A little bit of catch-up!

SOOO ... I am trying to play a little bit of catch up in this post. Its been a crazy year so far! A few of the highlights since last time have been: My Grandma turning 80! This one is a little unbelievable to me because she is the funniest, most vivacious, fashionable, amazing 80 year-old that I have ever met and its not because she is family. I am so lucky to have her in my life and still be able to learn from her, and spend quality with her every week. It was such a special event, and we had people come from all over including family and friends from all around the United States. She has touched the lives of so many and I am truly blessed.

I also have had the chance to go to DISNEY! My friend Katie and I both took off for a week and took advantage of the Florida resident package for 4 days/4 parks/$30 per day deal going on. We found a timeshare to rent out for the week and it was just what we needed. We could recooperate after a long day at the park and enjoy the pool and outlet shops inbetween... it was fabulous! It was a great change from the usual crammed trip of back and forth in one day from WPB to Orlando.

We have tons of funny memories from this trip and will never forget it - every bit as "magical" as we expected it to be! haha   :)  For more pictures from these fabulous events, I have the albums posted on Facebook (of course!) 80 years young and fabulous! is from the birthday extravaganza, and from the Disney trip I have the album Let the Memories Begin! I hope you all enjoy.

More to come soon!

Love, M

Joke's on Me

Hey Everyone!
So the more I think about it, the more I am realizing what an irony it is to be working in the medical field for the last two jobs I have had. For those of you that don't know, for the longest time I wanted to become either a doctor or a veterinarian! But after my freshman year of college and taking a few classes, I decided that 8 years of that kind of schooling with no balance of a social life was not as appealing to me as it once was. I opted to change my major to business which I feel could be useful in nearly any field I chose, and I am still glad I did it....but somehow I still wind up working in a medical office. Now lots and family and friends want to know, have I changed my mind? Could I see myself becoming a doctor now that I have worked in a medical practice?

The truth is, I still do not feel led to be a doctor but I do wonder if God is trying to tell me something by placing me twice now in a medical environment. God is funny that way, and sometimes directs your path in ways you really didn't expect. We'll see where this all leads, but for now I am still getting used to working the front desk! I guess the joke is on me :)

Love, M

The Travel Bug

Okay, so lately I have had the VACATION ITCH! As much as I love my new job, it comes with its stresses and I would love nothing more than to take a long weekend or mini-vacation to get away from it all. Preferably something inexpensive with friends :)  But the hard part has been waiting for my vacation time to kick in with  my benefits, and I cannot wait till it does. Even without a busy job, a vacation is  needed so desperately to recharge and refocus. Its mentally necessary! It has been far too long since I have had a legitimate vacation with all the craziness that I have gone through the last year, and I am a girl who LOVES to travel.

Close to the top of my list is perhaps an all-inclusive cruise. I have done one and would love to do it again since I had such a great experience - and there are such good deals right now. Let me know if you have other great ideas!

Love, M

A Perfect Christmas Gift

So Christmas was looking to be a very simple affair for the Rykse family this year.... at least thats what we thought! Although we didn't have out of town visitors or a big family gathering, this Christmas turned out be quite special as both my dad and I started new jobs! It was such a blessing after searching for over 6 months, and the week leading up to Christmas my job outlook changed overnight. A patient of my mom's works for a neurology practice here in West Palm Beach, and came in one day to see my mom but ended up calling in a favor once she heard Carlin's daughter was looking for a job. I got scheduled for an interview the next morning, and before I left the interview I was offered the job to work as the Front Desk Receptionist at Palm Beach Neurology and Premier Research Institute! God works in mysterious ways and 2011 is looking to be a great year full of surprises.

Meanwhile, we had a very quiet and wonderful Christmas with just my grandparents, my parents, and myself sharing traditional fondue (one of my FAVS!)... while Christmas morning also enjoying a yummy brunch with a couple of neighbors. I have so much to thank God for, and I just can't believe 2010 is gone and another new year has begun! I pray for limitless possibilities, and God's leading with many decisions to be made this coming year.
Blessings and a Happy New Year to all of you! M

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!
I am incredibly grateful for so much today. My brother is here with his family visiting, and it has been such an exhausting, packed full week but one of the best I have had in a long time. My neices are growing so much every time I see them, and it was nice to spend time together doing things as a family. We got to go to the Zoo, the beach, read bed time stories and build "princess tents". Just the little things are so much fun like sitting around watching Reese try to walk, or having a meaningful discussion solving life's problems. Us ladies even got a chance to enjoy an afternoon out sans children getting pedicures and doing a little shopping - and of course we let the guys have their fun golfing too.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and takes a moment to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for!

God Bless!
Milan

While you were out....

So last week, my parents went on a vacation just the two of them to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday! It was her choice how she wanted to celebrate, and a break from work and renovations was it. While they were gone, I stayed home and helped take care of Bella but also managed to have a little fun including hosting a girl's night for a few friends to indulge in a girly movie and some yummy snacks! Also got a chance to carve my pumpkin for Halloween and help out around the house. Our library has been hard to fully unpack and get organized due to lack of shelving etc. in the room, so while my parents were gone I unloaded around 10 boxes of books into a hutch temporarily taking up residence in the library.

Needless to say they were stoked when they got home and thankful for the hard work put in to it. It was worth it to me and it felt nice to do something like that for them! They arrived home on Halloween Sunday, and of course I had the house ready when they arrived. However, this year was a major let down because we didn't have a SINGLE trick-or-treater! Apparently this is a major retirement/snowbird community and I find it a little sad. At least it was still better than last year!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween as well, and let the countdown begin to the holidays!!

Confessions of a M.O.H.

In case some of you don't know, a M.O.H. stands for Maid of Honor....which is exactly what I was this last weekend at my best friend's wedding!

I can't even tell you what a surreal thing it was, watching my 2 friends up on the altar saying their vows to each other and pledging to be with one another for the rest of their lives! It was such a unique experience for me being the Maid of Honor, since I have been in many weddings before and thought that it wouldn't feel that different from being a regular bridesmaid. You still have to stand up there in a dress in front of everyone, right? Wrong. I had so many emotions go through me that I didn't expect, and since I have known Carly and Jared pretty much from the beginning of their relationship, I guess you really realize how much things change and how God works in people's lives. I was so touched to be standing up there and know that it was because I, and the rest of the bridal party, had played some major role in their lives and helped shape them in some way.

Perhaps its because I got to know the two of them so well, and see them fight and make up, laugh together, and grow together, but I was overwhelmed with happiness for them. I had so much fun helping out where I could, including planning the bridal shower and bachelorette party, and hopefully didn't give the world's worst speech at the reception. It truly is a new chapter in their lives, and I look forward to seeing how it unfolds!

Cheers and congratulations to the newlyweds,
Milan