"I'm trying to tell you something about my life. Maybe give me insight between black and white. The best thing you've ever done for me, is to help me take my life less seriously, it's only life after all. Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable. And lightness has a call that's hard to hear. I wrap my fear around me like a blanket. I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it, I'm crawling on your shore."
This above tidbit of a song seems to some up how October is going. The month started off pretty fantastic. I started a new adventure and learned new things about myself. I got to see the fabulous duo that wrote the above song, the Indigo Girls, in concert. I had my second complex migraine followed by a third and fourth which got me two trips to the ER and was the main factor in losing my job this week. I also gained some insight on friends; the ones that are in your life for the long haul, the ones around for a few years, and those only here for a short time, and I think I'm ok with it.
The good stuff first. I attended a class to help show me what my spiritual gifts were and how to best utilize them to serve God. I was shocked by some things I found out...in a good way. The reality is that I'm still learning about myself and I'm not so sure I know exactly where my passion lies. I will figure it out in time. As I go through learning more, I will be happy with who I am and know that God will use me however he sees fit.
The Indigo Girls concert was truly awesome! I'd never seen them perform right in front of my eyes before. They sound better in person than on any CD or tape or record (depending on your age). The only downside was standing up the entire concert. I would have been better off wearing comfortable shoes than the ones that looked best with my outfit. Haha... Imagine me...concerned with what I was wearing. Go figure!
After two great weeks and two wonderful weekends, it all came crashing down. Things seemed to be fine on Monday but to my surprise there was a nasty migraine headed my way. I had arrived home from work to find that dinner was being cooked for me...always a plus. But there was a difficult conversation being served up as a side dish to the pork chops. All seemed to be going alright when, BAM! My head started pounding, burning, and pretty much exploding. I realized it was getting more difficult to speak clearly and then came...du du du....right hand and arm numbness. *said in that cool movie voice* Needless to say, I freaked out. I couldn't believe this was happening again. I didn't think I'd ever have another one. Of course, at the time, you feel like you're having a stroke which is why I freaked out. Freaking out only makes things worse. So it was off to the ER where the non-attentive doctor listened to my heart, recommended some drugs, and promptly left the room. At least the nurse was nice enough to help me off the bed. By the time we got home, I had broken out in a sweat and proceeded to itch myself to sleep. Apparently I was allergic to one of the drugs pushed to me. By the next morning, my head still hurt but I'd gotten over the allergic reaction for the most part. I decided to try and drive to work. Probably not the best idea. I was then sent home from work because I didn't look very good and I was scaring my boss since I still couldn't speak clearly. Thankfully, I made it home without injuring myself or anyone else. The next day, I made it through the whole day without scaring anyone but the headache remained. By Friday, I was feeling alright and was hoping to make it to the Richmond Folk Festival that evening. However, while waiting in the parking lot for a shuttle to take me to my fun-filled destination, the bugger hit me again. Making it home safely (my angles have no hair anymore), I tried to relax and the pain got less intense. However, by Monday, plans were to change again. I made it to work but only to the parking lot when the pain crept up the back of my head once again. This time I'd had it and called my partner to come pick me up and haul me back to the ER. Good news is that a different ER doctor was much better at taking care of things. Even though the headache still hasn't gone away, he took the time to listen, run tests, and make me feel like I wasn't going out of my mind.
The next day I'd finally gotten an appointment with my Neurologist but about two hours after that phone call, I received another call letting me know that I'd lost my job. I'm still with the temp agency. However, the facility I was working for decided they needed someone that could be there everyday. I totally understood and I felt badly about letting them down. But, it was out of my control and out of theirs. I'm not sure when I'll be able to work again. I just know that I need to get this stuff taken care of and my health is more important than any job. Thank you to Sara for reminding me of this. :)
As for my friends, I cherish each of them...even if they are around for only a season. And sometimes those seasonal friends have a way of coming back around to be hearty branches in the tree of life.
So even though October hasn't gone the way I wanted it to, I know that I'm strong enough to get through it with God's help. Who knows? Maybe the rest of the month will be back to fantastic.
"The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine". -Indigo Girls
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
I'm pretty sure I made a promise to myself to write a blog at least once a week. Suppose I should change that to once a...eh...whenever I feel like it. =) Life has a way of getting all busy and I can't seem to make myself sit down and write. So here goes my attempt at a second blog.
