<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
		>
<channel>
	<title>Comments on: Yesterday I Turned 33</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/</link>
	<description>&#34;Well-behaved women rarely make history.&#34; ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:57:03 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=371</generator>
<xhtml:meta xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex" />
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-209</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:24:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-209</guid>
		<description>Hi, Alan.  Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement.  Had it not been for the well-wishes and waves of good Karma I&#039;ve received from great friends like you, I&#039;m not sure what would have happened to me over the past year &amp; a half or so.  We all have struggles and those struggles make us who we are.  More importantly, they teach us to be grateful for what we have rather than focusing on what we don&#039;t.  Thanks again!  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi, Alan.  Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement.  Had it not been for the well-wishes and waves of good Karma I&#8217;ve received from great friends like you, I&#8217;m not sure what would have happened to me over the past year &#038; a half or so.  We all have struggles and those struggles make us who we are.  More importantly, they teach us to be grateful for what we have rather than focusing on what we don&#8217;t.  Thanks again!  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alan Bleiweiss</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-208</link>
		<dc:creator>Alan Bleiweiss</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-208</guid>
		<description>Alysson,

I too was among the many who had been wondering about your absence.  Each time I got concerned, you&#039;d pop your head up on Twitter just long enough for me to breath a sigh of relief, knowing that you were still out there... 

My heart goes out to you Alysson.  I send you light, love and blessings of happiness and well being!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alysson,</p>
<p>I too was among the many who had been wondering about your absence.  Each time I got concerned, you&#8217;d pop your head up on Twitter just long enough for me to breath a sigh of relief, knowing that you were still out there&#8230; </p>
<p>My heart goes out to you Alysson.  I send you light, love and blessings of happiness and well being!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-51</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:38:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-51</guid>
		<description>Hey, Chris.  Yes, I have been feeling a bit better the past week or so and I&#039;m hoping that&#039;s a sign that I&#039;m headed back toward a full remission.  Fingers crossed anyway!  So sorry to hear that you had a run of back luck, but it sounds like you&#039;ve bounced back.  Life is full of ups &amp; downs and I&#039;m glad you&#039;re on another upswing.

Thanks for your kind words.  I appreciate it!  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey, Chris.  Yes, I have been feeling a bit better the past week or so and I&#8217;m hoping that&#8217;s a sign that I&#8217;m headed back toward a full remission.  Fingers crossed anyway!  So sorry to hear that you had a run of back luck, but it sounds like you&#8217;ve bounced back.  Life is full of ups &#038; downs and I&#8217;m glad you&#8217;re on another upswing.</p>
<p>Thanks for your kind words.  I appreciate it!  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Chris Estes</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-50</link>
		<dc:creator>Chris Estes</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:27:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-50</guid>
		<description>Wow!  Ally it sounds like you are getting back on track.  You will power through I know.

I am experiencing similar problems and had given up hope at one point.  Though my problems aren&#039;t physical like yours.  I posted last year that I was getting &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seochris.com/seo-break-back-in-the-saddle-again/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt; back in the saddle&lt;/a&gt;.  When in reality it only got worse for me.  But such is life.  If it wasn&#039;t for a network of great friends at home I wouldn&#039;t have had the power to make it this far.  

When you are down sometimes a little bit of love can do the trick.  

If there is anything I can do to help let me know.  I&#039;m swinging a hammer back from my financial woes we can always use some good people!!!!
.-= Chris Estes&#180;s last blog ..&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chris-estes.com/2009/10/29/langford-convicted-what-next-for-birmingham/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Langford Convicted: What Next for Birmingham?&lt;/a&gt; =-.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Wow!  Ally it sounds like you are getting back on track.  You will power through I know.</p>
<p>I am experiencing similar problems and had given up hope at one point.  Though my problems aren&#8217;t physical like yours.  I posted last year that I was getting <a href="http://www.seochris.com/seo-break-back-in-the-saddle-again/"> back in the saddle</a>.  When in reality it only got worse for me.  But such is life.  If it wasn&#8217;t for a network of great friends at home I wouldn&#8217;t have had the power to make it this far.  </p>
<p>When you are down sometimes a little bit of love can do the trick.  </p>
<p>If there is anything I can do to help let me know.  I&#8217;m swinging a hammer back from my financial woes we can always use some good people!!!!<br />
<span class="cluv"> Chris Estes&#180;s last blog ..<a href="http://www.chris-estes.com/2009/10/29/langford-convicted-what-next-for-birmingham/">Langford Convicted: What Next for Birmingham?</a> <span class="heart_tip_box"><img class="heart_tip" alt="My ComLuv Profile" border="0" width="16" height="14" src="http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheart.gif"/></span></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-49</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:15:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-49</guid>
		<description>Thanks for your kind words, James.  I don&#039;t know about being much of a warrior, but I&#039;m certainly stubborn.  And, like Annie Oakley, approach life with an &quot;anything you can do, I can do better...&quot; attitude.  

