Football over = Freedom

 Yes, with our high school football season being done, it leads to more freedom and time to get things accomplished. Accomplishing wedding tasks have been the top of the list.

I haven't really talked much about the wedding planning on here, nor on Facebook for that fact. I don't feel like everyone should know all the wedding details. Somethings need to be left a surprise. That and probably 80% of my Facebook is not invited to our wedding.

But I feel like getting out some of the wedding talk now. So forgive me!!

We are getting married at a golf course in a town about 40 minutes from where we live. It is brand new. I believe their first weddings were actually in May of this year. It is an all inclusive, one location for everything type of place. Let me tell you, that is awesome in my opinion.

People keep asking me if I am stressed about the whole thing, or if I am losing any sleep over it and maybe I'm not doing it right because overall I'm not stressed. Yes, the money aspect of it gets to me sometimes. But that is expected. Its not cheap. You can do it cheap, but this isn't a cheap wedding. I have just been taking things day by day. I have a venue, a dress, my bridal party, photography (AND engagement pictures done), appointments set up for invitations, cake tasting and flowers. I am 90% sure on the bridesmaids dress just need to figure out the logistics (3 of my 4 live out of town, 2 of the 4 live out of state), and our catering set.

For being engaged only 3 months, I think I have made quite the progress!! I still have a ton of little things to do, but they will get done. I am not worried. :)

Speaking of engagement pictures though, holy crap that was an experience. Our photography is an "organic photographer" which I think means she uses mostly natural light. So she had us "frolicking" in fields. It was fun though. I have always looked at engagement pictures and thought " wow, I hope my man and I can look that in love in pictures" I hope ours turn out like we are romantic and in love. We certainly are both of those, but we are quirky as well.

Well, that is my update!! Hope everyone has a great day.

-Me!

The Thankful Project Day 8-13

AHHHHH I have been do bad about this. I had a weekend that wasn't to enjoyable. I had a family emergency and had to go out of town. Thankfully, everything has turned out okay. So today's link up will be very short and sweet. But I feel like I need to continue the project.

Day 8: Words ---------"Live for the moments you can't put into words"

Day 9: A Photo

Day 10: A Memory------Graduating from college.
Day 11: Something you were taught------- Change is good.
Day 12: An Opportunity--------- To live overseas and experience a whole different world.
Day 13: An Ability------  my ability to support myself. Financially. I feel like this is something in this day and age that I am extremely thankful for.

Will do more tomorrow!!

The Thankful Project Day 7: A Job

The Thankful Project

Day 7: A Job.

I am thankful for my job. After being let go from my first job (Read here) I applied to 10 or so jobs. I even went on several interviews. I obviously didn't get any of them. :(  I started  looking for a new job in April, and when July came around. I was starting to get very nervous. I had a small back up plan, but it really wasn't something I wanted to do.

One day in the middle of July, a friend that worked at a different high school in the same area sent me a text to stop being upset and to send him my resume. His assistant had taken a job at a different high school and he had a position open at his high school.

I am beyond thankful that he wanted to hire me, and give me a job!!

-Me!

The Thankful Project Day 6: A Failure

The Thankful Project Link Up

Linking up with again over at Chasing Happy for the Thankful Project.  Today is day 6. I can say that I have done the past 5 days on the day they should be done. This is huge for me! I almost forgot on Sunday, but I got it done :)

Today the prompt is A Failure. My masters degree. Huge failure on my part. School is not my thing. I have never had the interest in it, nor have I had the desire to be in school. Regardless of the subject.

I have started my masters twice. Two different schools.  Have no finished. I am not Thankful at all for this. But it is just a simple reminder that it is something I have failed at.

-Me!

The Thankful Project Day 5: A Talent

Link up

What talent am I thankful to have?...... I am not sure if this is a talent or just something that I find important so I make sure it gets done. Keeping in contact with people. Like I said, I don't think it is a legit talent.

I was lucky enough to have lived in several different countries as a kid and meet a ton of people. I love to catch up with those people, and see how their lives are going. I enjoy sending birthday cards, and random texts on a Wednesday. I also love to send out Christmas, Valentines day, Halloween, and St. Patrick day cards. (Strange, I know!)

Facebook helps me out a lot. I have thought about deleting it several times over the last year or two, but I always come back to the decision to keep it.  It is a great tool to keep up with family and friends around that live around the world. I get to see pictures of engagement rings, baby pictures, new job announcements, or even just small changes in life.

All in all, I just love to keep in contact with people, so I claim it as my talent. A talent that I am thankful for.

-Me!

The Thankful Project Day 4: An Experience

The Thankful Project

If you haven't noticed, I am participating in something called the Thankful Project. It was started by Chasing Happy.  I love her blog. Always such deep post that make you think about life.

Today's prompt: An Experience. Fair warning, this is quite a long post.

Being a "Budget Cut" from my first job. I have a vivid memory of this experience. Sitting in my car in the school parking lot just crying. Uncontrollably crying. This was my first "real job" I had put my heart and soul into this job. I loved the kids, my coaches, everything.

