Engaged Encounter

To satisfy our Pre-Cana requirements for our Catholic faith we were required to go to a day long seminar or a weekend long retreat for engaged couples. We opted to do the weekend as we thought we would get more out of it an intimate weekend with 19 other couples than a hectic day with about 40 or so... So, on April 13th Leonard and I headed off to St. Therese's Retreat...right down the road...for our Engaged Encounter weekend. We actually even got into an argument on the way there because I had Leonard get off at the wrong exit...and I was already a little unhappy that we had to go there. Little did I know what was in store of us...

The retreat was to be held from Friday - Sunday afternoon...ending with Mass. We were not told what to expect with no agenda of the weekend. We were told that the sleeping arrangements were dormitory style and to bring a robe because the showers were down the hall. We were also informed that we would have 3 meals on Saturday and 2 on Sunday...and to bring a 2-liter of something to drink and a snack to share as there was no meal for Friday night. That was it. The evening began promptly at 8pm, with registration and time to get settled at 7:30pm. Here I'm thinking we would be introducing ourselves, given an agenda and head off to bed. Boy was I wrong! We were led by a team of couples and a priest. There was a senior couple and a junior couple. They all introduced themselves and briefed us on the particulars of weekend. We were told that the basic format for the weekend would be a talk by one of the couples and the priest on a specific topic, a time for individual reflection/writing and then a time for we to meet up with our fiances for a discussion on our individual reflections. We did this 3 times before the night was over...heading to bed around 11:30pm. I was EXHAUSTED. I usually am in bed by 9pm half the time...it was so hard for me...but I always looked forward to meeting back up with Leonard and talking with him about my thoughts.

Of course we had separate sleeping quarters and I found myself hiding my pregnancy all weekend long. In the back of my mind lingered the thought, "I wonder if anyone can tell?" (Sleeping without Leonard actually was the worst part of the weekend.)

The next day started with a meeting in the chapel for prayer and breakfast. At breakfast Leonard noticed I was hiding my left hand because I did not have my ring. (My ring was at the jewelers getting having a mold made from it for my wedding band.) All of these women had such BEAUTIFUL rings and I didn't have mine! :( It sucked... So, in addition to the pregnancy...I ended up covering up my hand every moment I was aware of it.

After breakfast started a couple of more rounds of listening, reflecting, and discussion... And just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, we played a game. We actually did a couple of activities that were outside of the normal format and it made the weekend more bearable.

A lot of the topics/questions were items that were on our FOCCUS questionaire. It was nice to be able to sit with Leonard and discuss them in more detail. Our discussions never lasted long...and we usually had time left over in the 20 minutes or so they allotted for the rendez-vous. At those times I would take advantage of being alone with my love and just laying in his arms or joking around with him until they ring the bell for us to return.

Saturday night was about an hour long group discussion over questions we anonymously put in a box and a prayer service for us couples before heading off to bed.

One of our last exercises was to write a bethrothal to our future spouses...a love letter of sorts as well as a promise or contract for our future marriage. This was the easiest and the hardest thing I had to do all weekend. It was easy because I knew exactly what I would write...but hard because I couldn't write it without getting emotional. I was crying as I wrote it because it made me so happy to know that I had someone like Leonard in my life...and to tell him how much I love and adore him. As I read it to him, I broke down even more...bahling like a baby. (As I did when he read me his...) And they had the nerve to ask us to read them at mass? LOL No way. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it... Alas, it was perfect close to a perfect weekend.

Overall, we learned so much about how in tune we are with our relationship. I believe we had a good understanding of each other as individuals...but never really acknowledged how solid our comprehension of our relationship was. We have such a deep connection and our weekend was literally a confirmation of how genuine our love is...and how we truly are meant to be together.

Weird Day

For the past few days I've had a pain in my back...closer to my neck than anything, but I can't pinpoint the cause nor how to remedy it. I just know it hurts!! It's pretty much where my cervical vertebrae ends and my thoracic begins. (For those who don't know much about anatomy, that a little lower than my shoulders.) I could barely move last night...and getting dressed this morning was horrific. Moving my left arm in any direction/position sends a shooting pain through my upper back. I really don't know what to do. But, by time I got to church, I actually started feeling sick...not sure if it was nausea or what, but enough to take my mind off the pain. Since it is Palm Sunday today, the Gospel was the reading of the Passion and that's an awful long time to be standing. Normally, I would be fine. Today...today I broke out in a cold sweat and actually had to sit down. From that point forward I felt miserable...sweating, dizzy and uncomfortable.

