a long december

december in atlanta is not looking like the beach - however that is where my focus is.

christmas, yet again, amazed me - now equipped with the flip, mother-load of clothes, flip flops, iLife ’08, dot mac, and towel warmer. cait made out like a bandit again, she now owns more tools than home depot, flip flops, hats, clothes, surround sound system, bag, and did i mention tools?

somehow i woke up with some nasty funk yesterday morning. the usual - sinus headache, stuffy nose, clogged-ish ears.

get ready for ’08.

red.line.

she called. it was nice to hear her voice for the first two minutes. and then "there is something i need to tell you re, i leave for iraq in april." how long? "fifteen months." silence.

my heart stopped instantly. part of me is glad she isnt here to see me cry and the other part of me is pissed she called. knowing if she was here i would have grabbed her and never let her leave. what if she never makes it back. i have only seen her twice maybe three times a year since we graduated but knowing she was safe in the U.S was enough. my best friend since 10th grade - the only person i talked to the last half of high school.

i remember the day she told me she was going to west point. a part of me died. what was wrong with princeton?

i am proud of her, and i always will be -

Hey baby, is that you?
Wow, your hair got so long.
Yeah, yeah, I love it, I really do.
Norma Jean, ain't that the song we'd sing in the car
Drivin' downtown, top down, makin' the rounds
Checking out the bands on Doheny Avenue.
Yeah, life throws you curves,
But you learn to swerve,
Me, I swung and I missed,
And the next thing ya know, I'm reminiscing...
Dreaming old dreams, wishing old wishes,
Like you would be back again.

I wake up and tear drops, they fall down like rain,
I put on that old song we danced to and then,
I head off to my job, guess not much has changed,
Punch the clock, head for home,
Check the phone, just in case,
Go to bed, dream of you,
That's what I'm doin' these days.
Yeah that's what I'm doin'

Someone told me, after college, you ran off to Vegas,
You married a rodeo cowboy,
WOW, that ain't the girl I knew,
Me, I've been a few places,
Mostly here and there once or twice,
Still sortin' out life, but I'm doin' all right,
Yeah, it's good to see you, too.

Well, hey girl you're late, and those planes, they don't wait,

But if you ever come back around this sleepy old town,
Promise me you'll stop in, to see an old friend, and until then

I wake up and tear drops, they fall down like rain,
I put on that old song we danced to and then,
I head off to my job, guess not much has changed,
Punch the clock, head for home,
Check the phone, just in case,
Go to bed, dream of you,
That's what I'm doin' these...


I wake up and tear drops, they fall down like rain,
I put on that old song we danced to and then,


I wake up and tear drops, they fall down like rain,
I put on that old song we danced to and then,
I wake up and tear drops, they fall down like rain,
I put on that old song we danced to and then

lt. gerheim i miss you already.

yoink

like woah. i am the busiest i've ever been. the women in the office love talking about how they have been there before and quite frankly i think they are all full of shit. the children in and out of the office are on my last damn nerve. how professional is it to be on the phone with clients while babies are crying or screaming or banging on the glass? as much as i love all of them i am SO annoyed by them when i have to stop what i am doing to make sure they arent tearing something up. fuck that.

this weekend i am most likely working on saturday - most of the day. i want to be caught up at the office by tuesday afternoon....or monday night!!! so i can be "off" like the rest of them. cait thankfully has been beyond patient with me working all the time. i love her more everyday. 4 years, comin' up.

i love working with julie more and more everyday. she really makes me happy at work, and i laugh alot with her. it is almost a relief every morning to hear her hollar "bobeana, i need you babe" because she has done something to the computer that she cant fix.

my first closing is in the morning! and my second house should go under contract tomorrow. things are lookin up!

mini update, perhaps

insignificant issues abound. it feels nice to not have any issues weighing me down beneath the sun.

i am happy i am finished with my bachelor's degree.

