As kids we played board games and one of my favorites was "Life". I remember playing and thinking how unrealistic this game was. Now, I find that it was actually semi accurate.
You began the game by choosing whether or not you would attend college and start the game being $40,000 in debt and having to eventually pay it back at $50,000. The other option was skipping college and having a few less career choices. Even if you went to college, you were not guaranteed a higher paying job. I would always get frustrated when I did the college route and ended up with the $20,000 or $30,000 a year job. Growing up, we were told to go to college and get an education so that we could make a lot more money. That was just how things were. If you went to college, you were going to be rich as opposed to those who went straight to work after high school.
Real life has now set in. Being an adult is no where near as fun as it used to seem. I did the college route and came out around $25,000 in debt and more than that to pay back. I have been out of school for a little over 3 years and am working an ok job which barely pays me $20,000 a year. I guess that game wasn't so far off after all.
During the game you encounter things like losing your job, getting married, family vacations, car accidents, and putting the kids in school just to name a few. All these things cost money. I remember the car accident would cost $5,000 in medical expenses.
In real life, my car accident is costing much more than $5,000 in medical costs alone. Not to mention the $5,500 (and counting as they find a few more problems) just to fix my poor car. They never explain to you the mental trauma that happens on top of the physical. In the game, you just pay the fees and move on with life.
As fun as that game was sometimes, I always thought it was way off base. Now that my life is being lived, I see how true that game could be. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, the only things certain in life are death and taxes. We never know what is going to happen next. Life is a journey. I didn't plan to leave college and make $20,000 a year. My plan was to teach in the local school system starting at $34,000 a year. I planned to have at least one child by now. It's been 2 years of trying and I'm not even pregnant. I planned to be able to go to Daytona today or Bristol or Darlington this spring. Instead, I was driving to work a little over 2 weeks ago and got hit by a teenage driver. That accident has thrown a huge wrench in my plans. Now instead of going to a race, I have to go to a neurosurgeon because I have lost sensitivity in one of my toes and can barely grip anything in my hand to say the least of my problems from it.
Like the game of Life, we never know what joy or catastrophe is around the next bend. All we can do is live the best life we can and roll with the unexpected. I am thankful to be alive. I have a caring family and an amazingly supportive husband who is beyond understanding. I have friends who want me to come watch the kick off race of the best sport around and they are willing to do whatever it takes to make me as comfortable as possible in my current state. As crappy as my life of daily pain and frustration seems right now, it could be worse.
Sometimes we just have to remember that life happens and be thankful for those who try to bring us some light in our darker times. It doesn't matter how much your parents try to prepare you, one is never fully prepared for Life.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
2 years already?
Well, I was going to write this post this past week, but a car accident forced me to post pone this particular post. Last Sunday, February 5, my wonderful and crazily devoted husband and I celebrated our anniversary. Yay!
For our honeymoon two years ago we took a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. It was the best trip ever. Not just because we were newly weds, but because of all the wonderful things there are to do aboard a Disney Cruise. We enjoyed fine dining, an open ice cream bar, endless buffets for breakfast and lunch, deck parties, fireworks, and spectacular Broadway shows. That was just aboard the ship. Isaac and I also had the opportunity to explore Nassau, swim with dolphins, and relax on Disney's Private Island's adults only beach. Talk about peace and quiet. We grabbed a couple of hammocks and just enjoyed the bright sunny day with the waves crashing and enjoyed the wowness that God created. It was a great way to start our life. You can see pics on my FB page.
For our one year anniversary celebration, we went back to DCL and enjoyed their newest ship. All the same great fun and much more! We spent most of our time exploring all the new technology aboard the new ship. no dolphins this time, but we did take a semi-submarine tour of the different reefs and saw beautiful coral along with gorgeous fish and sharks. Again we stopped at the private island and found our way back to Serenity Bay. It was just as magical.
