Well, my niece got her own place in Medford a couple of weeks ago & my big brother, Allen, has taken her place on my incredibly uncomfortable futon. I have to say, my family is always so considerate when they stay with me (even visitors, like Laura & Kathy & Mom).

Ever since San Diego, I've tried to reprioritize & it seems to be working - I'm getting caught up at work (since the disappearance of my last assistant & going in on the last two Saturdays) & I don't even feel like I do transcription all the time. I'm experiencing a transition phase in my life. I know that it's more important than ever to be involved with what's going on with Tyson as he enters puberty & the joys that accompany it, but I am also ready to start having a life of my own. I mean, I've always had my friends & work, but I think I really am ready to get out there & experience some romance, guilt free. Of course, some of this change is brought on by the guy I hooked up with at the wedding, but more than anything, he's just helped me to realize that there are nice guys out there & that I do deserve an intelligent & interesting companion. I have no idea where this is headed, if anywhere (since he is moving to Italy in May), but I believe that everyone is brought into our life for a reason & maybe he'll just be here to help me get off the ground. I saw my therapist today for the first time in quite a while & came away knowing that I want to make some changes & release some of my need for control & to trust a little more. I wish that I could also quit obsessing over future hypothetical possibilities, but I know that one's gonna take a lot more work! Anyway, I think I'm on the right track & I know my stress level has decreased since reexamining things in San Diego. I haven't been grinding my teeth anymore.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, Allen & I got up & were just hanging out & started talking about what the family was doing in Eureka & we looked at eachother & were like, "hmmm...why don't we just hop in the car & surprise everyone?" So we did, picking up an Indian hitchhiker in Klamath named Herman along the way, & showed up just as they were getting ready to pray - talk about good timing! We also ran into my niece on the way out of town & told her that we would be down there, so she drove down with her boyfriend & came back home with us the next day. So, there was my dad & his new girlfriend, Sally, my mom & her two brothers, Uncle Gene & Uncle Wayne (whom I haven't seen for about 10 years!), my two other brothers, Joe & Deland, my ex-sister-in-law, Mindy, & her 11 y/o son, Brandon, my niece Heather, & my nephews, Johny & Joey. After dinner, we attempted to do some karaoke, but we had a bit of a limited selection & most of us only knew the chorus on the songs, so we were all mumbling together until the chorus, when everyone would sing it loud & strong, which was pretty hilarious! In case I didn't mention it before, Ty was with his dad. We dropped off Mary & picked up Tyson on the way home & he returned to school & I returned to work on Monday.

We made a decision & hired a new assistant for me today. I'm not looking forward to being taken away from my work in order to train all over again, but this is part of the new me & I'm going to handle the training & delegation a little differently now & I think this girl will be a quick study & a hard worker. Well, I should get upstairs & tuck my boy in for the night & settle in.

I was reading my sister, Kathy's blog & she had the great idea of asking her 4 y/o daughter, Miranda, the answer to the "Why Did God Make Mothers?" email. I enjoyed her answers so much I decided to ask my son the same questions & have copied them here verbatim - no editing (unwise on my part, perhaps...?):

1. Why did God make mothers?So that there would be more people on the earth, because if you didn't, the human population wouldn't be here.

2. How did God make mothers?How am I supposed to answer that?

3. What ingredients are mothers made of?Sperm & eggs.

4. Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?Cause they have more in common, I guess.

5. What kind of little girl was your mom?A he/she.

6. What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?That they would get into so many fights.

7. Why did your mom marry your dad?I don't know, why can't you answer that? Cause he knocked you up..heh, heh...it's probably the truth! I was like 5 when you got married.

8. Who is the boss at your house?Me. I'm the man in the house, so I'm the boss.

9. What's the difference between moms and dads?Dads help you out with your physical needs & moms help you out with your intellectual needs - usually.

10. What does your mom do in her spare time?Transcription. Oh, & what are you on now? Blog.

11. What would it take to make your mom perfect?A lot. That's my answer.

12. If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?Umm...that you were more athletic so we could play basketball together.

I'm back from San Diego, so I thought I'd write a quick note to summarize:

Lisa took me to the airport on Wednesday at noon, which was great because it gave me a chance to pack, since I'd spent every spare moment I could doing transcription...The flight went pretty smoothly, but I just wasn't feeling great. By the time I got to San Diego that evening & met Sarah at the airport, I really felt like crap. We headed to her place & then made plans to drive over to Maya's to see her & Tarra, who was up from Texas for the wedding. On the way over, I really started to feel sick & I tried to roll down the window in time to avoid throwing up in Sarah's car, but didn't make it in time. It was horrible! Needless to say, by the time we got to Maya & Corey's place, I said hello & passed out in the bedroom while everyone else visited. So the visit was off to a beautiful start!

