"525,600 Minutes... How do you measure a year in the life? How about love... Seasons of Love."
January
January started off with a bang in 2008... Angela's 24th Birthday Party--80's style! From the moment she mentioned it, I was ecstatic about it! We all dressed up and looked AWESOME. We had the best time rockin' out the 80's garb and hittin' up some Rock Bottom Brewery and Arnies. It was such a fun night! In other news, Lora started hanging out with me on a more regular outside-of-work basis and I began to see what a match she could possibly for Gaby. I tested the waters a little bit by inviting her to be around all of us as a group so they could develop some kind of friendship first. I'm a little matchmaker. :) Not that it was too big of a deal, but while I was working at the Kenwood Limited Too I fainted and it was really scary. I've been tired before and been drowsy but being up, talking to someone one minute, and being laid out on the hardwood floor the next is something completely different. ;)
Everyone @ Fountain Square dressed in 80's wear!
February
On Feb. 1st, Gaby asked out Lora out on their first date! Not that that is something big in my life but it was the start of something really great for the both of them and I am happy to have been able to introduce them! Early in Feb, Angela had found a man who wanted to get rid of a puppy he had. I took him in and tried to get Honey to accept him but there was no chance of that. :( However, we found him a good home at the Davidson House. They named him Gus and he is just the craziest little dog. I know he makes Sydney pretty happy so all things work out for the best. :) Feb. 9th was one busy day! Katie and I attended Bridal Rama during the day and then Girl's Night promptly followed. It started at Applebees where, thoroughly not intensionally, I got pretty tipsy which was then followed by a complete drunken mess later that night at Arnie's. It was on the weird side too because Lauren and I had not talked since August and once we got together, it was like a sonic boom of pent up friendship. I had a blast that night, we were like two peas in a drunken pod. Although, I didn't throw up the whole way home like she did ;) Coming home that night however I did feel a scratch in my throat. Sure enough, the next day, I woke up with the worst flu EVER. George was already sick with the flu and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I missed a week of work (While KayCe made comments about how I was probably "milking it") but honestly, that was the worst I can ever remember being sick. It was so terrible!!
Girl's Night 2008
March
March 1st--> Katie's Bridal Shower! I of course threw the shower as the Matron of Honor and it was great. :) Katie got a lot of really awesome things and I think I did a pretty good job and I hope she thinks so as well! And the cake was yummy. ;) The weather, as it always is in Ohio, was insane. It was 55 Degrees on a Monday and by that following Friday/Saturday we had a full blown Blizzard! No really, it was declared a blizzard! It was so insane! We had a F*ck the Snow Party and it was all good fun. :) We celebrated St. Patrick's Day which was new for us and it was SP FUN! It honestly goes down in my book as one of the best nights of the year. There wasn't much to it.. We went to a cleared out Arnie's and danced and drank the night away! Then to I-Hop where a much discussed pancake eating contest took place between me and Gaby lol It was so fun. Most monumentally, on March 30th Matt Maupin's remains were found finally. It was truly sad knowing he was 100% gone but there was peace in knowing what exactly had happened. It was finally known.
Katie and I at her Bridal Shower
The hearse carrying Matt Maupin's casket as it wound thru Union Township.
Lauren, Angela, and I on St. Patrick's Day!
April
Woo, April! It started off with Katie's Bachelorette Parties and then Katie's Wedding! The Bachelorette Dinner was fun, but the Bachelorette PARTY is where it was at! LOL We had A BLAST. Seriously.. So fun!!! Until that is, the very end of the night when some random Joe was hitting on Lauren. When he got too close, she pushed him away and he PUNCHED HER IN THE FACE. It was the most insane thing I have ever seen! It was a bunch of crazy emotions afterwards. I couldn't believe he punched her!!!! It's sad that that night will always have that terrible moment related to it because for the most part, we had the best time! So sad. So the next week, on April 12th 2008 Katie became Mrs. Palmer! Although nervous about a Matron Of Honor speech, I think I pulled it together! LOL It was a really fun wedding and I had a great time! I'm so happy for the two of them. :) George also left his job at Great Steak and started working with John at Clough Pike Market, owned by Jean Paul. It was a chance to really work for a professional cook! He was so happy!
The night of Katie's Bachelorette Party lol
Katie and I on her Big Day!