The truth is that my life to this point has been pretty easy.  I didn&#039;t come from money, but never wanted for much.  I&#039;ve been lucky to find my way to good jobs in the past that allowed me to live comfortably without having to depend on anyone else.  In order to evolve we must all face some kind of challenge or hardship, so perhaps this is the price I have to pay for having been able to find success and live a comfortable life without having to work all that hard to get there.  Who knows?  What I do know is that I&#039;ve been dealt this hand for a reason.  So, I&#039;ll keep playing this game of life with the cards I&#039;ve been dealt and, if I play them right, I&#039;ll wind up with the big chip stack.  

Thanks for the belated birthday wishes, as well as the supportive and encouraging comments.  I really appreciate it.  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks for your kind words, James.  I don&#8217;t know about being much of a warrior, but I&#8217;m certainly stubborn.  And, like Annie Oakley, approach life with an &#8220;anything you can do, I can do better&#8230;&#8221; attitude.  </p>
<p>The truth is that my life to this point has been pretty easy.  I didn&#8217;t come from money, but never wanted for much.  I&#8217;ve been lucky to find my way to good jobs in the past that allowed me to live comfortably without having to depend on anyone else.  In order to evolve we must all face some kind of challenge or hardship, so perhaps this is the price I have to pay for having been able to find success and live a comfortable life without having to work all that hard to get there.  Who knows?  What I do know is that I&#8217;ve been dealt this hand for a reason.  So, I&#8217;ll keep playing this game of life with the cards I&#8217;ve been dealt and, if I play them right, I&#8217;ll wind up with the big chip stack.  </p>
<p>Thanks for the belated birthday wishes, as well as the supportive and encouraging comments.  I really appreciate it.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: JMorris</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-48</link>
		<dc:creator>JMorris</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:31:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-48</guid>
		<description>Alysson,

1st. Happy Birthday. You&#039;re 1 year ahead of me, so I can relate, quite a bit.

What stood out for me in your post the most is that you have a true Warrior&#039;s spirit. You are not a victim of your circumstances. You make your choices and live your life with passion and direction. 

Truth be told, my life was the polar opposite. I grew up poor as dirt, did without regularly and had to fight for every last thing I have. This is how I developed a warrior&#039;s spirit. Through necessity. You, on the other hand, were born with it, and it shows.

I know, without a doubt, that you will persevere through this time and come out on the other site far better off than you are now.

Never volunteer to be a victim. Always listen to your inner warrior and fight! Fight for your life!