The next morning, I awoke feeling 100% better, thank goodness! Sarah & I drove the car (with me sitting in back, I might add) to a town called National City close to the Mexican border to get it detailed. It was pretty sketchy there. The guy had quoted us $69 on the phone & then told us it would be $120 when we showed up. It was going to take 2 1/2 hours or so, so we hopped a bus downtown (thankfully it was free that day, because it was getting pretty cold & drizzly). We went to one place & had chips & salsa & then down on down to the transit station, where we got some coffee & hot chocolate & killed the rest of the time until the car was ready. Later on, we went back to Maya's & hung out there with Corey's family, along with Phyllis (the girls' mom, for those of you who may not know), Daniel (their little bro), Tarra (their big sis), Auntie Pat & Linda Herman from Pistol River. We had a great visit & took off after a while to pick up our friend, Macy, from the airport. (She went to school with us since 7th grade & flew in from Redmond, OR.) Afterward, we went back to Sarah's to get some sleep.

On Friday, I honestly can't even remember what we did up until the afternoon, when we drove to Ensindas to the vacation rental where they were going to be having the wedding & worked on all the bouquets & centerpieces & flower girl baskets, etc. & had a couple of practice runs for the ceremony the next day. Pretty much everyone was up there, so it was also a little bit of a party at the same time.

The next morning, Daniel drove Macy & me up to the houseto do cleanup & setup for the wedding while the ladies all went to the salon for hair & makeup. The wedding was at 4 pm & my job was to make sure that nobody got into the house once the bridal party arrived, which was no easy task, especially with so many out of town visitors. Overall, I was pretty successful. Just before the wedding, Sarah's significant other, Mike, showed up with his friend, Frank, that I'd met on two other occasions when I've visited in the past. He showed up for Thanksgiving last year when Tyson & I were down there & he had just gotten divorced about 6 months before that. Anyway, to make a long story short, we hung out for the rest of the day & evening & he offered to give me a ride to the airport in the morning (I had to be at the airport at 5 a.m.), so we cruised around San Diego - I finally got to go to the beach & we parked by the water & looked at the city skyline & ate breakfast at 3 a.m. at this diner that was packed with gay people & transvestites, which made for a weird & fun dining experience! Anyway, I made it to the airport just in time & fell asleep the moment my butt hit the seat in the plane. I didn't even wake up for takeoff & I slept until the wheels landing on the ground in Salt Lake City, UT woke me up. I had a 2 1/2 hour layover in the airport there & then went promptly back to sleep as soon as I got on the plane headed for Medford, where Lisa & Tyson picked me up. I came straight home & fell asleep & woke up just briefly, then went back to sleep for the rest of the night. It was WONDERFUL!

I got up this morning & headed to work. I don't think I mentioned it, but the new girl we hired to help me in the billing dept quit on Tuesday, the day before I went on vacation. So, work had piled up pretty well, but it went very smoothly & I had a great attitude all day, just from having the time away. Lisa & Becky & I went to lunch today so I could fill them in on the trip & so we could drive in Becky's new Suburu Forester.

I had a few tapes of transcription to do, but that also went pretty smoothly. And now, I need to get off here & get to bed. G'night!

Busy, as usual - trying to get caught up at work & stay caught up on transcription while filling in for another transcriptionist right up until I leave on Wednesday for Maya's wedding in San Diego! Sorry for cheating, but I copied this from my sister, Kathy's, blog & just pasted it here for some filler. Hey, at least I'm posting SOMETHING, right?!

1. Are you ready for the upcoming holiday season? Why/why not?

Is anyone ever REALLY prepared?! I have to say that I've gotten better every year. I actually started getting some gifts/decorations at the After-Christmas sales the last couple of years! My friend, Lisa, agreed to swap vehicles, though, so that I can drive to AZ, so I'm getting prepared for the trip! Can't wait!

2. Are you going to get into the spirit/participate in any of the next 4 (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's) major seasonal activities? How so/how not?

Halloween has got to be one of my favorite holidays, because I love to play dress up! I actually had two costumes this year - the 3 Blind Mice for work & a Boxing Ring Girl to go along with Tyson's "boxer" costume (I wore one of those T's with the lady's body in a bikini, with nylons & high heels & carried around a sign). For Thanksgiving, Tyson will be with Seth. My only plan is to go to Lisa's mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Other than that, I'm hoping to just relax for a change!!

Christmas, as I stated before, will be in AZ with my sisters & nieces & nephew. Still not sure if my mom is joining me or not.

Haven't thought about New Year, but I'm sure there will be alcohol involved...

3. Do you like holidays? Why/why not?

I love ANY reason to celebrate - isn't that what life is all about? Love to dress up, love to be thankful & hear other people being thankful for what they take for granted the rest of the year & of course I love to celebrate the birth of Jesus!! I also enjoy the Christmas carols & cider, baking & gift-giving/receiving & the time with family making memories!