Happy Anniversary to us, and some good advice...

I found this article back in December, 2015... but saved it to post today. Today is my and Ace's 12th wedding anniversary. Believe me, it's not all wine & roses (I don't even like roses). We've had some shit thrown at us: both of us were married before, to some not-so-good people. Both of us had children in those past relationships; that makes things harder. Both of us had our own ideas of how to run the house, not necessarily the same ideas. BUT, we were together two and a half years before we got married and we talked about everything... yes, everything. So, after you read that article I posted above, come back here, and see my own personal touch to those bits --

1. Why am I in THIS relationship? Do you respect and admire everything this person stands for and do they make you want to contribute to their happiness? Or are the comforts of the relationship, such as finances or other conveniences, the reason why you’re together? Are you afraid of being alone? Be sure that the person you choose to spend your life with is not a crutch. Ace and I are equal partners in everything we do. He may make more money than I do, but every dollar is still "ours". We make decisions together, or at least support decisions made independently (always with the family in mind). We are more happy & complete together. We may not agree on everything (really, who does?) but we do respect each other's opinions.
2. Do I really trust this partner? Trust is a solid foundation. Honestly answer this question and if it’s a ‘no,’ decide whether that trust can be formed or rebuilt. Without it, the relationship is doomed. My ex-husband cheated on me multiple times, with more than one person; it was only the last one (Wildebeest) that he ended up marrying... and he still cheated on her later. Some part of me knew he stepped out on me, but I refused to believe it for a while. I lied to myself about it. But, I knew. Before we got married, he accused me of cheating; I know now that was the epitome of the term "deflection". He used to say stuff like, "I trust you, but I don't trust..." whoever I was with (co-workers, certain family members, some friends, etc). Guess what? That's a false statement, and you are lying to yourself if you think it's not. You can't honestly say that you trust the person you love if you think they'll be easily influenced when they're around certain other people. I trust Ace; with everything I have. It doesn't matter who's he with or where he goes. And, he trusts me.
3. Do you want to share your finances together or have separate accounts? One of the leading causes of divorce is money problems. Make sure you’re both on the same page when it comes to finances. To make things more complicated, there are unexpected variables you should be aware of like divorce that could affect how you sort through the business of who gets to keep what. We have separate accounts; always have, probably always will. It was easier to do it this way, in the beginning anyway, because we both had potential financial issues with each of our respective exes. Now, the exes are out of the picture, but it's been this way for so long, why change it? It works for us. I *will* say two things that have changed in our financial arena -- (a) We had wills done a few years ago (which we modified when Ace adopted Princess), and I added him to the house at that time. Too much of a pain in the ass for him to keep it if I hadn't, and something happened to me. (b) We opened *one* joint account; the money is there only for me to pay house bills while waiting for his will to be probated, if he dies first. I don't believe it's necessary to HAVE joint accounts; it's only important that you agree on how to handle your household & personal finances.
4. Is for better or worse making me better or worse? Are you celebrating each other’s successes or resentful of them? If you’re intimidated by their success and not supportive because you’re envious, you’re breeding competition. You should be team members, not rivals. No additional notes needed. :)
5. Am I a parent or a partner? Pampering someone you love is one thing. But make sure the relationship doesn’t go in the direction of being parental towards your mate. It’s going to be awkward when you feel like you’re raising a husband and you start resenting him. Punishment is far from romantic, unless spanking is a practice meant for other purposes. If you feel your husband acts like a child, why are you married to him? Marriage should be an equal partnership, not one parenting the other. Perhaps your relationship should be reevaluated if you feel he's more like a child and less like a husband...
6. Do you both want to have kids? This is a huge deal breaker if you don’t share the same desires. Make sure you discuss your options carefully. You don’t want to bring a child into a broken home. No kids is better than ones raised in an uphappy home, so make sure you're on the same page with this one BEFORE you start a family (or don't start one; I'm all about you having the choice). In our case, Ace & I both had kids before we got together, so the discussion wasn't "should we have kids?"; it was "should we have another kid?" We went back and forth for a couple years, but in the end, decided we'd rather give what we had (emotionally) to the three existing ones.
7. What am I doing to hold us back? Let go of your ego and figure out what the problem is. Is it fixable? Could you show signs that you care by admitting to mistakes and be willing to change? In our case; the answer to the first part of this one is "nothing". Neither of us hold the other one back. We are both completely free to do whatever we wish; we just happen to always choose things that strengthen the family, not weaken it.
8. Am I happy in this relationship? Disagreements and occasional fighting may rear its ugly head. But if they’re frequent, ask yourself if it’s worth working through with communication, given that your partner is compliant. Counseling should not be ruled out if necessary. Never use marriage as a band-aid to repair a relationship in the hopes that matters will resolve themselves in time. Couples are bound to disagree sometimes. Disagreements are not the problem; the problem is the disrespect and unwillingness to come to an agreement of some sort. You don't have to agree on everything, but if you can't come to a compromise, just agree to disagree and move on.