the weekends are MUCH more enjoyable not having to spend half of said weekend studying. however, i have too much time to drink with cait and my dad and for the first time in 8 years i have reached a new all time high (weight-wise). i wish i was still forced to move in the hps department.

work is picking up - i have several offers on the table in negotiating stages. i have met plenty of investors who are waiting on me to hear back from the various banks to put more listings up.

life with cait is more beautiful everyday - how i found a woman with the patience of jobe is still surreal. she has stood beside me and supported me in every thing i have done in the last four years. to this day, she is my biggest cheerleader.

jake is a big ol' boy. we love him though. he keeps us busy and alert AND he is super cute with his tennessee collar.

time for dinner with the family.

final

at 11:30 this morning the light came on. the jury came in. the foreperson rose and delivered the verdict.

it read : "we the jury find in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $450,000."

opposing counsel asked that they be polled. they were - unanimous decision.

after the jury was dismissed each and everyone came to me in the hall way. i hugged them all and thanked them from the bottom of my heart for their time, energy, and effort.

for the first time in over four years - i have been validated. it is a good day.

5

we embark on day 5 on monday morning. i am mentally and emotionally exhausted. so far, so good. i will take the stand for the second time monday.

close

day 2 complete. i was on the stand for nearly 5 hours total - that is excluding lunch and three other breaks. tomorrow is more of the same. so incredibly happy that this is taking place now and that this IS the end of the road - regardless of the outcome, i am ready.

time

day one is done. jury is seated. we will resume wednesday morning and continue until friday.

wreck

thursday afternoon i wrecked my jeep in the worst part of decatur possible. i am fine and my jeep was not too bad either...my neck and lower back have been bothering me for the last day and a half though. however, for the last two months i have been looking at something newer with better gas mileage, especially since real estate and fannie mae have me driving from one side of the state to the other. SO, friday afternoon i drug my mom and cait to see all of my dad's buddies at various dealerships and at 9:44 i bought a 2008 scion tC with a whole ton of upgraded shit.

my house is clean and my car is about to be cleaner as i am taking it back to toyota to be detailed...

3 days and 3 nights

she flies out friday morning and flies in sunday night - i feel like a huge part of me is missing already. everytime we talk i get a lump in my throat and a little rain in my eyes. i'm going home for the weekend after the daffodil run with megan. everynight for a week i have cried silently before falling asleep. how is it that another person can fill such a void and cure any ailment i think i have. over and over i look at her and wonder what i would do without her.

cait i love you - we will be fine, not fun, but fine.

i will be waiting for you sunday night, bring me a present.

even without the daffodil run, i have an enormous amount of work for the week ahead - 2 very important tests that will determine (in my mind) the final outcome of the semester. my goal is to leave kennesaw (another sad part of my life) the same way i entered, on the dean's list.

back to the bright orange EKG book and the mountain of handouts. ugh. my heart hurts.

ouch

both cait and i have been dealing with colds for the last couple of weeks.

it is just after 7 and i am finally home and in minimal pain. i woke up at 3 with intense ear pain, a swollen tonsil, and my right eye gooed shut. my dad knows the drill rather well by now and he came in with juice, motrin, and the heating pad. he rubbed my back for over thirty minutes while i screamed in pain. i waited as long as possible and i couldnt take it anymore. my dad was dressed and ready *luckily* and at just after 4 we set out for the e.r.

not three minutes after walking through the door and filling out paper work - blood and sticky pus poured from my ear. the pressure that had been mounting for a couple hours prior had been released.

they gave me lortab, augmentin, and ear drops *2* one for infection and one sterioid to build it back.

i got to see kara b/c she was working tonight. she has her second interview with stryker soon. second in a series of five. i am very happy for her - great great friend.

i miss my girlfriend right now more than i think i ever have. however, i am thankful i was here in alpharetta because without a doubt it would have scared the shit out of cait to see what my dad had grown accustomed to. not to mention - neither of us know how to get to the emergency room at kennestone hospital.

i am sure i wont remember typing this in a couple hours when i wake up again, the lortab is working - sleep time.