Friday, July 31, 2009
I have always loved my sister. She was my very first friend, chosen not by me, but by God; and what a wonderful choice He made. I love the quote I choose to title this blog because it really describes the way I view my relationship with my sister. She was given to me by God; here to walk with me through the stormy days as well as the sunny ones. I can only hope that I’m half the sister to her that she is to me.
When we were younger, Amber was my playmate, role model and sometimes (though this title was more often given to Brad) my tormentor. As we grew, I constantly found myself watching Amber to see what she did, what she liked, how she decorated her room. I always loved whatever she did and tried my best to mimic it. I rarely did as well as she did. To this day, I still find myself seeking out her opinion on how to decorate my house, how to handle a problem with friends, or simply why my crazy mind works the way it does.
These last few years Amber and I have grown very close. I can’t say she is my best friend, because she is more than that. I can’t say she is just my sister, because that simply implies a blood tie. She is somewhere, somehow, a combination of both. A person so close to my heart, I think she can feel what I’m thinking before I say it.
In the last couple of days I’ve had to consider what life would be like without my sister. That thought was something to devastating to even dwell on for more than a second. Thinking of her being sick made my heart hurt in ways I can never put into words. My mind simply could not go there. Thankfully, after several days of worry, we received the wonderful news that she would be okay. It was like a cloud had been lifted from my life. Many people say that good can come from such circumstances because it makes people realize how much someone means to them. But, for me, I already knew how special she was, I didn’t need anything to “show” me that.
Amber and I have many great memories together and I am so glad that many more years lay ahead. As my mom once said of her daughters, “she is my sister, no relationship, no friendship can be more precious than that. Friends can come and go, friends can move on and be forgotten, but not so with sisters. She can never come too often, nor stay away too long to become unwelcome. I can love and like things about her as I would a friend, but most important: she is my sister.”
Love you Amber.
When we were younger, Amber was my playmate, role model and sometimes (though this title was more often given to Brad) my tormentor. As we grew, I constantly found myself watching Amber to see what she did, what she liked, how she decorated her room. I always loved whatever she did and tried my best to mimic it. I rarely did as well as she did. To this day, I still find myself seeking out her opinion on how to decorate my house, how to handle a problem with friends, or simply why my crazy mind works the way it does.
These last few years Amber and I have grown very close. I can’t say she is my best friend, because she is more than that. I can’t say she is just my sister, because that simply implies a blood tie. She is somewhere, somehow, a combination of both. A person so close to my heart, I think she can feel what I’m thinking before I say it.
In the last couple of days I’ve had to consider what life would be like without my sister. That thought was something to devastating to even dwell on for more than a second. Thinking of her being sick made my heart hurt in ways I can never put into words. My mind simply could not go there. Thankfully, after several days of worry, we received the wonderful news that she would be okay. It was like a cloud had been lifted from my life. Many people say that good can come from such circumstances because it makes people realize how much someone means to them. But, for me, I already knew how special she was, I didn’t need anything to “show” me that.
Amber and I have many great memories together and I am so glad that many more years lay ahead. As my mom once said of her daughters, “she is my sister, no relationship, no friendship can be more precious than that. Friends can come and go, friends can move on and be forgotten, but not so with sisters. She can never come too often, nor stay away too long to become unwelcome. I can love and like things about her as I would a friend, but most important: she is my sister.”
Love you Amber.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Funny story. I was hungry this afternoon so I decided to stop by MickeyD's and get me some yummy junk food complete with a large sweet nectar of life (aka Dr. Pepper). I ordered my food and like normal handed my debit card to the worker. As I waited for my food at the next window I was told that my card did not go through. This didn't make a whole lot of sense to me since I knew we had money in the account. However, I generally panic at the meer thought of money problems, so I quickly went through every possible explanation in my head. In the meanwhile the lady at the window looks down at me (probably thinking horrible thoughts about over drafters in her head) and asks if I have another method of payment with me. She also keeps a death grip on the food bag, ya know, in case I decide to make a dash for it right there in the drive through line! I hand her my credit card, which is quickly accepted by that stupid machine. The lady reluctantly gives me my food and lets me go.
