Dear 24:

Back on the 3^rd of May, I celebrated my 24^th birthday.  I was so positive that I did not want to turn 24 this year.  There was just something about it that I did not like.  However, not really much we can do about it.  So I wrote this letter about a week after my birthday and I am going to share it with you.

Dear 24:

We have officially met now, welcome to my world.  I honestly wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet up with you. I have certain reservations about 24.  I am very happy to have made it to 24…sometimes I look back on and wonder how the heck I made it! But I promise, I don’t see myself turning 30…ever. I will just stop at 29 and keep celebrating my anniversary of 29...every year. :) 

I can say that I thought I would have a lot more accomplished by now, be farther in my life than I am now. But we all move at our own pace, right?  Things hardly ever work out the way that I want them too – duh! I should know and understand that by now, and to some extent I do…but I still need help reminding myself of this, and the good Lord above does not disappoint me when it comes to reminding me.  And in the back of my mind, I do know all of this, it’s just all those dang control issues that I have and not wanting to let go of things.  I am not upset at where I am or where I have been.  I just feel that I should have done better in some aspects of my life that what I have. 

 I am completely okay with my job at the moment.   I am completely in love with my best friend and so glad that we have found each other, and stuck out the hard times (some way more hard than others), and decided that we do want to spend forever together.  That I would not change for the world.  I wish I made better decisions about school and what I wanted to be when I “grew up”. 

 I have had plenty of wonderful times in year 23…at the top – {getting engaged}; {watching my best friend become a mom, again}; meeting new friends; going to FL and the beach for the first time in many years (post still to come on that, promise!); working my butt off at the gym (now to work on my horrible eating habits); successfully worked two jobs and complete school classes at the same time; graduate from college, again; watch my future nephew grow from being a baby into a little boy; be a part of a music video; watch WJ graduate from college and start his big boy job; transition from a job that I really enjoyed to one that I totally love; and of course start this blog and {for the most part} stick with it and meet some pretty freakin awesome people along the way. :) 

So 23 wasn’t a bust – nor did I think it was – but I can only dream about how wonderful 24 will be. 

There were so many things that came and went, but yet so many wonderful great things still to happen and great memories yet to be made.   

I may not be so sure about this 24^th year right now, but I am ready to see what all is in store for me.  

 It has been a great year and I will miss you, but it’s time to open new doors and windows and take 24 on like donkey kong!

     

Totally not my cake - googled image ;)

 What was your favorite age to turn? 
Which age did you dread?
   

TGIF!!!

Okay you pretty people that have stayed here…I sincerely apologize for my lack of presence around here. I know I said that I would be back, and I know I have given you every excuse in the book as to why I have been busy and doing everything but keeping up with the le blog here. 

I have truly missed not checking in with you all and also the tiny amount of comments that I get. I have been so far behind on reading my fav blogs – but I promise that I am reading every post that I missed. Because I am that dedicated…ha!

I did want to hope in and say hi and that I missed you all. I actually have posts planned for all this week and I really hope that I get them all shared to you.

I of course have to participate in my girl’s linkup…

So it’s Friday, which means it’s time for…

#backthatazzup

Holla!

 

     

You know the drill – go check out my girl Whitney and see everyone else’s Friday jam!

Happy Weekend Y’all.

 Hopefully I will be better this week and I will brb. #fingerscrossed            

 

#backthatazzup Friday

Two posts in one day..unheard of!
But I couldn't resist linking up for #backthatazzup Friday
Just wanted to share my jam with you for the week...




Y'all know the drill -- go check out Whitney @ I Wore Yoga Pants to Work 




TGIF Ladies!!!

I Need to Learn Some Breathing Techniques.

