Change

I have changed the name of my blog.  When I first started this blog I have to admit I was a little lost.  I had just gotten out a really terrible situation and I felt like I didn't know where my life was headed.  Fast forward a couple of years and things couldn't be more different.  I am engaged to the love of my life and I cannot wait for our life together to begin.  I am in such a good place and I love my life.  Once Jon and I are married and I move from Florida (it is inevitable) there will be so many more wonderful adventures in store for us.  Even though I chose the title "meanderings" it doesn't mean that I am lost.  I might not know what my life has in store but I am definitely looking forward to the ride!

Many friends have asked about the name "Michelly".  It is a combination of my given name "Michele" and my childhood nickname "Shelly".  No one actually calls me this but I respond to both names.  I never introduce myself as Shelly anymore.  I don't know why.  It just happened in college.  Everyone in my family (with the exception of my Mom) and friends I have known before college call me Shelly.  Everyone else calls me Michele.  Jon calls me neither.  He calls me Peetie.

Thirty Days IN A ROW!

I went with Jon last week to the VA Hospital in Augusta, GA. He had an appointment with the Neurosurgeon for the bulging disk in his back. This has been going on for a year. A year of chronic back and leg pain. The disk is pressing on a nerve that goes to his right leg. Being the man that he is, or any man for that matter, he thought this might get better on its own. Wrong. A year of therapy, steroid injections and nothing changed. Surgery is really the only option at this point. He is tired of being in pain and being on "profile". "Profile" in the Army is when you don't have to perform certain tasks like PT because of your health. He hates being on profile. So we met with the surgeon. Jose Santiago. Yes, I have already googled him. He is legit. Graduated from Tulane Medical School. Anyhow, I digress. Surgery is scheduled for November 9th. Then Jon will have 30 days of convalescent leave. When the PA said that my ears perked up. 30 days? IN A ROW? Please don't get me wrong...I hate that Jon is having surgery. Hate it. I do not like anyone to go under general anesthesia especially the man I love but having him home for a month is wonderful. I don't care that he will be recovering. I get that. Just having him home is all I care about. Being able to care for him and baby him is all I want. I know that it won't all be roses but I will take that too. Except for the two weeks he was home in March the most that we have been together is four days. Four days is not enough. A month won't be enough either but I will take what I can get.

P.S. Please keep Jon in your thoughts and prayers on November 9th. I know that it will all turn out fine but it doesn't hurt to have all the thoughts and prayers you can get! :)

For Melinda

I got my hair cut and colored last night. Wow! It is AMAZING how much I love having this done. I have a standing appointment every five weeks whether I need it or not. I have been going to my hairdresser FOREVER so it is like a therapy session and pampering all rolled into one. Jon actually notices when I have my hair done and he always wants me to send him a picture. I seem to be challenged when it comes to taking a picture of myself with my phone so I went into the bathroom so I could look at the phone in the mirror and surprisingly it worked! Too bad it didn't take away my puffy eyes.

This was taken this morning of Roxie and I. I am meeting Jon this weekend in Jacksonville and she watched me getting a few things together. If I put anything in the car she gets so anxiety ridden that I wait until the last moment to pack anything. Of course, she doesn't realize that she is going with me; I wish she understood human :) I had just taken apart an extra crate and I saw her watching me. I laid down on the bed and she jumped up to snuggle. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Broken Bowl Breaks My Heart

For my birthday this year Jon got me 6 latte bowls from Anthropologie. It was the first present he had given me. We had been shopping a couple of months before and I had mentioned that I like the bowls in red. Just in passing. It wasn't a hint or anything. We met in Jacksonville the weekend of my birthday (in June) and he gave me the bowls. I was so surprised that he remembered. I was even more surprised that he had left South Carolina early (he never gets off work early) and went to Athropologie by himself and bought them for me.

I have bowls. Of all shapes and sizes. But I use Jon's bowls whenever possible. I had gotten some take out soup this weekend and was getting a bowl down and I dropped one. Besides breaking my leg skiing I am not a clumsy person. I cannot tell you the last time I have broken anything. Especially in the kitchen. I called Jon. Crying. Like a baby. I was so upset. Of course, he was nonplussed. "It's alright sugie, we can buy another bowl. It doesn't mean anything. I know that is why you are so upset." He so gets me.

