Tag Archives: birthdays

One Whole Year

Well how about that. Exactly one year ago today, I started this little bloggity-blog. And that’s pretty crazy to think about.

You know what else is crazy?

The fact that December is nearly over. I cannot believe that 2012 is only a few short days away! I am quite excited, to say the least.

This upcoming year is going to bring lots of good things – from a new job (I can’t wait to start on Tuesday!) to graduating with my MPH. It’s going to be busy, that’s for sure!

Anyway, we’ve got one more Holiday to celebrate before this year’s holiday season is up… and it’s one of my favorites. Always has been, and always will be.

This whole holiday season has treated me exceptionally well. I truly cannot believe how fast it has flown by. From visits with both sides of Ryan’s family during Thanksgiving, to birthday celebrations, to our Christmas vacation in Arkansas last week. So many good memories. And so many things I want to share!

So, to avoid making this a super-long post recapping the past month or so, I’m going to simply touch on one of the big events that happened these past few weeks – my birthday.

During the crazy-exciting time of landing my new job, I celebrated a birthday. The big two-six, if you will.

I mentioned in an earlier post that when I was a youngin’ (read, twelve years old), I pictured people aged 26 as pretty damn old. Those folks had their shit together. They were living the city life with a big career and a cushy 401K, owned a nice home, had a marriage, and were probably well on their way to growing a family. Obviously, this picture does not depict my life one little bit. Therefore, I am totally okay with being 26. I do not feel old. Or at least… I didn’t.

Let me explain.

A week or so before my birthday Ryan told me that I had two options to follow. I could either:

            A) be out of the house for a few hours while he “set things up,”

or…

            B) not go outside at all until I was given the okay to do so.

I chose the later option. (Obviously. I mean, who wouldn’t want to laze around the couch on their birthday morning?).

So when my birthday rolled around, Ryan popped outta bed and told me to stay in the house until he came back.

He gave me one clue: it involved a truck.

This got my mind stirring. “A truck? Hmmm. Tonka truck? Monster truck? I’ve always wanted to go to one of those Monster Truck shows…”

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This was totally a childhood dream of mine. Completely serious. 100%.

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I loved those Tonka trucks as a wee-one. Total tomboy.

Suffice it to say, many different ideas were floating around in my head. Nevertheless, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he would need a truck. Especially since our apartment is so small, and, well… quite filled.

Finally, Ryan returned and told me to close my eyes. He guided me to our guest room… and told me to sit down. I did not understand what he meant by “sit down” so I squatted like a fool bracing for inevitable impact with the floor. I’m sure I was quite graceful… you know, with my arms flailing about and all.

That’s when I found myself sitting on a chair.

A rocking chair!!!!!!!!!!

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Tada!!!!

You know how Cracker Barrel has those rocking chairs sitting on the front porches of their stores so people can chillax in them while they wait to be seated?

Don’t act like you haven’t wanted to sit in these babies while waiting in line

Well, Ryan bought two of their rocking chairs! (Ah… yes, now I understand why he needed the truck. Those chairs are a bit too big for his Hyundai).

Now, y’all might think this is an odd gift, but that’s because you’re not me. Ryan knows me so well, and these rocking chairs are PERFECT for us. We’ve been moving the chairs throughout the house since we got them… and have been toting them to and fro on our back porch. We’ve been having unseasonably warm weather this past December, so we’ve been able to enjoy the weekend afternoons outside lounging on them.

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I seriously love these rocking chairs. And I love the fact that Ryan mentioned that our rocking chairs “have a lifetime warranty… so we’ll be able to rock our grandkids in them one day on our wrap-around porch.”

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He’s a keeper.

Ah yes, now it’s clear. You’re not old until you have a wrap-around porch. Either that… or the whole grandkid thing. Pretty sure it’s debatable.

Anyway, my birthday was perfect. We spent the whole day celebrating…

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Presents from mi madre!

Boxes a la Fed Ex and present-opening with mom via Skype…

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This box sat on our dining room table for an entire week.

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Do I get presents?

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Lame. These stupid pillows do not count as presents.

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Burned CDs/slideshows of pictures from my childhood!!! Talk about one of the most thoughtful gifts imaginable. My momma is good like that .

The celebration continued into the night with a yummy dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant…

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Cantina 1151

My friend Kelly’s Christmas party…

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Rachael’s cookie exchange party…

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<3

Anddddd, of course, a trip to TCBY…

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His

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And hers. (The stuff is too damn good to share.)

But let’s be real now. TCBY happens pretty much every weekend. We don’t need a special occasion for this type of goodness Smile .

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Filed under birthdays, Happiness, Holidays, out and about, recap

Ch ch ch chaaanges

Whoa.

Big news, y’all.

Remember how I hinted in my last post that there were some possible changes in my near(ish) future??

Welp, things have panned out how I hoped they would…and I have some exciting news to share.

