Moaning Monday...

I know I retired Moaning Monday a while ago, but sometimes... You just need one!
1. This headache. Seriously?
2. Monday evening meetings! They suck! Especially when they take twice as long as they're supposed to and when you potentially think you might have to take over a committee because the chairs just quit and it's important. (I made no commitment!)
3. Teenagers! Oy!
4. Weird and unsettling, but very ridiculous, phone calls! (While I was at work, no less...)
5. The van making a weird noise.
6. Having to order a new box for the TV. I love my ISP though. The new box will be here by Wednesday.
7. My cat is shedding like crazy.
8. I'm so stinking tired.
9. This pain in my neck and shoulder. (probably the cause of my headache!)
10. I want to be home to write full time again!
That is all. Monday is almost over. Thank goodness!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Weekend Edition

Yeah, I know it's late on Sunday....
It's been quite a weekend around here. Busy and fun!
Here's the list!
1. Writing time. I've had to fight for it, but I win!
2. Not cooking Friday night! Yay for delivery and stuffs...
3. Revisions done and sent!
4. Renn Faire on Saturday. Very, very cool day! We had a blast!
5. Chilling with the younger K's and a lot of comedy videos Saturday night!
6. Sleeping in times two!
8. Laundry and grocery shopping done!
9. Meeting up with a very dear friend (and her daughter) on Saturday and getting to meet our dear friend's new man. Very fantastic to see her and he was very awesome. We are so glad for her! (Yes, they work at the Renn Faire!)
10. Managing... Because sometimes that's all you can do...
And in a few hours the week begins again... Oy! I know I'm not ready, but what can I do? (Can I get a rewind?)
Behave!

I Know...

I totally cheated on Feel Good Friday...
There's been a lot going on around here. Most of it I'm not inclined to post about at this time, but suffice it to say there was a situation That Man and I had to help with. It was hard and weird (not because of who was involved, but other people who shall not be named) and we did the best we could, and I am so thankful it worked out.
After having unexpected guests for over two weeks, we're back to just the four of us. It's a little weird.
Tonight all of the kids were here for dinner. K1, J, and Baby B, K2 & J (weird that both of my older kids have spouses whose names begin with J?), K3, & K4 (obviously because they still live here). It was pretty impromptu and the first time we'd been able to get together with the newlyweds since the wedding in a relaxed setting. (As relaxed as it gets in this house) We had a nice dinner, laughed, talked, and hung out. It was good.
So anyway...
Our weekend after Friday included a baby shower / cookout where I only knew three people. Kind of awkward, but I managed well. That Man always manages because he's not as introverted as I am. (Cookout and baby shower were for the same people, but in two different locations). We came home to a clean house (I know, right?), and silly kids. That Man crashed early, so the kids and I watched the new Evil Dead movie.
It was okay. I did like it, but I had so many questions that weren't answered. I wanted to know why and how and what happened.
Went to bed too late and didn't sleep in as long as I'd wanted.
Sunday was a gathering for my dad's birthday. It was very good. My parent's patio and back yard is gorgeous. They worked hard on it all summer to get it ready for wedding company. After that, we dropped That Man off at home and I took the kids shopping for school clothes. (We're a little late, but they had what they needed to start.) Spent way too much money, but they got a lot of what they needed and are very happy. Finally got home to a very good dinner That Man made and writing time.
And that's where the weekend ended...
Today is Monday. None of us were ready for it. But now, Monday is nearly over.
That is all for now...
Behave!!

Feel Good Friday...

Hey, it's back... at least for this week...
Here's the list...
1. Friday... Thank Goodness...
2. My grandson is crawling now... Oh boy, but so cute!
3. Back to school nights are now over.
4. Planning the beach vacation for next year.
5. Writing time...I hope to have much this weekend! Okay, so I will have much this weekend.
Ummm... it's been a really long and stressful week, so that's all I have!
Behave!!!

Exhausted Wednesday...