9. Am I feeling trapped? Are you staying in the relationship out of obligation? Or do you constantly look for a way out? Sure, relationships are an investment. But are you invested in the time you put in as a couple, or are you invested in your partner? One thing I hear often -- "We're staying together for the sake of the children." Ridiculous. Your children are better off with two happy, separated, parents than they'll ever be with two unhappy, together, ones. Aside from that, you need to weigh the good and bad; the good should ALWAYS outweigh the bad. If it doesn't, you need to rethink being together.
10. What happens when you agree or disagree with each other? Are you willing to compromise? It shouldn’t always be about MY way, even though you might be correct. But coming up with OUR way is the better solution. See #8.
11. Are we looking in the same direction? It’s easy to be elusive when it comes to topics of marriage, religion and children when you’re in love. You shouldn’t think those topics will be discussed at a more “convenient” time. When you procrastinate having these discussions until after tying the knot, it may suddenly occur to you that the other person doesn’t share the same important values, and that you really don’t know each other at all. I love this one. I see the most ridiculous relationship advice sometimes... one of which is "don't talk about your exes." I actually think it's healthy to do so; especially if you can look at those past relationships as learning tools. Figure out what went wrong helps you grow as a person. I believe in discussing everything, including religion, parenting methods, financials (credit score, existing debt, how to split bills, what kind of money you make, etc) early on... and keep discussing. I have a feeling that religion is at least a small part of what split up my ex and Wildebeest; he was an atheist when I met him & married him. She "encouraged" (I used the word lightly, and with a rolling of my eyes) him to join her at her "non-denominational" church. For whatever reason, he pretended to be a believer until they officially split. NEVER pretend to believe something you don't. If your beliefs (religious, financial, parenting, etc) are not the same as your potential future partner's, I would advise you to question the relationship. I'm not saying you CAN'T be happy, but not agreeing on these life qualities makes life a whole lot more difficult; not just for you, but also for any children you may have.
12. Are we growing together? Do you still embody the essence of who you are as an individual while also being able to share passions together? My husband & I have a lot of things in common... but not everything. And, that's perfect for us. I get to be the real me, he gets to be the real him, we get to enjoy our time apart pursuing things we, individually, find fun... and still make time to spend time *together*.
13. Are you ready to put this person’s needs above your wants? It’s all about the give and take, especially in the first years of marriage. Can you put off a trip to Mexico until she pays off her student loans? Be prepared to make certain sacrifices. Needs should almost *always* come before wants. Case in point - when my husband's mother passed away, she left him & his sister quite a bit. His portion was, of course, his to do with as he chose. He *chose* to pay off "our" debts -- the house, the cars, the credit cards, the student loans, etc. He didn't *have* do that; he could have taken a vacation, bought a boat, or a new motorcycle, or any other number of things. But, he chose to put his family and our needs first. He chose to settle our debts so we could all move forward together.
14. What is my gut telling me? Your instincts are usually right. Don’t suppress them. I should have listened to my gut when I began questioning my first husband... and his mistress-turned wife-now estranged. I knew they were having an affair, but had a hard time being honest with myself about it until it almost slapped me in the face. With Ace, I have none of that. In our now 12 years of marriage, never have I ever felt mistrust.
15. Where is this going? While the present could be wonderful, there should eventually be a plan for the future of the relationship. Are you making life decisions together and setting goals? Our future is together, and we plan accordingly. We plan to have grandkids (eventually). We plan to move, probably. We plan to retire, hopefully before we're dead. ;) Whatever it holds, it will be together, and we work regularly to make sure that is always at the forefront for both of us.
16. Can we have fun together? If tasks like running errands together make you enjoy each other’s companionship, you’re probably in good shape. You don’t want to be that couple at a restaurant that doesn’t acknowledge each other, and all you hear are utensils scraping the plate. HAHA. This is so important. Even after all this time, we still make each other smile, laugh, roll our eyes, and we truly enjoy each other's company. We even run errands together most Mondays because it's guaranteed time.
17. Can we have fun apart? Don’t be defined by the person you’re with. Can you enjoy time alone without feeling obligations to each other? He still occasionally goes to a concert or a friend's or on a motorcycle ride... alone. I still hang out with my friends or certain members of my family, without him. Some time apart is perfectly healthy.
18. Is this relationship balanced? Are you both making equal compromises? Or does he/she take a mile when you give an inch? Yes, yes, no. A balanced, fair, and equal relationship makes for a happy relationship.
19. Does my partner have my back? Do you support each other as loyal teammates with or without each other’s presence? Every damned day, no matter what.
20. Could you spend the rest of your life with this person if they become incapacitated? Sometimes, unfortunate things will happen when life takes an unexpected turn. As an example, if a car accident happens and one of you becomes paralyzed or lose a limb, would you be willing to stick by each other’s side for the rest of your lives? Without a doubt, yes. When we had our motorcycle accident, I spent months taking care of Ace, our daughter, and the house. He just couldn't do it. He felt horrible not being able to do his part, but (I reminded him many many times) he physically could NOT do them, so I did. That's what true partnership is. He's truly got my back... and I've got his. We are a team, equal partners, and equal parents; I wouldn't have it any other way.

