Check Us Out

I don't talk really openly and frankly about my family a ton on here, or at least not as much as I would like to. So I am doing it here. If you want to see some updated (semi) pics of me and the family check it out. :-)

It's About Time

I can't remember how much I talked about the possibility of a new, more "public", blog on this site and I'm too sleepy to search for it, but I finally did it. And by finally I mean that I purchased the domain last July and have just now found the time to actually get this thing together. I have another home! It's HERE!

This blog is only known by about a hand full of people I know "in real life" who with I have actual face to face relationships. Otherwise my readership is a majority of people I have met through the internet and blogging community. To be honest, I kind of like it that way. This blog started out almost completely anonymously and then moved to being a bit more open about G and the kiddos. I tend to let my emotions go here and say things I wouldn't normally do so face to face. I'm not sure that's a 100% great thing but it's still the way it is nonetheless. This new space, on the other hand, is going to be completely public. I will be posting there regularly less about "personal" stuff and "feelings" and more about every day life. I will be much more open about things like my location and even include full names on a regular basis. Yep, I will be holding less back in some ways and yet keeping part of me private in that location.

For those reasons I have no intentions as of yet to get rid of this space. This is still my "private" space. I come here for support and care and laughs and tears. That isn't likely to change anytime soon. I won't have any references to this space on my other blog and I would appreciate it if no one else does either. I know you all can keep a secret. :-)

If you want to talk to me a bit more openly about fashion, budgets, fitness, and probably just about anything you can think about, please come by and see me - it's going to a FUN! It's still a work in progress but hopefully as you see changes it will be for the better. It's worth a try anyway!

Big Goals

I want this. Or at least one really similar. And I'm not talking about the 5K medal. I want the one that says "Half Marathon". I want it because I've earned it and finished a half marathon after training my butt off this year.


G and I have done a few 5K races and plan to do more this year but more than that we would both love to get in better shape and push ourselves to do something we have never done before. And this would be a BIG push. I've used "And" too many times to start sentences in this post but sometimes that's just the way it has to be.

We really want to do a half marathon together, I sort of have one in June picked out, but I also want this on my list this year. It's a women's only race but I know G will cheer me on if I can make this happen and accomplish this goal. I would LOVE any tips, pointers, knowledge, hints, ANYTHING you can send my way for help in this undertaking. I don't want this to be something I have just talked about, I want to make it happen.

And I would really love a pretty ribbon to go along with my accomplishment. What woman doesn't like pretty accessories??

We Need Help

I don't know any other way to say it. Normally I'm not one to ask for other people's help. G and I have never wanted anything from anyone else that we didn't earn, that we didn't work HARD for. We paid for our own wedding, we supported ourselves as a married couple, we bought a home with 20% down, and when things have been rough we've worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet. G and I both have dreams of where we want our lives to be. I want to take care of people, to serve and help them as a nurse (hence my current status as a nursing student). He is a writer and he would love to make that his career. Right now he has another full-time job to pay the bills but it's just a job. It's a cruddy job that he really doesn't like but he does it every day just to make sure we can support our family. Up until a few weeks ago I also had a full-time job but that was taken away. I didn't lose it, I didn't quit, it's just gone. The company I worked for decided to get cheap, outside labor and got rid of my position. I can't say that I hate being unemployed, being that I can focus on school and spend more time with my family and on my home. But I hate that it hurts us financially and now we're in the position of struggling regularly. My unemployment is delayed due to issues with my previous employer not reporting my income properly. This week I'm going to apply for Medicaid for the kids, as well as WIC and the local health clinic for G and I. Everything is just going wrong right now. I never thought this is where my life would be at 31 years of age.

But this is where you can help. G is trying to self publish his 2nd and 3rd books. One is his second full length novel and the other is a collection of his short stories. He self published his first novel Guarding the Healer (which is available here and here) and we paid for that ourselves but it is NOT cheap. We have to pay for formatting, editing, and cover art. Last year we used our tax return but this year that's not going to be possible with our current financial circumstances. So what does that mean to you? I know I've mentioned this before but it's all about something called Kickstarter. It's a great place where aspiring artists, inventors, etc can look for funding for their projects, where people can invest in something and receiving something in return. And to get something you don't have to invest a lot, every little bit means something HUGE to us.

We have put this on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, G's blog, and here. So far over two weeks in and it's only 8% funded. 8%. Wow. We hoped it would be so much farther than that now. There are only 2 weeks left (it ends December 17th) and if it's not fully funded then none of the funding goes through and the projects will have to wait. I'm disappointed at this point. I'm disappointed that I have 419 friends on Facebook and G has 370 and yet we can't even get a total of 350 of those combined people to invest $10 each. I'm disappointed that more close friends and family, that we have helped and supported when we were in a better financial place haven't wanted to do anything for us. I'm sad that there's a real possibility that the work I know G has poured his heart and soul in to may not be seen by people who would appreciate it any time soon for something as simple as money.

