Goodbye 2008...Year in Review!

So I'm writing this now because I will not have my computer with me on New Years. I will be in Miami, FL!!!!! WAHOO!!!!! I can't think of a better way to end this year. It has been such a good year.

I started off the year in California for the Rose Bowl. Spending the beginning of the year with my sister was awesome. It's so hard to be so far away from her. We went to Disney and saw Mickey and did some shopping on Rodeo Drive. It was definitely a good trip to Cali.



February was nothing to write home about. The only thing I can remember was picking up my bridesmaid's dress in my pajamas on Valentine's Day. Yeah...I'm a loser.

But then came March...the month that changed the rest of my life. That's when I met Glenn...and all of the amazing people he has brought into my life. We met on a Saturday, had our first date on Thursday and then he had to go to Atlanta for 2 weeks for work. Not the ideal way to start out a relationship. But honestly...I think it's what made our relationship. We talked on the phone every night for two weeks. I was more nervous for our second date than I was our first. But once I saw him again, the nerves went away and I knew this was going to be something special. All of a sudden life just felt right. Like that piece that was missing was now perfectly in place. I think I knew at the end of that date that I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.

In April I had lasik surgery and took Glenn home to meet the parents. Of course, they loved him and so did my friends. The rest of the month was filled with house hunting and softball for him...and for me it was watching softball!!! The month just flew by.

May was more of the same...spending time together, watching/playing softball and Glenn bargaining his way into what is now our home. We spent Memorial Day weekend at the softball park watching the team win the tournament that would send them to Nationals in Virginia.

June was spent preparing to move into the house. He closed on June 11 but didn't get possession until June 28th. Ohio is weird like that. He got the keys on Sat around 5 and we brought my air mattress over so we could spend the first night in the house. So moving day finally came and I made sure that the first thing that went into the house was an Illinois floor mat!!!!!!! His friends all came to help and the moving went so fast. He does have some awesome friends. We spent the evening with friends sitting on the back deck, enjoying some beers and for us realizing that this was a huge step for us. While I wasn't officially moved in, I never stayed at my apt again.

July was more softball and going home for my cousin's wedding. My sister and her boyfriend "surprised me" by coming home for the wedding. Sadly I found out about it a week or so before we went home. But it was so much fun getting to spend time with them and having Sissy and Glenn meet. Now they're bestest friends. I also started my new position at work. I was not happy in my old position and was actually looking for a new job unbeknownst to my current job. Then one day they called and asked if I wanted this new position and I'm still wondering why I said yes.

August was filled with more softball and working on the house. Work was not going as well as I had hoped and had many days where I wanted to just quit. But...obviously I am not in a place financially where I could do that and with the economy in the bucket I should be happy I have such a good paying job to begin with. So I just tell myself every day that it's a resume builder and that some day, something better will come along!!! At the end of August I officially moved in! We've had fun trying to figure out how to combine all of our stuff but I think we've done a pretty good job. There is still a lot to do on the house but it definitely feels like a home.

September started with a trip to Virginia for the softball national tournament. We drove with Chris and Courtney. 8 hours in a car with a bad back and a bad hip is not fun. But we made it! We had good weather but sadly not a good tournament. It was Labor Day weekend and there were some guys on the team that couldn't make the trip so they weren't playing with their best roster. They lost their first game to a bunch of old, fat guys that they should have easily won. But that meant we got to go back to the hotel and hang out at the pool!!! We had a team dinner at Hooters where everyone just relaxed and had a good time. They went 1-2 but that meant we had an extra day to play and got to do some fun sight seeing on the way home. We stopped at Greenbriar in West Virginia which is an absolutely gorgeous hotel/grounds, then stopped at a gorge before going to the Mystery Hole.

After Nationals I was in Lisa's wedding. We had such a good time. The wedding itself was absolutely beautiful, as was the bride. And the reception was one helluva party. I am so unbelievably happy for Lisa and Burt and so glad that I can call them friends. I just wish I got to see them more often. Columbus is just too far away!