I saved the big pieces. Maybe one day when we have a house of our own I will make something with the broken pieces of porcelain. Or maybe not. I just didn't have the heart to throw them away.

Engaged!!!!!

In "Italy" at Epcot

I'm engaged!!!! I am so happy!!!! It was a wonderful weekend. This picture was taken about 3 minutes after the proposal. We were standing there basking in our elation (also known as kissing) and this woman walked up to us and said that she would have given anything for someone to take her picture when her husband proposed to her. I guess she had seen Jon get on one knee and assumed that he was proposing. Good thing he wasn't just tying his shoe! :) Anyway she was very kind and took this photo. My eyes are puffy because I started crying but I don't care. Jon's sons were with us but had conveniently wanted to go explore on their own. They were so sweet. And so very happy for us. I wanted to make sure they were on board with the engagement and am very happy to learn they were very excited and happy for us. They are such wonderful kids and I am very thankful to have their blessing. I am thankful for all the blessings I have in my life. No wedding date is set. I'll keep you posted :)

20th Reunion-Post Script

Well it went off without a hitch. Whew!!! It went so well that I had people wanting to do a 25 year reunion. They don't to wait until 30. I have to admit...if you didn't have a good time Friday and Saturday night you just weren't trying. Seriously.

Friday night was held at Spinnaker Beach Club and it was just a meet & greet. We had an area to ourselves and our own bartenders but everyone paid for their food and drinks. And as I expected some of the naysayers that weren't going to pay to come to the actual reunion had so much fun on Friday that they paid the at the door price for Saturday.

Saturday night was held at the Panama Country Club. We got up early, well it was supposed to be early but ended up being about 11am before we really got started, and decorated. I am rather biased but I thought it was beautiful.

Then for some strange reason I decided that I was going to invite some classmates over for a pre reunion party. Just a couple of cocktails...what was I thinking?? Very impromptu and everyone had a good time seeing each other prior to the craziness of a reunion started.

All the 1989 graduates who came over prior to the reunion. My best friends since 8th grade: Aimee (standing behind the guy in the white and green striped shirt) and Alisha (standing in front of Joe who is in the back in the blue shirt) are in this picture. I love, love, love these girls. I only wish I could see them more often.

Joe & Tracy Hubbard-Thank goodness for Tracy, not only is she the wonderful wife of my classmate Joe but she helped me get ready for the pre-reunion party and most of all...drove three slightly (taken very, very loosely) intoxicated reunion revelers home in the wee hours of the morning. I knew saying yes to Joe when he asked if he and Tracy could stay with me would end up being a very good idea.

Me, Amy & Suzanne "The Committee"

I love this picture of Jon...of course he hates it. What is up with that??!!

Of course he'll hate this one too...

And this one but I really like it

Way later in the evening and the only reason I dare post it considering how non-sober I look is to show my friend Joe. For all he knew it could have been a really nice photo he was messing up with his juvenile display. Where was Tracy when I really needed her?? :) Of course this was not the only juvenile display going on at the reunion by this time... I haven't even mentioned the karaoke that started at about 10pm.

We were eventually (the entire group) asked to leave. I mean really??? I realize that we had the country club from 7-11pm and it was almost 1am before everyone finally got out of there but ask us to leave?? Just kidding, everyone NEEDED to go home. I heard someone say it was like herding cats. No one wanted to leave. Including myself. I could have watched Jon attempt to sing "Moondance" all night.

20th Reunion-One Week Out

My 20 year reunion is this coming weekend, July 17-18. I am finally looking forward to it. It has basically been a one woman reunion committee (with yours truly being the committee) and yesterday I think I have gotten all my ducks in a row. Only a few things still need to be finished but I believe I have all my bases covered. I wanted to have the majority of things done because I know something always comes up that isn't planned. Last night I finished the name tags. Woah! How we have changed!

Jon and my Senior Portraits...all I can say for mine is "HOLY HAIR"!!! My hair is naturally curly and I straighten it now. I don't think I could replicate this hairstyle if I tried.

Self Portraits

How I love self portraits. We had just gotten back from the beach and I begged Jon to take some pictures. These are far from perfect but I just love the way we look. He never has a problem taking photos of me but getting him to take one is a entirely different matter. He has a great smile. I know, I've seen it. He says that he doesn't look like himself in photos; I told him that if would smile with his mouth open that he would. He is not convinced. Whenever we place "friendly wagers" with each other I always say that I want a smiling picture of him. He lost one recently so when he comes home on Thursday (yeah!) I'm collecting.