May
We celebrated Ethan's Birthday in May! It started when George and I took him and Sydney to the Zoo in the early A.M. Then we went to the Lenga house for his 4th Birthday Party! I can't believe he is 4! He's getting so big. :) Over the course of the months previous, we sorta had just begun going out all the time! lol It was great fun and there were many, many nights out that will not soon be forgotten! May 17th was the CF Walk and it always feels good to be doing something to help find a cure for a disease that takes loved ones away before their time! Toward the end of the month, we went to the Taste of Cincinnati where I LOVE to go every year to try all the awesome food. I LOVE the Taste! We also thru Michelle's surprise Birthday Party here and it was good fun! Kevin was so sweet decorating all day and we all had a blast! In May, George and I had also made final decisions on where we would be heading for vaca: Chicago! We were so excited! Also, Sex and The City came out!!! I was SO EXCITED! I had been waiting for it for almost a year!! It was a really great movie, even is Steve DID cheat on Miranda.. That made me mad! Oh well ;) In May we also got the Stimulus Check from the government to help the economy. That was awesome! Free money is always good. I can't wait for the next one!
Ethan and Sydney @ The Zoo
Ethan Turns 4!
CF Walk 2008
June
June is ALWAYS a big month! LOL On the 5th, we went to see Pablo Fransisco! He was at The Funny Bone in Newport and was SO FUNNY! We had the best seats ever. FRONT ROW. It was seriously so great to finally see him up and close! He's the best comedian! And two days later, we left for Schaumburg, Il where we would be staying! The weather was crazy as we drove there.. We no joke beat a funnel cloud... George saw it, I sped like crazy and didn't stop. Finally, we got in the clear. When we got to our hotel, we saw on the news that it had touched not nearly fifteen minutes after we had passed thru. I am SO GLAD I didn't stop! The weather wasn't better in Schaumburg.. It was rainy EVERYWHERE! That didn't stop us from having a great night out at Medieval Times! That place is amazing and everyone should go at LEAST once in their lives! The next day was June 8th. One Year Married and Five Years Together! We spent the day together shopping, hanging out, and then eating dinner at Texas De Brazil, a steak house much like Fogo De Chao! It was so awesome and I love my husband SO MUCH! After being rained in so much we decided to leave early and come home. We were on vacation the whole week.. Although we were dealing with some family drama, the week was pretty good! I was VERY happy to be away from Limited Too and George was happy to be away from Jean Paul! We went to Coney Island, The Levee, and The Zoo! We had an awesome vacation! And then at the end of the month, Aidan turned one! It's so crazy to me how fast time goes! He was just the cutest thing in the world and I think he liked my toy best. :)
George, Pablo Fransisco, and me!
Us @ Medieval Times on our Anniversary Vacation!
Aidan turns one!
July
The never ending fight with KayCe came to HUGE blows in July. We had an all out fight with each other that lasted a good three hours in the backroom at Limited Too. She was terrible to me. Told me all kinds of lies.. Including ones that tried to break down the friendship Lora and I had built. She was so damn convincing that I am ashamed to have believed her for the few days I actually did. I knew the time was coming that it was her or me. And let's face it, it would always be her. I pushed on anyway. July was great in the aspect that it was the month of the American Idol Concert with Angela and Lauren!!! We had SUCH a great time! We had the BEST seats EVER! We were on the floor and it was so great! That night also ranks as one of the best nights of the year. :) We had the Senior Good-Bye Party for Limited Too early and it was a lot of fun. Very sad because I was truly close with some of the seniors who were leaving.. Namely, Michelle (Smelly) and Sam (Sammy Whammy). I still miss those girls. :) Summer movies were amazing.. Iron Man, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones, Hulk, HellBoy 2, Step Brothers, Mamma Mia, Tropic Thunder, & Pineapple Express just to name a few! However, there wasn't much else.. June is always so big that July is always sorta boring! lol
The Limited Too Crew as of July.
Me, Angela, and Lauren at the American Idol Concert!
#1 Idol: David Cook. So hot! (And we were SO CLOSE!)
August
It wasn't a big thing but there was a memorable night at Katie's house with some crazy Russians in August.. I think it deserves good mentioning! It was such a funny night.. To everyone but Katie. Sorry girl! A few days before George's birthday, we found out that Jean Paul was going to close his business and George would lose another job he really was loving. It was such a blow since the same thing had happened at Tony Romas too. :( However, we were determined to make his birthday special and I think it was. :) We had George's birthday at The Beach and it was SO FUN! A ton of people went! We were there ALL day! I was so tired from swimming all day! But he had a great time which is ultimately what matters most! It was such a fun, if not exhausting, day! In an attempt to get out of a KayCe-filled environment and possibly create a better future for myself, I went to work at Northgate for a few days in the middle of the month. That did little to help because things went awry there too. I was just seeing that maybe a future with Limited Too was not in MY future. WEBN came early and on August 31st we went down to Newport to ring in Labor Day! It's always one of my favorite holidays! LOL
George coming down the biggest slide on his birthday!
