Weekend Update

So, this weekend did not go as originally planned...

The biggest thing: T & his family was missing from my mom's Friday Feast. You see, his father-in-law was rushed to the hospital for (without going into detail; if you know my brother or sister-in-law, you should already know what's going on) some serious medical issues.

At first, it was just D, Firefly, & D's sister (LS). Then, it got more serious, so on Wednesday, T & Bug drove to where everyone else was & ended up staying for the weekend. Of course, that meant that we were four people short for our feast. That was the first thing.

Then, with them not at mom's for the weekend (as they usually do), Princess was a bit lost without her young cousins to hang out with. Instead of staying at Mimi's for the whole long weekend, she came back & forth with me.

Saturday morning, there was no Santa at Macy's... I suppose I could have taken Princess by herself, but a 12yo getting Santa photos by herself? A bit on the "ehhhh" side. So, we slept in instead, had a nice quiet morning, and picked up one of her friends instead.

Bug & Princess were also supposed to accompany Mimi to a ballet rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream (which Princess has seen in Ashland during the Shakespeare Festival -- the best way to see Shakespeare, if you ask me!). Princess & KP had a great time (but Princess still missed Bug), and got to decorate the gingerbread house (Princess made the dough, Mimi baked & frosting/glued the house together).

Squeeks was able to time her transit ride to coincide with the girls' return; leaving Mimi free to have dinner with DLW & JK. After I dropped KP off at her house, we went home to pick up some money & fudge, drop of Squeeks, and be picked up by my friend ShaM for our monthly BUNCO night out (good night; Princess & I both won $$!).

Sunday, Squeeks & Ace went to have Squeeks' "school" pics taken (holy crap; she's a beauty!) while Princess went with Mimi to prep & serve chili, etc at her church (reminder -- Ace & I do not believe in any god/deity, but we believe religion is a personal choice, so we encourage Princess to experience it & make her own, educated, decision).

The rest of the afternoon was spent putting up our SANTAmas (a future blog will explain my use of this word) decorations inside the house. With our new (skinnier/taller) tree, the house seems to not be as packed full of decor... or maybe it's just that we don't have the lights up yet. :)

Giving Thanks...

Some years, it's difficult to come up with anything to be thankful for. Some years, I have a LONG LIST. This year, I decided to blog it:

1. My friends, old & new.
2. My animals; two of which have health issues, but they're still here.
3. My home; paid off completely four years ago, and almost done being upgraded.
4. My career, the success I'm having with it, & the flexibility it gives me for home life.
5. My clients, old & new.
6. My SKs. Gamerboy is (slowly but surely) maturing into a responsible adult. Squeeks has such plans; we just continue to offer support.
7. My husband. We've been through some crap, I'll tell you. But, he's my rock, and he works very hard to make sure we're well taken care of. He's working today, even, because working today gives him Christmas off.
8. My daughter. In her 12 years of life (so far), she's had some terrible things happen to her; things no one should ever have to go through. In spite of everything, she is happy, healthy, and very loved; and she knows it.
9. Food on my table. There are a lot of people who go hungry. I am not one of them.
10. My health, and that of those around me.
11. My beautiful nieces, Bug & Firefly. Those two continue to amaze me. They are smart, and oh so sweet to each other, and adore their cousin!
12. My mother. She is way too nosey, smothers my daughter (& me) at times, & pisses me off on a regular basis... but (especially after her health scare a couple months ago) I realized recently that life without her in it would never be the same.
13. My parents. My dad & smom are wonderful people. They raised us to be self-sufficient, independent, loving, & responsible people. We all have become successful because of their gentle pushes during our childhood.
14. The rest of my family -- "adopted", married-in, &/or birthed. MWAH!
15. Facebook -- for helping me to find lost friends and family I didn't even know existed.

Now, eat, drink, and love on your family and friends!

There's a Difference Between DEfensive Driving & OFfensive Driving...

