As You Wish

One of my earliest memories would have to be from about 22 years ago. I have a terrible memory, so the fact that I remember this is quite strange. I was 2 years old and I can remember seeing the back of my biological father as he walked out the door. I sat with my mom on the coffee table as she cried and I know that was a turning point in both of our lives (a turn for the better). I love my mother dearly and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. Ok well maybe I would trade her for a purse or a new pair of shoes…just kidding. I know that wasn’t even funny I apologize.

Moving forward…

That being said I hated seeing my mom upset, but I hated seeing her date even more. She was mine and no one else’s. I was a very selfish little girl and I wanted her to myself. Then one day when I was about 3 she brought him home. Who was this stranger? Why was he kanoodling my mom? I wasn’t having it. Whenever they sat together on the couch I would sit between them. Remember? She was mine.

I don’t remember this, but I’m told that enough was enough. I had to be stopped. They had heard a rumor that if you give a child a little bit of wine it will make them sleepy. That could be harmless right? I mean just a little won’t hurt. Right? They gave me a couple sips of wine and waited to see if I would drift off to sleep like they were hoping would happen. They were wrong! I was wired beyond belief, worse than before. Not to be cliché, but I was bouncing off the walls. As I write this I have an evil little grin on my face just in case you were wondering. That’s what they get for trying to get some alone time.

The more time they spent together I started getting used to him being around. Don’t get me wrong I still wanted my mom to myself, but that wasn’t happening. When I was 5 they decided to get married. That story has already been told here.

Around 1990 the company they were both working for decided to close its doors, so we moved to Winnemucca. That winter was horribly cold. We were renting a two story house at the time and my bedroom was downstairs. It was right next to the basement and I hated sleeping there by myself. For a few months my step-sister, Amy, came to live with us and while she was there I slept in my room with her. I’m sure she thought I was a loser little kid because she was in high school and I was in first grade, but I thought her and her twin, Amber, were the coolest.

After spending some time around my step-sisters and step-dad I started thinking. I know scary right? I began to realize that my last name wasn’t the same as my mom’s and I didn’t have anyone to call “dad.” This was quite perplexing for me. This had to change. I told my mom I wanted my last name to be the same as hers. She explained to me that the only way for that to happen would be for me to ask my step-dad to adopt me. So…I asked. He gratefully accepted and when I was 8 years old we went to court and my last name became the same as theirs and I had someone to call “dad.”

I’m going to digress for a moment to talk about my grandpa (my mom’s dad). He was AWESOME. I won’t go into too much detail here about my undying affection for him, but I do want to say that when I found out he was dying from cancer my heart was broken. I was too young at the time to fully understand all the details, but I did know that this monster was taking my Poppa from me and I didn’t appreciate it. The day before the adoption he was taken from us. My mom says that he wanted to make sure I was going to be ok before he let go. He knew he was leaving me in good hands with my dad. *clearing throat and wiping tears*

It was difficult to explain to my friends at school how I was able to change my name. They thought that if you were adopted that must mean you came from some orphanage and that your parents weren’t your “real” parents. I spent countless hours minutes explaining myself to them. I think they understood, but I’ll never know.

It has been 16 years since the adoption and I couldn’t be happier with the decision we made. Bob has been the best dad a girl could ask for.

Thank you so much for the life you have helped to give me, for adopting me, for loving me (even though I was am the biggest brat ever), for teasing me, for being there for me, for carrying me from your bed to mine, and for loving my mom. I know I wasn’t always into the thought of you being around, but I can’t imagine for even just one second not having you in my life now. I love you very much and I hope you have a Happy Birthday!

*Side note: Don’t judge my parents for giving me alcohol at such a young age. It really was only a little and I think I turned out fine. I think…

I apologize for the rollercoaster of emotion this post may have caused, but I don’t apologize for the information. I know while writing this I laughed, I cried, I rubbed my hands together in an evil manner, and I loved whole-heartedly.

I realize this is several days late, but better late than never.

I cannot believe it has been one year since I started blogging. Time sure does go by in the blink of an eye. My mom once told me when I turned twenty-one time would fly. I didn’t believe her. I am now twenty-four and I’m wondering to myself where have the past few years gone? Where have the past 24 years gone for that matter?

I’m at the point in my life where I have to make decisions for myself (not that I won’t be making decisions for the rest of my life, but…). What do I want to be when I grow up? Do I really want to go back to school? What should I make for dinner? Should I clean the house or lay on the couch? You know the important things.

I originally started this blog because of my good friend ALF. I always loved reading her stories and finding out what was going on in her life. I figured it would be a good way to communicate my feelings, laugh at my faults, and let people know what’s happening with out having to make a million phone calls (that of course in an exaggeration because I don’t even know a million people, but you get the point).

I didn’t realize a year ago I would be trying to keep up with 30+ different blogs, or that I would be twittering (you should most definitely follow me by the way), or that there are so many others out there feeling the exact same way I am, and I never imagined I would be participating in a photo challenge. It’s so crazy. And by crazy I mean awesome! I absolutely love that I started to blog.

I’m going to sum up this year with highlights from each month:

2007

June – I bought my very first brand new car.