I wish you the best. I know you will fight towards the happiness you deserve.
.-= JMorris&#180;s last blog ..&lt;a href=&quot;http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JmorrisOnline/~3/Bf_dqXGhKQk/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;TwakeUp! Breast Cancer Effects Us All!&lt;/a&gt; =-.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alysson,</p>
<p>1st. Happy Birthday. You&#8217;re 1 year ahead of me, so I can relate, quite a bit.</p>
<p>What stood out for me in your post the most is that you have a true Warrior&#8217;s spirit. You are not a victim of your circumstances. You make your choices and live your life with passion and direction. </p>
<p>Truth be told, my life was the polar opposite. I grew up poor as dirt, did without regularly and had to fight for every last thing I have. This is how I developed a warrior&#8217;s spirit. Through necessity. You, on the other hand, were born with it, and it shows.</p>
<p>I know, without a doubt, that you will persevere through this time and come out on the other site far better off than you are now.</p>
<p>Never volunteer to be a victim. Always listen to your inner warrior and fight! Fight for your life!</p>
<p>I wish you the best. I know you will fight towards the happiness you deserve.<br />
<span class="cluv"> JMorris&#180;s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JmorrisOnline/~3/Bf_dqXGhKQk/">TwakeUp! Breast Cancer Effects Us All!</a> <span class="heart_tip_box"><img class="heart_tip" alt="My ComLuv Profile" border="0" width="16" height="14" src="http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheart.gif"/></span></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-47</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:06:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-47</guid>
		<description>Thanks, David.  No worries...I&#039;ll keep pluggin&#039; away at it.  There&#039;s no &quot;give up&quot; in me.  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks, David.  No worries&#8230;I&#8217;ll keep pluggin&#8217; away at it.  There&#8217;s no &#8220;give up&#8221; in me.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-46</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:05:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-46</guid>
		<description>Thanks so much, Kathryn.  Sorry I choked you up!  It wasn&#039;t my intention to make anyone cry.  :(  No tears for me, though - I&#039;ll be just fine!  The good news in all of this is that I finally know what I really want to do and now all I have to do is figure out how to pay for it.  I&#039;ve always believed that everything happens for a reason.  This is no different and good is bound to come from it in the long run.  

I really appreciate your kind words, encouragement and virtual hug.  Thank you!  :)  Be well!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks so much, Kathryn.  Sorry I choked you up!  It wasn&#8217;t my intention to make anyone cry.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' />   No tears for me, though &#8211; I&#8217;ll be just fine!  The good news in all of this is that I finally know what I really want to do and now all I have to do is figure out how to pay for it.  I&#8217;ve always believed that everything happens for a reason.  This is no different and good is bound to come from it in the long run.  </p>
<p>I really appreciate your kind words, encouragement and virtual hug.  Thank you!  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />   Be well!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: David Leonhardt</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-45</link>
		<dc:creator>David Leonhardt</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:19:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-45</guid>
		<description>No fancy words, just keep it up.  Whatever you have the power to do as long as possible...that&#039;s what life is all about.  :-)
.-= David Leonhardt&#180;s last blog ..&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seo-writer.com/blog/2009/10/28/ethical-seo-across-the-search-engines/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ethical SEO across the search engines&lt;/a&gt; =-.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>No fancy words, just keep it up.  Whatever you have the power to do as long as possible&#8230;that&#8217;s what life is all about.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /><br />
<span class="cluv"> David Leonhardt&#180;s last blog ..<a href="http://www.seo-writer.com/blog/2009/10/28/ethical-seo-across-the-search-engines/">Ethical SEO across the search engines</a> <span class="heart_tip_box"><img class="heart_tip" alt="My ComLuv Profile" border="0" width="16" height="14" src="http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheart.gif"/></span></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Kathryn Katz</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-44</link>
		<dc:creator>Kathryn Katz</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:12:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-44</guid>
		<description>Aly,

I&#039;ll keep this brief, cause after reading your story, I&#039;m a little choked up. I&#039;m down here in South Florida, so I can&#039;t drop by to offer a hug and cup of coffee, so you&#039;ll have to settle for a virtual hug. If I can be of any help with snagging more freelance or looking for a new job, let me know. You&#039;ve got my email, just reach out if you need anything.

Take Care,

Kathryn</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Aly,</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll keep this brief, cause after reading your story, I&#8217;m a little choked up. I&#8217;m down here in South Florida, so I can&#8217;t drop by to offer a hug and cup of coffee, so you&#8217;ll have to settle for a virtual hug. If I can be of any help with snagging more freelance or looking for a new job, let me know. You&#8217;ve got my email, just reach out if you need anything.</p>
<p>Take Care,</p>
<p>Kathryn</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-43</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:27:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-43</guid>
		<description>Thanks so much, Kalena.  Your support means a lot.  So many people have reached out to me as a result of this post that I&#039;m quite overwhelmed.  For someone like me, admitting any sort of weakness or vulnerability is REALLY difficult.  Having so many reach out to offer their encouragement and support certainly makes it easier.

