I'll begin this post with saying that Tyson & I had a wonderful Christmas & enjoyed the Christmas Eve service at Applegate Christian Fellowship very much! We were invited by my good friend, Denise. We arrived in a fantastic winter wonderland in the middle of nowhere! They had hundreds of thousands of lights in every tree & bush, plus white & red poinsettas strategically placed & decorating the main stage, next to which was a gigantic bonfire, about 8-9 feet high! They had a formal choir in robes & did a gospel-choir type thing with Christmas carols & several different soloists.

On Christmas morning, Tyson was very excited to see that his two biggest (literally!) gifts were from Santa - a coffin guitar case & a fender guitar stool that he'd been looking at in his Musician's Friend catalog. We both thoroughly enjoyed all of our gifts & eachother's company all morning, then went to Denise's house for Christmas dinner with her & her daughter & hubby. We sat around playing spoons & movie trivia games & had a good time.

Now then, let me vent about the screwy things that happened with Seth! So, Tyson went Christmas shopping for me with his Grandma Robbin on Saturday. Seth was coming into town with his girlfriend for a Christmas party at his sister's, so it made sense for Robbin to just take Tyson over to his Aunt's house to meet his dad, then go home with him over on the coast for a few days. When we made these plans, I made it very clear to Seth that I thought enough time had passed that it would be ok for Tyson to meet his girlfriend, but I asked him to sleep with Tyson while he was visiting, since I didn't think it would be appropriate or comfortable for him to see them going to bed or waking up together. He agreed that this would be fine. I also asked, since Seth doesn't have a phone, that Tyson give me a quick call every night to tell me goodnight & just check in so I knew everything was going alright. I didn't hear from Seth until Tuesday, when he called me from the bar next door to his place, to let me know that he didn't know how Tyson was getting home, but thought he'd send him home with his brother (interjection: the ex-con scam artist/theif/druggie/alcoholic/dealer who doesn't like kids & has demonstrated sadistic tendencies all of Seth's life, not to mention stole Seth's identity on three different occasions, which resulted in suspension of his license!). I said HELL NO!! I told him that I couldn't take any time off of work, but if he'd keep Tyson until Friday, that I'd drive up there & get him myself after work (7 hour round trip)! He then had the balls to say that driving one way was the least I could do. That got me really steamed, so I told him that I made Tyson readily available to him & that it was his choice to not call or visit, and that he has to make that effort. I finally got to talk to Tyson the next day, but then Seth called me Friday morning & when I asked him why they hadn't called me the previous night, he said that his mom said she didn't have time to take Tyson to a phone. He then said that he thought it was ridiculous that I wanted him to call every night, anyway, and I told him what was ridiculous is that I'd talked to my son once in six days & that it didn't matter if he thought it was ridiculous; it was what I'd asked, and it wouldn't even be such a big issue if he had a phone & I could reach Tyson in the first place! Anyway, Seth was calling to let me know that I'd need to stop by his sister's place in Medford to pick up some of the presents that Tyson had gotten me, since they forgot some there & told me that he'd called ahead & Traci had reassured him that the bag was right there. I stopped by on my way out of town, but no one was home except for their 10 year old daughter, who knew nothing about the bag of presents. By the time that Tyson & I got back to town that night, it was 10:45, much too late to drop by. So I told Tyson that it was no biggie & I'd just get them after Christmas, since I really didn't want to bug them on Christmas Eve, which was the next day, but he insisted that the majority of what he got me was what got left behind & I had to get them. So I called first thing in the morning & left a message at Traci's, asking to please call me back & let me know when it would be convenient for them for us to stop by & pcik those up. I finally got a call back at 3pm from Traci, acting all put out & imposed upon, saying that she didn't have the presents & knew nothing about them. I told her that Seth had told me he called her to make sure they were there & she said he never called her. Long story short, I still don't have the presents & have no idea what happened to them. What pisses me off most is that Robbin told me he knew exactly where he wanted to go & what he wanted to get me & got some great deals & ended up with exactly 50 cents change. All that time, effort & thought (not to mention my damn money!) and someone takes that away from him.

