Last Wednesday, I received some roses & chocolates from "YNSSA" (our best guess is "Your Not-So-Secret Admirer", although we had a lot of fun imagining what else it could stand for...). On Friday afternoon, I finally received a call - you guessed it - from Mr. V! He called under the pretense of asking about the baseball tournament schedule, then, after about 5 minutes or more, asked if I got "the package". I feigned surprise, since I had called the florist upon receipt of the flowers to ask who they were from & she said that it was a "middle-aged" guy with brown hair, who was short, so my guess was that it was him. I told him that the flowers were very pretty, but that I really was not interested in dating. He replied that we wouldn't have to call it a date, to which I replied that I just wasn't interested in going there at all. To this, he said, "Well, I guess I was just hoping you could say that to my face." I was so shocked that he would be so rude by saying that! Here I am, with concern for his feelings, being very firm, but polite in letting him know that there is not a future here, but he seems to be a nice guy, etc. and he talks to me like that? It's not like I led him on AT ALL, or had not made it clear. I told him that I didn't mean to be rude, but that I had already told him twice now, & didn't think it was necessary to say it to his face. I then changed the subject back to baseball & closed the conversation.

On Friday night, Tyson stayed the night with Henry, so they could take him to the baseball game in the morning & I could take my yard sale stuff out to Dustin & Krista's in Eagle Pont to get everything set up & priced. We were up till about 1:30 a.m. getting it all ready, but still got up around 8:00 a.m. the next morning & started the yard sale. I had to leave around 11:00 a.m. to pick up Tyson from his game in Ashland, where I talked to the coach & some other parents about the upcoming tournament (which we are currently tied for 1st place in!), then left without seeing Mr. V.

Tyson & I were headed out to Eagle Point, when I noticed Mr. V's car in the turning lane ahead of me to enter a shopping center. I figured that he wouldn't see me, since I was a couple of cars behind him & heading straight, rather than turning. At the next stop light, I heard a car horn beep & looked around, but didn't see anyone, then noticed that he was two cars behind me in my rear view mirror! He had to have pulled out of the turning lane to follow me, and here he was, trying to get my attention! I pretended not to know who had honked & continued when the light changed. At the next stop light, though, he actually blared his horn loudly & for a long time. At this point, I told Tyson to hang on, because we were going to lose this creep, and I didn't care if he knew I was trying to outrun him. We were almost out to Eagle Point by the time I finally sped through a yellow light & left him behind at the red light. I really don't know what to think! Not only is he old & dorky, he is psycho to boot!!!

Anyway, I went back & wrapped up the yard sale (making about $10 total!) & started setting up for the going away party. We had a really nice spread & a lot of people came over to BBQ. Tyson made friends with a 13 year old girl from the neighborhood & they hung out most of the time together. The party itself was a lot mellower than usual & pretty much wrapped up a little after midnight. In the morning, Tyson went hiking with his new friend and we got to work packing up & cleaning the remainder of the house & they left a little after 3 p.m. Tyson & I came home & I did some cooking & cleaning, then snuggled in to watch "Angels in the Outfield", which I had purchased at another neighbor's yard sale on Saturday, then went to bed.

So, that's the weekend in a few paragraphs...Also of note - Kathy's coming! Kathy's coming!! I'm getting very excited to spend time with her & my nieces & nephew. It sounds like Tyson will not be staying with his dad this summer, as planned. Seth is not doing very well, physically or financially, not to mention that he is not sure if he's going to still be with his current girlfriend (the 43 y/o), whom he is living with. Sooooo....we'll see how things go. I do feel sorry for him, and I guess I'm just glad that his bad decisions don't have to ruin my life on a daily basis anymore, although they will still affect Tyson & me in the long run. Well, I'd better run for now. It's lunchtime!

Well, whadda ya know? It's actually 10 on Tuesday!

10 Ways I Like to Relax

1) Read!!
2) Lay out in the sun
3) Watch movies or TV
4) Drive & listen to music
5) Drink wine & do karaoke at home
6) Playing cards or chess with my son
7) Play the guitar/write songs or poetry
8) Go for a bike ride
9) Hang out with good friends
10) Talk on the phone with my sister, Kathy, or email people & surf the net

I did end up going to Eureka this weekend. I left on Saturday morning instead of leaving after work on Friday, giving me an opportunity to get my transcription done & get all ready to go.

