I leave for the big camping trip after work tomorrow! I'm really excited, because I know I'll be with a lot of great people & we'll have a blast! I'm also excited because this will be the first time I've been camping since the divorce!

I also have some more exciting news: I have a real, bona-fide date with a guy who seems normal enough & comes highly recommended by the husband of a friend. I thought it was really nice that he called me, himself, to ask me out, instead of relying on our mutual friend to set it up, which would have been easy enough to do. I'm not going to get all crazy about it, though. I'm just thrilled that I'll have this first date thing behind me so I can relax a little! We're going out next weekend, so I'll provide more details on this guy then.

I suppose it's been long enough, since I'm getting prompted by Kathy again...It's just that not much has been going on!

Tyson is back, as you know, so my social life disappears & it's all about running him & his friends to the skate park or back & forth to eachothers' houses. We're trying to cram it all in before summer's over & get back into routine for school at the same time. We did some school clothes shopping last weekend, despite Ty's adamant protests.

I don't know if I posted about this before, but our wonderful cat, Domino, went MIA just a couple of days before Tyson left for his dad's & has still not returned. Against my better judgement, we have recently acquired two kittens from a co-worker. We are also dog-sitting for one of the docs while he's on vacation & Tyson is making $10 a day for a week. This dog is very sweet & is no trouble at all, so I second Tyson's question: "You mean you're letting me borrow your dog for a week & I'm getting paid on top of it?"

I've heard nothing more on the jeep, so I'm going to go in & talk to a friend who works at Suburu to see what he can tell me, if anything.

We are going camping w/ the Dawsons this weekend & it should prove to be a blast. I really can't wait! And then Ty will start school on the 6th & it'll be back to the grind, as usual. This is probably one of the more boring posts in my blog, but just remember, you asked for it!

Summer evenings are the best. It's when the rest of the dreadful year gets turned upside down & life is as it should be. Summer days are for sleeping in & laziness; some water play if one feels the need, or maybe even a lemonade stand if you feel particularly motivated or need some extra money for the ice cream truck. But summer nights - when the air is still warm and thick, the smells jump out at you: blackberries and that slightly mossy smell that brings to mind the slipperiness of lake or creek-bottom algae. Summer nights in the valley can be absolutely stunning. I remember when I was a little girl and the sky would be splattered with pink clouds against a bright blue sky and the breeze was warm against my skin, I would pretend that I was in a maxi-pad commercial (with wings, of course - hence, the breeze). When I breathe in the summer evening, I reminisce about other scents from my childhood summers here: thistles and hay, the distinct scent of horses, not to mention goats! Time seems to slow down a little on summer nights, and if I stay up too late sitting outside staring at the stars or driving with the top down in the jeep, it's worth missing out on the sleep I so desperately need in order to face work during every other season.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaawww!! Dad, that's SO cool that you stopped by & left a comment! Mom, I know you read this, too, so feel free to comment, too! Sorry, guys, for holding out on my posts! I know how much you all live for my non-life details! Really, there hasn't been too much to report. Hmmmm...

Last Friday, Terri & Brian were celebrating their 23rd anniversary, so we were off to Chadwicks. Kristin & Lauren (I'm not sure how he spells his name - I'll have to ask) showed up, plus Twyla (Gary stayed home with the kids) & Pat & his wife, along with Terri's sister & brother-in-law. I had the karaoke guy give this whole mushy romantic intro to my dedication to Brian & Terri: Jimmy Buffet's "Why Don't We Get Drunk & Screw". They loved it. Kristin & I are thinking we need to check out some new places the next time I have the opportunity to go out, which might be a while now that Ty's coming home on Friday! I can't wait to see him!

Aunt Linda & Nissa (with her two adorable daughters!) stopped by last night on their way to Eureka & stayed the night. We had some pizza & cake & ice cream for Nissa's 32nd birthday, then played the piano (Dr. England gave me some church songbooks that I grew up with, so I finally have some sheet music, and it's stuff I grew up playing, so it's a little less rusty) & did some karaoke. Around 11 pm, we all started turning in & Nissa turned to me in her little mischevious way & asked how late I'd be up. After she laid the girls down, she crawled into bed & we talked until 1:30 this morning, even though I had to get up at 6:30! I was pretty wasted today at work, but I figured that it was worth it, since we haven't been able to spend time together like that in years! Anyway, it was great to see them all & especially nice to reconnect with Nissa after all this time. I ended up coming home a little early from work today & falling asleep by the pool.

Dave (my friend who sold me the jeep) called me & told me that he might know someone who wants to buy my jeep, so I asked him to pass on my number this afternoon & hopefully I'll be able to work something out with this guy. I'm seriously thinking about leasing this time around, after looking at all the pros & cons & where I'm at in my life right now. It would mean lower payments & less commitment/debt. I'll miss the jeep, for sure, but not so much once summer's over & the rain & snow start back up.

One final thing to note: we're going camping with Krista & Dustin on Labor Day weekend (and probably about 50 other people) over on the coast, where they have this great big area with cabins, a huge bonfire area & a stage. Dustin's whole family will be there & I'm looking forward to jamming out again with his dad. It will be such a blast & a great way to wrap up the summer!