Of course, I race home to check our account balance- which is fine. More than enough to afford some artery-clogging goodness. So what's up then? The machine is obviously not broken cause it took my credit card, and it can't be my debit card cause we have money in the account! A quick call to Cody assures me that he has not been having this problem. I try to chalk it up to a weird twist in my life and forget about it.
A little later I decide to go get some healthy veggies from Dairy Queen (what???? they don't sell vegetables at DQ? ok- I needed some ice cream, shoot me) and I hand them my debit card. I watch the girl slide it through the machine and then try to flag down a manager without my notice. ????? What is going on here? I actually thought maybe the cops were after me for something I didn't remember doing! The manager and employee have a quick conversation and then the manager comes to the window with my card. I hold out my hand for it and she jerks it away saying she needs to see my id. I quickly comply, handing her my licence. After verifying that I am indeed Stacey Stafford, she tells me that my card has been declined and that they have instructions to hold the card and call the banking center. OMG! What the hell is going on here? She reluctantly hands me my card back after I assure her that I've been having this trouble all day. She offers several explanations for what could be the problem, assuming, I'm sure, that I had simply stolen the card and got caught stuffing my face with ice cream! I again have to pay with my credit card and the first employee hands me the ice cream, judging me all the while.
Tired of receiving dirty looks like I'm a common criminal, I decide to just run by the bank. While there I'm told that my card has been cancelled because of a nationwide scam in which someone stole hundreds of debit card numbers. I had been notified of this by letter months ago, but had never received my new debit card. When I explain this to the clerk, she finds that the bank has 3 different addresses for me, none of which are correct. I have literally called that bank like a million times trying to get them the right address! She informs me that they have it right now (yeah, heard that before) and that they will mail my new debit card to the bank so we know it gets to the right place this time. In the meantime, well 10-14 business days to be exact, I'll be out of a debit card. Crap, dang-it to hell! I hate carrying cash! She offered to shred my old debit card for me....nice lady.
Of course, I race home to check our account balance- which is fine. More than enough to afford some artery-clogging goodness. So what's up then? The machine is obviously not broken cause it took my credit card, and it can't be my debit card cause we have money in the account! A quick call to Cody assures me that he has not been having this problem. I try to chalk it up to a weird twist in my life and forget about it.
A little later I decide to go get some healthy veggies from Dairy Queen (what???? they don't sell vegetables at DQ? ok- I needed some ice cream, shoot me) and I hand them my debit card. I watch the girl slide it through the machine and then try to flag down a manager without my notice. ????? What is going on here? I actually thought maybe the cops were after me for something I didn't remember doing! The manager and employee have a quick conversation and then the manager comes to the window with my card. I hold out my hand for it and she jerks it away saying she needs to see my id. I quickly comply, handing her my licence. After verifying that I am indeed Stacey Stafford, she tells me that my card has been declined and that they have instructions to hold the card and call the banking center. OMG! What the hell is going on here? She reluctantly hands me my card back after I assure her that I've been having this trouble all day. She offers several explanations for what could be the problem, assuming, I'm sure, that I had simply stolen the card and got caught stuffing my face with ice cream! I again have to pay with my credit card and the first employee hands me the ice cream, judging me all the while.
Tired of receiving dirty looks like I'm a common criminal, I decide to just run by the bank. While there I'm told that my card has been cancelled because of a nationwide scam in which someone stole hundreds of debit card numbers. I had been notified of this by letter months ago, but had never received my new debit card. When I explain this to the clerk, she finds that the bank has 3 different addresses for me, none of which are correct. I have literally called that bank like a million times trying to get them the right address! She informs me that they have it right now (yeah, heard that before) and that they will mail my new debit card to the bank so we know it gets to the right place this time. In the meantime, well 10-14 business days to be exact, I'll be out of a debit card. Crap, dang-it to hell! I hate carrying cash! She offered to shred my old debit card for me....nice lady.
Sorry for the long absences between my posts, I haven't been really great about keeping this up! I just seem to find myself so busy doing nothing that I don't have time to do anything else. So, I'll just give a little summary of my summer.