I know there are only two days left until Friday...
But... I don't think I can do it.
I just want to stay home and write, but I can't.
Actually... seriously... I just want to rent a hotel room and stay there until I feel like myself again... until That man and I have had some time to be "us" again.... Until I feel like I have my plan in hand again...
But I don't think that's ever going to happen...
So I will do the best I can with what I have....
Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up

Busy weekend around here... I'm tired and can't even think about starting the work week again!
Friday night was rehearsal for K3, then a small bit of relaxing before having to hit the hay early. Saturday morning K3 had to be at rehearsal again, and I picked up K5. We went to breakfast, ran a few errands, then ended up at the park to wait for Pappy. Once he got there, we loaded up and went to the meadow for an impromptu picnic. K5 loved throwing rocks into the creek, cooking hot dogs over the fire, and running across the little bridge. She reeled in her first fish and even touched it! It was a blast. We picked up K3, dropped off K5, stopped at the store to get the kids dinner, then dropped them at home before going to dinner at our friend's. That was also a blast! No kids, just us big people - good food, nice fire, fun games, and a lot of laughter.
Slept in a little this morning. Grocery shopping. Laundry. I actually took a nap! Made an awesome, but very time consuming dinner (2 hours in the kitchen, but totally worth it). Today is K1 & J's first anniversary, so they were here for dinner. Got some Baby B time in! Actually he's here for the night. K1 & J are working 3rd shift, so we're keeping him overnight until they get on day shift. I don't know if I'm up for middle of the night crying, I might be crying, too! Ha!
Now to get some writing in before I crash!
Going to be a crazy week!
Behave!

Bad Blogger

Yes, I suck!
I love this blog, and I hate not posting!
Not going to make excuses, because I always found time to blog before, so let's just move forward, okay? I will do my best to do better and maybe even try to be interesting. Maybe. No guarantees on that! Ha!
Okay... So what's been going on around here?

1. Total vehicle annihilation. Lost the tranny in That Man's Clown car a few weeks ago. Today, the drive shaft took a crap in our stupid mini-van. Which leaves my truck - my dying 'burban with over 200K miles, an electrical issue, and a tire that will need to be replaced soon. The Clown car is going to the Great Salvage Yard in the sky, but other than that, I have no idea what's going to happen, or how much anything will cost.

2. Crazy kids - Nothing has really changed in that department. It is very much chaos in this house, more lately. I really thought it would relax some once the wedding was over, but that hasn't been the case. We seem to be stuck in some kind of perpetual weird loop.

3. Writing - I am doing that! Have had to do some retraining with the new school schedule, but so far so good. Signed up for a conference in October and am very excited!

4. Other stuffs - This weather is so weird. It was so stinking hot today. I can't stand it! Time is moving by way too fast! Laundry never seems to get done. I suck at Twitter these days. I need to get some clothes for this conference. The day job is still very intense. My cat is shedding like crazy. My daughter could not move her very fat rat into their new apartment, so we are still "babysitting" the spoiled stinky beast. We will have a new driver in the house soon. (too bad there's no car for him to drive! Oy!)

Okay, I'm done blabbing for tonight. Sorry for the uninteresting content. Ha!
Behave!

Summer Survival: Year Five: Entry Three

Whoa! The warm season has passed so quickly! 
The educational camps begin in just a few days. The youngest female will begin as the top of her particular educational system. The youngest male will begin a brand new adventure with his specialized art's school, but he can still participate in his home school's programs. Very very cool and we didn't know that until yesterday!
The Man who shares this camp with me and I are stunned at the changes of this season. We have successfully managed a ceremony to pass one of the natives off, leaving us with two. How odd. And how cool, too!
Adjusting to the oldest native female having a different camp and a different schedule is weird. We go with the flow because no matter how many years it's been since our own ceremony, we remember... it's sad and it's not... and it's weird!
Now we look to the cooler season. Whoo!
Many good things are on the horizon. Many good things.
I will discuss when I can.
Behave!

Post Wedding...

I still can't believe my girl is now a wife!
They said their vows next to this archway under the shade of ancient trees and a historic home. It was gorgeous and perfect.
Except for a very few minor hiccups, the day was amazing. And yes, I cried. As That Man escorted our beautiful daughter down the aisle, I looked back at the groom. He had his hands over his mouth and tears in his eyes when he saw his bride and I lost it. So did many people.
K4 stood up for her sister as maid of honor and did a great job! K5 was absolutely adorable as a flower girl.
The reception was so much fun - from the entrance music and the best man busting a move, to K2 and her dad dancing to a mash up, J and his mom tearing up the dance floor, K3 singing for his sister, and the shoe game! The food was wonderful, the dance floor was full, the conversations fantastic. We had a blast!
After clean up, we came home to celebrate with folks that we'd wanted to invite (but couldn't due to space) and other wedding guests. That was fun, too! We ended up staying up way late, but it was worth it to hang out with my niece and her man.
None of us could move yesterday and stayed in a mostly vegetative state all day. K4 is still moaning every time she has to get up. That Man had to go back to work today. I go tomorrow. I'm still exhausted!
More on this wedding later. I need to get back to writing!
Behave!

August Already?

