Filed under: Uncategorized
I’ve been meaning to write this down for a couple months now. But I wanted to make sure I had enough time to devote to it because it’s kind of a big deal and it was her story to tell so I didn’t want to say anything until she had. And Sunday nights I have a big problem winding down to go to bed. So now is as good a time as any.
My mom is pretty much the most amazing woman I have ever known. We have the most incredible friendship and I honestly consider her my very best friend. I can only hope to have half that kind of relationship with my own kids. There have been so many times since “becoming a grown up” where something has made me stop and think about what the same situation would be like raising a daughter on my own. And it’s always completely a “wow” moment. I remember about a year ago Craig and I drove past my old neighborhood in Tucker. That was one of those wow moments. It was a quick reminder of all that we’ve been through together and how far she’s come. I appreciated it when I was younger, but I have grown to have a greater understanding and appreciation now that I am older. And still don’t know that I will fully get it until I am raising kids of my own.
A few months ago, after going back to school and trying to get a routine down, mom and I had a conversation about college. And she briefly made the comment (that she has made in the past as well) that she would love to go to college. So I asked her why she couldn’t? We got to talking about it and I went home that day and started forwarding the heck out of online degree programs. Georgia Perimeter was one of them. The next thing I knew she had applied, taken the Compass placement testing, been ACCEPTED and was waiting for her orientation date. She’ll be taking her first college class online this summer and I can’t even begin to put into words how happy for her I am.
She has done a lot things in this life that I am proud OF her for. But taking this step just makes me so proud FOR her. She’s spent my entire life putting me first. Working second and third jobs when I was younger so I could play tennis or basketball or softball. Sneaking in a few glances in my college textbooks when I wasn’t using them and dreaming of it for herself. Now she is going to finally be able to do this and I couldn’t be happier for her.
I love you Mama!
Filed under: Uncategorized
In reading one of my cheesy romance large-print novels on the treadmill, I came across a quote I want to remember:
“Happiness is such a simple thing. It consists merely of knowing where you belong in the world, and whom you belong with.” -Susan Wiggs, The Winter Lodge
Filed under: Uncategorized
This weekend has been fun. We spent the first part of yesterday getting our backyard picked up. When we first moved in we did what we needed to do on the inside and kind of abandoned the backyard. Which had been abandoned ten years ago probably. The ivy was going crazy and there is ten years of pine straw on the ground. Raking you think you’ve got it all but you stick a shovel in it and realize that’s not hard ground, it’s mulch that is inches thick. So it’s been fun! It makes me happy when Craig and I work all day on something like that together though. We make a good team.
Craig hasn’t been feeling well this week. I finally convinced him (or nagged him to death) to go to the doctor Friday. He has a CT scan on Monday. The doctor couldn’t rule out appendicitis but he’s going to have to wait until Monday to find out. But we haven’t ended up in the hospital yet this weekend so that’s a good sign, I suppose! It goes in spurts. Craig has a very high tolerance of pain where it seems like I’m always complaining about a head ache or being naseous. So the minute he started complaining about it, my nagging of going to the doctor began.
I have four weeks left of school. I’m taking a Maymester and three summer classes. Hopefully, it doesn’t burn me out. I can’t believe the semester is almost over. It’s gone by pretty quick. Now if the next four semesters will go by just as quick.
The job is still going well. Our office is an old house near downtown Lawrenceville that has been converted to office space. But we have a living room area with an old TV for when Layne’s kids come over. So I spent the last hour of the day stapling business cards to brochures watching Oprah with him. You know that feeling you get when you really feel like you fit somewhere? That’s how I feel there. I loved the courthouse and the friends that I met there are amazing. But it took me awhile to get comfortable there. And even then it just wasn’t the same as this job. I walked in feeling like I have known these people for years. It’s a really cool atmosphere. Every time I mention graduating in August of next year and having to look for another job, they always make comments about needing someone else in the Accounting department. So we’ll see how everything goes. But for now, it’s been a total blessing to have a job like this and for them to be so flexible.
I’m going to go find something to eat for lunch, walk on the treadmill, and get started on all my school work that is due this week. Fun way to spend a Sunday. 
Filed under: Uncategorized
The last two big holidays Craig and I were out of town. So I was glad to get together with everyone for Easter today. Here are a few pictures we took today.
We celebrated my Aunt’s birthday today also.
It was a good end to the weekend.
Filed under: 25 by 25 Journey
This is me at my happy weight, circa 2003:
Granted, I probably wasn’t eating because 2 months earlier (this was taken on Valentine’s Day- flowers from a secret admirer! Mom do you remember this?! Haha!) I was completed broken hearted by a stupid boy. Which turned out to be the best thing for me. BUT at the time I was pretty miserable when it came to boys and bitterness. Except this secret admirer who sent me these flowers on Valentine’s Day, of course.
Anyways, this is unhappy weight Kristen. Squeezed into a dress that probably should have been a size bigger. And tilting my head up to avoid the double chin-age. I’ve lost weight and gained some of it back since then. But this is probably my heaviest. Besides the first semester of college when I gained 12 pounds in just the first semester! Yes, weight has always been an issue for me. That is why I am determined to beat it…before my 25th birthday.
Ok, now on to my point. I’m thinking if I post this on here it will keep me motivated and accountable. Which I know has been said before on this blog. Just look under the tracking my weight category and browse posts. I’m a two time Weight Watchers drop out.
But I swear this time is different. Why? Because I’m damned and determined to lose 25 pounds by my 25th birthday. AND I’ve got a pretty cool slogan to go with it (25 by 25). It may be completely crazy. But I figure it will motivate me to get my tail in to gear. I may not get the full 25 pounds, but I am going to get as close as humanly possible. And know that I gave it my best shot.
