The ability to run all over God's creation is the only thing I like about summer. Hate the heat, hate the crowds at the beach, love the liberal leave policy, four day work weeks and no school schedule to work around (the absence of homework ain't too bad either).
In the 5 weeks since school's been out, K had three weeks at summer camp followed by one week with her dad and one week with my folks. She pencilled me in for a visit in DC this past weekend before heading back to her dad's. She'll be there for two weeks, then back to PA for two weeks with Grandma and Grandpa.
I plan to pick her up in the 'Burgh so we can troll downtown and restock our exhausted stash of Steeler's bling before football season kicks off. We're out of temporary tattoos and apparently, it's near impossible to find a black and yellow boa outside of southwest PA . . . trust me on this, we've been looking for year and a half.
If I ever get the pictures off the camera, y'all (yes, Julie, I said "y'all") will love our adventures as much as we did. Let just say, if you've got to be stuck in traffic on I-95, it helps if you're next to a pickup decorated as a giant red lobster.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
If you want to make Him laugh . . .
One of my favorite expressions is, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."
Another is "I don't believe in revenge . . . karma is a bigger bitch than I could ever be."
Opposite ends of the scale I know, but both relevant to this point in my life.
Plans: When I got married 14 years ago, two weeks after graduating from college, I planned on being married for 50 years. When I was pregnant with my daughter I planned on watching her grow up in a solid family. I imagined her father and I sitting at her wedding and remembering all of the highlights we had of raising her together . . . her first day of school, learning to ride a bike, drive a car . . . the first time she fell in love. When K had her first Christmas, I bought brand new stockings to hang by the chimney, with an extra one or two so there'd be matching ones just in case any little brothers or sisters came along.
If I've learned one thing over the last six years it would be that God not only has a wicked sense of humor, but that the plans He has for us are probably better than the ones we had for ourselves.
I will not be married for 50 years. I made it to 10 and even that's a stretch since my ex had pretty much checked out of the marriage shortly after (if not before) my daughter was born.
I will not sit at K's wedding with her Dad sharing memories of all the things we did with her growing up. There aren't any.
I hang our two stocking by the fireplace every year, but I don't think about the brothers and sisters K will have. Instead, I think about the Christmas between the separation and the divorce. The one where I went to get the decorations out of the closet and spent an hour crying when I realized I no longer needed any extra ones, or even the ones I had.
When I got divorced I planned on spending the next 14 years getting my shit together and focusing on my kid with the hopes that by the time she went off to college she would be prepared for life and I would be a smoking hot 48 year old with no obligations and my choice of men (since all the other women my age would have let themselves go to pot of course).
Well, that plan is hitting the scrap pile too. My new plan is to just throw it all out there to the universe and see what happens. As of now, I am open to any and all of the possibilities that could come my way.
I love my house, and my life in Virginia, but tomorrow I am looking at a house about 1/2 a mile down the road from my folk's place in PA. There's probably not a chance in hell I'll be able to make the switch, but I'm checking it out anyway.
The first year after my divorce I had absolutely no interest in getting within 10 feet of anything that had a penis. The year after that, I started dipping my toe into the man pool, but had horrible results . . . forget about a blog, the details of those non-experiences could fill up an entire book. This past year, I stuck my whole foot in the dating pool and while I actually HAD my first date in almost 20 years, it was a total bust. So I've finally decided, screw wading into the dating pool. This year I'm diving in head first. Yep, I'm biting the bullet and finally signing up for an online dating site. As soon as I finish filling out 800 or so questions, I will officially be on the market. It must be true . . . I read it on the Internet!
There are a few other changes I've started to make, regarding finances and other things to just generally get my life in order. I have no idea what is in store for me over the next year. It may be a smaller house, a better job or a good man, but I have great faith that it will be better than the hand I've been dealt in the past.
And as for karma? I pretty sure she owes me big and it's about time for her to pay up, with interest.
Another is "I don't believe in revenge . . . karma is a bigger bitch than I could ever be."
Opposite ends of the scale I know, but both relevant to this point in my life.
Plans: When I got married 14 years ago, two weeks after graduating from college, I planned on being married for 50 years. When I was pregnant with my daughter I planned on watching her grow up in a solid family. I imagined her father and I sitting at her wedding and remembering all of the highlights we had of raising her together . . . her first day of school, learning to ride a bike, drive a car . . . the first time she fell in love. When K had her first Christmas, I bought brand new stockings to hang by the chimney, with an extra one or two so there'd be matching ones just in case any little brothers or sisters came along.
If I've learned one thing over the last six years it would be that God not only has a wicked sense of humor, but that the plans He has for us are probably better than the ones we had for ourselves.
I will not be married for 50 years. I made it to 10 and even that's a stretch since my ex had pretty much checked out of the marriage shortly after (if not before) my daughter was born.
I will not sit at K's wedding with her Dad sharing memories of all the things we did with her growing up. There aren't any.
I hang our two stocking by the fireplace every year, but I don't think about the brothers and sisters K will have. Instead, I think about the Christmas between the separation and the divorce. The one where I went to get the decorations out of the closet and spent an hour crying when I realized I no longer needed any extra ones, or even the ones I had.
When I got divorced I planned on spending the next 14 years getting my shit together and focusing on my kid with the hopes that by the time she went off to college she would be prepared for life and I would be a smoking hot 48 year old with no obligations and my choice of men (since all the other women my age would have let themselves go to pot of course).
Well, that plan is hitting the scrap pile too. My new plan is to just throw it all out there to the universe and see what happens. As of now, I am open to any and all of the possibilities that could come my way.
I love my house, and my life in Virginia, but tomorrow I am looking at a house about 1/2 a mile down the road from my folk's place in PA. There's probably not a chance in hell I'll be able to make the switch, but I'm checking it out anyway.
The first year after my divorce I had absolutely no interest in getting within 10 feet of anything that had a penis. The year after that, I started dipping my toe into the man pool, but had horrible results . . . forget about a blog, the details of those non-experiences could fill up an entire book. This past year, I stuck my whole foot in the dating pool and while I actually HAD my first date in almost 20 years, it was a total bust. So I've finally decided, screw wading into the dating pool. This year I'm diving in head first. Yep, I'm biting the bullet and finally signing up for an online dating site. As soon as I finish filling out 800 or so questions, I will officially be on the market. It must be true . . . I read it on the Internet!
There are a few other changes I've started to make, regarding finances and other things to just generally get my life in order. I have no idea what is in store for me over the next year. It may be a smaller house, a better job or a good man, but I have great faith that it will be better than the hand I've been dealt in the past.
And as for karma? I pretty sure she owes me big and it's about time for her to pay up, with interest.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, Monday
Surprisingly getting to work by 6:30 this morning was not all that difficult. Apparently when you don't have to haul a six year old out of bed or think about breakfast, you can get from the bed to the car in under 40 minutes. The first of my four 10 hour days is officially completed.
Another upside is no traffic and a great parking spot. I made it to work in 5 minutes and leaving at 5:00 while everyone else was waiting for 5:30 wasn't too bad either.
Tonight I've got a hot date with the washing machine, the treadmill and my beloved DVR. Since K is coming home Thursday night instead of Friday I'm trying to get a jump start on packing for the PA trip Friday. I'm looking forward to spending a few days with the folks and seeing all the relatives at the O'Neal Family Reunion on Saturday. K is looking forward to an entire week of being spoiled by Grammy and Pop Pop.
Another upside is no traffic and a great parking spot. I made it to work in 5 minutes and leaving at 5:00 while everyone else was waiting for 5:30 wasn't too bad either.