October started off pretty boring. Work, house stuff, work, house stuff. We went to the Illinois game against Indiana which rocked. And then...WE GOT A PUPPY!!!!! It wasn't planned. We originally had planned on getting one in the spring. I got home after a bad day of work and we decided to go out to dinner cause neither of us wanted to cook. There's a pet store right next to the restaurant we went to so we decided to go in and look since I don't really know much about different breeds and stuff. And on our way out, we saw the cutest little fluff ball. From the first second I held him I knew he was going home with us. We named him Kona...just something that Glenn came up with and it was love at first lick. While there have been times when I questioned why we got a dog, I have never regretted it. He has added so much fun and love to our lives.

November was spent doing a little work on the house, hanging with the puppy and hanging with our friends. Glenn and Kona came home with me for Thanksgiving and they both survived it. Everyone absolutely loved Kona and my aunt gave him the best gift...a little Illinois bandana to wear around his neck.

And finally December...the month where it's finally all about me!!! As many of you know I turned the big 3-0 this year. I know a lot of women freak out, but I completely embraced it. This has been such a good year for me...how could I not. Glenn planned an excellent birthday for me. I thought I had it all figured out but I was way off. We woke up to a snow covered ground and found out that Kona absolutely loves the snow. I knew that we were doing something in the afternoon, dinner at 5:30 and then something afterwards. I had figured out that we were going ice skating down at fountain square. Then I thought we were doing dinner at McCormick's and then going to see Stomp. We got downtown around 4:15 only to find out that at 4:30 they were clearing the ice to run the zamboni and that it took half an hour. So we weren't gonna be able to go ice skating. So we just got some hot chocolate and walked around the square for a bit. We went into Tiffany's so I could ask them about cleaning the bracelet Sissy and Mr. Anthony got me and then it was time for dinner. So Glenn told me to take him to where I thought we were eating. So I started to walk into McCormick's and he just stopped and said he'd wait for me outside. I was so confused. I thought for sure I knew where we were going. So then we crossed the street towards Boi Na Braza where he tricked me again and made a sharp turn to cross the street. I finally figured out that we were going to Palomino and he had reserved a table at the window looking out over fountain square. Chris and Courtney met us for dinner and we had an excellent time. So then I found out that I was way off on Stomp and took me about 6 guesses to figure out we were going to the hockey game. He knows how much I love hockey and we had never gone to a game together. So we walked to the arena and met Chris and Lisa and the six of us went to the game. It was an excellent birthday!!

Our first Christmas together was amazing. We went to his aunt and uncle's for Christmas Eve and then spent Christmas morning together opening gifts. Kona got an Illinois football jersey from his cousin Chloe and he looks absolutely adorable in it. We went to Glenn's sisters for Christmas Day and had so much fun. Mommy was supposed to get here Friday but they had a bad ice storm so she couldn't come until Saturday. So we are just hanging out this weekend and then Monday night Glenn and I fly down to Ft. Lauderdale. I am sooooo excited. Chris and Courtney and Chris and Lisa are driving down Tues night and then we get to spend the rest of the week playing in the fun and sun. New Year's Day we're going to watch UC play in the Orange Bowl. This truly has been one of the best years of my life! I can't wait to see what 2009 has to offer!!!!!

Merry Christmas to all....

This has been a year of many firsts for me. And this Christmas was another one. This was the first Christmas I didn't spend with my family. Last year was the first Christmas that I didn't go home for Christmas, but my mom came here and we went to my aunts for dinner. But this year was just me...and my new family. Christmas Eve we went to Glenn's aunt and uncles for dinner. There was probably about 20 people there which felt more like a typical Christmas for me. We did a gift exchange and had a wonderful meal. Then came home and went to bed early because I was exhausted. Glenn's family used to always open their gifts on Christmas Eve but we always did on Christmas morning. After all...how can Santa deliver gifts if you're not sleeping. So I convinced him it was better to wake up to presents on Christmas morning.

Kona slept in the bed with us and let us sleep in until around 8. We got up and did presents together. We both got blankets from Sissy...Illinois for me and UC for Glenn. I got UC shirts for the Orange Bowl and Super Mario Kart for Wii...YEAH!!! Glenn got some Lowe's gift cards and something else which I can't say here cause I got my sister and Anthony the same thing...LOL. But needless to say...it is the best gift EVER. Then it was Kona's turn for presents. He got a new bed, a bunch of toys and an Illinois football jersey from his cousin Chloe. He loved it and wore it all day.

