Hard Week :(

Now that the craziness of Christmas is over, it's been a rough week for all three of us in the house. Unfortunately it's only gotten worse as the week continues. Monday we were soooo tired from the family festivities that both Megan and I almost fell asleep at work! Today was even harder for Megan and Wade as his dad passed away this afternoon. It wasn't unexpected, but still, no one ever wants or plans for that to happen. At least they know that he is no longer in any pain and is watching over them from above. The rest of this week will be tough for them and the rest of his family. My thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to them. I wish so much that there was something that I could do for them, to help make it easier, but I doubt there's much I can do. Looks like I'm going to have to buy a thing of cheesecake and Chipotle. I'm praying that the rest of this week brings good news and cheer to put them in a better mood for next week as they leave for Mexico for Megans brother's wedding!

Happy Christmas Eve, Eve!!

I know I'm jumping the gun a bit today compared to most people, but for me, the 23rd is more like Christmas eve than the 24th. Growing up, my parents, siblings and I always went to church on Christmas eve, came home to eat appetizers, played a game, and then we all opened our presants! It was our time to spend together as a family. This year will be no different, well, with the exception that my parents will now be sitting across from each other divorced instead of unhappily married. I think it's probably better this way. I'm ridiculously thrilled that they can still get along well enough to keep our holiday tradition alive.

Now that I think about it, I remember cringing a bit on Christmas day for one small reason, it meant we had to go visit my grandma from the "dark farm". Don't get me wrong, I really do love the woman, but when your grandma gives you guilt trips in your birthday cards, chores in your plastic Easter eggs, and puts you to work doing manual labor in her 2 acre garden from the age of 5 you'd have a bit of hostility towards her too!!!

It's going to be an interesting weekend to say the least with my family's Christmas tomorrow, spending Christmas day with my dad, then back home to join in with Megan's family Christmas on Sunday. Oh the joy of slaving over a hot stove, scrubbing every surface of your house til it shines, and completely finishing your unfinished basement (because that's what all sane, normal people do right before the holidays!), all to see your loved ones smile when they walk in the door for the holidays. Although I think Megan and Wade are crazy for doing all of this while it's been like 10 degrees outside and having to work in their cold garage staining wood work and late nights/early mornings finishing drywall and painting, they always manage to pull it off absolutely perfect. The transformation that basement has made within the last week would completely blow your mind! And even better, they came out of all of this still happily married :P Those two are one of a kind, and I couldn't be more proud of them and all of their hardwork that has definitely paid off.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and safe travels where ever you may go.

~Holiday Cheer~

It's been a busy and craaaaaazy weekend! Friday I was able to actually help Megan and Wade with finishing their basement by painting primer on the ceilings and in the bathroom. We would have done a lot more but the tape/texture guy they had hired was a pain in the butt and finished two days later than he said he would. Grrrrr! Saturday I wasn't able to help too much since I had to work from 11-3 and then I had a family christmas to go to.

My favorite time of the year is when I get to get together with family (minus the crazy lady from the dark farm whom I call Grandma). There's never a shortage of laughs, hugs, and wine...lots and lots of wine! By the time I got there everyone was in the middle of our gift exchange game that we decided to play this year and after jumping in, I ended up with the game Catch Phrase! Super excited about that one since I LOVE that game. Then we all opened more gifts, ate lots more food, and before I knew it, I was somehow tricked into suiting up and was out the door to go sledding with my cousins. Now I haven't been sledding in about 10 years so you can just about imagine how big of a mistake this was. Of course I was stuck with the tube that was half deflated already, so I felt EVERY bump on the way down! Every long hike back up the hill was a reminder as to why I hadn't done this in so long. All was fine and dandy until the very last trip down the hill when I was launched over a 4' jump and was white-washed with snow all down my shirt, in my face, and up my pant legs. That's where I draw the line. Once we came back inside we sang waaaay too many Christmas carols, drank hot cocoa, and finally said goodbyes. I came home just in time to help put the first coat of paint in one of the bedrooms.

