Irony

Last night my mom and I went through some old books in the basement.

My brother and I had these books when we were little. My mom and I separated them into two totes for my brother and I. 

My brother has two kids on the way. It was fun going through the books, imagining which ones I wanted to read to my nieces first (when they're old enough). I recognized and remembered most of my old books, and I took time to thumb through some of them. 

The best books were two of mine. My mom picked them up, nonchalantly said, "Oh, those are Monica's," tossed them my way and kept on sorting.

Maybe you had to be there, but it was hilarious. 

In other news, I have two root canals scheduled for next week. 

I appreciate the irony.

My cup of tea (or coffee)

I'm not above buying myself a Christmas gift.

This year, I decided to either give myself the gift of coffee or the gift of jewelry. Coffee won.

I bought a Keurig, which, if I can speak honestly, is a little life-changing. That thing brings me so much happiness, I can't even begin to describe it.

A hot apple cider in the morning? Don't mind if I do. A hot apple cider at 3:47 p.m.? Heck, why not!

There's also an added perk I wasn't expecting. In the event that you have a month-long case of bronchitis, also known as The Cough or The Monica, drinking something hot in the morning and afternoon cures the coughing fits.

This little dude benefits both my lungs and my taste buds.

It was a good decision on my part.

On having pants

The good news is that after a very bronchital trip to Nebraska, I'm officially a Kansan again.

The other bit of good news is that I officially got everything out of my hotel room this time. The last time Nebraska and I met, it kept my pants and my flat iron.

Kansas 1, Nebraska 1.

Until next time, neighbor to the north.

On Life and Struggles

I think it's normal to think you're the only one going through problems.

Every once in a while, I'm reminded of the bigger picture. Today was one of those days.

I'm in central Nebraska at a conference my company hosts every year. Around 100 people show up from several different states.

This is a quote my company's CEO told a crowd of about 100 people this morning. It's wonderful.

"There are times you have to take a machete and hack your way through the jungle. Those people who are hacking their way through the jungle? They need help. When you help, you don’t know how much of a difference that makes." 

I have a small pharmacy in my hotel room. I'm going to work on that, and go to sleep.

Goodnight!

I Has The Sick

My life hurts.

People, we're approaching the one-month mark of me not feeling well. A doctor's visit over Christmas break resulted in a nurse sticking a Q-Tip up my nose and telling me the next day that I didn't have the flu.

So if it's not the flu, what is it?

I was told it was bronchitis. I took a round of antibiotics, expecting to feel better after it was finished.

That never really happened.

Hm...if I went to a doctor and didn't get better, what do I do now?

This morning a co-worker took me aside and gave me the name and number of a new place to go to. They'd help me out, she said.

I feel bad, because this problem is getting on my nerves. I can't imagine how irritating I am to be around right now because of The Cough.

I wasn't planning on going back to a doctor when I got up this morning, but at this point, I'm desperate and I'll try anything.

The nurse practitioner I went to asked me if I wanted to treat it slow or aggressively.

I almost yelled and thought about doing cartwheels.

Aggressive, please. Let's be aggressive.

I have new medicine to take, an inhaler to try, prescription cough syrup to help me sleep at night, Mucinex, and Emergen-C to drink.

All in time for my road trip tomorrow.

Also, as I told some people today, The Cough and I go way back. We're starting to become bffs.

This is one crappy, sucky bff.

Conversations

Here are some conversations I've had this week.

Me: "Mom, did you eat the rest of my guacamole?"
Mom: "Yes. Dad and I finished it."
Me: "Why would you do that?"
Mom: "Because it's delicious."
Me: "...okay."

-----

My mom, while watching the Cotton Bowl and seeing a football player on the phone on the sidelines: "Who's he talking to? Does he have a hot date?"

There are some good aspects of living in your hometown. Quoting your family is one of them.

Pieces

Welcome to 2014!

I'm not a New Year's resolutions person. I've never made any resolutions and I don't think I ever will.

I do, however, have a few hopes that I'm wishing will come true.

I've already been working on almost all of these. They include:

- Financial freedom, including getting my damn car paid off and learning to live within my budget. I would say I came a long way on this goal in 2013. My car will be paid off soon. It's liberating.

- To be healthy and happy. I joined a gym in 2013 and started doing yoga. I quit eating like a hung-over college student. I quit eating a lot of processed food and started eating more fruits and vegetables. I've also come a long way in figuring out what type of foods my body can and can't handle. I don't need the heartburn medication anymore because I know how to avoid that problem naturally. Again, liberating.

- The biggest goal in 2014: To buy a house. This is a huge task that seems impossible. Buying a house by yourself is terrifying. It's scary and overwhelming. It's also something I need to do to prove to myself that I can do this and that, yes, I do deserve this.

In 2013 I decided to quit focusing on trying to fix other people's problems. Instead, I started fixing my own problems and my own life.

The result is a pretty amazing life that I'm still working on and still trying to improve.

And you know what? I'll never stop trying to make my life better.

Today's theme song is Pieces.

I've been broken, torn and scattered
I've loved holy, I've loved sin
I was rolling on the wind
It didn't matter

I was so sure of who I didn't want to be
Every smile and every fear
Every laugh and every tear
It was all mine, it was all me

Pieces of my heart
Pieces of my soul
Pieces that I'm gonna be
I don't even know
I gave a lot to lovers
Gave a lot to friends
Everything I took from them
Made me who I am
Pieces

We've all been lied to
We've all been liars
Nothing's perfect in this world
Everybody's been burned by the fire
Guess I'm learning
That what breaks you, makes you grow
But I'm not hiding where I've been
Gonna let the light shine in
What I don't need
Gonna let that, let that, let that go

Pieces, the good and the bad
Pieces, the happy and sad
Pieces, the wrong and the right
Pieces, that's my, that's my, that's my life

Pieces, pieces