So, Leo went to the gym and I stayed home to rest.

This has actually been the most restful weekend I've had in months. I got to sleep in for the first yesterday (a Saturday) since January. (And I still was up by 8am!) But, I didn't HAVE to do anything...no school, no work, no show. It was great. I made breakfast and cleaned the kitchen.

Wedding plans are coming along, slowly but surely. There is still much to do! My bridal showers are getting coordinated...(one is for work, the other for family.) I ordered the wedding favors on Friday. Last night I organized the wedding music and took it to our music director at church. I sent Leonard the information for getting their tuxedos. We still need to find a photographer...because the more and more I think about it, I want a pro. Also, we need to get the decorations and programs together. Most importantly, the production of the invitations is on hold until we can be sure that we can marry in the church. The Catholic Dicoese of Columbus is still reviewing my petition for the Pauline Privilege... My witnesses have been served letters and at this point it's a waiting game until all of their responses are in... I really don't want to speak much on that because it gets me really stressed, but I'm not really happy about that situation.

I'd much rather be doing baby stuff and preparing for our new addition. **sigh** But, first things first...

Can we say, Busy?

I've been so swamped lately it's not even funny. I'm actually too tired to write, but felt I was neglecting blogger over my pregnancy journal. :) So, as a quick update. I had my first ultrasound on Friday. It was amazing! The details are in my pregnancy journal.... (http://www.pregnancy.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=664464) The cool thing is... I'm further along than I thought. A little over week further... So, I'm a little over 3 months now. Can you believe that?


Anyway, work has been hectic. I've been working really hard...and with me being the only tech person in the office last week, I was swamped. The system needed to be updated to meet compliancy for the Daylight Savings Time change and it meant a lot of work for us. I was at work last night until about 10pm (took a Happy Hour break, of course,) and then pretty much all day today. I got there at 9:30am, went to class for about a half hour to do my labs and turn in my project (of which I got up at 4am this morning to start and finish,) and then got home around 7pm. Tomorrow will be another long day as I will have to finish working on updates in the morning, (after mass, of course) and then go shopping for a wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. And just found out a couple of hours ago that tomorrow evening is a birthday party for Leonard's brother...so I guess we'll have to be done by 5pm. I have a little more work I want to do online tonight and then I'm calling it a night. Next week will be another busy week...

The good news is, I got a raise! A really big one too... I was really surprised, because I also got a bonus. Insane. What a blessing!!!


I'll be so glad when things slow down...

Our Baby

Not so "Sunny California"...

So here I am in Napa Valley on business. It's been cloudy and rainy the past 3 days. The sun is trying to come out, but quickly gets covered. I'm just finishing my lunch...and it's 3:30 pm EST. (12:30 GMT - Pacific) I'm not getting used to this time at all. I'm really tired and don't feel like I have enough energy to get me through the days.

I will not even go into how bad my travel day was...just know that it was probably the worst travel experience I've ever had. (Aside from the ride back to Ohio from visiting my sister in FL on a Greyhound....)

The landscaping of this area is really nice. I'm sure it's a BEAUTIFUL place when the sun is shining etc. My department is pretty much everything I expected. The people are really nice and driven... (Mainly driven crazy by the SVP, but otherwise...they're pretty much on task.)

I am staying in the River Terrace Inn in Napa. It's a REALLY nice hotel. My room is very comfortable and the bed is a very good substitute for my "sanctuary" at home. I have a cool view of the Napa River from my baclony (pictured above) and they have a complimentary breakfast buffet every morning. The bar looks pretty cool, too... Very unfortunate that I cannot partake................

