((WARNING .. this is the longest and most picture heavy post... ))
Alright.. So I have to admit. It has been almost exactly one year since I last wrote anything in my blog. I am trying ... absolutely trying... to at least post something once a week. We'll see how far I can get with that.. It's a tiny goal.. but maybe that will make it more do-able! A LOT has happened in the last year and I'll see if I can try and get everything up to date...
Since March of last year... let's see...
My birthday falls in April and I threw a rockin 80's costume party... complete with posters of movies and singers that were famous in the 80's ... as well as some food and candy that were popular. Straight up old-school dorito bags, pixi sticks, pop rocks, and I even had a pac-man cake! My friends rock! Check out some pics!
Not long after that, I flew to Oklahoma with my boyfriend to surprise my sister for her Senior Weekend for her softball team. It was kind of bittersweet. She's played softball since she was 2 so to know that her career was on the downswing and almost over.. all you could do was feel for her! But let me tell you.. I'm SOOOOO happy that it's over with! We can have fun now and do all the crazy things that we couldn't do before because she was on a scholarship!
I'd really like to not talk about June - December because thinking about parts of it makes me incredibly sad, but at the same time.. I am extremely grateful that it happened. Brant and I decided after four years that we needed some time apart. As much as I want to say it was ultimately his decision, which it was, I knew in my heart that it was needed. Ever heard the quote "If you love something let it go... if it comes back, it's your forever. If not, it was never meant to be" -- totally was something I completely 100% believed in. At the time, I was so lost with myself that I didn't even know if things would ever work out, which was extrememly devasting. For anyone that has been through a break up of this magnitude.. I was at that point where I couldn't function. I felt completely empty on that inside, competely let down, and I didn't know how I was going to move on or even carry on with my present life. Thankfully, it was summer so I didn't have school to worry about but let me tell you.. my best friend had her work cut out for her. I was working 40ish hours a week and thankfully, she works at the same place I do, so it made it easier to get up in the morning when someone is expecting to see your face. 3 out of 4 nights a week, I am pretty sure I was staying at her house or she was staying at mine. Her husband was deployed in Afghanistan so I would say it helped her as much as it helped me. If it wasnt for her, I don't think I would have made it through the summer. We had many long chats, cry sessions, her telling me what I needed to hear which no one else would tell me.. even if I absolutely hated hearing it, lots of laughs, many "swim" parties, dinner dates, drinking dates, GOLD MEDALS (during the Olympics), roadtrips to Oregon, and endless texting conversations. She literally saved me. 100%. As the months went by.. I started feeling better.
There was one particular weekend that I can think of.. We went to Eastern Washington to the lake house which some family friends of mine own. I have to say, this was probably the turning point of depressed and alone Shayla to.. Happy Shayla. We went just to get away for the weekend and ended up having a blast. One thing I know for sure after that.. Don't let four women unload a golf cart from a truck when three of them have been drinking.. Kirsten loved pizza rolls so much that weekend she passed out sitting on the counter waiting for them to cool down.. It's possible to fall asleep/pass out with wheat thins in your mouth and still have them there when you wake up.. and lastly.. EACH drinking a whole fifth to ourselves and going on a 2AM walk with your bestie like crazy people is probably the most fun thing EVER! She rocks!
Like I said, she was married and her husband was deployed in Afghanistan serving for our country. It meant that we were both involved in long distance army relationships -- her with her husband and me with her husband (duh) .. and with that.. I was introduced to one of his besties, Zach Utz.. or Utz as we call him... While Kirsten and I were inseperable besties in USA .. they were pretty much inseperable besties in the middle of BFE Afghanistan. Skip ahead two months and my bestie moved across the country to live with her husband in North Carolina.. because apparently that's what you do when you're married. WHO KNEW?! Anyway.. this leads me to November, I was able to fly out to North Carolina and attend that Army Ball with Utz. It was amazing. Truly one of the best weekends I've ever had.. with literally three .. if not five best friends a girl could have. It was filled with laughing, drinking, Laser tag, camp fires, and most of all.. a really good time!
