Spent almost 4 hours going through boxes in the garage. Got rid of a ton if stuff and inhaled way too much dust. Will be back in there tomorrow.

Day 353 of 365

Here we are on day three of this &$*%& cyst. This one is taking its sweet time in rupturing. I am NOT a happy camper. I just want it to be done and over with so I can be my normal happy self again. It just wants to make me miserable. I think it is winning :(

Days like these remind me of why I hate that dang gyno in Odessa so much. May the fleas if a thousand camels infest his groin.

Day 351 of 365

I am so glad to be back in bed. Had a great weekend with Jim and Lizzy but I sure love my bed.

Day 350 of 365

I just love how some people insist on calling people names and believing that it speaks ill of the person they are talking about. The only person it truly reflects poorly on is the person doing the talking. Don't try to make yourself seem better (to yourself or to anyone else) by talking bad about others. The only people that will believe you are the ones with the poor self esteem around you that behave in the same manner.

It should also be noted that wasting time "hating" someone you used to love does not not mean you are over them. When you are really over someone, you simply don't care what they do either way. If, after years go by, you still aren't able to let go of whatever hurt and anger you may be experiencing, seek professional help. Just some friendly advice.

Day 349 of 365

Very long day and still a couple hours until it is over. Been up since 6. Cleaned most of the day and now we are on our way back to Marlin from San Angelo after dropping off Emmy and picking up Lizzy. So stinking tired.

Day 348 of 365

I finally decided to tackle some of the boxes in the garage. WOW! Am way dusty and cried out. I knew I missed my grandma but had no idea just how much. I talk to her often but it is nice when I get those little confirmations that she is listening. I love and miss her so much.

Day 347 of 365

As I was mulling over the topic of my daily post today, I had decided that I would write about addiction. Well as so often happens, something came along and changed my mind about that. I have some possible news that I am itching to write about, but can't really do so without "jinxing" myself so for now I will keep a lid on it. (For those of you that know me well, I am sure you are picturing me sitting at my desk jumping up and down screeching "but I wanna talk about it please oh please" but I just can't....yet :) So for now I will simply say, in this one situation, please God, let an overwhelming amount of patience come over me and remind me that good things come to those who wait. That is all.

Day 346 of 365

Well had one of those unappreciated days today. Kicked back in my recliner and took a half hour nap. Woke at 9 and decided to go to bed because I was tired and achey. Fell asleep instantly only to wake up a couple hours later with "tummy troubles" and now can't sleep. Oh the joy!

Day 345 of 365

Had a wonderful weekend followed by a productive Monday. Going to bed at a decent hour. Night all :)

Day 344 of 365

Just read that one of my former students passed away early Saturday morning. He was driving and had a rollover accident. He was only 24. So sad for his family.

Day 343 of 365

What a day! Got lots done and Emmy has a friend staying the night. Hope the living room is still clean in the morning! WTG Texas Rangers in ALCS CHAMPIONSHIP!

Day 342 of 365

Had a wonderful evening with my honey and angelgirl :)

Day 341 of 365

Got a little more done today. Looking forward to the weekend with my honey and my angel girl :)

Day 340 of 365

I have a feeling that very very soon, I will start to pay for my raisin' as my granny used to say. I am the mother of an 11 year old girl...or as she likes to say 11 AND A HALF. That being said, she is currently bringing along all that being 11 entails. Mood swings, hormones, she's up, she's down. Yep, we are about to be the proud parents of a teenager. I remember those days of not knowing which way was up. Being on the verge of tears and having absolutely no idea why. Laughing up a storm one minute, then feeling like you want the world to disappear and take you with it the next. That is what we are starting. Now granted, she does have some real issues she is dealing with, and those are private so I will not be sharing them here, however much of it is just her changing body. What can a mom do? I just wrap my arms around her sweet self and remind her that she is not the first girl to ever feel like this, nor will she be the last. I also remind her that we love her, cherish her and will be here through all of the changes.

Being in the midst of all this is bringing up memories of that time for me. On that dastardly day when I started my period (12 years 6 months and 4 days old, July 4 1985), my mom was in the middle of one of many periods of depression. I had pretty much zero support in the area of what was going on with my body. I will not let that happen to my angel girl. If anything, I probably over compensate in the area of making sure she knows what is going on with her. At least she is aware that I am here and am not going anywhere. She also knows that she can bring any question to me at all and she will get an honest and very open answer. I have NOT always been the best mother, but I think I am making up for that. So glad that the judge agreed that a daughter belongs with her mother at this formative time.

Day 339 of 365

I am just really dragging today. Hoping for a big burst of energy.