So some things I've noticed:

1. On my flight from Columbus to Vegas, I was the only black person on board.
2. On my flight from Vegas to Sacamento, I was the only black passenger on board...one of the flight attendants was black... lol
3. Out of 212 employees of my company's Napa office, there are probably a total of 10 black people.
4. When I went to Target last night, I saw no black people... LOL

There are a lot of hispanics and asians, but hardly any African-Americans. It's actually pretty interesting how drastically the demographic can change from one part of the country to the next. Being the person I am, I notice these things... I can't help it.

The SVP's assistant it taking me out to downtown Napa so I can check it out and do a little shopping. I'm actually looking forward to that. 3 hours to go...

Well, I have another meeting to attend in 10 mintues...so I best get prepared.

I plan on writing in my pregnancy journal later tonight.

T.G.I.F.!

T hank G od I t's F riday! There are some days when that phrase takes on more meaning than it does on others... Today is one such day! This week has been long and trying for me... There has been much to get done at work and my Accounting class continues to be a headache...not to mention it was the last week I had to teach for the show. I ended up holding a pure dance rehearsal on Sunday for 2 hours to teach 2 dances and review the others. Last night was more review and I taught 1 more...and we cut 1, so that helped! 2 nights ago I left my portfolio with my W-2s and other important documents at class and so I was stressing about that. In addition, the test that was scheduled for that night was moved to Monday...when I am out of town on business. My only option is to take it in the testing center, which I assumed would be prior to Monday. Well, my professor wrote me yesterday and told me that I can take it tomoBy the grace of God, it turns out that one of my classmates picked it up for me...so I will pick that up on my lunch. And now, it's FRIDAY!

I am so in need of some rest... I still have a test for my "workstation configuration" class tomorrow, but plan to go to bed as earlier as I can tonight. I fly out to Napa on Sunday and totally plan on sleeping on the plane to Vegas...and getting some early rest on Sunday evening.

Too bad I can't have that well deserved Jack and Coke.......................... C'est la vie!

Early Valentine's

So the night that I made my last post, Leonard came home with a ring! It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! He was really smart and took Kim and Julie with him. I had such a bad day and it was the best surprise ever! Obviously, with the pregnancy, I expected it at some point, but not this soon. And Kim reassured me that he had come to her at the beginning of January (before we even ever found out) to ask her advice. But, I knew we were going to get engaged EVENTUALLY, regardless of the baby...

Our friends had probed me for information about what kind of gold and size and stuff the Friday before, and I truly thought nothing of it. In light of everything else that is going on. They had me trying on their rings and all kinds of stuff. I was truly oblivious.

So, his proposal was really cute. As I said, I had been home sleeping before I had rehearsal while Leonard went to the gym (and apparently to pick up the ring, too.) When he got home, he acted like he was going to get into bed with me and picked up this pillow his sister made for me for Christmas... (The pillow has a digital cloth photo of us sewn onto it.) [Well just the past weekend I was joking around with him about how I didn't have a ring... And the pillow represents are love... So, I picked up the pillow and said, "Do you know what this is? It's love without a ring!" And I threw it across the room. We totally laughed about it and that was the end of that.] So as he picked up the pillow he says, "You know, baby, I think something fell out of this pillow when you threw it the other day." And, as a total sucker, I say, "You think so?" as I start to shake it and said, "Yeah, it does seem a little flat...maybe some stuffing or something fell out." Then he says, "I think it was this..." as he hands me the box with the ring. All I could say was "Are you serious??" And then he had me turn on the light and open it up! It was so cool... And he looks at me and says, "SO, what do you say??" To which I said, "Of course I'll marry you!" Needless to say, I'm a very happy lady!!!

The ring is unbelievably unique. I can't find it anywhere online to get a good picture of it...and taking one has not done it justice. But, it's designer is Christopher Slowinski...with his patented "crisscut" diamond. It looks very antique and I doubt anyone will ever have a ring like mine! It's so very cool...and it's white gold! To describe the setting I will give you the actual description from the appraisal: "One crisscut center with pave' set diamond trim, pave' set diamonds down shank."I've always wanted a white gold ring! So here are the pictures I took of the actual ring. And here are also pictures of what the crisscut diamond looks like...and I actually found the same detail on my band on another ring from the Christopher Designs site.

Just not "right"... It's COLD. And I'm tired.