George and his sisters @ The Beach.
George and I @ WEBN Fireworks.
September
All the shows come back in September! And I was REALLY FREAKING EXCITED because not only was a new show coming on, it was 90210 a spin off from Beverly Hills 90210 and as if that wasn't great enough, they were bringing back BRENDA! That's right.. Shannen was coming back to play Brenda!!! I mean, so was Jennie Garth to play Kelly (And now I hear that Tori Spelling will be back toward the end of the year to play Donna..) but COME ON. I am the biggest Brenda fan that probably ever lived and I still stand by my claim that 90210 was never the same after she left! Anyway.. September is always great because it's birthday month! And that meant another vacation away from Limited Too! During my vacation, I had an interview lined up with National City. It was my first step out the door. However, I didn't end up getting the position at that branch.. More details to follow. ;) Anyway, early in my vaca we had a BLACK OUT! We had some terrible wind storm that was coming from the hurricane in the south and it knocked out all the power! Our power went out on Sunday and didn't come back on until Wednesday! It was the most insane thing! What a vaca, right? ;) My birthday was pretty sweet. :) For lunch, we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise with us, Emily, Lora, and John. Then that night, I had a party at our APT and it was mucho fun! It was a HUGE improvement over last year!! However, when I got back from vacation and went back to work, there was just more and more KayCe crap that had happened. My first day back I just found out a lot of horrible things she had said about me and I was tired of it. I called Rachelle that night to let her know I needed to speak with her ASAP. I was so done. Little did I know, that Kayla (the same girl who told me all those things..) had called KayCe to tell her other random things about me that were untrue to save her own ass. However, the next day KayCe (on her way down to the mall to write me up..) was in a crazy accident and wouldn't be back to work for two weeks. I had so much to think about...
Birthday Cupcakes!
Me on my 24th Birthday.
October
When KayCe finally came back to work, I knew I was done. I had taken so much crap from her I was done. She had tried to surprise me with a "talk" but Lora had told me it was coming. I knew going in that day it would be my last--Either she would fire me or I would quit. It went exactly like that. I expressed everything I felt about her.. How much of a hypocrite she was, how mean and unfair she had been, everything! It felt so good to finally stand up for myself. She had plenty to say too.. That I was a bad manager and a bad person. When she asked me to write down all the reasons why I was so bad and what I'd do to change them.. I had had enough. I sat there and wrote out all my reasons why I was making the choice that I was.. And on October 10th, nearly two years to the day that I had started, I wrote this was my notice, effective immediately. I sat down my keys, I clocked out, and I walked out front where she was and just said "I'm done." It was the most freeing moment of my life! I walked out not having another job but having some respect. It felt great. :D It helped that I had another interview at National City at the Norwood branch the following Tuesday. I got that job! And I love working for National City. I make more, I have better hours, and I am learning I have one of the best branches full of people to be working with. It's not to say I don't miss LTD2.. I do.. But mostly in the sense of the people. I miss not seeing Lora all the time. I still see her a lot but it was so fun to work with her. Anyway, it was for the best!!! George got a steady job finally! He started working for Wings and Rings, the new one that opened in the mall! He really likes it there so we are both very happy! He had been picking up hours at Rally's of all places so he was very happy to have a full time job again. And so was I! Many babies turned one this month! Aubree, Maddox, and Mason's parties were all in the same day! It was so fun they are all such adorable babies! :) On the 25th, we had our Halloween Party at Angela's house and even though there was a tension between Lauren and I for no reason, the party was really fun! I can never figure Lauren out so I STILL don't know why she wasn't talking to me that night lol. But it was still really fun! Everyone karaoked and I have the best pictures from that! George's costumes are always hilarious. I love him!
Stacey with Aubree on her 1st Birthday!
LOL Maddox chowing down on his cake!
Mason taking his time lol
Gaby, Lora, Me, and George @ the Halloween Party
Karaoke buddies George, Angela, and Gaby!
