10 Days

Today's blog post (and, well, the next 9 posts) are inspiration from Jess over at Polka Dots, Pearls, and Pink...OH MY! She has committed to a 10 day blogging challenge about the following, and I'm always up for a challenge. Here's the rules:

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession.

Here goes!
Day one: ten things I want to say to ten people right now...

1. Case Keenum (UH Quarterback): Get your bum knee back in shape and get your @$$ back on the field. This is OUR season and we need YOU! Plus-I didn't buy season tickets to watch some red shirt freshman attempt to take us to the bowl game...

2. Tini (my chihuahua): Although you are the most precious thing I've ever seen, you're 5 now...well, 5 1/2, and it's TIME you become potty trained. Your floppy ears and sweet eyes won't win my heart this time...get with it.
3. Nancy (Beau's 86 year old neighbor): Thank you SO much for helping us with our garage sale this past weekend. Sitting with you as you collected all the money, listening to your love stories about you and your husband from World War II and hearing all about your ginormous collection of sea shells made my weekend sitting outside in the heat and then the rain and then the mosquitoes so much more enjoyable-really! It was so thoughtful of you to wake up at the crack of dawn both Saturday AND Sunday to help us organize and sell our "crap" all to help Beau and I raise a few measly dollars for our honeymoon.

4. Adriana (my bridal consultant at Ventura's Bridal Salon): Please call me sometime soon and say those 4 little words, "Your dress is in!" You said it would take 4-6 months for delivery. It's been 4 months and 13 days now and I lack patience. It's time.

5. Owners of both Mazda North American Operations and National Tire & Battery: tell your employees I said thanks for completely ruining my vehicle and not taking responsibility for it. Because of you, I am now in a long winded, stressful lawsuit. BUT-mark my word...I'm waiting you out! Good things come to those who wait and I'll be damned if I stand to see you do this to innocent consumers and not fess up to it. BRING IT!

(*I guess that last one counts for 2 so I'll skip to #6 to be fair.)

7. Kristen: I am SO happy you made me this blog! It is seriously SO therapeutic for me. Reading all y'alls posts everyday gives me something to look forward to and without it, well, I just might have to get a life!

(Classay Laday!)

8. Dad: I love you and miss you terribly. Tini says "hi" and says she misses her Popsicle eating, chip dipping sessions with you. I couldn't agree more.

You see, I was daddy's girl. I hunted and fished with him throughout my entire childhood and he was my softball coach my whole life. We spent every single weekend together out at the deer lease, the island or the softball field and he taught me so incredibly much. He was so patient with anyone and had a heart of gold. He would do anything for me and I just knew he would would be around forever. He was dad. He was invincible. Dad was the bravest man I knew. He had the sweetest blue eyes that could melt anyone's heart.

Dad died a little over 2 1/2 years ago and since then, life has been, well, different. It was traumatic, sudden, and completely unexpected. Chris, mom and myself were in shock for days on end-sometimes I think we still are. It was so surreal, and it still is. There is absolutely nothing more in the world I want than to have him back today. Not just for me and the fact that I wish he could walk me down that aisle. But for mom. For my brother. For Tini. For the kid across the street whom he sat in a baby pool with eating pickles with in the front yard.

I can't help but think of him constantly throughout each and every day but I have come to the understanding that everything really happened for a reason. Dad died of a heart attack. His heart was 3 times the size it should have been, many of his main arteries were over 90% blocked and he had the beginning stages of kidney cancer. I could have never seen dad go through and deal with cancer treatment, especially kidney cancer. He wouldn't have wanted to go through that either which is why I have come to terms with it all.

If you've never heard of "Pennies from Heaven", google it. It's so incredible and I believe it in 1000%. Although dad is not physically here, I know his spirit is and he's watching over me everyday.

Love you, daddy. Keep sending down pennies and watching over us. 0:)

9. Beau: (Of course!) Thank you for being my best friend and for never judging me. Thank you for always seeing the best in me and for making me always see the good side of everything. You are my rock and I love you.
10. Mom: You and dad put a good head on my shoulders (or so I'd like to think!) and have raised me into the woman I am today. You are the strongest woman I know and I hope one day I will have as much strength as you do. I love you and am forever grateful for you and our relationship.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's challenge: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.

This could get real interesting real fast...dun, dun, duuuunnn....