Happy Snowy Thursday

In life, everything changes. That’s probably a good thing. Nothing should stay the same forever. As people we have to personally evolve.

But we shouldn't take for granted the few consistencies that managed to stay present in our lives. The little things that have been able to make us smile since we were young; hot fudge on top of ice cream, a summer vacation spot or the giddiness leading up to Christmas.

One thing in my life that has never changed is my best friend and her excitement over the first snow fall of the season. Most people get less excited over snow as they get older, especially in the Northeast. But she has never lost her enthusiasm.

Since we first met in middle school, she’d greet me with the words “Happy Snowy Monday (or whatever the day was in late October when she spotted the first flurry)!

The same stay trued in high school. She’d whisper it across a classroom or wait for me in the hall between classes. “Happy Snowy Tuesday!”

In college she’d call me in Philly to let me know it had flurried in Scranton. “Happy Snowy Wednesday!”

Whether she realizes it or not, she is the person who has always reminded me to take pleasure in the small things. It brings me great joy to know that something so small can still make her so happy. It brings me an even greater joy that she still thinks to share her excitement with me after all these years. She is one of the constants in my life. And the first snow fall will always be one of the constants of our friendship.

This afternoon it snowed, just a little, and sure enough I got a text.

Happy Snowy Thursday!

My Obituary

I woke up this morning to find my name in the local obituaries. Obviously, I knew if I was breathing as I read the obituary it simply couldn’t be about me! Just to be sure I read a little closer; our middle initials were different and this woman had 57 years on me.*PHEW* But still, seeing my name in print along with funeral arrangements made me think about my own mortality. I thought about what I’d want my own obituary to say.

I have plans to volunteer my time, travel the world, appreciate the arts, and challenge myself mentally and physically. Yet, I fear I’ll never be as great as I’d like to be, and my obituary will read “her intentions were always greater than her actions”.

Perhaps if I write my own obituary now, I’ll have no choice but to live up to my own expectations. (Much the same as using this blog to announce I’d run a 10 mile race. Once it was public I had to follow through. And I did!)

I’d like the final thoughts of my life to read something like this:

Elizabeth Richardson, 87, passed away Sunday in her home.

Elizabeth earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Temple University and a Master’s Degree in Communication Arts from Marywood University. She had a short stint as a game show host before going on to work as the Director of Media Relations for the Make A Wish Foundation. Her innovative ideas and sheer genius helped the organization grow by leaps and bounds. Her work not only helped terminally ill children live out their dreams, but also reminded people of the humbling importance of charity. Her work made the world a better place. Upon retirement, Elizabeth spent much of her time at her shore home.

She vacationed on tropical islands and visited 6 continents. Elizabeth ran with the bulls in Spain, parasailed in Fiji, rode a camel in Egypt, ziplined in Costa Rica and hiked through Italy and France. She attended the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and several Olympic Games. Stateside, she ran half marathons, attended concerts at historic venues such as the Grand Ole Opry and the Beacon Theater. She’s attended a baseball game at every MLB stadium and was a season ticket holder for her beloved Phillies. She was present at 3 of their World Series appearances.

Elizabeth enjoyed going to Broadway shows, both musical and straight plays. Each year she attended at least one performance of the New York City Ballet. She was a major contributor to the arts in her hometown, making it possible for young children to be exposed to the benefits of the performing arts.

Elizabeth outlived most of her family and friends as well as her trusty golden retriever Briscoe, but often spoke of being reunited with them.

Of course this is just a rough draft and I left out the part about my (abnormally handsome) rich husband and our brilliant twins (a boy who grows up to be a professional hockey player and a girl who cures breast cancer). Those are minor details that I just can’t be absolutely sure of at this time.

But the point is I want to live….really live, and more much more than this I’ll do it my way; just like Frank!

The Fix-It Man

My whole life there was one man who can do anything. My Pop could change the oil in the car, make a watch tick again, roll the raviolis by hand, hang a ceiling fan and fix a leaky pipe. But more than that he can make anyone laugh with his stories and antics. Fifteen minutes with Pop could turn a rainy day bright. He truly could fix anything from a car to a skinned knee, a watch to a broken heart.

Tonight the two-year-old apple of Pop's eye climbed onto her rocking horse and pushed the button on the horse's ear expecting to hear the sounds of a galloping horse. Instead she heard silence. She climbed off the horse, dragged it by the ear to Pop's chair and said , "Stinky broke. Fix it Pop." (Yes, she named her horse Stinky.) Without being aware of her great-grandfather's long history of being able to fix anything and everything, her instincts told her 'he's the man for the job'.

