Crazy.

I feel very on edge today. Have been since the moment I woke up. Something is different in the air today, and I sense that there is a change about to happen. Possibly something big, certainly something impressive. Today is a different day, and I'm excited to have a front row seat.

*I think I want to use my blog a bit more for writing. Not just daily writings about my whereabouts and what-I-dids, but actual writing. It's time to start pursuing one of my life long goals. I'd like to be a published author one day, but I haven't even begun to write a plot for a story. If I wasn't in school, I think it would be a whole lot easier to devote more time to writing. However, that isn't a luxury I have right now. Hopefully this summer will resemble last summer in the amount of freedom and alone time I had. I never get any time to myself any more, and I really can't do anything about it.

This weekend was nice. Sunday was my three week marker for no-smoking. Yay me.

7 Strange Things

Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Seven Strange Things about Me...

1.) I'm almost 22 years old, and I'm still afraid of the dark
2.) I love, love LOVE peanut butter and carrot sandwiches! YUM!
3.) Nice pens are somewhat of an obsession for me.
4.) If I see a baby, or young child, I have to interact with it in some way- even if it's just a smile. I love kids to death, and can't wait for my own!
5.) I always sleep on my right side
6.) When I dry my hands with paper towels, I always use three.
7.) My biggest fear in the world is the big blue whale.

** I know you're supposed to tag people, but I don't have any friends on here other than the one who tagged me!!!! I feel like a loser now. Ha!

Old Memories, New Thoughts.

I used to be engaged. 18 years old, engaged, and incredibly naive - that was me. It was the fall after my senior year of high school, and I wasn't in college yet due to some financial aid mishaps. While working at Buffalo Wild Wings one afternoon (and not a particularly special afternoon) James came to pick me up. That afternoon James proposed to me at Minnehaha Falls.... and I said yes.

I know why I said yes, but back then I would have told you I said yes to his proposal because I loved him. Well, I did love him, but I was never in love with him. See the thing is James and I sort of got together out of pressure. Pressure from the church who encouraged 'courting' (dating with the intent of marriage... after much prayer and "approval" from church elders). James and I were together because both of us were Christians. We weren't together out of pure passion and love; we were together because we were "supposed" to be.

Relationships like that can never last, and they never will. In a relationship like that... a foundation is lacking, and without a strong foundation there is nothing to build on for the future.

Needless to say, James and I have been over for a few years now. I don't really miss him any more, and I didn't really have a difficult time getting over him. I don't say that to sound harsh, but only to point out that in fact we were never "meant to be".

I've moved on since James... and set my standards higher than what anyone else wants for my life. In fact, I am crazy, madly, and passionately head-over-heels in love with the man I'm with now... Garrett. But, that story is for another time. =)

The Results Are In!

My throat and esophagus are very sore today after that endoscopy yesterday afternoon. The final results are not in yet, because they are performing biopsies on tissue they had to remove, but I do have some news...

My stomach was very red inside... this could be from acid reflux, or from aspirin. The biopsy will determine. Also, they found what is called an inlet patch in my upper esophagus. This could be producing acid, and also may be the reason for why my food is getting stuck in my throat when I eat. The most serious finding found yesterday is that I may have Barrett's Esophagus. Basically, this means my lower esophagus has been burned from constant acid. If I do have it, I have a higher risk of developing esophagus cancer, and would need to have an endoscopy yearly. *Sigh*. The results will be given to me in about a week. Until then... it's just time to wait.

I'm not feeling like writing write now. I'll update more later.

Peace,
~Nelle!~

Today I'm having....

an endoscopy. For the last couple of months, I've been having extreme heartburn and indigestion. It has gotten so bad that sometimes I have difficulty swallowing after I eat, and even get heartburn after eating bread! Yuck! So, I went to the doctor and they have decided that it's necessary to do an endoscopy. This procedure is not as fun as it sounds. (LOL). I haven't been able to eat anything after midnight of last night, and I couldn't drink anything, not even water after 8:00 A.M. this morning. My stomach has to be completely empty because they're going to give me an IV which will put me to sleep, and while I'm out they'll stick a tube with a camera down my throat, into my esophagus, into my stomach, and also my small intestine. This will allow them to look at any damage or problems inside.

