Hey everybody, it's been a few months or so since the last entry. So it's time for catching up. I've experienced a lot of things since last I wrote, and I thought it time to share.
The new job is going great! My three months has come and gone, which means I am not on the probation period anymore, and medical benefits kick in. It's a smaller company than the one I worked at before, also. I started out doing the full process and then got moved to just prepping docs. I work with some really cool people, too. The company itself is pretty awesome as well, they've brought in lunch quite a bit, and there's plenty of room for OT.
While that's going well, some things aren't. My sister's boyfriend passed away last month. Just for a little more perspective, I was able to drive when she was born, so she's much younger than me. He was in a boating accident and only 19. And they were a close couple. They had been together for nearly four years...
It's been really hard on her, and since we are living over 300 miles from her, we haven't been able to visit so much. We did a couple weeks ago because there was a family reunion, and we got to go to it. Right now her main focus seems to be taking care of his family, because they did spend a lot of time together and became really close. We did get to visit for a short time on our trip, which was nice. We brought the Christmas presents we didn't get to send in December. On the way there, at a Tractor Supply in a small town on the way, we found a Coke bottle with her name on it, (the spelling isn't common at all) so I had to pick it up. That among other things gave her something to smile about, in the midst of really tragic and awful feelings and events.
We did pick up a few things while we were on vacation. Our family tradition, along with visiting as many people we know as we can in a short time, also extends to shopping at certain places and doing certain things. One of the first things we did was visit The Galaxy Connection in Hot Springs. It is a Star Wars Museum in Arkansas, and wholly impressive if you ask me. I'll soon dedicate a blog to that place, Google it for now (as well as any other place mentioned that piques your interest.) We also shopped some in Mountain View, since that was where the reunion was, and it's basically the central location to much of my family from Arkansas. Well, Mountain View and the surrounding areas. One place we visited was a place called Yoder's Country Cupboard. It's about the size of a Trader Joe's grocery store, and carries, furniture, bulk foods, bulk food processing items, cooking utensils, natural products, etc. It's where I get my powdered butter and powdered cheese. Another place we go is For Mother Earth, or, as we affectionately say, "The Hippie Store." They have everything from natural hemp products such as clothing and lotions, to bumper stickers and t-shirts and books.
Anyhow, that's what we do in town. I always like to go to a few of the flea markets (thrift/antique places to those not in Arkansas.) Since I used to live there, I always peek into these shops for a few minutes, just to see if they have a copy of the '92 or '93 Mountain View yearbook. I was in both of them and I always look, but it seems like only the surrounding years are there. It's a quest, among other things. There are always some interesting items for sale or consignment there!
In other news, however, there is other news.
Several weeks ago, my mom found out she had cancer. From what I know it's isolated, and can be removed, but at quite a cost. But - without getting into too many personal details, she can have a pretty serious surgery and one round of chemotherapy, and that should take care of it. We do have cancer in our family background, as well as diabetes. She is diabetic, but she also takes care of herself exceptionally well. So, tomorrow is the big day. Her surgery is first thing in the morning, and we're hoping it goes well and there are no complications or any other issues. My mom is really brave, and very tough. And I believe she will do just fine.
It's worrisome in a way, just like any other challenge is. I don't know how else to put it.
A lot of folks I know are experiencing some challenges right now. It's not pretty, but what in life really is,other than an occasional trip to the lake, or a beautiful sunset, or a Cinnabon opening up nearby?
I guess when faced with things like this, each of us has a choice to make, either be afraid of the bad things in life, or focus on the good things in life. Or, confront the bad things in life and appreciate the good. I don't know for sure.
All I know is here I am, writing this blog at 8:57 on a Wednesday night, letting things out finally that have simply been thoughts waiting to burst out. There's something about freewriting during the evening that just takes the edge off of life. Life's tough folks, that's all there is to it. You know how it is! But hey, I can sit here at night after work and type anything I damn well please, and it really feels good to just let it out. I didn't like writing sentences in third grade nearly as much as I do now!
Sometimes it is good to let things out, good and bad, and see where it goes.