Tomorrow morning Pop is having surgery. The doctors say it shouldn't take long, they just have to drain some fluid from around his heart. Tomorrow our family has to have faith that there is someone in this world that is better at fixing things than our Pop.

I'm Back

Well here I am, back from an awesome island vacation, ready to face life head on.

Less than 48 hours before the vacation began I was told I no longer had a job. It was the ultimate buzz kill right before what should have been an exciting time. The trip was planned almost 7 months ago to celebrate the completion of graduate school. I pictured myself packing giddily packing my suitcase; instead it was with a heavy heart.

I convinced myself there was nothing I can do to change my situation while I was away so I had no choice but to put this unfortunate event in the back of my head. I did my best to take my own advice and I had an amazing trip.

Now I’m back. Sitting on my parents couch I’m wondering how I’m going to pay for that education I am supposed to be celebrating. I’ve sent my resume to countless people in the 3 days since my return. Every time I hit “Send” I cross my fingers and say a pray that this will be “the one”.

Over the last 27 years, I’ve become an expert in pulling myself out of less then desirable situations. It’s somewhat off-putting knowing that I’ve been in such unpleasant circumstances before. It’s also reassuring to know that I’ve always overcome.
I’m a fighter and I always get what I want! Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out what exactly it is that I want.

So today I say I’m back not just from vacation, but back in the game of life! I’m ready for the fight, the world is mine!!

Thank You for Helping Me Be Me

When we last meet I told you about my big 10 mile race. That will always remain one of my greatest accomplishments. I’m still on a high from the race. However, I regret to admit I haven’t been out for a good run since the race. I am going to make lacing my sneakers up a priority again.

A lot has happened since I last blogged. For starters; I graduated!! That’s right I am now the proud owner of a Master’s Degree. I also turned 27.

Both the graduation and my birthday represent the passing of time. 2 years ago, when I began grad school, I was a mess of a human being. I moved back to Scranton on someone else’s terms, I spent the better part of the summer heartbroken, and I felt like I lost control of my life. But with the help of my incredible family and the most amazing friends God can give a person, I realized that life was never mine. I was a shell of myself before I moved home.

I think deep down inside I always knew the life I was living wasn’t right. But, for some reason people have the ability to make they believe things are perfect when they aren’t. Through the years there were a few times I told friends I wasn’t happy or I needed out of a far from perfect relationship. But, we always brushed it off as stuff that was said after too much wine or tequila. I guess a good solid heartbreak was exactly what I needed to realize they were never just drunk thoughts.

So I picked up the pieces of a crumbled life and went back to school. (Grad school was always something I wanted to do, but was never a possibility in my “past life”). Doing something huge for me and all by myself was the first step in building MY life. Fast forward two years later; I now own my life. I know exactly what I am capable of. I can do more than idly survive; I can start fresh and make a world that is mine.

For me two years of school, two birthdays and a Master’s Degree represent so much more than the passing of time, the debt of student loans and the possibility of a better career. It represents my strengths and the amazing people I have supporting me in my life.

To these people; thank you xoxo

I Believe in Happily Ever After

It was a fairy tale weekend! The magic began Friday morning. I’m not one to get caught up in love stories. I’m usually too caught up in reality to believe that things just fall perfectly into place. But, I gladly admit that I was obsessed with the Royal Wedding. The story of an ordinary girl falling in love with a prince reminded me of every Disney movie I watched growing up. Deep down inside I’d rather believe in fairy tales than reality, and this wedding was proof that sometimes they are one in the same.

Sunday morning was the Broad Street Run. I was nervous as hell and didn’t sleep well the night before. But once I started running everything just fell into place. I did far better than anyone (including myself) had expected. One hour and 49 seconds, not too shabby for my first race. There was an energy from the crowd that surged into me. With the help of cheering and the support from my father, who ran every step next to me, I was able to leave every negative thought and feeling that’s been eating my soul for the last few months. There were over 30,000 runners, but for those 10 miles, it was just me and daddy. The Broad Street Run was a goal a set for myself, and there were times during training that I was certain I’d never be able to do it. Cross that finish line was my fairy tale.

Today another dream came true. Accompanied by three friends, I saw Live with Regis and Kelly. I’ve always loved Regis and being able to see him before he leaves the show this year was an incredible experience.