How did that happen?
10 days to the wedding. Still not ready. Don't know when I'm going to feel ready. Maybe never.
It's kind of stressful around here - to say the least.
If I disappear for the next 10 days, you'll know why...
Behave!

I Don't Even Know What Day It Is...

The wedding is in two weeks!
I am insane...
I do not have anything to wear yet.
Neither does That Man.
Or K3.
K4, being the Maid of Honor, does have clothing, though she needs undergarments and this tape stuff to keep everything where it belongs.
There are dozens of name tags on my table and a hundred and a half more to make.
And the flowers...
The bridesmaids flowers are mostly complete. (They turned out well. Pictures to follow once they're officially done.)
The grooms and corsages are not very complete yet, though they should be finished by the end of the weekend. I hope.
This weekend is packed full of crap - hair cuts, dress shopping, under garment shopping, items to finish the flowers shopping, revisions, sleeping in, car stuff, looking for pictures.
Next weekend is K5 sleepover, meetings, company picnics, baseball games, barbershop singing, yard work, house cleaning... I have no idea how I'm going to get everything done.
But we will.
I'm looking forward to the out of town company. No one is staying here. Thank goodness. I don't think I could handle that with everything else that must be done...Thankfully I have some days off from the day job that will help.
That is all for now... If I'm silent for days, you will know that I have lost my mind and am huddled in a corner somewhere... rocking...
Please send booze...
p.s. I am writing....
Behave!

Feel Good Friday...On Saturday

It's Friday! (Okay, now it's Saturday! Somehow I didn't post this last night!)
Here's the list:
1. Friday! Yay! Thank you!
2. Sleeping in tomorrow!
3. Tacos for dinner and Captain Morgan! (much needed that Captain)!
4. Talking to my sister. (until my phone died and it's still not charging!)
5. Watching 80's movies!
6. The work week being over! Oy for having to do my job, plus 1.5 more! I've been doing it for over a month now, and have no idea how much longer I will have to! It's wearing me down!!
7. Making progress with the writing! I am! It's good!
8. Missing K3. I miss him a whole lot. But I know he's having the best experience ever and that is awesome! It doesn't help that he comes home, then leaves right away again!
Saturday's List:
1. Hanging out with That Man.
2. Helping paint really cool medieval flags for summer camp.
3. Finding a really cool picture K4 drew for me on my computer this morning!
4. Writing time ahead.
5. K5 tomorrow!
6. K3 coming home tomorrow - even if it's short!
7. Talking to my other sister!!
8. The flowers for the wedding bouquets arriving and being prettier than I thought they'd be. Ready to put the bouquets together now!
9. Sleeping in this morning!
10. Iced Coffee!
That's all for now!
Behave!

Summer Survival: Year Five: Entry Two

It is strange at our camp.
One of the natives is gone... Yes, we know where he is, but he is still gone. Off to other camps and brand new adventures. While he has his communication devices with him, we have been strongly encouraged not to attempt contact by the authorities he is with. That is hard. I want to hear his voice, to hear how his first time in the flying contraption went, to know he is safe and good. Alas, I am at a loss. 
He will return from his far off camp and immediately head to another camp - this one not as far off, and the male companion of mine will be with him, though that doesn't help my attachment to this native. Or the male companion. 
These natives have stolen my heart and soul.
The native population has grown, though most of them do not inhabit our camp. It is still an odd pulling at the soul. The older native has a spouse - and a daughter and a son. The second oldest native will very soon have a spouse - and consequently and eventually there will be more grand natives. Our numbers have increased, and will continue to do so. As has our worry for those who are now in our lives. It is an odd feeling. The celebration time that is upon us is pressing and stressful. There are bits of shells and fluff to outlay, attire to be purchased, plans to be made, organization to be done. It is very surreal. And yet, it will be over soon. And the oldest female native will have taken her mate in a glorious ceremony. That man and I have vowed to enjoy this time as much as we can. 
We are left with the youngest female one at the moment. She does not like that man and I. At least that is how we feel when faced with her dismissal and dismay of us. We have been through this with the other natives - the eye rolling and the utter disgust at our habits and speech patterns. Still, though she believes I am dumber than a box of rocks, I am under her power. She has stolen my soul. She is bright, funny, and one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever encountered. She makes me laugh and alternately, makes me cry. She is growing and blossoming and becoming her own person. I do enjoy the journey, at times, but I am sad because I know there will be a time when she no longer feels the need to talk to me, to shock me, to fight with me. 
Camp is quiet. Too quiet. 
We have returned from our alternate camp after several days of relaxation, fun, games, fishing, good eating, and sleep. I do not think I am alone in wishing we could go back. Waking next to running water, with coffee ready and pleasant company is desirable to me. Much more desirable than the drudgery of day-to-day life. How I wish I could be at our camp for all days, but for the time being, it isn't possible if the natives want to continue to fill their bellies. The shells and bits of fluffy stuff I earn while trading for my services keep them healthy. 
I look back on years past with envy and nostalgia... I miss the early days. I miss the constant chaos and insanity. I know that brings questions of my sanity into the forefront, but I cannot help it. I long for times when those natives and I can hang out all day.
Also, I long for a brief camp with the man that does this with me. We have not had that for a very, very long time, and I am hoping being hope that we can find a night or two during this season for some much needed alone time. Maybe after the ceremonies... I can only wish...
Alas... I am an old sap. 
These Summer Survival Entries will eventually come to an end, I fear. Though I hope not for several more years.... 
This is the summer of nostalgia, I think...
Behave!!

