In which I'm grateful for stuff

Thanksgiving approaches...time to think about all the things I'm grateful for. So in no particular order, here's some of my list:

1. My family. This includes those related by blood, and those related by love. Joe and all the kids (both mine and his) fall in this category.
2. My extended family...parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc.
3. Good friends...so very hard to come by, but the very best ones don't let time or distance separate them. You can pick right back up where you left off like it hasn't been a year since you've seen each other, and you can tell each other anything without fear of judgment. All y'all know who you are.
4. Going to school... I absolutely love going to school and learning new things. I love all the people that I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know as a result of being in school. There are a whole lot of things that I have learned since I went back and they have changed my life for the better.
5. Being smart...I know that sounds boastful but let's just call it truthful for the sake of argument. My mind is one of the most precious possessions I have...and the contents of it are the only things I get to take with me into the next life, so I am very careful to protect it from any harm.
6. My parents...I know I already included them up there in family, but they let me and the kids live here for more than a year and a half so far, with no concrete end in sight. Not to mention all the free babysitting they do as a way to support my education, and sometimes my social life ;) They are awesome and deserve an individual shout out.
7. Food and shelter. Pretty basic things but not everyone gets to have them. I'm so grateful that I do.
8. The gospel...it's a pretty big category and if you can think of it as related then throw it in here, I'm grateful for it.
9. Love. It's incredible to be loved for who you really are. I feel like the most amazing me that I have ever been...I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So there you go...just 9 short things. There are a lot of individual things that I'm grateful for, but most of them fall into those categories.

My kids will be gone for Thanksgiving, and Joe's on the boat so I get to catch up on all my schoolwork and sewing projects for Christmas while they're gone. Christmas for us this year will fall on December 11th, so we have just 18 days left in the countdown. This is shaping up to be the best Christmas ever, I'm so very excited for it ;)

The Halloween Post

We had Halloween...carved the pumpkins, dressed up and did trick or treating, the whole nine yards. But it was also football Sunday so we had that fun going on as well. Joe's house is near the Centennial Trail along the Spokane River and since it was gorgeous out we had an after-Seahawks game and pretrick-or-treating walk to throw rocks in the river. Joe's two cousins were in town too so we got a couple of good pics. So for those of you who haven't met him (and that's everybody lol) or seen him on Facebook, here's Joe:

We're freakin' adorable together ;)

My kids are always the ones making the weird faces and poses lol

Altogether we had a butterfly, Dorothy, Elvis, Darth Vader, a storm trooper, Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction), and Allan (The Hangover). We had tons of fun!

Joe sent me flowers today...just because. I've never, ever had flowers delivered before. It's awesome ;) Between the flowers and the whole relationship status change on Facebook that he initiated I'm beginning to think he might like me... I'm unbelievably happy :)

It's a whole new me ;)

Two very important things to note about the following pics: The first is an outfit that I bought when I was 18...I kept it because a) it's awesome and b) I was wearing it when I met Ryan. It's still awesome lol. The second is me in my wedding dress, all zipped up.


Now why are these important things to note? Because these pics were taken YESTERDAY!!! Woohoo! I have a new body and it's pretty close to the one I had when I was 19 and 20. I'm sorta stoked ;)

hopefully quickly

Over the last three weeks Joe and I have seen each other everyday. Many a time the kids were with us too (mine and his). All of the kids get along like gangbusters, which makes them want to spend as much time together as possible. Caden and Lincoln now have 3 and 2 sleepovers, respectively, under their belts. And my children who have never ever ever in their lives listened to men as authority figures have learned to listen to Joe. I swear, he just has this way about him.

It's been the best three weeks :)

However, today we took Joe back to the airport. He's been called back to work on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico with three hurricanes going on in the area. I'm a little less than thrilled.

We're all going to miss him. Can't wait for the next month or so to pass...

It's a nice feeling, I could get used to it ;)

I've started running. I'm up to 3.5 miles a day, which is the most I've ever run in my entire life. This post is not really about that. I'm sure the 5 of you reading this also read the weight loss blog and are therefore already familiar with my running ways. This post is about something that happened on the treadmill today.

