Curve balls anyone? Yes, life has certainly thrown me a few the past few weeks, so please excuse me while I whine and rant for a few minutes. So, where do I begin? For starters, my car "Polly" decided to die. Well, it didn't completely die, just the transmission went out. The car is paid for, but not worth paying $1500 for a new transmission since the engine has over 170,000 miles on it, and its 10 years old. Second, we are having to move out of the house. I'm not going into detail here because it's personal, but this is such a traumatic event since we are having to leave both houses. So many memories will be left behind, not sure exactly how to handle it all. Third, I'm trying to protect someone I love from pure evil, which resulted in a physical altercation. Basically to sum it up, my life has been turned upside down and at the same time I'm trying to raise my family, maintain decent grades in school, and find a job. Yes, working while attending college full time and caring for a family can be done! BUT, you know what? This may have knocked me down for a short time, but I have stood back up on my own two feet and I am coming back fighting tooth and nail. If you think something or someone is going to stop me now, well you're wrong! Watch out, you've never seen me like this before!

I am proud to say that I am once again a college student! Classes begin today, and I will be attending my first class today as well. All of my classes are online except for math, which is a hybrid class. A hybrid class means that I do some classwork in the classroom and some classwork online.
I am so excited and nervous at the same time! It's definitely going to be a challenge, especially since the last time I was in a classroom was in 1995. Yes, I did complete a semester at Lanier Tech back in 2004, but those classes were online, and I'm not even counting the phlebotomy course I completed. Don't get me started on that school. Anyway, I expect great things to happen this semester and I will keep you all updated on my progress! :)

After 4 lab workups, a chest X-ray, catscan of my chest and abdomen, cardiac stress test, and being tested for blood clots, I still have no answers as to why I'm having this chest pain. I was told there's over 160 different things that can cause chest pain. I'm thinking stress, but that's just my guess. So, I'm being discharged and I'm going to follow up in a few days with my primary care and cardiologist. We'll get this figured out! Please pray that I receive an answer!

Well, after spending 3 hours in the emergency room for unexplained chest pain, I have been moved up to ER observation unit so they can do more testing.

Normally they would just send me home and advise me to consult with my primary care physician. However, since I have such a strong history of cardiac problems on my fathers side of the family, they are going to do some extensive testing to rule out any serious issues. Plus, since I have just returned from a long road trip, I am also going to be tested for blood clots. So far they've draw blood twice, and now I'm waiting to go downstairs for some tests. I will update later. Send up lots of prayers! 

Vacation is Over....Back to Reality

Well, we've been home for two days now. I have to say that it was the BEST vacation I've been on in a very long time! It was very exhausting bouncing from hotel to hotel, but it was fun at the same time. :)
We were so glad to finally make it to Fort Myers Beach to The Outrigger Beach Resort. Relaxing on the beach and not going anywhere for 4 days was FABULOUS! The resort upgraded our room, so we were right beside the pool with a partial view of the beach/ocean. It was wonderful to step from the sidewalk directly onto the sand. I think we've found our favorite vacation destination for future vacations!

Anyway, getting settled back at home has been a chore. Tons of laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning what Taylor didn't clean. Today, hopefully, I will have time to get out all of my shells and re-clean them since they are a little smelly from being in the plastic bags. I found some good shells so I will take pictures of them before placing them in my bowl. :)

Also, I have lots of training to get caught up on with the American Red Cross. They are launching a new Disaster Training University for new volunteers. Super excited about that! I also have to take the COMPASS test and turn in my last document to Gwinnett Tech.

Yeah, life is pretty grand right now! :) Haters will always talk because they are jealous and troubled with their own demons in life. That's fine with me because I'm going to SHINE! All I can say to you/y'all is that I will pray for you/y'all. It must feel pretty bad to be so jealous and caught up in someones life, that it affects your own. Praying that you'll find your OWN way and stop making everything a competition. Enough said on that subject.....moving on!

I hope everyone has a fabulous week! :)

Ok, so yesterday was the best day of the trip so far!

Aunt Deena took us out on the boat into the channels and ocean. We anchored on the Atlantic side and did a little swimming in the shallow water. Next Katie wanted to go fishing so Deena took us thru the other end of Tavernier Creek and into the Gulf side. They didn't catch any fish, but it was still fun speeding thru the water. :)

We finished off the day by going to Anne's Beach, then having dinner at Robbie's and feeding the Tarpons. Those fish are HUGE!! 

Headed to Key West today! :)

We made it to Lake Placid, Florida safely, but it was not a fun ride to say the least. I really hate motion sickness and poor Katie-bug had a pretty bad case of it. Bless her heart, she vomited off and on the last three hours of the trip. We thought it was a stomach virus, so just in case we decided to stay at the Holiday Inn instead of going to the grandparents house. It would be just awful if the virus was passed on to them! 

