Latest Update

Many things have changed in my life over the past few weeks, mostly good. I finally got up the nerve to quit my job. I was extremely unhappy there for many reasons and it was no longer fulfilling or rewarding for me. Being a counselor is a tough job, there are good days and there are bad days. There are many disappointments because you start to care about your clients and when they relapse it is hard to not take fault in it; not to feel like you missed something or didn’t do everything you could. Of course, this is not the case, everyone has a free will and will make their own choices in life and no one can stop them.

I learned a lot about many things, myself included. It is always good to look back at a job and find the good things you learned, and how you grew as a person over the time you were there. Over the years, I have had many jobs ranging from childcare to counseling and everywhere in between. I am usually excited when I get a new job and work hard to learn every aspect of the job, but once I have learned everything I begin to become bored as if the challenge is gone. I have had 16 jobs since in the last 15 years, which breaks down to about a job a year. That is how quick and easy it can be to bore me.

My current job, as a drug and alcohol counselor, has probably taught me the most about myself out of all my jobs. I have had a good run with them and my boss has always been great and giving me the space and opportunity to grow as a person. I will always be grateful for the chance they took on me; a girl with some college courses but no real experience. Looking back, it is amazing to see my own growth. I remember how timid and shy I was when I first started out, a year ago. Now, I am more assertive and am able to take control of a group (anywhere from 2 to 20 people) and have even earned the respect of many. It’s a good feeling, a feeling of accomplishment and pride in myself. It will be sad to leave, but change is good and moving on to the next best thing is also good.

As of the first (or second) week of May, I will be doing what I have always dreamed of doing since I was a little girl, writing. I remember, even as a child, having an amazing imagination. I would make up all kinds of games to play with the neighbors, or stories I would act out alone, putting myself as the main character and creating a whole new world around myself. I have been writing since I was in grade school, most of those stories I don’t have any longer, but I still picture myself sitting in my room writing stories.

I look forward to this new chapter in my life. I am doing a lot of freelance work and making decent money. My hope is that by leaving my full time job, I will be able to take on even more freelance work and have time to finish writing a novel. With 16 jobs in my past, I have many stories and experiences to share and/or turn into entertaining works of fiction. I also hope to devote more time to my blog and keeping everyone, who reads, updated on the latest events in my life.

Flower Girl

Kevin is a great guy and I don’t have enough blog posts which brag about him. He does the sweetest things for me all the time; anything from making sure I have dinner when I get home to leaving little notes in places he knows I will look. I am often surprised by his gestures of love. One of the things he has done for me since we started dated is buy me flowers. I never thought I was the type of girl who enjoyed flowers, but it’s a pleasant surprise when I come home from work to find flowers in my sink. He puts the bouquet in my sink, and then I put them in a vase and cut them if need be. Here are the bouquets I have been given.

First set of flowers, 9-25-08


October 18, 2008

My mom is stopping to smell the flowers, November 2, 2008

December 27, 2008

Valentine's Day 2009

March 5,2009
I also have what we refer to as the Flower Graveyard. It is the spot right out the front door, where I throw my flowers once they die. Seems a waste to throw them in the trash and who knows maybe someday I will have a variety of flowers growing in the burial grounds.

Allergic Reaction

Lately, I have noticed some problems with my health; mainly I think I’m low on Iron. I get random dizzy spells and light-headedness and have dark circles under my eyes. Instead of going to the Doctor and letting them figure it out, I decided to try to pump up the Iron in my blood on my own. It is a problem when you don’t have health insurance, it makes you take matters into your own hands and try to “fix” yourself. So, I went out and bought some Iron pills and Vitamin C pills, the C pills help the Iron get absorbed into the bloodstream. I took one pill everyday for about a week. On Sunday night, I started to feel itchy all over, which isn’t that strange for me I have had a lot of problems with my skin in the past few years and have some form of Eczema. Monday night the itching was worse and by Tuesday I started to notice a rash on my arms. Wednesday, I figured out that the itching always got worse at night or shortly after I took my Iron pills. I noticed hives all over my body; arms, legs, shoulders, chest, its ugly. My co-worker looked up Iron pills online and the first thing it says is “seek medical attention immediately if you experience an allergic reaction such as a rash or hives…” Super! I have not sought medical attention, back to the no insurance thing again. I figure I will have to pay a couple hundred dollars for them to tell me to stop taking Iron and take some Benadryl. I have stopped taking the Iron and have been taking Benadryl on and off for the last few days. Kevin spoke to one of his Doctor friends and a nurse friend; they both told me to take Benadryl and in about a week the Iron will be out of the system and the hives will go away. Here are some disgusting pictures of the hives on my body:






As a side note, if you take Benadryl and then drink alcohol the effects are so much greater. I drank a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and took Benadryl; boy did I have a nice buzz. As an alcohol and drug counselor, I would recommend you do not mix these two things and drive…bad.