After we played Mario Kart for a little while we packed up all the toys and games and headed up to Glenn's sisters house. It was another full house that felt like home. Lots of people, food and games. We taught everyone how to Wii snowboard and raced a little mario kart. Then once everyone had left except for us, we played his sisters new game, "Partini". It was me and Glenn vs. Terri and Larry. And we kicked butt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a good time and I absolutely love his family. They have made me feel like part of the family from the get go. I am so absolutely lucky. The only thing that could make this better was if my sissy didn't live so far away. I miss you more than you know!!!!!!

OK...time to get back to work. And then mommy comes today and we get to do this all over again!!!!!!!

PMS...a blessing and a curse

Once a month my normally out of control emotions go even more haywire. Sometimes the tiniest thing can make me cry one second and scream the next. Or I can go from being in a great mood to being pissed for three straight days. There are times when this happens and I can use the excuse...it's PMS...I can't help it. And I'll be honest and say I use this excuse much more than I should...LOL. That is the blessing side of this. It's an easy out. But that doesn't mean I should use it.

Most people who know me know that my moods can be all over the place...stupid chemical imbalance. I'm sure some people just think I'm a bitch...which may be true to an extent. So imagine when my hormones put my moodiness into hyper-mode. This is when the curse comes into play. Because when this happens, someone (or something) is usually on the opposing end of my mood. This someone or something may not always know it. For example...the dumbass driver who cut me off today when the road was a complete sheet of ice and was cursed for the 2 miles he was in front of me today. He has no idea that I banished him to the inner realms of hell. And my poor steering wheel that usually takes the brunt of the punishment when things like this happen. But the one that makes me feel the guiltiest is Glenn. God love him! He puts up with so much...my obsession with Illinois, my random crying episodes, my comatose state that my sleeping pills put me in at night which means he has to get up to take the dog out, my puking in his car from my lack of ability to say no to a free bar (stupid company Christmas party!!). But putting up with my moods, both normal and PMS super-dosed, has to be hard. I know how hard it is to live with myself so I can only imagine how hard it is for someone else to live with me.

I've never done well with talking to other people about what is going on with me. Sadly it's one of the traits I learned from my parents. I keep everything inside until it explodes. And it's not always pretty when it does. But luckily for me...he won't let me do that. He makes me talk to him even when I don't want to or don't know how. He loves me no matter how easily I get pissed off. He loves me when I get mad at him for something stupid. He loves me when I don't love myself. He makes the emotional rollercoaster that my brain puts me on worth riding.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

OK...so that's a lie. I hate when it snows here. People freak out and traffic is ridiculous. Growing up I loved the snow. What was better than heading out all bundled up and either making a snowman or flapping up some snow angels? And nothing beat boys vs. girls tackle football...where of course the girls always won!!! Back then we didn't have a care in the world. We would go out for hours at a time and come home expecting nothing more than a hug and a mug of hot chocolate. I haven't been a big fan of snow the last few years...mostly because of the idiot drivers who can't handle their cars in it. But lately I've kind of started to think about how snow made me feel when I was little. It started a few weeks ago when we got a few inches and we took Kona outside for the first time. It was like watching a little kid in the snow for the first time. He absolutely loved it...running around, digging his nose in. He didn't have a care in the world and I remember when it was like that for us. Now, there are so many things that keep us pre-occupied. Jobs that suck and bills that never go away! Pressure to come up with the perfect Christmas present while fighting angry crowds at the stores. It can make it that much harder to get in the Christmas spirit. But this year has been differeing. This year just seems extra special because it's my first Christmas with Glenn (and Kona of course). This has been such an amazing year so far and I can only imagine what is coming up in our near future. I have so many new and old friends in my life and feel so blessed with where I am at right now. I hope everyone is having a good Christmas season so far. Not really sure what, if anything, this blog said cause I kind of just rambled. But that's the whole point isn't it??