This year we could not keep the cruise trip going as I lost my job for about 3 months last year. However, my mother gave us some Disney tickets for Christmas and we decided to use them for our anniversary. We stayed at their Caribbean resort just for the nostalgia. February was apparently the best time to go. There were so few people there that we were able to visit all of Hollywood Studios, all of Epcot, and catch a few rides and fireworks over at Magic Kingdom. We had a blast. To finish the night off right, we played some Disney Fantasia Mini Golf. It was great.
I think the best part of our trip was the night before, which was our actual anniversary. Isaac took me to one of my all time favorite places to eat...NASCAR Sports Grille! It's at Universal Citywalk. If you have never been, you must go. They have real trophies all around the place. Two actual Nascar Sprint Cup Series cars parked out front and if you go up to the second floor for dining, there are 2 older model cup cars suspended from the ceiling. During an actual race they will turn the cars on at certain times and you can feel the engine roar deep in your bones and watch the tires spin above your head. Even if you aren't a big Nascar fan, you would still enjoy the experience.
Over the past two years we have for sure had our trials and tribulations. There have been plenty of days we are reminded of the "in sickness and health" vows. And many of the poorer days...we are still waiting on the richer :) . Through it all, we have grown closer each day. Every day I fall more in love with him and become more proud of his accomplishments and goals that he attains. We knew life wouldn't be easy for us, but we have more than made it work. It's still just the two of us and our two pups for now and life isn't too bad given the circumstances. Oh, and that little vow he made about letting me attend at least one Nascar race a year...he's kept it!
It's been a great life so far and I only look forward to it getting better. :D
For our honeymoon two years ago we took a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. It was the best trip ever. Not just because we were newly weds, but because of all the wonderful things there are to do aboard a Disney Cruise. We enjoyed fine dining, an open ice cream bar, endless buffets for breakfast and lunch, deck parties, fireworks, and spectacular Broadway shows. That was just aboard the ship. Isaac and I also had the opportunity to explore Nassau, swim with dolphins, and relax on Disney's Private Island's adults only beach. Talk about peace and quiet. We grabbed a couple of hammocks and just enjoyed the bright sunny day with the waves crashing and enjoyed the wowness that God created. It was a great way to start our life. You can see pics on my FB page.
For our one year anniversary celebration, we went back to DCL and enjoyed their newest ship. All the same great fun and much more! We spent most of our time exploring all the new technology aboard the new ship. no dolphins this time, but we did take a semi-submarine tour of the different reefs and saw beautiful coral along with gorgeous fish and sharks. Again we stopped at the private island and found our way back to Serenity Bay. It was just as magical.
This year we could not keep the cruise trip going as I lost my job for about 3 months last year. However, my mother gave us some Disney tickets for Christmas and we decided to use them for our anniversary. We stayed at their Caribbean resort just for the nostalgia. February was apparently the best time to go. There were so few people there that we were able to visit all of Hollywood Studios, all of Epcot, and catch a few rides and fireworks over at Magic Kingdom. We had a blast. To finish the night off right, we played some Disney Fantasia Mini Golf. It was great.
I think the best part of our trip was the night before, which was our actual anniversary. Isaac took me to one of my all time favorite places to eat...NASCAR Sports Grille! It's at Universal Citywalk. If you have never been, you must go. They have real trophies all around the place. Two actual Nascar Sprint Cup Series cars parked out front and if you go up to the second floor for dining, there are 2 older model cup cars suspended from the ceiling. During an actual race they will turn the cars on at certain times and you can feel the engine roar deep in your bones and watch the tires spin above your head. Even if you aren't a big Nascar fan, you would still enjoy the experience.
Over the past two years we have for sure had our trials and tribulations. There have been plenty of days we are reminded of the "in sickness and health" vows. And many of the poorer days...we are still waiting on the richer :) . Through it all, we have grown closer each day. Every day I fall more in love with him and become more proud of his accomplishments and goals that he attains. We knew life wouldn't be easy for us, but we have more than made it work. It's still just the two of us and our two pups for now and life isn't too bad given the circumstances. Oh, and that little vow he made about letting me attend at least one Nascar race a year...he's kept it!
It's been a great life so far and I only look forward to it getting better. :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)