testing...one two three?

This is my very first foray into blogging. I'm not really sure why I am, or really what I want to accomplish. Generally, I think it's because I read everyone else's blogs on my lunch break and I feel a little bit guilty not giving back to the internet community. I want to make this blog about happy things...joyous things. Things that make me smile and laugh out loud. More importantly, I dont ever want to take anything in my life for granted. I'm trying this because taking things for granted is something that I have been noticing people doing more and more these days. I cherish every bit of my life and everyone in it. I know that life changes so very quickly, I want a way to hold myself accountable...to remember how blessed I am.

I hope that the 'blog' community will assist me with these goals...perhaps it could be a place that people visit daily and share little bits of hope and laughter to brighten eachother's day. A place where others can share their blessings and help eachother not take them for granted. Big dreams...

Today, in my first blog, let me tell you just a bit about why I love my life. I work for a large large university as an academic advisor. It's an amazing job! I get to sit down with people every day and help them navigate their lives...figure out what they want to do and how they are going to get there. I may never make millions, but I'm rewared every day when I see someone smile because they just realized that they have a future and they just might be good at something. More important than where I work is who I love... I am married to the most amazing man in the entire world, I shall call him PuzzlePiece for the purposes of this blog. You always read about people who never felt whole or happy til they met their significant other...that's not me, I was always happy, always felt complete... but then I met P and entered this whole new realm of love and happiness. He finishes the puzzle of my life...makes me feel as if I'm where I'm supposed to be. I never knew I was missing anything...but found that he completes the picture. He brings things into sharper focus. I am infinitely grateful to Fate, God, whoever arranged our meeting because though it was not love at first sight, it was random chance that it worked out how it did. Chuuuuheeezzzey, I know.

P and I own a fantastic dog who is something out of one of those feel good movies about dogs, think The Incredible Journey and the like. He is "a dog". He fetches, doesn't bark, is loyal and I'm currently signing him up to be a doggy blood donor through my university's amazing Vet porgram. Stop laughing...it's a really good cause!!!

I have been blessed with a really special family who has quirks like you would not believe, but they also are my strongest supporters and my favorite people in life. My sister (the Pig) is a sophomore in college and my parents are 58 and 70 years old. We are a non-traditional family in that and that my father is originally from England. I am going to attempt to make all posts positive about the family :-) We shall see how that goes as they do regularly drive me crazy.

I have three best friends, Llama, Chuck and MojoMom. I hope that one day they find this blog so that they know how much I truly love them...and that they know that anything I write in here is to be taken with a grain of salt. I am blessed to know these three diverse and talented young women and hope that someday I'll be able to find a way to let them know what an impact they've made in my life.

Finally, three things I'm truly grateful for today...

1) that I am where I thought I would be in life one week after turning 30.
2) that I get to go camping for the very first time in less than 2 weeks
3) that my parents have ALMOST moved into their new house...packing is nearly done. thank you thank you thank you.