Saturday, January 12, 2013

2012 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...

Traditionally I have written a "Top 10" post to round out the year. A list with pictures of my family's best moments, vacations, etc to show you all just what we have been up to (2010 and 2011)

Well...I'm going to be perfectly honest. 2012 was rough. And that's an understatement.

I was very reluctant to link up the 2010 and 2011 posts from my old blog...because as I look back on them my "best of" moments were actually not very good at all. Things were very hard for me in Chicago, and I played it all off like life was good and we were a happy little family with our 2 pups and life was just swell.
 The Ugly:
If you have been following me, you know that it was not. My VERY BEST moment of 2012...

Leaving Chicago. This was the single most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. It was the easiest decision I have ever made, but it was not easy to do. Does that even make sense? My marriage was over LONG before I left, but I was scared...terrified even, to leave. It is something that I cannot even begin to describe to you. Maybe one day.
All I know is that I am stronger, smarter, happier and have never felt more alive than I do now. Being HOME with the people who love and care about me has never felt so good.

Aside from leaving my husband and loosing my home, I also left behind and AMAZING job in Chicago. I could not have been any happier than I was in that position. My boss taught me everything I know about Cardiology and gave me the skills that made it possible for me to take the position that I am in now. He and his wife also were so generous to me during my struggle after leaving, and I can never thank them enough for that.


The Bad:
In the midst of picking up the pieces of my life, I lost one of the most influential and important people in it. My Ma. I'm 28 and until August 6th had all four of my grandparents living. I have lost a few friends, but never someone extremely close.

She has been slowly slipping away from us, body and mind, for the last 5-7 years, but that never makes it any easier. I still called her every Sunday and answered her as she repeated the same questions and reminded her of day-to-day details that were sometimes fuzzy to her.

She was the epitome of a Southern lady. Always dressed to the nines. She loved all animals, the Redskins, and her family...especially her grandchildren.

She died on a Tuesday morning at quarter to six. I cried all the way to work, and still do some days. I miss her like crazy. Her funeral was beautiful, just as she would have wanted it.

My Daddad is doing OK. At 85 he really has no physical or mental restrictions and is enjoying things that he has not been able to do for years because so lovingly has been caring for Ma. I've called him and found him to be out metal detecting, gardening, fishing, on skype with his brother or reading a book She died 2 months before their 63rd wedding anniversary. I can only hope to find love like that.

The Good:
Finally...enough of this depressing crap!!
Despite my emotional train wreck, some good things DID happen in 2012! Being in Chicago for the last 4 years, it KILLED me to be away from friends and family. Coming back home meant just that...being HOME.
Two of the very first people I rushed to go see (aside from Mom, Dad, Erin and Hannah!) were of course, Aron and Jason...my dudes, my stinkers, my main men.
Aron and Jason have been through a lot this year as well. Their dad is one of my very best friends, and I'm happy to say that 2012 brought him:
1. A final divorce from their mother (sounds bad, but is a very good thing)
2. A marriage to Gioia (yay!)
3. A beautiful new home
4. The birth of the boy's brother!!

Meet Jackson...he melts me <3

 Just after my grandmother died, I got some new ink...my cousin (well...2nd cousin, once removed) Brian did it. Through some genealogy research, Brian found us on facebook and had been communicating with my aunts, dad, myself etc. He is an accomplished tattoo artist and I am VERY lucky to call him my cousin. He is still working on it, so I do not have a picture...but stay turned for the end result as well as before and after shots, as this is a cover up job!

Oscar has THRIVED since we moved back home. I was initially very worried about him being away from Lyla, since they had been pretty much joined at their cute little doxie hips since they were 6 months old.
Separating them was not ideal, but that is what had to happen, and there was no way in hell that Kurt was going to keep Oscar up there, so that is the compromise that I made.
Since coming to Virginia, he has:
1. Lost a pound (That's a lot for a little dog! And ideal weight  for him!)
2. Learned to safely navigate up and down stairs (He NEVER did stairs before, had to be carried)
3. Continued to ring his jingle bell on the back door to go outside, and even "taught" some of the other dogs to do the same
4. Gotten to sleep in bed with Momma (Never could before, because Lyla could not be trusted

I signed on to be an Independent Creative Partner with Initials Inc. in November. I've already earned some extra money and free product. I like that I have the freedom to work as much or as little as I want to, and hope to continue to do well with this. With a little slice of luck, I can do well enough with this to cut down on my hours at work and be able to go back to school!


That was a hella long post, but its been a hella long year.
Happy New Year!!

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