Now I have my eyes sets on the real fairy tale. After running through Philadelphia and spending a day in New York City, I am more certain than ever that I belong back in a big city. I miss the sight of a skyline, the sound of the subway under my feet and the smell of food trucks. I miss trying to figure out what language people are speaking. I miss sidewalk protests, and an entire city coming together during playoff season.
With graduation less than a week away I want to focus my energy on finding my way back to city living. It’s always been my dream to work in PR in a big city. I’m not sure what I have to do to make this dream come true, but I also wasn’t sure that I’d ever be able to run a 10 mile race. When I want something bad enough I always find a way. I’m more determined than ever to make this big city dream a reality.

I remember what it’s like to believe in happy endings again. I don’t want to lose this feeling of hope.

Was it Fate?

I’ve always gone back and forth with the idea of fate. I really do believe “what’s meant to be will find a way” and “everything happens for a reason”. At the same time, I don’t think you can just float through life haphazardly assuming someday the stars will align and make everything OK.

But, if fate is real then I really screwed things up yesterday! Let me back track…

Last semester I took a research class on Thursday nights. Most of the students were education majors. There was only 4 communications people in the class; me, my gal pal Mel, the craziest writer I know Brian, and Rae the girl with the shaved head. For the purposes of this story Rae is irrelevant.

Mel and I sat in the second row, Brian sat directly behind us. On the first night of class Mel nudged me and whispered out of the corner of her mouth, “Check out the kid in the last row.” I discreetly turned around got one glance at Mr. Thursday Night and my heart skipped a beat. I spent the next few weeks just noticing him, never speaking a word. Mid-semester we had to give group presentations. Of course we comm. people stuck together. We gave our presentation then sat patiently while the perky wannabe kindergarten teachers took their turn. Finally it was time for my crush’s group to go. As his group finished Brian said to Mel and me “that guy is really good looking”. Yes, a straight guy noticed.

A week later during the class break Mr. Thursday Night approached us
MTN: Where you girls at Kildare’s last weekend?
Me and Mel: Yeah
MTN: I thought that was you
Me: We didn’t even see you there. You should have said hello
MTN: I was pretty drunk and wasn’t sure if it was you guys.
Me: Well next time say hi!

I couldn’t catch my breath. I was more excited than a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. What was going on? I’ve never been like this before. I’m not shy! I don’t turn red. I don’t get embarrassed. I’m an outgoing girl!!

For the next few weeks I kept my eyes peeled every weekend just in case I happened to see him at the bar. There was hardly a word spoken in class and then the semester ended. Surely, I thought I’d never see him again.

Yesterday afternoon I was walking into the bookstore and there he was, Mr. Thursday Night, walking out. I haven’t seen him in four months. My heart skipped a beat just like it did the first day I saw him. He smiled and I smiled….and we both kept walking…in opposite directions.

Do I believe in fate? Was fate giving me a second chance? Did I just spit in the face of fate?

Agism

At what age should someone begin to settle down? If you are in your early 20s you’re considered young, with a lifetime ahead of you. You still have plenty of time to have fun, focus on your career, find the right person, buy a house, get married, have kids….if your 23 the world is yours.

But, somewhere between 23 and 27 the idea of young changes drastically. By this time you should be out of your party phase, have a solid grip on your career, find love and own property. You should be planning your wedding and naming your hypothetical kids. That’s a lot to achieve in four years.

But if you aren’t married, or even close to engaged by the time you’re thirty, people WILL assume there is something wrong with you. This isn’t the “old maid” rule, this theory holds true for both guys and girls. A few nights ago, over dinner with some gal pals the topic of conversation focused on age, as it often does. Most girls tend to have a “plan”; married by 28, children by 30. I’m not sure if guys put themselves on tracks the same way. But, I do know if a guy is in his 30s, single and successful but never married most girls assume there is something wrong with him. There must be some hidden quirk they just haven’t found yet, otherwise someone would have married him, right?

I say “most girls” here because I honestly believe I am not one of these girls. I’m not a fan of having a timeline for my life. I’m also still working on my career. I have a great job, running all aspects of communications for a company in my hometown. But I long for a big city. With just over a month till I reach my 27th birthday, I am still in my career phrase. I can’t give up this pursuit to focus on the husband hunt instead. So many of my friends, however, are anxious to “settle down” with Mr. or Mrs. Right.