{**ETA: this is a jumbled post - but I was just writing as it came to me}
I know I said I would be back on Monday with things that have been going on around these parts, and well obviously I didn't -- but I just can't seem to have enough hours in the day.  I keep staying up later and later, but the less sleep I am getting is catching up to me {along with Spring's wonderful allergies} and I feel like everything do takes ten times longer than it should {even typing this, I feel like it is taking forever to get the words out}. I am a planner by nature and a list maker by habit. I have learned that if I don't write it down, I will not remember it.  But I also do it because I feel more in control about things, a bad habit that I have.  I tell you this because we are leaving for vacation soon and I am trying to get everything needed to be done before we leave, but it seems more things are piling up than what I am getting accomplished.  It's so crazy, I know I am still considered young by a lot of people {and possibly too young some might think to be experiencing all of this}, but young people stress too {another really bad habit of mine} and they also still have a lot going on in their lives.  I am beyond blessed to still have both sets of my grandparents in my life and well. WJ also has both of his grandmothers still living.  I even have a great-grandmother still alive. However, things are not well with her and all, given she is in her late 90's and has had a wonderful life.  But death is a had subject for me.  Actually, I just don't talk about it -- I can't fathom the idea of loosing someone so close to me -- I am not sure how I would function.  Example one, I lost my first {and only} horse about 2 1/2 years ago {not even a family member, although we were pretty tight} and I cried for three days over it.  And it wasn't even sudden event, we all knew it was coming and it was just a matter of time.  Example two, I remember being in fourth grade and my great-grandfather {the late husband of the great-grandmother I mentioned above} passing away, he had been in bad shape and I knew it was coming.  But I will never forget that day when I got called to the office to leave because my mom was picking me up early, I knew exactly what it was for, and I cried all the way to the office.  After going to his funeral, I was horrified at the thought of having to go back ever again.  So much so, I can count on one hand how many funerals I have had to attended since then, and thats been within the last 16 years.  I have no will and hate the thought of having to sit down with someone and talk things over for that.  Anytime WJ brings up something about "if something was to ever happen to me" or "I would want you take have this/do this for me" -- I just shut him down. The mere thought of being in this world alone without him is unbearable. The thought {like now, just writing this out} breaks my heart -- my life without the love of my life in it....I have no idea.  On top of my great-grandmother being bad off, we got news the other night that WJ's uncle had a stroke.  I got the privilege of knowing this incredibly smart, musically talented man for only a few short years before he was diagnosed with alzheimer's and his progression has been incredibly severe.  The doctors have said that in just a few short months that his disease has progressed years beyond anything they have seen before.  We got to see him on Easter weekend and as happy of a moment it was, it was also just as sad.  So I have mentioned all of this because it has been heavy on my heart lately and with us going on vacation soon...it's been a rather difficult week and hard for me to process all of this. I cannot imagine something happening to anyone in either of our families and us not being here with them.  Yes, we are still going on vacation -- A) because we both could use a break and time away right now and we don't really know whats going to happen, and B) we can't get a refund.  So while our hearts may be heavy while we are away, we know that whatever happens, happens for a reason and it's all in God's will and He has it all in control in His hands.
{**ETA:  as I am typing this out, we just got the phone call that it looks like she only has minutes left}
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Okay, sorry for all the sad stuff, but it felt nice to get that off my chest.  To finish up with some good news -- Easter was fun! We celebrated all weekend long. Friday afternoon we went to the first service and then meet some friends for a lunner {lunch and dinner ;)} then went back to church to help serve for another service. Saturday we celebrated with WJ's family, and Sunday was with my family. However, on Saturday, someone got dressed up as the Easter Bunny and it wasn't WJ....ahem...

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I tried a new dessert the other day. It's a good one for summer, light and easy and you freeze it. I will be sharing that in a different post soon {promise!}.
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Other exciting news that happened on Easter....my sister got engaged!!!

I am so happy for her -- but it's hard to believe that in five short months she will be a married woman.  So we have all of that {fast} planning going on as well.  I am honored to be her maid of honor and I can not wait to see her on her big day.  If you really knew us, you would not believe that we are {kinda} close now after all these years.  We used to never get along while we were younger, we are completely different and just didn't mesh well, but since we have both grown up, we seem to be doing much better.  It's been fun and I hope it stays that way.
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I still need to do my StitchFix post, I promise I will post that.  I have most of the {horrible iphone} pictures edited to post, just need to finish it up.
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I have been hanging out with a good friend mine a lot lately, and I am totally okay with it. ;)  I have talked about her before, she is the mom of the two sweet girls and B man that I babysit hang out with sometimes.  We have been going to the gym together recently {more on that later, too!} in hopes of getting ready for bathing suits {for both of us}, bridesmaid dresses {for me}, and wedding dresses {for me}.  And I have to say it's been going pretty good. I don't hate the elliptical as much as I did when we first started. ;)

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I still have lots of posts that I want to share with y'all and I hope to find some time to get them all out there to you.
Sorry for slacking around here -- but its just been a whirlwind lately and I am just trying to find some time to breathe.  Here's to hopin' it gets better, soon!
Thanks for stickin' around!! :)

Still Here...

Yes, believe it or not I am still here and alive.
Yet again it has been a busy busy week here.
Easter lasted three whole days for me {party animals I tell ya!}, things at work have picked up, and school is starting to wind down so trying to get everything finished up with that.
I hope to be back Monday with some exciting updates about things going on around here...but until then I will leave you with this #backthatazzup jam.
 



Now go check out one of my favs Whitney @ I Wore Yoga Pants and linkup with her, you won't regret it, I promise!

And in case you need a visual with this song...check this out




Unicorn Homegirl got moves.



TGIF!