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??