So today was a bad day for me on the pregnancy side... I posted that in my pregnancy journal. Long story short, I'm just not right. Other than that, it's cold... The picture is from my weather bug, I snagged this morning from my PC. Can you believe that? -3 degrees. Insane. I do NOT like the cold. Needless to say, I'm going to take a nap before my rehearsal tonight. I have been so exhausted lately...which is totally expected. I just wish I could magically find some energy somewhere. Doing a little too much right now. After the middle of March, things will slow down.

BIG NEWS!

So now that we have told our nearest and dearest friends, I can post my news here in my blog! This past Saturday Leonard and I found out that we are expecting a baby... I'm so unbelieveably excited. It's all that I can think about... It's literally consuming everything I do. It was so hard to work this week and I fear it's only going to get worse. Although I am really early in the pregnancy and it's a big faux-pas to tell folks this soon, we just can't keep the excitement in...and keeping it from our friends was killing us. We have decided, however, to wait to tell our parents until we have the first prenatal appointment on Monday, February 12th. We just want to make sure everything is okay and going well before we get their hopes up. I'm cool with that, and telling our friends was probably the best thing we could do for support right now.


I have started a pregnancy journal on pregnancy.org and I plan on maintaining it. Here is the link to my journal: http://www.pregnancy.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=664464 It is also located in my "LINKS" section to the right.


I will continue to post here in my blog about everything unrelated to my pregnancy and some things related, but the for the most part, the plan is to keep them separated.


I wake up every morning and thank God every day for this blessing...

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY!

2007

I can't believe it's the end of January already. I have been meaning to post an entry about the new year and what I hope comes to pass. Hoping not to sound like a broken record, but I'm not one to make "resolutions", in the sense that society usually defines. When most people set out to make resolutions, they usually are resolving to make a change... Change is really hard for me and often times I find I am set in my ways. A resolution is more so a statement or expression of a formal decision...(to many...a decision to make change.)

I much rather like setting goals for the year. This year I don't have too many goals... Last year I was successful at achieving most, if not all, the things on my list. I lost weight, I went back to school, I grew deeper spiritually and completed my catechism...

So this year, I have a list of HOPES, if you will:

• I hope to at least get engaged before year's end...


• ...so that I can hopefully start a family soon.


• I hope to continue my studies and not allow my lack of motivation discourage me.


• I hope to maintain my fitness habits and also incorporate an even more healthy diet.


• I hope to exercise my faith with stronger intentions.


• I hope to keep my sanity through the changes at work, (resulting from the recent acquistion of the company for which I work.)


• And last, but certainly not least, I hope to stay in contact and spend more time with my family and those that I love.

I'm praying these things will come to pass. God willing...

It's looking a lot like winter...

Looks like Old Man Winter has finally made his grand entrance! Today it snowed. Although this isn't technically the first snow we've seen, it is the first snowfall of significance. As usual on a Sunday morning, I get up at 7:45am to get ready for 9am mass. After I have taken my shower, I get Leonard up. Since I was still feeling under the weather, he actually made it downstairs before I and as I'm finishing getting my gym bag together I hear, "Midnight, you're a reversed Dalmation!" (This is what happens to Midnight when he goes out while it's snowing...he comes in with white spots. Too bad I didn't get a picture of this.) We both eat some breakfast and head out to a nice coating of snow on the road. As we pull out of our cul de sac we began to realize how slick it actually is... By the time we reach the main road, we are surprised that it really isn't any better. Hopeful that the I-70 and I-270 would be more clear, we proceed to the freeway. The on ramp is just as coated as the road...and as it turned out, the freeways were no better. As we got to 270...at a 25mph crawl we decide that we're not making it to mass today and it's best to turn around. So, to the first exit we go...

Fortunately, it is Sunday...all of our grocery shopping is done and we have no where pressing to be. These are the days when it is best to just stay off the roads until something has been done to improve driving conditions. Driving in this weather always makes me a little nervous.

I actually wasn't even expected all of this snow... An hour later the back yard was covered and it continued to snow for a couple of more hours straight. I am certain there is a good 2 inches out there (if not more)...almost out of nowhere.

