Random thoughts…

Great Weekend
OK, I take it back. I was not really ready to start Monday because I was still tired from this weekend! We were planning to go to the Cabarrus County Fair on Friday, but instead Tim surprised me with dinner plans.

I spent nearly all of Saturday baking and watching increments of Star Wars: A New Hope. The boy just got the entire series on Blu-ray and because I’ve never seen the ones that count – the original three – our goal was to watch them this weekend. We only got through one, unfortunately pausing them every 20 to 30 minutes so I could run to the kitchen. Maybe we can try again next weekend.

Then that evening, we headed uptown Charlotte to celebrate one of our girl friends’ birthday and her last few days of singledom. I actually stayed out until 2 a.m., which I haven’t done in a while. I felt old. I need to figure a way to get more energy throughout the day. I guess it didn’t help I got up at 7 a.m. that day.

And then Sunday, we tagged along on a trip to the mountains with some friends. We hiked a mountain for like THREE hours! The entire trail was about 4.3 miles. And we had to climb the stairs from hell to get back to the car. Seriously, there were like 100 stairs to climb – and up a mountain! The photos below do not quite show how crazy those stairs were.





Needless to say, I was EXHAUSTED after that.

Overall, a great weekend… But I was not quite ready to get out of bed this morning.

Better Put a Ring On It
I gotta be honest – I am waiting for the day the boy proposes. I’ve been finding myself wearing a ring – any ring - these days. Maybe my body is instinctively preparing itself for the day it happens!

People say that it’s my fault he hasn’t done it. And I agree. But I don’t want him to tell me he’s going to do it. He can surprise me by just not telling me. It’s that simple. Don’t tell me you’re going to do it. Be spontaneous and nervous – and then do it!

Good Changes
Work has automatic paper towel dispensers in our bathrooms. I’m that person that would normally swipe my hands at least two times to get enough paper to dry my hands. But I am making a commitment to try to use JUST ONE for here on out. They must be set to dispense just that one for a reason, right? Remember, I’m trying to make positive changes! I’m going to add this one to the list!

So far, one has been plenty. Change done!

Questions
Even though I say I get tired of the boy who turns everything into a joke, I love that he’s always thinking. He wants to write a book titled, “The Answers to Questions that People Never Ask.” Well, he would ask – but he’d be the only one.

Love him.

A few thoughts as the end of summer nears

The boy and I.

Have had a rough summer.

• I didn't have a job going into it.
• I had to move – twice!
• My gallbladder was removed while I didn’t have health insurance. $$$$$ Recovery period = 30 days (July through early August)
• My aunt, who helped raise me, passed away.
• The boy had surgery to fix two hernias. Recovery period = 30 days (August through mid-September)
• I had to wake up to the boy throwing up because he got really sick one weekend. This is the first time he had thrown up in 10 years!
• We worried about paying the bills.
• We’ve had to learn to deal with each other’s pet peeves and bad habits.
• We’ve fought – and fought.
• We have continued to deal with the boy’s family’s drama, but on a much more limited scale. Still never fun.
• We’ve been super busy seeing lots of friends and family, traveling distances near and far. Sometimes the weekend trips to far distances were back to back weekends, sometimes back to back days.

But at the end of the day, I think the boy and I have been positive and remember all of the great things that have also happened for us. We are incredibly blessed and we truly learned that this summer. Some great things that have happened or helped us get through the months…

• We took Sebastian to the beach for the first (and last) time! He just hated it, but it was still fun to take a “family” trip.
• He asked my parents for my hand in marriage.
• We found a fantastic house to rent.
• We moved in together.
• I've had time for me.
• We got even closer – and continue to learn so much about each other every day.
• We’ve learned to say sorry – and to put arguments to rest just as quickly as they happen.
• We’ve both lost weight and eat much healthier!
• My family has been fantastic and so accepting of our relationship.
• We have amazingly supportive friends – some with whom we’ve grown even closer to.
• We have friends and family that love and care about us.
• We’re still so in love - and we say it more than ever.
• We laugh all the time.
• We are happy.

So, when I think about the hard times we’ve had, I am so thankful for all the great things that have happened and how they have helped us grow – not only as partners in this relationship, but also as friends, lovers and even as individuals.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives hold.

Love you, Tim (and sometimes more than Sebastian).

Things to get done this week

In no particular order, here are things I need to get done this week:

• Go through our CD collections and organize them.
• Go through our DVD collections and organize them.
• Find “Water for Elephants” so I can re-read it.
• Finish digging out and outlining my herb garden.
• Take more naps.
• Take Sebastian on longer walks.
• Get HBO.
• Get creative ideas together for a new web site I’m building.
• Schedule my surgery.

I should put “Apply for Jobs” on the list as well, but I feel so exhausted from looking. I’m sure there will be a few I can apply for this week, but it feels like second nature now. I don’t even think about it anymore.

Happy July 4th, and how it all went downhill

This weekend started off great, but it's amazing how quickly things that turn around. Kannapolis had their annual fireworks show on Saturday, so we decided to invite some folks over for food, drinks and a mini-pre-celebration. We had a blast before heading to downtown to watch the real show.

Sitting on the brick sidewalk on North Research Campus Drive, we excitedly watched the 20-minute fireworks show. It was amazing - and it gets better every year. I wish I had taken photos because right now would be a great place to post them.

After the show, we came home to clean up. That's when the night started going downhill for me. I had noticed my stomach hurting after we ate. I had previously experienced this pain - upper abdominal pain that was very dull, but numbing. It always came after a large, often greasy dinner. I previously drank Pepto-Bismol to ease this pain and in an hour or two, it subsided. I tried that, and after an hour, nothing was feeling good. The boy suggested I try milk because it was a base - and the food we were eating probably had a lot of acidity. At that point, I was willing to try anything.