Don’t forget to check out all of the “Music I Like.”

As most of you know, I’ve worked a full time job as an administrative assistant to an engineering group, Monday through Friday, for a year (and a day!) now. I wake up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m. (Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds) and I’m usually at work by about 6:15 a.m. At work, I perform the exciting tasks of scheduling meetings, making copies, updating excel documents, etc… (It’s really not that bad, and I like that my job is pretty low-key most of the time.) Being that I get to work a little early, I’m able to leave around 2:30 p.m. (which is always nice). After arriving home at 3:00 p.m., I start on homework. As you know, I’m taking a full load of online classes this semester (Intro to Sociology, Human Growth & Development, Western World Lit., and Intro to Women’s Studies), so there is no time for relaxation. Okay, I lie. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I usually end up going to my brother-in-law’s basketball games, so I relax on the homework. On Mondays and Thursdays, I only do things that are necessary (because those are TV nights—How I Met Your Mother and Grey’s Anatomy). Wednesdays are the days that I really crack down on the reading and assignments. And I may or may not take homework breaks by playing the New Super Mario Bros. for Wii. Usually, during the week, I’m in bed by ten. Because I’m getting old. Or because I wake up seven hours later. Either way.

Ah, the weekends. I look forward to them. On Saturdays, I’m pretty useless. I always sleep in, and I rarely get any homework done. (Unless, of course, I waited until the last minute to write that 5-page paper and it’s due that night.) Usually, I try to talk Husband into going out for dinner and (sometimes) a movie. Or we stay home and watch old seasons of How I Met Your Mother (we’re finally on season five, though). On Sunday, I wake up as late as possible with just enough time to get ready for church (if I decide to go—which I haven’t for the past few Sundays). If I stay home, I just catch up on reading for school. At noon, Husband and I go to his great-grandma’s house for lunch. We do this every Sunday, and it’s always nice. We visit for about three hours, usually, and then we either go home and do nothing (or homework) OR go grocery shopping.

Really, that’s what my life is right now. It’s full of homework, real work, high school basketball games, HIMYM & Grey’s Anatomy, and going to bed early & waking up early.

If I had to live in your life for a week, what would it be like?

When asked the question, “How many siblings do you have?” the answer is simple: two. Well, biologically. However, I actually have a few other people in my life who I consider “siblings.”

The first of my biological siblings is my nineteen-year-old sister, Amanda. (This makes me the oldest child.) We are exactly twenty-one months apart, so we literally grew up together. We are complete opposites, though. She has(/had) blonde hair, while I’m a brunette. She’s tall (at 5’8”) while I stand at a short 5’1”. Even though we’re opposites, we’re best friends. I’m sure we fought as kids, just as most siblings do, but now that we don’t live together anymore, I’m always looking for excuses to spend time with her. She’s been out of high school for almost two years now, and I’m doing whatever it takes to help her get into college this summer or fall. She wants to be a teacher, and she has so much potential.

My second (and last) biological sibling is my thirteen-year-old brother, Trenton. He’ll be fourteen in March, and it makes me feel old. (I remember the day he came home from the hospital.) He’s my baby, no lie. Right now, he’s in the eighth grade, and he’s going through a “phase.” His hair is longer than mine, and he wore skinny jeans for a while (though I think he’s growing out of that). He plays guitar, and I think he likes Husband more than he likes me sometimes. Probably because Husband plays guitar, too. Trenton is so intelligent; he’s amazing at math, and even at a young age, he would make up fictional stories on the spot. Often times, Trenton and I are told we look a lot alike. It’s true. Brown hair, blue eyes … and I think our noses are similar. He, too, is taller than I am … and probably catching up to my sister, if he hasn’t already passed her up. (Yes, that makes me the oldest, but shortest, sibling.)

Now we move on to the “other” siblings. First is Eddie, my twenty-seven-year-old “big brother.” In reality, he’s my oldest cousin on my dad’s side of the family. We grew up together, though, and he has always been what a big brother should be. Now, he’s married with three kids (Zachary, Chloe, and Tuff—all ages three and under! They all call me “Aunt Megan.”) and he lives nearby. I don’t see him as often as I’d like, though. Next, is Eddie’s younger brother, David. He’s my twenty-five-year-old “big brother.” Growing up, I was always really close to David. Now, he lives in Florida with his wife and three kids (Emily, Kourtney, and Tyler. Emily actually lives with her mom full time, but she goes to visit David a lot.)