To make matters worse, Tyson tells me that Seth & his girlfriend got a motel room & he stayed with this aunt that first night, then Seth asked Tyson if it would bother him if he slept with his girlfriend for the duration of his stay, to which Tyson of course said no, he didn't mind - what else could he say?!? As bad as this was, that he'd deliberately disregard what I'd asked him not to do & putting Tyson on the spot, this meant that Tyson had to share a room (used to be his; now belongs to Seth's girlfriend's daughter) with a six year old girl! Tyson said that they were told to take turns sleeping on the floor or the bed, but since she was just a little girl, he gave her the bed every night. Not only is this not ok that he had to give up his bedroom and didn't have a bed to sleep on, it is completely inappropriate for him to be sharing a room with a six year old girl! I am so furious I wouldn't be surprised to see steam coming out of my ears as I type this! So, now how to proceed? I realize that it's not illegal for Seth to sleep with this girlfriend when Tyson's over, but he did directly go against my request & in the interrim, put Tyson in a compromising situation. The correct thing to do would have been for Seth to sleep with Tyson & have Sherry sleep with her daughter, which is what I specifically asked him to do! The thing is, I don't want Tyson to get in trouble for telling me what happened or put Seth in defensive mode, to where he asks Tyson to lie to me & puts him in a bad position, but I don't feel right about not recongizing the fact that nothing went as we'd discussed: I spoke to Tyson once instead of every night. I had to go pick him up myself. Then the sleeping arrangements. So I think I'm going to approach the subject by asking him & telling him that I didn't want to ask Tyson (which I didn't - he brought it up to me), so I'm asking him. Then, if he tries lying to me, I'll call him out on it & say that something Tyson said clued me in on it...I want to strangle him right now!

PHEW!! What a whirlwind it's been since I last posted! I guess it's that slightly frantic time of year for everyone, though, which is probablywhy I haven't had anybody whining that I never blog anymore!

Let's see...I've taken on even more at work (despite my emphatic protests!) and have been doing tons of transcription in Tyson's absence...he's at his dad's until Friday, which is a whole other story that I'm not even sure I have the energy or inclination to write about, but I will say that I finally let him have it a little bit today...I'm all ready for Christmas! All of my cards & presents have been bought & sent, which is a wonderful feeling! Tonight I'll do some baking (during which I intend to drink myself silly & rock out to some loud music to blow off some steam) & tomorrow we do our "Secret Santas" at work. I'm really excited, because I know mine pretty well & burned three CD's in addition to some other stuff (like her favorite cookies that I'll be baking tonight). I did a Parodies CD, an Adam Sandler movie songs & quotes & an 80'2 hair band ballads CD. I think she'll really dig 'em.

Anyway, work is screaming my name again, so all for now...AAAAAAAAaaaaaarrrrgh!!!

So I have big plans to get stuff taken care of this weekend! Other than some things for Tyson, I only have one more present to get. I finally found my address book so I can send out Christmas cards. I'm making some CDs for my Secret Santa at work, so that will be all taken care of, along with the candles I ordered from the candle party.

Tomorrow after church, we are going to Robbin's (Tyson's surrogate G'ma) for a luncheon & white elephant gift exchange. She goes all out & thinks of all the little details, so I'm sure it will be awesome.

I'm reading Mary Higgins Clark's new book "No Place Like Home" to kill some time until I reach the top of the reserve lists for Diana Gabaldon's newest book in the Outlander series, "Snow & Ashes" (I started at #80 & am now down to something like 48) and Dean Koontz's new sequel to "Odd Thomas", "Forever Odd". I love it when my favorite authors come out with new material. It's like reaquanting yourself with an old friend...

I am so disgusted! I know I totally shouldn't be surprised, and really I'm not, but still...

Seth finally called for the first time since Thanksgiving, whining about being sick as his excuse for not calling like he's supposed to on Mondays (or any other frickin' night of the week or weekend, for that matter)! I told him he could tell it to Tyson. First thing Tyson says when he picks up the phone is, "Why haven't you been calling, Dad?" Rest assured I do not point this out & I only talk to Tyson about it if he brings it up, but he has been asking & I just tell him I don't know, because I refuse to make excuses for him. After he talked to Tyson, Seth & I talked so we could go over Christmas details & such, and he informed me that he will be moving in with his new 42-year-old girlfriend, so when Tyson comes to stay a few days over Christmas break, he'll be staying there & have to share his dad's attention, not to mention that he won't have his own room. I insisted that Seth sleep with Tyson while he's there, because as much as Tyson says he wants us to date other people, he hasn't dealt with the reality, and I don't want him to see them going to bed together at night or waking up together in the morning. Why is Seth such a jack-ass? I don't really care if he wants to sleep around (as long as he doesn't expose Tyson to this) but this will be the second woman he's moved in with in the first year (technically six months) since our divorce! Yuck!

The candle party was a smashing success! We did get a late start, since the candle rep was just returning from a trip to Eugene, so the party lasted until 11pm! I can't wait to get the stuff I ordered!

On Sunday, Tyson and I went to church, then out to breakfast at Witham's Truck Stop (that brought back some memories!), where they were having a 40 year anniversary special & had all of their prices lowered to what they were 40 years ago! We're talking $.10 for a cup of coffee! So we ordered a french toast breakfast for each of us, in addition to ham & eggs with hash browns & toast, plus a soda for Ty, a coffee for me, and a pancake, egg & sausage breakfast to take home for Tyson to have this morning, and we paid all of $4.90! We sat at the counter, and we each spoke to some really interesting people. Tyson had two old ladies next to him, one of whom kept teasing him about how yummy his ham looked. When they left, one of them gave Tyson a $5 bill & told him that he was a really nice kid. The guy I sat next to was a truck driver who is one of 20 boys and 3 girls, all by the same father, who died two years ago at age 110! Afterward, we went Christmas shopping at the mall & entered a bunch of contests, then headed home to chill out for the rest of the evening & played a couple of games of chess (I won once, & Tyson won once!) I went to bed with Tyson at 8:30, and I still woke up tired, although I do have a little more energy than I did last week.

