the little things

happy

me. today. i am. yeah. happy!!!  today has been a great day!  here's why...

*my evaluation went wonderfully!!!  Sue [my supervisor] emailed me at 10 this morning asking if i wanted to meet with her then, which was an hour earlier than scheduled...i was psyched, the sooner it was done & over with, the better!  went in, shut the door & she welcomed me with a smile & joke about yelling. [ha. boss lady! ;)]  we got right down to business. reviewing 19 lines of my job description after she handed me HER evaluation of ME. eeep! she read each line, then had me silently read her comments for each line, that were accompanied by a "needs improvement", "meets level expected" or "exceeds level expected" X mark. they were all good!!! i even managed to get 6 Exceeds Level Expected's!!!!  Not expecting those at all! *lol* Sue told me that I was a very valuable & hardworking employee & I quote, "an absolute joy to be around. so full of life. happy, upbeat, positive...we don't have a lot of people like you around here, Nichole. you are seriously one of the best people we have here" Uhhhhh what???  I could NOT believe what i was hearing! total opposite of what i was expecting! i even told her how great her words made me feel & i was beyond happy to hear that! and i couldn't believe it. *lol* she said it was the truth. she appreciates my work. oh my goodness. Thank you, Lord!! :) 

*i've lost 3 more pounds!

*will smith...everything about him. lovin' old tunes like Miami on my ipod right now.

*my U of A sweatshirt i just found in my closet...this thing is huge & comfy..i love it!

*i got an email from Donna Downey!! that lady is rockin'!

*email from girlie, Jill with a cuuuute photo of her new puppy!!

*ghiradelli chocolate squares at work [just one...and sooo yummy!]

*drank 95 oz. of water so far today!

*3 emails from Scrapbook Trends requesting 3 of my layouts for their October, 2005 issue and my 1st one using all SW's goodies..which means i'll get paid from scrapworks for that one!!!!

*my mom & phil loved their LO i did for their anniversary next week [yeah. i gave it to 'em tonight cuz i couldn't wait any longer!]

*boyz II men old school tunes...like "motown philly"...classic!! seriously, it's been will smith or boyz II men in rotation alllll week long at my computer! can't get enough!

*the world of blOgs. what did we do b4 these guys came around??!!

ok, ok...time to get my behind in gear & do somethin...like clean my scrap space, or at least stare at it. or i could put all my clothes away. or at least stare at the 3 piles on my bedroom floor! OR i could work out. or i could just get my kicks on & put my hair in a pony & sit on the couch. hmmmm...what to do?!! ;) *lol*

conversations

okay, so tomorrow is THE day. the day i am [or should say was] more than nervous about. tomorrow is my annual evaluation at work. eeeeek. at 11 a.m. gotta meet with my supervisor to discuss me. my work. my abilities [and disabilities]. to discuss my attained goals and my future goals. i had to fill out my self evaluation today. ugh. only 4 little questions..1.] Goals you attained this past year 2.]Supervisor's Comments on attained goals 3.] Goals for this new year 4.] Supervisor's comments on new goals

ugh. i know i lack in a lot of areas. i know i mess up or may not do things like they should be done. i know i still have a lot to learn. i know i'm gonna hear all this tomorrow.  it's not that i even mind that. i KNOW i most certainly am far from perfect, it's just hearing all that that bugs me.  i have never been one to ask questions. always afraid of being looked down upon or what the person i was asking would say.  i was never one to go up to the teacher & just blurt out a question. instead, if i even got enough guts to go up to her, i would patiently wait beside her at her desk until she would ackowledge i was there & ask what i needed. but even that took time to do. my dad called me stupid quite often growing up [he has since apologized for the hurtful things he's said in the past, especially now that he knows i just simply will not put up with being treated like that, btw], but, as embarassed i am to say this, that has scarred me. i worry what people think of me. what they think of how i perform. what i lack. what i can REALLY do 100% better. i don't like getting critiqued. it scares me to death.  all growing up i was critiqued. how good or bad i was at something. how much better or worse than someone i was. not so much for anyone, but myself. i'm hard on myself. i often just cannot control it. crazy, i know. i have gotten much better over the years, but it's still incredibly difficult to talk about my performance or abilities [or lack there of] at times. tomorrow would be one of those times.

