Update

Ok, for a blog entitled "So Much To Blog About" I sure haven't been blogging about much! LOL Anyway, the past year has really been a whirlwind. The last thing I talked about here was how ill my MIL was. Sadly, we lost her on August 20, 2008. This was one of the most heartbreaking times of our lives. It was so sad seeing someone who had been so full of life and love become so gravely ill. She has always been such a feisty, spitfire of a lady and that horrible cancer took all of that away. I can not say enough how thankful I am for the time I knew her. She was my other Mom for a little over 10 years and she will always be in my heart.
On a happier note, while our hearts were still aching, we were also filled with love and happiness on Dec. 26, 2008. That is the day my sweet nephew Cameron Lee came into the world. He was 5 weeks early and had a bit of a rough start, but he is such a little fighter! He is now doing well and growing and thriving wonderfully! He's the apple of all our eyes and we were head over heels in love the day we first laid eyes on him. Thank God for this little man who has played a huge part in healing our broken hearts. His Mammaw Jan would've been so proud of him, as we all are.
Oh, taking a few steps backward, we also moved in November of 2008. We are buying a mobile home on land contract that is conveniently located right across the road from where we used to live on that dreadful hill. I love it here! It is an older home, but we are gradually making it ours by doing some remodeling to give it our personal touch. The payments make things a bit tight sometimes, but we got a great deal! I am thrilled to say it will be paid off in full by February of 2010! the land won't be mine, but after the home is paid off I will only have a very affordable lot rent to worry about. I have a big pretty front yard and truly have never been happier living anywhere else.
Jumping back to my time frame, February of this year was pretty rough! John got sick at work and had to be off on sick leave for 7 weeks. He was having unexplained chest pains and it still has not truly been determined what brought them on. He is now on a higher dose of BP meds, cholesterol meds, and even a low dose nerve pill and is doing much better. I personally feel the stress of losing his Mom, moving, and a few other family issues we had going on at the time was getting the best of him. I know from experience myself that stress can really make you feel horrible and the more it escalates, the worse you feel. Thank God he is feeling better and our lives are finally starting to get back to some form of normal, whatever that is.
There's big news from my end in the workforce department too. When I last posted I was working from home for LiveOps taking calls. I'm happy to say that is no more! As of May of this year I no longer sit confined to a headset and phone while I work. I still work from home of course, but I love the work I do now. I am a Freelance Writer for Demand Studios and TextBroker and I couldn't be happier! I have always loved writing and getting to write and being paid for it is awesome! I also still have my side jobs as an Expeditor & Voice Transcriber for ChaCha and as a Website Tester for Usertesting to make extra money when I need it. Luckily, all of my jobs are nonphone jobs now and I no longer have the stress of dealing with cranky customers. I still apply to other writing jobs so that I have a nice full basket to pick and choose my work from. I really cannot express how much I enjoy my line of work now! I would consider going back to phone work only if I was offered a position that was total customer service with lots of call volume. Something CS in the line of health care would be nice, but no more sales for me!
I guess my last big news is that I am back in school again. I went to college before from January 2007 to June 2008, but I took a year off due to illness in the family and wanting to focus on helping with my MIL's care. I don't regret that in the least because I spent time with her that meant so much to me. So, I re-enrolled last month and I am working towards my AAS degree in Medical Administration. I am determined I will achieve this goal no matter how long it takes! If things keep going as planned it looks like I may earn that degree by Dec. 2010. So, I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed and my head bowed that the next year in our lives goes smoothly to allow me to graduate on time.
Finally, an update on my kiddies. They are doing wonderful! Justin is 15 and going into the 10th grade in August. He is such a great son and I am so proud of him. He has a beautiful girlfriend that we love dearly and hope to get to keep permanently. He has been working alot on his music and amazes me how great he is with it. McKenna will be 8 in November and is going into the 2nd grade. She is still my sweet baby girl and is such a joy to have. She keeps us laughing everyday and is so intelligent. I can't wait to see what the future hold for both my kids. I am just so thankful to have a loving God that has blessed me so much with such wonderful children and a hubby that is my very best friend. I really couldn't find better family or friends than those He gave me.
So, that is the latest news on the past year of my life. I will do my best to get back more often as new things come about. God Bless & Happiness To All!