July – Andrew invited me to meet his friends and family in Montana. While we were there he took me all over Montana from Glacier National Park in the North to Yellowstone in the South. It really was an amazing trip.

August – We went on my very first camping trip ever in Lake Tahoe.

September – We had a surprise party for my mom’s 50^th birthday. So fun!

October – We painted our house all by ourselves.

November – Andrew’s parents came to town to surprise him for his birthday and I kept it a secret from him. We also got to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt. Love her.

December – Andrew and I celebrated 2 years of dating. Woohoo! Go us!

2008

January – I was laid off from my last job. At the time it was terrible news, but when one door closes another is opened. You just have to keep your head up, stay positive, and keep your eyes open for new possibilities.

February – I got a new job working for one of the mining companies near Winnemucca.

March – I turned 24!

April – We found out my dad does not have cancer and his surgery to remove his thyroid went very well.

May – At work I got to change from working eight hour shifts Monday - Friday to ten hour shifts Monday – Thursday. Three day weekends are awesome!

June – Well…June will have to wait another year because we definitely aren’t far enough into it for me to be able to give any highlights.

Thank you to those of you who have been around since the beginning and hello to those of you who are new. I love comments just in case you were wondering, so if you are lurking (reading with out commenting) you should say hi. I don’t bite…that hard.

I hope your day is super spectacular because you totally deserve it. By the way you are so freaking cute I can hardly stand it. Happy Birthday Poop!

In case you were wondering Juanita is me. My birthday was Friday and I celebrated with my family Friday night and with some friends Saturday night at a local Mexican food restaurant. When it came time to sing the birthday song the employees of the restaurant told me my name was Juanita…? I had a few drinks by that time, so it was funny.

I’m like a little kid when it comes to my birthday; I always get so excited about it. I think it’s so much fun to have a party and get everyone together. Oh and... it’s more of a birthweek than a birthday. I mean why not celebrate for a whole week? I think it’s a good idea.

For my birthday I was given:

• A Nikon Coolpix S51 (which is pretty sweet) and a diamond heart shaped necklace (diamonds are my favorite) from Andrew. He is such a good listener; he got me exactly what I wanted. Many kisses are sent your way Andrew. XOXO
  

• A necklace and small stuffed bear that had a note that said “Bear Hug from Montana.” It’s super cute. The bear also had some chocolates with huckleberry filling attached. If you haven’t ever had huckleberries before I demand you try something huckleberry. It’s pretty much one of my favorite flavors. Mmmmmmmm. Thank you Donna and Gary (Andrew’s parents).
  
• A gift card to MAC makeup. I adore MAC thank you so much Julie (Poop).
  
• A necklace, bracelet, and free visit for hair maintenance. Thank you Tovi! I will see you tomorrow for some good hair TLC!
  
• Cupcakes, a candle, and the movie 13 Going on 30. Thank you Annie and Jim! I apologize if you think our house stinks, but I like the candle anyway. *wink wink*
  
• A speeding ticket and the money to pay for it. Thanks Mom and Dad (for the money that is)! Yep that’s right I got a speeding ticket on my birthday. I was on my way to work and I was running a little late, so I guess I was speeding a little. Ok so maybe I was going 24 miles over the speed limit, but that’s not the point. Ok so it is the point, but it was my birthday, so I thought the highway patrol would take pity on me, but nooooo of course not. Why would he do something like that? He did only give me a ticket for 10 miles over the speed limit which was nice of him cause I’m sure he could have taken my license away or arrested me or something similar. In my defense I haven’t been caught speeding before had a speeding ticket before, but apparently that also counts for nothing. I definitely should have cried when he told me he was giving me a ticket, but I didn’t. Why? I don’t know, maybe it had something to with me thinking about blogging about the incident instead of thinking about what was going on. I did cry when I got to my office though, but only a little. Thanks a lot Mr. Officer for making me cry on my birthday, I hope you're happy with yourself. Yes I know I was in the wrong and I go the speed limit now (on the mine road), but still making someone cry on their birthday isn’t very nice. Did I mention that I was driving a company vehicle? Not a big deal, but I thought I would add it anyway.
  
• I also got some pretty cute cards, so thank you to everyone else too. I thoroughly enjoyed your company and I think we had a pretty good time. Don’t worry Angie that commercial with the shuttle-cock stuck in that guy’s leg is not real.

I have a pretty awesome group of friends and family. Thank you everyone for being so awesome.

Left to right: Annie & Jim, Andrew, Julie (hiding behind Andrew), Tovi, Troy, Angie & Bryon, and in the fun sombrero is me (Juanita)

This is ALF, if you were curious.

Good morning! I just wanted to wish Andrew a super spectacular happy birthday! Hugs and kisses and the best birthday wishes!

Yesterday my mom turned 50 years old. Andrew and I joined my dad, aunt, and grandma over at their house for a dinner and cupcake celebration. It was full of laughs, snorts, and crying. Don't worry the only reason for the crying was because we were laughing so hard. (Yes I snort when I laugh...so what?)

Here are a few pictures from the fun...

At the end of the night she was sporting an awesome comb over.

It was a pretty good time. We enjoyed ourselves. Happy 50th Mom!