Not too fun, and I'm not looking forward to it. But, I'll update on how it went tomorrow. I gotta a bunch of work to do before I duck out of work for the day.

Have a great one!

~Nelle~

TGIF!

I am so thankful it's finally Friday! I have no idea why, but this week really felt like it just crawled along. I realized last night that I have way more homework than I thought I did, and I shouldn't have slacked so much over spring break. It's so difficult to balance going to school full-time and also working full-time, but I really want both things in my life right now. Anyways.... my plans for tonight include the following....

Homework

Exercise

Dinner! (Yum, Tilapia!)

And Finally, Relaxing with Garrett watching this movie!! (I've never seen it)

It sounds like a good night to me! Hope everyone else has a great Friday!

~Nelle!~

Why I totally support....

Barack Obama for our next President.

Years ago, I would have considered myself a republican. Why? I'm not too sure other than the fact that I was a charismatic Christian, and I knew that my church at the time held a strong republican vote. I knew nothing of politics really, and could care less about current events. Now, I'm out of the church (that's a blog for later) and my views on politics have done a complete 180!
One of my favorite things to do each morning is to read the Star Tribune to catch up on all of my current events. I especially enjoy the politics section, as I've grown to be very fond of politics. This is my country, our America, and the place that we live. We need to care about who is going to lead our country! I've gotten so into politics/news that I've even gained a subscription to the magazine Newsweek. I absolutely adore it!

So, how did I come to choose Barack Obama as the person I'd hope to be our next president? I mean, originally, I was all for Hillary Clinton; I even had a bumper sticker supporting her campaign on my car! My decisions to support Obama came from a few key things I noticed that differentiated the democratic candidates from one another...

1 - I subscibe to both Hillary and Barack's email mailing list. As Obama has shown an intense triumph over Hillary in many of the primaries, Hillary's mailings have begun to become more desperate, more negative, and less about the change that the is going to occur. She's even spent lots of time discussing how Barack is overspending her in campaigning, and has already established ads in Pennsylvania for the upcoming April 22nd primary. I'm sorry, but if Hillary can't handle that, and ends up coming across as desperate and whiny, how can I expect she'd handle situations gracefully in the White House?

2- Obama has completely run a grassroots campaign. In case you don't know what a grassroots campain is, I'll tell you. Grassroots means involving the common people. Obama has taken no money from lobbyists, but instead has relied on you and me to support his campain. Just a while ago, Obama made history when over 1,000,000 people were responsible for donating to his campaign.

3- The promise of change. Period. Obama is promising to change the way this country has been run. Our country has been screwed up by the most disgraceful president we've ever had, and it needs someone serious to turn the mistakes of Bush around. Obama is that person.

Check this out. This is Obama's plan if he gets elected...

"Here are the core elements of my strategy to address our critical national security challenges in the 21st century:
End the war in Iraq, removing our troops at a pace of 1 to 2 combat brigades per month;
Finally finish the fight against the Taliban, root out al Qaeda and invest in the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, while making aid to the Pakistani government conditional;
Act aggressively to stop nuclear proliferation and to secure all loose nuclear materials around the world;
Double our foreign assistance to cut extreme poverty in half;
Invest in a clean energy future to wean the U.S. off of foreign oil and to lead the world against the threat of global climate change;
Rebuild our military capability by increasing the number of soldiers, marines, and special forces troops, and insist on adequate training and time off between deployments;
Renew American diplomacy by talking to our adversaries as well as our friends; increasing the size of the Foreign Service and the Peace Corps; and creating an America's Voice Corps."

You may not agree, but I know one thing's for certain - Obama's for Me!!!