A Moment to Contemplate

I created this blog about a month ago when my best friend Nikki was out visiting. She introduced me to blogspot.com and I have to say I'm so glad she did. However, it has taken me over a month to get my act together and actually start to build my page. So for those reading this post, I apologize in advance as it will probably get quite lengthy.

So this week has pretty much been out of control, and tonight is the first time in months that I have truly been able to sit and contemplate things. To finally get some time to try and clear things up in my mind and gain some kind of understanding as to what has been going on.

First we'll just start by clearing the air since Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was pretty much perfect. Wednesday we took the client out to lunch and we were able to leave directly after. So starting my Thanksgiving break at 1pm on a Wednesday was considered a huge blessing. That night I went out with some of my coworkers to blow off some steam. What was supposed to start as a simple night turned into a pub crawl. Yes, we did a pub crawl all the way up PB and ended at my favorite place - the Tavern :-) We spent the night dancing and I have to say it has been a VERY long time since I have just been able to enjoy myself.

My mom arrived early Thursday morning and the festivities for Thanksgiving began. Now most people think of Thanksgiving as a day where the women spend it in the kitchen and men spend it watching football. I have to say that in my family the roles have been completely reversed. Especially since my sister landed her amazing husband Nick. Nick is an amazing cook and as such he has been deemed the chef for all of our holiday meals. Which leaves my mom, my sister and I to sit watching football. Gotta love role reversal. It truly is the women in our house that love sports. (You'll have to check my sisters new blog - Nopinkjerseys.blogspot.com)

So Thursday and Friday went by pretty uneventfully. That is until Friday evening. My sister, her husband, my mom and I were sitting playing a rousing game of CatchPhrase (I say rousing because my sister and I tend to get pretty competitive and things get ugly- haha) when all of a sudden I had the most unbelievable allergy attack. And i DONT have allergies. We ended up calling it an early evening as I was now a very unhappy camper. I took some meds, went home and went to bed. Woke up on Saturday still not feeling so great. It only proceeded to get worse. By Sunday night I was feeling pretty lousy, and by Monday morning I could barely get out of bed.

I spent all of Monday holed up in my room which I turned into a cocoon by shutting out all light, and I slept the day away. I returned to work Tuesday, but not feeling much better. But considering we are in the middle of a year-end audit there was not much to be said about getting more time off. I worked an 11 hour day on Tuesday, and then proceeded to work for almost 36 hours straight from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening. Yes thats right. I arrived Wednesday morning at 8:30 and did not stop working until about 4am. I took an hour nap and then woke up to start my day over, and did not get out until 8:30 Thursday night. Needless to say I'm still recovering from that.

Now this is where I get caught up with my week. I graduated about a year and a half ago from USD and have been working at KPMG since September 2006. Since beginning at KPMG it is needless to say that I have worked some of the craziest hours one could ever work. This week I pulled the third 35-36 hour day in my life. Now I pulled all nighters during my college days, but I have to say that pulling all nighters at work is quite the different scenario. You don't get to take a nap when your test is over the next day, and you can't cut the next class to go relax. You have to keep going. No excuses.

I've always been a hard worker. I'm dedicated and I aim to give 100% almost all of the time. But sometimes you just need a break. And I sit here only a month away from the beginning of another busy season.....wait did the first one ever end? I don't know. Probably not. But I'm trying to keep my head up, and I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. All this while I sit here knowing I have to go in to work tomorrow morning at 8am and work Sunday as well.....head up right?

The only thing getting me through these days is my second job. Yes I said second job. My job as an assistant coach for the dance team at USD has literally saved my life over the last year. Being a part of the team during all four years of college was an amazing experience, but helping coach the girls on the team is truly a dream come true. These girls make me so proud I can't even express it. To know that I have some kind of impact on their lives, no matter how small or big it may be, has been one of the best opportunities of my life. It has been challenging and rewarding and I continue to grow everyday through my experiences with this team.

And tomorrow is a BIG day for this team. Tomorrow we have Tessie coming in to help us with our first ever competition routine. Thats right. Our team is FINALLY getting the opportunity to show others what we're made of. And Tessie is AMAZING! We have an 8 hour dance practice, but it will be SO worth it. To have the opportunity to learn from her, and to have my team members work with her is going to be a huge step for our program. I'm unbelievably excited for it!

So that has been my week. A lot I know. But there are so many other things floating around in my head. But I think I will leave this blog at that. Different topics for a different blog. Love and life.....complications....wow