My coworker and I had been told on a Monday that we needed to meet with the Superintended that Wednesday regarding our jobs. Schools in the state of Texas were about to have some major budget cuts, and our jobs apparently were on the chopping block. Wednesday came around, and my Athletic Director came in my office. I remember the conversation like it was yesterday

AD: Is Josh* here?             * Name has been changed**
Me: Not yet
AD: Okay, well I need you to come to my office at 1030 this morning.
Me: Its me isn't it. I am going to be a budget cut
AD: (looked down at the ground) Just please come see me and the Assistant Superintendent at 1030.

I had to go to a staff meeting prior to the meeting. I remember sitting in the meeting next to a coaching friend of mine and we were passing a note book about questions I needed to ask. I had never been let go before, I didn't know to ask about health insurance, severance pay etc. All the while, our principle was standing there talking about how the budget cuts were not going  to affect any of our teachers. "We will not be losing any teachers." He kept saying.  I am not technically a teacher. I am an Athletic Trainer. I do not have a teaching certification, hence how he could stand there and say that. He stood there and wouldn't look at me either, he knew what was about to happen. I left the meeting early to go to my other meeting.

I just cried the whole time. I know that isn't the professional thing. But I just cried. I was so unhappy. I was truly heart broken. As I write this, I am tearing up.

After all was said and done, I went to my car and just cried. I called my mom, my dad and my best friend. I was lost and had no idea what to do. After I semi composed myself, I went back to the Athletic Training room where I had a room full of athletes and my students waiting on me. Another Athletic Trainer who happens to be a close family friend of mine happened to be at the school. Him, my head AT and I sat in our office and just talked. I was mad, sad, and just not okay. I left school early  that day.

After school we had scheduled a meeting with our students because my coworker would be gone starting that Thursday (the very next day) for a month for shoulder surgery (Yes, school district let me know on a Wednesday that my job wasn't important enough to keep for the next year... the day before my coworker was about to take a month off. So hey, you don't have a job next year, but please stay for the next month and do the job of two people by yourself... Thanks a whole lot). Well I left before the meeting, and to just make the whole situation even worse.. my coworker told all our kids a that meeting.

"hey, I am just going to say this now... Ms.Oney won't be back next year"

So I got to go to school the next morning, putting out fires with that. It was like living it over. I had parents calling me, kids crying in my office, I was stopped in the hallway and everything. It sucked.

BUT, the reason that I am thankful for that experience is because I never would have met my fiance, I never would have been able to work with one of my best friends for the last 2 years, and I wouldn't have gone through such an event that has shaped me and helped me as a professional. I can now take the good things from it.

The Thankful Project: A Place

Thankful Project 

The prompt for today is "A Place" 

Doesn't take me long to come up with a place, actually it took less than 2 seconds. This place is somewhere that I hold dearly.  

This place is ......

Pawleys Island, South Carolina.  I wish I was better with words to describe how much I love this place. This is what I considered "home" for a long time while we lived in Asia. We use to go for 2-3 weeks and rent a house. We had family friends that owned a house down there and we would always be there with them. It was like a mini family reunion, but not blood family. We would always have friends from other countries come stay for a couple days, and/or family would make the drive. 

One of my favorite things about this place is that it is serene peaceful and above most just relaxing. During our years of coming to Pawleys, my family and I moved countries 3 times. So going there every summer was always normal. I grew up there in the summers. I went from not liking boys, to finding boys attractive, to having my first crush/kiss happen while there. 

This place is truly home to me. I am Thankful for the people there and the memories that were created. 

-Me. 

The Thankful Project Day 2: A role you've played

The Thankful Project

Today's prompt is "A Role You've Played". This is new role for me to play, as of recently. But the role of Fiance. I am blessed to be engaged to an amazing man. A and I started dating in the fall of 2011. It was a rocky start, but it has turned into something so amazing.

I have had troubled relationships in the past. Majority of the issues being my self-esteem and falling for losers.  A is not a loser!!! He is actually someone that I never thought I deserved.

A is sweet, caring, funny, smart, talented, OCD, and above all he is a big kid. He always puts a smile on my face and knows how to cheer me up after a bad day at work.

I feel that all those things about A helps me be the best fiance I can be. I love being there for him, leaving him sweet notes, making sure he has his work shirts already ironed for when he comes home and needs one because he forgot he had a business meeting (happened more than once). Most of all, I feel like he makes me a better person.  So Thank You A!!!

The Thankful Project Day 1: A Person

The Thankful Project

I am so excited for this project!! Lets see if I can remember to do it everything though. That will be a tough one for me.

Today's thankful is a Person. This one is hard for me. There are a ton of people that I am thankful to have in my life. Picking one person wasn't easy for me. But, considering what is going in my life right now I chose to be thankful for my father today.

My dad is an incredible man. His job didn't allow him to be around much when I was growing up, but I can say that he was always there for the important things. My dad has sacrificed alot of things for our family. The older I get, the more I am realizing the values him and  my mother instilled in me.

So Thank You Dad. You are an inspiration to me.


-Me!