I have officially accepted a new job. (!!!!!!!!!!!)

{Cue the excitement}

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Exclamation point. x 100000

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Even the Happster had on her celebratory party pants!

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Sooo, yes. Yesterday, I was offered a fulltime position with the National Marrow Donor Program.

The story of how this opportunity came onto my radar is a (n incredible) story in and of itself, but I will save that for another day. Let’s just say, the stars were definitely aligned Smile.

Of course, I accepted the job offer. Starting in the New Year, I will be working as a Workup Specialist, helping those people eligible to donate go through the process and donate their bone marrow. I’ll be the “go-to” person during the time (usually around 3 or so weeks) it takes the volunteer to donate…. their mentor, if you will. I’m not going to go into too much detail right now, but to say I am ecstatic is the biggest understatement of the year (and I can say this statement with confidence, seeing as the days left in 2011 are limited).

(Sidenote: I must admit, though, I am going through some bitter-sweet emotions about putting in my two-weeks at the Y. I love my job and my coworkers there… and ohhhh goodness, I am going to miss seeing the members on a daily basis so much! I have built amazing friendships with many of the older/retired regulars who frequent the Y, and I am afraid I won’t be able to see them quite as often anymore. I’ll make sure to soak up and make the best of my last few days being a health educator).

But seriously y’all. I am thrilled about this new job. Beyond thrilled.

The organization – the National Marrow Donor Program — is incredible. They operate the Be The Match Registry, something I am sure a few of you have heard about. And if you have not heard, here is some information from their website…

“Our Mission

Every year, thousands of people of all ages are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Many of them will die unless they get a bone marrow or cord blood transplant from a matching donor. Seventy percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on our Be The Match Registry® to find a match to save their life.”Source

It’s about finding a match

Be The Match offers people the unique opportunity to help a patient by donating bone marrow or umbilical cord blood. Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a match. A patient’s doctor can contact the NMDP to search our Be The Match to Registry and other registries worldwide to access nearly 16.5 million donors and nearly 550,000 cord blood units.

It’s about helping patients

Be The Match Registry® is the new name for the registry operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). We’ve been helping patients receive the transplants they need for more than 20 years. Now, medical advances are making transplants available to more patients of all ages than ever before.” -Source

So like I said above, I’ll be the person helping the donor go through all of the necessary steps to officially become “the match” for the patient needing the transplant — from informing the volunteer that they are a match, screening the volunteer for eligibility/donorship, to setting up medical appointments, and eventually, helping the product get to where the patient needing the transplant resides.

Pretty dang incredible, huh?

I get chills just thinking about the work I am about to take on. I am so, SO drawn to the mission, especially after everything I have experienced within my own family.

This position I am taking on is going to be life changing. Not only for my own life, but for a countless number of other peoples’ as well. The volunteers donating. The patient receiving the transplant. The families of the patients. So, so many lives are touched. On an innumerable number of levels.

I feel incredible blessed to be given this opportunity. This is the kind of difference I was put on this Earth to make. This position was meant for me. Doctors and medical personnel aren’t the only ones who can save lives, y’all. Us “little people” can, too. (If you are interested in learning more about the NMDP and possibly being “a match” yourself, check out the FAQ section of their website.)

So, there ya have it, my exciting news!!!! Talk about the most incredible (belated) birthday present a girl could ask for. I just knew this December was going to be one for the books. And I sure was damn right!

Two hours after I received the phone call with my job offer, Ryan and I headed out to celebrate and share the great news with his co-workers at his work’s annual Holiday work party.

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Time to celebrate!

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“the girlfriends”

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What a bromance...

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Blurry, but the cuteness still shines through ... (right?)

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The new “Miss Workup Specialist,” reporting to service

Suffice it to say, it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

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Filed under Be The Match, goals, job, my story, National Marrow Donor Program, NMDP, public health, recap

December Babies: The 26th Edition

Happy Saturday!!

It’s been quite some time since I last posted. I know I said I would recap my post-Savannah Marathon shenanigans the next time I wrote, but… life has sort of gotten in the way. And because so much (SO much) has happened in these past few weeks, I just had to pop in and share. (But don’t you worry, I’ll recap the post-marathon activities soon enough. Just let me get through finals, first).

Moving on…

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the time between Halloween and New Years Day is by far my most favorite time of year. And this year’s holiday season is no different. So far,the month of December has been treating me  exceptionally well. It’s hard to believe we are only 10 days in!

In fact, November was pretty dang snazzy as well. Ryan and I hosted family during the two weeks surrounding Thanksgiving — it was so nice to catch up with everyone. Ryan’s  Dad flew into town and stayed with us for a long weekend the week before Thanksgiving.