I know the economy is not fabulous right now (we're living proof of that) but would love any help you could offer. I don't just want our friends and family to see this (especially considering they don't even read this blog for the most part) but rather the world. I know many of you are in hard situations too but if you could share this, if you could tweet the link to the Kickstarter page or share it on Facebook. I would love this to go viral and to allow people from all over to see someone with talent and drive, who wants simply to get the ideas out of his head and out into the atmosphere for others to see. If you can donate of course we would be so very grateful but if you can just pass it along and know you're doing something for a family that's struggling right now that would be so very appreciated too. There's a link on my left sidebar including the counts but each of the Kickstarter links here will take you directly to G's project too.

Thank you. Thank you for listening to me vent about this situation. Thank you for passing this along and getting it out there further into the world. And thank you for coming back to my blog even after reading this post.

Support the Arts!

My amazingly talented husband has written another book - SERIOUSLY! His creativity never ceases to astound me. He has also written multiple short stories that the world should get the chance to read. The problem? Well funding of course. To get both of these books published it's going to be about $3,500 and with me just losing my job last week (yep, another post for another day) there's no way we have the funds at this time. That's where you come in. Gabe posted this project on Kickstarter, an awesome site designed to help people who need funding. Right now there are only 26 days and thus far no support. I would LOVE for that to change ASAP. No matter what you are able to give you do get neat things in return. If you can't invest at this time we completely understand but I would LOVE for you to share the project with the people that you know. I have embedded a widget on the left sidebar to make it easy to click through but I'm going to include the link here as well. If you can invest, thank you from the very bottom of our hearts, and if you can't we completely understand and would love any publicity you can swing our way. The internet community is the best!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabeswriting/contemplations-of-dinner-and-predatory-animals?ref=card

Overdue Addendum

Way back in June I updated about my life and the fact that I was accepted into the Licensed Practical Nursing program at my local college (which by the way, is HARD to do). If you don't remember the details you are welcome to check it out here: http://brandysjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/good-and-bad.html So, I started school in mid-August on a Monday. By Tuesday it was quite obvious to me that they had made a mistake and I never should have gotten into the LPN program. I should have been accepted into the Associate of Science in Nursing program, which would allow me to sit for the testing to become an RN, and is a MUCH harder program to get in to. After two days of standing up for myself, pretty much demanding my score be refigured, and finally apologies from the Dean of Nursing I was moved into the Associate of Science in Nursing program. I no longer have a graduation date in mind of May 2014 but rather should be done (assuming I pass all classes the first time through!!) in May of 2013. That's an entire year of my life. That's one heck of an addendum. So that's also one of the reasons I have been MIA. Nursing school is kicking my rear and I'm still working full-time. That will change soon but that's a story for another day.

Over It

I know all I do is complain here right now but I can't help it. I can't complain on Facebook about this because you never know who is watching but I have to get this out. I worked an extra 4 hours Monday and my boss is dinging me today because I was down 1.5 hours. REALLY??!! She is a MORON and I am BEYOND over this job.

My Boss

Is a B****! Ok, that was probably better than screaming it in her face. Ggggrrrrr!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

When I started 9th grade I got a pair of black jeans that were a 30 x 30 and I thought they were HUGE. I was worried someone would see my giant size tag in my jeans because they were just so BIG. Oh how times change.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Where Were You?

I was sitting in my office on a gorgeous late summer morning. I was drinking coffee and getting started for the day. Everything was normal, nothing special or out of the ordinary. Until my co-worker, who came in later than I did, walked in and said he heard on the radio that a small plane hit the World Trade Center. We discussed what a crazy thing that was and didn't understand how in the world it could happen. Well, that is, until the news that another plane had hit. That's when things changed. We called family members, G called me, to make sure we were okay, unbelieving of what was happening to our country. We went 3 floors down to a TV and watched with others, the strength of our collective group more than the strength we had apart. We watched in shock and horror as the two towers, symbols of something that could never be destroyed, somehow fell, one and then the other. We prayed, hoped, cried, and our hearts were truly broken for the lives lost on that day. It has been 10 years but I remember it like it was yesterday.

As I have watched the coverage remembering 09/11 these last couple of weeks I have done so with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I have not forgotten, nor will I ever, the lives that were lost, the heroes that were made, and the absolute goodness that came forth in the days following this tragedy. The people that never came home and those that had to continue their lives without them will always be in my heart.