Month of December

December is a busy month for most people. It is the closing of a calendar year and houses one of the most celebrated holidays. It is more special for me since it is the month I was born. Combined with recently finishing Thanksgiving with family, shopping and preparing for Christmas, attending holiday parties, and regular everyday duties of being a wife and pet mom, it is the busiest time for me without a doubt. It also happens to be my favorite time of the year! Something spiritual and holy looming in the air this time of the year makes me smile and feel hopeful of mankind. This feeling almost wipes away all misfortunes and sadness from beforehand. I can't deny it is certainly a stressful time for me. Somehow, I inherited the duty of primary holiday cook and planner. Although I enjoy cooking and party planning, and even more so spending time with my family and friends, I find I take the joy of the season for granted. Tis the time to count our blessings, not lose faith and hope. I am reminded this every year! December arrives and the retreats just as quickly, and every year I long for its humbling return.

No Open 2010

This year will be one of the few years Jeremy has missed competing at the US Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, Va. In fact, he has only missed twice since 1995. He even played the year his father passed, which was within a few days of the tournament. This year Jeremy struggled whether he should compete, mainly because he was not prepared to win. He ultimately decided against playing in it a few days before the players meeting. This decision did not come easily; Jeremy loves this tournament. He is the 2003 U.S. Open 9-Ball champion!
Unfortunately, the promoter/owner of the tournament acted negatively, without cause I might add, to Jeremy delivering the news of his absence. Although this may have not been celebrating news, it is neither critical nor justified to react so adversely to Jeremy. Jeremy DID respectfully call ahead with the news, and respectfully call back after he was hung up on and asked for an apology. His request has been dismissed.
In closing, Jeremy does send good wishes to the tournament and the players!

Sight for Soar Eyes

For those of you who do not realize others are forced to look at you, there are a few simple chores to help ease and soothe our eyes:

1. Purchase or borrow a magnifying mirror to trim any excess facial hair.

2. Overweight people must ensure their clothes are large enough to cover their body.

3. Overweight people (Part II) must stop eating foods and drinking alcohol to prevent gaining more weight.

4. Skinny people need to eat. You can be too skinny! Find an overweight friend and compare habits.

5. Exercise is appropriate to maintain ALL body weights and sizes, NOT bulimia!

6. It's okay to be pale. It is natural and avoids any skin disease.

7. Those whom are sun lovers should protect their skin. Stay out of tanning beds! Over tanning makes you look like beef jerky!

8. Everyone (male and female) needs to groom their nails. Go get a professional manicure and pedicure. Fake nails ruin your natural nail bed. Plus you look like a hooker!

9. Hair must be cut in a timely manner. Men should have short hair, women get a style.

10. Hair (Part II) coloring is okay, but no one wants to look at your roots, so get to the salon. Also, off colors such as blue, green and pinks are weird, so wait until Halloween!

11. Finally, and most important, go to the dentist! Dentist can help with the look of your teeth and with bad breath!

One Year Married

August 28, 2010, marked our one year anniversary! Jeremy and I have had an interesting, but loving ten year relationship no different than any other "normal" relationship. It all started when I was in college and living in south Houston. Jeremy's roommate, who happened to be my classmate, introduced us. We remained friends for the first year enjoying the young party scene together. I'm not real sure where the line crossed, but we found ourselves in love. Jeremy complemented and supported me while I completed my last years of college. He traveled often and competed in professional billiards, and insisted I go with him when I had openings in my schedule. Since we spent every ounce of extra time we had together, Jeremy moved in with me. During my last semester of school, we made the jump and bought a house on the north side of Houston. I spent long hours at school completing my classes and also serving as Editor of the university newspaper. It was tough finding time for each other, but we pulled through. This was also the same time Jeremy won the title of U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion! I traveled on the road with him for about a year straight learning about the sport he cherished. Boy, has that been an interesting world!
As you may know, life throws some pot holes in your way and you have to adjust and maneuver around them to move past and grow. We took a hard, long look at the world around us as it was and decided it was in our best interest to remove ourselves from the drama swirling in the air we breathed, so we transplanted ourselves near some dear family and friends in Kansas. Kansas is where the magic happened. We made concrete vows to each other and married in front of the people we treasure to share our special memory. We celebrated  in the sky with a spectacular view of the land in Topeka, Kansas. To include our other special family and friends we held a cocktail party to share our new beginning of life together.We lived in Kansas for about ten months total before we realized we absorbed all the positive knowledge we could benefit from personally . After careful consideration geographically, we decided we are Texans at heart and bought a house in the Dallas area. We are very happy with our choice!
Even though Jeremy and I met some trials and tribulations along our journey together, we managed to form an unbreakable bond. I can honestly say we complete each other. We have both grown imaginably, without expectations. I have been able to unleash my inner Martha Stewart and homemaker, preparing for motherhood. He has molded into a nurturing, giving man driven to be a strong leader. We wouldn't be who we are or where we are today if we did not have these experiences. I look forward to achieving our future goals together bound by faith and our deep abiding love. I love you hubby!