I got there right around noon & stopped first at my brother, Allen's house(who happens to live about 20 feet away from my other two brothers). Tyson wanted to jam out in his music studio right away & was amazed at Allen's guitar playing. Then I went over to see the other boys & my nephew, Joey, who is 3 years older than Tyson, but they've always gotten along really well. I'd brought down an extra computer for them, so we got that all set up & basically just hung out. Mom came over after her dyalisis & we all BBQ'd over at Allen's. We crashed at Joe & Deland's and I fell asleep watching Hoodwinked, which looked really funny, from what I saw.

The next day (Sunday), I went over to have some coffee w/ Dad & shoot the bull. We had a really nice, long talk about a lot of different things, then I showed him how to record on his new karaoke machine, so we spent some time singing & recording. I also was able to record the song that I started writing 8 years ago & want Dad to co-write with me, but he didn't have the tune. Afterward, we went by & picked up the boys & headed down to Fortuna, to my big sister, Laura's house. My nephew, Johny, came down from Ferndale & Mom came over, too, & we Laura fixed us some spaghetti & we played rummy (or tried to). It was SO funny! Try getting 10 people together to play a card game & agree on the rules! The best part, though, was when my brother, Deland, asked what people had laying down as points, since he can hardly see, and Mom & Dad started telling him which cards he could play if he had them in his hand! So, Laura, Joe & I all insisted that it was okay to tell him what was on the table, but they couldn't coach him on what cards to play, but they said that's not what they were doing. After two rounds of rummy, we decided to play Go Fish, since maybe we could all agree on the rules to a game that simple. But, of course, we couldn't decide how many cards you needed in order to be able to play them. It really was quite hysterical! After everyone left, I stayed at Laura's & she, my niece Mary, and I went hot tubbing & had some girl talk. Laura & I stayed up a little longer & talked some more, before turning in somewhere around 11pm-midnight.

In the morning, we all went to Hometown for lunch & visited some more before I had to drive back. All in all, it was a great visit, and I felt really special. Funny how I hated being the baby all my life & now I love it! I didn't get out of there until 4 pm, but I got home a little before 8 pm, so was able to settle in a little before work & school this morning. We have a baseball game tonight & this will be the first time I see Mr. V since turning him down for lunch. I'm hoping everything's cool.

One more thing: It's my niece, Miranda's, 3rd birthday today!! I was able to be there with my sister when she was born, so I'll never forget this one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS MIRANDA!!! XOXOXOXOXO

In case anyone else was waiting with bated breath, as I was, to find out what Seth's deal was, it turned out to just be about the DA coming after him for child support. I basically had to reassure him that I really don't have any control over that, and that was that. I was sure it was something really major! Geez...

Let's see...As usual, not much happening around here besides work. I've been doing a lot of clean-up & back work, trying to get caught up from when we were short three people. It's actually kinda nice & gratifying to do this type of work & see the result, though. The nice weather has come & gone, so I finally resigned myself to putting the top back on the jeep.

I guess one exciting thing is that Rob Thomas & Jason Mraz are coming to town this summer & I'm planning to get tickets soon. Lynnard Skynnard will also be here, but Krista & Dustin are planning to go see them in Bend, with Dustin's bro & his wife (who we also went to school with) & go camping that weekend. I'm not sure yet if I'll go to that, but I'd sure like to!

Gary just came into my office & we were talking about being put under for the oral surgery & stuff & he said to check & see if my buttons are done up wrong when I come to & Lisa said, "Yeah, wouldn't it be your luck to miss out on the whole experience?!?" I thought that was pretty funny.

Well, back to the grind for now...I'll post soon if anything actually happens to post about!

Well, we were too late for the horse races, so we went to see Over the Hedge, which was pretty good. The next two movies on my list to see in the theater are X3 & Click, with Adam Sandler (of course)!

I called Mr. V back today, in response to a voicemail at work inviting me to lunch & (I hope) politely told him that, although I was flattered by his invitation, I'd prefer to keep our friendship on the baseball field. I hope I handled it ok. Another lesson learned: Just say no the first time, instead of figuring out how to get out of it later! I've also been toying with the idea of getting a fake wedding ring to deter the kind of guys I attract. I don't seem to have any luck with the guys I like, anyway, so I'm not worried about deterring them. (Side note: the church guy ended up being a sleaze - well, to be fair, I suppose he's sowing his wild oats after a long marriage, but I don't even want to go there - ick!)