Thanksgiving #2, 3, 4 and 5

So...today was officially Thanksgiving. We managed the long drive yesterday with no problems. Kona did fantastic on the drive. He either slept or layed in my lap. Last night I got my hair cut/colored and then we hung out with my dad. Today we all slept in a little and then started the tour of Thanksgiving Day visits. First we stopped by my dad's girlfriends house where Kona tried to make friends with Indi the golden retriever who's 4 times his size. Then we went to my mom's before finally heading to my grandma's. Once there we hung out and played games before finally stuffing ourselves with food. And then we played some more games. A family tradition of "officially inviting someone" into the family is playing a little game called Psychiatrist. Glenn was the Psychiatrist and he played it with good spirits. And I think he figured out "our problem" faster than anyone else has. After a few rounds of Catch Phrase we went over to my Aunt Terri's to visit for a little before heading home for some much needed sleep. I would definitely say that my family's Thanksgiving is a little more dysfunctional but all the same they love me and Glenn just the same. I hope everyone had as good of a day as he did. Happy Gobble Gobble to all!!!!!

Thanksgiving #1

So...tonight we had Glenn's parents, grandma and aunt and uncle over for dinner. It was a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. We cleaned the entire house, had a full spread and Glenn even made a pumpkin cheesecake to top it off. Why is this such a big deal??? This will be the first holiday that Glenn has missed. Yes...he hasn't missed a single holiday in 29 years. That's what happens when you date someone who is from the town you move to and who went to college there. There was no reason to miss a holiday. I have lived all over the country and because of this obviously have missed several holidays. So...what is the point of this??? I have the best of both worlds. Not only do I get to look forward to going home and seeing my parents, grandparents, friends and extended family (ok, truly only looking forward to some)...but I also got to have a wonderful evening tonight. I've never experienced a small family holiday dinner. Between my two sides my family numbers close to 90. Yet having just the 7 of us here tonight felt just as perfect. His family realizes that this is the first holiday that he is missing and they realize that it is because of me...yet luckily for me, they realize that this is a good thing. They realize that he is beginning a wonderful new chapter in his life and that they are welcoming a new addition to their family. Since day one I have felt like I have been welcomed with open arms. I have always looked forward to spending time with his parents, sister or extended family. They are truly a wonderful family and I can't wait until I am officially part of them. With that being said...it is time to finish cleaning up and get to bed so we can get up and pack for the big trip home with the puppy. Our first Thanksgiving at our house, his first holiday away from home, and Kona's first true road trip. Awwwwwww...look at us and our big grown up family...LOL.

Needles, Needles are no fun...

Unless of course they make the pain go away!! For those of you who don't know I was in a fairly bad car accident almost 8 years ago. Since then I have tried just about everything to get rid of, or at least decrease, my back pain. I've done chiro, therapy (physical and mental...LOL), tens units, vicodin, percocet, and an injection in my SI joint. Nothing has helped!!! The pain might decrease slightly but never goes away. So I went back to my doctor again and said we need to try something new because my deductible is met and I want relief. So he decided to order a nerve block to see if it helped. They actually did two blocks, the L-4 and L-5 nerve roots. The injections themselves weren't too bad. Felt like several long bee stings. The doctor who performed the injection said if I got relief from the injection they would perform a 2nd one within 2-3 weeks. If that provided relief they would do a third procedure where they would actually burn the nerve root and I would have an 80-90% chance of no longer having pain. I was like...WHAT???? Why the hell didn't they try this years ago? My doctor didn't say anything to me about what this could possibly end up doing. No pain...I would have no idea what to do with myself. The only thing I've known for the last 8 years has been constant low back pain and in the last year or so, left hip pain. So...the thought of possibly getting rid of my pain is mind blowing. I'm pretty sore right now which they said was normal and I am not going to work tomorrow so that I can just relax. So...fingers crossed!!!!! Hopefully by the end of the year I am pain free with no additional money out of my pocket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Puppy Videos

OK...I tried to put these videos up last night but it wasn't being cooperative. So here we go again...

OK...so obviously that isn't a video but I couldn't get the darn thing to work. So you will have to settle with another picture of me and the puppy!!!

First Bath

Obviously this title doesn't apply to me...LOL. I was told I wasn't doing a very good job keeping this updated and promised my sissy I would post this tonight. So last week I decided it was time for puppy to have a bath. Glenn had to go help a friend of his install some lights so puppy and I had some bonding time. Since we got him, he's tried nothing more than to get into the bathtub. He was full of curiosity as to what was over that ugly pink wall. He learned that the grass isn't pinker on the other side. The second I put him in the tub his little claws just started sliding all over. It was quite comical. The second I poured water on him, he looked like he lost 4 pounds...which is a lot when you only weight ~6 pounds.

