*My Year End Letter*

Lets see.. A lot has happened since last December.

December 2008: My Aunt Debbie passed away from a short battle with cancer. She was a huge influence in my life. She was the one who taught me to love pickles and salt. We were really close when I was younger and had grew apart over the years. We did talk all the time and seen each other when ever possible. She was the one that I could count on, to answer any questions I had or give unbiased advise. She was my mothers best friend since elementary school; they were like sisters. I miss her very much and will always love her.

April 2009: Donavin turned 4 years old. We had a party here at the house for him. He received a number of great gifts from all of his friends and family. His dad bought him a new big boy bike.. Thanks to everyone who attended, for sharing in the celebration of his birthday. We look forward to seeing all of you next year.

May 2009: My mom's dog Tyler passed away at the age of ten. He was a great dog. He was very healthy for being a boxer. He was having problems with his eye, so I took him to work with me to get it checked out. We found that he had eye ulcers in both eyes. The best way to treat was to close the eyes and let them heal. After that he was recovering well.. But then he had a stroke. It was hard for me and my mom.

June 2009: Donavin learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. I'm so proud of him! It didn't take very long for him to catch on. By the end of the week he was popping wheelies and standing while pedaling.

July 2009: I turned 24.. Twelve days later I had my heart attack. I have made a full recovery and I'm back to feeling normal. I have to stay on meds for the next year but, I'm hopeful not to have to after that. I was supposed to quit smoking. I did try a couple of times with no luck. I have slowed down a lot, with the exception of being stressed. I plan to try again here in the near future.

August 2009: Donavin started Pre-K, he has most of the same kids in his class this year as he did the last. His "girlfriend" Jesse is one of the kids returning to his class. They are so CUTE.. He can home and told me that "Jesse and me are getting married but we are going to wait till we turn 5." So I asked who's idea that was. He replied "because Jesse said so." They crack me up!

September 2009: I celebrated my one year anniversary at Brookside. The Big news this month is that, I started college..! I decided to head back to school. I put in a lot of thought to which school that I would enroll in and attend. I picked The University of Phoenix.. I'm studying to receive my associates degree in criminal justice. I might in the end go for my bachelors instead. I don't plan on changing my major; it seems to fit where I would like my career to go. I have recently completed my first two classes. I am very happy with my grades that I have received. I hope I can keep the motivation up and keep chugging along..

November 2009: Donny turned 31.. We had a few great friends over to celebrate. It was nice to see everyone and hang out for a bit. Later on in the month I bought my mom a new puppy to help cure her loneliness. She was ready to have another dog and I surprised her with a little male Rat Terrier. His name is Hoss.. He is a perfect fit for her and Donavin gets to play with him on a daily basis.

I hope that the year to come brings as much joy, laughter, and love as this year did.

Happy Holidays and Have a GREAT New Year.!

Bring on 2010..!

Furthering My Education..

Recently, I have been looking into going to college.. I'm not sure what I want to take or how long I want to go. But, its been difficult finding a college, program, & schedule that will fit me. I'm a little scared about going back to class. I wasn't good at it the first time and it took me forever to get my G.E.D.

Looking into a college I have found a few different choices, I could attend classes at RBC, RVC, & Online.

Rockford Business College is out of the question.. They wanted me to pay over 18,000 out of pocket or loans (HELLO! I have a family.) Rock Valley has its good points and classes that interest me. The schedule just doesn't fit with mine. I don't want to have to leave work early to get to class (I cant afford it.) Online classes have the qualities that I'm looking for. The one thing that gets me is not having a teacher here that I could ask questions to. What if I have a problem that I cant figure out on my own..

So everyone knows that I dropped out of high school and just got my G.E.D last September. Its not that I'm a bad student.. Its that I'm not confident in my self and my work. I'm freaked out about it. I haven't been able to sleep for the last three nights. I keep running all of the options through my head. Its allot to think about. What if i choose wrong or don't do well and what if I'm not smart enough..

I'm going to do something.. I'm just not sure yet!

You Have Got To Be Joking.. A Heart Attack..!

Twelve days after my 24th birthday I had severe chest pains with elevated troponins (aka a heart attack.) That day was just another day for me until then. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. I was home alone with my son & we were going through our morning routine. It was the worst pain I have ever felt. I ended up staying the night in the hospital, getting poked and prodded at every four hours. They did an angiogram before the discharged me. That came back completely normal.. Good news on one hand and frustration on the other. We can rule a few things out but, they still don't know why or what caused it.
I had my three week check up with the cardiologist that had seen me in the hospital. He thinks that it was some freak episode.. He doesn't want to look into it any more.. Hes just giving up.! He wants to keep me on all kinds of meds. But forgot to refill them. That doesn't fly with me.. I want answers..! And a competent doctor.
So I have contacted the cardiologist that had diagnosed me with my original heart condition. He also saw my grandfather, grandmother, and uncles. I trust him very much.. I have a appointment next Thursday. I have very high hopes. We will see.. I just pray it never happens again!