I have a few friends who claim to have a good job and a good partner. Some of the do, and that’s awesome. These are people who allow the cynics like me to know it’s possible. I thank heaven for those people who have it all; it gives me something to aspire to. But some I’d urge to step back and take a closer look at your life. If you’re always complaining about your job and your man, if his family is mean to you and your boss is constantly on your case, you don’t have it all. You’ve accepted that this is how it has to be if you want to stay on your timeline.

For the rest of us, not yet ready to settle before we make our next birthday wish; people will assume there is something wrong with us. Society tends to stereotype people of a certain age. For some reason their education, success at work, and community involvement doesn’t matter if they don’t have I “someone to share it with”. I refuse to be discriminated against because I’m the ripe old age of late-twenties. Furthermore, I refuse to assume a man has deep seeded issues just because he’s never been married. With all the advances in science, why are we are still keeping time with a biological clock.

A Guy Weighs In

I always appreciate a guy’s point of view, so long as he is a trusted source and not someone just trying to score. So, I asked my guy BFF from TU has to weigh in a few things from my last two blog posts.

He says a girl can absolutely call a guy after a hook. But there is a catch…it has to be a call or a text. He says if she chooses to Facebook him the friend request should be accompanied by this message, "Hey sorry I didn’t care enough to get your number when we had intercourse, but let’s be virtual friends".

As for the guys with excuses, he claims he doesn’t know why they make them. I guess it’s just the nature of the beast. He was a bit surprised, however, on just how awful these excuses can be! “’My sister hurt her elbow’ has nothing to do with anything”, he says. “Does his sister’s elbow injury affect his penis? This makes no sense unless she injured her elbow jerking him off….in which case you should run!”

We may not have gotten a lot of solid advice here, but we did learn it is OK for a girl to make first contact with a guy after a hook up as long as it’s not cyber contact. Other than that, we just reconfirmed what we already knew. Excuses are lame!

Thanks for weighing in friend xoxo

I’ve had some awesome girl time lately. Talking with old friends and new has given me a lot of ideas for the next post….stay tuned!

What's Your Excuse

After last night’s post I got a lot of comments and texts. I noticed a lot of opinions changed based on relationship status. I figured while I have everyone’s attention I might as well keep writing!

Tonight I’m flip flopping the topic to the guys who are all about making contact but very seldom follow through on plans. I like to call this particular breed of men “tech savvy”. They are all about text messages, emails, wall comments and instant messages of some sort. These guys are all talk until it’s come time to physically be in the same room.

I know a guy who will talk to me all day and night, which at first seemed nice. But then I realized he only made contact through modern marvels of the internet and smart phones. We’ve found ourselves at the same place at the same time a few times. You would think after all this “tech talk” the ground work would be laid. But he always seemed to have some excuse, one of the better ones being pet allergies.

A different guy once told me “I can’t make it out tonight, my sister hurt her elbow.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve hit the old funny bone pretty hard over the years, but I can’t remember a time when it altered my plans or the plans of anyone in my family.

A good friend of mine was talking to a boy for a while. He finally made plans to hang out with her only to cancel at the minute. His excuse; my hip hurts. This one is my favorite. Your hip hurts? Are you geriatric?

Maybe technology has impaired us (both men & women) to truly connect with each other. It is easy to be brave behind your keyboard. If you don’t think something is going to sound right you just hit backspace. If it’s too late you say “J/K” or “LOL” and the person at the other end will just assume you didn’t mean what you said. It’s so easy to make conversation and end it before it gets embarrassing. You can me straight forward and even a little raunchy because there’s a barrier. But, when we are faced with having to stand in front of someone and talk WITH OUR LIPS AND OUR VOICE we have to overcome bad jokes and awkward silences. People are hiding behind their computers and phones. They are nervous to make real contact. Is that why guys are making these horrible excuses? Is it because they are nervous?

These guys aren’t fooling anyone but themselves! We single ladies may not know what’s appropriate when it comes to calling a guy. But we certainly aren’t dumb enough to believe these dreadful excuses. We aren’t sitting around waiting for you to call after your hip heals. Maybe we’d rather you just say you aren’t interested. But if you did, what would I have to write about?

Tell me followers, what are some of the lame excuses you’ve heard?

Why Can't Single Girls Be Gutsy?

What would Carrie do? That's right Carrie Bradshaw. For starters she'd right a newspaper column read by all of New York as opposed to a blog with 5 followers. But I'm going to channel my inner Carrie anyway.