November
Oh, November.. What a turning point in history! But first! Angela and Lauren did Cheer Crazy pt2! It was a crazy time! But it went much smoother than the time before! I'm proud of them for being able to pull off something so big. I know it takes a lot of work and they really did a great job! I started training at National City on Nov. 3rd. I had to go downtown for the first week and a half and read the Big Book Of Knowledge, as I came to call it. That was fun. Then I went to my branch and got the more hands-on experience. I now have my own drawer and according to everyone around me, I'm doing really well. It still feels sometimes like I'm flailing my arms to stay afloat in the middle of the ocean but it's getting better with time. ;) So anyway, November 4th was Election Day.. It came down to Barack Obama (A black senator from Chicago) and a John McCain (A white Senator). America made history and elected Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, the first black President!! George and I both voted for Obama. We believed in his message and in his plans to help change America. It's such a historic time and I'm so glad to be have been even the smallest part of it! On the 20th, it was Gaby's Birthday and we all dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Lora had planned it as surprise but aby ruined it ;) We still ate and had a great time. :) Then Thanksgiving rolled around and that was very pleasant as usual. :) The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we put up our tree! I love decorating our tree! It's so fun! Lauren and I ended up having an argument over Chris.. And although it wasn't a huge blow up fight, we haven't talked since. It's sort of in a limbo place right now and things are just weird. I hope to be figuring all of that out soon. And that about wrapped up November!
President-Elect Barack Obama.
Everyone @ Gaby's Birthday Dinner
George, Honey, and me.. The night we put up our tree and the picture on our X-Mas cards!
December
Christmas was in full swing in December! As we all some birthdays. Joey, my brother, turned 18 this year and we went to Longhorn for his birthday. It was fun until my Dad brought his slut girlfriend with him and she ended up making comments about my mother in front of my mother. I am so over that woman. She is terrible. I hate her, Lauren hates her, and Joey hates her. I never want to see her again. We celebrated Kevin's birthday at Dave and Busters on a very VERY crowded night! But it was still very fun. :) Sydney's birthday we celebrated low-key at the house with snacks and hanging out. Her big birthday bash we do in Jan so as it's not so close to Christmas. We did a lot of fun things in Dec. We did the Shadowbox Holiday Hoopla show and it's so amazing, worth the money to go see it! We had a Christmas Gift Exchange party at Lora's house that was super fun! She and her family went all out! We had a really fun time! We also went to the Festival Of Lights after X-Mas it was crazy crowded too! But really fun, I love the zoo! Christmas and went and was amazing. We had one of the best Christmases ever. On a sad note, my Aunt Francis (Granny's sister) passed away on Christmas Eve. That was terribly sad and Granny went "home" to be with her family. The rest of our family stayed here and opted to do Christmas at my Uncle Tom's house, without her. It was honestly one of the best Christmases George and I have ever spent with my extended family! I'm sure a large part of it was that Granny was not there, and I am very sad and sorry about the circumstances, it was a really great Christmas with my family that I have misses so much. After Christmas Eve there, we went back to my Mom's house and exchanged presents with my immediate family. Dad came out (without slut-face, of course) and we all did our gifts. Again, one of the best times with my family so far. Storm and Tobbs were there and that was just an added bonus! It was so great. :D Christmas morning we were at the Davidson house and Merri and Larry truly out-did themselves. We got so many presents.. It was insane! It was so awesome. Our Christmases were full of family love and family gift giving lol. I will always remember this Christmas! The end of the year came in the blink of an eye. On New Years, we spent time at Smokey Bones with Sam because she was bar-tending and then we headed back to the Davidson house to ring in the new year with Sydney. It was so much fun! Sydney had bought had ton of things to use for the "party" and we went out to get whatever she didn't have already! It was so cute. On December 29th, a new little life came into the world! Jaylene had her baby girl, Riley Sue Crager! She's adorable.. And so tiny! It's so weird for me because Jaylene and I have grown up together so it was so weird to see her after she had the baby. It's different because I grew up together from little girls.. I don't know. So weird. HOWEVER, as I was typing this entry, it came to my attention that Jayelene was on Jerry Springer while she was pregnant. The world just keeps getting crazier and crazier... LOL
Shadowbox Cabaret 2008
Gift Exchange Party
Fully loaded Christmas Tree!
Honey wanting her toys!
Christmas Eve @ Mom's house
Me, Lauren, and Joey on Christmas
Sydney with her presents from us
Festival Of Lights
Me with little Riley Sue!
New Years :)
Sydney and George decked out!
***********************************************
Another year has come and gone. Major changes have have happened, losses have occurred, and many joys and happiness were brought into my life. I am truly happy. That's all you can ever be, right? I really love writing these entries and being able to reflect on all the changes my life has seen over the course of a year. So here's to doin' fine in '09!