Tonight I've got a hot date with the washing machine, the treadmill and my beloved DVR. Since K is coming home Thursday night instead of Friday I'm trying to get a jump start on packing for the PA trip Friday. I'm looking forward to spending a few days with the folks and seeing all the relatives at the O'Neal Family Reunion on Saturday. K is looking forward to an entire week of being spoiled by Grammy and Pop Pop.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
What a Life!
The Boucek girls are having the best weekend ever.
Friday after camp, K headed to the farm for a visit with her Dad. He got back a week later than expected and she's coming home a day earler than anticipated, but she is over the moon anyways (which isn't hard to imagine since she's been bouncing off the walls all week).
To add icing on the cake, Daddy and R had a special surprise for her when she got there . . . a pony! . . . . yes, a p-o-n-y. I can't wait to see pictures and K is delighted to have someone her size to play with. A dog may be man's best friend, but I think pony trumps dog for a six year old girl.
I got back earlier than expected from the drop off and somehow scored an extra ticket to the Trace Atkins/Toby Keith concert at the Amphitheater last night. Being raised a country girl, I can't think of a better way to spend the night than having two sexy cowboys sing to me. If there had been a tractor or a cow, I may have fainted dead away.
Everything comes with a price though and I was hating life at 6:00 this morning when my alarm went off to remind me to throw a lawn chair in the car and head to the rec center to wait in line with all the other crazy mamas to register K for the after school program at her elementary school for the fall. It was all worth it when, three hours later, we were signed on the dotted line. The things we do for our children.
The icing on my cake was getting to know the three other moms next to me in line. Following a page from Julie's book I got all their names and I'm sure we'll be Facebook friends before the weekend is out. Cool moms are hard to find, so I've learned to grab em when I see em.
Friday after camp, K headed to the farm for a visit with her Dad. He got back a week later than expected and she's coming home a day earler than anticipated, but she is over the moon anyways (which isn't hard to imagine since she's been bouncing off the walls all week).
To add icing on the cake, Daddy and R had a special surprise for her when she got there . . . a pony! . . . . yes, a p-o-n-y. I can't wait to see pictures and K is delighted to have someone her size to play with. A dog may be man's best friend, but I think pony trumps dog for a six year old girl.
I got back earlier than expected from the drop off and somehow scored an extra ticket to the Trace Atkins/Toby Keith concert at the Amphitheater last night. Being raised a country girl, I can't think of a better way to spend the night than having two sexy cowboys sing to me. If there had been a tractor or a cow, I may have fainted dead away.
Everything comes with a price though and I was hating life at 6:00 this morning when my alarm went off to remind me to throw a lawn chair in the car and head to the rec center to wait in line with all the other crazy mamas to register K for the after school program at her elementary school for the fall. It was all worth it when, three hours later, we were signed on the dotted line. The things we do for our children.
The icing on my cake was getting to know the three other moms next to me in line. Following a page from Julie's book I got all their names and I'm sure we'll be Facebook friends before the weekend is out. Cool moms are hard to find, so I've learned to grab em when I see em.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Gotta Love a Waterpark
K has spent the first three weeks of summer vacation at "camp" and we are both loving every minute of it. The first two weeks included field trips to the movies and this week had a field trip to Ocean Breeze Water Park. K was delighted to pass the swim test upon arrival so she didn't need to wear a life vest. I was thrilled that she already had a good base tan since, despite loading her up on waterproof sunscreen before she left, she probably got a little too much sun on the shoulders.
The other great thing about a waterpark is that it will plum tucker a six year old out . K was asleep by 7:30.
I should have used my extra hour to be productive, but instead I hunkered down on the couch for a "What I Like About You" marathon. I love Jennie Garth and Amanda Bynes but somehow missed the entire last season of the show when it was on tv in the 90's. I'm not sure how I survived life before DVR but I may have to start hiding the remote.
The other great thing about a waterpark is that it will plum tucker a six year old out . K was asleep by 7:30.