After a silly weekend away with friends, I got to thinking, what is the role of the twenty-something woman in a post hookup situation? Most of the time a hook up is just that, a onetime deal....but how do you know if it should (or could) be more?
Should a girl just wait a few days for a guy to get in touch with her? If he doesn't, she could just brush it off as a good time and move on. That's usually what I do.

In college a roommate insisted I read "He's Just Not That Into You." It made perfect sense; if he's not calling he's not into you. Then a much trusted friend of the male species told me that's all bullshit! One set of rules cannot be applied to every situation.

So, is sitting idle really acceptable for the modern day woman? I'm not the type to stand on a soapbox and preach women's rights. I think if we want to be treated equal we should act equal, without all the fuss. But when it comes to dating, acting equal has its stereotypes.

If the guy isn't making a move, should a girl just accept it? Or should, as an equal, the girl be equally responsible to make to make contact? It's all too easy with email, text messages, Facebook etc.

I’d like to consider myself a gutsy girl in most situations. But when it comes to dating, I’m terrified of the clingy girl stereotype. If a girl sends subtle email or a friend request, she is seen as being a creepy stalker or a clingy girl.

I want to be a girl who goes after what I want. But it’s so much easier to get a Master’s Degree, a great job and a really cute car….hell it’s easier to finish a marathon than it is to figure out how to date.

I want to be a gutsy in dating.

My First Crush

On Modern Family tonight it was Gays Night Out. The episode was hilarious as always, but that's not the point of this long overdue blog post.

The guys were talking about their first "boy crush", they drank fruity drinks and discussed which stars were the crush worthy when they were little.

This got me thinking about my first celeb crush. It was long before my NKOTB phase. As a matter of fact the first time I ever saw this person I was wathing Sesame Street. I was a huge fan of Big Bird and the rest of the crew, and if as I child I lived for sweeping the clouds away.

I'll never forget the episode with Savion Glover. I was drawn to him like a moth to light. His feet moved faster than the combined speed of the neighborhood kids chasing the ice cream truck. And that sound...oh that sound....



A few years later I got my first of many pair of tap shoes. They never seemed to make that sound. But, God, did I try. All these years later, my childhood dream of becoming a dancer has long faded. My crush on Savion Glover, however, is just as huge as the day I first laid eyes (and ears) on him.

Dull

Imagine being 26 years old, waking up on a Saturday morning and rushing out the door to hit the gym before starting what is sure to be an exciting weekend.

Now image being 26 years old, waking up on a Saturday morning in the room you grew up in. You put on your gym clothes walk down stairs and see your mother and father both in their gym clothes. Saturday morning family spin class; welcome to my charmed life!

It was a bitter cold windy February weekend and I spent the entire weekend on the couch catching up on shows DVRed throughout the week...with my parents.

I briefly entertained the idea of going out on Saturday night, but when a gust of wind took the neighbor's door straight off the hinges I thought it best to just stay warm. Apparently all my friends had the same idea, since no one went out.

Maybe spring time will offer some fresh new life into this dull life.
Here's hoping!

I live in Scranton...Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

The other day I heard two different conversations about gay people. The first was a few people making fun of a guy that may or may not be gay. The people involved in the conversation used the stereotypical "gay man voice" and flapped their wrists a lot.

The other conversation involved two girls talking about high school reunions and what would happen if they went together. Would people think they were lesbians?

The second conversation was probably a little less offensive...but I'm sure deep down inside they were thinking "I would never want someone to think I'm a *gasp* lesbian."

Can you imagine in 2011 people are still making fun of people for being gay. If you live in a big city or any city for that matter with an ounce of culture, this is probably hard to imagine. But if you live in a small backwards area of the country like I do, this should come as no surprise.

Since I've moved back home almost 2 years ago, I've heard some of the most bigoted conversations. It's not just the closed mindedness that gets me, but just the bizarreness that is small town U.S.A.

Most people, people who've been outside the confines of Northeast PA would find the population here pretty offensive. If you've had the poor fortune to spend some time here, you can't help to just find the way of life comical. I think I might change the focus of my blog to the absurd way of life that is Scranton, PA.

January Obsessions

I've been busy busy busy the last few week. I could go through everything I've been up to. But, since I respect the time of all four of my loyal readers, I figured I'd just give you my January obsessions....a day late & a dollar short. But hey, that's my style!

