I know you guys missed me! Sorry I have been MIA (missing in action - for those who struggle with acronyms). If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know I was on a fabulous one-year anniversary trip with my amazing husband, Karl. I will say I do not feel like I have been married for an entire year - I've had way too much fun! Below is the latest in my world in no particular order!
1. My amazing grandpa
My grandparents were in a horrific car accident almost two Thanksgiving's ago. They were in a head-on collision the night before my grandma was going to meet me for my FIRST EVER bridal gown fitting. I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw some of the pictures. The man who hit them shouldn't have had a license. He had been in and out of jail and seemed to keep getting free passes. This confused me. How can we let someone who had a two-page long record continue to drive? He was behind a semi on a two-lane country road when he pulled out to pass in a no passing zone and hit my grandparents going about 60 miles per hour. My grandpa didn't have any time to react. My grandparents were in the hospital for many weeks. They eventually made it through and even danced at our wedding (which meant the world to me) but the accident took years off their lives. I know they survived because they have always been so active and have this amazing strong faith in God.
Right before Karl and I left on vacation my grandpa was rushed to ICU by helicopter. His brain was leaking blood again - he was experiencing dizzy spells and his leg wasn't moving correctly; his speech was slurred. They drilled another hole in his head and drained the blood. This was his second time getting a hole drilled in his head since the accident. He had to lie in bed for 12 hours without moving. The last time this happened, they took him off his blood thinners and three large clots formed around his heart. One broke off when I was with him last July and he almost had to have his leg amputated. He is off thinners for good now. This is scary. It's one thing after another and I know time is short. This kills me. I love my grandpa so much. He's the coolest guy in the whole world and I'm not ready to say goodbye. But are we ever ready? How do we prepare? I spent an entire night on our trip thinking horrible, sad thoughts and couldn't sleep. Then I started wondering more and more about heaven. What is it like up there? Do you think our loved ones will be up there? If anyone has any answers, please let me know..
2. Trip out to the Northwest
What a trip!!!!!! I think I'm going to highlight this trip in my next Star Tribune blog, so you'll have to look for more on our awesome trip there. The world is so huge and full of so many beautiful places. I wish I could spend my life traveling with Karl. I'm trying to figure out how we can visit places all over the world, and I can spend time tweeting and blogging about them (and make some money)! Is that too much to ask for? Talk about dream job!
4. My book status
I was excited that I spent the entire flight out to San Francisco writing! I am so close to being done with my manuscript (ms) that all I want to do is write, but time isn't allowing that! I would love to bury myself in our house all weekend and finish it, but again...we're on the go! I hope to at least dedicate maybe a half of a day this weekend to writing. I'd like to say a full day, but I don't think that's possible. I'm trying to shoot for smaller goals. I think what I'm most excited about is starting back at chapter one and reading the entire ms. I know I have holes right now because of my schedule and it's hard trying to find time to write several chapters at once. I lose track of where I am at. I'm ready to fill the whole story in and send off my ms to my friend Luke for his opinion! I also joined a chick lit critique group. It'll be nice to hear a variety of opinions from both sexes. Karl also wants to get his hands on my ms. He reads more than anyone I know, so he'll be great at this...I'm just nervous what he might think of me. LOL! I can almost taste how excited I'm going to be when I finish this. I actually feel like this book might go somewhere, but I do tend to live in a fantasy world too... Sigh!
5. Is my schedule normal?
I know everyone says they are busy, so I have to wonder if I even fit in that category? What is "busy" in people's minds? I mean...I work 40 hours, I have a freelance job where I design newsletters for a small engineering company in New Ulm, I write for KSTP, I write for Star Tribune, I have this blog, I am quite obsessed with Facebook and Twitter and email...I'm writing a book, I play volleyball, I workout, I'm involved in my church, I'm reading three books at once...I cook and clean and try to pay the bills...I try to make happy hours and coordinate fun events. I rarely ever just sit on the couch. Is this a normal type of schedule? Because sometimes I feel really overwhelmed, but then I hear people go on and on about how busy they are that I just don't know if I compare? I guess I just feel like I need to prepare myself for motherhood because I feel like I'm going to have to learn to juggle a lot. How am I going to do it though? For real... Any advice?