At this point I&#039;ve decided to go back to school full-time...that is assuming I can find the money to do it.  I&#039;ve decided to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Digital Filmmaking &amp; Video Production, which will give me the opportunity to build on my passion for photography AND search marketing.  As the social web continues to evolve more and more companies will be looking for people who can produce videos that capture their ideals &amp; mission and build their online brands.  My ultimate goal is to head out to L.A. to try my hand in the movie biz, but in the meantime this degree will help me use the skill set I already have thanks to my experience in search marketing.  Keep your fingers crossed that I can get together the funds to actually pull it off!

Thanks again for your support and encouragement.  I appreciate it more than you know.  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks so much, Kalena.  Your support means a lot.  So many people have reached out to me as a result of this post that I&#8217;m quite overwhelmed.  For someone like me, admitting any sort of weakness or vulnerability is REALLY difficult.  Having so many reach out to offer their encouragement and support certainly makes it easier.</p>
<p>At this point I&#8217;ve decided to go back to school full-time&#8230;that is assuming I can find the money to do it.  I&#8217;ve decided to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Digital Filmmaking &#038; Video Production, which will give me the opportunity to build on my passion for photography AND search marketing.  As the social web continues to evolve more and more companies will be looking for people who can produce videos that capture their ideals &#038; mission and build their online brands.  My ultimate goal is to head out to L.A. to try my hand in the movie biz, but in the meantime this degree will help me use the skill set I already have thanks to my experience in search marketing.  Keep your fingers crossed that I can get together the funds to actually pull it off!</p>
<p>Thanks again for your support and encouragement.  I appreciate it more than you know.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Kalena Jordan</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-42</link>
		<dc:creator>Kalena Jordan</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:11:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-42</guid>
		<description>Hi Aly

Only just found this post of yours. Wow. Thank you for sharing with us your personal struggles and reaching out. It&#039;s difficult sometimes to admit you&#039;re not Wonder Woman and admit that you sometimes get scared or stressed by situations life throws at you. The important thing is to reach out and let others know you need their support. I do too little of this and it has cost me a lot. Thanks for reminding me that we&#039;re all human and need each other. We may not know each other very well, but I do consider you a friend and thank you for writing this. You&#039;re a brave, beautiful, intelligent woman and you have a lot of people who care about you. I hope we can make a difference in your life and help make your burdens a little lighter somehow. [BTW, I&#039;m not able to take on any SEO clients these days but get lots of leads and referral requests. I will make sure to refer some potential clients your way.]
.-= Kalena Jordan&#180;s last blog ..&lt;a href=&quot;http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskKalena/~3/YSgKsVvPRDQ/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tweet and Ye Shall Find (on Google and Bing)&lt;/a&gt; =-.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Aly</p>
<p>Only just found this post of yours. Wow. Thank you for sharing with us your personal struggles and reaching out. It&#8217;s difficult sometimes to admit you&#8217;re not Wonder Woman and admit that you sometimes get scared or stressed by situations life throws at you. The important thing is to reach out and let others know you need their support. I do too little of this and it has cost me a lot. Thanks for reminding me that we&#8217;re all human and need each other. We may not know each other very well, but I do consider you a friend and thank you for writing this. You&#8217;re a brave, beautiful, intelligent woman and you have a lot of people who care about you. I hope we can make a difference in your life and help make your burdens a little lighter somehow. [BTW, I'm not able to take on any SEO clients these days but get lots of leads and referral requests. I will make sure to refer some potential clients your way.]<br />
<span class="cluv"> Kalena Jordan&#180;s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskKalena/~3/YSgKsVvPRDQ/">Tweet and Ye Shall Find (on Google and Bing)</a> <span class="heart_tip_box"><img class="heart_tip" alt="My ComLuv Profile" border="0" width="16" height="14" src="http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheart.gif"/></span></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-41</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:35:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-41</guid>
		<description>Thanks, Mickey.  I&#039;m glad you enjoyed the post and I really appreciate your encouragement.  Right now I&#039;m trying to figure out how to pay to go back to school.  I&#039;d really like to go to the Art Institute in Jacksonville to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Web Design &amp; Interactive Media or Filmmaking &amp; Video Production.  Considering tuition alone will be in the $100,000, not to mention living expenses on top of that, getting my degree might continue to be out of reach...but that remains to be seen.  

