Oh Yeah Baby!

Actually the above photo looks more like me than the #tbt picture I posted on Facebook, and that one was pretty close.

Seems that after five long years I've also got my MoJo back.

Excellent!

Last year this time I was studying hard to seemingly become a brain surgeon in a new job where was totally  a fish out of water and totally overwhelmed. It took me a month to just figure out how to get to and from the job without getting lost or disoriented. I was a nervous wreck my entire first six months on the floor at work. After seven months of riding MARTA to work I was making enough to drive all the way to the international terminal, park and ride the shuttle two minutes to the front door, breeze through a much shorter security checkpoint and walk into the restaurant one minute later.

 I still shake my head about the first time I parked at international. It costs twelve dollars a day but can sleep an hour later, leave the house forty five minutes later and be home an hour earlier. Well worth it when you're a fifty five year old tired skinny woman, still working six days a week and still learning how to perform a lobotomy the correct and proper way.

I was all pumped the first time I parked there and remember the feeling of satisfaction when I walked back to my car the first night. I didn't even have to ride a shuttle, just walked across the breezeway to my car sitting ten feet away. I tucked my twelve dollars into my shirt pocket before driving off and approaching the booth to pay.

The woman who took my ticket said "That will be thirty two dollars". I quickly told her I was an employee and only had to pay twelve (feeling puffed with pride) to park in the deck. She (even more) quickly told me I parked in hourly parking, not the twelve dollar lot. I threw up in my mouth a little but gave her twenty more dollars. Ironically enough was the first time I'd ever made over four hundred dollars on a shift and although was painful to pay still had almost four Bens to take home.

You live, you learn.

Sometimes you have to learn the hard way but at least if  lucky get to live as well.

We're not rich by any means (other than blessings) but have fought our way back and knocking on a door which says "Almost Middle Class".

Dang, I wish it had a door bell, I really want back in!

If my job and Tim's hopefully continue to be what they are now we should easily be able to retire when I'm only eighty three.

I'm going to have to tell you, I'm pretty pumped!

All kidding aside (for a quick second) also feels pretty wonderful to have not had utilities cut off or worried about paying them in almost a year.

THAT my friends, is progress!

You are born, then eventually learn (if lucky) to walk. You take baby steps but somehow get to your destination.

 You spend (if lucky again) the next two decades without a care in the world and nothing but happiness...even if you do look like a boy and have horrific hair.

Before you know it suddenly (trust me is the blink of an eye) are almost middle aged, raising kids who you watched learn from baby steps.

The cycle continues...once again. (if you're lucky)



Here's the thing.

Tim and I had to start over five years ago. We were flat on our backs clawing desperately to simply just "Get up" but we did.

Family, friends, even strangers held us up and encouraged us to take another step, paving and sometimes (often) paying the way.

We would've never made it if not for my crazy sometimes (almost, well always) over the top family but a group of people I'd pick in a second if had to be stranded with seemingly no way out.

There's a "Survivor" episode in the jungle of life for ya!

It would be called "Leeches can't even stop a Leach".

Looking at all these pictures make me smile. I am fifty five years old but a really lucky girl.

It all goes back to the beginning.

Life is essentially just  baby steps, from your first step to your last. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other every day of your life and hope it's a long walk, even if some of the walk is up hill.

I may be going out on a limb here (and never know how strong limbs are) but think we may just have sorta kinda recovered ... almost.

I feel fabulous, we feel fabulous and PLEASE nobody wake us up, but if you do at least now know we can handle it.

It takes a village and it takes a family. We were lucky enough to have both.

COTTON