Well, last night I celebrated my 30th birthday (a little early, I know) and the fact that I graduated, officially, from college. I organized a little gathering at The Med in Boulder. There were around 20 of us. It was great!! It's so interesting having my group of friends together. It truly is a very diverse collection of people. Once everyone arrived it was sort of neat seeing everyone together. I had my very first Boulder friends at one table (also from my first CO job) and my current friends, who just so happen to be from the U.S.Geological Survey. We delighted in the fabulous tastes of the Mediterranean, sipped good wine and enjoyed good company.
Every now and then, something happens that really puts life in perspective for me. Last night was one of those moments. I realized on the drive home to Littleton, just how incredibly blessed I am to have such generous, devoted, caring and loving friends. Each one resembles the next in some shape or another, but they are all strongly independent and most importantly - direct. There's nothing hiding, no guessing, just very much so a, "What I am is what you get" type of mentality. And I love it. Five years ago I held a similar celebration at the same place. Even then it was an eclectic collection of friends and everyone seemed to have a good time. But I was distracted. I was very much involved with Aaron and didn't truly appreciate the moment as it was happening, at least how I should have. Now, I can absorb these moments as they transpire and appreciate just how big of a deal it is to have something like this in the first place. I mean, how many people can think of more than 10 people who would help them at any second? I have that!! I know that at any moment, no matter what is going on in my life, my friends are there. And hopefully I am that type of friend for them. Willing to do whatever is needed at any time. My heart is swollen with love right now. Love and commitment and loyalty and admiration. My friends are amazing.
Now on to the updates...
Work: So the day of my final class, July 18th, I was promoted to a GS-05. WHOO HOO! It's not a huge raise, but that extra $140 a month helps out soo much! Then, the day my degree was confirmed by CCU, I was converted to a permanent employee. As of August 8, 2010 I became an official REAL Federal Employee. YAY!!! Very exciting. And I can finally say that things have slowed down dramatically so there is now time to really work on other stuff. Stuff that got pushed to the back burner for way too long. I still love my team and hope that with the reorganization that will take place shortly, we'll still be together. Forever and always. Amen. Ha. Anyways, so yeah. Work is cool. Not to mention - I have new friends. Now I have people to go to lunch with and talk with when I'm stressed. People to bounce ideas off of when I'm struggling to comprehend something. AND the specialists are so incredible, they are willing to teach me stuff at any time. I still learn something new every single day.
School: DONE. Got my first B in almost 3 years with the last class. I just stopped caring and really wanted to be done with it all. Now I am an official graduate from Colorado Christian University. I have my BS in Organizational Management - Human Resources, a minor in Psychology, a certificate in Biblical Studies and a certificate in Project Management. Check!!!
Other jobs: Well the care-giving job has slowed down dramatically. I covered a few shifts in July but since then it's been pretty quiet. Dog sitting picked up though and most recently I have hardly been home. I am done for now though, until Sept 2nd. Then I get to watch Eliza through my birthday. I've pretty much decided that any dog sitting from here on out will be very limited to 1-2 nights. For a couple reasons. 1. I miss being home with Aaron and Nathan. 2. I am getting my own dog here soon and she deserves my attention. Details to come on that in a minute. I will continue to be on-call with the care-giving and do small pet sitting here and there... but for the most part I'm done.
New Addition: On September 10th we will officially have a dog in the house. Her name is Briseis and she is precious. She will be 4 in October, doesn't really bark, doesn't chew, is crate trained, potty trained, already loves Aaron, doesn't mind kids (Nathan talks in a high pitch voice that I think kind of scares her), is great with other dogs and most importantly has absolutely no issue or interest in cats. YAY! She's gorgeous. I adore her already and can not wait until she's a part of our family. We had her over the other night for a trial run to see how she'd do away from her current home and it went great. GAH! I can't wait to introduce her to everyone. (Oh… and she is a Keeshond)
Aaron: Aaron is doing well. The Dr suggested having someone else administer his B12 injections because it costs an outrageous amount having the nurse do it there. SO I am now doing that for him 1 time a month. It helps him feel so much better and that is a huge plus. His job continues to suck. I mean, it's a job and we are of course thankful for the income, but it literally sucks the life out of him every day. He comes home and is so drained from work that he could fall asleep at 3pm and not wake up til the next day. Which, is understandable. Think about it, if all you did every day all day was listen to people bitch and moan about their car issues, it would get kinda old. Everyone is always pissed off or tense or hostile or irritated in someway. We are praying for major opportunities on this front and hope that doors will open up leading the way to a new, brighter, and better future.
Nathan: He is getting so darn big! His momma is teaching him how to read simple words right now, so he knows : Bat, Cat, Sat, Hat, Fat, Mat, Rat. His passion for Hot Wheels continues to thrive and grow every day. As of Sept 1st we will have him Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights. It still feels like we hardly have any time at all with him so those few hours are definitely appreciated. I'm not sure when, but he is going to do soccer this fall. That should be fun for everyone - watch a bunch of 5 yr olds run around trying to kick a moving ball. LOL... makes me giggle just thinking about it.
Family: As far as I know, everyone seems to be doing ok. I haven't actually talked to family for a while now. I think it's been a couple weeks. Sister is doing alright. We don't see each other very often, but that's what happens when life gets in the way. And I know it's that way with everyone. All my friends are busy too. Just sad sometimes. My mom and gma are still alive, so that in itself is a miracle. I feel like the sense of urgency to get out of the house they live in is gone, and any motivation to get the clutter out has long been lost. A part of me, and I know this is sick to say, wants to contact the show Hoarders. Cause I know someone would actually get in there and get the crap out. Plus, maybe then my mom and gma would get the professional help they need to deal with their hoarding issues. Sigh. I can't fix them though. All I can do is accept who they are and love them, right??
What else?? My car is great. Aaron replaced the struts at the end of April and OMG did it make all the difference! However, something happened in the last couple months and now there is a “hard shift” going from 1st to 2nd. I have gotten used to it, but when other people are in the car it is of course more obvious. Aaron has mumbled about some parts so that will get repaired eventually. We are still in an apartment and will be at least until March of next year. Hard to believe we’ve been here for a year already. It feels very comfortable and cozy. I do get a little antsy every now and then though and want to de-clutter. It’s easy to accumulate crap that you don’t really need. I guess the only other thing to mention is that Aaron and I will start trying to get pregnant after October. It feels like it has taken forever to get to this point and now that we are basically here, we just want to let it happen. YAY!!!
In 3 weeks I turn 30 and get a dog. In 2 weeks Aaron is going to NYC for a boys trip. Work is settling down. School is over. I can finally get my life back and return to spending time with friends (and hopefully family). I’m lookin up and seein the light. It feels good so far.
P.S. I broke my left foot almost 3 weeks ago. Was walking out a door, stepped wrong, rolled the ankle and snapped my 5th metatarsal. Ouch. I’m in a walking boot for 6 weeks and then will have another 6 weeks of additional recovery. Good news – the bone will heal and return to normal. Bad news – it will take FOR FREAKIN EVER!!! And this damn boot is big, black, bulky and greatly hinders my wardrobe. Sigh. There’s gotta be some drama, right?!
