HELLO. GOODBYE. HELLO.

I hate goodbyes. However, every goodbye makes the next hello that much closer. I dropped my dad off at the airport this morning. Man, this allegiant air is handy dandy for my visitors, but it’s definitely a tough drive for me on mornings I have to work. I can’t complain though –I love it when my friends and family visit!!! I am booking my sister a flight to Jacksonville (not Orlando, yay) for either the 2nd or 3rd weekend in October. She has never flown before, so it should be a fun experience for her. We are going to Disney World –woo-hoo! Neither of us have ever been, and we are the biggest kids EVER. I can’t wait! Even better news: I get to see her in two days –along with 10 of my best friends. I planned Lacie a bachelorette party in Cincinnati for this weekend which I am so excited about. It will be great to be with my girls again. I miss them more and more each day. I know we’ll have a blast.

As for the past week, my dad and I had a wonderful time. The GATORS game was loads of fun (even the quarter of pouring rain), and we spent an entire day in St. Augustine shopping & site seeing. I got to see areas of the town I hadn’t seen yet, and the company was the best part. Dad is a big history buff, so he seemed to enjoy the old town.
I got my hair highlighted, and Dad & I both got massages. He had an hour massage at a spa, and I got my free 30 minute massage at my apartment (I get another one next week). I couldn’t get one and rub it in his face, so I made him get one too. He loved it.

I have eaten way too much this past week (great restaurants down here, everywhere) so my workout starts back this week. I gotta fit in those bridesmaid dresses, lol. Speaking of dresses, I cannot wait until next weekend –Lacie & Brian’s wedding day. She will be the most beautiful bride. I know everything will turn out great. Holly & I have prepared a song to sing at the wedding, which I hope goes well. Lacie asked us to sing but has no idea what song we are singing. I love surprises! ☺

I did find some disappointment this past week that I don’t care to share the details of on here other than I sometimes wish people didn’t change. Especially people CLOSEST to me. People I thought would never change. Here I go back to that word again. I guess sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is bad. I wish all change were good. I am disappointed and ashamed at the same time. It's times like these when I wish my mom were still here, and things would be the same as they used to be. Ugh. She would've died (no pun intended). But seriously. Yeah.

Moving on. Seth has been out of town for a few days. I’m hoping he makes it back early before I fly out tomorrow. He’s gonna try, but I may not see him til next week. We’ll see. As for everything else: I am good. Work is great. Life is even better. More to come.

~Finding Myself~

My daddy will be here in 3 days!!!!! I can't wait to see him and spend an entire week with the best man in the entire world. He is in a lot of pain right now, though, which he believes is a pinched nerve. He has some pain and numbness in his leg, which I worry about. He's going to try and see a doctor about it when he gets back from the visit if not sometime this week. My dad is not a complainer -ever -so I know he's gotta be hurting to even mention it. I have some fun things planned for us while he's here, but I plan to take it easy since his leg is hurting him. We can do whatever he feels like doing. I am just happy to spend time with him that I don't care if we do nothing at all. YaY!

My brother was in a bad accident on Friday, which worries me quite a bit. He was driving a coal truck in Logan when a guy in an S10 pickup truck, who is believed to have overdosed on drugs that morning, swerved into Daryll's lane and hit him. Luckily, he didn't try to move out of the way, or he would've flipped the coal truck. He wasn't wearing his seat belt (STUPID), so he did get hurt, but he'll be okay. God, he is lucky. The other guys, however, are not okay. There was a man and a woman in the truck, and they were both flown out. My dad said they don't think the others will make it. I'm glad my brother is okay, but he seems to be affected by seeing the others in the condition they were in -apparently not good at all. Ugh. Here is a picture of Daryll's truck. I'm glad he was driving something this big because that's what saved him...especially with his poor decision not to wear the belt. When I heard about this, it took everything in me not to hop straight into my car and drive home. I hate being away when I feel my family needs me. I need them. I am blessed with the most amazing family, dysfunctional, but perfect at the same time. We are a walking contradiction in life, I know. I like it that way.

My job is still going well. I love it more & more every day. I especially love the people I work with. I'm still a bit confused by the different policies (RTI for example) here, but I'm getting the hang of it with the help of the counselors & ESE teachers. Life outside of work is fabulous as well. Oh, I can't forget to mention how excited I am to see my very best friends two weekends in a row!!! I am flying into OH the weekend before Lacie's wedding to throw her a bachelorette party! It just so happens that Kristen will already be in Cincinnati that weekend, of course Melissa will be there to pick me up from the airport & take me back, and all of the other girls are carpooling it up to Cincy on Saturday the 19th for a fun-filled evening. I am so flippin' excited, I can't stop bouncing off the walls! My head is starting to hurt! haha I believe we will all be back together (including my sister) except for Lynsey since she is all the way in CO. I hope she expects a few drunken calls though because it will be inevitable. Then, the wedding is the next weekend. This is the event we've all been waiting for. It will be like old times, and I know I won't want to leave. I don't know how I got so lucky in life to have been blessed with such amazing friends. Even though I am miles away now, I know we will always stay close. That is a great feeling. I need to start practicing the song that Holly & I are surprising Lacie with at the wedding. She asked us both to sing, so we are singing one together. Lacie doesn't know what song, though, so I think she will be pleasantly surprised. I can't wait to be with my loves again.

My life here is new and exciting, and I am loving it more & more every day. I am finding comfort in every aspect of my life. I am beginning to "find" and "be at peace with myself" (thank you, Karen, for the book. I did read it, and now I'm starting to believe in it). I've experienced that it is not an easy task to find that inner harmony when you already thought you had it to begin with. I always thought I was living in grace because of the obvious joy, yet outward, aspects of my life. I had no idea that taking myself away from everything and everyone I knew would provoke a better sense of comfort and realization of myself. Don't get me wrong, I still have no idea what I want in life, but I am slowly starting to figure out more about myself. It's like I've had a fresh new start. However, I haven't forgotten my roots: my foundation continues to stand strong. I won't stop with comfort. It's always nice but is only a rest stop on the path to finding true happiness -that most people never find. For the time being, comfortable is good enough for me. :) I like the path I am on, but I have miles and miles to go.

"I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh