Updates

I keep thinking I need to have "meaningful" posts, rather than just my non-stop rambling, but the reality is that there's meaning in the ramblings. At least for me. And, according to my site meter, no one's really reading anyway, so I guess I'll write for myself.

1. Survived all the family closeness recently. That's a bonus. And, as far as I can tell, there are few if any hurt feelings. I hope anyway.

2. Summer has finally arrived. We've had a few weeks of warm weather, and a few weeks with little to do, so it seems like we're in the full swing of summer and it's nice.

3. My clothesline died. I'm annoyed. It drives me crazy to spend the energy (and $$) to dry things, particularly sheets, that will dry in half the time in the sun for FREE. But I've no where to hang them right now, so there we go. Bruce is scheming to use the holes already in place for the volleyball net to get me a new line. We'll see.

4. Tristan enjoyed Bell Tour. Though, by the end, I think he was peopled out. He's an introvert so being around people all the time is exhausting for him. He had a good time, and I think he'll go again.

5. Now, to work on cutting out some other stuff from his life. This is still a bone of contention with Bruce and I. Every activity the boy has a chance to do is one Bruce thinks he should. We're spending an awful lot of resources on that child and it's wearing me out. Bruce keeps talking about how it's all good stuff and will help keep him out of trouble. True enough, but there's only so much room in one person's life for all that good stuff. And Tristan really isn't inclined to get into too much trouble in the first place! Next summer, for instance, Tristan could go on Bell Tour, to a Boy Scout high adventure camp (Northern Tier), and to Mexico on a mission trip.

6. That was starting to turn into a rant about Bruce and I don't really want to do that. We're turning over new leaves in our marriage and I want to work to build it, not destroy it by ranting all over the very possibly public internet.

7. Bruce's niece is getting married in August in Washington DC. We're not going. It just isn't in our financial plan at the moment. I feel bad, but we've worked so hard, and this really is the first time something like this has come up that Bruce hasn't jumped all over, no matter the cost, and it's his family, so I'm following his lead. Not going means we can send a large gift card instead, and we're really not close to that part of the family. I think that's why Bruce is torn. Geography has played a role in the family distance and he'd like to bridge that. Not to mention, this is the niece everyone is so convinced will be a failure her whole life and we'd like to show her our support.

8. Bruce's parents are going to the wedding. They're flying, after calculating that it would cost 2x as much to drive their motor home out there. This is funny to me because FIL had such a hard time understanding why we'd fly to DisneyWorld instead of driving!

9. Bruce's Washington DC family hasn't seen his parents in a long time. 7 years, if I'm remembering correctly. A couple of the grandchildren have been out this way and have seen them, but I doubt they'd realize just how much MIL's health has deteriorated over the last few years. They're in for a shock, I think. And MIL is talking about how she's not sure she'll go....not sure she can make it, etc. I really hope she does because I just don't think the sisters have any idea how unhealthy she truly is. I'm sure she's not telling them.

10. Bruce thinks his mom isn't going to live for more than about a year. Another reason I hope she goes to the wedding. The sisters really have no idea and I know they'll feel bad having not seen her in so long.

11. Bruce wants to go visit his parents for a weekend again. You can imagine how thrilled I am about that. Yes, there was an argument. But, I think I won in the end. Now he's talking about going to a beer festival up there in September. Since this isn't something the kids and I will enjoy, we're possibly off the hook.

12. Shannon wants to take art lessons. And French. And tennis. Alana wants to take art lessons. And swimming, but only private lessons with our friend who's not doing them this year. And tennis. I'm hoping to find someone who can teach some art stuff locally for cheap.

13. I went to the doctor for my annual check up. To be totally honest, if I didn't need him to authorize a refill of my sleeping meds, and my insurance weren't essentially paying me to do it, I wouldn't go. I have lost a little weight, but it's bouncing up and down by about 2 lbs. Everything looked good, except my vitamin D was low, so I'm now taking my supplements again. So far, I haven't noticed a difference, but it's only been a few days. However, supplements mean I have to eat breakfast (or I'm burping up herbs all morning) and that's a good thing too.

14. My resolve not to play computer games keeps slipping, but I am getting better. I find myself staring at a Zuma Blitz board and wondering just what the heck I'm doing. And I move on to scrapbooking or laundry or something else. I've nearly finished two of the three Disney scrapbooks for the kids.

15. I've decided to catch up on the other stuff by doing it digitally, printing the pages, and slapping them in. My next task is to plan that out a bit. See, digitally, I can work on it just about anywhere, as long as I have power or my battery holds out (not long....the computer's old!). It doesn't make a mess all over a table. I can save the page, half-finished, and walk away. And, I can make one page, and essentially duplicate it for the other kids, swapping pictures in and out. However, I do need to do some planning so I can incorporate memorabilia and "regular" pages in there too. We'll see how it goes.

16. I've started "Soul Work" through the Brave Girls Club, introduced to me by a couple of very dear friends. It's been enlightening and fun. I've been working toward something like this for a long time, with that sense that something's coming, something's out there I need to learn. I don't know that *this* specific thing is what I've been waiting for/looking toward, but it certainly provides a framework for me to further explore things I've been trying to work through on my own.

17. YIKES! Be careful what you type in your browser or you'll find lesbian porn with your daughter sitting just a few feet away.

And with that, I'm going to take a shower and start my day. There are sheets to change and scrapbooks to create!