I've missed a lot of work lately, so I spent today doing my best to catch up. I also had a voicemail from Seth from yesterday (while I was at an all-day billing seminar) that "we need to talk" & he sounded pissed off. I tried three times (in the middle of my already slammed day) to call him, but there was no answer & they don't have a machine. I went over to Krista's tonight, since I'm trying to spend any extra time with her before she moves, & we went for a walk. I came home to another message from Seth, saying that I "never" answer my phone at work & again, "we need to talk". I tried calling him back, but got no answer again. So now I'm already on edge just wondering what we need to talk about. What have I done now to piss him off? I guess I'll find out soon enough...Hopefully it won't result in yet another arguement. I'm so sick of fighting - isn't that why we got divorced?

On a happier note, Tyson's orchestra concert is on Thursday night. He has one more big project to finish (the one on Michael Jordan) before school ends. We are both so burnt out right now that it will be really nice once he's out of school! I'm also looking forward to my sister's upcoming trip from AZ!! And, yes, I'm thinking about finally making the trip to Eureka this weekend, since we have a three day weekend & my bro has generously offered to help out w/ gas for the jeep, if I'll just come visit!

Well, I'm really wound tight from just finishing my transcription & stressing over Seth's ominous phone call, so I'm going to try to find something on TV to put me to sleep. Good night!

Well, I like Kathy's idea of Mr. Right (now)! I really would just settle for the summer romance & some casual dating. I was married for long enough that I'm not in a huge hurry to do that again (although I do want to, someday). I'm just sick of being told that I'm too nice, which is why I attract the guys I do - that are normally to insecure to ask someone out - or that I'm intimidating & that's why normal guys don't ask me out. Like, which one is it?!? Anyway, I'm over it again for now. There are definitely worse things in life than being a single mom to a great kid, who has a decent job & lives in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that just because the grass is always greener on the other side, doesn't mean it's not okay over here, too!

I made sure to sit by a couple of other baseball parents at today's game & gave short, friendly replies in passing to the baseball dad who asked me out (aka Mr. Viagra). Um, BTW, it's funny, because I told Tyson about it & he asked, "Are you sure that's his dad? I always thought it was his grandpa!" We brought a kid home with us from baseball, who is potentially going to be the lead guitar for Tyson's band, so I'm thinking about taking them to do something fun, like movies, bowling, skating or the horse races. I'll end this for now, since there's really nothing new to report.

It's like a heat wave!!!

I can't believe how hot it's been here - Good news is, I'm getting a great start on my summer tan! We had a baseball game tonight & would've won, but at the top of the last inning, we had bases loaded & only one out, but with four runs, so they called the four run rule, which allowed us to be tied, but gave the other team an opportunity to continue scoring during the bottom half. Tyson pitched & he had two outs, bases loaded & a full count & struck the batter out, for a final score of 9-9. We're calling it a win, no matter what they say! I did get asked to lunch by one of the dads on Tyson's baseball team. Of course I said that would be nice, & the guy is a nice enough guy, but there is just no attraction there. He's at least in his fifties. Oh well, I suppose it can't hurt to have lunch with a member of the opposite sex. Maybe it'll be good practice.

For Mother's Day, I went to pick up Tyson from his Aunt Traci's place & he had made me a card (a really nice one, as a matter of fact!) that said "Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I'm glad you're my mom. Have a wicked nice Mother's Day!" (In case you didn't recognize it, the last line is from a card that Adam Sandler's character wrote in Mr. Deeds. Then we went to Dutch Bros. to get my free Mother's Day coffee & went to see Akeelah & the Bee. (Good flick) Anywa, I'm gonna go read my book before bed after I watch the news. It just flashed on something upcoming about dating & flashed an interview with a girl that used to work with me, so I have to check it out! Good night!

Well, Tyson is staying the night with his Dad at his Aunt Traci's house tonight. I hadn't heard from him at all until last night at 9:00, when he pulled into town. I chewed him out, because I hadn't heard from him since he'd mentioned coming down, and he was like, "Well, I said that I was coming, didn't I?" HA! As if he has always done what he says he's going to. Then he started whining..."I've had a lot going on...I've been in & out of the emergency room & have to have surgery on my arm..." yadda, yadda, yadda. I scoffed,"The E.R.? Come on!" Well, I found out from his mom today that he actually was telling the truth (uh...oops! My bad!), although this wouldn't be the first time(or the last, I'm sure) that she's lied for him. Anyway, I made nice & all that crap.

