Quick Update

Well, it's been a while, so I figured it was time to throw an update on here. The girl that I was very comfortable with ended up wanting to just be friends, which looking back, was probably the right move. We are still friends though, which is nice - you can never have too many friends.

That being said, I returned to eHarmony because if nothing else it had been a good experience meeting her. I went through and talked to several people. There were a few that seemed like they might be a fit. I eventually got down to one that I was really enjoying talking to via email. After a few days, I suggested that we go ahead and plan to meet.

On Saturday we ended up meeting up at Starbucks to see how we clicked. There was clearly a click because what I assumed would be an hour or two and then possibly lead to dinner from there, ended up being a non-stop talk for five hours. We closed the place down.

We have a lot in common and we have a lot of similar goals in our lives and similar ways of thinking. I'm seeing her again tomorrow night, and I can't wait.

There is a bit of an age difference between us, but that didn't seem to matter, and I think that when you get to a certain age (I'm not sure what that age is), it doesn't really seem to matter much any more.

Besides that, thing are good. Work has been going well - I feel like I'm getting some traction and really making things happen. The apartment is great - really loving where I'm living.

So, that's about it for now.

Until next time,
- C

Finally, an update

Not sure if anyone pays attention to this blog any more or not, but I figured I'd update it, just in case. Let's see, where to begin. Well, two blog posts back, I talked about being happy. I am happy now, but things certainly have changed since that posting.

The girl I was very fond of is really no longer a part of my life. We were just at different places in our lives, so it didn't work out. There is a new lady in my life, however. I decided to give eHarmony a shot after the last relationship ended, and I'm really glad I did. I met one woman, and that didn't feel like a good fit. I then went out with another lady, and we hit it off instantly. We've been out several times and we talk daily. I really feel at ease when I'm with her and I feel like she is feeling the same way. Hopefully things will continue to progress in that area.

Work is going well. I'm getting more and more responsiblities and I feel like I'm an important part of the team now. I also got a new office chair this week, so who can complain about that?

I went to Ohio for a visit the first week of April. It was nice to spend time with my dad, brother and a lot of extended family. It was also good to visit my mom's gravesite a couple of times. I'm still amazed at how beautiful the headstone turned out. It is perfect for her.

Finally, I'm about to move into my own apartment. I've been staying with my friends since I came back to Texas last May and it was time to move on. I'm moving to Euless the first week of May. It is a great one bedroom apartment, with an attached garage! I've finished getting furniture, washer/dryer, cable/internet and electricity, so now all I have to do is wait. I'm so excited - I really love it.

So, that's it for me right now. Everything is going in the right direction.

I'm Happy

As I sit here on Sunday night, getting ready to get into another work week, I realized I'm feeling something I haven't in a long time. I'm happy. Now obviously things aren't perfect. There are still troubles in my life. I miss my mom every day. There is something each and every day I wish I could tell her about the things going on in my life, some important, some completely trivial. I also miss my dad, brother and the rest of my family. But, for the first time since my mom passed, I really feel happy. I've got great friends, a good job and there is a lady of whom I'm very fond in my life. I know this post is pretty unimportant in the scheme of things, but it was just something I was feeling that I wanted to get written down.

I got a job!

The wait is over. I finally got a job. I think I'm starting on the 26th of Sept. I've been going through the process with this company for almost a month, so I'm glad it finally panned out! I'll be the public relations/marketing specialist for a small workforce management systems company. I'll be writing, editing, designing, tradeshowing, etc. Just what I wanted to do! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. That's all for now!

- C

Sorry for the lack of updates

I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with this blog, but there really hasn't been that much to report. I'm still in Texas job hunting. I had an interview two Fridays ago and I found out last Wednesday that I did not get the position. I was still happy to have received a call and an interview though. Even unsuccessful interviews produce opportunities. I have a phone interview scheduled tomorrow morning and I have another in-person interview scheduled with another company on Friday. I'm hoping something comes out of at least one of them!

Beyond that, I've just been loving being back in Texas. Seeing friends, just hanging out. I missed this place!

Hopefully I'll have some good news to report here soon and my next post won't take so long to appear.

- C

An Update

Well, I've been back in Texas since May 7. I'm living in Arlington and I've enjoyed getting acclimated to my surroundings and being back where I can enjoy times with friends. I've been job hunting, but so far, nothing. If anyone had any suggestions, leads, etc., I'd love to hear from you.

Tap the brakes ...

After some heavy soul searching, I have decided that I'm not ready to move back to Texas permanently ... yet. There are still several things I need to do here in Ohio before I can move on. The most important of those is helping to decide on a headstone for mom's grave.

Instead of leaving permanently, on Feb. 25th I'm going to go ahead and drive down to Texas and I'm staying three weeks. Then, I'm going to come back to Ohio. We're going to pick out a headstone and get my brother moved back from his apartment to the house, as well as some other things that need done. At that point I'll likely be ready to make the move permanently. I'm thinking late Spring will be when I head down to Texas for good.

My friend told me that the offer she made to me stands, so I am just putting it off temporarily, not declining it. I'm still really excited to get back to Texas and re-start my life, but I need to finish grieving here first.

Transitioning

My life is changing again. I have always said I planned to return to Texas whenever my mom passed away. I would have staying in Ohio forever if it meant mom was still alive, but sadly that isn't the case. I just started trying to figure out how to get back to Texas a few days ago. I figured it would be at least a month or two, maybe more before I managed to get back down there. I had planned to send my resume to people and then try to package several interviews together in one or two weeks, so I could drive down and stay with friends while I interviewed.

I talked to a close friend from high school last night and she made me an offer I couldn't refuse. She and her husband have had some positive changes in their employment over the past few months and they needed a hand in helping get their son to and from places and someone to watch him at times. They offered to let me stay at their home rent free. I will be helping out with their son. As an added bonus, I am going to do some part-time marketing for his insurance agency so I can make some money as well. I'm really excited about the situation because it seems to be a win-win for everyone involved. It will allow me to be in the DFW area for interviews which will be a lot easier than trying to go back and forth. I don't even know if that would have ever worked.

So, I am packing up my car with whatever it will hold and I'm heading to the metroplex on Feb. 26. I can't wait to be home again.

Things are so different now

A few days have passed now since the funeral. Family and friends still call to check in, but not as often. My dad and brother have returned to work. I'm left here to sort through things during the days - and it is hard. Little things can bring on a reaction.

I was going through the items in her purse and found a Kohl's receipt from Dec. 19 - she was shopping just two weeks before her death! At first, it was upsetting that she could do that and now she's gone, but then I thought back to that day. I was the one that took her to Kohl's. I dropped her at the door because she didn't want me to go in with her (in case she found a Christmas present for me).

I waited in the car and pulled up when she was ready to go in about 10 minutes. She got in the car and she started crying. It was all she could do to shop for 10 minutes and it really got to her. When she was healthy, she always wanted to go, go, go. Now, she couldn't even really go to Kohl's for 10 minutes. It was really traumatic at the time, but now I see it as a sign from her that she was ready to go and she didn't want to live a life like that.

A few days later, while we were sitting in the living room, she asked me if it was terrible that she sometimes just wished she could fall asleep and not wake up. I assured her that it wasn't terrible and that it seemed perfectly normal to me.

So, with thoughts like that, I just have a little cry for a minute, think of how much she went through to stay with us as long as she did, and get back to work. That's what she would have wanted!

- C