You're a mean one....Mr. Grinch...

Is 2010 over yet? Really- I think this year has been cursed! Where to begin with the past couple of months??

Quick run down- Surgery, Georgia sick, Me sick, Thanksgiving, visiting with Michael, trip to Naples (Brilliant idea one week post surgery & sick), Trip to New Jersey & New York with Georgia- amazing trip and had so much fun in the city together. I'd never seen the city at Christmas time and it was such an awesome experience to see it with my daughter all dressed up for the holidays!

annnd catch my breath! Tuesday I was back at work thinking to myself "Wow, I finally fell normal again from the surgery! This is going to be a great week- Georgia and I will be able to hang out since I've finished all my Christmas shopping and be able to relax! Things are finally back to normal".

WRONG....

A call came in yesterday about 2:30pm from the management office of my apartment complex. "Hi, Melanie, we are calling to let you know it looks like your apartment has been broken into."

What do you say to that? I can tell you what happens- you go into a state of shock. Once again you go through the motions. My dad and I left the office and drove over to the complex. Let me just say right now I chose this complex for safety. I specifically chose my apartment for the proximity to the garage and the "open-ness" of it. It is not hidden. A police officer lives within the same courtyard I live in. So I thought I was safe.

On the way there I thought of all the material possessions I had in my apartment. How my mom and I just had a conversation last week discussing how I needed to get a safety deposit box at the bank to put my jewelery in. The Christmas Presents wrapped under the tree. Designer bags, shoes, clothes in the closet. I can tell you I imagined the worst- my Christmas China crashed and broken on the floor, my drawers dumped out. I imagined total and complete destruction. Since my dad was following me he called on the way there. "Listen" He said, "Anything you thought was important will be gone. You need to prepare yourself for this. It will be okay. We will make it okay, but don't let this get to you." So I steeled myself.

We arrived the same time at the police and walked over to the apartment together. The front door had been kicked in. I held my breath as the door was opened and looked inside. When you first peered in it looked as though nothing had been touched. Once inside every electronic I owned was gone. TV's, Laptop, Camera's (Yes, my favorite still what I considered "new" DSLR and all my point and shoots) iPods, Georgia's Leapster systems that hooked up to the TV. Louis Vuitton Bags, Coats even, My down comforter and sheets (apparently to wrap the TV's in as they carried them out the door). My entire Jewelery Box- just picked up off the counter and gone. And the worst part- every single Christmas gift I had purchased for Georgia and wrapped under the tree.

My favorite Christmas movie growing up was "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and there I was standing in my living room imagining a Grinch- like creature slithering about my place "Then he slithered and slunk with a smile most unpleasant, around the whole room and he took every present". Playing through my head on repeat..."You're a monster, Mr. Grinch. You're heart's an empty hole. You're brain is full of spiders, you've got garlic in your soul..."

And just like that- everything is gone.

Georgia and I packed up what was left that had any value to it and moved on. We stayed at my dad's last night and I am about to go see if I can break my lease and move out hopefully this weekend. I feel completely disgusted. I had not made Georgia's bed yesterday before school and work so some of her blankets were on the floor. First thing I did was strip down her bed and wash and dry her blankets and sheets. Then I cover the entire apartment with Clorox wipes trying to clean it.

Maybe sometimes you need to purge yourself of things in order to move on. All those material things that went through my mind on my way over don't really mean anything. They belong in a life I don't live in anymore.
"You have to let go of the past to move on to the future".Dear God, I'm letting go.

Is it all ready December?

Is it really all ready December?? Gosh time has flown by! I can't believe it!!

I took Georgia to see Disney Princesses on Ice a couple of weeks ago and she LOVED it! I really love this age- she is really growing up.

I had to have surgery the week before Thanksgiving and still haven't quite recovered from it although it's been 2 weeks. I keep thinking back to the first time this was done when I was 15 years old and then went to dance in a show 2 weeks later. I guess I'm not 15 anymore! This particular procedure was quite a bit more invasive, but I'm hoping to be back to normal in another 2 weeks. Actually- that is what my doctor says. For myself I would have liked to be back to normal yesterday!

So needless to say starting out the holidays (Thanksgiving) with a surgery isn't the best. Georgia came home a few days after my surgery with 104 degree temperature!!! I took her into the doctor and she had 2 ear infections, strep throat and scarlett fever. When the doctor said "Scarlett Fever" I almost lost it! I began thinking she was going to be hospitalized and all sorts of things. Then I asked what exactly it was and found out it's really just a rash that can go along with Strep. It can be deadly but if you get them on antibiotics it will clear up. So Georgia started antibiotics and was almost back to normal after a few days. Unfortunately less than a week after my surgery I caught the cold she had and was completely knocked out.

We both got it together enough to go to my sister's house for Thanksgiving. My little brother who I haven't seen a year and 3 months was in town and I was SO excited to see him! He is in the NAVY and stationed in Virginia. He was deployed last year to Bahrain so our visits with him are few and far between. We had a great time with family and lots of great food! I flew out that afternoon to Naples (Florida) yep fresh out of surgery and recovering from whatever virus Georgia passed on to me. Luckily it was super relaxing and I got to spend some time with some great people.

Georgia is 100% better now and I am getting there! We are ready for all the Christmas festivities that come with the month of December- Moody Garden's lights, Hot Chocolate, Festivals, Family and Fun!