Thanks again for reading the post and taking the time to comment.  Your support and encouragement mean a lot to me!  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks, Mickey.  I&#8217;m glad you enjoyed the post and I really appreciate your encouragement.  Right now I&#8217;m trying to figure out how to pay to go back to school.  I&#8217;d really like to go to the Art Institute in Jacksonville to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Web Design &#038; Interactive Media or Filmmaking &#038; Video Production.  Considering tuition alone will be in the $100,000, not to mention living expenses on top of that, getting my degree might continue to be out of reach&#8230;but that remains to be seen.  </p>
<p>Thanks again for reading the post and taking the time to comment.  Your support and encouragement mean a lot to me!  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Mickey Gomez</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-40</link>
		<dc:creator>Mickey Gomez</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:18:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-40</guid>
		<description>Alysson, thanks so much for sharing this with us!  I&#039;d noticed that I hadn&#039;t seen you online much but chalked it up to my not being online much, either.  I&#039;m so glad that something someone said earlier made me think, &quot;Hmmm. . . wonder what&#039;s up with Alysson?&quot;

I&#039;m touched by your honesty and candor - it&#039;s a brilliantly written post - and I&#039;m sorry to hear about everything you are going through at the moment.  I hope that you won&#039;t hesitate to reach out if you need anything, even if it&#039;s just someone to joke with (you know I&#039;m always up for that - I still chuckle over our Skype chat).  Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, okay?

I&#039;ll chime in with the other comments here - you are an incredibly talented, compassionate, strong and inspiring woman.  I know that you will get through this, but it&#039;s okay to lean on your friends along the way.  It sounds as if things are taking a turn for the better (and I hope they are) but know I&#039;ll be sending good thoughts your way.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alysson, thanks so much for sharing this with us!  I&#8217;d noticed that I hadn&#8217;t seen you online much but chalked it up to my not being online much, either.  I&#8217;m so glad that something someone said earlier made me think, &#8220;Hmmm. . . wonder what&#8217;s up with Alysson?&#8221;</p>
<p>I&#8217;m touched by your honesty and candor &#8211; it&#8217;s a brilliantly written post &#8211; and I&#8217;m sorry to hear about everything you are going through at the moment.  I hope that you won&#8217;t hesitate to reach out if you need anything, even if it&#8217;s just someone to joke with (you know I&#8217;m always up for that &#8211; I still chuckle over our Skype chat).  Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, okay?</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll chime in with the other comments here &#8211; you are an incredibly talented, compassionate, strong and inspiring woman.  I know that you will get through this, but it&#8217;s okay to lean on your friends along the way.  It sounds as if things are taking a turn for the better (and I hope they are) but know I&#8217;ll be sending good thoughts your way.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-39</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:34:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-39</guid>
		<description>Thanks, Shana.  Your friendship and encouragement mean a lot to me.  I think the best thing for me at this point is to put on hold my ultimate aspiration of being completely self-employed in favor of the greater security (and health insurance) that comes from working for &quot;the man&quot;.  As soon as I&#039;m sure my worst days are behind me with this episode, that&#039;s probably exactly what I&#039;m going to do.  

While I had often entertained the idea of venturing out on my own at some point, I was totally unprepared for it last December when I was thrust into the world of the unemployed with millions of other Americans when I was fired last December.  I&#039;ve had a number of inquiries into my online resumes since last December, but I really wanted to stick out this &quot;working for myself&quot; idea as long as I possibly could.  As Kenny Rogers said, you&#039;ve got to know when to hold &#039;em and know when to fold &#039;em.  And just because I fold them today doesn&#039;t mean I can&#039;t play again later.

