Felling A Tad Bit Emotional...

After being bed bound for 4 days, I'm actually on the mend. I go back to work tomorrow after being on vacation for 2 weeks and although I'm sort of anxious to get back into a routine, work will be different for me from now on. My very close friend and co-worker Cindy moved to Oregon the day after Christmas. Our last day working together was Christmas Eve. I knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye but it was much harder than I had anticipated. It felt like a sister was moving away.

Here is a picture of Cindy, another close friend Kathy, and myself at work on Christmas Eve.


Kathy (the tall one) has been my partner for the last couple of years and now she has decided to make a career change as well. She will continue to still work in the field of nursing but is choosing now to do dialysis in the hospital setting and not at our dialysis unit. I can't even explain how much I'm going to miss these 2 ladies at work. They were on the job years before I arrived and over the past 6 years they've both nurtured me, supported me, and became my best friends. I love and admire them both tremendously. Break time will never be the same.

Speaking of missing people, my beautiful daughter headed back to Arizona today. We didn't do much during her Christmas break but it was enjoyable just the same. Courtney is so easy to please and such a joy to be around. I already miss her presence in the house. The hard part of having a child go to school in another state is that each time they come home or if you go visit them, it breaks your heart to say goodbye. Maybe it's not like that for everyone but for me, this has been one tearful day.

I'm so sorry if this post is a downer...it truly wasn't meant to be. The weather is dreary, I've been sick, and I'm really missing family and friends, especially my kids. When your kids get older, you grieve for the past and although you look forward to the future, you realize your children are grown and have lives of their own. This can be a hard pill to swallow and really takes some adjusting to. On the one hand you're proud that you've raised independent young adults yet you miss them and their younger days something terrible. But life is a progression isn't it?!

There have been tears today but I have a good feeling about this new year...the year 2009. Like many of you, I'm embracing it, I'm welcoming it, and I'm committing to do my part to make it a wonderful year.


Courtney, think smart, be safe, and have a great semester at school! I love and miss you! (Boy do I look washed out in this picture. I need to 1) start taking my vitamins; 2) learn how to apply make-up!)