MERRY CHRISTMAS

to: YOU AND YOURS

from: ME & MINE

Going for the worst blogger of the year award

I'm not going to sit here and make big promises to blog "this many times a week", or even apologize for not blogging a single time since March.

It's quite simple really... I've. Been. Busy.

With my unexpected heart surgery in April- yes it sucked, yes I am still recovering (nerve damage), but yes I'm fine. To the amazing family benefit we put on for Tom's family after his passing ($30K+ raised) to summer fun in the sun, life in general and utter lack of writing motivation, I am placing myself in the running for the "worst blogger of the year" award.

Please vote people!

I will admit that I feel better when I blog- it's almost a release of some sort. So I need to make a better effort to get on here.

Ramblings on a Tuesday Afternoon

In little over a month since my last post, more has happened than the 18 months prior in which I was the non-existent blogger.

First of all, at the beginning of February our dear friend, Tom, was admitted to the hospital with complications due to his ongoing battle of Mestastic Melenoma. After a very long 3 weeks of watching him deteriorate daily, he passed away at his home surrounded by family on February 14th. It has been very hard on everyone close to him and it sometimes feels like the mourning will never end. My heart breaks for Roxanne & Nathan every day. In the weeks since his passing, I've begun to look at life a little differently. I'm trying to no longer sweat the small stuff. It is true. Life IS too short.
We continue to coordinate the benefit that we started planning when he was still alive and will use all proceeds for the mountain of medical bills as well as living expenses for his wife and 2yr old son.

Second on the list, Parker no longer has his temps.... he is a State of Wisconsin licensed driver! And will soon be getting his own car. He is actually very good driver from what I've seen so far, BUT I do also understand that he is a teenage boy!

Last but not least- About 10 days ago, I was diagnosed with a Pericardial Cyst. In a CT scan of my abdomen (because of abdominal pain) it was noticed that I have a 5cm x 5cm cyst on my heart. I am surprisingly calm and not making any assumptions. Loaded with a notebook full of questions, I have consultation with one of the best Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons in the Valley tomorrow to discuss the diagnosis as well as treatment options. Yes, I'm nervous but No, I'm not freaking out like a lunatic......well not yet!

I fought the FLU and the FLU won...

I don't feel good
Nausea
Fever
Lungs are heavy
Uncontrollably runny nose
Ears itch and hurt
Nose is raw
Zzzzz's
Aches
It started with the sniffles and a scratchy throat on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday, it was a full on stuffed nose- occasionally turning on like my kitchen faucet- which used an entire box of Kleenex, sinus pressure, hacking cough and lets not forget the man voice. By late Wednesday morning I knew I needed the medical advise of the DR and the verdict came back that it was the good ole' fashioned flu. A twenty five dollar co-pay, doctors note with instructions of not returning to work the rest of the week, gallon of orange juice and a box of Mucinex D later, I was home in my jammies and barricaded in my room. It was not until Friday morning that my fever broke and I was finally free to leave the confines of my sick bed and move to the couch- and the big screen TV!
Back to work tomorrow- still not feeling 100% - but at least feeling half human again.
Oh, by the way- yes, I did have a flu shot this year, and no I will not be getting another one. Ever.

Tough Times

Have you ever been floating along through life and come upon something drastic to make you look at life in a different light? Something drastic enough to make you really delve into the way you've been attending to the drivers seat of life? And then... "BAM" you hit a brick wall and find yourself immediately trying to put life in reverse. Trying not to fall into a case of the "shoulda, woulda, coulda's"?
A year ago, I hit that brick wall when my friend Farrah passed away unexpectedly. Today, I hit that same damn wall with some bad medical new on a very close friend. Unfortunately, I think J is in the car of life with me on this one as well and that's the part that hurts the worst.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you tonight and always- Tom, Roxanne & little Nate- we love you

Say it ain't so...

Is it possible that I've actually caught up with life and am back on the blogging wagon? After a year and a half?
It is possible... and it is true...I'm back bitches!

I'm not going to try to make up for lost time, no sense dwelling in the past, a fresh start to a new year.

But since I know you all have been sitting in front of your computer for 18 months, biting your nails and wondering when the hell I'd start posting again.... here is a quicky breakdown since the last post (not in any particular order):

* Parker has his temps- yes, it seems that the State of Wisconsin feels he is responsible enough to be behind the wheel. I think the State of Wisconsin and I may need to have a talk.
* We bought a house and yes it came with a fenced yard for Daisy and the perfect deck for drinking beers in the summer!
* J had a third of his middle finger amputated after a work related accident. He still has enough left to get his point across!
* I moved from customer service/office coordinator to accounting assistant at work and I love it.
* I celebrated my funeral- and by funeral I mean my 30th birthday. Blah.

Honestly, I can't think of anything else that has happened. It appears as though my life is ridiculously boring and something to blog about only happens about once every 4.3 months. There has to be more... just let me think a while...