Summer Survival: Year 5: Entry 1

Summer officially started three weeks ago, but it has been chaos at our camp...
This week is the first "real" week of down time the younger natives have had.
And they are bored...
Oh, my goodness... they are bored already! They should be relaxing and enjoying and doing what they want. But... alas... they are bored.
That Man and I need help. We have asked, begged them to decide things they would like to explore... Their suggestions are not cost effective or schedule-fitting... (or realistic) And, we began asking for these ideas weeks before the vacation started. Argh!
We have a ceremony coming up - one that sucks up all of the time from now until then. We have stuff to do. Things to make. Stuff that does not really engage the younger K's, unless they choose to participate. They have no idea of our stress and woe. We have invited them to help us, but they have declined in favor of electronic things and the Internets. They are very clueless, I think.
They spend their time pursuing movies, games, music, and, I fear, arguing about nonsense. There is no logic. 
No logic. 
The stores of food have gone missing, as always. There is no stocking, though we try. I fear the energy charge from the powers-that-be since we've had to turn on the cooling units and the natives use them far more than we think they should. Plus, they sleep far longer than is logical. Teenagers are very strange natives. There are never any clean drying cloths in this camp. There are never any clean drinking vessels, but a lot of Disney movies show up on the recently watched Que on our Internet device. What does that mean? They are not little kids anymore?
One of the natives is visiting another camp at the moment. It is very weird here without her. The male native is strutting - enjoying his status as the only native, but I am still unsettled. (though I know the female native is okay and good and having fun. And it is good that we get to have time with the male native.) There are other camps for both natives coming up, but sadly, no different camp for That Man and I. (The natives are not gone at the same time) At least for a little while. We hope to survive the ceremony and make our way to a private camp for two after, but being the head natives...
This is my fifth year journaling about this camp. (My actual time in this camp is much, much longer) I understand I've been brainwashed by the natives, but they are all very special to me. The observations perplex and confuse me though. Every native is different. As soon as I think I have them figured out....
I wonder what I will do when there are no natives left in this camp? I must not think about that yet. There are a few more hot seasons to endure... 
It is a calm night here. We have had some major water fall from the sky, but our vegetables seem okay and we are grateful for that.... 
I must now find my sleep before the harsh daylight forces me from my slumber...
More soon...
Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up!

Back to the day job tomorrow! Ugh! I don't wanna!
The sleeping in was fantastic, even though I didn't get to sleep in today. The reason was good - we kept our grandson while K1 & J worked - and man, I'd forgotten how much work is involved in taking care of a 5 month old. I'm tired!
Yesterday was spent fixing our fence, painting the picnic table, car maintenance, and working on wedding stuff. We didn't get very far with the wedding stuff, but we at least have a plan, and most of what we need to get started. Time is really ticking by pretty fast. Luckily, the big job is one that doesn't require more than Bob and I do finish, and the other job is the flowers, which is my job and one I look forward to (once I figure out what she wants).
Food - I made the family's favorite Sweet and Sour chicken with mushroom fried rice for dinner last night. Tonight was fish taco's.
Writing - I got a little bit done last night. Am heading there next and hope to make some good word count tonight.
The upcoming week - meetings, K3's rehearsal, K5's birthday, my sister's birthday, appointments, paperwork for the art's school, withdrawing K3 from high school. Fun, but busy stuff.
That is all...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday! For Real!