In September, I started my FINAL quarter of Nursing school. I can thankfully now say that I am one of the newest Registered Nurses in Washington state as of January 7th, when I passed the NCLEX examination. WHOOO HOOO! Finally! As you can imagine, the quarter was busy. Filled with projects, plenty of studying, hours spent at the hospital, and all the paperwork to go along with it. I did my practicum at a local hospital here on the Cardiac Care Unit and had an amazing preceptor. I worked nights, so 7PM to 730AM, which wasn't as terrible as it sounds.. but it is incredibly hard to want to stay awake when all your patients are sleeping, the lights are turned down, and you are racing the other employees to answer call lights when one happens to go off. Regardless, I made it through. I graduated on December 4th, 2012 and it was literally the best day. I have waited so long for this and I am so happy that I never gave up on my dream. My pinning ceremony was bittersweet and I'm so happy that I got to share it with the other 27 students that I graduated with. I had my own little fan club in the audience and felt incredibly blessed. We celebrated with dinner after the ceremony and I had a graduation shin dig at my house the following weekend! I just recently sent out announcements because my mom forced me.. only a little late!
My parents & grandparents
My sis in law, brother, and sister
My bestie and Brant
I know.. I know.. Everyone is probably thinking.. I thought that Brant guy was out of the picture. He was until right after Thanksgiving. But I'll get to that in a minute... first.. I have to say that I took some time between September and December to really grow as a person. Not that I was severely overweight by any means, I definitely wasn't slim or as skinny/healthy as I used to be. I have to date lost about 25 pounds by eating healthy and exercising. I let myself "enjoy" the Holiday's and I managed to maintain which is SUPER hard to do when everyone is baking and blah blah blah. You know how it goes. I feel good. I still can't "see" a huge difference but my clothes are fitting different and really that's been a great feeling. I have slacked off a little bit in the last month of two.. still maintaining my weight, but relaxing and enjoying life. I still have about 10-15 more pounds I want to lose, so we'll see what the next month or two bring. I'm training for a run that is on St Patrick's Day, which is in just over a week.. so it gives me some motivation to get back on the healthy eating/working out train..
So yes. Brant and I are back together. It truly was probably one of the best experiences not being with him for that six month time frame. I learned alot about who I am and who I want to be.. and especially what I am looking for and wanting/needing in my relationship. I feel like he was able to do the same.. so that way, when we met for coffee over Thanksgiving weekend.. we were truly able to be who we really are.. and I believe.. who we always really have been. It has been quite the trek getting to where we are today. He had to endure a few unpleasant and uncomfortable experiences (like my pinning ceremony for example.. being in a room where my family isn't exactly part of your fan club... or my best friend for that matter) but he survived.. as did I .. and I can't say that I am unhappy at all. The last three months of being together with him have been nothing short of amazing and I can honestly say that I am happiest that I have been. Ever. which is REALLY happy. Some people will never understand or get what I'm doing with him.. because of what happened and what things were said.. but really. all that matters now is that I'm almost 27 years old.. I know what I'm doing.. and what I'm needing and looking for.. and essentially..I am happy. That should really be all that matters.
Since my fingers are getting tired and I have many grammer errors and typos, which I really don't care about right now.. a few minor details from the last year as well, which are just as important, but I will save for another time are ... First, I welcomed my newest adopted/like family nephew in June. His name is Brady James and he is SO damn cute. He has these bug eyes which are always wide and "bug-ish" so I called him Bug one day and it's stuck... Secondly, I said goodbye to my Honda Civic Sylvia.. and purchased my own car! His name is Apollo and he's a 2008 Subaru Legacy GT limited and I LOOOOOOVVVEE him! And a sneek peak for my next blog post, I'm moving to Vancouver.. with Brant.. because we're getting a HOUSE! Until next time.....
Simply Shay