January started off with a bang in 2008... Angela's 24th Birthday Party--80's style! From the moment she mentioned it, I was ecstatic about it! We all dressed up and looked AWESOME. We had the best time rockin' out the 80's garb and hittin' up some Rock Bottom Brewery and Arnies. It was such a fun night! In other news, Lora started hanging out with me on a more regular outside-of-work basis and I began to see what a match she could possibly for Gaby. I tested the waters a little bit by inviting her to be around all of us as a group so they could develop some kind of friendship first. I'm a little matchmaker. :) Not that it was too big of a deal, but while I was working at the Kenwood Limited Too I fainted and it was really scary. I've been tired before and been drowsy but being up, talking to someone one minute, and being laid out on the hardwood floor the next is something completely different. ;)
Everyone @ Fountain Square dressed in 80's wear!
February
On Feb. 1st, Gaby asked out Lora out on their first date! Not that that is something big in my life but it was the start of something really great for the both of them and I am happy to have been able to introduce them! Early in Feb, Angela had found a man who wanted to get rid of a puppy he had. I took him in and tried to get Honey to accept him but there was no chance of that. :( However, we found him a good home at the Davidson House. They named him Gus and he is just the craziest little dog. I know he makes Sydney pretty happy so all things work out for the best. :) Feb. 9th was one busy day! Katie and I attended Bridal Rama during the day and then Girl's Night promptly followed. It started at Applebees where, thoroughly not intensionally, I got pretty tipsy which was then followed by a complete drunken mess later that night at Arnie's. It was on the weird side too because Lauren and I had not talked since August and once we got together, it was like a sonic boom of pent up friendship. I had a blast that night, we were like two peas in a drunken pod. Although, I didn't throw up the whole way home like she did ;) Coming home that night however I did feel a scratch in my throat. Sure enough, the next day, I woke up with the worst flu EVER. George was already sick with the flu and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I missed a week of work (While KayCe made comments about how I was probably "milking it") but honestly, that was the worst I can ever remember being sick. It was so terrible!!
Girl's Night 2008
March
March 1st--> Katie's Bridal Shower! I of course threw the shower as the Matron of Honor and it was great. :) Katie got a lot of really awesome things and I think I did a pretty good job and I hope she thinks so as well! And the cake was yummy. ;) The weather, as it always is in Ohio, was insane. It was 55 Degrees on a Monday and by that following Friday/Saturday we had a full blown Blizzard! No really, it was declared a blizzard! It was so insane! We had a F*ck the Snow Party and it was all good fun. :) We celebrated St. Patrick's Day which was new for us and it was SP FUN! It honestly goes down in my book as one of the best nights of the year. There wasn't much to it.. We went to a cleared out Arnie's and danced and drank the night away! Then to I-Hop where a much discussed pancake eating contest took place between me and Gaby lol It was so fun. Most monumentally, on March 30th Matt Maupin's remains were found finally. It was truly sad knowing he was 100% gone but there was peace in knowing what exactly had happened. It was finally known.
Katie and I at her Bridal Shower
The hearse carrying Matt Maupin's casket as it wound thru Union Township.
Lauren, Angela, and I on St. Patrick's Day!
April
Woo, April! It started off with Katie's Bachelorette Parties and then Katie's Wedding! The Bachelorette Dinner was fun, but the Bachelorette PARTY is where it was at! LOL We had A BLAST. Seriously.. So fun!!! Until that is, the very end of the night when some random Joe was hitting on Lauren. When he got too close, she pushed him away and he PUNCHED HER IN THE FACE. It was the most insane thing I have ever seen! It was a bunch of crazy emotions afterwards. I couldn't believe he punched her!!!! It's sad that that night will always have that terrible moment related to it because for the most part, we had the best time! So sad. So the next week, on April 12th 2008 Katie became Mrs. Palmer! Although nervous about a Matron Of Honor speech, I think I pulled it together! LOL It was a really fun wedding and I had a great time! I'm so happy for the two of them. :) George also left his job at Great Steak and started working with John at Clough Pike Market, owned by Jean Paul. It was a chance to really work for a professional cook! He was so happy!
The night of Katie's Bachelorette Party lol
Katie and I on her Big Day!