School is going great. I can't believe I only have 3 weeks left before this semester is over. For those of you who are not counting, that means I'll only have 2 semesters left! WOW, I can't wait to graduate! But first I have to make it through these next few weeks. Currently, we are learning how to give injections. It is really fun to give injections, but we also have to be guinea pigs for the other students too! I got 8 different injections in my mouth in two days! That sucked. We are also learning some advanced instrumentation, which I'm really looking forward to. I'm also breaking out all the flash cards and board books so I can start studying for my board examinations. I will take those in March and May of 2010. Not looking forward to that.
Cody and I are looking forward to a time when our schedules will correspond a little better. Right now we pretty much say good morning and good night. The rest of our relationship is conducted over the phone, which sucks. So hopefully some things can change and we can see more of each other soon.
I've really been enjoying spending time with Anna this summer. Mom and I have taken her to the pool a few times, which she loves. She is learning how to blow bubbles and bounce to the side of the pool and call for help in case she ever needs it. It's so cute to watch her enjoy the water.
Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to my beloved grandpa this summer as well. My grandpa Hubert passed away last week after complications of a minor surgery. I already miss him more than I can express in words. Grandpa was that presence in my life that always seemed superhuman. He was the strongest man I've ever seen. His favorite pastime was fishing. We have so many pictures of Grandpa standing in front of the house with his wading boots on holding up the latest catch. He was beloved by all who knew him. We have cousins in several states, all of whom made the long journey here to Missouri to say goodbye to their hero. It really shows how much he loved all his family when he could impress so much upon each of their lives, even though so many miles seperated them. Life will never ever be the same without his great presence in my life. Though this has been one of the saddest goodbyes I've ever had to say, I rest my hope in the knowledge that I will see Grandpa again. Rest assured that I will look forward to this reunion in Heaven for the rest of my life. Grandpa, I will always love you and I take comfort in the fact that you are no longer in any pain.
So there is my summer in just a few paragraphs. Hopefully I will be better about keeping this blog updated!
School is going great. I can't believe I only have 3 weeks left before this semester is over. For those of you who are not counting, that means I'll only have 2 semesters left! WOW, I can't wait to graduate! But first I have to make it through these next few weeks. Currently, we are learning how to give injections. It is really fun to give injections, but we also have to be guinea pigs for the other students too! I got 8 different injections in my mouth in two days! That sucked. We are also learning some advanced instrumentation, which I'm really looking forward to. I'm also breaking out all the flash cards and board books so I can start studying for my board examinations. I will take those in March and May of 2010. Not looking forward to that.
Cody and I are looking forward to a time when our schedules will correspond a little better. Right now we pretty much say good morning and good night. The rest of our relationship is conducted over the phone, which sucks. So hopefully some things can change and we can see more of each other soon.
I've really been enjoying spending time with Anna this summer. Mom and I have taken her to the pool a few times, which she loves. She is learning how to blow bubbles and bounce to the side of the pool and call for help in case she ever needs it. It's so cute to watch her enjoy the water.
Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to my beloved grandpa this summer as well. My grandpa Hubert passed away last week after complications of a minor surgery. I already miss him more than I can express in words. Grandpa was that presence in my life that always seemed superhuman. He was the strongest man I've ever seen. His favorite pastime was fishing. We have so many pictures of Grandpa standing in front of the house with his wading boots on holding up the latest catch. He was beloved by all who knew him. We have cousins in several states, all of whom made the long journey here to Missouri to say goodbye to their hero. It really shows how much he loved all his family when he could impress so much upon each of their lives, even though so many miles seperated them. Life will never ever be the same without his great presence in my life. Though this has been one of the saddest goodbyes I've ever had to say, I rest my hope in the knowledge that I will see Grandpa again. Rest assured that I will look forward to this reunion in Heaven for the rest of my life. Grandpa, I will always love you and I take comfort in the fact that you are no longer in any pain.
So there is my summer in just a few paragraphs. Hopefully I will be better about keeping this blog updated!
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