Back On Land!

How about a short and sweet update?!?!?

WE ARE HOME!!!

We had a great time on the cruise and St. Thomas was definitely our favorite, only down side of the trip was missing our cuddle bugs sooo very much!!

More pictures to come soon but for now enjoy the above!

Side note: I have now been up for 23 hours straight, rode 5 hours from Port Canaveral to celebrate 2 birthday parties (Julian and Tara) and a welcome home (for now) celebration for Lance at Mill House- oh and did i mention i am currently intoxicated so this took much longer than it should have?

Be back soon!

We All Need a Little Vacation…

(I started this Friday….)

Yesterday (Thursday) I went to visit my sweet patient to tell him I would not be able to visit him for a whole week because Alex and I were going on a vacation…. I told him I wanted to tell him “goodbye” before our vacation and that I would miss him so much but would be back to see him as soon as Alex and I returned. Note: He has been in an “unresponsive and almost coma type state since this past weekend but managed to smile when I said my name and when I told him about our vacation :)

Little did I know he was planning a vacation of his own……

This morning on my way to work I got an email “Call me when you can”- I knew exactly what that meant. It was Dorothy- my old supervisor, I immediately called with "Tell me everything is ok” only to hear “Jennifer…. he passed this morning”- you can imagine my response. I have rehearsed in my head what that news would be like on so many occasions in the past when I feared his impending death the most. Unfortunately it was always almost to much to handle and I would immediately make my mind change the subject. For a while I was not able to say his name without crying…. I dreaded my car rides home alone from school at night because all i would think about was him yet I think of all the times Alex and I would be together and that was still all i could think about. On the way to a friends house, dinner or to run errands etc. and if the thought of him sitting in the hospital another day alone entered my head I would cry- (you can imagine how many times this left us sitting in the car to clean myself up :)

Well like any typical man Alex originally would instantly get frustrated and decide I needed another job, I didn’t need to work with dying people, I didn’t need to not get so attached. He wanted to fix, he wanted me to not be hurting so much. All of the days I came home from work or left a visit at the nursing home with him only to call Alex at work in tears. However, Alex eventually came to realize as I had, that this man needed someone to love him and he needed it more than anyone I have ever met.

I hated the hurting too but I had made a promise to myself when I first realized I was falling in love with him-which was about a month after meeting him and finding out how special he was -that I would get hurt in the end and if that was the worst that could happen it was worth it. I decided to love him anyway and to be okay with the hurt that was inevitable. If the consistency and love I could give him may help him in the smallest way, shape or form then the pain would all be worth it. Today, I cried the day away  after getting that phone call and I think back to that promise I made to myself only to realize I was right-

This hurt I have is totally worth what me and him gained over the last 6 months of our lives.

So yes, the other love in my life passed this morning. But only after I told him goodbye and he met his family after we had searched for 6 months. Yup, they were found 5 days before he died. He had been away from them for 28 years with no contact. Unfortunately, they saw him at his most painful state but at least they saw him, at least they came (I have to say I feared the worst if we ever did find them). I’m so glad he that he got the chance to see them and know that they do still love him even though he had kept his distance for his own reasons over the last 28 years. I may never know exactly what his reasons were but I trust he did what was best for him.

So if you are ever question letting yourself love someone who you know is dying sooner as oppose to later- love them anyway. Yes it will hurt and the harder you love the harder you will hurt but love them hard, very hard.

I’m so glad I did.

I’m so thankful he chose to take a vacation a day before Alex and I did….I had decided Thursday when I last saw him that I really would be okay with him going now. He had lost absolutely ALL quality of life at that point. It was painful for me to even hold his hand (the picture was taken a week before our last visit when he was able to communicate by writing on a pad of paper). He needed a vacation from his pain, from his worries, his fears, the inability to eat and from that awful bed he has been in for the past 6 months. I hope he is enjoying a wonderful giant McDonalds Cheeseburger right now, which he often asked for in the middle/beginning of his hospitalization but was unable to swallow it….

So I guess we are all going on a vacation, even though I didn’t think I “needed” a vacation when I booked this trip it kind of worked out for the best- because I certainly need one now and can I know I can truly enjoy it knowing my patient and friend is no longer in pain. I can be at peace on my vacation knowing he is finally at PEACE.

On that note: Alex and I are on our way to Port canaveral now to leave for our 8 day CRUISE! I’m so excited and know we will have a great time- we stop in Nassau,  St. Thomas and St. Martin! I’m so disappointed I will miss his funeral but I assume he had it all planned out this way, for us to take our “vacation” together.

He always told me I was his guardian angel and was sent to him for a reason although he did not believe in much else.

Now it’s your turn to be my guardian angel sweetie.

I love you and I will miss our visits together so much, I loved our long talks and promise to use all of your advice, to have family close and to do what I love, oh and yes I promise to use your Tucker and Milly parenting advice- not making any guarantees though! :)

You are missed with all of my heart!!

Graduation: Jennifer Minnicks, MSW

What a week, I told you I would be back for a Graduation post and you know I wouldn’t let ya down on that! After all I should be much more dedicated to blog world since school is now behind me- of that is weird to say, it’s all I have ever known!

So my Hooding Ceremony was on Monday which was also our 2 year anniversary!! Geez have these two years flown by!!

Carrabba’s was amazing and so was my surprise of a “real” underwater camera to use on our cruise next week!

(AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)

(Mom practiced with my new camera the day after grad when I went to see him for lunch again) :)

Love that boy!

So anyway, like I said we celebrated and went out to Lunch before the chaos started that night…. and for the rest of the week!  

That night was perfect and beautiful out, mom got to finally meet all the people she hears me talk about everyday!