This post is specifically for those of you who think you don't have to abide by the rules & laws of the road: YOU DO! Those laws & rules are for EVERYONE, not just some of us... I know I'm not the only one to get pissed when they get cut off in traffic, and I know I'm not the only one who laughs my ass off when that same driver is seen pulled over by the cops just up the road. So, here are a few things to remember when driving (especially in inclement weather, but really... anytime):

1. Whether you want to turn or just change lanes, turn on your signal. If your signals don't work, it is perfectly acceptable (and legal) to use bicyclist's hand signals.
2. When you are merging from two lanes down to one, it should be "left car, right car, left car, right car..." Don't be rude & push your way in behind a car that was already let in.
3. When a driver allows you in front of them (regardless of if it was your turn or not), waving to them is the correct "thank you."
4. Drive the speed limit; a bit slower in bad weather, a bit faster in good weather (keeping up with traffic). If you MUST go slower, use the right lane; that's what it's for. If you MUST pass, use the left lane. Going a lot slower than moving traffic is not any safer than speeding; both can lead to accidents (which, btw, aren't "accidental" in my book; they're on purpose because of your stupidity).
5. Keep your distance. In good weather, the proper distance between cars is one car length per 10m/hr (that's 5-6 car lengths apart on the freeways, people!). In inclement weather (rainy, windy, snowy, icy), that distance should be more... and slow down! Your car's response time is not as fast as you think it is.
6. Make sure you have proper insurance, as well as a current driver's license. Failure to have these could lead to some serious consequences -- tickets, having your vehicle towed, losing/suspending your license & possibly jail.

Readers -- this is definitely not a complete list, but one off the top of my head after driving to & from work today, and watching the idiots act... well... like idiots on the road. Please feel free to comment, adding more to this list. I hope to share it on my FB wall. Thanks.

Once More... With Feeling!

If you'll remember, back on the 1st of this month, I openly requested contact information of Princess' bio's side of the family, knowing full-well that Princess' stepmother reads all my blogs and hoping (for once) she would do the right thing, and share the information. Since that was ignored, I also sent a PM to Princess' bio via text, and two other family members on his side through Facebook.

Only ONE was answered; claiming not to have any. Whether *that* is true or not, this is my fifth, and final, request for any & all contact information for all members of the G-family. I know of AT LEAST five people who have moved, one that has a pregnant girlfriend, and one that has remarried. Here's the kicker... most of them LIVE IN TOWN! Screw you.

So, here it is: I will no longer be sending any card to any G-family member: "c/o K**** J******" in Aloha... If a G-family member wants Princess to send a Santamas card and maybe even a current photo, MG will give my current email address to them so that they may send their current contact information to me. If I don't have the current contact information for a person/family by the time I sent cards out, we will not send a card.

And, a note to every G-family who hasn't bothered to make one iota of an effort in the last four years: You can blame me all you want to, but I didn't cut off contact. I haven't moved. I haven't changed my phone numbers. I haven't chosen one (selfish) blood relative over another INNOCENT one. So screw you, too. You don't deserve to have her in your life.

Do I HAVE to?

Every year for the last few years, Princess hasn't really want to send her bio anything for his birthday. And, every year, about a week before, I always remind her that it's coming up. I ask if she wants to make a card or buy one from the store. Most of the time, she chooses to buy one.

She will spend time looking at the "dad birthday" cards, rejecting each & every one of them because they're almost all either sappy or about "what a great dad you are"... She barely even tolerates getting him a card; she's not about to lie with its message. So, she wanders to the "funny birthday" card section.

This year, I took her to Target (two days ago)... same scenario. She actually wanted to buy one that was a belated greeting, but I said no. And, since she cut it so close, I had her sign it, address it, & get it in the mailbox asap. He should get it today (his actual birthday). It's called Doing The Right Thing (something a lot of others have a problem doing).

Well Said, Dan...

Please head over to Dan Pearce's page, "Single Dad Laughing"... His post today hit spot-on with me. Mostly, because the so-called "Christians" I deal with fairly regularly are EXACTLY like this:

http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAdventuresOfDanAndNoah+%28SDL%29


Enjoy!