That's when the battle began. As hard as he was trying before to get INTO the tub he was trying to get back out. Needless to say he wasn't the only one with water on him. But it was ok. Until I actually got him out and started drying him off. I kind of forgot about "the wet puppy shake."

So he wasn't feeling the towel and was shivering so I busted out the hair dryer. I definitely wish I had that on video. His hair was all wavy after that, but after a good brush out he was all poofy and fluffy again. However apparently it made him a little psycho. I tried to put a video on here but it's not cooperating so I will try and do that tomorrow!

Kona Ki

Sooooo...we got a puppy!!!! I've been meaning to put a blog up since we got him but we've been so busy that I just haven't had time. He is absolutely the cutest thing in the whole world. His name is Kona Ki. He's a 9 week old shih-poo (shitzu poodle). So he literally is a little shit head...LOL!!! Anyway...we got him a week and a half ago after we had gone to dinner. It started out as just looking and then as soon as I held him I knew he was going home with us. He's doing pretty well on the training so far. Although he is starting to show more puppy tendency's the last few days. He's turned into a bit of a biter so we're trying to break him of that habit. But it's hard cause you want to play with him but at the same time make him realize you're not always playing. He's sleeping well through the night (I feel like we have a kid) but doesn't do well when we leave. He is at the point where he doesn't even whine anymore when it's time to go into his crate for bedtime, but when we leave for work or whatever...watch out!!!! All hell breaks loose and he cries and whines like it's his job. It makes it very hard to leave but so much fun to come home. So...here are some pictures of him and we'll keep you updated as he continues to grow and become an even bigger part of our family!!

Is it Nov 5th yet??

Every four years, I come close to unplugging my TV until after the election. I absolutely hate the political season. I am completely apathetic when it comes to politics. I know, I know...I should care now more than ever about the election. But what kills me is that everyone puts sooooo much emphasis on who the next president is going to be. Obviously it is important, but in my opinion it is not the most important vote that you have. In my opinion, your vote for Senator and Representative is much more important. The president only has so much power. Just because he says he's going to lower taxes doesn't mean the house/senate will pass it. Just because he says he will pull the troops out of Iraq doesn't mean that he will. Now I'm not giving my opinion one way or the other on who the next president should be. I have issues with both candidates, but will not share those with you here. Instead, I urge you to give as much thought to your vote for Senator and Representative as you do to the president. For they are truly the ones that run the country.

I'm an addict...a TV addict.

So it's only the first week of season premieres and I've realized (thanks to my boyfriends reminders) that I am a TV addict. Our DVR is on over-drive and it's only Wed. There are some nights I can't even tape all of the shows I want to watch because too much is going on. And there is no end in sight. It's just all too good. And let's be honest. With the exception of the last 7 months, for the bulk of the last 5 years I've either been single or in a long distance relationship. That leaves a lot of time sitting at home by myself. And sadly instead of turning to alcohol and bar stools, I turned to TV. I've been enthralled by heroes, enchanted by computer geeks and brought to tears by handymen. I've also laughed with police detectives, drooled over doctors and dreamed of becoming a ballroom dancer. The bottom line is...ok, there is no bottom line. They don't have support groups for TV addicts nor is there a 12-step program. So instead of trying to quit...I'm gonna tell my boyfriend he either has to take ballroom lessons with me or become a couch potato.

Some things require extra thought...

So I was on my way home from work today and saw a licence plate that really made me laugh. By looking at the driver I'm sure it wasn't what she intended for people to do. I love driving down the highway figuring out what people meant for their license plate to say. My sister, for example, got a personalized plate on my old car when I went away to college. Her plate said "MY POSC2" with the entended translation being "My piece of shit car 2" not "My posse". My current license plate is often misread as Fig Lini instead of Fighting Illini...I don't even have an i in the first part. But nothing is better than the one I saw today. It said "JUCY FRT". I'm sure you can see where I was going with that. How did this girl not realize that most people wouldn't see her license plate and think "juicy fruit" but instead read...you guessed it..."juicy fart"? Or maybe it's just me...maybe I'm the one seeing juicy fart when everyone else is seeing juicy fruit.

