I don't believe in hypothetical situations - that's like lying to your brain.

Is it actually Friday??? I wasn't sure what a 5-day work week looked like after having 3 weeks of 3-day work weeks - I must say that I prefer 4-day weekends. I'm purposefully not posting pics to this week's blog because A) No great pics were taken of this week's events & B) I'm hoping next week's blog pics will knock your socks off ...keep reading for details.

Friends A Plenty
I realized this week after having a conversation with my dad how lucky we are to have so many friends here in Memphis. There are many weeks that we are out with a different couple every single night & it's been so much fun investing in those friendships! This has not always been the case & I know the reason is because we've made a conscious effort to have meaningful conversations, make plans & create fun traditions ...plus, we're pretty awesome to hang out with. I will not take this life stage for granted & hope that even after our family grows that we will continue to make time to share life with our peeps.

ScreamFree Grieving
This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me since my grandpa's stroke. I have been extremely moody, irritable & I've felt like a sass alien has taken over my body at times because I've said some pretty mean things to Ben for no reason. Ben has been incredible. He has listened, cuddled, stayed up late watching movies, held me when the alligator tears came & even washed my hair for me. The biggest thing he has done has been not taking things personally or taking on my stuff.

The stress I've felt this past week has been overwhelming & I've tried to be conscious of that. Being ScreamFree in the midst of this stress has been a huge test for us individually & within our marriage & I can't explain to you how much more peace I feel by the calming presence Ben has shown. Someone said to me this week after having an in depth conversation with Ben, "He is a whole new man," to which I replied, "I know."

My Office Quote of the Week
No actual quotes this week, however I do find it humorous that most of the guys that work back in the shop refer to me as "Ms. Monica" which makes me feel like a teacher or something. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather them call me that than my suspicions of being nicknamed "Ice Queen" due to my blunt honesty & ability to under function rather than over function when it comes to putting paper in the copy machine.

Investing in My Story
So... this past week we made two major investments in my story. Ben told me a few weeks ago that he had decided to invest his x-mas money which didn't surprise me at all. What did surprise me was when he said that he wanted to invest it in ME by putting it towards a really nice camera which I've been wanting for years. You see, the character in my story is an awesome photographer & loves to capture life on film.

We also paid for & reserved my spot at a training weekend up in Nashville in April so that I can become an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) Home Stager. Both of these were huge financial investments, but it was a surprisingly easy decision to make because the characters in our story don't hesitate or fear spending money on things or experiences that help us become our true selves.

Tonight is Benica date night! We're eating sushi at Blue Fin & then going to see comedian Brian Regan at The Orpheum. Tomorrow we plan to get up at the crack of dawn to get our car inspected, then reward ourselves with our traditional Sat breakfast at Panera followed by a "Memphis inspired" photo shoot with my new camera! Stay tuned in the near future for a whole new blog look. Happy Friday everyone!