Movin' On Up...

Wow... lots of stuff going on around here!

Gamerboy recently got a new job at Intel, working in the warehouse. His lease was supposed to be up at the end of this month, anyway, and he'd been hemming & hawing as to if he was going to find a new roommate (stay in his two bedroom apt) or move into a 1bd. When he found this job, he'd decided to find a westside place to live & thought that a room-for-rent situation would be a better fit so started his search on Craigslist, Intel's classifieds, & a couple other sites. He narrowed it down within a week to three, and early last week, moved into a nice home a little further west. His deal is nice, though; rent is very reasonable & includes all utilities, food is another $50, but he doesn't have to go shopping (he does have to make a meal for the house once in a while, though) and can special request anything he wants. The house is owned by a very nice lady in her 40's and two of her three sons (very young adults) still live at home, plus there is a Japanese exchange student. He said she's "a bit on the *mom* side, but nice". Apparently, when he's not around for meals, she leaves a container or covered plate in the fridge or on the counter with a note for him, so he knows she left it for him. I told him, "At least she's a nice mom, not a crazy one..."

Squeeks signed her first apartment lease a few weeks ago; she moves out of her mother's home at the end of this month (after finals). She will be taking her cat, but is selling most of her furniture so she can buy better stuff (bigger bed, smaller desk, etc). We sold her bed & bedding that was here (gave her the money), and have set aside the items she still wants (some clothes, towel set, mostly decorative items). Once she's moved in, we'll go visit, bring her her stuff, see her place, & meet her roommate. This place is also close to both her work and her school campus... and just a little closer to us than her mother's house is. My biggest concern for her is financial -- (A) Is she or is she not getting all of her child support? Unfortunately, all we can legally do is make sure it's paid; it's up to her, and her alone, to have it distributed directly to herself. Last time it was mentioned, she told us she had access (ATM card) to a joint account her mom set up for the CS to go to, so she can take out her portion. This, as you would imagine, worries us for a multitude of reasons; not the least of which is the fact that this is the same situation Maleficient had with GB, then blocked his access & took all the money for herself (just part of the reason he hasn't spoken to his mother in more than three years)... and (B) She has no clue what a budget is nor how to balance her bank accounts (she checks her balance at least three times per week). I've offered to go over this stuff with her, but she has shown no interest as of yet.

Princess is doing well, too. After the Ethics Club took 3rd place at State, she & KP joined the GSA (Gay & Straight Alliance). They have regular meetings and are working on plans for a couple different events, plus a tee-shirt sale. She is also doing very well at school; last semester, she had two B's and six A's. So far this semester, she's got one B and seven A's. We promised her "something big" if, at the end of any semester over the course of high school, she gets all A's. She's working very hard toward that. She also has planned her summer trip with Mimi (she gets to bring a friend this time) as well as GrandCamp and Driver's Ed classes. We continue working on her hours at home, as well, so by her 16th birthday, she'll be ready.

Ace & I have been working on little projects here & there, mostly just waiting out the weather so we can get started on the yard redo. One little thing I was able to finish recently was big painted/decorated letters for Princess' wall in her room. We bought two letters (one for her first name & one for her new last name) for her from Michaels for her birthday, but the weather never was warm enough for me to paint until a couple weeks ago. When it finally warmed up, I painted them white, let that dry, taped them for stripes & painted two coats of teal (to match her room), let that dry, sprayed a "satin" seal on them, let that dry, and put blingy numbers on them. The first initial has her birth date and the last initial has her adoption date on them. She loves them, and they hang above her bed, near her head.

We also cleared out & reorganized some things in the spare room, but can't do much until Squeeks' stuff is out of there. Bare minimum, we're looking for a roughly 6' long convertible couch (like a futon, but higher quality & preferably with arm rests), some new bins for the closet organizer (as Squeeks is taking her old ones), and possibly a different desk (so Ace can have the two-monitor system that he prefers). Our 42" t.v., extra DVD/VCR player, & the other cable box/DVR is going to go in there, so although the t.v. will be mounted, we'll need a shelf for the two other things.

Ace is also officially on the hunt for a new position within INTEL, again. At his last review, his boss said he was doing a great job, doing everything they asked of him, blah blah blah... and he got another raise. But, he's just not happy there. He feels underappreciated, and his job skills are underutilized, so perhaps another position in a different department will be a better fit. And, now that two of our three kids are fully out of the house, he can take on some other shift a lot more easily than before. So, we'll see how this pans out.

I have also quenched my tattoo itch... for a little while, anyway. After I had the cover-up done on my left shoulder, I decided I wanted a couple more things taken care of... So, last week, I had a black dog paw print put onto my right foot, and a cool dragonfly put on my right shoulder blade (dragonflies symbolize change/transformation; I'd say that definitely applies). The eventual goal is to add a ladybug (for my older Little niece) and something for my youngest Little (bee? hummingbird? not sure yet), then shade the rest of my upper back in blues. I also want to have part of my family's crest tattoo'd, but I'm not sure where yet or which parts.

In EX & WILDEBEEST news:
I knew the quiet/calm wouldn't last...
(A) The house he's living in is now sold/pending. Curious if the new buyers will allow him to stay or not, and where he'll go if they don't. If he does move, I truly hope he makes sure my attorney has his contact info. Princess may want nothing to do with him, Wildebeest, or most of their families right now, but someday she may change her mind... and if he truly cared/cares about her, he will make sure he is easily found.
(B) Seems she's still up to her old tricks... Apparently, she swiped a pic from my page (of Princess in the hospital after her accident as a toddler) and posted her own version of what happened. Lies, mostly... I couldn't care less what lies she wants to spread about me (as long as she leaves my & my family's names out of it), but stealing my photos (especially those of MY daughter) will get you reported & lambasted with messages. Btw, she's not "M... R... G..." anymore, she's not your stepdaughter anymore, and SHE DESPISES YOU (why do you think she blocked you from seeing her FB and contacting her at all?)! Seriously, woman, grow up, shut up, get on with your life, and leave us alone.