Because it's too cute not to share ...

I was cleaning up today, and noticed Addison's clipboard under an end table. I picked it up to put in his room, and saw this note. He'd be mortified if he knew I was sharing it with anyone, so don't say anything to him! I don't want to lose his trust - he asks me about girls all the time, usually prefacing it with, "You were a girl once..."

I can't believe kids this young are boyfriend and girlfriend. He had two previous girlfriends when we lived at Fort Benning-he dumped the first one by telling her he thought they should see other people. I don't know where he gets this stuff from, but I'm going to have to guess TV and movies.

My favorite part is "When you reach your opinion". It makes up for the wrong usage of "to" instead of "too." Not sure why he had to point out it wasn't his real handwriting, but oh well. This is the sort of thing I treasure as his mom, and will one day show his wife and embarrass him then too!

Because I'm an open book...

Because I'm an open book, what I'm going to write shouldn't surprise anyone. Maybe it will, because I'm not always so open regarding my mental state, but here goes.



A few years ago I was diagnosed with very mild OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). The doc didn't think it was necessary to give me any medication for it, which is a good thing, because I suck at taking medicine.



Because he told me it was mild, I never worried about it. Weird, huh? But now I'm thinking about it, and realize there were many years I missed out on a lot of stuff because I sheltered myself.

(Sidenote: I had many more paragraphs written after this, but with a slip of the hand erased them all. I was on a roll, so I'll try to get back on track here.)

I got into a comfort zone. I really believe I had some form of agoraphobia, because I avoided going anywhere unless I really had to, unless it was somewhere I was comfortable, like my friends' houses. When I went somewhere alone, I would shake the entire time I was driving, and try to get back home as soon as possible. I've been called a homebody, and I am, because I really do enjoy being at home, but this was crazy.

I'm happy to say that I've been forced out of my comfort zone. Now that Adam has a job more than 3 miles away from home and is a very busy guy, I realize I can't just call him and ask him to take Addison to the doctor. And I'm okay with this. It feels good to get stuff done, to just do it, as Nike would say.

I am an overthinker. The more I think about something I have to do, the more keyed up I get about it. I'm crazy busy right now, which is the best thing for me, even though I feel like my brain is sizzling in my head from everything going on, but I'm finding the more I have to do, the less I stress about stuff, because really, I wouldn't make it.

I'm kind of proud of myself for recognizing this, and I'm proud of myself for just getting out there and getting outside my comfort zone. It's not easy, but it's rewarding.

Life is good.

Because I love you, Savannah...

Normally these ladies bug the crap out of me, but look in the middle of the picture - yup, it's Forrest Gump.

Only in Savannah can you be walking around and spot Forrest. He was even holding a box of chocolates. For those of you who don't know, the part of the movie where Tom Hanks is sitting on the bench was filmed in Savannah.

Have I mentioned how much I love it here? And it's not just because you can walk around with an open container of alcohol, but heck, I'm not complaining. There is something very beautiful and magical about Savannah, and I'm officially in love. I've already told Adam we're retiring here, whether it be in six years when he's done with the military, or when we're old.

My mom and her husband were visiting last weekend, and we finally visited Forsyth Park, which is just gorgeous. There are flowering bushes and Spanish-moss draped trees, lot of grass and of course, the fountain.

If you look closely, you might be able to see that the water is green. Savannah does it up right for St. Patrick's Day. I'm still not sure why, but as a good Irish girl, I'll drink to it.

Savannah, you've got my heart.