But this little license plate made me start to think about the bigger picture. How much thought to we really put into things? I'm not just talking about the clothes we put on every morning, the car we drive, the house we live in, the job we have. But what about the people we surround ourselves with, the thoughts in our head, the words that come out of our mouths. I think if people put a little more thought into the things that matter and not as much time on the trivial things, this world would be a much better place.

The History of Me...

So I realized that there's a lot about me that people reading this might not know. So here's a little bio on me. I was born and raised in Peoria, IL. I lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil for 9 1/2 months when I was five. It was awesome. I spoke Portugese fluently when I lived there but sadly remember none of it now. Every year my family went on vacation to Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri. I graduated from St. Thomas grade school in 1993 where I participated in the annual play and played soccer, volleyball and somehow survived half a basketball season as a cheerleader. In January of '93 my grandpa passed away and this left a very dark spot in my life. I still visit his grave every time I go home and miss him dearly. After grade school I attended Peoria Notre Dame high school where I graduated in 1997. While there I was involved in band (not by choice and I quit senior year), City Force 2000, Physical Therapy Explorers, French Club, National Honor Society and TEC (Teens Encounter Christ). I also worked several jobs including being an usher at the Peoria Civic Center, a waitress at Maid Rite, a file clerk at Illinois Eye Center and an assistant for an Insurance Salesman. I never had less than 2 jobs at any given time. After high school I went to the University of Evansville to major in Physical Therapy but changed my major to Athletic Training at the end of my freshman year. I enjoyed college but still wish I had gotten a little more out of it. I was involved with Habitat for Humanity for a little while and did a lot of volunteering freshman year. I was even named Volunteer of the Year. Sophomore year I joined the Phi Mu sorority where I met some amazing women. Sophomore thru Senior year I was a student athletic trainer and I worked at Texas Roadhouse from April of junior year til I graduated. It was definitely one of the best jobs I ever had. I went to our England campus for a 5 week session the summer before I graduated and visited several amazing places including London, Paris, Amsterdam and several other cities in England. After graduating in 2001 I took a year off before grad school where I was a substitute teacher. I then went to grad school at Ohio University and got my master's degree in athletic training. After grad school I moved to Connecticut where I lived for a year and worked in a clinic/high school and then moved to New Hampshire where I did an athletic training fellowship for a year. When that ended in July 2005 I decided I wanted to be closer to home and moved to Cincinnati. I started working for Cincinnati Sportsmedicine about 2 weeks after I moved and have been there since. I worked for my first 3 years as an athletic trainer in the clinic and a high school and then took a supervisor position to have a more set schedule. In March I met Glenn and my life has only gotten better. He bought a house in June and we are living together and working on the house. I'll write more about him in another blog. For now it's time to get ready to go to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati!!!

We're Not in Kansas Anymore...

So the tri-state was hit with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike yesterday. Glenn and I were at the Bengals game watching them suck. There were sustained winds up to 50 mph and gusts reaching 75 mph. I've never seen or felt anything like it. Debris was flying everywhere. It was quite comical to watch people try and make it up the stairs with nachos, popcorn and even beer. No one made it to their seat with their purchase completely in tact. Dumb asses!!! So after watching the pathetic display of football by the Bungles we made our way back to our car. OMG!!! The smallest piece of sand felt like a golf ball. We didn't have any idea how bad it was until we started driving home and saw all of the damage on the way home. There were large trees that were completely uprooted and even on top of people, power lines down every where and over 800,000 people without power. We headed home and feared the worse only to be surprised to find out we had power and had very minimal damage. We were one of the lucky ones. Work was closed today because of power loss so Glenn and I enjoyed relaxing for the morning and then headed to Lowe's to get some flowers. We've been planning to fix up the front of the house for awhile and figured no better time than today. The front yard looks a hundred times better and we've only just begun. To anyone out there reading...I hope you enjoy so far.

Why not?

So...everyone else I know has a blog and since I love to be a follower I decided why not. I feel like there are a lot of things in my daily life that I need to rant and rave about and what better place to do that but here. If nothing else I hope to entertain you and make you think a little. So...here is to the ramblings of my brain and the hope that someone out there can decipher them!!