Ok, so quarterly updates aren't my thing...

how about whenever the heck I remember to do this updates? hahaha

i still have the excitement and fresh attitude I had at the last post. the job is still exciting and i love it. i do have a little something in the works that could be an amazing experience, but i don't want to jinx it, so you have to wait till i find out more.

life is all around wonderful. i live in my little one bedroom apartment in north canton. me and my guinea pig willie... RIP Waylon :( I love the whole independence thing and I've found it to be inspiring. One of my bestest, Lisa Rober, lived with me for a while when she had some downtime from school. She is now back up rockin it out in Bowling Green. It was funny... we always had planned to move in together when we were grown up... who would have thought that a plan from over 15 years ago would come true now? crazy!!

mom and i are back to having a great relationship. I love being able to have my mom as my best friend. luke, kate, and i are also doing great. got to hang out with the whole fam for new years and it was such a great way to start the year. very low key and relaxing.

winthers got a greyhound named Packer. He is the doggie opposite of luke and kate's dog sonny, but both the personalities really make me like greyhounds. very cool, laid back doggies. 55 mph couch potatoes is what i always hear them referred to, and once you get to know them, it makes perfect sense.

got a couple concerts lined up to go to. Mom, me, Sandy (who by the way moved to Denver with Tony in Jan) and Tim ( who I no longer talk to) went to see Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert around Halloween. I am planning on seeing Trace Akins and Billy Currrington and Taylor Swift the day before my birthday with Jimmy (my new boyfriend). We also just got tickets for the Kenny Chesney/ Brooks and Dunn/ Pat Green/ Sugarland concert in July. PRE SALE!!! woo!! we got 4 tickets and got mom a ticket right next to us. kinda expensive, but i'm sure it will be worth it!

well i'm at the library (as i have absolutely no internet at my house yet... one day!) and my minutes are about up. i am going to use a jimmy john's coupon tonite that the coolest couple in the world got for me!!!

Before I leave... a song from Dierks...on the long trip alone album

11. Prodigal Son's Prayer(featuring The Grascals)

Father meet me with your arms wide open
The world’s done broken your prodigal son
Down that road I traveled
Everything raveled only came undone
Father lead me down to the river
Wash me in the water till I’m whiter than snow
I know I’m not worthy
But tell me there’s mercy for the wanderin’ soul
I lost my way but now I’m on my knees
If it’s not too late won’t you tell me please
You gotta place for me
A little grace for me
Father meet me in the cool green valley
In all of your glory when my days are done
Name me as one of your chosen
Heaven’s unbroken prodigal son
Father meet me with your arms wide open
Lead me down to the river
Meet me in the cool green valley
Name me one of your chosen
Heaven’s unbroken prodigal son


have a great day everyone!!! and love everybody!!!

Quarterly Update

Kate called it! Time for an update!

First off, I will refer to one of my earlier posts:

"Any resolutions for the new year?? Every time I make one, i break it... but i'm gonna give it a try again. I'd like to be more secure with myself in the comming year, being more able to stand up for me and what I choose to do. I want to not be run over by others. I want to be more healthy. Work out maybe a little more. Not owe people so much money. annnnd get a puppy (although chance > all dogs) when i can afford it! hahaha"

Well.... I am becoming more secure with myself. I've broken free from a relationship turned sour. I've completely torn apart my life and started over again from the ground up. I have a new job at Park Mazda selling cars. I've already proved myself as having potential and am very excited with the opportunities that are on the horizon. I am laying the foundation.
I've decided to make a life for myself right here. I've worked so hard to get myself to where I am (granted, I did have a ton of help... i love you mom, luke, and kate!!!) and i'm not going to waste it. This is my time to make myself happy... and I'm going for it full throttle. You can't get run over if they can't catch you! haha
I've been alot more healthy since I made the decision to ditch what stressed me out the most. I'm on my way to a healthy independence... and I'm psyched.

As you can see, things have changed dramatically. And I'm really okay with it. Life has those crazy twists and turns and suprises. So I'm not living like I'd planned... but this is so much better! I'm closer to my family and friends. Reconnecting with old buddies and getting to know new people who I probably wouldn't have given much thought to. I'm enjoying this and growing every day.

