When I bought some artwork to decorate my office, I came across a picture that sums up my world right now.  It says, “Once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.” It is such a true statement and I had to have it. It’s a reminder to pay attention to the little details. Sometimes, in the middle of ordinary, we have the clarity to see the truth. I’ve been blinded before, caught up in the emotion, in the novelty of a situation that I missed the warning signs.  Slow and steady, that is when things become clear. When you know things are right (and really see where it was wrong before).

So after nearly 4 years together…. We are taking another step.  We talked, he asked, I said yes! We are proud to call each other fiancé. He such an awesome guy. He always makes me feel like I am a priority to him. He is kind and considerate in ways that I never thought was possible. He makes my heart skip a beat every day. He knows how to push me to be better without belittling or shaming me. I know he loves me for the woman I am. Just as I am. He loves the me that I am on my best and worst days. And I feel the same about him.

My heart is full. It is a wonderful thing to find my fairy tale.

And I suppose I’ll bask in the glow of engagement for a few years… we like it slow and steady like that.

Seriously.

So I’m packing for Alaska. Wait, edit that…. I’m shopping for Alaska and it has been a primary focus lately.  I’ve ordered far too much, very similar to what I’ve posted below. However, I need to cull the purchases and dial it back a notch. There’s going to be a large return to Kohls (why do I do this?) and then a trial packing will begin. No point in keeping the excess. Although, it all fits in to my color scheme, so the work wardrobe will get a summer boost as well.  Decisions, decisions…

Two weeks… It’s been at least that since the last post. Whoops, just checked… It’s been a month since the last real post. I have 32 days until the cruise! Woo Hoo! And a million things have happened.  Actually the last two weeks really have made all of the difference and when I started this post it meant one thing and now it means something else. (Saving that for another post.)

A week into April, I just started getting overwhelmed. I think about my Dad and some of the pressures of life around me. Don’t get me wrong, I have it so easy compared to most. But being the sensitive person I am, when I am surrounded by so much tenseness and anxiety it bothers me. I want so badly to help people, but sometimes you just can’t. And then I think about all of the people in my life who I have failed to help and I just get sad. I want to reach out and save everyone and make everything better. But I can’t. And that is a hard thing for me to accept. So, I quit the Facebook. I had so many voices shouting at me, I would see things that really didn’t involve me, but yet take it heart and take it so personally. Every person who was having a hard day, or a bad day, I took that to heart and felt like they were reaching out to me, personally, for help. (Now I don’t mean to sound so full of myself here.) I know they weren’t asking me, Nicole, to save them and solve all of their problems. I just WANTED to.

And then the goofy stuff, like people who get nasty with each other in the comments of a news article. Some people just want to fight and antagonize, which in turn drives me crazy! I understand that these people are just keyboard warriors and it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with me. But my blood pressure goes up and it infuriates me. I can’t stop reading and I get all spun up over something that has nothing to do with me, not about me or anyone that I love or even know. At this point, it has been suggested by other people to just not read that stuff. Right…. easier said than done. I was a Facebook rubbernecker. There, I said it.

Then there’s all of the political stuff: I don’t care if you love/hate Hilary, love/hate Trump or if you are simply Feelin’ the Bern. I DON’T CARE! And seriously people, can you at least post something from a credible news source….

So, I quit the Facebook. (My neighborhood girls and I like to pretend we are old and call it “The” Facebook. We are hilarious. You should meet us sometime.)

I am sleeping better, I am less stressed… and when I have a true stressful situation come up, I am able to deal with it better. I am not bogged down by the stress and frustrations of 300 other people. The shouting voices have stopped. (Ok, not “voices” in my head, but the voices of hundreds of people shouting out their opinions and problems on Facebook.)

I do miss my friends. I miss hearing about their days, their kids, and being a part of their lives. However, when I see them now, we have things to talk about. Yes! Real live face to face conversations!!! I have to make a better effort to call or text the people that I love, but that is ok. The phone works both ways.

But as far as the Facebook goes, I’m really not sure if I’m going to go back.