First, I'd like to thank all those wonderful people praying for me get a job. It paid off! Even though it's temporary, for now, it sure feels great to be working again after 9 months of nada. I'm not very good at sitting around the house or coming up with new things to do that won't cost anything. So even though it's pretty much grunt work, I love it and it suits my CDO (this means OCD but now it's in alphabetical order) just perfectly!
On September 8th, my big brother turned the big 4-0! I still can't believe it. I wonder why I feel old...hmmm. The great part is he still thinks of me as around 5 years old and I still picture him as about 12 or so. Although I probably won't find myself getting on his back, riding him around like he's a dog, and calling him 'Travis' ever again. That would just be awkward...and painful. So here's a shout-out to my big bro, I love you and I miss you like crazy! See you at Christmas.
This month I also had the joy of being surrounded by awesome people at Monroe Park. Powhatan Community Church had a birthday party for the homeless. It turned out to be another great event and I'm so blessed to be able to be a part of something that is inspiring. I never thought I would step out from underneath my rock and do something of this nature. God has sure been working hard on me and I can't begin to express how wonderful it feels.
After the afternoon at the park, we bid farewell to Sara's cousin. We had a fabulous feast of Thanksgiving fixins'. Thanksgiving is Patrick's favorite holiday and I suppose they don't celebrate across the pond (England). The only drawback of celebrating this holiday in early September is pumpkin, turns out, is a seasonal item. This would have been nice to know before I agreed to make a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. I had to scrap that idea at the last minute and whip up a Swedish Apple Pie...which nobody ate because we were all too full from the main courses and those sinful side dishes. But all turned out well and we got to have some pie the next day along with hanging out with the family.
The weekend packed full of fun stuff also happened to be the 10th anniversary of 9-11-01. Sara and I went to the other campus for church which is held in a movie theater. I thought it was pretty cute that you put your offering in a popcorn bucket. Anyway, we got to witness a fantastic service and I think it helped heal a lot of hearts just a little bit more. It's still very hard to watch those images from that tragic day even though they play in my head when I let myself think about it. However, it's a comfort to know that God is watching us and he will never give us more than we can handle. We will never forget that day but we need to remember the good things that came of it. The heroes, the lives that were saved, the new lives that began, the country that came together as "One nation, under God, indivisible", nobody can take that away from us.
September has been a busy month fo' sho'. So count your blessing, be thankful for the good and the bad, and should you feel as though you're missing out on something, make sure someone wakes you up before they go-go. Have a Happy Week!
First, I'd like to thank all those wonderful people praying for me get a job. It paid off! Even though it's temporary, for now, it sure feels great to be working again after 9 months of nada. I'm not very good at sitting around the house or coming up with new things to do that won't cost anything. So even though it's pretty much grunt work, I love it and it suits my CDO (this means OCD but now it's in alphabetical order) just perfectly!
On September 8th, my big brother turned the big 4-0! I still can't believe it. I wonder why I feel old...hmmm. The great part is he still thinks of me as around 5 years old and I still picture him as about 12 or so. Although I probably won't find myself getting on his back, riding him around like he's a dog, and calling him 'Travis' ever again. That would just be awkward...and painful. So here's a shout-out to my big bro, I love you and I miss you like crazy! See you at Christmas.
This month I also had the joy of being surrounded by awesome people at Monroe Park. Powhatan Community Church had a birthday party for the homeless. It turned out to be another great event and I'm so blessed to be able to be a part of something that is inspiring. I never thought I would step out from underneath my rock and do something of this nature. God has sure been working hard on me and I can't begin to express how wonderful it feels.
After the afternoon at the park, we bid farewell to Sara's cousin. We had a fabulous feast of Thanksgiving fixins'. Thanksgiving is Patrick's favorite holiday and I suppose they don't celebrate across the pond (England). The only drawback of celebrating this holiday in early September is pumpkin, turns out, is a seasonal item. This would have been nice to know before I agreed to make a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. I had to scrap that idea at the last minute and whip up a Swedish Apple Pie...which nobody ate because we were all too full from the main courses and those sinful side dishes. But all turned out well and we got to have some pie the next day along with hanging out with the family.