This morning I woke up and wasn't much help since Megan and Wade already finished painting the bathroom, family room, both bedrooms, and all that was left was the very trim around the edges. I decided the family room needed a second coat so I rolled paint until my fingers started to blister and cramp. Then it was off to get rid of some more garbage and make another trip to Menards (their second home as of lately). I took a break after that and went to the mall to see what all the hustle and bustle was all about and found some really great deals at The Limited :).

To top this whole weekend off I got some great news......I got the job at Romi!!!! It'll be great experience and hopefully I can use it as my field experience for my senior capstone! To make the day even better, I got a call from another mental illness home asking for me to come interview with them too! Bryan also has gotten a great lead on a job that will pay him even more than he's making in the Marine Corps right now even with our housing allowance. It's in Colorado though so I'm a little saddened that we'll both be away from our families. I guess we'll see how things go. I feel so blessed lately and can't thank God enough for the amazing people he's put in my life.

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and an even happier new year!!!

Back in the frozen tundra

So it's been over a week since I left sunny California and I'm finally starting to get used to it being freezing ALL THE TIME! I'm all moved into Megan's and it's finally starting to feel a little more comfortable than at the beginning.

It didn't take long for Megan to start seeing all of the benefits of having someone else in the house. I'm there to let the dogs in and out, run her anything she may have forgotten at home, keep an eye out for their tape and texture man (grr that's a whole other story in itself), help stain doors, and of course using my vehicle to dispose of un-used supplies/pick up some of the bigger pieces. I guess I kind of volunteered myself for that last part, but I don't mind it in the least. It's exciting to know that I'm helping them complete such a huge part of their house. A little hard work never hurt anyone (that I know of anyways).

I've now had 2 shifts back at Park Meadows and it's going pretty awesome! It's taking me a bit to get re-familiarized with everything, but it's quickly coming back to me. I've already gotten a lease signed for Feb. and I might have another one tomorrow for Jan.! It would be freakin sweet if they came back already :)

It's become pretty aparent that I'm going to have to get another part time job just to keep on top of all of everything now that Bryan and I are managing two households worth of bills again. This should be interesting. I've got an interview coming up for an awake overnight shift working with mentally handicapped individuals again. I'm hoping this one goes a lot better than it has in the past. Wish me luck!

Road trip!!!!

I can't believe that today is actually here! I've been dreading/ looking forward to it for the past 3 months or so and I don't think it's actually hit me yet. I'm almost completely packed, I just have to make some sandwiches for the road, pack up the vehicle, print out my direction maps, and say goodbye to my husband. It's a really hard day for us since we've been living together like a normal married couple day in and day out for what feels like forever, and now I have to leave again and it just brings us back to square one. I know we'll be ok and that it's not going to last forever. Hopefully these next four or five months will pass by as quickly as possible!!!

On the brighter side of things, even though I'm leaving my husband, I get to come back to MN and see all of my family again and most of all my very best girl Megan! I can't tell you how much I miss girl time with that wonderfully crazy lady. It'll be interesting because I'm actually moving in with her and her husband and their four furbabies (2 dogs, 2 cats, and a couple fish...but we don't really count the fish). They are currently in the process of finishing their basement to add on two more bedrooms, a big family room, and another full bathroom. It's a lot of work, but they're doing most of it by themselves and from what I've heard of/seen in pictures they're doing an amazing job! Her husband, Wade, can build/fix anything!

After these next couple months are over I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen. We're playing things by ear and just continuing to pray that things will work out at they need to. Today my friend Vahna, who flew out to Cali this past Saturday to help me move, and I are going to start our long road trip back to MN. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to handle the cold as I haven't exactly been prepared for it. I guess I better start liking the snow and FAST! Oh who am I kidding, I will NEVER like snow or anything that has to deal with the cold. Wish us luck and pray for good weather through the mountains as we drive. See you all soon!