Obviously, my favorite thing about January is my Godson Mario! He was born early in the month and he's incredibly handsome, and I love love love love love him!

Last semester I took an independent study as a 3 credit class. With the help of an awesome teacher and two (quasi-awesome) classmates we took on a huge project. We wanted to create a donor packet for the Lackawanna County Library System to give to local to local businesses to ask for support. After months of hard work the packet is finally done!! The last few weeks I got the chance to hear a lot of personal stories about how much the library means to families. The library really is an incredible place. If you haven't been there lately I highly suggest you check it; it's wayyyy more than books!

My last day with the Department of Transportation was a snowy one. To celebrate the road crew took me out in a plow on the Interstate. It was hoot!! But seriously people, cut those guys some slack, that's a crazy ass job!

I started my new job in January. I'm still getting the hang of things, but so far I like it!!

I don't know anyone who has gone bowling since they were in 9th grade. For January Club, we found a nice little BOYB bowling alley in Manayunk and went drunk bowling. "Bowling, Beers and Bitches" as Becky so kindly put it!!

If one trip the bowling alley wasn't enough, a week later the cool kids in Scranton decided we should go Cosmic Bowling. Soooooooo yes I went bowling twice this month. I might just start a league!

I'm one of "those people" at the gym. You know, the ones who join for the New Year. But I must say, I'm a month in and kind of really digging it! Imagine that...

I seriously can't get enough of Modern Family! It makes me laugh so hard I pee! A few weeks ago the Dunphy kids walked in on their parents "doing it" and Mitch and Cam spilled juice on a woman's carpet and blamed her kid....if you haven't it YOU MUST!

I promise I'll make a better effort to keep up on the blog in FEB!

Running Broad Street...

I did something two days ago that is beyond crazy! I registered my lazy, out-of-shape self for the Broad Street Run.

In case you don't know, the Broad Street Run is a 10 mile race down Broad Street in Philadelphia. I've been a spectator to this race many times as my father is (in my biased opinion) a pretty kick ass runner! There have been several times I thought to myself, "I'd like to do that", but the thought usually vanished just as quickly as came.

A few months ago I mentioned to a friend that I'd like to do the run, he agreed to do it with me, and the thought once again vanished from my mind. Two days ago he told me he registered and was looking forward to it. OOPPSS! I must have forgotten to tell him, this is the one goal I never follow through with.

Needless to say, I'm now registered. On May 1, 2011 I will be running down Broad Street with 30,000 other fools. All I can say is it's a good thing I bought myself a gym membership for Christmas! Last night I ran just under three miles, and tonight I'll hit up spin class. I need to get myself in shape and ready to run 10 miles!

I currently have two goals. 1. Don't throw up or pass out before the half way point. 2. Finish!

Isn't this a great picture of runners in the city of brotherly love??

A New Job

If the rest of the year is determined by the first few weeks of January, I think I'm in store for a pretty kick ass year!!

You already know about my new godson, who is perfect (if I do say so myself!) But things have gotten even better! Last week I was offered a position with a Caregivers America. I will be doing all their marketing, public relations and internal and external communications. I have a feeling this is going to be a really great opportunity.

I have to admit, I am a little nervous. I have never been in a position to make all the decisions on my way. Working for the state, I am used to having to run all my creative ideas through levels upon levels of approval. This is going to be a true exercise in trusting my instincts. I'm also a bit nervous because there are so many areas of communications I haven't dealt with yet. But, I'm hoping once I get going things will just come naturally. I have to keep reminding myself that I didn't know anything about highway safety before I started with the department of transportation; and look at all I've accomplished here in less than a year.

I'm at a huge advantage though, my future employers seems to be sincerely kind-hearted. I am sure if they are half as nice as they come across we will get along splendidly.

Since I've announced my departure from my current position earlier this week, I have received some negative feedback. Many people here believe I'm making a horrible decision "leaving these great state benefits". They assure me I'll "be sorry in 20 years." Maybe they are right. But, then again maybe they aren't. There's only one way to find out....

So excited & blessed for this new opportunity

For Mario

This week the world (and my cousin) gave me a Godson; Mario Gregory. When the universe hands you 8 pounds of pure perfection, what do you say? How do you share advice and prays and well wishes for someone so innocent? How do you tell him the world is his for the taking...

I hope he is given a life full of nothing but bliss.


May God bless you and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you builder a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
-Bob Dylan