There are no wrong answers. But just make sure they’re the right answers for you. Here's to the rest of our lifetime...

Introduction

I've gotten new subscribers lately, so I thought I'd take a minute and "introduce" myself and my feelings on certain topics, so you, my readers, will know what you've gotten yourself into here. Lol... Let's start with what I have in the INTRO section on my FaceBook page.

1. Atheist - This one *should* be simple, but people get this confused so here's some clarification. I believe there IS NO "GOD"; plain & simple, you'd think, right? Apparently not. A lot of people get atheism confused with Paganism (basically, one with nature), Satanism (not necessarily belief in the Christian idea of Satan; more like the belief in self), &/or Agnosticism (neither believes nor disbelieves in a god). Others fully believe the religion of "The Flying Spaghetti Monster" is a real thing. I suppose technically it is, but it's more just around to poke fun and make a point about the ridiculous nature of religion, in general. As an atheist, I do share some of the beliefs of these other (similar) outlooks, but do not consider myself one of any of them. The *only* thing that can be said about atheists, as a whole group, is that we do not believe in any god. Everything else is individualized.

2. Humanist - Basically, everyone has value... EVERYONE. Your worth in this world has nothing to do with your race, your size, your gender, your job, or anything else. Equality among everyone is a goal, and I actively work to make sure I do my part to push that. I cannot understand anyone who ISN'T claiming, and actively working toward, real humanism.

3. Feminist - Simply put, dictionary definition: "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes". That's it. Again, should be a simple concept, but a lot of people seem to think it's synonomous with "man hater" or think we want to be better than men. Nope. Equality of the sexes/genders (yes, there's a difference), people; that's it! Eliminating the assumed patriarchy in the workplace, home, and everywhere else is a side effect... and so worth it! That said, I have also seen some women (mostly young, mostly undereducated) say stuff to the effect of "we don't need feminism, we can already XXXX". Um, that's because of feminism, and yes, we still need it. Also overheard, "I don't need feminism; I want to be a stay at home mom" (or some other thing with a wrongly perceived lower value). That's cool; no one said you couldn't be both. Feminism says you *can* be a stay at home mom if you want, and a man can stay at home too... and be equally valued! Feminism says you can be an engineer, a teacher, a hairdresser, or anything else... and it shouldn't matter what gender you are!! What matters is that, no matter what your gender, you are paid the same and treated the same.

4. LGBTQ+ Ally - This one takes a bit more to explain to people, sometimes. First, let me educate you, in case you aren't aware: Gender is a spectrum; it's not just boys and girls. Not everyone understands, or agrees with, this statement, but it's a fact. Second, being supportive of someone doesn't mean I *am* one. When I mentioned to a friend that my daughter is (for the second year) in her high school's GSA (Gay Straight Alliance -- all spectrum awareness & support, btw), she asked me if my daugher was gay... Um, no; not that it would matter if she was, but why the assumption? I'm a animal lover, too; that doesn't make me a dog. So, I support equal treatment IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. This includes, but is not limited to, using whatever bathroom you want to, and getting married to whomever you want to (as long as there is legal consent on both sides).

