5 years

It's been a rough week.

Hell, it's been a rough few months.

My birthday is coming up at the end of this month and while I'm not turning a fantastic milestone age like 40 or 50 (I'll be 36), I realized I had hit another milestone a couple of months ago. I didn't have much time to think about it then because I was in the middle of prepping for the NCLEX and trying to find a job (and paying bills and dealing with kids on summer vacation and writing run-on sentences...)

I've lived here in Indiana again for 5 years.

Granted I've moved twice since the original move to this city but 5 years. A lot has happened in 5 years (in no particular order):

• Got divorced
  
• Applied, was accepted, and went to 4 years of nursing school
  
• Passed the NCLEX and became a registered nurse
  
• Learned to tango
  
• Shot a handgun (at a target, not a person. Although I've been tempted)
  
• Learned to ride a motorcycle and earned the motorcycle endorsement on my license
  
• Ran a 5K
  
• Painted 2 paintings
  
• Took a hot air balloon ride
  
• Worked 6 different jobs (Katie Fleck Designs, Flower Shop #2, Student Nurse, Nanny Gig, Sewing Gig, Substitute School Nurse)
  
• Traveled to Hong Kong and Beijing
  
• Went on a cruise to the Caribbean
  
• Learned to ice skate
  
• Had the gas and electric turned off (bills... I suck at paying them)
  
• Adopted my cat and readopted her when she ended up at the Humane Society
  
• Sewn curtains (inside joke, for years I've said I've sewn everything under the sun but 'never curtains')
  
• Had kidney stones
  
• Traveled inside the US to Chapel Hill NC, Outer Banks NC, Put-In-Bay OH, Chicago IL, Louisville KY, Colorado Springs CO, Savannah GA, Orlando FL (Disney World), Philadelphia PA, Cherry Hill NJ, Venice FL
  

As well as:

• knit a bunch of stuff
  
• sewn a bunch of stuff
  
• read a bunch of books
  
• been to several music concerts
  
• been camping a few times
  
• eaten a lot of yummy food
  
• and hung out with the very best people on the planet (my family and friends)

It may seem silly but writing out this list helps. I've been stuck in a "can't do anything" mood because of the lack of a RN job and the money that comes with that. And since the break-up with S, I've been very "and I'm not going to be doing that now" *sad face* too.

I've been a bucket of joy to be around honestly...

I'm going to try better to keep a positive attitude. The job will come. I'll likely fall in love again eventually. I won't be living on a shoe string budget forever. The gas won't be shut off because I don't even have gas at my current home. *shrugs* It's the little things sometimes.

The one big thing I'm looking forward to:

I'm going to be an aunt.

And that's more than enough to be super duper excited about right now. :)