Last but not least, we have the Brother-In-Law, Jared. Everyone calls him JJ, though. JJ is Husband’s seventeen-year-old brother and only sibling. He’s a senior in high school with a 4.0 GPA and a member of the Varsity basketball team. I don’t know how this kid does it. He plays basketball (and runs track in the spring) all while maintaining an amazing GPA. Not only that, but he’s taking college courses, too. When he graduates high school, he’ll have completed 12 hours toward college. (Right now, he’s taking the same Lit class that I’m taking!) He’s planning on going to school to be an engineer. JJ was a freshman in high school when I was a senior, and I actually met him for the first time when he was in seventh grade, so I’ve watched him grow up, and he’s always been a little brother to me, in a way.

So, there you have it—my siblings.

How many siblings do you have? What about sibling-in-laws? Is there anyone else you consider a sibling, even if they aren’t biologically?

The answer: Ummmm. Did you forget that WE ARE THE INTERNET?!?!!??! And also, Yes We Can!!!

The result: Brandy and your Hot Awesome Dude… this one’s for you. Love, The Internet.

Our Plea:

Our friend Brandy is a brilliant writer, a wonderful teacher, and a generous friend.  And she is in love with a man who has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

We are raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund in his name.  For the price of a cinnamon dolce latte, half-caf, hold the whip, you can be part of an effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide.

http://www.loveharder.org

Every dollar brings us a dollar closer to a cure.  And every donation brings a sliver of hope to a girl who needs all the hope she can get.

What You Can Do:

Give.  Be part of a worldwide effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide.  Every dollar helps.

Pass it on.  Forward this story to five people.  Share this blog post.  Become our fan on Facebook.

Love harder.  Life is short, love is unbending, and no one knows what could happen next.  Tell someone you love them today.

DONATE: http://www.loveharder.org
CONTACT: theloveharderfund@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.loveharder.org
MORE INFO: http://www.themmrf.org

P.S. This is why I blog.

(This post was originally on LiLu’s blog.)

Okay, I’ll be honest. I didn’t want to start this post out by talking about the weather. (The weather just always seems like a good conversation starter, right?) I wanted to write about the fact that it’s finally 2010, and how I feel like it’s going to be a big year. Does anyone else feel that way? Like this year is going to be all about good change? I’m not a big believer in the whole “new year, new me” idea. (I like to think I can create a “new, fresh me” without the help of a new year.) However, this year feels like a “new me” year. Something about twenty-ten feels fresh.

Luckily, I was able to end 2009 by enjoying some time away from the responsibility that is work and school. I was able to sleep in alongside Husband and enjoy relaxing days on the couch. (Okay, so the second week was like that. The first week was spent running around while finishing up last-minute shopping for Christmas.) Monday, however, I came back to 40-hour work weeks and waking up at 5:00 a.m. (Okay, I lied again. This week will only be a 32-hour work week because I’m leaving for Florida on Friday.) Even though I’m back to the daily grind, I feel refreshed and excited about what 2010 has in store for me.

So, here we go. The obligatory “goal/resolution” post. I want to set a few manageable goals/plans for the year, so that I have things to look forward to.

Maintain a decent GPA and successfully complete two more semesters of school. At the end of next week, my four online classes will be opening up. I maintained a good GPA last semester, but due to dropping out of school in the Spring of 2008, my cumulative GPA is slightly under 3.0. I’m hoping this semester, I’ll be able to bring it up to at least that. I’ll probably take a couple classes in the summer, and after the Fall 2010 semester is complete, I should be just one semester away from completing my General Transfer degree in Psychology. Taking it one step at a time, though, is key.

Save up enough money to take at least two mini-vacations over the summer. I realized that the last time Husband and I went on a trip was our honeymoon (June 2008). Like I said, we’re going to Florida in January to visit family. Over the summer, I’d like to take a trip to celebrate our anniversary (possibly to Asheville again), and we may take a trip with my in-laws, since it’s my brother-in-law’s last summer before college.

Live fully, love deeply, and laugh whole-heartedly. My favorite words to live by. I want to tackle this year with an optimistic approach by living my life as fully as I possibly can. Simply put.

I have many ideas for goals I’d like to accomplish this year, but like I said, one step at a time. What do you have planned for this year?

Today is Husband’s twenty-third birthday; tomorrow is the first day of 2010. Soon, I will be back to blogging on a regular basis.

Until then, enjoy your New Year’s Eve.