5. Pro-Gun - Contrary to those who think I'm "gun crazy" or "a gun nut", I do believe there should be *some* regulation. However, I can argue all day about the laws currently in place & are being introduced; most of them redundant and which do absolutely nothing to protect anyone. "Gun-free zones"?!? More accurate -- "Criminal-friendly zones!" Ugh. If I *can* legally carry, I *WILL* legally carry. I am licenced in as many states as I can currently be so (somewhere around 40, I think, without looking it up), I avoid places I can't legally carry, if I can (like restaurants, stores, etc... that have signs up), and we regularly practice (yup, even the teenaged daughter; she prefers the shotguns, btw). If you don't want to carry, that's fine... but don't you dare tell me that *I CAN'T*!

6. Pro-Choice - Lots of terms going around the 'net about this... and lot of misinformation. Let's clear it up, shall we? Pro-choice is simply the belief that everyone gets to make the reproductive choice for themselves which works best for their own lives. The terms pro-birth, pro-life (HA! no, you're not), pro-abortion, and more get thrown around, but in all honesty, just like religion, YOU get to make the decision for YOU, I get to make the decision for ME, my DAUGHTERS get to make the decision for THEMSELVES, etc. I don't care if you agree with abortions, or think all women who have them are evil/sluts/should be punished/get what's coming to them... IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!! Side note - 2nd & 3rd trimester abortions are rare, but more necessary than ever; they are due to medical anomalies, not because the pregnant woman "forgot" to go have an abortion... stop that stupid rhetoric; it's not true. Oh, and adoption is only an alternative to GIVING BIRTH, not an alternative for being pregnant. So, please stop using those guilt tactics; they're not working.

Woooowwww... Thanks for the laugh!

Got a little bit of funny update on the Wildebeest recently...

First -- I *thought*, based on a post she made on her FB page a couple weeks ago, that she was maybe starting to realize her part in all that's now happening to her, and was starting to maybe feel a tiny built guilty about what she did not only to me, but also to my daughter. This is what she posted -- " "The word contrition comes from the Latin contritus (the same root for the word contrite), and literally means “crushed to pieces.” The contrite person has had their once haughty and prideful ego completely crushed under the tremendous weight of guilt and shame. Such a person has “hit bottom” (as 12-step program adherents are wont to say) not only because they can no longer bear the thought of how badly their actions hurt others but also because of their deep realization of how their usual way of doing things has resulted in abject personal failure. That’s why the contrite person is first and foremost a broken person. And, by definition, only by acknowledging personal defeat can a person become potentially open to reconstructing their life on very different terms. It’s been said many times, but it’s profoundly psychologically true. One cannot begin a new life without laying to rest one’s old self." " But then -- I hear she's still pining for MG... ugh. Come on, Wildebeest; let him go. Let IT go. Let go of your belief that you & MG are still supposed to be together. He's done with you; he's been done for quite some time. You'd consider a polygamist relationship with him??! Really? Desperation, much? Oh, and do you honestly believe that "it wasn't cheating when" you slept with him within our marriage, because *I* was (supposedly) cheating on him?!?! HAHAHAA!!! Believe whatever you want, of course, but it's not true. Not that it's any of your business, but in the five years we were together prior to our wedding, I slept with NO ONE ELSE; in the years during our marriage, I slept with NO ONE ELSE until we were officially split, I'd filed for divorce, and he was already with you. I am so glad my wonderful daughter & I are away from you and your crazy... She deserves, and has, so much better than a ridiculous, petty, vindictive, and obviously still jealous woman.

**EDIT** I realize that I should have worded that a little bit different. Since MG and I had a roughly one year break in 1996, there were other boyfriends during that time.

Family Update #2 -- The Kids

Gamer Boy -- Maybe I should start calling him "Gamer Man"!?!? I mean, he *is* 23 1/2y now... Anyway, we got a little life update Sunday, when we all converged upon my in-laws' house in Salem. He, too, is on Spring Break; new term starts next Monday. He'll be taking three classes, but has condensed them to two days and a Friday morning. That leaves the rest of his days to work. He found a second job doing janitorial services (have I mentioned his super-clean tendancies?), which goes perfectly with his housekeeping job, and of course, puts more money back into his savings (you know... the one he's using to pay for school since his financial aid doesn't go through 'til Fall term?). Plus, he's probably going to take Summer term off (he hasn't decided for sure, yet); if that happens, he can get even more hours/money saved. He also stated that his roommate may be accepting a job up here, so if he moves out, GB will either keep the apartment and see about finding another roommate or look into taking a one-bedroom in the same complex. He's literally right across from the big mall down there, and the bus to campus stops in front in 15m intervals... so he's not using his truck much. On a not-so-good note, he's been having a lot of trouble sleeping and staying awake in class... doc thinks it may be a thyroid issue, but it may not be so he's scheduling some testing and has a sleep study he'll be participating in. Hopefully, they can figure it out; we're a little concerned.

