Back from vacation!

Well, my vacation was a success. I was about at my breaking point the day before my vacation and just kept talking to myself that I was leaving the next day. When I got on the plane, I felt such a sense of relief. Relief that I could just be myself without having to worry about work, bills, drama, etc. I had one of the most relaxing vacations I can remember. I didn't do anything spectacular or even what some people would consider fun, but I can tell that when I got back, I feel more like myself again. People at the office yesterday were even commenting that I seemed different. I'm not feeling tired like I had been and I finally don't feel sick. I'm hoping that my next vacation isn't as far away :)

I also want to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving. I was laying outside watching football for most of the day--enjoying the weather and being around family! I hope you all were able to enjoy the Holiday as well!

Vacation

I don't know that I've ever said what I do in detail...however, lets suffice it to say that it's stressful. Along with that stress comes getting sick more often, feeling tired a lot of the time, and just not being with it all the time. Because of this, the agency I work for, gives 4 weeks of vacation when you start. I really appreciate this vacation time. We also have a "use it or lose it" policy for vacation. I was disappointed about this at first, but after working there almost 2 years, I get it. I need 4 weeks of vacation to stay sane (and at times, come back from being insane). So I leave tomorrow...I'm headed on vacation for a week.

I need it. I know people say they "need" vacation and to get away....I honestly do. These past few months have been trying...not just because of work but also because of thinking a lot about my life path (as talked about in previous posts) and just not feeling myself lately. This is the longest vacation I've taken in a while. I've done long weekend, but haven't done a week since I graduated grad school.

So I'm hoping to come back with less stress..I realize that some of the things I've been stressed about will be here when I get back, I'm just hoping to come back with a different stress level to be able to look at the situations in a different way and not "feel" them so hard. So have a great Thanksgiving everyone and enjoy your family and friends if you are spending it with them!

Easter weekend

I'm not a religious person. I went to Catholic school from middle school through high school. When I went to college, I "experimented" with different religions, but just never felt comfortable or like I fit anywhere. After college, I attended a few different churches, but again never felt right. So as of today, I don't attend church and I feel a lot more at peace then when I did. I never fit in at Catholic churches and also left feeling guilty or as if I would never be able to achieve what the church talked about. That's not a great feeling when you're leaving church. There are also many things I don't agree with within the Catholic religion, but I won't get into those.

Anyway, as it is Easter tomorrow, I am happy. Not because I went to church and prayed, but because this weekend I have been surrounded by family and friends. That is what I believe in. I believe in being happy and surrounding yourself with people who love you. I have a lot of questions about "religion" but I do think I am spiritual. I believe in being a good person and loving with all I have. Not that I get those right every day, but it is still what I strive to accomplish on a daily basis.

So Happy Easter everyone! Whatever you believe in or however you celebrate, I hope it's a great day. Take some time to relax!

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

Just stopping by to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Or Happy Holidays for whatever it is you celebrate! The holiday is going well so far. My mom is in bed with the flu and who knows if she'll be feeling better by the time people come at 4--let's hope so as there are about 40 people coming over around 4pm!

Santa remembered to stop here and it was a great Christmas. I even got a pair of pearl earrings :) Have a great holiday everyone!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Time goes by too quickly.

I can't believe how fast time has been going lately. It seems like it was just Thanskgiving and now I'm worried about getting all my Christmas shopping done. I am usually pretty good about having my shopping done the day after Thanksgiving with just a few minor things to pick up. This year though, I feel like I am missing a lot. I think it has to do with moving next weekend all my stuff being in boxes too! My goal is to have the apartment up and running by the 1st of the year. Yes, it's a lofty goal but one I hope to make a reality. I'm sick of living with boxes and I've been doing it for too long. Let's just hope that this is a place I stay in longer than a year so I can actually unpack everything.

I have 6 more days of work and then I'm on vacation until January 5th which is great. I need the break from work and I just need the break in general. I have been on the go for too long and haven't just able to just be. So yesterday, I didn't get out of bed until 12:30 and then did absolutely nothing all day. Didn't do dishes, didn't do laundry, didn't clean, didn't pack, nothing. I did lay around, watched movies on TV and was back in bed around 7 last night. I then watched more movies and did more of nothing. I woke up this morning feeling very refreshed and so glad I had taken the time to do nothing the previous day. My cold I felt coming on is feeling almost gone and I'm not feeling as stressed as I was the previous weeks.

Thanks to those of you who continue to check in to see if I wrote. I'll try to be better about this as I am now trying to take more time for myself and I do enjoy updating this...it's my online diary :)

What happened to Thanksgiving?