The weekend packed full of fun stuff also happened to be the 10th anniversary of 9-11-01. Sara and I went to the other campus for church which is held in a movie theater. I thought it was pretty cute that you put your offering in a popcorn bucket. Anyway, we got to witness a fantastic service and I think it helped heal a lot of hearts just a little bit more. It's still very hard to watch those images from that tragic day even though they play in my head when I let myself think about it. However, it's a comfort to know that God is watching us and he will never give us more than we can handle. We will never forget that day but we need to remember the good things that came of it. The heroes, the lives that were saved, the new lives that began, the country that came together as "One nation, under God, indivisible", nobody can take that away from us.
September has been a busy month fo' sho'. So count your blessing, be thankful for the good and the bad, and should you feel as though you're missing out on something, make sure someone wakes you up before they go-go. Have a Happy Week!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Lessons Learned
I decided to start this blog as a therapy of sorts. I figure it's cheaper than seeing an actual therapist plus I don't have to go anywhere, take a shower, or get dressed. Not that I'm stinky or naked but it's knowing that I could be if I really wanted to that makes it worth while.
This week, as in all that have come before, has had it's challenges. It's also had many fun moments and memories that will stay with me forever...or until I have a brain cramp.
I was finally contacted by a temp agency that was willing to interview me. I think I may have impressed them with my testing scores. Apparently I'm great at data entry, have above average customer service skills, and I can put files in order like nobody's business. I think I could have told them that but they need you to take a test to make it more true. Hopefully they will be able to place me somewhere that will be a good fit. I will know more next week.
I still haven't heard back from FASFA letting me know if I can have a loan for school or not. So I will have to wait until next semester to get any sort of funding for school. This put a bit of a damper on my mood but I know that God has a reason for me waiting. I'm sure the answer will be revealed one day but for now it makes me a little crazy.
I attended my first Richmond Flying Squirrels game last night. They happened to have Oktoberfest going on as well. This made me happy. I sampled a couple of German beers which always puts a smile on my face. It's nice to know that Virginia isn't really all Bud Light and Yuengling (no offense). I suppose this makes me a beer snob but you just can't beat a nice pint of Smithwick's, Stella, or even NewCastle. And now I really want a beer....
After a fun night at the ballpark I awoke to find myself craving something yummy for breakfast. I decided to make french toast sticks along with an egg scramble full of turkey bacon, onions, and cheese. In the process of preparing this wonderful morning meal, I burned myself on the oven...twice! Needless to say, some choice words flew out my mouth but for some reason this never woke up the person sleeping in the next room. I wonder, if I really had a problem and hurt myself badly, would she even notice? This thought passed but now I know I need oven mitts desperately.
Lessons learned this week: 1. Writing is good therapy. 2. Temp agencies aren't as bad as I originally thought. 3. School will still be there in six months. 4. Beer is good therapy, too. 5. BUY OVEN MITTS!!!
This week, as in all that have come before, has had it's challenges. It's also had many fun moments and memories that will stay with me forever...or until I have a brain cramp.
I was finally contacted by a temp agency that was willing to interview me. I think I may have impressed them with my testing scores. Apparently I'm great at data entry, have above average customer service skills, and I can put files in order like nobody's business. I think I could have told them that but they need you to take a test to make it more true. Hopefully they will be able to place me somewhere that will be a good fit. I will know more next week.
I still haven't heard back from FASFA letting me know if I can have a loan for school or not. So I will have to wait until next semester to get any sort of funding for school. This put a bit of a damper on my mood but I know that God has a reason for me waiting. I'm sure the answer will be revealed one day but for now it makes me a little crazy.
I attended my first Richmond Flying Squirrels game last night. They happened to have Oktoberfest going on as well. This made me happy. I sampled a couple of German beers which always puts a smile on my face. It's nice to know that Virginia isn't really all Bud Light and Yuengling (no offense). I suppose this makes me a beer snob but you just can't beat a nice pint of Smithwick's, Stella, or even NewCastle. And now I really want a beer....
After a fun night at the ballpark I awoke to find myself craving something yummy for breakfast. I decided to make french toast sticks along with an egg scramble full of turkey bacon, onions, and cheese. In the process of preparing this wonderful morning meal, I burned myself on the oven...twice! Needless to say, some choice words flew out my mouth but for some reason this never woke up the person sleeping in the next room. I wonder, if I really had a problem and hurt myself badly, would she even notice? This thought passed but now I know I need oven mitts desperately.
Lessons learned this week: 1. Writing is good therapy. 2. Temp agencies aren't as bad as I originally thought. 3. School will still be there in six months. 4. Beer is good therapy, too. 5. BUY OVEN MITTS!!!
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