So this is Christmas and what have you done, another year over, a new one just begun. Two years ago tonight I was in a very different place in my life. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed bury myself under the covers and wallow in my own misery. Thanks to my dear friend Erin I didn’t spend New Year’s eve 2008 under the covers feeling sorry for myself and I will be forever grateful to her for picking me up, dusting me off, and kicking my ass into gear. It takes a special friend to tell you that your other friends are tired of getting invites to your pity party! At the end of that New Year’s Eve party the guests gathered around the piano and sang Let It Be ;if you’re not familiar with the song it goes a little something like this…And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be

I listened to this song every morning at the gym for weeks maybe even a month and eventually let go of past mistakes, past relationships, and past regrets and started living in the moment and enjoying my life again. So here it is two years later and life feels so good. I feel like I’m where I was meant to be and that everything that happened happened for a purpose. I also know however that no matter how good or how bad something is that it will change so I resolve to enjoy the happy moments in 2010. Happy New Year! Let it Be

Cards and Letters

Okay y’all I am so so tired tonight but I’m determined to keep up this blog. Today was very busy starting with a trip to the gym but it’s not as exciting or productive as it sounds. I forgot my gym shoes at home so it was basically a trip to the sauna! Next I returned some stocking stuffers I bought on Christmas Eve; this year I just never got into shopping mode so I ended up grabbing up a whole lot of little stuff and returning most of it today. Next I went to the shortest doctor’s appointment in recorded history. It was what I believe will be my final appointment to figure out what’s up with my mismatched eyes (no big deal just odd looking) the appointment took all of 10 minutes and involved looking at some dots on a screen and clicking a buzzer when a dot appeared. The test became uncomfortable when the administrator taped my eyes wide open preventing the blink reflex for several minutes. Hopefully I failed this test and the insurance company will consider it a medical condition rather than a cosmetic procedure to have my left eyelid widened about 3mm. I should know in about three weeks if I successfully failed the exam. Next it was off to the office where I worked on reports for a little over two hours and then had lunch with Anne. I ran a few more errands and finally returned home around 6:00 only to discover I’d left my computer at the office. I suspected you and the scores of followers of this blog would be disappointed if you didn’t get the latest installment so I drove back to the office and picked up the computer. Good stuff arrived in the mail today, my new passport so I have the all clear to travel abroad, and the first ever Christmas card from my uncle Clyde signed “love and peace stay strong.” This seems like a perfect way to end today's post; love and peace stay strong all.

Getting Home

Well, I really goofed today! I thought my flight was leaving CMH at 6:00 PM but it's actually taking off in about 40 minutes. My plans for the movie with Gabbie and X and lunch with my sisters had to be scrubbed; that's the term used when the space shuttle doesn't take off, right? Anyway, I'm here at the airport sitting on the floor in an alcove enjoying the warmth of the sun and slurping up the free Wi Fi. Life is good.

The earlier flight turned out to be a good thing because I was able to meet John, Gretchen and Mary at the airport for a lift back to John's with Christopher. I ran into Mac grad and former interviewer, Beth N. at the airport where we had a terrific but brief catch up chat. At John's now getting ready to watch a movie or perhaps the Gopher women's basketball game in a few. Goals for tomorrow: workout, eye doctor's appointment, return stuff to Patina and JCP,write report(s), go to office,mail late Christmas gifts, have lunch with Anne.

I'm wondering if I should post a picture with every blog entry? I'll start a poll for my "scores" of followers:-) The poll is open for 6 days so remember to vote for change!

The First Monday

The first day of 90 days away from the office got off to a slow start. I woke up to about 2 inches of snow cover in Westerville, OH; less than what I left behind in Minnesota on Friday, but more than I expected to find in Ohio. Anyway it was a little weird waking up on a Monday morning at 7:30 and not having to roll out of bed. Tracy and I went out for coffee and then she got back to work. Richard is considering a run for the Ohio House of Representatives so I agreed to shoot some photos of him around the county for his campaign. I spent most of the afternoon with Val, Richard and the kids. For dinner we all went to BJ's. Snow is on the ground so my mama was snug as a bug in a rug at her house all day but we talked over the phone. She talked with grandpa Woodrow who is doing well but misses grandma and said he still expects to see her around the house. He’s using his cell phone and is planning to read Morgan’s sci/ fi novel and also plans to give a copy to his brother, James. I managed to complete 1 of 6 interview reports today and actually promised myself that I wouldn’t blog until I completed at least one report. I also completed photo shoots, uploaded, edited, and cataloged over 100 photos for Richard and Val. Tracy and I watched some of the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary special (2001) and hung out in front our computers in the evening. I talked with John; he’s having a ball with his daughters and cousins in Florida, he told me of the breakup of a couple I met over Christmas, because they seemed like such an awful match I practically cheered when I heard the news! The plan for tomorrow is to take Xavier and Gabbie to see Alvin and the Chipmunks:The Squeakquel at 11:00 AM, I can't wait!. I also need to mail my new coat and knockoff Jimmy Choo handbag back home, meet up with mom and the gang for lunch and eventually make my way to the airport for my evening flight home. It was a good first day but I didn’t accomplish very much so I need to step up my game.

What This Blog Is About

Back in the summer, John presented me with an interesting "proposal." He suggested that I request a leave of absence from my job and travel with him over several months. It seemed like a lovely idea but an impossible one. After a few weeks of consideration, I gathered the courage to present the idea to my supervisor. After a little back and forth I received the all clear to take a 90 day unpaid leave of absence beginning December 28 and ending in late March.

Over the next ninety days I plan to keep an online journal to stay connected with family and friends and as a way to document how I use the time away from the office. My goal is to use the time away to accomplish some goals including but certainly not limited to: traveling with John, learning to cross country ski, taking a photography class, learning to swim, reading for pleasure, cleaning and organizing my house, continuing on my "hair journey" to healthier hair. Other ideas will come to me for sure but my main goal is to use every day to achieve something and to use the time away from work in a meaningful way.

Currently, I'm in Ohio with my mom and sisters over the Christmas holiday, but will be heading home Tuesday night. The first official day of my leave is tomorrow Monday, December 28th. I still have some reports to write and will need to go into the office a few times over the next couple of days but the 40+ hours/week ends tomorrow.