Squeeks -- Not much to update yet... Ace was supposed to have coffee/visit with her yesterday but had to cancel. Will update when we have something to share. ;)

Princess -- Oh my, has she been busy. We've been (very slowly, because she's still anxious) working on her driving. We haven't gone very far, but are up to 14hrs now. We got her a safety magnet that says something about "I'm still learning; have patience" on it; that seems to help. It sits on the rear driver's side of the car, and I know people see it and back off a bit. If I take her with me when I go to Washington in May, she can probably drive a chunk of the way there & back, too. I've tried getting her into driver's ed, but the first time, she wasn't emotionally ready, and the second & third time, the class was full within a day (she's currently on the waiting list for the one that starts in a couple weeks, but it's not looking good to get in). If she doesn't get in to this one, Summer schedule has more to choose from. If KP gets a few more hours in, they can take the class together, which will make the "outside of class time" hours they're supposed to do a bit easier to arrange, since they do so much together. She's also been working with KP as stage managers for their school plays. The girls did SM'ing for the Winter play (Urinetown), and were in the middle of working on one of the two Spring plays (they were originally doing Complete Works of Shakespeare; Abridged & Updated) when NE (director) asked them to assist Amy in also doing Tempest. Apparently, Amy's co-stage manager had to drop out. So, Princess & KP are at school 'til 7p every Monday through Friday. If there is homework to be done, she brings her laptop and leaves it in NE's office during school. NE promised me no weekend rehearsals (and I'd already warned him about the possibility of driver's ed), but he didn't promise no tech days (like Monday; they were painting set pieces from noon to 530p)... although those are not a requirement, so missing Tuesday and part of Thursday for beauty appointments is no big deal. Starting to figure out Summer plans - there's a trip to Ashland scheduled the week after school lets out (with her drama teacher/director, and some other students, plus a couple chaperones) to see some plays and explore the city, another trip to Utah (this is still tentative) with KP & Mimi packing emergency kits for third world countries, a concert in Ridgefield in August with her "fam" (her close girlfriend group), GrandCamp, possibly another (out of the country? maybe...) trip with Mimi, and we're starting to think of a family trip at some point this summer.

Family Update #1 -- Ace & I

I noticed that the last time I updated was around Santamas... so, here ya go!