Anyway, she is feeling much better after some rest so more than likely it was just a very bad case of car sickness. *crossing fingers and knocking on wood*

Lets pray that our travels throughout the remainder of the trip are much better. :)

We are officially Florida bound! Ian got off work early and came to my house to pack the car and we headed out about 3:30am.

Riding passed the Norcross and Doraville areas on the interstate brings back so many memories from when I was little. Many of them are of my mom. I can't help but to reflect back and smile/cry because they are good memories.

Anyway, we are all so excited to finally be on the road. We have tons of stuff planned to do in Florida. I would like for everyone to please pray for safe travels since we will be driving a lot during this vacation! 

Check back daily for updates!  Oh, let me apologize in advance for the typos. I'm using the Blogger app and sometimes spell check likes to change my words. Lol

Beach....Here We Come!

Have I mentioned lately how excited I am? Why, you ask? Because we are going to the BEACH in 3 days! We are so excited! This is a much needed break from reality for sure.
First, we're going to take Katie to visit her great grandparents in Lake Placid for a few days, then we are going to the Keys for three days. On Monday, we're checking out of the Keys, jetting up through Miami Beach and Hollywood Beach, then over through Hollywood so Ian can show Katie where he grew up. After that, we're going to cut across Alligator Alley to Fort Myers Beach/Sanibel Island area Monday afternoon to stay for three more days. We'll end the fabulous vacation celebrating Fourth of July with fireworks on the beach. It doesn't get any better than this! I just wish my Tater could come along. I'm going to miss her while I'm gone!
Of course you must stay tuned to the blog to read updates while we are gone. I will not be posting details on Facebook, except a few pictures and check-ins. I will, however, be posting tons of pics on Instagram. If you're not following me on Instagram, just click the icon on the right side of the blog. :)
Have a fabulous day my friends! :) Time to start packing! :)

FINALLY, softball All Stars are over with! These last few days have been dragging by waiting for the final game. This was not a good experience, in my opinion, for Katie. Yes, she did have fun and that's all that matters, but these coaches did not meet my expectations at all. Thank goodness her regular season coaches were assisting and she was able to get some coaching from them.
The team lost every single All Star game. They played good, but once again the coaches were focused too much on fielding and not enough on batting. That's where we were lacking strength. Yes, we have some awesome hitters, but at times they couldn't even get the ball passed the pitcher! That was a combo of having a horrible pitcher (coach pitching), and not enough batting practice.
Don't even get me started on the competition level with most of the teams we played. It was like night and day! Seriously. I was embarrassed for the team to say the least. Teams already notice where we're from and automatically judge us, but to get creamed at the same time is just a low blow for everyone. Our recreation department needs to step up to the plate to improve the facilities, get better equipment, and provide better training options for the kids/coaches.
Katie will definitely play Fall season softball with her current regular season team, but when Spring season rolls around I think we are going to pay a few bucks more to go to a better rec league. We're going play this idea out by ear though.

Life in general is fabulous right now! I'm not being sarcastic either, I'm serious. I'm getting closer and closer to getting a phlebotomy job, but also searching and applying for other jobs as well. Right now I can't afford to wait around for the job that I want. I will gladly take whatever I can get until I get into the medical field. You can't be picky when you don't have a job at all and people are counting on you contribute to bills and savings. 

Anyway, I've been getting my documents together for Gwinnett Tech, and also studying for the COMPASS test next week. I originally was accepted to Lanier Tech, BUT the last time I attended that school about 8 years ago I dropped all of my classes because I was sick from being pregnant with Katie. This resulted in me having a low completion rate which means they're not going to offer me financial aid until I bring up my completion rate. Sorry, but I'm not going to pay for classes when I can just go somewhere else and get financial aid. Yes, it's going to be a huge inconvenience because of the drive, but I have no choice at this point. Taylor has a dual enrollment next year at Lanier Tech, so that's going to be a chore working out schedules. We can do it though. I know God will not give me more than I can handle. :)

Facebook

UGH! Facebook. Where do I begin? Have I expressed how much I dislike Facebook, but yet I just can't stay away. Not that I'm obsessed with any one person, that will never happen. I guess it's the instant gratification of knowing what everyone is up to instantly at my fingertips. It's really the only way I keep in touch with close friends and distant family. Sad. I guess the convenience factor plays a big role once again. It's so much easier to send a quick message than to pick up the phone. Anyway, I'm staying away as much as possible, updating only with check-ins and a status update every once in a while.
This blog is the place to be if you want to follow me from now on. I'll be posting pictures here and on Instagram from now on. I'm not deactivating my Facebook profile. You can still message me on Facebook,  I just won't be on as much.
Don't forget to follow me on the other websites as well. :)

Happy Blogging!