i'm scared of what Sue will tell me. what she sees me doing bad at. i know it will all be for the better & i appreciate honesty, i just tend to take everything to heart.  sick of feeling this way, i decided it was time to do something. so,on my way home from work tonight....i turned off my radio [a rarity in my car!] & turned to God. as i drove in the rain, my tears poured just as hard.  i literally cried out to Him, about everything. work. tomorrow's evaluation. tomorrow in general. guys. college. money. weight. scrapbooking. life goals. being a christian,daughter,sister,friend. serving Him. i let it all out & it felt good. good to get it out, but even better that He was listening. i honestly have NO idea how people who do not have a personal relationship with Christ can do it. how they can live each day without Him.  all i know is that i am truly grateful that i can count on Him through absolutely everything i face.  i seem to be having a hard time with myself & life right now & as many of my friends & family, co-worker's & even those who are reading this right now, can see i'm almost always uncertain how to handle things & don't understand why things happen the way they do. i don't like feeling this way. down & negative about so much. it's not really like me. but, after my conversation with God today, i truly feel better. i walked into my house today with a smile on my face & tossed the negativity & attitude out. i was home. and happy to be. craemer quickly greeted me at the door, like everyday. barking & jumping & just excited to see me. that's something to be happy about. then, my step dad sat on the couch just like he does about everyday & instead of me saying hi all bumming like always, i made sure he knew i was happy to see him & be home.  there's no need for all the moping, ya know?  life is seriously too short.  i just gotta live it. no regrets.

me. try hard. love.appreciate. life is a gift. just be. try. smile. positive. no doubts. have faith. patience. trust. everyday. believe. accept.

this is who iam. i am not perfect, but i am who i was made to be. as pastor jim says, God doesn' t make junk. this is my life & i must live it. stop complaining & dwelling on what i don't have & be grateful for what i do.

by the way...God let me know tomorrow will be fine.  i'm in His hands..safe & sound. :) it's a good feeling.

[MAJOR thank you's for the kind comments on this blog these last few days & those incredible emails. keep 'em coming girls! i love hearing from you! i have a few to reply to, so please forgive me if it takes a little time. i want each of you to know how much i truly appreciate you telling me personal stories, battles, relations to what i post about here. i admire you guys and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to care so much about whiney nichole and let me know it's not just me, i'm not alone.. it brightens my day to read your words about so many things on so many different levels.. thank you again.]

meet steph

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             smart. funny. caring. serious. sweet. that's my steph. my closest cousin. we've always been pretty close. not too much in common, other than we were "goody-goody's" im high school& know what we want in life. she's always been sooo mature. [we're similar there, too] so, it's no surprise she went to college at 16 [the youngest in her graduating class...me too!], became a nurse this year & is already quite successful. and she's no getting married. wow. she's only 19. and she's done so much for herself already. i am BEYOND proud of her.  i see her & her fiancee' matt together & it just makes me smile [and wish i could find a guy like him] they are more than perfect for one another. it truly is a beautiful sight seeing Steph so grown up. having a wonderful job. engaged. gonan be living on her own. witha  husband. wow. that's crazy. she's baby steph.  even though we are only 13 months apart, i have always been her "big sister"...looking out for her, helping her.  i remember my 4th bday party [and thank goodness we have this on tape cuz it' too cute!] her sitting at the table with this big, barbie cake in front of her [mind you, it was my cake...that literally had a barbie in-the cake part was her dress! those things ROCKED! anywhoo...] her little eyes staring at it, then glaring to the side to check who was around her. her puffy little cheeks & tiny, sweet lips...you could totally tell she wanted that cake & was about to dig in. i was sitting beside her, hamming it up of course! *lol* my dad, the only one who seemed to even be noticing this little sneak..taping the whole thing. seconds went by & you see her little finger worming it's way into that cake!! SCOOP. get s abig chunk out & delightfully eats it. then, goes in for another bite. in the video you see me look at her & just start cracking up! that's us. we truly love each other. she's the only one i let do that...i would ahve snapped had it been anyone else! even at ages 3 & 4! *lol*

then, there was the time that i was visiting at her house & we thought it'd be fun to jump off the back of her couch. we got busted by her mom...who i was petrified of when i was little. she was mean, my mom's sister & they were complete opposites!  steph got yelled at so bad & my aunt Kim said, "if nichole jumped off a bridge, would you????!!" & steph, who neer, ever smart mouted her mom, didn't even hesitate & said, "yes" *lol* we got in big trouble for that one, but we always stuck together.