Back to Blogging

Today I am sick. I've actually been sick for the past few days. I'm not quite sure what's going on, just that I'm not getting any better because I'm doing a very bad job of resting. Presently, I have lost my voice...yet, I keep trying to talk so it's only getting worse...

I usually try to write blogs when I have something great to say...but today I just have some time to type. I actually did have some cool things to write about...like my 30th birthday, New Year's Eve and my recent trip to New Orleans, but time has dearly escaped me. But to sum a few of those events up:

• My birthday, the 29th of December, was unforgettable...to say the least, spent with good friends and overall had a good time. I also must say I am very content with being 30. (before dinner on my birthday...)


• I took it easy on New Year's as I had my fill of partying just 2 days prior, yet rang in the New Year with those I consider to be my most genuine friends. I've always believed that the person (or people) you are with when the clock strikes 12, those are the ones with which you will spend the entire year. (So far, it's been true for me...)


• New Orleans was yet another wondeful experience! I believe that everyone should get down to the French Quarter at least once in their life time. It is filled with such great culture, music and FOOD! (The Mississippi in the morning)

At this point, I'm trying to sit back and relax...so hopefully I get well. My life is a little busy at the moment as I am once again taking class for the quarter, trying to maintain my fitness regimen and work has once again made me its slave. (The company I work for was recently acquired and with the merger comes many technological changes...in which I will have a great part.) I actually decided that I'm going to take a breath and not let it stress me out too much.

I will have another blog really soon!

Long time... No blog.

**I started this blog on December 18, 2006, as it is so dated**

A friend of mind recently got all sentimental on me and reminded me how important friendships are. I turn 30 next week. "...30 next week." How odd does that sound? At this point in my life, I realize more and more each day how much it is a blessing to be alive...and to have the friends that I have. There are many people in this world who don't make it to 30. I have no complaints...but, unfortnately, few regrets. My friends get me through the days...most times, unknowingly. I can think about the relationships...(life long friendships...) I have formed over the past 10, 5 and even 2 years and it makes me happy to know I have such good people in my life. I find myself looking forward to our next outings...and even the times where I can run to their desks to vent..beacause, even if they don't care or are tired of hearing me whine...they still listen as if they do care. :) And there are also the times when they support the things I do, and even the things members of my family do by showing up to events and what not. It's unreal. There are a lot of folks in this world who don't have any people they can truly call friends...and barely acquaintances. I am one of the blessed few that can honestly say, "I have friends." These are the folks who would go out of their way for you...do things for you when they are tired...or make exceptions to their plans... Some times, to me, it seems surreal. But, at the end of the day, I know what's up.

So, cheers to you my dear friends... You all know who you are. Thank you som much for being such an important and necessary part of my life. Here's to my serenity as made possible through my relationships!


Here are a few pictures of me and my FRIENDS:

~ Me and one of my "most favorite people in the world," Nick. (The friend who inspired this blog.)
~Sarah, one of my longest and dearest friends with whom I didn't go to school.
~Kim, although I have only known her for a short period of time...it seems like it's been a life time.

((I have more pictures to add! For some reason, now that I am editing it 2 weeks later, I can't add them...but when I do it will include, Julie, Peter and of course, Leonard!))

It's been 2 years...

...since Leonard and I started dating. What a marvelously, wonderful 2 years it has been! I have never been happier in my life. I know in my heart of hearts that I am going to spend the rest of my life with this man! How grand it is to be so certain of something...

We celebrated, once again, in a cabin in Hocking Hills. Appropriately, it is named "The Anniversary" cabin. We were there for our 6 "monthiversary" and returned for this milestone. I didn't want the weekend to end. It was totally about "us." We did nothing but relax and enjoy each other's company...cuddling, endulging in a varitey of alcholic bevearges, hanging out in the hot tub, watching movies...and even got to watch OSU beat Michigan!