I&#039;ve thought of you, like Joe, several times over the past weeks and gleaned inspiration from knowing of your struggle and also how much more pressure you&#039;re under as a single mom.  Your friendship means a lot to me and I really appreciate your support!  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks, Shana.  Your friendship and encouragement mean a lot to me.  I think the best thing for me at this point is to put on hold my ultimate aspiration of being completely self-employed in favor of the greater security (and health insurance) that comes from working for &#8220;the man&#8221;.  As soon as I&#8217;m sure my worst days are behind me with this episode, that&#8217;s probably exactly what I&#8217;m going to do.  </p>
<p>While I had often entertained the idea of venturing out on my own at some point, I was totally unprepared for it last December when I was thrust into the world of the unemployed with millions of other Americans when I was fired last December.  I&#8217;ve had a number of inquiries into my online resumes since last December, but I really wanted to stick out this &#8220;working for myself&#8221; idea as long as I possibly could.  As Kenny Rogers said, you&#8217;ve got to know when to hold &#8216;em and know when to fold &#8216;em.  And just because I fold them today doesn&#8217;t mean I can&#8217;t play again later.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve thought of you, like Joe, several times over the past weeks and gleaned inspiration from knowing of your struggle and also how much more pressure you&#8217;re under as a single mom.  Your friendship means a lot to me and I really appreciate your support!  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Shana Albert</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-38</link>
		<dc:creator>Shana Albert</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:20:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-38</guid>
		<description>Alysson you are such a brave woman for coming out and telling us what has been ailing you.  I know how hard it is to keep secret an illness thinking it will be better that way.  But, in the year plus since I announced my illness it has helped.  Mostly because people showed their support and offered a lending hand and an open shoulder if needed.

I&#039;m sorry you are having money issues.  I hope that job offers come flowing in or that you find that winning ticket.  But, know that I am here if you need me... to talk or joke around with.  

You are a beautiful person and a wonderful friend.  I am a better person from meeting you.  Please let me help you any way I can.  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alysson you are such a brave woman for coming out and telling us what has been ailing you.  I know how hard it is to keep secret an illness thinking it will be better that way.  But, in the year plus since I announced my illness it has helped.  Mostly because people showed their support and offered a lending hand and an open shoulder if needed.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m sorry you are having money issues.  I hope that job offers come flowing in or that you find that winning ticket.  But, know that I am here if you need me&#8230; to talk or joke around with.  </p>
<p>You are a beautiful person and a wonderful friend.  I am a better person from meeting you.  Please let me help you any way I can.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-37</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:57:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-37</guid>
		<description>Thanks, Steve.  We absolutely do need to get together for lunch when you get back to town.  I&#039;ve felt much better the past couple of days than I have in weeks, so I&#039;m taking that as a good sign.  Freezing your ass off in Indy?  You now understand why I moved to Jacksonville, huh?  ;)

You are right.  I&#039;m not about to give up.  I&#039;m way too mean to let anything whip me.  Thanks for the encouragement and enjoy my home state a little bit despite the cold if you can.  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks, Steve.  We absolutely do need to get together for lunch when you get back to town.  I&#8217;ve felt much better the past couple of days than I have in weeks, so I&#8217;m taking that as a good sign.  Freezing your ass off in Indy?  You now understand why I moved to Jacksonville, huh?  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>You are right.  I&#8217;m not about to give up.  I&#8217;m way too mean to let anything whip me.  Thanks for the encouragement and enjoy my home state a little bit despite the cold if you can.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Alysson</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-36</link>
		<dc:creator>Alysson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:52:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-36</guid>
		<description>Your concern and encouragement mean a lot to me, Monica.  No need to be pissed on my account though.  I still believe everything happens for a reason and I&#039;m sure the reason for all of this will ultimately be revealed at some point.  Nevertheless, reality is what it is...and one way or another, life goes on for me.  

That&#039;s not to say that we all shouldn&#039;t be frustrated that supposed public servants continue to profit &amp; benefit from the suffering of middle class Americans day in and day out and that talentless reality show celebretards sprain their ankles running to buy luxury cars.  Alas, that frustration doesn&#039;t accomplish anything constructive either.  

