What a difference a YEAR makes...

To say I'm a blogging slacker is an understatement. It's not that I've had nothing to write about (believe me, I have), it's just that life has been so hectic lately that it's hard to find time to sit down and summarize it all. So here's my lowly attempt to cover the last years worth of events.

1. Savannah Birthday trip

Last September, I decided that years of not doing anything for my birthday were over and that it was finally time to do something memorable (Jeremy didn't agree, but we'll get to that in a minute). So, some friends and I planned a trip to the GORGEOUS city of Savannah, GA. My friends Bryan and Ben flew into Raleigh from Washington, DC and Colorado. The three of us made the 5 hour journey to Savannah to meet Zac and Shannon who were coming in from Alabama.

This could be a stand alone post and probably should have been. We went to a piano bar, had cigars on the river, did our best Forrest Gump impression, visited Tybee Island, fed alligators and talked to parrots. It was an absolute blast and one of the best birthday celebrations I've ever had thanks to a group of great friends.

1st night on the river

On River Street in front of the bridge.

Eating at the crab shack after visiting Tybee Island.

2. I'm dropping the "O"

That sounds kind of cold. It wasn't meant to be. After the whole birthday trip (and a long time before, really), I knew there was something wrong in my marriage. I'm not going to delve in too deeply here, but we decided right after I came back that we should probably go our separate ways. At first it was very mutual, then it wasn't, and now (9-10 months later) I think we're on good terms. Jeremy is a fantastic person. He's funny, incredibly intelligent, and a very hard worker. There are some negatives that I won't list because it's not necessary. He's perfect for someone, just not me.

3. Gaining a Zo

Moving on to more positive things, back in October I got a new puppy. I had no intention of getting a dog. While visiting my friends Ward and Lisa, I met Ward's cousins, Dennis and Nicole, who breed dogs. Now before you flip out, I DID NOT BUY a dog. Repeat: I DID NOT BUY a dog. We were simply sitting around discussing animals and I was telling them about Tobey, my maltipoo that passed away and literally broke my heart. No, really...it hasn't worked right since. That's when Dennis said that he had a little schoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix) that had lost one of her legs and he would be willing to give her away but only to a good home. Of course I had to go see her. That was it...game over.

These are old pictures, but she's my baby girl and has completely captured my <3.

4. Moving on to better things

There are lots of good things on the horizon. Without going into a lot of detail (I don't want to jinx any of it), I have an interview Friday for a job that I think I might actually be able to enjoy and there's a chance that I'll be selling my house. Well, not exactly. I'll be leasing it to someone who has the intention of buying it. That's what I'm hoping anyway.

One very positive addition to my life has been the new guy in it. His name is Clint and I'll tell you about him later. Just know that he makes me incredibly happy. So anyway, cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me that everything will work out for the best. I'm not going to necessarily pray for what I want, I'm going to pray that whatever will improve my life happens.

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Hiatus...

Just wanted to give a little update to prove that I'm still here! Things have been so hectic lately with the new job and just getting some things done around the house.

Still waiting on some direction at work. Hopefully that will happen sometime tomorrow. Gotta work on a marketing plan and maybe (just maybe...fingers crossed) ordering a new computer. For the record, I hate PCs...I'm totally a Mac girl. We shall see though.

At home, just the usual. The garden is really doing well. Already harvested some squash and the tomatoes are just about ready as well. Who cares about that stuff though, right? I'm waiting on the cantelope and watermelon!

I'm kind of bummed that a bunch of my friends are heading to Vegas to visit Mike and Steph this weekend. Not so much bummed that they're going (happy for them), I'm mad that I can't go. Seriously...who plans to go across the country on a whim and expects everyone to be able to drop everything and go too?! That being said, if anyone wants to donate $900 to the "Send Jewel and Jeremy to Vegas 5 Months Earlier than Expected" fund, just let me know! No...really........

On another note, somebody needs to inspire me to crochet again. One thing that would help is to make me jealous of something that you made so I feel the need to try to make something better (and usually fail). I just have no drive to do it lately and it's irritating.

Now, back to pretending to work until they actually give me something to really do. Here's to hoping that I don't get caught blogging at work!

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Cell phone providers are modern day vampires...

Seriously, why do they have to be the only carrier of the iPhone right now? I hate them. I didn't really hate them before, but I do now.