i remember helping her with cheerleading in 8th & 9th grade. i had made it the year before & teph wanted to try. we worked every night for 2 weeks & she made the squad. fun stuff cheering together! i was so proud of her!  she always helped me with my homework...i'm not good in school. horrible in math. she is seriously a genius. VERY smart. always has been. 4.0 all thru high school. we'd hang out & chat...even tho we were sooo different, we still got along  so well & shared so much. 

then, she & her family moved down to Suffolk, VA,September, 2003, after her dad [who's very talented with wood furnishings,building homes, all that good stuff] was offered a job he just couldn't refuse. they've always loved the south. vanationing in Virginia Beach every summer for nearly10 years, it came as no shock. she went from being 4 minutes down the road to 13 hours on a good day. just crazy. but, it was good. she was okay about the move, but as she still says, her heart is always in OhiO. MATT was in Ohio...even though they didn't officially start dating until AFTER she moved down there! yeah, explain that one to me! haha. before i knew it, she was in nursing school, working at a mall, dating matt...i missed her! we got to go down & visit only twice in these last 2 years, but it's been good.  she travels up here every so often as she will be moving back to ohio in October when they get married and i am excited!!  she'll be 2 hours away down in columbus, but it'll be better than 13! :)

i love her. i'm proud of her. and i am so blessed that we are not only cousins,but we are good friends. she is a true follower of God & is such an amazing young woman. just wanted to share with you my fave cousin always :) love u steph!

alone. odd.

that was me all weekend. i felt odd. i was odd. i was the odd one out. alone..kinda. all weekend. me. with all the junk that's been happening with me as far as college, work, weight, life...this weekend's events weren't much help. friday, went to a Cleveland Indians game with some co-worker's...and their husbands/boyfriends...then me. single. alone. odd. as always. we really did have quite a great time. i enjoyed their company & we laughed & enjoyed the hot, summer weather...but then, on my way home..alone..i of course thought about being alone. just always being single. no guy. just me. whatever.

so, saturday came [and went all too fast]...ran some errands. alone. cool. one thing i don't mind doing alone. then, we met up with my cousin steph who now lives in VA, but not for long, as she's engaged to a wonderful guy, matt...she's 19. we were close. as we hung out & caught up at gram & gramp's...i quickly realized, yet, again...i was the 3rd wheel. odd one. there was my gram & gramp, my mom & step dad & then steph & matt...and then nichole. blah. she asked about college. sweet,but it wasn't the time cuz i just started bawling like the biggest baby ever.  in between the time they had gotten there & the time she asked that dreaded question, i had too much time to sit & observe how happy they were. how complete they looked. how in love they were. and how much i wish i had that too.  so much to look forward to & plan for.  i love her so much & sooo happy for her. but, then...i quickly realized...here i am. alone. odd. then, somehow dating came up. "who's nichole dating? you'll find someone someday" she said, then mom, "yeahhh i want grand babies...nichole will find someone"...like i wasn't even there! odd.  i rode to dinner with steph & matt & completely felt like the 3rd wheel. kinda like a loser.  where was my guy? someone i could pair up with & enjoy the evening? ugh. man, how selfish does THAT sound??  i don't mean for it to, i'm just venting. *lol*

saturday night i found myself alone. no plans. no parties. no hanging out at someone's house. which is cool. i like time off too. but, i didn't even feel like scrapping. instead, i watched coach carter & chilled all night. odd. alone.

sunday came...church. love being there. always seems to take my troubles away. at least for a little while. until i see him. see the guy i just cannot seem to get over. can't stop liking. can't stop thinking about. uh hum...yup. j diddy. [jimmy, for those who don't know his hip nickname my step sister & i gave him! *wink*]. he & his GF broke up recently & not like it matters, but it's like he's already different. ah. i dunno.  i leave the church & face beautiful sunshine & hot temps. only to get a little teary eyed in my car thinking about everything. everything i want & pray about. everything i stress & worry about. just everything. same ol' same ol' i guess.

go home. celebrate tana's birthday. and yet, again. i realize i'm odd. alone.  mom & phil. gram & gramp. tana & antonio. and me. again. poo. i swear it! what the world is up with me being so singley [is that a word?!]  lame??! ack. i see my gram & gramp so happy & in love. teasing each other. my mom & phil talking amongst themselves in the corner of the kitchen & tan & antonio..."nuggling" & gently smooching at the table. then, me. in the other corner of the kitchen. *sigh*

ok...lunch is wayyyy over [like 5 minutes ago!! oops!] time to wrap this up..part 2 of the whining session coming up sometime later...haha!