I think I spent the whole night pointing saying “she’s the one who just had a baby”, “she’s the one who is moving to California with her hubby she eloped with”, “She is the one obsessed with foster care”, “he is the one who makes an A on everything but never goes anywhere without gym shorts and a t-shirt on” ha

Honestly, the Hooding Ceremony was what every graduation should be like! Very intimate, with only our class and our elected teachers giving speeches…. oh yes and class superlatives!

Shannon got “Most likely to be a play therapist with 2 husky side kicks” and I got “Sweetheart of the class who never wears the same thing twice” WHO KNEW!?!?!?

This is a close up of the sign that was hanging behind us (above), you write a “Thanks” to anyone who helped you in the program.

Thanks Shannon, love you too, ohh “CobbCSB”, those were the days, we used to escape for 2-3 hour lunch breaks finding the best lunch stops in Marietta hoping no one would notice how long we had been gone for!!

There we are- I do have to say how therapeutic those lunch breaks were: we learned a lot :)

Above is Brielle with a heart of gold who superlative mentioned overly saying the word “sorry” :) and below is Chuck who served our country after 9/11 and then decided to get his MSW. He had this little cutie during our first year and the night of the hooding ceremony he wife was starting to dilate with their second little boy!He is such a great guy and dad and I know he will make a great social worker for returning vets!  

What a great way to spend an anniversary!

Ali and Dave :)

This was our present to KSU- our class, all 30 of us!

Love ya’ll!

Tuesday Alex rushed home from work for round 2- GRADUATION!

Is it really here?

       As usual mom was right up to par with flowers, champagne, cheesecake and decorating the house!!

Off to graduation! 

  Getting hooded and my diploma!

As soon as I got off the stage Dr. Dooley was running up to me to grab me and give me the biggest hug. I chose to honor her as my name was called and am honestly so glad I met her. She is such and amazing woman, advocate, mother, therapist and inspiration.

She also won best teacher for our entire 2 year program, it’s not everyday you meet a lady with a heart like this!

It’s official, finished off my last semester with 4 A’s and 1 B.

We did it!!!

I’m going to miss this gang!

  Julian was so excited to see my “silly” attire!

There’s the fam, poor B was so sick with the sniffles but was quite the trooper!

Above and below- the two smartest (and proud) boys I know, who I will never be able to keep up with in a conversation no matter how many degrees I get ;)

I think daddy was more excited that I no longer had to work for free :)

Then it was time to celebrate with HIBACHI!!

When I got home it was literally as if someone told tucker it was his mom’s graduation day!! He was happier than his usual overly happy self and could not quit kissing me!!

Another proud man in the family wearing mamas honor cords!!

Also wanted to show off my shrine of cards! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for all of your support and shared excitement! :)    Also, thank you so much to those of you who sat through yet another dreaded graduation ceremony!! Sean, Rachel, Andy, Alex, Billy, Mom, Dad, Amber and Julian!!

Thanks for being my cheering crew!!

Hilton Head “Couples Trip 2011”, Our 2 Year Anniversary, Mothers Day, My Graduation and A New Job!

Yes, all in one week- yikes!!

Sadly when I began this blog it was only about our beach trip but then well, the following things happened and the blog has now turned into one big throw down!

*This was our pre-graduation celebrations at Hilton Head*

And that was my best attempt at rounding the crew up this year for a picture!!

Sad I know and Lou isn’t even in it!

There’s that cutie!

Evidence below that we were much better at taking picture at night time…

The first night we went to Captain Woody’s followed by the triangle and lets just say Lou and I were pretty done for before we even got to the restaurant since Ney managed to double their ETA….

the more we waited on them the more we drank….

…and it didn’t stop there!!

    My girlies!!and the ghetto one… 

Sweet Lou, all I have heard lately is how proud that boy is of me with a big huge smile on his face followed by a snug!

and I am eating it up!

Eventually we made it home but not before a hectic car ride home to say the least, poor Stephanie- Thanks for collecting our belongings- it was all NEY’s fault!!

Then it was time to go to sleep, in a one bedroom condo….

We worried about this before the trip began but it was the least of our worries on either night that we got home… The boys went for a walk on the beach and us girls fell asleep on the air mattress leaving the boys to find an open spot! When we woke up we realized all 6 of us were scattered throughout the den, on the floor, air mattress and couch- not one person used the bed that we did have!

Anyway, the beach was amazing and similar to last year when Alex and I went around the same time, I couldn’t get enough! Atlanta traffic was out of mind, finals were over and the sun was beaming down on me- YES PLEASE! 

Round 2 was at Wild wings and then Remy’s!

We did our best to fit in at Remmy’s, but I’m pretty positive we stuck out like a sore thumb! The band “The Movement” was playing and it was filled with people tripping with dreadlocks doing the “Noodle” dance!

Then a few girls decided we had a problem with them and when I nicely explained we did not, we simply enjoyed watching them dance she became our new best friend!

Weird, very weird but nothing short of interesting!

   There’s our Crew/ sore thumb!

Then everyone rushed home for Mothers day and we rushed back to the beach to spend some time with these mama’s!

*Jane and Amber*

Julian as always was the cutest thing ever, and those hugs are too good to be true!

Amber is the best at finding sharks teeth, literally I think it’s in her blood! She even helped Alex find one!   Julian was so sweet to tell me “Happy Mother’s Day” when she kissed me bye- I think she thinks it’s a holiday like Christmas where you say it to everyone!  Lou got left to build Julian’s sand castles for her- what can I say us girls got hot and needed to get our feet wet!! On second thought, that’s enough for now- graduation blog to come!