BTW, Kathy, I'm sorry I keep missing your calls!

I figured I'd muster up the little energy I have these days for a quick post...

Tyson & I did go to the open mic Thursday night & met my friend, Susan, there. It was a school night, so we didn't stay really long, but did hang out long enough to catch some pretty good performances. We haven't figured out what we're going to do up there yet, but we do plan to go back.

Yesterday, I left work early & went home to sleep. I had to get up to pick Tyson up from school, and we dropped by the university so I could talk to some people about placement tests & just how the whole thing works. I was incredibly discouraged by the answers that I got regarding financial aid. I guess they go by your previous year's tax returns, and on paper my income looks pretty good (not to mention that Seth & I both worked & filed together last year). They don't take into account the fact that I would only be working part-time if I were to enroll as a full-time student. I'm not sure what to do from here...

I just couldn't bring myself to go be an extra for the movie today, as much as I have always wanted to do something like that. Instead, I got up with Tyson & made my weekend breakfast of eggs & fried potatoes, cleaned house & did some laundry, then came into town to put in some hours at the Women's Clinic. I'm going to have a candle party tonight at my apartment. It will be a very small, intimate group, consisting of (I think): Twyla & Krista & Susan, Misty & Lisa from work. It will be nice to have some company over for a change, and the candles always make your house smell great! When I socialize, I usually go somewhere, but I do like playing hostess. Tomorrow we'll go out to church, then go Christmas shopping. Anyway, there's the latest. I'll slowly,but surely, be posting more as I rejoin the land of the living...

I'm ba-aaaack.....
Sorry I haven't posted in so long (or written to any of you, for that matter! It's really not personal)! I have been totally exhausted since my trip to Eureka.
Thanksgiving was not restful, but definitely enjoyable! I got to spend some quality time with my dad and my niece, Mary, and very little time with my brothers & my mom. We managed to pull off the "First-ever Adams Family Thanksgiving Breakfast" & had all the fixings ready to go by 11:00, which my dad thought would be impossible. My sister, Kathy, called from AZ, where she was having to deal with her monster-in-law being a total snob about her Thanksgiving plans to eat at the local buffet restaurant, even though they're living in a camper until their house is built. I know she really wanted to be with us, and I really wanted her there, too...she stayed on the phone for quite a while, though, and was passed around so she could "visit" with everyone. It seemed a little quiet this year. The only "kids" there were John, Mary & Joey (and they're 18, 16 and 12, or something like that). I really enjoyed seeing everyone, though, and my dad & I went to see Walk the Line on Friday. The theater was so packed that we weren't able to sit together, but we both thought it was one of the best movies we'd ever seen. I'm planning to take Tyson to watch it, too. On Thursday night, after my sister Laura got off work, we jammed out down in the basement with her husband, Mark, who plays the electric bass, and Mary. Unbeknownst to Laura and myself, Mark had set up a recording device before he & Mary had gone upstairs, and of course, at this point, Laura and I were getting a little goofy & making up our own words and such. I haven't heard it yet, and I'm not sure I really want to...Over at my brother Carey's (aka Allen), I video-taped him and my dad singing & playing guitar in his "studio" in the back room. I'm so glad that I finally got them on tape! Tyson said Uncle Allen should be famous & that Grandpa Charlie is "really good for an old guy". (LOL!)

When I showed up to pick Tyson up on Saturday, Seth & his mom were just pulling out of the driveway to head to Gold Beach. It was really good to see Tyson again. Time away from eachother always makes us appreciate how special our relationship is. Seth was supposed to call on Monday, but didn't again, and I think Tyson is really starting to get angry with him, which sucks, because just as my mom had said, he then starts to feel guilty about being angry with his dad. When (and if) Seth calls again, I'm going to tell him what I think of him not calling. I won't include Tyson's feelings in the conversation, but I can tell him what I feel, that's for sure! I just don't see how anyone could turn away from Tyson after knowing what a great kid he is! He just got an award at school yesterday for his sense of humor. Tonight we're planning to go to an all-ages open mic at A St. Marketplace and tomorrow we might end up going to the kids' night at the church, then on Saturday I'm supposed to be an extra in a movie they're making here, Conversations With God. We'll see how many of those things we actually do... Well, they're watching us like a hawk here at work, so I'd better end this for now. I just can't bring myself to post from home these days - I've been so wiped out! Eventually I'll catch up, though, and email all of you that I've been neglecting!