Terms And Conditions

For those of you reading this, keep in mind this is my first go-round with blogging. I love to write, although I can't vouch for how good I am at it, so I figured this would be a way for me to continue my "real" job which pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head, and allow me to express myself with words on paper. I am much more capable of writing how I feel as opposed to saying what I feel. On paper, I can tell someone how much I love them, how much I despise them, how much I'm hurting or how happy or, on some days, unhappy I am with my life. Even when I'm speechless, I can write. So, here are the terms and conditions of this blog. Read them and then mentally check off the box staing that you agree to them:

1. Read it, don't read it, you are not obligated to even return to this site ever again.

2. Understand my views are my views. I don't expect everyone to agree with them.

3. Feel free to comment, good or bad. I'm a big girl and can take the constructive criticism.

4. Keep in mind this blog project is more for me, than you. I want to share it, but if I go off on a tangent or things don't make sense to the reader, it probably makes sense to me. Just sayin'!

That's it. So here goes...

When my dad was sick, I sent out weekly updates to let our friends and family know how he was doing, what was happening with treatments and ultimately, that he had passed away. Throughout those six months, I learned a lot of things about living, about dying and more importantly about how to live so that when you died, you had no regrets and no worries. My dad taught me many of those lessons, not just during his illness, but since the day I was born.

It's been over a year since he died. They say it takes about 18 months after a person passes away to get all of his/her affairs in order. That may be true, but I have a feeling it takes a lot longer to get used to the fact that your loved one is no longer around. To this day, I still find myself picking up the phone to tell my dad a funny story about one of my many adventures. I still add "mom AND dad" to my party invite lists. And, I still find projects around the house and think, "I'll have dad come over and fix it." Sounds strange, yes. Uncommon, no. I have found out from talking to many people who have lost parents, spouses and dear friends, that these thoughts are normal. So, score one for me. I'm not losing my mind.

My dad and I had a very special relationship as I was his only single daughter. Because I didn't have the responsibilities of my sisters, Jenny and Vicky, who are married with kids (great kids if I do say so myself), I was able to spend more one-on-one time with my dad. Every now and then, he would meet me and my friends for happy hour. Sometimes we would spend Saturdays watching college football or basketball together, complete with a cold beer in hand. He would pop by during the day to say hi. The point is, I just didn't lose my dad, I lost my pal.

However, this relationship didn't come easily. Like my dad, I am stubborn. Like my dad, as a kid I did not always use common sense, which more often than not, landed me in a heap of trouble. But also like my dad, I feel like I learned lessons from each experience...hence the title of my blog.

The events of my life that I share will ring familiar to some of you. Not so much because you were there sharing them with me, but because you can relate to a similar experience. Each story will end with a lesson learned, mainly from my dad. He wasn't perfect...no one is. And he would be the first one to tell you that. But even through his not-so-perfect moments, I have been able to create an arsenal of do's and don'ts to use in everyday life.

With that being said...

LESSON LEARNED #1 - There is always a lesson to be learned. You just have to look for it.