i’ve been busy with life.
that’s both a good and positive thing; and for that i am truly thankful (and a wee bit tired).
i haven’t really written a post in a while. so to break it down for ya: part of it is just being really busy with everything, part of it is being lazy, part of it is out of defiance, and part of it is not really wanting to write (and by that i mean: coming across as being either too happy about how great things are going in our lives, OR venting about the few stupid and unfair things that have transpired.)
ok after glancing at my blog i guess it’s been nearly 5 months!! has it really been THAT long since i’ve written a proper post? shame on me!!
here a brief and moderately vague synapsis of the past 6 months:
october:: went on a cruise, had a blast!! we somehow got an upgrade to the concierge level (happy birthday to me!) and enjoyed an magical family vacation. thank you walt! while on vacation, our friend T watched the pugs. she took great care of them and the house! also while on the cruise, the boy got a call from his (now former) employer, which then prompted in his immediate resignation while aboard the ship somewhere in the middle of the atlantic ocean. as the rough seas of the atlantic were becoming a little more stable and calm, so was josh’s saga of working in a situation that he had no control or real respect. (of course this is just MY view of how he had been treated and interacted with during the course of his employment). while on our cruise we met some really nice people, from the burg! more about them later.
november:: this begins the journey of josh being on his own, the big step of manning his own ship and working for himself. while this was an exciting time, it was also a little stressful, just because it was such a big thing to undertake during the upcoming holiday season and with lizzy coming up on competition season soon. thanksgiving was something different this year, we actually broke tradition! we spent time with our new dance friends, that was a nice change of pace. lizzy still loves to ride the horses, but the weather was a bit chilly and wet, so we didn’t go as much!
december:: christmas!! although i didn’t decorate for halloween, i made up for it during december. lizzy had her christmas recital (two nights of dance) and we had been working through her home schooling and really making great progress in reading! we had a FESTIVUS party at the bungalow and had a great time. it was really nice to have lizzy’s friends from dance and some of my friends from the way back machine there celebrating with us. even though our house is small, i think she’s “cozy” and filled with love and laughter! christmas was amazing, lizzy got lot’s of great presents, everyone is always so thoughtful and generous!! we kept tradition for NYE and did our usual thing: steak & lobster at the house, then watching the ball drop at midnight all 3 of us together! a perfect way to end one year and begin a new one.
january:: at the end of december one of our friends from the cruise had gotten very ill. he needed someone to take care of his 85-90lb black lab/border collie dog. when josh heard they needed a home for their boy, he didn’t even blink or hesitate at offering. so while B is undergoing chemo (and until he is well enough to handle his big boy again) wrangler is now a part of our pack/family. we got him on the 31st of december, so that makes 4 dogs!!!! january marked 2 whole months of josh being self employed, while it’s been a transition, things are going really falling into place. who could ask for anything more… i decided to chop off all my hair, 22-25 inches gone. i donated an 18’ ponytail to locks for love, then promptly dyed what was left on my crown a pleasant shade of plum. nothing like falling off the wagon good and hard. oh peroxide and dye how i’ve missed you!! lizzy had her first dance convention. she had a great time learning from new instructors!! we shared a room with a few others from the studio, and that when some drama began (momma drama, guess it’s a dance mom thing, who knows?). towards the end of the month, josh’s car battery died. since he’s not driving to work, no need to get a new battery, so now we’re down to one vehicle!