I'm not saying that I don't get lonely... or sad... because I really do sometimes. But it can't be rosy all the time, or you wouldn't appreciate all the good stuff that comes into your life.

I'm also riding horses again. Professionally even. I can't believe I even let the thought of getting out of the business entertain me for a while. I don't need to own every horse... or spend every second with equines. But they are my passion, and I just can't throw that away either. That is part of me and what makes me who I am. We are all passionate about something... what is it that makes you tick?


well thats enough for now

love everybody!
-Val

Long time no type

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been outta the loop for the past 7 months.... oops.
A ton has happened since the last post, so i'll update you:
-turned 21 on feb 25th. great time. surrounded by lots of friends and they broke me in pretty well to the whole bar scene.
- still working at Infocision. Got full time in the mailroom and as the special projects worker/oversee-er.
- Willie and Waylon (the guinea pigs) got in a huge fight and Willie almost lost an eye. A vet trip and a few rounds of medication the eye is saved. They have little quarrels now, but since we gave them a beer box for them to hide in, they seem much happier.
- Dancer and Joker now live at Robin's house, and Dancer is on his way to being Robin's. She's great to him and he loves her alot. They go everywhere together. Too sweet!
- Graduated from Kent State in May. Got my BBA in marketing. Luke, Kate and Mom came up to celebrate with me. Love those guys!
-Went to Hawaii a week after I graduated. Chris, Denise, Jim, Caitlin, Alicia, and myself stayed in a beautiful villa. Thanks to Luke and Kate, I had pimp luggage for the trip! :) Had some of the best food ever. saw spectacular sunsets. dranks some awesome drinks. bonded with the boyfriend's fam. went snorkling, scuba diving, horseback riding, shopping, body surfing, boogie boarding, and had a kick-butt time. Everyone should go there!
-Memorial day weekend, I went home to see Grammie and mom. Got to chill out with Grammie and we had a really great talk. All kind of insights only and 81 year old could give.
-That same weekend, Mom and I traveled out to MD to see Luke and Kate. Picked up some flooring. Had some great conversations. Ate some yummy food. Drank some tasty strawberry-grape daquiris. Got to see the beautiful improvements to their house. Everyone who love Luke and Kate should go there!
- On Tuesday, May 30, Grammie went home to be with the Lord. She went peacefully in her sleep. Said everything she needed to say and did everything she wanted to do. She left this world with no regrets.
-The funeral and everything was on that thursday. The whole family came up and we had a nice little reunion, given the circumstances. I hope that wasn't the last time we could all get together.
-On June 6, Chris signed on a 4 bedroom 2 bath ranch home with a swimming pool. He will close in mid July and move in will be before mid August.
-On July 1, Chris and I reached our official 1 year anniversary as a couple. Had a great homemade steak dinner and hung out with friends.

So lots has gone on. some good some bad. that's life. Still having a very hard time gettng used to living without a huge piece of my life. I've let some other people in that have really helped out though. It's strange where you find pieces of wisdom. The other day, my friend and I ran into an old Native American hitchhiker. Some things he said were totally off the wall (he's been hitchiking for 34 years.... so yeah... kinda odd.) but he was kinda wise in his crazy ways.

In closing, I'll leave a song that's touched me lately:

Life Ain't always beautiful
Sometimes its just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain't always beautiful
you think your on your way
and its just a dead end road at the end of the day

but the struggles make you stronger
and the changes make you wise
and happiness has its own way of taking it's sweet time

No life ain't always beautiful
tears will fall sometimes
no life ain't always beautiful
but its a beautiful ride


Take care everyone. Love everybody
V

yaaaay!!

soo... i'm feeling all stiff and sore. some meanie head ladie rearended me on 77N when i was heading back home from work. oh, did i mention i was in chris' civic? blah. i'm ok-ish. the car is fine. just a little scratched. chris says its making a rattle sound now though, so the body shop is gonna check it out tomorrow.

but because i had to go to the hospital, a few absolutely amazing things happened! I got to eat at the absolute best resturaunt i've eaten at since gumbo ya-ya!!!! Primo's Deli is f-ing a may zing! i had the most yummalicious spicy italian sub ever!!!! and luke, they have dogfishhead beer there!!! along with everything else you could ever imagine! i'm going there for my 21st bday!
Chris' mom Denise also noticed that my purse was being extra crappy... so she gave me another birthday present early... a chelsea coach purse!!!! holy crap i feel spoiled! it's so pretty and soft and i love it! This is it!

cute huh? did i say i love it? she also gave me a really cute shirt and a new pair of jeans. i was really needing them right about now, as all my jeans are ripped or too small. Thanks for the early presents!!