When things aren't going the way I had planned, I have to remember that God has the plan for me.

Mother's Day

Today was a good day.
Mother's Day has never been my favorite day, but it's getting better with time. For a while, my mom and I didn't get along so well and I wasn't the daughter I should've been. So there are many regrets about this day that I am dealing with. It is getting easier to handle, especially with my sweet girls. They mean the world to me! I love them to the moon and back!
We celebrated the day by visiting mom's grave to FINALLY put some pretty pink flowers out. Katie picked out the flowers. You should've seen her face because she was so excited! She said, "I know grandma will love these!" We also put some flowers out for Nana Payne. Her favorite color was purple, so we bought some beautiful purple flowers. I miss that sweet lady so much!
After taking tons of pictures of the occasion and saying our prayers and goodbyes, we went out to lunch. My sweet cousin treated everyone to lunch at the mexican restaurant. It was very nice to spend the day with my family. :)

I did it! 

 I passed the national exam, and I'm officially a Certified Phlebotomy Technician! I am on cloud nine right now! Today is the two year anniversary of my mothers death, so I was a little worried that the stress from that would affect my thinking, but it didn't. I think of it more as encouragement knowing that she would be so proud of me. 

Most of the questions were easy. It was all scenario questions, some of which I saw on previous tests, or were similar to previous test questions. I was a little aggravated though because the first 15 questions had to do with urine and stool samples, something that we did not cover in class. So yeah, I basically guessed those answers.

All of that stressing out the past few weeks was worth it. Now it's time to drown myself in job applications! Thank you to all that have been supportive, especially one person in particular. :) 

 

This is my diploma! The official certificate will arrive in the mail in a few weeks. 

Life is good!

I have lots of wonderful things going on right now in my life. 

Not to toot my own horn, but I am very proud of myself. 

This coming Tuesday I will be a certified phlebotomy technician. 

I have registered for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. I have to raise $2300 by October in order to qualify to participate. 60 miles in 3 days! Wow!

I have an interview with the Red Cross this week to start volunteering in both blood services and disaster relief. Then within the next few weeks I will be doing the volunteer training. I'm very excited about that! My plan is to eventually get a job with the Red Cross. **Crossing Fingers**

I'm registered at Lanier Tech to start the Fall semester. Going forward with my plan to work as a phlebotomy tech while going to school to earn my surgical tech degree. I was going to start this Summer, but silly me looked at the dates wrong. Grrr! Oh well. I think starting in the Fall will be a lot better. I need some time to sort out some things and get settled with a job.

I am just so happy with everything right now! Nothing or no one will knock me down now! To the critics who love to run their mouths, this one is for you! Kiss it!

Have a great weekend! :)

Sorry for the lack of updates. My life is so full of fun and interesting things that I've been overwhelmingly busy. Yeah right.
Anyway, I finally went to the endocrinologist on Wednesday to get better control of the diabetes and PCOS symptoms. I totally didn't know that Metformin was prescribed to PCOS patients who aren't diabetic. So the doc upped the dose to kill two birds with one stone. I was worried that I was going to be prescribed with a bunch of expensive medication. Thank goodness Metformin is free at Publix. :)
The goal is to come off the meds and strictly take control of my blood sugar with diet and exercise alone. So, I meet with a dietician in three weeks to discuss diet options. I've already discovered a new diet that I started today. I will reveal the diet I'm on when I begin to see results. :) It's not the South Beach diet either.
That's about it for now.
Oh yeah...I registered for the national exam. I'm scheduled to take it on the 26th which I might have to reschedule because at the time I totally forgot what the 26th is.....two years that my mother has been in Heaven. I think I will be OK. I'm just going to remember that she would be so proud of me. :)
'Til next time!
~Brandy

An Evening with Bon Jovi

It's true that I'm a Bon Jovi veteran. Last nights concert was AMAZING! I can proudly say that I now have six Bon Jovi concerts under my belt. I should have seen more, but you know how it goes, life gets in the way. Ten years was way to long that's for sure! The performance was just as spectacular as I last remember! Jon really knows how to bring out the energy and rock the crowd! 
Our seats were pretty good. They weren't front row, but close enough to where I was able to get some pretty good pictures with my camera.
Now I just need to buy the new CD so I can learn those new songs they played for us last night. Pretty catchy tunes. I mean c'mon it's Bon Jovi so of course the new material is going to be awesome! :)

I love this video because he shakes his butt all through the song. Hey..that's why over half the women still attend the concerts! ;) My camera did a pretty good job, though the sound quality isn't that great. Time to upgrade the camera I guess.

You can find the pictures on my Instagram page. :)  
Click on the brown camera icon under "Follow Me" ------------>