OH!! major thanks to cynthia for yet, another FABULOUS banner!!!  i love it girlie! thank you for taking your time to make it for me! :)

priceless

these beautiful pieces of imperfect stitches & material. tied together with nothing but love from a woman whom i admired all my life. a woman who was not a quilter by any means, or even delicate for that matter. instead, she was tough as nails, more of a "tomboy...errr 'woman' :)"...cigarette in one hand & fishing pole in the other! she didn't take any crap. she stood her ground & stood it well, she was hard. and i loved her. she was my granny.  and she made these quilts. these quilts that are absolutely priceless.  the one on the bottom of the photo has been in my house for years. actually, probably since i was 5 or so. and it's mine. all mine. :)  it's on my bed every night. it's made with all these scraps of fabric. some ugly. some pretty, but all unique. and the stitches. the stitches aren't perfect by any means. but they are hers. they are what she did. she knew she wasn't a good sewer, let alone quilter, but it didn't stop her. she just kept on & now, look what i have....a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, valuable to pretty much only me, WARM quilt, that i love. the one on the top was given to my mom this afternoon by my grandma. she's had it since granny passed away in 1993 & never took it out of the plastic bag she found it in.  she wanted my mom to have it & my mom proudly took it.  she brought it home tonight [this is what provoked this post] & as she unfolded it, she found 2 burns on it! immediately we both thought, "only granny!" we had a laugh & then it hit us. these were hers. something she loved. something she wanted us to have one day. imperfect & all. that day was today. i hope my quilt lasts me forever.  she does a much better job than i ever could, so it better last! ;)  i love cuddling with mine & think of her everytime i wrap myself in it. i can even smell her sometimes. the smell of cherry pipe tobacco. it's a wonderful feeling that takes me back to when i was itty bitty & she'd hold me with her big, gentle hands & laugh & laugh & laugh. i think that's where i get my giggles all the time, cuz even tough, rough,manly or not...she loved to laugh & was such an amazing woman. thanks for the quilts, granny...they're mine & truly priceless.

how do i always do this?!

make a huge mess! and get just about nothin accomplished while doing it! *lol* [this was my space 3 days ago...i have sinced cleaned it all up...and then got it a bit messy again! doh!] happy friday tomorrow!!! :)

hOly crap!

*ali edwards posted a comment on MY blog!!!! *shocked & completely ubberly excited!!!!*

*it's jilly's 22nd birthday!!!!!! love ya girlie! hope you have a fabulous day!!

*U of A sucks! [more on that later]

*i started drinking slim fast today....BLAH. that stuff is disgusting!

*going on walk with t tonight after work!!

*i FINALLY got my iTunes to work so i can buy all the songs i want [errrrr...that i can AFFORD! ;)] so, in other words....i need LOTS of good tunes for the iPod....suggestions pleeeeease ladies!! i like just about any kind of music...country,r&b,hip hop, pop,rap, some rock...love music & need new songs! :)

*jimmy broke up with his girlfriend!!!! [i mean...who cares? big whoop? whatajerk. ;) ha.]

*i got a raise!!!!!! feels kinda good to be at a place a year & get recongnized for it...oh, and i got a signed congratulations card from the big-wig president...ooooh! *lol*

so there's my *hOly craps* for the day! i'll try to post about the college thing later...thank you to the fantastic gals who have sent me emails re: that huge disasterous mess and otherwise!  i promise to get to you very, very soon!!

have a fabulous afternoon!!!

*oh, and i forgot to say...i've been meaning to update on the whole build-a-bear thing...well, i declined the position last week. never even went for the meeting thing cuz something inside told me just not to do it.  i had to be careful cuz if i quit where i work now & didn't end up going to college that's just too big of a risk to get paid less [way less now that i thankfully got that raise *lol*] so, i called my aunt last week & told her my reasonings. thanks for askin! :)

a year ago

today i started my first day as a medical biller. a year ago today i had no idea what i was in for, how much i would hate doing medical billing for a living. a year ago today i was nervous & tired, thinking i cold never get used to the early morning wakeup, the 40 minute drive every morning & the enormous tasks i had in front of me. and most importantly,i never imagined i would make so many wonderful & true friends. [love ya, virginia, colette, andrea,raquel,mary,ruth, heather, & evonne and of course the rest of the crew! ;)]

so much is uncertain. i am grateful for this job. i work for a wonderful company, with awesome co-workers & a fantastic & super smart supervisor... i just completely hate what i do.  i better make this job the best that i can, because as of today i'm not so certain i'm even going to college now. who knows when i'll leave this terrible job.