(1) We've finally started working on our yard plans! First up is the raised garden beds. We started by designing it on the computer. We then marked and used string & garden flags to visualize the space outside. We dug down a few inches, got the dirt (mud... haha) leveled as best as we could, then used landscape pins to put some pvc-coated mesh (longer lasting in our wet climate) wire down (to keep the moles, etc out; thanks, Amanda, for the suggestion!). After that was finished, we went out "rock hunting" to figure out what kind of crushed rock and what kind of border rocks we wanted. We found rectangular border stones at Lowe's, and bought eight of them for now; those were placed edge-to-edge perpendicular to each other to form the corners of the whole area. Ace & Princess spent 15 minutes making sure those were level (ish). Our next step is to get 3/4" minus and 3/4" clean; the minus will be put down, tamped down, and leveled, then we'll put a layer of landscaping fabric down, get more of the bordering stones to finish the border, make sure those are level, then build the squared "U" shaped beds, place that & level, and put a layer of the clean down. It will hold the landscaping fabric down, be a better pathway around the beds, and will help hold the beds in place a bit. When that is done, all we have left is dirt & seeds...
(2) Our 10y old tv (a 60" Sony rear projection we got for an excellent price from Crutchfield, btw) crapped out about three weeks ago. We've been pricing and comparing tvs for the last year or so, anyway, because we knew this one would go out eventually and Ace likes to spend a long time researching (hence the reason it took us two years to get the yard started). It was about 10pm, and it just went black. The little LED on the base blinked off then on -green-, then off then on -red- nine times; repeat. Ace looked it up; nine in a row is a fan. Ok... there are three fans in there, so we turned it around and tried to turn it on. Figured out it's the fan near the lamp bulb. The following day, we moved the 48" from our room (where it's not being used, anyway) out to the living room, to hold us over 'til we could fix the big one or get a new one.
We figured, "It already doesn't work; what's worse case if we try to fix it? That it *still* doesn't work? We can part it out, then." A few days later, after he'd had the chance to find some videos, we watched one very detailed one together. He asked, "Think we can do this?" I said, "I'm feeling 80% confident." So, we opened her up. Now, keep in mind that the inside of a tv is basically a computer... and my husband has built all of our desktops (plus a bunch before we were together). He also has a degree in Electrical Engineering (one of his three degrees). So, one afternoon, we took it mostly apart - screen off, speaker off, metal plate off, projector lamp covered (to protect from dust), plastic housing off, lamp out, wires disconnected, one of the circuit boards off... now, how do we get to the fan housing? Unscrewed a bunch of stuff, took a bunch of pics of our progress while we had the video up and paused, and we got the housing out. It was really dusty so Ace took it out to the garage and used the air compressor on it. We then put it back in, put it back together up to, but not including, the speaker wires. Turned it on; same error. UGH!
At this point, Ace was irritated, and we'd already settled on a tv (a 70" Vizio 4K model that got super high ratings) so we got that ordered from Costco and he started dinner. About half hour later, he said, "BABE! Come here." So I went into the kitchen. He said, "What if the speakers need to be connected for it to work?" I said, "A continuous loop? It's possible." After dinner, we plugged in the speakers and turned it on again. WOO HOO; IT WORKED!
So, we put the big one back in the living room and the smaller one into the spare room. Ace then said to me, "It's not too late to cancel the Costco order..." I said no; figuring we could sell this one. I was ready for the newer one, anyway. Good thing I did, because a few hours later, it went black again. This time, the fan wouldn't move at all. Ok, then; perhaps the fan's motor was bad. We priced them out and found that for less than $20, we could get a new fan. If, after we fix it again, the tv worked, we could sell it for $200-$250. If it doesn't work, it would be worth maybe half that in parts. Totally worth the price of the fan. So, we ordered the fan and switched out the tvs again.
The following day, while I worked, Ace decided to don his "lovely" Tyvex suit and crawl under the house. He split the cable line and ran the phone line in there, so we can actually use the DVR that's in there, as well as hook up the phone line to the 3-In-One (printer, copier, fax). He has to fax his medical stuff in every six months for his leave, and if the power ever goes out, we may need it for a wired phone (we have a grey one in the garage).
The fan showed up about 3 days later, but we didn't get to it until earlier this week. It was so much easier to take apart the the third time! We were able to replace the fan and put it mostly together in less than three hours. However, when we went to test it out again (yes, the speaker wires WERE connected this time), we got a *six* flashing red LED light error message. Hmmmmm... Ace looked that up, laughed, and said, "Duh." When I asked, he goes, "We forgot to put the lamp back in." HAHAHAH! Ok, then. That done, we turned it on again, and it works fine. YAY! He then connected it to the DVR, the VCR/DVD player we still own, and the computer. He's been playing regular video games, Rock Smith, stuff off Steam, using Netflix, FaceBook, and the DVR for a couple random shows... if it's still in good working order this weekend, we'll put it up for sale (it's a great tv, but way too big for that room); the 48" will go back in there once the 60" is sold.
(3) During all of this, we've been on the phone three times, and chat once, with Frontier -- our DVRs are old (currently one is watch-only, the other records; we can watch/record only up to two shows at a time, and the recordable one is only 180G), the aux/battery back up for the internet went out (we're currently using our house back up, temporarily), our bill was way too high & kept rising, and the speed tests proved we weren't getting the speed we were paying for. They fixed our bill, we're getting upgraded DVRs (two at 500G each, watch/record up to six at a time), a new Aux box for the internet, they sent a new battery, and the upload/download speeds (which now match) are even a bit higher than the number on our new plan... for $100+ savings/month from our last few bills.
(4) After the garden/beds are done, we're planning on putting in a compost bin and redoing our gates. (A) We're trying to figure out what kind of compost bin we want and what type of base we need for it, and (B) We're starting to finalize plans for the two gates -- the one to the left of my garage will be a single panel wood or composite swing style, and the one to the right of my house will be a double open, to allow for vehicle access. Not sure yet if the panels will swing in, out, or both...
(5) We've been able to hit up multiple concerts and shows lately... the last one was Shinedown at the Roseland last week. Standing room only, but great view and not packed up in the "over 21y" area. We also stopped for pie at Shari's before going home. Next up is Jeff Dunham, then 2Cellos. Also, our 12th wedding anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. ;)