Why you ask? Well, I'll tell you. As I went to pay my bill online, a surprisingly large number popped up in the payment section. Since I pay a ridiculous amount of money to them every month anyway ($150 for 2 phones/550 min.), I was caught off guard when I saw that I owed $345...wha Wha WHAT?!

Here's my problem. Ok, we went over our minutes. I get that. But charging us 45¢/min is absolutely ludicrous, especially considering that when we switched plans (not carriers, just PLANS), we lost 9000+ rollover minutes. Yeah, that's minutes that I paid for and never used, just gone down the drain. So, that's why I'm pretty upset when they charge an insane fee for going over a small fraction of that. AT&T, I'm not amused.

There are a couple of things that have made me happy lately. First, I sold my camera: YAY! Can't wait to buy a new one, but right now I really needed a new work wardrobe. So I took some of that money and put it towards clothes. The greatest thing about this is that it was Jeremy's idea for me to go shopping for myself. How great is that? Absolutely LOVE that man. My friend, Kari, and I went out shopping on Wednesday. She was shopping for cute dress to wear to a wedding, so I tagged along. Thank goodness we didn't make it to the mall because I spent about $300 at Kohl's, Target, and the Dress Barn. Came out with some really great pieces though. Got 2 pairs of shoes, 5 pairs of pants, 8 shirts, necklace, and earrings. Not bad, I think. Simply cannot wait to do it again!

Jeremy's planning on selling some of his extra music equipment to give us some extra money to put towards some small renovations on the house and just to have a little cushion in the bank. If everything sells, it'll give us around $6,000 (part of which goes to a new camera?). So keep your fingers crossed for us!

Yet another thing that made me happy is a call I got from my new employer. They wanted to know what day I wanted to start. Turns out they want me to start on a Monday instead of the previous Thursday. This will give me a 5 day weekend in between switching jobs. LOVE IT!

We've also got some friends who might be coming into town. They're in Virginia right now and we're trying to make plans to meet up somewhere. More than likely they'll just spend the weekend with us. It'll be great because they're so flippin' funny! Our plans were foiled by the snow last time they were around, so hopefully everything will go smoothly this time. So excited!

Ugh...it has happened again. I get on here to write about one thing and I just start rambling on and on about an entirely different subject. Oh well. Maybe next time I can stay on topic ;)

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I'm a lucky girl...

Normally my time is spent venting about various things that annoy me. Today's different though. Today, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for all the wonderful aspects of my life...

Family. Biological and by marriage, my family (for the most part) is fantastic. Words can't express how thankful I am to have Jeremy in my life. Sure, he can be a jerk...a self-professed one, by the way...but he has a supportive and nurturing side that takes my breath away. His talent, hunger for knowledge, and discipline amaze me and make me incredibly jealous simultaneously. His willingness to let me have my way (most of the time) never ceases to surprise me. I'm forever in debt to his family who have been our safety net. Always willing to offer any type of help or support, they are our backbone. No one could ask for better in-laws. While my family situation is more complicated than that of Jeremy's, I'm thankful for everything it's taught me. The rest of my life will be spent in constant gratitude for the last conversation I had with my dad before he died. I only wish it had come sooner. But the people that really should be thanked are my mother and grandparents. Although I wasn't the easiest child in the world to contend with at times, they were always there for me and stood behind the decisions I made. And just ask Jeremy, it's no small task having to deal with me!

Home. As much as I like to complain about the issues of living in a 109 year old house, it's really quite wonderful. I love being able to mold and make it into something that is a reflection of me and makes us feel like we belong. It's much more than a lot of people have. In fact, it's more than I ever thought that I would have. While it's still a work in progress, it's slowly starting to feel more like home.

Opportunities. Everyone knows that this economy...well, sucks. We are extremely fortunate to have jobs that bring in at least enough money to get us by. We're not getting rich by any means, and our bank accounts have been a little heftier, but we're able to pay the bills and be content in the mean time. There are a few prospects on the horizon that hopefully will put us in a better situation, but for now, we're just thankful that we're not on welfare.

There's so many things missing from this list, but I could really go on for days: the sound of a purring cat on my lap, laughing every evening with friends, smell of clean laundry, being able to open the windows and let the spring breeze fill the house, crocheting something new, freshly painted walls, the lighting at dusk, 5:00 on the clock at work, curling up under a blanket with Jeremy while watching a movie, and my personal favorite...having nothing planned to do on a Saturday afternoon but sit at home with my hubby :) Makes me look forward to tomorrow.

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