2013 Year-End Review

How is it possible for a year to fly by and simultaneously drag on? Because that's what 2013 has been like. A weird trick on the mind. The last few months I feel like I just haven't had the time to blog like normal, nor keep up with reading everyone's blogs. No . . . wait. That actually happened. I strive to keep up in 2014. At least better than I have as of late.

Boyfriend is currently snoozing on the couch after a long day at work, while I'm sitting in my recliner after a long day at work. Our dinner was random leftovers, and I'm wanting cookies for dessert - but I already ate them all. Must mean I need to make more. That's what I'm going with.

So, here's my 2013 Year End schpeel. Let's see what happened:

The start of 2013 found me working for a veterinary office that turned out to be a horrible fit for me. I was so unhappy it actually physically affected me. I literally felt ill driving to work every day. I had also signed up for online dating again (at my mother's urging to "give it another whirl"). I met a guy named Dan and it turned out he had zero personality. I gave him 3 dates to make sure, but nothing improved and it just fizzled on it's own.

My birthday (I turned the big 33) started the Pam Tillis song All the Good Ones Are Gone playing over and over in my head. I emailed a guy from the dating site and we made it to the phone call stage and he neglected to call on his turn. After a week I emailed him to politely let him have it and of course, never heard from him again.

March brought on a whirlwind of changes. I "separated" from the vet's office that I was so miserable at. The Office Manager, or The World's Biggest Bitch as I like to call her, fired me, stating that she had "taken too many chances with me". No matter what I did, I could not please her because she thought I was something I wasn't. She thought I was a licensed tech, which I told her I wasn't before she hired me. I couldn't answer the phone correctly.  My personality was all wrong. Everything I said was inaccurate. Nothing was ever clean enough when I did it. No matter what it was, I did it wrong. I'm surprised she didn't tell me I did the whole breathing thing wrong. Right about the time I breathed a huge sigh of relief and left that hell hole, I "met" another guy online. We quickly began texting during all waking hours and even into the sleeping ones. We texted all. the. time. Mom started playing "Where's Waldo?" as he was truck driving and we never knew where I'd find him the next day. I also began the extremely fun step of getting unemployment and the incompetence of it all.

On April 1st, I met Boyfriend for the very first time. We met up for lunch and wound up spending the entire afternoon together (which I've never done with anyone I ever met from online dating). I finally had to break the day off as I had to cook dinner for Mom's birthday. That weekend he was back in town for what ended up being 9 days and we were totally inseparable. He went back on the road for a week and quit his job. He hasn't left my side since. (insert adorable "awwwww" here)  I also found part-time work thanks to a cousin who ran a wedding rental business. He also gave Boyfriend a job for the summer, too.

May brought about my parents 5 week road trip to baseball parks and national parks. I managed to not burn the house down and Boyfriend and I got a taste of actually living together. 

June brought my parents back home (finally!). I continued the job hunt for full or part-time work to no avail. Job interviews led to rejection letters. Boyfriend and I killed time and relaxed on the lake(s) on the boat, also escaping some of the horrid Redding heat. Oh and the douche-nozzle that neglected to call me when it was his turn? Guess who emailed me with this, "how's miss sexy j.day?" Are you effing kidding me? I emailed him back and told him I had met an awesome guy. Which was totally true.

In July, Boyfriend applied to the City of Redding and the City of Sacramento for water jobs. My hunt still continued. Breakdowns from the stress of it all were on a fairly regular basis. Regular lake visits were made. I took Boyfriend on a road-trip to Burney Falls and the Subway Caves, showing him where I grew up. I also took a trip to the Bay Area to see BFF and attend her county fair and a concert. Boyfriend and I also attended the wedding of the cousin who gave us part-time jobs.

In August, Boyfriend had three interviews and wound up getting rejected from all three. I started my weekend Pet Nutritional Consultant job and I had an interview at the end of the month which resulted in a full-time job - with benefits. Celebrating in the kitchen followed. We found out that Mom's dad, Papa D, was not expected to live much longer. The medicine that had helped to keep his heart pumping had done a number on his kidneys and there was nothing else the doctors could do for him. Mom and Dad went up to say good-bye. K told me that she didn't want my last memories of him to be like this.

On September 16th, I started my new job. On September 17th, Papa D passed away. Boyfriend started looking for places for us to move to. The Clover Fire decimated 8,000 acres; the evacuation line about a mile from my parents house. I met "Bubbles."

In October, we finally got to say good-bye to Papa D by spreading his ashes on his ranch. His beautiful, beloved ranch. We finally got to meet one of his sons from his first marriage and his family. I met cousins I didn't know I had. We had a lovely time sharing stories - surely making Papa D smile. I am now Facebook friends with my new cousins and aunt. Boyfriend found places for us to look at. One of my good friends was also married this month. The weather forecast for weeks leading up to it called for no rain whatsoever. Mother Nature decided to throw out a random and powerful downpour for about twenty minutes.

November 1st, Boyfriend and I moved into a 3 bedroom house on a few acres. He bought chickens on the first day. While putting  the water bill in his name, he was told of an open position for a water district west of Redding. He looked into it and is now their Operations Manager. We hosted Thanksgiving for both our families. We also discovered that our neighbor across the street is an asshat who rewards bad behavior in his dogs. And Mom and I bought new phones - spending three hours at the Verizon kiosk in the mall. Boyfriend and I went to see Catching Fire - awesomely done by the way.

December has brought some ups and downs - details will have to come later. But they include a restraining order, court, slashed work hours, increased work hours, learning how not to call in sick, having a moment of knowing how an extreme couponer feels at the register, Boyfriend hiring a guy at his job who happens to the husband of an ex-girlfriend and of course, the trials and tribulations of having Boyfriend's grandmother as a room-mate, and of course the holidays.