I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Tyson this summer. I did sign him up for a week-long summer camp through the YMCA, where he'll get to camp out in tipis (which I always thought was spelled "tee-pees") & ride horses & do archery, fish, raft, etc. I also found a Michael Jordan basketball camp that I would LOVE to be able to send him to!! He got so excited. MJ actually is there with the kids, giving lectures & lessons 4 out of the 5 days. It would be the experience of a lifetime for Tyson. First of all, with basketball being "his" sport and second, meeting his hero. Before I even found this camp, he was doing a report for this big 5th grade project on a notable character, and he chose Michael Jordan. Anyway, it's $750 & in Santa Barbara, but if there is any way I can send him, I will!

I don't think I've mentioned this on my blog yet, but Dustin & Krista sold their house & are moving to Eugene, where Dustin received an incredible job offer, complete with medical, dental & vision for the entire family, plus his bro & sis-in-law & their kids are up there, along with Krista's parents. I just know I'm REALLY going to miss them! Other than them, I don't have anyone else here except for friends I've met through work or Tyson's school/sports. I went to their place last weekend, when Tyson had a sleepover, and we went to a BBQ at their neighbors', where I was re-introduced to a very cute guy from church, whom I mistakenly thought was married, so I never looked twice at! (Okay, maybe I looked twice at him, but that was it. Married = off-limits!) Since I've stopped going to church out there, I think the next time I see him will be at Krista & Dustin's going away party. We're going to try & have Dustin's dad & his band come down & do a garage performance in their cul-de-sac (after checking the local regulations on that) & have a block party/BBQ/campout. When I lived in Gold Beach, I jammed with Dustin's dad & co. several times. He is an incredibly talented guitarist, so I'm hoping it can all work out, but it will be fun, either way.

Not much is going on for me personally; I'm in one of those slumps again, I guess, where it seems like my life revolves around Tyson & making money, with not much else to do. Of course, it's the end of the school year, & it always seems like they save everything for this mad rush at the end, so between that, baseball & work, I'll have my hands full. I think I'm just ready to be swept off my feet for a summer romance...of course, with my track record, I always have to be careful of what I wish for, or all the circus freaks will start knocking on my door again. Why am I cursed to attract only the weirdos? I'm aware that this question is redundant, but I still haven't figured out the answer or been proven wrong...

Hey - FYI: I just added some photos for previous posts, so go back & check 'em out. Dunno why, but I still can't seem to post the ones from the Talent Show...?

I know, I know....I haven't forgotten about y'all, just had lots going on, as usual! Updates on last blog post: Tyson made the relay team (out of 80 kids, he placed 8th!) for track. I had my exam & do have to have two root canals, but I've convinced the dentist to do both at the same time, because I just don't think I'd go back if the first one hurt. Better to just do them both at once! What sucks is that my cost will be just over $2000 out of pocket, just for the root canals, not to mention the follow up crowns & fillings back at my regular dentist's office!! Totally sucks & I'm not quite sure how I'll swing it, but I know I need to get it done & out of the way.

Mike is home!!!!!! HURRAY!!! He & Debbie called me on Saturday & I actually got to talk to him & hear his voice. I disguised mine at first to freak him out, but the poor guy didn't know better in the first place. I just can't believe he's doing so well after all that his body went through - it had pretty much done a total shut-down & now he's talking about going back to work in a week! Truly amazing! Anyway, welcome home, Mike! We've missed you!!! XOXO

Last weekend, I finally got my place all clean & cozy. I also had daqueries (sp?) w/ my neighbors & watched Susan's 17 y/o daughter do fire-dancing in the plaza. For once, we didn't have a baseball game over the weekend, so I used it to get everything caught up for the candle business, printing new flyers for 20 lap boards, making sure all my catalogs had labels, making hostess packets, etc. On Saturday, Tyson & I went out to Gold Hill & tried our hand at fishing - er, that didn't go so well, but the picnic part of it was nice! Hey, at least I tried! On Sunday, we went out to breakfast at Hometown (couresty of my birthday gift card from Mike) & came home to clean some more. Last night, Tyson went fishing w/ his friend, Sierra, and her mom & he caught a trout, which I baked for his dinner tonight, wrapped in tin foil w/ butter, lemon juice & garlic powder. He seemed to like it. I don't know when I got so prissy, but it was all I could do to touch the dead fish before it was cooked. It was so slimy, cold & dead - and those eyeballs!!