May
We celebrated Ethan's Birthday in May! It started when George and I took him and Sydney to the Zoo in the early A.M. Then we went to the Lenga house for his 4th Birthday Party! I can't believe he is 4! He's getting so big. :) Over the course of the months previous, we sorta had just begun going out all the time! lol It was great fun and there were many, many nights out that will not soon be forgotten! May 17th was the CF Walk and it always feels good to be doing something to help find a cure for a disease that takes loved ones away before their time! Toward the end of the month, we went to the Taste of Cincinnati where I LOVE to go every year to try all the awesome food. I LOVE the Taste! We also thru Michelle's surprise Birthday Party here and it was good fun! Kevin was so sweet decorating all day and we all had a blast! In May, George and I had also made final decisions on where we would be heading for vaca: Chicago! We were so excited! Also, Sex and The City came out!!! I was SO EXCITED! I had been waiting for it for almost a year!! It was a really great movie, even is Steve DID cheat on Miranda.. That made me mad! Oh well ;) In May we also got the Stimulus Check from the government to help the economy. That was awesome! Free money is always good. I can't wait for the next one!
Ethan and Sydney @ The Zoo
Ethan Turns 4!
CF Walk 2008
June
June is ALWAYS a big month! LOL On the 5th, we went to see Pablo Fransisco! He was at The Funny Bone in Newport and was SO FUNNY! We had the best seats ever. FRONT ROW. It was seriously so great to finally see him up and close! He's the best comedian! And two days later, we left for Schaumburg, Il where we would be staying! The weather was crazy as we drove there.. We no joke beat a funnel cloud... George saw it, I sped like crazy and didn't stop. Finally, we got in the clear. When we got to our hotel, we saw on the news that it had touched not nearly fifteen minutes after we had passed thru. I am SO GLAD I didn't stop! The weather wasn't better in Schaumburg.. It was rainy EVERYWHERE! That didn't stop us from having a great night out at Medieval Times! That place is amazing and everyone should go at LEAST once in their lives! The next day was June 8th. One Year Married and Five Years Together! We spent the day together shopping, hanging out, and then eating dinner at Texas De Brazil, a steak house much like Fogo De Chao! It was so awesome and I love my husband SO MUCH! After being rained in so much we decided to leave early and come home. We were on vacation the whole week.. Although we were dealing with some family drama, the week was pretty good! I was VERY happy to be away from Limited Too and George was happy to be away from Jean Paul! We went to Coney Island, The Levee, and The Zoo! We had an awesome vacation! And then at the end of the month, Aidan turned one! It's so crazy to me how fast time goes! He was just the cutest thing in the world and I think he liked my toy best. :)
George, Pablo Fransisco, and me!
Us @ Medieval Times on our Anniversary Vacation!
Aidan turns one!
July
The never ending fight with KayCe came to HUGE blows in July. We had an all out fight with each other that lasted a good three hours in the backroom at Limited Too. She was terrible to me. Told me all kinds of lies.. Including ones that tried to break down the friendship Lora and I had built. She was so damn convincing that I am ashamed to have believed her for the few days I actually did. I knew the time was coming that it was her or me. And let's face it, it would always be her. I pushed on anyway. July was great in the aspect that it was the month of the American Idol Concert with Angela and Lauren!!! We had SUCH a great time! We had the BEST seats EVER! We were on the floor and it was so great! That night also ranks as one of the best nights of the year. :) We had the Senior Good-Bye Party for Limited Too early and it was a lot of fun. Very sad because I was truly close with some of the seniors who were leaving.. Namely, Michelle (Smelly) and Sam (Sammy Whammy). I still miss those girls. :) Summer movies were amazing.. Iron Man, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones, Hulk, HellBoy 2, Step Brothers, Mamma Mia, Tropic Thunder, & Pineapple Express just to name a few! However, there wasn't much else.. June is always so big that July is always sorta boring! lol
The Limited Too Crew as of July.
Me, Angela, and Lauren at the American Idol Concert!
#1 Idol: David Cook. So hot! (And we were SO CLOSE!)
August
It wasn't a big thing but there was a memorable night at Katie's house with some crazy Russians in August.. I think it deserves good mentioning! It was such a funny night.. To everyone but Katie. Sorry girl! A few days before George's birthday, we found out that Jean Paul was going to close his business and George would lose another job he really was loving. It was such a blow since the same thing had happened at Tony Romas too. :( However, we were determined to make his birthday special and I think it was. :) We had George's birthday at The Beach and it was SO FUN! A ton of people went! We were there ALL day! I was so tired from swimming all day! But he had a great time which is ultimately what matters most! It was such a fun, if not exhausting, day! In an attempt to get out of a KayCe-filled environment and possibly create a better future for myself, I went to work at Northgate for a few days in the middle of the month. That did little to help because things went awry there too. I was just seeing that maybe a future with Limited Too was not in MY future. WEBN came early and on August 31st we went down to Newport to ring in Labor Day! It's always one of my favorite holidays! LOL
George coming down the biggest slide on his birthday!