A little backstory for ya....I'm slowly dating a guy that lives in Spokane but works on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. So he's currently on the boat. Most of the time when he's in port we can text back and forth and we do, but when they have to actually go do a job out in the middle of nowhere then we lose touch. For some reason there are no cell signals out in the middle of the water...pshaw! poor planning on the cell phone companies part.

Anyway, he's back in port today, and we were texting whilst I was running on the treadmill. Very hard to do, I don't really recommend it. He knows I've been working at it and asked me how it was going. I told him I was gaining muscle and losing fat. His response?

"Sweet...getting hotter...if that's possible"

Now, it's hot in the Gulf of Mexico, and really muggy where he is. He tells me about the weather down there almost everyday, and I haven't talked to him in a couple of days. Also, for the entire time I was with my ex I had to fish for every compliment I ever got. Really kind of negates any compliment you do get. And after 12+ years of fishing I felt the need to clarify..."The weather?" I asked him.

"No, you silly" was the response I got.

I'm sure that all of you with super loving and supportive husbands will look at that and go "So?" But I'm telling you, that made my day. :)

Summer Quarter Grades

4.0
4.0
4.0

Awesome ;)

Some of what we've done...

We went to the park in Coeur d'Alene. There's this great restaurant that serves giant ice cream sundaes, so of course we stopped in there. We also walked along the beach and the boardwalk...This last weekend we went to visit some friends in Vancouver, WA...we hit the Portland zoo, a local park and swimming hole, and then the beach at Seaside, OR. All the kids got along famously which was awesome as those were the hottest days of the summer. Two nights the three boys camped in the backyard with no adult supervision...ah, new experiences ;)

And then the kids went back to school today. Summer is over for us...short but sweet!

There was a time in my life that I needed to blog. I needed the creative outlet it provided for me, and me alone. This was a blog about my life...sure the kids and the husband were part of that, because my whole life revolved around them. But ultimately, it was about me.

Selfish, selfish woman.

Now, I'm divorced and I don't have time to blog. This sits out here is cyberspace collecting cyberdust and probably cybermothballs. Every so often I throw it a bone and type something on it, (yes I know I just mixed my metaphors, go with me now) but it's more of a guilt trip than anything. 'Remember that poor defenseless blog that you started and then just up and abandoned?'...that's what I hear calling to me, mocking me.

And do you want to know why I have abandoned it? Because I feel like before I wanted people seeing what my life was like, and now I don't. I'm a divorced mother of three great kids. But my life is more about me now than it ever was before. I don't need this blog as a reminder of what a failure I am as a mother because I simply don't have the time to devote to them that I once had. I have school. And homework out the wazoo. And a social life....which in all fairness is a once a week outing that I take for my personal sanity. But I don't get to play with them like I once did, I don't make cool dinners, or bake cookies, or do crafts, or go on outings, or any of the cool things you see on every other Mormon Mommy Blog. Divorce sucks worst for the kids.

So until such time as I have something more positive to report, my poor little abandoned blog is destined to remain abandoned.

Sometimes we do fun stuff

Spring Quarter Grades

4.0
4.0
3.7

It seems I'm slipping ;)

It's so great that Caden's 8!

My son, my oldest child, my baby, turned 8 years old today. Of course that means that we have a baptism on the way, so we are busily preparing for that as well as the big birthday party this Saturday. Yes, that's the ghetto cake for his actual birthday, but the party one should be much, much cooler.

Caden is so fantastic! Here's 8 things you might not know about him: 1. He doesn't like fruit, but he looooooves vegetables. 2. He's really into science and creating things. 3. He has a terrific sense of humor. 4. He's incredibly smart, and pulls the class averages in reading and math UP. 5. He loves to play Wii. 6. He can explain almost anything he's read. 7. He has a very sweet testimony of the gospel. 8. He is a wonderful, tender and kind older brother.

So there you go. 8 years in the making. I have the best kid! Love you Caden!