So for the past couple days i've been laying around being doped up on muscle relaxers. what fun! blah. yeah right.

i got a lot of pics from christmas, and i feel like sharing, so hold tight!

Me, Chris, and Grammie

Amber, Key, Kate, Luke, Me, Toph at Taco Bell/LGS

Toph and his magic drink library!!!

here's a couple random ones too!

me and Mr. Gixxer!

hahaha chris tried to suprise me when he took this pic at oshkosh!

Toph and I with the P-51 Mustang, Old Crow!

well.. that's all i feel like doing today. have a good one!

love everybody!!

V

Welcome 2006!!!!

Soo... to have a better update this time...

Heidi and Bryan's wedding = the shiznit! It was beautiful! She looked amazing! The ceremony was beautiful. The reception hall looked so romantic. All in all, a great wedding! Congrats you guys!!

Finals week was grrrreat! I worked a ton, took 6 exams, and got a 3.8 gpa. all in all not bad at all!

Christmas was great. spent eve and part of day with toph's family. very relaxing! i love it there! then we came home for grandma's christmas bash! great to see almost all the family. missed kelly, jess, and trenton... but catching up with the rest of the fam was awesome! grammy was so happy about it too! she was absolutely bubbling. she gave me a great photo album of when i was little. lotsa crazy pics of her and g-pa when they first got engaged and momma and blue and luke in a few pics. Got to see Key and Amber on the 26th. Key is freaking hilarious! I could listen to his stories forever! I love seeing how he and Amber interact too.. very cute to see how she gives him a simple look and he knows exactly what it means. adorable!

Momma had her partay for leaving the dover post office. Kinda slow at first, but then it picked up when the kareoke started. lotsa johnny cash songs were sung. i was happy. a guy got a ho for christmas and came to the bar to show her off... that was quite humorous. he ended up breaking her boobs (which were balloons anyway! don't worry! and she really was a hoe too!) Toph had a great time too! he never drank in a bar before! he did his beer disappearing act! hehehe

i've been working for Infocision stamping envelopes and stuffing direct mail packets in the morning. it's not too bad. i just wish toph and i were on the same schedule. he comes home from work, i go to sleep. i wake up, he goes to sleep. i come home and take a nap when he wakes up. oh well. we do get a couple hours together. and i got the past 2 sundays and mondays off. that was nice when he was home from work.

new years was great!!! we had a bunch of people over. my kent family was all here! if you are on facebook, there are plenty of pics that i'm tagged under, if you want to see. we had daqueries, jello shots, beer, scotch, rum, so-co, jager, and who knows what else! Theresa and Ray even made it up!! So glad that we could all get together. New years has to be one of my favorite holidays!

so that's my update!

Any resolutions for the new year?? Every time I make one, i break it... but i'm gonna give it a try again. I'd like to be more secure with myself in the comming year, being more able to stand up for me and what I choose to do. I want to not be run over by others. I want to be more healthy. Work out maybe a little more. Not owe people so much money. annnnd get a puppy (although chance > all dogs) when i can afford it! hahaha

Happy New Year to all!!!

love everybody!!

-V

One Pretty Bum

sooooo....
my hair is highlighted
my nails are done
my ears are pierced... and so is my belly button!!!!
yay for the month that Val finally became girly!!! This stuff is really fun. should have done it earlier!

heheh can't wait to show everyone!

Happy Holidays!!

V

Why War?

why have all this conflict? why can't people just understand that everyone has different opinions? no one needs to attack anyone. really, it pushes the people you are trying to change further away. just respect others and let them be. life is variable. there is no prescribed manner by which to go about it. the sooner we understand this, the more quickly we will be able to understand the freedom of choice, leading to the acceptance of decisions made by others. no wars involved.