Small Blessings

I really need a vacuum cleaner.  I know it sounds silly, but I do and it's not in the budget...

Well, two days ago I went to see the Ellen Show.  It was delicious.

First, before the show started I danced around like a crazy fool (which isn't hard for me) and I got a free Tshirt.

Then we got a free Xbox and an Xbox game.

Next, we got a free Sugerland CD.

Last, we got a ticket to return to the 12 days of giveaways.  If you don't know what that is, around Christmas Ellen has 12 shows where she just gives away stuff to the audience.  An example from last year is she gave her audience: $150 shell gas gift card, gucci sunglasses for $300, a $180 Samsonite suitcase, $1500 stay at Montage, and a $500 laptop.  All in one day.  So, sufficed to say, I'm excited to go back.

I honestly thought "I wonder if we could win a vacuum cleaner on the 12 days of giveaways..."

Well, at the end of the show they announced that instead of giving us the Xbox, they were giving us a giftcard to Best Buy to buy the Xbox (or whatever we wanted.)

I will be heading to the vacuum cleaner section (and I'll have a couple hundred dollars left over for something fun).

God takes care of me.

Let's play a new game called "Where's Liz?"

I'm Alone, But Not Lonely.

One of the hard parts about being single is feeling alone while doing life.  When you have a spouse, you have someone to help you pay the mortgage or some to hug when you have a bad day, but not when your single.

Recently I have been training for a triathlon and this has changed how I view being "alone".

A few months ago, a had my first day of training on my bike.  I've been on a bike many times before, but this was the first time my feet were locked into my peddles.  After a longer stint of riding, I quiet literally forgot my feet were locked into my peddles and when I got to a stop sign I just started tipping over without the ability to pull my foot out fast enough.  Luckily, I had my brother, Bill, by my side to grab me and keep me from hitting the pavement.  I embarrassingly apologized and he encouragingly said "No problem, you'll get it."

A few weeks later, I was biking on my own and I stopped at a stop sign and pulled my foot out just in time to not fall.  A small smile crossed my face.  (Thanks Bill.)

Then, just two days ago, I went for a swim in the ocean for the first time.  The fact is, I failed.  I had to get out of the water just a fourth of the way through the swim.  Even though I had my brother next to me, I panicked.  I was scared of the waves.  I was scared of drowning.  I was tired, working way too hard and on the way back in I got washed pretty bad in the surf.  Standing on the beach, I was contimplating giving up and not doing the triathlon, but by the time I arrived home, I already knew I would try again.


So, the next day, I tried again.  This time I had my friend Jill paddle by me on a surfboard so that I could hold on if I started to panic.  Bill came with me again and swam next to me, encouraging me throughout the swim.  This time... success.

I may not have that one person to be there with me, but I am surrounded by friends and family that support me and help me succeed.  Whether they are there to hold me up when I fall so I can learn to survive on my own or if they stay right next to me encouraging as I go; they are there.  I feel so privileged to not have just one person to support me, but to be surrounded by many incredible people.