Thanks for the pep talk!  I really appreciate it.  :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Your concern and encouragement mean a lot to me, Monica.  No need to be pissed on my account though.  I still believe everything happens for a reason and I&#8217;m sure the reason for all of this will ultimately be revealed at some point.  Nevertheless, reality is what it is&#8230;and one way or another, life goes on for me.  </p>
<p>That&#8217;s not to say that we all shouldn&#8217;t be frustrated that supposed public servants continue to profit &#038; benefit from the suffering of middle class Americans day in and day out and that talentless reality show celebretards sprain their ankles running to buy luxury cars.  Alas, that frustration doesn&#8217;t accomplish anything constructive either.  </p>
<p>Thanks for the pep talk!  I really appreciate it.  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Steve Vandergriff</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-35</link>
		<dc:creator>Steve Vandergriff</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:34:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-35</guid>
		<description>Alysson, I&#039;ve been burning it at both ends (mostly on the road, in fact I am freezing my ninnies off in Indianapolis as I write this) so I had no idea you were fighting through all of this.  The one thing I do know about you though is, YOU ARE A FIGHTER.  You&#039;re not about to give up and let this thing whip you.  If I can do anything for you, you know I will.  If any ideas come to mind, please let me know ASAP.  I&#039;m not back in town for more than a day or two until the end of the month, but if you&#039;re feeling up to it I will buy you lunch somewhere and we can catch up!  :-)

-Steve</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alysson, I&#8217;ve been burning it at both ends (mostly on the road, in fact I am freezing my ninnies off in Indianapolis as I write this) so I had no idea you were fighting through all of this.  The one thing I do know about you though is, YOU ARE A FIGHTER.  You&#8217;re not about to give up and let this thing whip you.  If I can do anything for you, you know I will.  If any ideas come to mind, please let me know ASAP.  I&#8217;m not back in town for more than a day or two until the end of the month, but if you&#8217;re feeling up to it I will buy you lunch somewhere and we can catch up!  <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>-Steve</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Monica Wright</title>
		<link>http://www.alyssonfergison.com/yesterday-i-turned-33/#comment-34</link>
		<dc:creator>Monica Wright</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:30:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alyssonfergison.com/?p=167#comment-34</guid>
		<description>Oh Miss Aly, what can I say? I&#039;ve noticed your absence, but chalked it up to being busy, or that you were  taking a break from the madness online (which wouldn&#039;t necessarily be a bad thing). I just came across a status update on Facebook, and saw your post. I haven&#039;t been trolling FB in weeks, so go figure.

Stress is bad. Very very bad. And I get angry with people who do not take it seriously. Can&#039;t remember where I read this, but I saw somewhere that the demands (especially for women) have exponentially grown along side with the number of prescriptions for anti-anxiety and depression meds. Not normal.

And if you already know what you want to do for the rest of your life, you&#039;ve stopped living in my opinion.

I don&#039;t know much about MS (I pathetically admit). But I know you are a strong, smart, funny, delightful human being. It&#039;s ok to feel pain, and especially ok to be pissed about it. Only now, you got me pissed about it too ;). 

Girl, you&#039;re an inspiration. You rock. And don&#039;t forget that.
.-= Monica Wright&#180;s last blog ..&lt;a href=&quot;http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MonicaWright/~3/UdLWHiHg86k/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Top SEO’d Internet Yellow Pages Couretsy of @matt_siltala from SMX East&lt;/a&gt; =-.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Oh Miss Aly, what can I say? I&#8217;ve noticed your absence, but chalked it up to being busy, or that you were  taking a break from the madness online (which wouldn&#8217;t necessarily be a bad thing). I just came across a status update on Facebook, and saw your post. I haven&#8217;t been trolling FB in weeks, so go figure.</p>
<p>Stress is bad. Very very bad. And I get angry with people who do not take it seriously. Can&#8217;t remember where I read this, but I saw somewhere that the demands (especially for women) have exponentially grown along side with the number of prescriptions for anti-anxiety and depression meds. Not normal.</p>
<p>And if you already know what you want to do for the rest of your life, you&#8217;ve stopped living in my opinion.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t know much about MS (I pathetically admit). But I know you are a strong, smart, funny, delightful human being. It&#8217;s ok to feel pain, and especially ok to be pissed about it. Only now, you got me pissed about it too <img src='http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' /> . </p>
<p>Girl, you&#8217;re an inspiration. You rock. And don&#8217;t forget that.<br />
<span class="cluv"> Monica Wright&#180;s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MonicaWright/~3/UdLWHiHg86k/">Top SEO’d Internet Yellow Pages Couretsy of @matt_siltala from SMX East</a> <span class="heart_tip_box"><img class="heart_tip" alt="My ComLuv Profile" border="0" width="16" height="14" src="http://www.alyssonfergison.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheart.gif"/></span></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
</channel>
</rss>
