do have some exciting news about my boyfriend Jeff. He is now general manager at Domino's! He starts his new position tomorrow and is sooo excited about this transistion. He has worked really hard for this promotion. He will only have to work open to close two days a week and the rest of the time it is day shift. I am so happy about this as for the longest he has closed being assistant manager. Some nights he would come in at 2am or 3am. I really didn't like this but glad things are going to change.

Amber is doing great in school. She has been active in band and slowly learning how to play her clarinet. She gets frustrated sometimes but it is a slow process and I tell her to keep practicing, it will pay off.

School for me is getting harder with my Algebra, I am not doing as well in it as I thought. But I am trying so that keeps me busy in the evenings. The other class I am taking this semester is Excel with Applications. It is alot of fun but at times confusing with some of the functions but I basically grasp it better than Algebra. Work is going okay for me, I am ready for a transistion but there isn't anything open to move up to. So I am hanging in there.

So what has everyone been up to? I miss hearing from everyone. Have a great Sunday!

Here I go again..

I am promising this is my last "move". I have a hard time remembering passwords and usernames when I don't blog much. I hope to get back into blogging. I miss all my blogging friends and feel very bad for not keeping up like I want to. I am very busy these days as some of you may know with school and work. I have been in college (online) for almost a year now. Here lately I have been struggling with Algebra, anyone good with graphs?

Can you believe it is almost fall? This is my favorite season and I enjoy all the festivals that come in the fall time. They have the Apple Festival in Ellijay that I hope to go to this year with my family. I am looking trying to find a few others for us to enjoy this year.

Amber is doing great, she is now a middle schooler. I can't believe my baby is a preteen and she has the attitude to go with it. They just grow up too quickly. She is playing clarinet this year and doing pretty good with learning how to play it.

Jeff is great, he is getting his own Domino's store soon. I am so proud of him. He has worked so hard at the current store as assistant manager and now is being promoted to General manager at another store. And I am so happy it is only one town away. I was so worried he would be up in Atlanta somewhere. His district manager supervises 9 different stores in the surrounding area. So he was blessed to be so close to home.

Anyone seen the movie "Igor" yet? Amber and I saw this movie last night and it was cute. We enjoyed our "mommy and daughter" time. We went window shopping before we went to the movie at The Halloween Store, Michael's, and Goodwill. I saw alot of stuff I wanted at Michael's but what I got was under$2. I got a cute little chandlier foam ornament. I think I am going to "glitter" it up. Also a two pack of picture frames for .49! Can you believe it????!! I plan on making something with these, because they are the bigger frames for like posters. Who knows what I will create. And also a cute journal for Amber. At Goodwill I got a cute tin (to add to my collection) with a music box someone made into the lid..it is neat. I also got a unused Pirate Scrapbook kit (paper and stickers). I was shocked to see scrapbook stuff there.

Well I believe that is all for now..gone to play around with my new blog and get my links uploaded.