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And just a few days later, Ryan’s mom and stepdad stayed with us for an extended Thanksgiving Holiday. They helped us cook up a storm in the kitchen for a delicious T-giving meal, and they braved the mall and snagged some pretty good Black Friday deals with us, too (and people watched, of course!).

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Our time spent hosting family was so much fun, and so needed. (Sidenote: I’m not sure how this happened, but I somehow managed to stay on top of all my schoolwork while everyone was here. Let’s just call it a pre-Christmas miracle? Yep. Sounds about right). Anywho, I feel so at home with Ryan’s family, and am excited to head to Arkansas over the Christmas Holiday to spend even more time with them. (Don’t you worry though, I’ll be able to spend time with my own mom and step-dad come January, as Ryan and I will be heading down to South Florida to spend some R&R on the beach for a week. I know. We sure do have it rough Smile with tongue out).

In other news, I treated myself to a handy little new gadget. Some call it the iPhone. I call it…life-changing.

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[I also treated myself to this new jacket. And took a picture of it with my new iPhone. Oh, the wonders of technology!!!]

Seriously y’all. This little iPhone device is unreal. I thought the Droid was cool, but this? Nothing even compares. Thank goodness for Verizon’s “new every two”… and a credit that popped outta nowhere. Siri is one BAMF, and oh-so-entertaining.

Also. I bought the three books of the Hunger Games series.

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I’ve been hearing good things from a variety of different people, so I just had to dive in and see what all the talk was about.

Sigh.

This was not a good life choice on my part.

Considering the fact that I was (and still am) in the midst of “crunch time” for my school work, I knew better. But let’s be real. I have no will power. So even though I *promised* myself I wouldn’t touch the first book until I had all of my assignments turned in… I caved.

I read that first book in two days. TWO DAYS, people.

During those two days, I was supposed to be writing 2 graduate school papers, completing a group project… working, and getting the house ready for our second set of visitors. Because that’s what big-kids do.

So guess what was sacrificed? Oh… you know, just that little ‘ole thing called sleep. But I promise, this was not intentional. You see…usually, I read myself to sleep. But the Hunger Games books do not allow for that. They are just too damn good for you to want turn off the light and get some shuteye. They are the epitome of page-turners. I don’t care if you judge me for reading them. Because I was judgmental, too. And now?  I’ve completed the first two books, and am halfway through the third. I won’t be surprised if I’m done with the third book by the end of the weekend. Did I mention I’m in the middle of finals right now? Don’t worry, I got my priorities straight.

Speaking of finals… I’m actually completely finished with one of my classes – my Program Planning and Evaluation class. This class was all-around amazing. I loved my professors, I loved my group-mates, and the girls in my group were some of the best classmates I have ever had. EVER.

I am genuinely sad that that class is over. But it’s nice to have a little more free time. My group decided to turn in our final group project early (the due-date is this coming Tuesday, but we actually turned it in this past Wednesday)… and we’ve already heard back that we achieved a 99%. AND! The professors have dubbed our project the new “model” to showcase to future classes when explaining the project. Unreal. And to top things off, I just got word that the big individual paper I had turned in this past week for the same class received a 99% as well. Here’s to hoping this streak of good grades rolls over into my other class… At least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – as this coming Tuesday is the last day of the Fall semester Smile. I’m so close!

Soo yes. As you can see, SO MUCH has happened these past few weeks. So much, in fact, that I didn’t even know where to begin with this post. There’s actually more to the story than this, though (oh my lord I WISH I could talk about it, but for now, I can’t go into it too much). All I can say is… that there are (most likely) some big changes on the horizon, and I am more than ready for it.

I am receptive to this change, and although it is bitter-sweet, I am extremely excited about it. Everything I’ve been through thus far has brought me into this situation, and I feel like it is right. I feel so content in life. Everything feels in place. Sure, I at times feel anxious, nervous, and unsure…but I mostly feel excited… and very optimistic.

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Words to live by.

So, I guess this post is my attempt to “freeze time” and bottle up all of the emotion and positive feelings going on this little head of mine. I’ll make sure to update y’all if and when this change happens.

Oh, I almost forgot! There is another reason why I am so fond of this time of year—it’s because I am a December Baby!

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Totally not me...

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...but totally adorable!

That’s right, folks. Today, I am 26 years young.

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Me and all my 26-year-old glory…

Ah  yes, twenty-six…it’s crazy to think, but back when I was a little wee one, I used to think 26 sounded so old. To me, people who were 26 had their shit together. They had a house of their own, a big career, nice car,  401K, marriage, kids…the whole shebang. Obviously, I have none of these things.

But you know what?

I am perfectly fine with that.

Like I said, I have a feeling there is change right around the corner. Change that is going to bring some amazing things. Change that would not have been available to me if the situation would have been any other way. So to me, it is obvious…. I am right where I am meant to be.

And twenty-six is going to be a damn good year.

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Filed under birthdays, family, goals, graduate school, my story, recap, school