Another One Bites The Dust

Today was the last event of Fall Soccer, 2011 -- the End Of Season Party. Once again, Princess & I were very ready to be done with the season... the three hours or more of practice every week, the cold & wet weather, the early games, etc. We both love it, but by the time November rolls around, we're definitely ready for the break.

Once again, I was Snack Parent; coordinating the snack & drink schedule for each game and making sure the parents didn't forget each week. I also was unofficial Medical Parent (haha); providing ice packs, heat packs, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, bandages, and more to any of the girls who needed them (some needed stuff more than once).

Season tally (technically unofficial): 5 wins, 2 ties, 4 losses. They could have won more but Coach D was more focused on working on different skills rather than just winning at all costs. Some of the other teams seemed to be encouraged to push, trip, & elbow our girls (most likely, all teams they played against), but that is dirty playing (and illegal within the sport); our girls learned to play outside of their comfort zone -- different positions, different side kicking, more/less aggressive based on their norm, etc...

Anyway, she's signed up for Spring Soccer again. Now, to figure out what, if anything, she'll do for Winter...

Quick Post

My friend, Kim, posted this on my wall yesterday... I thought it was worth sharing:

"You can call him a Step-Dad all you want but the only thing step about him is he stepped up."

Not Quite a Teen...

My baby girl turned 12 today... I've said it before, but I think it bears repeating: I don't feel older with my own birthdays; I feel older with hers. Every year, I look back at how she's grown over the past year... and every year, I watch her turn more & more into a wonderful person.

She's kind, funny, smart, beautiful... she loves small kids; taking opportunities to spend time with them & teach them. She loves her sister, Squeeks; even when they bicker, you can hear them laughing 10 seconds later. And, of course, she loves us - her parents; reminding Ace & I every day just how much.

Friday I had the day off work so I took the opportunity to get all the laundry done & do my nails in a birthday design. We also met up with my nephew; in town from Alabama for a long weekend. With my mom, we had dinner and a nice visit. I then drove him to his cousin's house. That man is about 50% his father (my eldest brother). The rest is kind, mature, and full of potential!

Saturday was Princess' last soccer game of this season. Her aunt & uncle (S&G) came to watch, and brought her some gifts (CD, money, gift card). Her bio & MKG -- older of the two half-sisters, also her favorite of the three -- came, but were late. They brought her some gifts; as usual, the clothing didn't fit, but the rest was obviously bought after checking her wish list.

We came home, dropped off her gear & those gifts, then we celebrated Princess's birthday by taking her & a couple of her friends to the coast. The girls had a blast, even though we were only there for one overnight. We walked the strip mall, played games, and of course went down to the beach. She also got a couple gifts from her friends (girly stuff like lotions & perfume, and a gift card). It was quite stormy, but that's just how we like it! We even had the Pig 'n Pancake crew sing/embarrass her!

We got back this afternoon and dropped her friends off at their homes, then came home & unloaded our stuff. Princess wanted to go out for dinner, then she got to unwrap her gifts from us. Since she now has her own room, we decided it was time for a new bedding set -- peace symbols using the turquoise & lavender color scheme her room already has. She also got a headphone adapter (so her Sony earbuds will work with her cell phone's jack), green piggy flip flops (from Angry Birds), an Amazon gift card (for more music), and some clothes.

Next weekend, we're planning on having a few more of her friends over here, since she couldn't have them all come to the beach. Should be fun!

An Open Request

Since I am fully aware of my personal cyber-stalkers... I have a simple request directed at my daughter's bio-dad's family... I need addresses, phone numbers, & any other contact information you may have for all G family with the exception of R&C, and bio-dad.

I am aware of multiple family members who have moved, married, &/or added to their family(ies). Please email any/all info to me at my new gmail address asap; Princess will be sending out Santamas cards sometime this month, and she'd like to actually send them directly to the people who should be receiving them.

Thank you,
-me-