George and his sisters @ The Beach.
George and I @ WEBN Fireworks.
September
All the shows come back in September! And I was REALLY FREAKING EXCITED because not only was a new show coming on, it was 90210 a spin off from Beverly Hills 90210 and as if that wasn't great enough, they were bringing back BRENDA! That's right.. Shannen was coming back to play Brenda!!! I mean, so was Jennie Garth to play Kelly (And now I hear that Tori Spelling will be back toward the end of the year to play Donna..) but COME ON. I am the biggest Brenda fan that probably ever lived and I still stand by my claim that 90210 was never the same after she left! Anyway.. September is always great because it's birthday month! And that meant another vacation away from Limited Too! During my vacation, I had an interview lined up with National City. It was my first step out the door. However, I didn't end up getting the position at that branch.. More details to follow. ;) Anyway, early in my vaca we had a BLACK OUT! We had some terrible wind storm that was coming from the hurricane in the south and it knocked out all the power! Our power went out on Sunday and didn't come back on until Wednesday! It was the most insane thing! What a vaca, right? ;) My birthday was pretty sweet. :) For lunch, we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise with us, Emily, Lora, and John. Then that night, I had a party at our APT and it was mucho fun! It was a HUGE improvement over last year!! However, when I got back from vacation and went back to work, there was just more and more KayCe crap that had happened. My first day back I just found out a lot of horrible things she had said about me and I was tired of it. I called Rachelle that night to let her know I needed to speak with her ASAP. I was so done. Little did I know, that Kayla (the same girl who told me all those things..) had called KayCe to tell her other random things about me that were untrue to save her own ass. However, the next day KayCe (on her way down to the mall to write me up..) was in a crazy accident and wouldn't be back to work for two weeks. I had so much to think about...
Birthday Cupcakes!
Me on my 24th Birthday.
October
When KayCe finally came back to work, I knew I was done. I had taken so much crap from her I was done. She had tried to surprise me with a "talk" but Lora had told me it was coming. I knew going in that day it would be my last--Either she would fire me or I would quit. It went exactly like that. I expressed everything I felt about her.. How much of a hypocrite she was, how mean and unfair she had been, everything! It felt so good to finally stand up for myself. She had plenty to say too.. That I was a bad manager and a bad person. When she asked me to write down all the reasons why I was so bad and what I'd do to change them.. I had had enough. I sat there and wrote out all my reasons why I was making the choice that I was.. And on October 10th, nearly two years to the day that I had started, I wrote this was my notice, effective immediately. I sat down my keys, I clocked out, and I walked out front where she was and just said "I'm done." It was the most freeing moment of my life! I walked out not having another job but having some respect. It felt great. :D It helped that I had another interview at National City at the Norwood branch the following Tuesday. I got that job! And I love working for National City. I make more, I have better hours, and I am learning I have one of the best branches full of people to be working with. It's not to say I don't miss LTD2.. I do.. But mostly in the sense of the people. I miss not seeing Lora all the time. I still see her a lot but it was so fun to work with her. Anyway, it was for the best!!! George got a steady job finally! He started working for Wings and Rings, the new one that opened in the mall! He really likes it there so we are both very happy! He had been picking up hours at Rally's of all places so he was very happy to have a full time job again. And so was I! Many babies turned one this month! Aubree, Maddox, and Mason's parties were all in the same day! It was so fun they are all such adorable babies! :) On the 25th, we had our Halloween Party at Angela's house and even though there was a tension between Lauren and I for no reason, the party was really fun! I can never figure Lauren out so I STILL don't know why she wasn't talking to me that night lol. But it was still really fun! Everyone karaoked and I have the best pictures from that! George's costumes are always hilarious. I love him!
Stacey with Aubree on her 1st Birthday!
LOL Maddox chowing down on his cake!
Mason taking his time lol
Gaby, Lora, Me, and George @ the Halloween Party
Karaoke buddies George, Angela, and Gaby!