so,anyone hiring?! ;)

totally inspired

by the rockin Ali Edwards! i know i am wayyyyy behind the times, but i FINALLY picked her book up at Archiver's tonight!  thank goodness for my fabulous sister who drove us to the "city" to shop for schtuff so I was able to pretty much read, ooooh & ahhh, read some more, ooooh & ahhh some more & read on thru the entire book on the way home!!  i have not felt so stinkin' inspired in i don't know how long! THANK YOU ALI EDWARDS!!! [ha. like she'll actually see this! BUT, if she does *wink!*--thank you so much for a beyond extraordinary book-the chapters & layouts are fantastic!] that chick rocks!! ;) and yeah...i'm a goof...had megan snap a pic of me & my new *fave* book...after puttin the crap glasses on & lettin my hair go crazy!! *lol* okay, but here's the kicker....i was SO inspired to get going on some new pages after reading her book, that i rushed down to my table...only to sit there & argue with myself about the photo i was using & all the pp's i wanted to use for over an HOUR...and guess what??  i got absolutely NOTHIN done! ha. wow. what a shocker! it never fails, everytime i'm really feelin' it...feelin' inspired...nothing stinkin works out! *lol* ::sigh:: guess i'll just have to go read some more!! ;)

OH. did you say you wanted a weekend review? okay. comin' right up! [and even if u didn't say you wanted it; it's coming anyways...so prepare yourself! hahaha!! ;)]

Friday: guess what FINALLY came???!!!!  MY FINANCIAL AID INFO!!!!!  too bad i don't understand what they're offering me, other than tha fact that the 2 i did get are some tyes of loans :(  what happened to the grants, dude?!  my 1st 2 years of college rocked...i got grants galore & now that i'm attending a not-so-cheap, but could-be-worse University, i get nothin'! what'd up with that?  soooo, i have to make a call to the aid office to make an appt. to meet with someone in person about all this. ugh. but, i am just glad it arrived!

friday again: went shopping with tricia. it was aight. ;)  headed to the mall, only to find zilch. then, went to babies r' us for a baby shower gft & then borders...LOVE borders. hadn't been in awhile & get this; i actually ALMOST bought a book! *shock* but, i didn't, cuz then i realized i don't read! ha. then, we went to the ever-so-fabulous walmart. that's where the damage happened. i got both my dad & step dad's Father's Day gifts, my step sister's gift [well, most of it...still need to get a candle or something...what do u buy a soon-to-be 23 year old who has everything?!], some huge pack of fine pt. sharpies...oh, how i love sharpies!...the new BHG Scrapbooks, etc. mag...we had a blast doin' the self checkout! GOOD TIMES right there, even tho it would have been MUCH easier to just go thru a regular checkout as we are not professional Walmart Checker-Outters! *lol* ;) all in all, a fun night! oh! and ci-ci's pizza is the bomb-diggity! u cannot beat a huge pizza, pasta & salad buffet with a drink for $5! rock on!

Saturday: oh, saturdays. how i love thee. my fave day of the week. slept in til 11:30...but, hey...i didn't get to bed til 2! kinda chilled around the house for a bit, megan & i ran into town to check out a new cell phone for me, finally [my poor other one was just dying a horribly slow death!]...Verizon was what i was going for, too bad i didn't like any of their phones. so, i ended up with Sprint again...who i love anyways...a cuuuute new camera phone [just the new edition of the one i have-errr HAD.]...got a little angry when the guy told me no matter if i was a continuing customer & i SHOULD get a good deal, that i wouldn't " cuz that's just how all the companies are, miss!" [quoted from the sales dude]...so, i had to pay the stinkin 248 bucks for the phone that NEW customers were getting for only 79.99....wasn't happy, but then...good news came!  there was a mail in rebate [i *heart* mail in rebates!]...$150 rebate!! SWEET! sooo i eventually end up getting the phone for a pretty decent deal! yey! and i LOVE it!! it's got speaker & i am having a blast with that thing already! *lol* it's the little things, can ya tell?! ;)

ok, so we had some arby's..came home & chilled a lil' more [see why i love saturdays?!] then, i decided it was time to do some scrappin! i got a page done!!  and it ONLY took me nearly 3 hours! *lol* [thank goodness for the backstreet boys' new CD! ha.] i usually never spend that long on a LO, but i had phone calls & a hard time deciding where i wanted to go with the page. but, it's done. yey!

