Life as Amber knows it

It’s that *dreaded* time of year again: my birthday has rolled around, and true to form, the few weeks leading up to it have been tumultuous with bad news bombs dropping one right after the other.

But the good news is, I’ll be having a much needed abdominoplasty done on January 27th to correct the muscle separation three children and multiple abdominal surgeries have caused. I’m in fairly good health. My children are happy and healthy. Work has been coming in nicely. There’s the promise of trips to San Antonio and up to the Great White North to see my dear friend Julie Frayn (not to mention IVD 2015 in September). And thanks to the awesome Dr. Rowan Buskin, I have a new smile to go along with the  new year we’ve just entered.

2014 was one of the hardest years of my life, right up there with 2007. And the end of 2014 brought with it a great deal of changes to who I am and how I am. Life’s too short to waste on things that don’t work. I’d rather spend my time and energy with the people who truly matter, truly love me, experiencing life and creating memories. And while I created a great deal of memories and had a ton of new experiences in 2014 that I’m infinitely grateful for, there will always be a cloud over 2014 for me, because it was the year we lost my father, a loss I’m still reeling from six months later.

But life goes on, no matter how excellent or how shitty our lives are. The sun’s going to rise and set each day whether or not we’re happy, in love, wealthy, and living the live we want. And with that comes lessons: no matter how bad (or good)it can get, there is always something to be learned from our experiences. So as I always do on my birthday, here’s a list of what I’ve learned in my short life.

1.) The people that truly  matter and truly love you are the ones who are still there when the shit hits the fan and starts splattering.

2.) If you wouldn’t allow a type of behavior from a stranger, why allow it from a friend?

3.) Sometimes, a girl just has to down a bottle of wine and smoke a cigar.

4.) It’s okay to engage in girly behavior.

5.) I still think people who dress their pets up in any type of clothing deserve to be shot on sight.

6.) Don’t insult anyone outside a gun range. This is beyond idiotic.

7.) Just because you don’t understand it, or it’s something that wouldn’t work for you doesn’t automatically make it wrong.

8.) Sometimes “I love you” is the only thing you need.

9.) Karma always pays assholes back.

10.) Don’t ever go back to an ex. You already know how the story’s gonna end.

11.) Baseball can teach us many things. But most importantly in terms of people in my life, after three strikes, you’re out.

12.) I’m pretty sure my best friend and I broke the Epic Meter in 2014 in awesome life experiences.

13.) You either absolutely love and adore me, or you hate my guts. If you’re one of the latter, it’s for some idiotic reason and not based on anything real.

14.) Slightly related: I’m either your greatest friend or I’m your worst enemy.

15.) I never start fights. But I damn sure finish them.

16.) ALWAYS trust your instincts.

17.) Conditional love is a load of bullshit.

18.) God bless Twitter. It brought the greatest friend of my life into my world.

19.) I must be doing something right as a parent: my childless friends all adore my children.

20.) Homeschooling my children has been the best decision, not just for my oldest, but for all three of them I’ve ever made. I’ve had true quality time teaching them, and this is something I can never express my full gratitude for.

21.) The world would be a much better place if it was necessary to apply for a license to reproduce.

22.) Some people would benefit from a punch in the face.

23.) Forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness.

24.) Sometimes, no matter how badly it hurts, you have to let go.

25.) No matter how tall he is or how old he gets, or even how many children he has, I still think of my brother as my baby brother.

26.) Until you know who you are and until you’re completely honest, you’re not going to find what you’re looking for in life.

27.) Faith is harder than you realize.

28.) Life will bring you the unexpected when you stop looking for it.

29.) No one you meet in a bar is their honest self.

30.) If you ask for someone’s honest opinion, remember, you asked for it.

31.) Who you’ve been and where you come from is nowhere near as important as who you’ll be and where you’ll go.

32.) I have no sympathy for people who complain about the trouble in their lives they caused themselves.

33.) Always keep a prepaid cell phone with important numbers logged in it, fully charged in your car in case of emergencies.

34.) I’ve been blessed in my life at having several friends I consider family.

35.) And if you hurt anyone one in #34, I’ll hunt you down.

36.) My favorite place to be is sitting with a dear friend, something yummy to drink, and having a conversation that goes until three a.m.

37.) Motherhood is the greatest miracle I’ve ever been blessed with.

38.) I still don’t know what I want to be when I grown up….

 

 

Amber Jerome~Norrgard