Medical Alert!

I have been dealing with some medical issues lately. I am trying to face it in a positive manner and  push forward, but it is scary and stressful. Among having a recent MRI, which calls for more testing, I had an unexpected visit to the emergency room. I tell you, when it rains, it pours! I giggle slightly when I think back to the night of my hospital visit, because I shrugged it off as indigestion or gas pain. Yes, I typically have this issue often, lol. Anyway, I was slumped over in major abdominal pain for three hours straight before Jeremy convinced me to go to the ER. In the end, I was glad I decided to seek medical attention. Apparently I had symptoms of an appendix rupture, which prompted a CT Scan. The scan showed I had an ovarian cyst rupture and my abdominal cavity was full of blood. After multiple doses of morphine, they ER physicians called the on-call OBGYN doctor to refer my case. She admitted me to the hospital and ordered blood drawn every four hours to monitor infection and my white cell count. To explain the pain level I was experiencing up until surgery, the morphine did not help subside my pain! The next morning my doctor arrived and told me my pain was due to the blood covering my organs in my abdomen. Typically the body will absorb blood, but in my case it was not doing so. I was told I need surgery to clean up the blood from my abdominal cavity. So, I tried to sleep before my surgery scheduled just four hours later. My anxiety level was through the roof, and kept me from sleeping all night and the first part of the morning before my date with the operating room. However, at the same time, I was welcoming the surgery since I needed relief from the overwhelming pain I was experiencing. I went under anesthesia early afternoon, several hours after I was initially scheduled. I woke up several hours later with heavy eyelids and a HUGE appetite amazingly. The friendly and comforting nurses at Denton Regional Hospital delivered the best (and only) dinner I have ever had as a patient. It was a tasty steak with broccoli and loaded baked potato, yummy! I ate the entire serving! Just a few short hours later I was released and sent home to recover. I have healed nicely. Hopefully, I do not have a repeat occurrence later in life, which is common once the initial onset.
Now, I have something else to deal with within the next few weeks. If I get good results, then I am blessed! Cross your fingers and say a prayer for me. Thanks!

Being the Better Person

Everyone struggles with negativity from life's events, but I believe it is a choice you must face in life to move past and become a better person. I am no different than you, and you are no different than me. We both have faced trials and tribulations on our journey. It is forgiveness and understanding that help us climb and overcome the fires lit at our feet by others. What I consider to be the most difficult to accept is the bald-faced, insincere subjection dealt by people who then, in the next breath, act like they have your best interest at heart. Why are these people so deceitful? Why not instead be honest? It is an unattractive character flaw; one in which you do not want to be the center of yourself. So, answer the question...why? I must accept only the individual can change oneself. And, I decided to let go of the past, because in reality those actions only have a bearing on my life if I allow them. But, understand when I call you out on your actions, it is time to dig deep and face your daggers! I can handle it, can you?

New Member of Our Family

We adopted a new puppy recently, just a few weeks after we moved in to our new home in the Dallas area. After several failed attempts to adopt from foster homes, we went to the local animal shelter when we heard they had received an overwhelming number of pets released from recent college graduates. The only stipulation we wanted for a new dog was one close in age to Lucy, so they could grow together. For me it is really hard to walk in a shelter a look at all the lonely eyes staring back at you from behind bars, knowing they will be killed if they are not adopted. If I had the money and land, I would open my own care center.
After a quick walk through around the shelter, we identified several matches. We spent a short amount of personal time with the dogs trying to decide which would be the best match for our family. At a certain point I asked Jeremy to pick one because I could not decide, nor could I stand there any longer looking at all the dogs in need of a loving home. So, in a matter of seconds, Jeremy pointed to a cage and picked out a puppy from a liter. The puppy's profile listed her as a two-month old Terrier. We loved on her while they prepared her information for adoption, then had to wait four days to pick her up at a local vet where they would spay her and update her shots. We now have our new puppy at home with us. Her name is Otie, named after my dad!