Closing Doors and Opening Windows

I have been putting this off for what seems like forever. So here I am, as I have promised my wonderful husband (ken) I would, writing a new post and catching up with my friends in blogland. As you can see, there are a few changes to my layout, profile and general blog purposes, so this will serve as a closing post for the latest chapter of my life and a welcome chapter for the new...

First off, there have been more than enough reasons to post in the past 7 months; plenty of life happenings and internal arguments, as well as ideas for pondering. Here is a brief rundown of life as I have known it:

• We spent most of February in LA working on my Mom's house; getting it ready to rent out. In the 3 1/2 weeks we were there, we accomplished maybe 20% of what needed to be done. This lead to every-other-weekend visits to LA for most of March and May. then we bumped it up and spent every weekend, save for one, in LA between the end of May and the end of July. Now we are in August and we are at the point that the renovations are nearly complete and we can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are both trying to figure out what we are going to do with so much time on our hands now that the trips have slowed down. Another point for pondering arises -- After someone has helped with what seems an insurmountable task, how do you know when you have said thank you enough -- is there such a time?
• Ken and I went on a concert kick of sorts -- an American Idol kick no-less. We saw both Taylor Hicks ( the 2006 AI winner) and Bo Bice (the 2005 first runner up). Both concerts were fun and we had great date nights. However, these concerts raised a question -- Is it worth it to go to a concert if you do not know any of the performer's songs?
• My health has been quite the roller coaster ride as well this year. In April I ended up with both an upper respiratory infection and a blood clot in my leg. Followed all that up with severe exhaustion -- or so we thought. I could not get enough sleep and no matter what we did, I was TIRED... well, it turns out that in early June I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. That sure did explain a LOT! (Ken was an amazing caregiver and support the entire time.)
• My 18 year-old niece announced that she is pregnant (Due in September). She is a twin, and one might call her the "good one". While one niece has been very busy growing up before her time and living on the edge, this niece has been doing well in school, working and planning to go to college. It looks like plans have changed slightly, but I am pleased to say that she graduated from high school in May, is still with the baby's father and plans to marry him as well as go to college in the next year. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. While life can throw us curve balls, is it better to live at full strength consequences be damned or is it "smarter" to play it safe and stay true to the course?
• Ken and I have survived, and even thrived in the first 10 months of our marriage. For more on that, go to the For Better or For Worse blog listed in my links.
• In early July I was notified that my office was moving -- again, 14th time in ten years. I will save you from all the details, but let's just say that my new space was sub-par.

Now the big one...

I QUIT MY JOB -- after 10 years with a great company (Health Plan of Nevada) I decided, and Ken supported my actions, that it was time for me to leave the nest of "comfort" and take a little time to catch a deep breath and decide what I want to do with my life. My job at HPN has always been something I kind of just went with the flow on -- nothing I ever loved or wanted to do. Well, between the traveling every weekend, the mounting piles of crap at home as a result, the events of the past 18 months and my continuously unstable health, something had to give. Though I loved the people I worked with, my tenuous relationship with my boss as well as an increasing sense of non satisfaction prevailed and work was that something.

I am now happily on a sabbatical (6 months to a year) and between doctors appointments, organizing our house and making it a home and just plain ol' catching a deep breath, I am trying to decide what I want to do in the next chapter of my life.

Let the musing begin.