february:: a time to spread love. lizzy had her very first dance competition. daddy and i were near puking as she took the stage. i think our hands were shaking more than hers. lizzy managed to place 8th out of 22 dancers and she was the only 5 year old competing with a solo. she also received a special judges award for “lighting up the stage” we were just glad she got all the way through her dance and did her very first SOLO and competition. she had such an ease and smile on her face, and when she got off stage, she said, “mommy, that felt GOOD, and i smiled and danced from my heart.” it’s times like these that i’m amazed that she’s just 5 years old and has so much maturity and confidence! i think having a few extra family members there to cheer her on helped too! on valentines day i was surprised with chocolates from the boy and a stuffed devil bear from the kiddo! it’s the little things that really make me happiest. did i mention that i’m truly blessed! josh turned 32, my BF lenie was in town during his birthday weekend and he was sweet enough to let my plans with lenie take precedence over his birthday weekend. L and i hit the casino and left with more $$ than we walked in with, so that was a good time indeed. **note to self- must figure out something incredible to do for the boy for his birthday next year!**
march:: being self employed suits the boy. he’s been really productive over the past few months, and has been available even more than ever. lizzy has enjoyed the extra quality time for sure. we’re home schooling like it’s going out of style. lizzy has been doing such a great job with her vocabulary, reading, spelling, grammar and phonics, oh my! double digit addition and subtraction… if she could just get a handle on understanding money and it’s value/worth. LOL… but i have to remember she’s only 5 and in kindergarten!! she really likes when i read to her about history and science too! we’re keeping very busy with learning that’s for sure!! speaking of history, the boy and i celebrated our anniversary on 9 march. 6 years of marriage, 10 years together. (actual anniversary is 10 march) we had the BEST “date night” which began with a trolly ride, fried pickles at hooters (oh how i could live on fried pickles), some amazing tapas at a tapas restaurant and then sushi at a sushi bar. it was so much fun going from one restaurant to another in search of the next course for dinner. life can be such an adventure! anniversary night dinner i was treated to josh’s amazing marsala chicken and handmade pasta. i am adored and spoiled to say the least. i don’t require much, and what i do have i am so thankful and appreciative for, even if i don’t say it as often as i could. i think our relationship is so special. he gets me, supports me, backs me up, loves me, defends me, and makes me laugh. he’s my anchor. and when i’m upset about something, he reminds me to try and be logical about it, because getting over emotional about the things i can’t change, control or fix isn’t worth being upset about. funny thing is those are usually the things that in the grande scheme of this thing called life, really don’t matter that much and the overall impact is minute at best. best to focus and pour my energy into the things that truly matter and provide happiness. we just had another dance competition near the end of the month and lizzy placed 2nd in her category and received a judges award for being “simply sweet”!! OMG right? needless to say josh and i just about fell out of our seats!! stefany was there to cheer lizzy on for the entire day and my friend julie was there to support us too. lizzy not only performed her solo, but 4 other group dances. it was a very long day, but so worthwhile. this time the photo production company took video so i purchased a copy of her solo and some of the group numbers. lizzy just loves watching her dance videos.
**side bar, note to self- some of my requirements are honesty, loyalty and communication. now i know i am far from perfect but i do attempt to offer those qualities. of course we all know there will be times when there will be misunderstanding or someone says something that offends the other, but with interactions,friendships and relationships there also comes forgiveness, compassion and compromise.
try and forgive my trespasses and i will do the same in return.
and finally —- easter is just around the corner, that darned bunny has been hopping in the back yard i think! the pugs and wrangler must have scared him off!! tonight i went to target to do some last minute shopping to help the bunny out. i sent a few pics of some of the things i was going to get to josh, and there up on the 27” monitor was the evidence of mommabunny… and who do you think got out of her bed and was standing behind daddy wanting to know when mommy was going to be home (just 10 minutes after being put to sleep)?? so there i was in le target, putting EVERYTHING back only to scrap my plans for the basket and start all over from scratch. i couldn’t chance her seeing the photos and remembering what was in the cart. uuuggghhh!! and what about that darned groundhog? i can never remember what it means when he sees his shadow, or doesn’t… 6 more weeks or not? geeez!! all i know is that spring has been a bit chilly (in more ways than one -haha) but really, when i’m looking up all i’m seeing are blue skies. i really can’t complain. and if it were silent and grey, i’d be ok with that too!!
my life is a run-on sentence!! ;)
1