In other news, the top came off the jeep, at long last! It does get a little chilly & breezy on the way to work, so this morning I pulled it back up w/out the windows & that helped, but over the weekend, it was nice driving around & being able to look up at the sky (especially at night!) while I was driving. There's so much more going on that I just can't write about here. There are two things I can't discuss on my blog: work & specific male figures...

Seth finally called tonight - I think he's called once since Tyson came back from Spring Break & that has been quite some time. I guess he has muscular dystrophy & degenerative bone disease, so I think he's going to try to get social security. For now, he's working again, at the golf course...for now...He says he's planning to come to town on the weekend of the 13th so he can see one of Tyson's baseball games. His mom one $8,000, which is nothing new - when you gamble all the time, you're bound to win big every once in a while, but this time, it was off a $2 scratch-it! Now, why can't that happen to me?

I have another candle party this Sunday & I think it'll be a very profitable one. Looks like a good turnout so far & I really do like my new display! Hopefully this lengthy post will appease my sister for now...I really will try to be more consistent!

Okay, Kathy, you win!

Every time that I pull up my favorites & see "Not-So-Deep Thoughts" I cringe & look away, guilty that I am shirking my sisterly duties in keeping some pathetically deprived people apprised of the boring details of my day-to-day life. I guess it's time to suck it up & write!

Ok, first: Mike. I keep missing Debbie's (his wife) calls, but she faithfully leaves detailed messages informing me of any new deveopments. I was thrilled to hear that he may be getting off of dyalisis, starting today, hopefully. She says his mind is also clearer & he is back from Ecuador, where he believed himself to be for an entire day. (Cheap travel? I suppose it's not so cheap when you consider the hospital bill...)

Speaking of medical bills, it looks like I'll be seeing quite a bit of my dentist. I go in tomorrow for the initial exam/cleaning/x-rays before they will do any work, but I have two teeth that are killing me! And I'm such a baby about pain that it's hard enough for me to deal with the cleaning, much less the root canal or extraction that they are needing to do. Just a little anxious, here...

As you all know, since I'm gone every time you call, I've been extrememly busy, between baseball, candles & transcription (besides the full time job, of course)! I'm filling in for Brenda again, since Friday. She does her docs as full time work from home, so when I fill in for her, it's pretty time consuming & I don't get a lot of sleep or socialization. But I'm grateful when the check comes rollin' in! I have a meeting that I'm supposed to go to tonight for Partylite & I have a party scheduled for Wednesday. I'm actually really excited to do the party, because I just got some new stuff in from the Spring/Summer line & will be doing a new display! I've also got a lot of new neat little "gifts" & doorprizes.

Egads! I can't believe I haven't even mentioned the limo ride! It was SO cool & Tyson & his friends totally felt like rock'n'roll royalty! We took lots of pics, so I'll definitely have to try posting them here (although I've had trouble with that the last few times I tried)!

Tyson's going to try out for the school track team today. It's nice, because all of the practices & the meet (I think they only have the one) are during the school day, so it won't interfere with baseball, although it might interfere with orchestra. I'm trying to coordinate w/ his orchestra teacher to see if we can work it out to where he is able to do both.

Other than all that, it's pretty much the same routine here. I've been just thrilled about all the great weather we're having. The sun is shining & it's getting much warmer! I'm thinking it's almost time to take my top off (the jeep)! I sure do love summer! The only bad thing about it is that it makes me want to work part time or early mornings so I can enjoy the day & the awesome summer nights. Where is my sugar daddy, already?!?

Today's the big limo ride! I'm leaving work at 3 pm so I can have time to get everything ready before the limo picks us up at 5 pm.

So, my friend Mike...He is finally off of life support & breathing on his own. Apparently, from what his wife has told me, he even managed a chuckle when she read him my "cheer-o-gram", so that is promising! He is still undergoing dyalisis, which I did tell Debbie that you have been on, Mom. (Although I'm amazed to hear about that guy who's been on it so long!) It's still really difficult for him to talk, so it's very limited. Please keep him & his family in your prayers, guys. I have complete faith in the power of prayer! Also, he'd get the biggest kick out of hearing from any of you in the form of a "cheer-o-gram" via Bridgeport Hospital, if he knew you were my friend/relative. It's free, so if you feel so inclined, here's the link: http://www.bridgeporthospital.com/CheerGram.asp.