November
Oh, November.. What a turning point in history! But first! Angela and Lauren did Cheer Crazy pt2! It was a crazy time! But it went much smoother than the time before! I'm proud of them for being able to pull off something so big. I know it takes a lot of work and they really did a great job! I started training at National City on Nov. 3rd. I had to go downtown for the first week and a half and read the Big Book Of Knowledge, as I came to call it. That was fun. Then I went to my branch and got the more hands-on experience. I now have my own drawer and according to everyone around me, I'm doing really well. It still feels sometimes like I'm flailing my arms to stay afloat in the middle of the ocean but it's getting better with time. ;) So anyway, November 4th was Election Day.. It came down to Barack Obama (A black senator from Chicago) and a John McCain (A white Senator). America made history and elected Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, the first black President!! George and I both voted for Obama. We believed in his message and in his plans to help change America. It's such a historic time and I'm so glad to be have been even the smallest part of it! On the 20th, it was Gaby's Birthday and we all dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Lora had planned it as surprise but aby ruined it ;) We still ate and had a great time. :) Then Thanksgiving rolled around and that was very pleasant as usual. :) The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we put up our tree! I love decorating our tree! It's so fun! Lauren and I ended up having an argument over Chris.. And although it wasn't a huge blow up fight, we haven't talked since. It's sort of in a limbo place right now and things are just weird. I hope to be figuring all of that out soon. And that about wrapped up November!
President-Elect Barack Obama.
Everyone @ Gaby's Birthday Dinner
George, Honey, and me.. The night we put up our tree and the picture on our X-Mas cards!
December
Christmas was in full swing in December! As we all some birthdays. Joey, my brother, turned 18 this year and we went to Longhorn for his birthday. It was fun until my Dad brought his slut girlfriend with him and she ended up making comments about my mother in front of my mother. I am so over that woman. She is terrible. I hate her, Lauren hates her, and Joey hates her. I never want to see her again. We celebrated Kevin's birthday at Dave and Busters on a very VERY crowded night! But it was still very fun. :) Sydney's birthday we celebrated low-key at the house with snacks and hanging out. Her big birthday bash we do in Jan so as it's not so close to Christmas. We did a lot of fun things in Dec. We did the Shadowbox Holiday Hoopla show and it's so amazing, worth the money to go see it! We had a Christmas Gift Exchange party at Lora's house that was super fun! She and her family went all out! We had a really fun time! We also went to the Festival Of Lights after X-Mas it was crazy crowded too! But really fun, I love the zoo! Christmas and went and was amazing. We had one of the best Christmases ever. On a sad note, my Aunt Francis (Granny's sister) passed away on Christmas Eve. That was terribly sad and Granny went "home" to be with her family. The rest of our family stayed here and opted to do Christmas at my Uncle Tom's house, without her. It was honestly one of the best Christmases George and I have ever spent with my extended family! I'm sure a large part of it was that Granny was not there, and I am very sad and sorry about the circumstances, it was a really great Christmas with my family that I have misses so much. After Christmas Eve there, we went back to my Mom's house and exchanged presents with my immediate family. Dad came out (without slut-face, of course) and we all did our gifts. Again, one of the best times with my family so far. Storm and Tobbs were there and that was just an added bonus! It was so great. :D Christmas morning we were at the Davidson house and Merri and Larry truly out-did themselves. We got so many presents.. It was insane! It was so awesome. Our Christmases were full of family love and family gift giving lol. I will always remember this Christmas! The end of the year came in the blink of an eye. On New Years, we spent time at Smokey Bones with Sam because she was bar-tending and then we headed back to the Davidson house to ring in the new year with Sydney. It was so much fun! Sydney had bought had ton of things to use for the "party" and we went out to get whatever she didn't have already! It was so cute. On December 29th, a new little life came into the world! Jaylene had her baby girl, Riley Sue Crager! She's adorable.. And so tiny! It's so weird for me because Jaylene and I have grown up together so it was so weird to see her after she had the baby. It's different because I grew up together from little girls.. I don't know. So weird. HOWEVER, as I was typing this entry, it came to my attention that Jayelene was on Jerry Springer while she was pregnant. The world just keeps getting crazier and crazier... LOL
Shadowbox Cabaret 2008
Gift Exchange Party
Fully loaded Christmas Tree!
Honey wanting her toys!
Christmas Eve @ Mom's house
Me, Lauren, and Joey on Christmas
Sydney with her presents from us
Festival Of Lights
Me with little Riley Sue!
New Years :)
Sydney and George decked out!
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Another year has come and gone. Major changes have have happened, losses have occurred, and many joys and happiness were brought into my life. I am truly happy. That's all you can ever be, right? I really love writing these entries and being able to reflect on all the changes my life has seen over the course of a year. So here's to doin' fine in '09!