i decided to go to the party last night just to catch up with some friends. it was a really nice time. hardly any drinking. just good conversation & laughs around the bonfire...even some back-cracking! *lol* yeah. we're weird here in OhiO! ;)  i stayed for a long time...left at 1 a.m. & went to bed after 2:30...church came too early this morning!

service was good...and i dunno who opened the gate, but there have been some FIIIIINE boys at my church lately!!!  i am enjoyin it!! *lol*  jimmy sat in front of me & i dunno what it is about that boy, but he just makes me smile & wanna scream all at the same time! *lol* came home for a quick second to change & then headed to my grandparents for Father's Day lunch...YUM! good seeing them. they rock. plain & simple.  after that, we drove to see my dad for a little while. he loved his gifts & our relationship is slowly getting better & closer with each gathering. good thing. :) then meg & i went shopping & the rest i already said first! ha.

and now, it's yet, again, sunday night. work is tomorrow. blah. thank goodness for having july 11th, 12th & 13th off! just a select couple days that i wanted off to just do whatever. guess you could call it my vacation. yey!

another novel. now, there's a surprise! ;) peace out & ahve a great week, gals!! :)

TGIF!!!

ohhhhh buddy!! i am more than thrilled it's friday!!  this week has actually gone pretty fast, but man! it's been wonky! *lol* soooo lemme tell ya why i'm happy today...besides the fact that it's friday! ;)

*scored GREAT seats to the BSB concert in Cleveland July 26th!!! megan is "taking" me for my bday...THE best sister eva!! ;)

*going shopping with my bestest, tricia tonight after work! gonna go to a mall i haven't been to in forever...no worries...i'm not buying anything for myself!! i have 2 dad's day gifts to buy & a gift for my step sister's bday next week! tricia is a bargain shopper...i'm not. i need her with me cuz i have like NO money! *lol* she's gonna help a sista out! ;)

*today's payday!!! ok, i know i just said i have no money...b/c i don't! i paid some bills...and the rest i am saving...saving for car repairs [that i know are coming soon...as my car is like jerking when i try to go faster on the highway. eeeek!]...saving for college??? saving for trips that'll i never go on. *sigh* who knows! 

*i paid my digital camera off!!!!! wooooot!!!!  just 3 bills for that baby & it's mine!!! so proud! ha.

*only 2 more payments on my computer & it's mine!!!  if i would have paid on it every month like i should have, it would ALREADY be mine! *lol*

*i LOVE the movie, Hitch!!!  totally the best movie i've seen in a while!! [oh, forgot to say...i was bummed i didn't actually like In Good Company. actually, i only watched about 10 minutes of it & was soooo bored....i let it continue to play, but i hopped online during the whole thing & just shut it off! *lol*]

*i scrapped 2 more pages for Scrapworks last night that i'm actually happy with!!!  yeyyyy!

*the new backstreet boys CD ROCKS! plain & simple. these MEN [yeah. can we get a name change now, please?! *lol*] are incredible!!!  so many of their songs i can relate to so much! & the inside cd booklet's photos are YUMMY!!! mmmm! ;)

*after a bit of rain through this week, the weather is gettin' beautiful here again! yey for OhiO! [yeah right. *lol*]

*i had a very deep conversation with tricia last night & we got some big thoughts out.  she said she thought our friendship was fading away. that I was fading away. uh. news to me?  it was the best conversation we've had in a long time, and things were cleared up & are much better now! *big sighofrelief* on that one! :)

*i'm sleepin in tomorrow!!!! *grin*

*my mom informed the other night that our church picnic [my fave event of the year!]this year is gonna be on my birthday!!!! woooot! just spending it with my church family will be so much fun! my mom started laughing & said, "are you serious?! you wanna go even if it's on your birthday?! wow! i'm surprised! i actually told some people that we weren't coming! guess we are now!" ha. but, it's like i told her...as long as i get my red velvet cake that she makes like NO other...i will be thrilled!! :) *lol*

*new cell phone HOPEFULLY tomorrow! my poor little one just can't take much more! i hope they don't charge me an arm & a leg for one! i found some on verizonwireless.com that i liked...so we shall see!...my checkbook will be the final decision maker on it al! ha.

****HaPpY fRiDaY!!!!****