Today, though–today is not my day. Today, I’m allowing Brandy some space on my blog. Because blogging is all about community. If you feel so inclined, copy & paste this to your blog.

—

My name is brandy. And I have a blog.

And a plea.

I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds. Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog- as personal as the dude that I adore (who I actually met through my blog- single ladies, let that be a very good reason to blog, the possibility of meeting someone as wonderful as my man), but I need your help. And it involves my dude.

He’s a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He’s the kinda guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job. He’s the guy who sent flowers to me at school- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He’s a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred. He’s made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He’s listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.

The holidays have hit us hard. He’s recently been told he may have something called multiple myeloma- an incurable cancer, that gives a person an average of five years of continued life. Though this news has came as a shock, he continues to be exactly who has always been- spending his time worrying about me, rather than worrying about himself. He’s the most selfless individual I know- (he stayed late on Christmas Eve to work, so his co-workers could leave early) and a post like this would never be something that he would promote or encourage but when I’m overwhelmed and feeling helpless, the blogging community has always given me tremendous support and comfort, two things I desperately need at this time.

As I write this, the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s happening. He’ll need to see an oncologist soon, to verify what’s going on in his body. My hope is that everyone who reads this think positive thoughts and if you are a person who prays, could you add him to your list? (You can refer to him as ‘brandy’s hot awesome dude’). If you don’t pray, please keep him in your heart. This cancer is only a possibility and I believe that the prayers and positive thoughts of people can make sure it never becomes a reality.

I want to give a big thank you to the blog owner who scraped their original blog plans and graciously put this up. My goal is to get as many people as possible to see and read this post. If you are reading this and want to help, copy and paste my plea into your blog or send a link through twitter, so more people can keep him in their thoughts. I would be so very grateful (even more grateful than I am to my friend who first showed me the picture of Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. If you haven’t seen it, google it. You. Are. Welcome).

I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making- but this is life. Right now. And I’m throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you and if you know anything regarding MM- please email me (my email is on my blog). This isn’t a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It’s just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be with the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Maybe it is silly, but I really do believe that positive thoughts can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading this and if you haven’t already? Please tell someone you love them today.

I did.

I mentioned a while ago that my company would be losing their contract. Well, long story short, a little over a month ago, I interviewed with a new contractor, and I got the call back this week with the offer. Relief, I swear. I’ll be working the same position I work now, but it will be “permanent” rather than “temporary,” so I’ll have benefits. Finally. I’ll be switching to the company this week, but I have to take a two week furlough after the switch. It’s bittersweet, really. I welcome the vacation, but it’s going to be tough not getting paid for two weeks. Next semester, though, I’ll be a full-time student as well as working full time, so I’m going to enjoy this while it lasts.

This past weekend, I finished my fall semester of school. I passed all three of my classes with flying colors (2 A’s and 1 B), and I don’t have to return to tests and homework until January 14, 2010. Ah, the beauty of Christmas break. So, yes, I will have at least two weeks free of work AND school.

I’ve finished all of my Christmas shopping. I may get a few stocking stuffers here and there, but it’s so wonderful to be completely rid of the stress that is Christmas shopping. (I ordered mostly everything online, though, so it was relatively stress-free to begin with.)

Sadly, most of my goals had to be put on the backburner for a week or so (aside from the not biting my nails part. They have remained “bite-free” for over a week!), but it’ll be so nice to get things back on track this week.

Stop biting my nails. I’ve refrained from biting my nails since Saturday. They’re growing slowly, but I really should start taking my vitamins again to help them out.

Figure out what I believe in. Husband and I have been going to church (two weeks in a row now!). I’m still trying to figure things out on my own, though. Over the summer, I’m hoping to sign up for a Religions of the World class, if it’s available.

Figure out my purpose / Become more clearly myself. As part of 20sb’s Blogger Tour, I’m participating in Stratejoy’s “Joy Equation.”* It’s a 30-day program of figuring out how to overcome the quarterlife crisis and “live your life on purpose.” I’ll be journaling daily, and with the help of Molly Hoyne, I will hopefully figure out my purpose.

Maintain a happy, healthy marriage. Honestly, right now, this one is the easiest. I’m not saying things are always perfect, but we’re at a good place right now. We’re learning how to support each other every day.

Yoga. Okay, this is where I need YOUR help. (Hey, Doniree! Or anyone, really.) I’m not sure where to begin, exactly. I have the equipment, but do you have any suggestions on where to start?

*Disclaimer: Yes, this is offered to me for free as I was one of the chosen members of 20sb after I signed up.