Day 338 of 365

So so tired. Goodnight

Day 337 of 365

Had such a beautiful weekend with my baby! I love you, sweetheart, more than words could ever express. Thank you :)

Day 336 of 365

First off, I will not deny that I am actually writing this the day after it was supposed to be posted. I won't make apologies for that though as it was our anniversary and I was busy enjoying my honey, rather than posting. I will also admit that I am pre-dating it to make it look like I posted on time LOL

Woke up in the arms of my amazing fiance. The first words out of his mouth were "I love you, Happy Anniversary!" How could it not be a fantastic day after that amazing start? We lingered in bed for awhile, then got up and had a shower together. We dressed and packed and headed out for our day/night away. We stopped at Green's for fantastic hamburgers and amazing onion rings, then headed over to our favorite little honey store. They had just opened a winery called The Dancing Bee, and with a name like that, how could we not partake? We did a wine tasting for only $5 each and by each of us choosing different wines and sharing, we were able to sample 10 different Texas wines including their 3 house varieties. We were also given a sneak peak sample of their newest which should be coming out next month and I must say it was my favorite so we WILL be back for that. Normally I am not a fan of wine AT ALL, but I liked 3 different types and we picked up several bottles and some gifts for someone else. Clint (one of the owners) was wonderfully accommodating and so was our lovely hostess. Our next stop was a little out of the way as we drove all the way to Killeen, then headed back to Temple to check into our room. It was a wonderfully large room at the Residence Inn with a full kitchen and a comfy king sized bed. We decided to partake of some of our Killeen purchases (hee hee, gotta love field trips LOL) and then finally settled on our restaurant of choice for supper. We decided to head to BJ's Brewery and Restaurant. We were nestled into a cozy round booth and ordered avocado egg rolls for appetizers which were AMAZING. Jim had sweet tea and I had their home "brewed" cream soda, which was very good! He had a cup of New England clam chowder and I had a broccoli cheese soup that was to die for! We ordered "giant" stuffed potatoes. Now when it said giant, I had no idea and no way to prepare for what was about to be placed in front of us. MONSTROUS stuffed potatoes arrived and we each had about half, then brought the rest back to our room. It was raining so that was a plus!!! After we arrived back in the room, Jim watched a bit of the Tech/A&M game, then we headed out to the hot tub. It had stopped raining, but the rain had dropped the temp of the hot tub a little so it was more like a slightly warm bath, but it was perfect so that we could stay in longer. We had the whole area to ourselves and stayed in for well over an hour. We even got sprinkled on just a bit, but it was just perfect. To quote one of my favorite lines on a TV show "We don't go in when it rains silly, we make love when it rains!" No matter what Jim and I are doing together, we are always making love :) The last thing I remember of the evening is Jim wrapping his arm around me while we were spooning and drifting off to sleep after hearing "I love you, baby, pleasant dreams." I love this man so much!

Day 335 of 365

Our lives are filled with memorable dates. Some of them are sad dates for us, the date your favorite grandmother passed away, the date your marriage ended in divorce, the date your childhood furry friend goes to live on a farm. These dates often haunt us for years. Today however I am focusing on a good date. There are a handful of dates that warm my heart including the birth dates of my children. Today however I am thinking about the day three years ago tomorrow that forever changed my life.

October 8, 2008 is a date forever etched in my mind and heart. That was the day that I realized I had fallen in love with my best guy friend, and he with me. We had been friends for quite awhile and had known each other for several years before that. Before I ever even considered him my friend, he had saved my life, had helped with my children's health issues and had generally given me a sense of well being. I trusted him long before I called him friend, certainly long before we got "involved". I think that was how it was meant to be. I had come to a point in my life where I did not trust easily. I think God led him to our small town to work in our local health clinic and had allowed me certain health problems so that I could develop a rapport and then a friendship with Jim. He became part of our family. Did home repairs and improvements with us. Shared family dinners and movie nights. We went shopping together and just generally enjoyed each others company. Never in a million years did I think I would develop such feelings for him.

On that memorable day, Jim had let me know that he was considering taking a job in San Angelo. He had mentioned in several times before but I guess I didn't really believe he would go. On that day though, he sent me a letter that he wanted me to look over that he was considering printing in the local newspaper talking about how he had enjoyed his time in Crane and would miss all of his patients and the friendships that he had made. At the time we had been video chatting and he was watching my reaction. When I read the letter, I realized how serious he was. I fell apart and he saw me. I shut off the cam immediately and he knew something was wrong. Within minutes he was at my home to see what was going on. We agreed to sit down together that evening and figure out what was going on. After talking in the evening, we were just sitting together on the couch in total silence, holding each other. I looked into his eyes and in my mind was saying "if you just kiss me, I will know if this is real" After awhile he did and that kiss, that moment, was when I knew what home felt like. My head was spinning and I wasn't sure that I was even still sitting down, but I knew that I had found my other half. Less than a month later we were living together and starting our lives as a couple. Things haven't always been smooth, for sure, but that same sense of home is still there every time he kisses me.

Day 334 of 365

Lo.g day. Was falling asleep during Private Practice. Time to .snooze

Day 333 of 365

Day didn't go quite as planned. Had hoped to be sporting freshly painted toenails but they were swamped so Em and I had to skip it. Went to open house to learn about the STAAR test and pick up Emmy's report card and meet the teachers. All of them said she was "awesome" "so sweet" "so smart" "wish I had 8 classrooms filled with ones like here". I am so blessed. We went out to supper after open house and then wound down with Survivor. Good day.

Day 332 of 365

In the "reason, season, lifetime" realm of friendships, that one was definitely a reason. Lesson learned: Always keep extra bricks and mortar ready to fix the cracks in your walls where the ill advised try to create big gaping holes. Strong determined woman -1...pathetic destined to be alone FOREVER loser- 0! Gotta try harder than that sweetie.

Day 331 of 365

Sometimes you have to shake off the day, snuggle up with your man and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Day 330 of 365

Making our drive again this afternoon. Looking forward to having our angel girl home again. I hope she enjoyed her time with her dad.

Day 329 of 365

Enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing day with the man of my dreams. I am so very lucky to have him.