Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Family Update

Ace has now been unemployed for a month and a half. He has yet to have a migraine (although there have been a couple days where it would have taken that turn had he not thwarted it with meds & a nap). He now regularly gets up no later than 7am, no alarm. He has taken a few more webinars and has a phone meeting with his case worker next week. The LinkedIn page and his resume are as tweaked as he can make them (yes, I "red-penned" them, at his request). He still doesn't know what he wants to do, but the antsiness has kicked in (lol), so he's started to look. His child support for Squeeks has been officially terminated and canceled. Our medical has been switched to Cobra. We're still waiting for the last couple of distributions, and he still has to figure out where we want to move the life insurance to (they have a company or we can move it to our own; we'll probably move it to USAA).
As for us as a couple, having him home has been 99% good (the 1% is only because I have to tell him "I'm in class" when I need to get some computering done - I watch a daily webcast about goings on in the nail industry, and I joined an online educational website that is subscription based). We have started hiking together (three so far; two more in the near future are planned... Princess will accompany us on some, as will the dogs), we finished the garden (All three of us are involved, btw; tomatoes have babies, the radishes have been harvested, the herbs have all been used on a regular basis but are now bolting, and everything else is growing well; it's just a waiting game), and he's made dinner almost every night ("earning his keep", he jokingly said). We have also taken a couple of exploratory drives and have found camping, fishing, and scenic areas not too far from home, and not crowded at all. Now, we just have to get back on the bike... stupid rain. :)
GamerBoy passed his second attempt at his Calculus class, and has been accepted into UofO's Business School, starting in the Fall. His original roommate moved out and he found what seem to be a good fit in a young couple. He is no longer at the cleaning service company, but is getting more hours (& enjoying) at a janitorial company instead. He also was granted some financial aid (now based on his own income level), which won't cover all his school expenses, but is a lot better than covering out of his own pocket. Ace has a Father's Day date coming up with him next week.
Squeeks, as I mentioned, is no longer getting child support (per Oregon statutes). She turned 21y a few days ago, and finished her Associate's Degree at MHCC. To celebrate both, her mother took her to Vegas (oh, and her grandparents flew her to their island home a few weeks ago)! She got a second job, online order runner for Fred Meyer, and got a call from an event services company she worked for last summer to ocassionally staff at fairs, concerts, etc. So, until she figures out what career path she wants, these three jobs should keep her fairly busy, and should bulk up her savings account (if she's careful). To assist with that, she moved back in with her mother; Maleficent is only charging her half of what she was paying at her other house, and that includes food, etc.
Princess finishes her sophomore year (this Thurs is their last day) on the Honor Roll again (of course... gotta maintain Honor Roll to stay in the NHS). Currently, without her Finals grades in the system, she is running 6 A's and two B's. One B is 86% and the other is 89%, so she's hoping to bump those up to A's. This year, she co-stage managed four school plays (unfortunately, her beloved drama teacher/director has been offered his old job back and he'll be leaving next month; I hope next year's is just as awesome), and worked for a multitude of outside companies (who were able to rent the H.S.'s auditorium for their own productions) doing backstage assistance (costume changing, makeup assistance, curtain, etc).
She was an active member of NHS (including putting in more volunteer hours than was required) & GSA (both of which will continue through). In a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, she & KP even "got married" at the GSA booth during their end of year carnival. Anyway, regardless of her final grades, she's worked so very hard this year; with my brother's assistance, we are gifting her a tablet of her own. She has some fun summer plans coming quickly, as well. Last weekend, I took her to get her brows redone. This Thursday afternoon, she has a hair redo appointment. Monday, she leaves for a Theatre trip to Ashland. The Sunday after that, she leaves for a humanitarian trip to Utah (and is bringing THREE friends). That's just June...
I tried to get her into the driver's ed program through PCC, but for some unknown reason, they are not offering any this summer, so I am now looking into doing a similar program through a private company. She is not "gung-ho" about driving, so I am not pushing; we only gently nudge as we go somewhere not too far, and are able to stay on local roads for now (no way is she ready for highways yet). Driving is a personal thing, and I'd much rather her be comfortable and earn her hours slowly, than us pushing her too hard, making her get her license, and her ending up in an accident because she wasn't ready. She knows that if she doesn't have her license by the time her permit expires, the renewal is on her, and she's okay with that. And, she started working for me at my salon, doing cleaning, organizing, answering my phone, etc... She will continue to join me at work about once a week, as she is available, and earn herself a little extra spending cash.

**WILDEBEEST UPDATE**
From what I've been told/observed, she is still pining for MG... well... online, publicly, at least. But, she also recently bragged about kicking ass in court, so I find that interesting. You either want to be with him or you don't. At this point, I'm not sure why she'd still want to; some people are just a "glutton for punishment", I suppose. I know he took his girlfriend to Washington to meet more of his family and join in on a new-house celebration weekend. I know K.C. has been wearing a ring on her left ring finger (not real gold/diamond, but still possibly an engagement or promise ring). I know Wildebeest has more than one job, has added volunteering at the Curvy Chic sale (I've already warned my friends to watch out for her this Fall), lives near the Aloha INTEL, and has cut ties with practically ALL the Gonzo clan, claiming that they are not worthy of spending time with her daughters (more honestly, she's just pissed that his family is treating her & KC the same way they treated me & her so many years ago... what comes around goes around, huh, Wildebeest?). I'm actually suprised the divorce isn't done yet... What are you waiting for?!?!? MG, if you're reading this, just do it. You will be happier, KC will be happier, and JG will get over it. Let her play the martyr if she wants; don't let her bring down your happiness.