Here's the list:
1. Living through our town's annual street fair yesterday. I didn't go down once. We didn't make any plans at all because the guests were due to leave and we didn't know what that would be like. We figured everyone knew when it was and if they wanted to come by, they knew they could. Plus, we didn't know if we'd be up for hanging out.
2. Impromptu visits from the neighbors. It's weird because we only have a yard separating us and there was a time that we were together constantly, but life changes and we rarely see or talk to each other any more. But it was really good. We had a great visit and I love how it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we're still the same. And we were reminded of how much we love each other!
3. Being off from the day job yesterday and today. So nice! That Man was off, too. We slept in this morning, the boys went driving (K3 has his permit), we made a run for headphones, flower supplies, groceries, and fence parts. Ordered pizza and have been chilling ever since.
4. Positive news from K1 and J. It's good to hear that they have good stuff coming up, even though the end result means they're too far away from us.
5. Turning the AC on. It's hot, but not unbearable, BUT they are doing road construction right in front of our house. All night. (and have been for well over a week). It's the only way we'll sleep tonight.
6. Wedding stuff tomorrow.
7. Fence fixing tomorrow.
8. Plans for our "after party" for the wedding changing, but still coming together.
9. Writing time coming up...
10. Having two more days to sleep in... Yay!!
That is all for now.
Behave!

Mother of the Bride...

Okay... The guests have gone and it's sad. We had a whole lot of fun with them. I love, LOVE my sister-in-law. We miss them, a whole lot, but we're kind of giddy about being home by ourselves for the first time in two weeks.... It's kind of weird...
And now...
It's serious and major wedding stuff.
The wedding is in 7 weeks!! K2 and J have taken care of most of the details, but they need help with a whole bunch of stuff... Stuff we didn't know needed to be done until very recently...Oy! But okay. Easy.
It's all good. I'm so very excited for this wedding, but I have no dress yet. I have no idea of the timeline and I don't think our after party is going to happen... Dang...
But I'm excited!
Behave!!

Feel Good... Wednesday?

This is not normal, but it's so, so much needed and awesome!!

It's Wednesday and it's my Friday!! I don't have to go back to the day job until Monday! How cool is that?

So... It's been a short week, but here's the awesome!
1. Knowing we're going to miss the visitors.
2. Writing time coming back.
3. My kids. They're all made up of awesome!
4. K5 - She's so beautiful and smart!
5. Baby B! He thinks his Nanners is funny and I love it.
6. Sleeping in tomorrow!
7. Days off with That Man and those kids.
8. Wedding stuff...

Okay, it's Wednesday, so the list won't make it to 10. I need sleep and writing time...

I'll be back!
Behave!!

Still Crazy!!

Yes. It is still crazy here!
1. The visit - everything has gone very well. The kids have gotten along great. The adults have too. We're winding down now.. and it's sad. They leave Thursday afternoon. Who knows when we'll see them again. We've had a lot of fun!
2. Wedding planning - big wedding meeting last night. And the realization of how much needs to be done and planned. Plus, K2 is moving into their apartment soon. Crazy! We spent tonight going between apartment stuff and wedding stuff...
3. Tomorrow is my Friday! I am so looking forward to having 4 days off!!
4. Writing - what is that? Gah! I am missing it so much!!
5. Usual stressful stuff... not going into it... but oy!
6. We had a lot of fun this past weekend - family gatherings, drive in movies (Man of Steel and Star Trek - AWESOME!!), sleeping in, Father's Day food and fun.... I'm exhausted.
7. Finding out one of my best friend's father has stage 4 cancer sucks!! Her dad is so much like my dad! In fact, out of all of the older adult males I know, he's the only other dad I have! I'm sad!
That's all I have right now... I'm tired... So tired...
But... tomorrow is my Friday... That counts for something. Right?

Gah! I Suck!!!

Sorry about the long radio silence!! There has been a lot going on around here!
1. Bridal Shower - it was gorgeous and fun and beautiful... and the bride-to-be's phone was stolen, money was stolen... from my purse, and from my sister's purse!!! Some bridesmaids were jerks and rude, but all of that aside, my daughter had a spectacular day and that's all that matters.
2. Out of town guests - they're here (though not at the moment). It's been fun, and we're all aware that the length of time they're here is stressful. We've talked about ways to lessen the stress and are actively involved in all of that. We're having fun and that's all that matters. Plus, I love my sister-in-law and my niece and nephew... and yes, my brother-in-law, but he already know that and it makes his head swell! ha!
3. K3 joining the local barber shop group! He's so thrilled! I've yet to hear them, but I know it's awesome!
4. Summer vacation! Yay no more prying kids out of bed in the morning!
5. Lot's of funny things... you'll have to wait for them...
6. Wedding in less than 2 months!! Do I know what's going on? No!!  Will I soon? I hope!!
7. Me having some days off work soon! I cannot wait!
That's it for the moment! There's a lot more.. But damn... I'm tired...
Behave!!!