That about concludes my thoughts for the day! More to come on our trip and other goods!
Of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater of better than friendship - Pietro Arentino
1. My amazing grandpa
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| My grandparent's car after their accident |
Right before Karl and I left on vacation my grandpa was rushed to ICU by helicopter. His brain was leaking blood again - he was experiencing dizzy spells and his leg wasn't moving correctly; his speech was slurred. They drilled another hole in his head and drained the blood. This was his second time getting a hole drilled in his head since the accident. He had to lie in bed for 12 hours without moving. The last time this happened, they took him off his blood thinners and three large clots formed around his heart. One broke off when I was with him last July and he almost had to have his leg amputated. He is off thinners for good now. This is scary. It's one thing after another and I know time is short. This kills me. I love my grandpa so much. He's the coolest guy in the whole world and I'm not ready to say goodbye. But are we ever ready? How do we prepare? I spent an entire night on our trip thinking horrible, sad thoughts and couldn't sleep. Then I started wondering more and more about heaven. What is it like up there? Do you think our loved ones will be up there? If anyone has any answers, please let me know..
2. Trip out to the Northwest
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| The world's largest Spruce Tree (1000 years old) |
3. Summer don't go away!
I know summer isn't officially over until September 22 (also my super awesome grandpa's birthday) but I can't help but get depressed! I'm not ready for the cold. I feel like summer has just started! I saw snow in Oregon and Washington and I'm just not prepared. Being cold causes me to get crabby - sunshine and warmth makes me smile! I think I need to start planning that tropical Koester family trip during the cold, winter months. Maybe that will help. According to a post I saw on aol.com, Farmer's Almanac says we're supposed to have a normal winter with three major snow storms. Three?? We'll see about that! 4. My book status
I was excited that I spent the entire flight out to San Francisco writing! I am so close to being done with my manuscript (ms) that all I want to do is write, but time isn't allowing that! I would love to bury myself in our house all weekend and finish it, but again...we're on the go! I hope to at least dedicate maybe a half of a day this weekend to writing. I'd like to say a full day, but I don't think that's possible. I'm trying to shoot for smaller goals. I think what I'm most excited about is starting back at chapter one and reading the entire ms. I know I have holes right now because of my schedule and it's hard trying to find time to write several chapters at once. I lose track of where I am at. I'm ready to fill the whole story in and send off my ms to my friend Luke for his opinion! I also joined a chick lit critique group. It'll be nice to hear a variety of opinions from both sexes. Karl also wants to get his hands on my ms. He reads more than anyone I know, so he'll be great at this...I'm just nervous what he might think of me. LOL! I can almost taste how excited I'm going to be when I finish this. I actually feel like this book might go somewhere, but I do tend to live in a fantasy world too... Sigh!
5. Is my schedule normal?
I know everyone says they are busy, so I have to wonder if I even fit in that category? What is "busy" in people's minds? I mean...I work 40 hours, I have a freelance job where I design newsletters for a small engineering company in New Ulm, I write for KSTP, I write for Star Tribune, I have this blog, I am quite obsessed with Facebook and Twitter and email...I'm writing a book, I play volleyball, I workout, I'm involved in my church, I'm reading three books at once...I cook and clean and try to pay the bills...I try to make happy hours and coordinate fun events. I rarely ever just sit on the couch. Is this a normal type of schedule? Because sometimes I feel really overwhelmed, but then I hear people go on and on about how busy they are that I just don't know if I compare? I guess I just feel like I need to prepare myself for motherhood because I feel like I'm going to have to learn to juggle a lot. How am I going to do it though? For real... Any advice?
That about concludes my thoughts for the day! More to come on our trip and other goods!
Of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater of better than friendship - Pietro Arentino
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| Karl and Christie in Crater Lake in Oregon |