Tyson was the starting pitcher for last night's game! I thought he did well, even if it wasn't perfect, but he's been really hard on himself about it. He had several strikeouts and even got an out at first & his friend, Henry, had a triple play at third. (We still lost 3-6.) We have a whole new group of parents who will have to learn that I am the loudest mom & expect us all to cheer on our kids, but they seem to be up for it!

In other news, today is my niece, Mary's, birthday!! So, a little "shout out" to Mary: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!"

So much has happened that I really haven't wanted to write. My friend, Mike, (some of you may know him as "Broken Hubby" from his comments to my posts) has been in the hospital after ingesting some type of toxic substance at work. Both kidneys are shut down & he has been on life support & dialysis. His wife, Debbie, has been kind enough to keep me posted daily on his progress & we spoke on the phone last night for quite a while. I told her Mike will be jealous that she got to speak to me before he did. I just hope that he's going to come out of this okay!

Let's see, in other news...Tyson came home last Sunday around 3:45 & we flopped on my bed & caught up for a good 45 minutes or so. Then I told him that I'd let him choose a place for dinner, so we went out to Red Lobster. I was planning to take him to a movie, too, but he said he wanted to just hang out in my "new" room & watch La Bamba. It was a great day.

Same ol, same ol' for the rest of the week, mostly. On Friday, I made the bank deposit & ran into Daniel, who used to work there, that I went to the Hong Kong Bar with that night (I think I posted about that!) & Frankie, who works at the music store in the same parking lot as the bank. Frankie hadn't seen my jeep yet, so we went for a drive up in the hills of Ashland & looked at the town below & some gorgeous houses. At one point, we got out to look down & he picked me a daffodil, which I thought was very sweet. Afterward, I dropped him back off at work & went to Tyson's baseball practice. Henry ended up coming home with us to stay the night, so I took the boys to see Benchwarmers, which was hilarious & perfect for the night before their opening ceremonies & first game of the season.

Yesterday, I took the boys to Henry's before going into Medford for the billing seminar, then did the candle party afterward. The party was a big success, with two bookings off of that in the next month. Tyson's game went really well, from what he told me. His team won by one point & he pitched the last three innings & had three strike outs! The rest of the game, he played catcher.

This morning, we got up & decided to skip church & spend time together, so we went out to breakfast & headed into Medford to the Guitar Center to see if Ty could pick up a bass for the $140 he's saved in birthday money & allowance. Sure enough, he's the proud new owner of a kick-ass silver Ibanez electric bass.

Next weekend is the big party - it looks like he'll have Henry, Tyler, Lilly (Henry's girlfriend & his ex-girlfriend) & Chelsea (the girl he likes now & Lilly's best friend). We're still sticking with the plan to get the limo & go get their portrait done & come home for pizza & cake. I'm really excited & I hope it goes as well as I think it will!

Anyway, for now, I have to do a little bit of transcription before turning in for the night. I'll be picking up extra transcription for the week of the 22nd-29th from Brenda, so that'll be some extra cash & more work - a double edged sword.

I suppose it's time to update this thing for those of you who have nothing better to do than to check my blog every day, only to find that I haven't posted anything new...

Let's see - Good things have been happening. I'm taking everyone's advice to heart on this whole 30 thing & really liking the idea that I get a fresh start at 30, but with the knowledge only time & experience can bring. It's a good feeling! I've been really busy this week, just re-doing my bedroom & finally getting around to a lot of different projects around the house & organizing, which is also a good feeling!

Last night, I went out with Kristen, from work, & we watched a couple of comedians, then did karaoke. We closed down the place & by the end of the night, everyone had joined us at our table & I got the whole place to sing "Love Shack" with me! Lots of fun, but not much sleep!!