And the best gift yet...was a card. I nearly cried when I read it. It was so unbelieveably sincere and I could tell that he put his heart into choosing it and composing the genuine message inside. It was perfect. (Almost better than getting a ring... LOL)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

When I was younger we rarely celebrated Halloween. And it really wasn't like it was something we weren't allowed to do...more like something we just didn't do. We always participated in the school costume parades and on rarest of occasions, we would pass out candy... But we NEVER went trick or treating. At some point in my childhood I used to think it was because Halloween was "evil"... As I got a little older that theory didn't make any sense to me...seeing that we would still dress up for school...and never seemed to miss "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!" That's when I figured the trick-or-treat thing was just our parents being overprotective (as usual...)

By the time I reached my teens, however, I started to wonder whether or not it was an "evil" thing to celebrate. A lot of that was brought on by my highly religious grandmother, and my uncertainty about my own spirituality. Now that I am an adult, I have come to believe that there is nothing wrong with it...as long as I'm not worshiping the devil or anything...I'm free to do what I please in terms of acknowledging the day.

I recently received and article from About.com, (to where I have a subscription to "About Catholicsim...",) that gave the Catholic point of view of Halloween. Without pasting in the entire article, it basically reinforced my new found belief. The day of Halloween was actually determined by a Roman Catholic Pope in association with All Saints Day, November 1, 2006. All Saints Day is a Catholic Feast day in which we celebrate those who have died. The eve before the celebration was dubbed "All Hallowe'en." During the 15th century in the days of the Black Death, people started wearing costumes...to remind them of the own mortality. Americans later added in "trick-or-treating."

http://catholicism.about.com/cs/holidays/a/halloween02.htm

Needless to say, I celebrated to the fullest this year...as the "Bride of 'White Trash Dracula'"! :)

BUSY

I have been unbelieveably busy lately. But I really can't complain. I don't mind being busy. After all, Merriam-Webster defines busy as "engaged in action." So, it means I have something to do...and I'm not bored. At this point, I'm not too busy that I'm losing my mind, but busy enough to be classified as such. Presently, I am taking 3 classes at school, working full-time...and quite some over time, planning my high school class reunion (pretty much on my own) and planning my boyfriend's birthday bash. The only thing I wouldn't possibly mind adding is a choreography gig... At that point, I would probably loose my mind. LOL So, I okay with it. Just really haven't had the time to write any blogs worth reading...............

My Baby Brother...

~ Ages 15 and 3
~(2 vs. 18) ...isn't a baby anymore. My brother, Brandon, turned 18 yesterday. 18! I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday he was attached to my hip. I'll never forget the day he was born. I was almost 12 years old and had just started 6th grade. My sister (nearly 13/7th grade) and I got into a fight with a couple of girls on the way home from school. Turns out Candace owed one of the chicks 75 cents! Can you believe that? 75 cents and they're ready to kick our asses! Well, as we believed was the right thing to do...and actually sensed some urgency to get home...we kept walking while the girls (and what seemed like half the school) followed us. Long story short...we essentially got our butts beat, because we didn't fight back. The girl who Candace owed the money to got a good lick in and put a knot on her head...I came away without a scratch (the other girl who was trying to jump on my back was smaller than me and I easily threw her off a few times.) At the time, our walk was about 25 minutes from the house...the fight lasted anywhere from 10-15 minutes. The last 10 minutes we were sprinting home crying and ticked off, only to get home and find out that we were locked out of the house {we didn't have keys at the time} and a note telling us to go to our grandmother's who lived across the street (literally.) As were heading over, our neighbors told us that our mother's water broke at a bus stop downtown and that we were supposed to go to our grandmother's. We get there, Candace all banged up...and we had to tell our aunts, uncle, and grandmother the story...who were very disappointed because we didn't fight back. That same sentiment was shared by our father when he arrived a few hours later... He yelled at us unlike anything I could ever remember...(stressed maybe??) before he even told us what was going on with Mom. Her water broke around 2pm on Friday, September 16th. She ended up having some complications and delivered Brandon around 2am on September 17th by caesarian... He was 1 month premature, weighing in at only 4lbs.

From the time he was born until I left the house at 18 (he was 6) we were inseparable. I literally was this kid's 2nd Mom. I took care of him all the time...even Candace hardly participated in "babysitting." When I left the house, I know it was hard on him, but I didn't realize it until he was much older. Once he got into high school I tried my hardest to participate more in his life...even if that meant being his chauffeur at times... It was worth it. I'd do anything for that kid within my means. He's my heart. Happy Birthday, Brandon!