I had worked myself up pretty well by this morning & didn't want to wait & see if Seth would remember to call me, so I did the only thing that I knew to get ahold of them, short of driving straight there today, which I was strongly considering: I called the tavern. Seth's mom's ex-boyfriend works there, so I thought he could get a message to her, but it turned out he was off, but she happened to be right there (she was actually doing laundry on-site; it's an all-inclusive grocery/tavern/laundry/game room type setup). I told her that it sounded like things were getting overwhelming over there & I thought it would be a good idea for Tyson to come home & reminded her of how I felt about Jeff bringing him home. She said that she would go down & have Seth call me right back, and he did. I told him the same thing & he said that he talked with Tyson & that Tyson doesn't want to leave yet. I replied that Tyson doesn't get to call all the shots. So then Tyson got on the phone & told me that he didn't think it was fair that I get him all year & he couldn't stay even the full month with his dad. I explained that I had been all for it, but that circumstances had changed & I didn't feel like he was safe. He thought that was ridiculous, of course. I talked with Seth again & told him that I have done everything I can to encourage any time he wants to spend with Tyson, but that I didn't think he was looking out for Tyson's best interests by going out while he was there. He agreed that he had been stupid & promised me (for what that's worth!) that he wouldn't go out again while Tyson was with him and that he wanted to make the next two weeks about spending quality time with Tyson, without his ex-girlfriend or all this drama being in the picture. He kept saying, "Don't worry" & I told him that I couldn't help but feel that way when I had no way of getting ahold of Tyson & wasn't hearing from him very often & that I missed him. He said, "Well, now you know how I feel all the time" & I said that, "No, it isn't the same, because you know that when he's with me, he's safe." I told him that I may go out when Tyson's not here, but I don't when he's home & he said that's my "problem". There was more, like when he got all defensive about being called out on his constantly chaotic life. He tried to deny it. I responded that I had lived with him for 10 years and that my life was chaos that whole time & he tried saying that I brought the chaos! I was like, "All I ever wanted was a normal life" & he tried to turn that around into me wanting to keep up with the Jones' & that he had to suffer for it. At that point, I realized the futility of this argument & told him that we needed to focus on this whole thing with Tyson, because we could go on forever about why we never should have been together in the first place. Surprisingly enough, he agreed! Anyway, short story long, I agreed to let Tyson stay for two more weeks, with the condition that he doesn't go out again while he's there, that Tyson calls me on Friday & on arranged days from there, that I have the neighbor's phone number & that he find him a ride home, other than Jeff, at that time. I'm sure he thinks that's excessive, but if things were normal, I wouldn't even have to list any conditions & could simply enjoy my time being kidless, knowing that my son is enjoying himself in a safe, loving environment. Lisa asked if I was worried that they would do something to harm Tyson & I told her honestly that I know that they wouldn't mean to, because they really do love him, but their lives are just so dysfunctional that they don't know how to provide a safe environment. So, for now, that's where it stands. I went to the library & got some books so that I can just escape all this for a while until my boy comes home!

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Feel-Good Songs:

1. Don't Worry, Be Happy, Bobby McFerrin
2. Under the Boardwalk, The Drifters
3. You Can Get it if You Really Want, Jimmy Cliff
4. I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff
5. Red, Red Wine, UB40
6. Don't Worry About a Thing (Three Little Birds), Bob Marley
7. The Remedy, Jason Mraz
8. Tutti Frutti, Little Richard
9. Kokomo, The Beach Boys
10. Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis

It actually gets worse! I got a call from Robbin this evening that Seth is in the hospital being tested for spinal meningitis. I called the ER & spoke with him. He said that Tyson is staying with his little brother's mother-in-law (who is a total wack job) & that he was wondering if he could send Tyson home this weekend with Jeff - you know, his brother that stole his identity several times to avoid his prior drug, theft & driving violation charges! I was planning on going camping in Eugene this weekend, but I think I need to go get Tyson. I might actually take off work & get him day after tomorrow or something. Seth is supposed to call me tomorrow. I just can't stand the thought of Tyson being passed around between all these random people in the midst of his dad's chaos! I do feel bad for what Seth is going through, but I also don't like what Tyson is having to go through as a result!

I got a call at work from Tyson on Thursday morning. He said that his dad had broken up with his girlfriend, so they were staying with Seth's mom, where there is no phone & no reception for Tyson's cell. Tyson also told me that Seth had gone out to the bar the night before & ended up at some party where he was "mugged" (aka "jumped") by three guys & ended up going to the hospital, where he was treated for several cuts & a sprained neck. Tyson started crying & saying that he felt bad for what his dad had to go through. It just makes me sick that he has to see all the chaos that Seth creates for himself & insists on playing the victim in. I asked Tyson if he wanted me to come get him & he insisted on staying to take care of his dad. He said that, if anything, he'd want to stay longer now. I told him that I wouldn't allow him to miss school & that Seth's mom would take good care of him. I haven't heard back from Tyson since & I can't call him, so I just don't know what to do.

On a lighter note, I was finally able to get the piano on Monday after work, with the help of one of the doctors, a co-worker & a co-worker's husband. I had to rent a trailer & Brian towed it with their Durango. The piano itself is in great shape. It's a dark wood & has some very pretty details, but is missing some of the ivory on a few keys. It seems to be pretty well tuned, though. I need to get more sheet music so I can start playing a little more. Most of the sheet music I have any more is for guitar or is really hard, so I'll go to the library soon & look for some simple music that I can start with.

Yesterday, we were all able to leave work early & go to a potluck at one of the doctor's houses. When we were there, I talked Gary & Twyla into going out to karaoke/comedy with me, since their kids were staying with Twyla's mom overnight. That was a lot of fun. The comedian was really good. There wasn't a big crowd, so I got to sing a lot, but my guy never showed up. We still had a great time.

Samantha is on her way over now so that we can hang out at my place & do some karaoke. I think she'll be surprised to find out that I have "Nobody" on karaoke (thanks to burning the disc that I got Kathy for her birthday when she was here). That was one of the songs that Samantha & I used to sing on the back of the bus when we were kids.

The camping trip is still on, as far as I've heard. I think I'll actually go now & try to call Krista before Samantha gets here.