I have 11 weeks to get there. I started on Monday and according to my scales this morning, I’ve almost lost 2 pounds this week. I’ve worked out on the treadmill like a mad woman. More this week than the whole time we’ve had it combined probably. I went to the library and stocked up on large print books. And I won’t let myself read my book unless I get on the treadmill. I LOVE cheesy romance novels. When I get stuck on a book my nose stays in it. So the first night I walked an hour and a half. And continued to walk four out of five nights this week. And I feel good.
I’m choosing my birthday because Craig and I were talking about having a party here and I think it would be a good way of celebrating my birthday and achieving my goal. This is really important to me. I’ve given up on it so much in the past because I want it to be a quick fix and it’s not. I know it’s going to take work but I’m ready for it. For serious.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Vacation was good. We had a really good time and I’m glad we got to spend some time together just relaxing with no work or school. It was really nice. I’ve been a bit out of it this week trying to get back on track as far as studying and keeping up with things.
I love that the days are longer. It makes me happy. Spring is so close and it totally effects my moods. I love that life is coming back into everything. The pretty trees and flowers, everyone out running on Lake Lucerne as I drive home from work, and being able to stay outside for longer and enjoy the weather. Makes me very happy. I also like walking to my car when it’s still light outside.
Only six more weeks left of school for the semester. I can’t believe how fast it went by. Hopefully the next four semesters go by just as fast. We are learning about debits and credits in Accounting now. And I’m a big loser because I excitedly called Craig, my mom, and Julie on my way home to tell them. Don’t ask my why it excited me so much. But it did.
Can’t believe that Craig and I are soon coming up on being married two years. It’s gone by so quickly. Our anniversary is next month. Last year we spent it in Jekyll Island. This year I think we’re going to see if the Lazenby’s will let us borrow their cabin again. Even if it’s just a weekend trip to get away, I hope we can make a tradition of doing that every year.
Off to get some rest. Glad tomorrow is Friday!
Filed under: Marriage
I’m seriously cracking up right now and I have to blog about it. I just woke up at 11:30 this morning. Came looking for Craig expecting to find him in front of the T.V. playing Xbox. He likes to sneak it in on the weekends while I’m still sleeping. I think he feels less guilty about playing it.
But instead he is up on the roof cleaning out our gutters. Craig has been a busy man this weekend. He worked on my squeeky brakes. He changed the air filter(?) in his truck. He raked pine straw and picked up pinecones. He mowed our grass. And now he is up on the roof cleaning out our gutters. And I am laughing because every time he is outside doing something, someone comes over to find out what he’s doing and to chat with him.
Yesterday it was Mr. Emmett down the street wanting to see what he was doing to his truck. Emmett says he is 55 decades and you wouldn’t know it because he doesnt’ have a gray hair on his head. I didn’t have the heart to tell Emmett he was 55 years old and not decades. Jeanine and Gary down the street told him not to work too hard when he was raking pinestraw. (Craig worked on their Jeep Grand Cherokee earlier in the week for them.) Mark the painter who “loves to drink beer” came over next door when he was mowing the grass and Craig ended up sitting around drinking beer with him and Jimmy across the street and to the right. Mark’s house has the wall knocked out that we want to knock out so Craig (and I ended up over there later, too) went to see it.
And now that he is up on the roof cleaning gutters out, the new neighbor from across the street is out there talking to him about Iraq, guns, hunting, fishing, why his wife should be an accountant, all kinds of stuff.
I just love that I married someone to balance me out. I married the social one, I am not the social one. And even though I’m not the social butterfly, I love that our neighborhood is the way it is. The kind where everyone looks out for you. Mark the painter is going to help us with our home projects (i.e. busting this wall out when we save the money for it) if Craig will lay wood floors in his house. Mr. Lazenby will let us use his cabin in Blue Ridge in exchange for Craig’s mechanical abilities (even though he let us use his cabin before Craig even mentioned doing one thing on his car). Jimmy across the street and to the right is a country dancing 60+ year old man who wants us all to go dancing in Loganville. And Emmett tries to soak up as much knowledge from watching Craig work on his truck. Every time Craig’s hood opens, Emmet is down here looking over his shoulder.
I married such a sweet guy. He is so giving and good to other people. Maybe that is why the whole neighborhood seems to flock to him when he’s outside.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Ahhhh, that is my sigh of relief.
So glad to have a break from school.
No school for a week.
I had forgotten how tough it could be.
3 tests, 1 database project, and 1 paper later.
Looking forward to relaxing this weekend.
Spending some time with Craig after an insane week.
Working Monday and Tuesday.
And heading to Destin on Tuesday night.
I am officially a degree seeking student at Georgia State now.
My smart self applied and got accepted as a Post Bac student.
Which apparently means you aren’t seeking a degree, just wanting to take some classes.
So I had to reapply (and spend another $50) to change my stats from Post Bac to Undergrad.
And I was accepted today.
Loving my job.
I really feel so blessed to have found such a great part-time job.
To think I was really beginning to stress about it and then this just fell into my lap.
They are so understanding about school and working around my schedule.
I wanted to take a Maymester for 3 1/2 weeks and they are completely fine with me working 2:30 to 5:00 those 3 1/2 weeks. No hesitation.
Really awesome people.
I walked right in and felt like I had been there forever.
Watching a movie I’ve been wanting to see for awhile on my laptop and vegging out in my bed.
And loving every minute of it.
Especially the thought of no school for a week.