I still can't believe it. When I was in FL in early October (read: the 4th!!!!), I went to Target. Christmas had already vomitted all over the store. Blow up Santas, Christmas cards, lights, and annoying musical toys. Really? This was BEFORE Halloween. Do we completely disregard Thanksgiving now? Is Thanksgiving no longer important to people? Or are stores so desperate to have people start shopping and then forget they already bought things so they buy more? I am not sure what it is, but I'm already sick of it.

I will fully admit that I am one of the "crazies" that gets up early every year the day after Thanksgiving to partake in the early bird shopping. BUT, I enjoy Thanksgiving first. I don't do Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving (unless I see something that is a good deal so I buy it not knowing who is going to get it that year or even for what holiday). But I am on a mission the day after Thanksgiving. That mission to complete my Christmas shopping so that I don't have to worry about it again until I take the presents where ever they need to go. Now, I'm not a scrooge, but I am someone who thinks that Christmas has gotten a little overblown lately and unfortunately, I don't think kids are taught the real meaning of Christmas (and no, it's not Santa!) I am not a religious person, but I believe Christmas is about being with family, friends, people you love and enjoying the company of people you don't see nearly enough.

So, yes, the stores are too much for me. Perhaps that is the reason I do my shopping all in one day. I can't stand the malls at this point and try to stay clear of them. I definitely have the Christmas spirit....mine just doesn't kick in until the day after Thanksgiving.

Easter Weekend

Well, it was Easter. This is the first year I didn't have a basket, but my easter bunny (my mom) is in FL so that makes it difficult to hide the basket from there. I'll live though, I swear.

Saturday, my dad and I took my mom down to the airport in Milwaukee. Now, I realized that it being Easter weekend that the airport would probably be busy, but seriously. The day before, all the flights had been cancelled due to weather, so there were people EVERYWHERE. There were also news crews everywhere interviewing people who were "stranded" at the airport. I had printed out the flight information for my mom and we went to stand in line at Continental. Her flight took off at 10:31am and we got there around 8:20am. We were still in line at 9:15am and still about 50 people back in line. I finally went up front and asked a new man what was going to happen with people who needed to get on flights that were in about an hour. He asked which flight I was on so I told him that I was flying to Detroit (no time to explain that my mom was the one flying!) and he informed me that "We don't fly to Detroit". Uhhh..yeah you do, it says so right here on my itinery. Well, he informs me that we've been in the WRONG line the entire time and that we had to go to Northwest. Nowhere on that paper did it say she was flying Northwest. Needless to say, I was angry. So I cut in at the Northwest line to ask a very rude worker what is going on with the flight leaving in an hour and thankfully she (rudely) informed me that there was a small line on the side that they were having for my mom's flight to make sure that everyone got checked in. So, whew. We got my mom checked in, her luggage was set, and she made it through security with enough time to use the bathroom. So, dad and I get back to the car and start the drive home when my phone rings. Her plane had just arrived (10:20am) and they were delayed until 10:48am. Ugh. Thankfully it wasn't a long delay and she still made her connection in Detroit (although she got there, had to find her gate, and get on the plane right away). She is now safely in FL, but who knows what her return flight will bring!

Sunday, we had a really nice meal with two of my cousins and their families. My dad grilled out steaks (marinated...yum!) and we had twice baked potatoes, pasta salad, veggies, macaroni (for my two year old cousin), and dinner rolls. For dessert we had a HUGE chocolate cake. We all rolled away from the table when we were done and then we just watched basketball for the afternoon.

It was definitely hard to go back to work today, but thankfully I have another fun weekend to look forward to!

A Much Needed Break!

Well, tomorrow is the first day of my life! Tomorrow is graduation--apparently I am now a Master! Then bright and early on Monday, I fly out to South Carolina for a week vacation. I fly back on Christmas eve day, drive up to my parent's house and then celebrate Christmas! Then coming back down to my place on the 26th to finish packing. My dad has a partial knee replacement on the 28th, and I come back down and officially move on the 29th. Then I start my new job on January 2nd and I move into my apartment on January 11th.

What an upcoming month huh? I will extend the contest until I get back. I am going to give a HUGE tip: POST A LINK TO THE CONTEST ON YOUR BLOG IF YOU WANT TO WIN! (Was that blunt enough?) Haha!

Have a great holiday--whatever you choose to celebrate! Enjoy the season (and the snow if you have any!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you eat lots of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie and whatever else you make to celebrate!

Have a great day!