Crush Revisited

What do you do when your old junior high crush comes back into your life? Let me preface this by saying that we are both single so there isn't anything funny (or not so funny) going on. I am one of the main people in charge of my 20 year high school reunion. As I was trying to find people on Facebook and Classmates.com I came across his name. I knew the basics about what he had been doing for the past 20 years, Bay County isn't that big so word gets around but I don't think I have talked to him face to face in God knows how long. Also let me say that he didn't know I had the biggest crush on him. I was WAY to insecure around guys for that!

I started writing this post March 9. Let's just say that in the three months that have lapsed much has changed in my life. The "crush", Jon, came in town mid March and we have been together ever since. Since he is an Officer in the Army stationed at Fort Jackson, SC there have been many trips to Jacksonville, Florida (half way for both of us). I would drive every weekend if that meant he didn't have to be stationed overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan. How I am praying that won't happen! He is up for orders so anything is possible. As it is the weekends we don't see each other are absolutely terrible so having him half a world away...well I don't even want to think about it!

Oh how I love my blue eyed boy!

This is Jon when he played football for Troy State University in 1989.

Life Goes On...

Roxie and I are adjusting to life without Dixie. There are times that it just seems odd that she is not here. I notice that Roxie doesn't like to spend a lot of time in the backyard anymore. She loves to come out front with me and will roam around as long as I will let her but in the backyard, nope. She'd rather be inside with me.

A very welcomed thing has happened though. Tuesday when I came home from work I called for Roxie and looked towards her kennel. No Roxie in the kennel. Since Tammy, my cleaning lady, came that day I figured she was in the backyard. I called for her in the backyard. Not there either. I started to get worried. I walk back in the house and I see Roxie skulking down the hall. Skulking like she has done something wrong. Like BE OUT OF THE KENNEL. Roxie out of the kennel has only led to bad things. Destroying an area rug, destroying a heart rate monitor watch, destroying three remotes to name a few. She did nothing. Nothing. I honestly think all she did all day was sleep. We are at day three and she hasn't done anything destructive. I hope this trend continues. I like not having to put in the kennel when I leave the house. It makes me feel less guilty.

Heartbroken

Dixie
June 11, 2005-January 21, 2009

Today I am heartbroken and I will probably be heartbroken tomorrow too. Today I came home to find that my beloved "Dixie-Girl" had died. Dixie had been terribly, terribly sick for two months and yesterday I found out that she did not have cancer. I was elated. I thought she was on her way to recovery. I was waiting on her biopsy results to determine exactly what she had (the general consensus of two vets was that she had a really horrible case of Irritated Bowel Syndrome). I guess that her little body that had lost 30% of her body weight just couldn't take it anymore.

Right now I miss my dog. I miss her and my eyes are swollen from crying. I miss her and I have a horrible crying headache. I miss her and I see Roxie going all over the house looking for her friend. Dixie is the dog that I made sleep with me after I got divorced. She would try to sleep in the extra bedroom and I would MAKE her come sleep with me. She'd give me this look like I was pathetic. Even though she drove me crazy with her running around the neighborhood like a crazy dog she was MY crazy dog. I wouldn't have changed her personality for the world and I will never find another dog like her...nor would I want to.

This it is this image that I will miss the most. I have an ottoman right under the front window and Dixie would hop on that ottoman and watch me leave. And like clockwork she would be looking for me to come home.




Good Bye my Dixie-Girl, I love you and I will never forget you.

Witness Protection

I recently purchased my first SLR camera. It is the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D and I LOVE it. Love, love, love it and I am sure I will love it even more when I know how to use it properly. My dogs have been subjected to countless photos. Countless. Well, let me be more honest, Dixie has been subjected to countless photos because she will let me photograph her. Roxie has let me take a couple but if the flash is on she is outta there. She is a blur in most of them or standing behind Dixie. It is like she doesn't want her likeness captured. She must be part Indian or in doggie witness protection.



You can actually see just how sick Dixie has been with IBS (Irritated Bowl Syndrome). I am NOT mistreating my dog. She just has been horribly, horribly sick.



I had to act like I was taking a picture of Dixie...