~ On his 18th birthday.

Old Friends

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?" ~ Stand By Me (1986)

Last night I went to dinner with some old friends. These were the friends I made in 6th grade (one of them even in 5th.) These were the friends that you would write notes to every night, even though you would see them the next day and talk to them all day long anyway. These were the friends, that in those notes you would write: "Friends 4ever"...and if you were us: "Friends Forever Forget this and you die!" Those were the days. Life was simple, yet we were in a hurry to grow up. Grow up and grow apart, apparently.

Last night was great. I hadn't seen the girl who I grew to call my "best friend" in about 15 years. I found her on classmates last year. Another girl, I had seen after she mailed a letter to my parents house with her married name on the return address...about 8 years ago. The last I had made contact with after 9/11 and I was a on big kick to find everyone who ever meant anything to me...lucky for me...the friend is a he and his last name remained the same. :) I've hung out with him about once a year since 2002 and within the last year or so have seen him from time to time as we work out at the same gym. :) My "best friend" said, "You know, although we all look different, we all look the same." It was too funny, yet so true. All of our personalities were the same...mannerisms while speaking unchanged...only time had passed. It was almost like we picked up where we left off. Such a good feeling.

At this point, I am determined to keep in touch with them and have had them all send me their contact information so I can distribute. And I believe it will happen. I actually have been successful in staying in very good touch with 2 of my friends I made in that era...one from 5th grade, Annette, (who coincidentally later becomes my sister-in-law) and another when I was 6th...my genuine friend, Peter. So, I know it can be done...

The quote above is one of my favorites, and up until recently, I believed it was a 100% true. I still believe there is a lot of truth in it, but I have been fortunate to find a group of friends, whose friendships are comparable to those of the ones I had when I was 12. There's nothing like it. I think it helps keep us young and sane.

Life

I'm writing because I realize it's been nearly a month since I've written last. I really don't have anything to say. At this point, life is what I'm making it and I am content. I'm actually more than content... I'm pretty happy. I have an AMAZING boyfriend, a family who LOVES me genuinely and everyone gets along, FANTASTIC friends, no enemies (that I know of) and I'm finally getting my life together.

There are only a couple things at this point that would make my life complete...and hopefully those things will come to pass within the next couple of years, GOD WILLING.

"You Trippin'"

Went out last Friday night with my boyfriend and a few of our friends, in addition to his ex-roommate and the folks he was hanging with that night. We actually had a blast. I absolutely love going out and "shaking my bottom," (as one of my friends so eloquently puts it.) But, shortly before we left, right after I closed out my tab and was heading back to my man, I ran into a very rude dude...

CONVERSATION:

Dude: "So what are you doing dancing all over that white boy?"
Me: "...Because he's my boyfriend." (And I smile...)
Dude: "You trippin'."
Me: "Oh, I don't discriminate... I was already married to a black man..." (And I smiled again...)
Dude: "You trippin'."

At that point I walked away...

Obviously, the "rude dude" was a black man. AND obviously jealous because I wasn't dancing "all over him..." But, I couldn't stop thinking about it and was noticeably bothered. And not really sure why? For as ignorant as it was...it's not like it hadn't happened before. I've learned to deal with it...or so I thought.

Needless to say, we all know how I feel about that issue. No need to rehash. But, it was kind of coincidental, as one of my cousins had just blogged about identity and society's views of black and white and how races mix, rather the issues and/or situations that come of that "mixing"...Etc.

Long story short, I love my man! I wouldn't care if he was green. I'd still love him. Love him, love him, love him.

~This was taken a little after I was seen "dancing all over" my man... ;)~

Morning Sky

I've always been fond of sunrises and sunsets. They all seem to have pretty unique colors and their hues. It always is interesting to me how different the sky looks when you are in different parts of the country...or even the world. And when it comes down to it...it's all the same sky. This morning when I let Midnight (my dog) out I caught a sight of one of the most beautiful skys I have seen in a while. I immediately ran in the house and got my camera and ended up wasting about 10 minutes taking pictures of it. Such a great way to start the day! What do you think?