Winter quarter grades:

4.0
4.0
3.8

Not quite so stellar as last quarter, but not too shabby either. ;)

I miss being married

Do not confuse this with 'I miss my ex-husband' because it's not the same thing. There are certain things that you get with being married, no matter who the other person is:

- The Illusion of Help - someone else might do the dishes, or come up with dinner ideas, or unclog the toilet. Without a husband, you know those things are all on you. And honestly, they were anyway, but the illusion was there...

- A Two-Prong Attack Approach to Parenting - when the other prong is missing it's mostly you just stabbing at things and hoping something will connect. Although possibly it's a horrible idea to follow this whole stabbingatyourkids thought process too far...but hopefully you get what I'm trying to say which is that someone else might take a turn at playing disciplinarian. Although again, this was kind of illusionary for me. I suppose this could also fall under the Illusion of Help.

- People Looking at You Normally - Okay, I am the first to admit that I probably don't fall under the umbrella of normal, but I'm not way out in left-field....more standing just outside the umbrella getting dripped on and trying to keep at least my head partially covered. But I digress. People (especially in the church) look at you differently when you don't have a husband. Do they feel sorry for you? Are they worried that you'll try to steal their husbands? Do they want to fix you up? The answer is YES. To all of them. Sometimes one at a time and sometimes all at the same time. It's annoying people; please stop doing it. I am the same girl I was before, only now I have better self-esteem.

- The Illusion of Love - Obviously the love was no longer with us in the end or we wouldn't have ended up divorced. But the idea that someone was there that loved you more than anything in the world, that would do anything for you just to see you smile, and that you felt the same way about.....oh, what a priceless feeling. Unfortunately it wasn't there for quite a while, so I'm thinking pretty far back in the marriage to remember this. Fortunately, you don't have to be married to feel this one. Although there are some HUGE benefits to being married that you can't (uh, SHOULDN'T) get while single. And I miss that one, big-time.

Of course, there are more, and they cross my mind every so often when things happen. But I'm running short on time (like always) and honestly you should just be grateful I posted something at all (don't you love my new spunky attitude? ;) I have faith that someday I'll get remarried, and undoubtedly it will be fantastic; I know that Heavenly Father has someone wonderful in store for me. In the meantime I will continue to muddle through and find joy in the journey.

What's Up

* Taxes are done
* Almost to Midterms this quarter (this week and next depending on the class) and I have 4.0's in all my classes
* Caden's signed up for an after school science deal starting this month and running for 10 weeks. The boy looooooves him some science. He's also going strong with the piano lessons as well
* Still dating Marc ;) He met my parents this weekend and it went well
* Ryan gets the kids for Spring Break this year.....not looking forward to that
* Catching up with old friends has been tons of fun
* Aile is a chatterbox
* Lincoln's cheeks are thinning out and he finally looks like a kid instead of a toddler
* Made a really cool cowgirl themed cake and got paid for it (I'll post a picture soonish...it's on my mom's camera right now because...)
* I sold my camera because I want a purse camera instead of the bulky thing I had, but I haven't bought a new one yet
* Becoming heavily involved in the auction for Caden's school again this year, even though I've tried my best to be less involved. If anyone has something to donate I'll be happy to take it off your hands
* Some fun dates I've had include: antiquing in Coeur d'Alene, Dueling Piano bar, movies, dinners, desserts, and sometimes (most of the time) a combination of those
* I actually saw New Moon a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at how well they did in making it. Usually I hate movies of books that I love
* Lincoln and Aile's birthday's are coming up this month. They'll be 5 and 2 respectively.
* I need some suggestions about what to do with myself for three weeks this summer when the kids are gone. Reeeeeeally not looking forward to that. I'm thinking a trip somewhere will be in order....so where and when are the real questions there...

So that's what's up with us in a nutshell. Look for more posts coming......well, I guess don't LOOK for them. But they might pop up every so often and surprise you.

And if you want to know what's up you can always call me ;)

This means I get to enter 3 times ;)

I want to win Sue's Best Buy card because I need a new camera. Which is why I'm posting about her giveaway. Go read her here because she's really funny. But don't you dare enter the giveaway because it's mine. Mine mine mine mine mine!