Furry Friday: Relaxation

Well hello blog world!  How have you been?  I must apologize.  August is by far the most trying month for me at work.  I work at a college and there is a lot of hustle and bustle to get ready for the new school year.  There's many a late night and an early morning that you will find me still at my desk entering transactions.  I pretty much don't have a life until the semester starts to wear in, which means missed blog postings and even absences from family dinners.  Fortunately for me, my boys are understanding.  Without them, this time period might actually set me over the edge.

Just in case you didn't know, there are several documented health benefits to having a fur-child (visit WebMd) the likes of which include allergy reduction, less instances of depression, lower blood pressure, and less chances of developing heart disease.  Not to mention they are great conversation starters (I know I always bring up my dog when meeting new people).  Well in times of stress I can most certainly attest to the calming feeling that comes over me when I hang out with little Rye-guy.  He's always all too happy to see me and when I'm feeling wiped out and just want to relax, he's okay with that too.  There's nothing better than chillax' on the couch with my fur baby and a good book, especially in the month of August.  There's just something about his mannerisms that bring me back to the present and help me to appreciate the little things and forget the stresses of work.  

Now if I could only bottle that up and sell it, I could retire with him while we're both still young...

Blog Swap: Summer

Today I’m participating in the 20 Something Bloggers Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at "Huh Say What?" about my thoughts on Summer and I’m pleased to welcome Brittany of Louisville, KY to  Gidget's Two Cents:

"I'm really excited to participate in the Blog Swap with Christy! I originally started my blog to be able to write about personal stuff, away from the news stories I wrote about in my journalism classes, and surprisingly, I've kept it up for over a year! Read more at itallfallsdwn.wordpress.com and follow me on twitter @britters_43. Happy reading!"

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Summer. It's a special time of the year because of all of the memories that I have from previous summers. I fell in love for the first time during summer. I fell out of love during summer. My dad was diagnosed with cancer during summer. My dad died during summer. I have memories of riding down the streets of Louisville during summer. Top down, music loud, short shorts on (back in my tiny days, lol.) 

I was looking forward to this summer, I needed to have a season of fun and since I lost my dad last summer, I wanted to create some good memories in 2011. 

Instead, I worked. And in the process I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am very lucky to be in my right frame of mind. See, I work in an emergency psychiatry unit, and I deal with a lot of sad cases on a daily basis. It's not "fun" work, but it's meaningful. With that being said, I also learned that this is not the career for me. I love healthcare, but since I have no plans to move into a more clinical role, there is no growth for me here.

I also spent a lot of time with my mother this summer. She's all I have left and I'm really learning how to enjoy her company as an adult. We attended a concert together, and we try to have dinner together a few times a week. I'm proud of our adult relationship. 

And despite my non-stop work schedule, I had time to have a little summer romance. I don't think it's going to last much longer, but it's been fun while it lasted. I spent the last three years with one guy, and it took me a while to get over my anger about the break up. And this was just the bit of fresh air that I needed :-)

So tell me, did you do anything new this summer? Did you learn anything about yourself? Do tell!