I should have used my extra hour to be productive, but instead I hunkered down on the couch for a "What I Like About You" marathon. I love Jennie Garth and Amanda Bynes but somehow missed the entire last season of the show when it was on tv in the 90's. I'm not sure how I survived life before DVR but I may have to start hiding the remote.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy Birthday America
What a great honor it is to be an American and enjoy all the pleasures and freedoms that entails.
To me, there is nothing more American than enjoying the heck out of your family and friends. So far this weekend, we've been pretty darn successful at both.
After a nice long bath for K to scrub off all the lovely body art she created (on herself) yesterday morning, we finished some chores and headed up to Busch Gardens for rollercoasters and fireworks. There is absolutely nothing better in the world than "Fun Fridays," days when K and I pick something, well fun, and set out on our adventure. We don't get the chance to do it every week, but that just makes the ones we do get more special.
After sleeping in this morning, we puttered around a bit and then headed to the Haws for their Annual 4th of July picnic. It was much easier when Chris and Jenn lived next door, but the addition of a pool made the drive to the new house worthwhile.
Four hours and several wrinkles appendages later, we headed home for quick showers. Then is was time to deck out in our 4th of July gear and head to Scott and Melissa's to watch the fireworks over the lake. Apparently a little neighborly competition makes for one hell of a show.
After the fireworks, we headed down the street to Billy and Holly's picnic where there were sparklers galore and K was in absolute heaven. We had a quick stop at the neighbors scheduled in for the drive home, but K (and her mother) were just plum tuckered out. But with K tucked up in bed and me sitting in the backyard, I can hear the music and catch whisps of conversation from the neighbors we were supposed to visit, so I guess I'm still enjoying the heck out of my family and friends.
To me, there is nothing more American than enjoying the heck out of your family and friends. So far this weekend, we've been pretty darn successful at both.
After a nice long bath for K to scrub off all the lovely body art she created (on herself) yesterday morning, we finished some chores and headed up to Busch Gardens for rollercoasters and fireworks. There is absolutely nothing better in the world than "Fun Fridays," days when K and I pick something, well fun, and set out on our adventure. We don't get the chance to do it every week, but that just makes the ones we do get more special.
After sleeping in this morning, we puttered around a bit and then headed to the Haws for their Annual 4th of July picnic. It was much easier when Chris and Jenn lived next door, but the addition of a pool made the drive to the new house worthwhile.
Four hours and several wrinkles appendages later, we headed home for quick showers. Then is was time to deck out in our 4th of July gear and head to Scott and Melissa's to watch the fireworks over the lake. Apparently a little neighborly competition makes for one hell of a show.
After the fireworks, we headed down the street to Billy and Holly's picnic where there were sparklers galore and K was in absolute heaven. We had a quick stop at the neighbors scheduled in for the drive home, but K (and her mother) were just plum tuckered out. But with K tucked up in bed and me sitting in the backyard, I can hear the music and catch whisps of conversation from the neighbors we were supposed to visit, so I guess I'm still enjoying the heck out of my family and friends.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Fun Friday
I love three day weekends. Apparently K decided they're fun, too.
. . . and it's only 9:30 in the morning.
Yep, I think she's got a future in the body art industry.
. . . or as a plastic surgeon . . . she loosks like she's prepped and ready to go.
It amazes me what a creative child can do in 15 minutes.
If the long weekend starts out like this, I can't wait to see how it ends up.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Curiouser and Curiouser
It has been one of those weeks where everything is so weird at times it feels like I've actually fallen down a rabbit hole. And not just because an Internet search on how to spell curiouser and curiouser led to the discovery that "Alice in Wonderland" returns an unusually large amount of hits for porn sites.
Yes, that's an actual Rabbit Hole from the back yard. Luckily I have not actually fallen into it yet.
The week started with me accepting a friend request from my ex-husband girlfriend on Facebook and will end with an incredibly hot guy finally spending the weekend at my house . . . to visit my friend Erin.
And for some reason, I can't stop singing "Last Christmas" by Wham in my head.
Could my life be any stranger. Or should I say curiouser?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