Seth called around noon to say they were getting a late start bringing Tyson home, but I told him that it was okay, since I'd cancelled the plans to rent a limo this weekend for Tyson's birthday & am putting it off 2 more weeks. He then asked if it would be okay to keep Tyson one more night, since Kyle had come over & they were spending time together!!!! (For those of you who don't know, Kyle is Tyson's best best friend, also Shannon's oldest son, who she had when we were 17 & seniors in high school. Tyson met him when he was just 2 weeks old & the 2 year age difference never seemed to affect their close friendship. When Shannon died, she had Tyson stay with her for a few days to be there for Kyle's 10th birthday - then 2 weeks later she was gone. Shannon's ex doesn't want anything to do with me, so Tyson & I haven't seen Kyle since then, so this is a really big deal!) Seth said they hadn't argued once & just picked up where they left off & were 2 peas in a pod & were just having a blast together. I guess they stayed up till 6 a.m.!

The reason I'm postponing Tyson's birthday plans is because his good friend, Henry, and the girl he likes are both out of town this weekend & only one other friend could come, so it wouldn't make sense to do it now. Then, next weekend, on Saturday, I have to attend a mandatory medical billing/coding seminar from 9-3 in Medford, then have a candle party scheduled for 4 pm in Ashland! It also just so happens that this is opening ceremonies for baseball! I have never missed a single game of Tyson's (or concerts, plays, etc.) & here I have to miss the very first game of the season - he might even be pitching this year! It's so nice to have a different coach for baseball - Tyson's having so much more fun this year. I think he's finally learning how sports are more about teamwork & fun & athletesism than being on a winning team, even if it means you're a benchwarmer. Don't get me wrong, I'm very competetive & I know sports are also about competition, but it shouldn't be to that extent.

Anyway, that's the latest. I'm gonna snuggle into bed early & watch a movie, now that I have my TV & VCR set up in my room!

It's my birthday & I'll cry if I want to...

Well, I got the b'day blues about a week ago - this whole 30 thing was getting to me & making me wonder how I let so much time go by without accomplishing all I wanted to, but ya know - I haven't done so bad, either. I thought that today would suck, what with Tyson being gone & all, but I actually had a great day & it really flew by! I got up this morning & went into the office for the staff meeting (Gary got poppyseed muffins, fruit & yogurt, just for me!) & Susan gave me a cute card & of course, had to mention that it was my 30th b'day at the meeting...Afterward, I came home & re-arranged my bedroom & started painting some pics for Susan's b'day tomorrow. In the meantime, my little office crush stopped by & delivered a rose with a card & yummy cake & then the calls started pouring in at home. (As of yesterday, I received cards/gifts from Carey (Allen), my big bro, my dad, the church, & my friend, Mike, from Connecticut (thanks again, Mike!!). I feel the love...So, today I got a call from Sarah in Vegas, then heard from all three of my big bros., then my sister, Kathy, then Tyson & my dad. (My mom also sent me a cute e-card, so I don't want to forget to mention that :) And, of course, I got Happy Birthday wishes from other friends via email. As Mike said, life really is good when you have friends! Anyway, I've gotta get to bed, so here's my 10 on Tuesday:

10 Things That People Do That Annoy You

1) Act defensive & blame others
2) Change lanes without signalling
3) Give weak handshakes
4) Backstab
5) Take credit for someone else
6) Brag
7) Set time limits or try to control you (yes, I'm referring to the ex)
8) Try to make others feel inferior
9) Interrupt
10)Lie for no apparent reason

(Stolen from my sister's blog)
Free Association
From Unconscious Mutterings


I say ... and you think ... ?

Upgrade:: Cost
Happy ending:: Fairytale
Stale:: Bread
Tripping:: Mushrooms
Working:: Money
Explicit:: Lyrics
Happy place:: Happy Gilmore
Tornado:: Kansas
Medication:: Illness
Muppet:: Kermit

Wow - I can't believe it's been so long! I just booted Tyson off of here for a minute, so I won't post much, but figured it was time to write again...

We went to church again today; I'm really loving these kids I teach. It gets easier every time now that we both know what to expect from eachother & have a semi-routine down. I acutally have them running up & hugging me when I go to leave & asking if I'll be teaching them next week. I drew them each their individual pictures on their name tage & they thought that was so cool - we did ninja turtles, monster trucks, beach umbrellas, etc. It's great really connecting to these guys & I tried something new today to involve all of them in prayer, which is always a struggle, because not everyone wants to participate & they tend to get antsy. I started by doing a dance holding hands in a circle to the song "We're All Together Again" & I had the kids hop up & down every time we sang the word "here". At first, they thought I was a freak, but then they started digging it & by the end, we all fell into a circle on the floor, where we dove right into prayer. I had the kids tap the kid next to them when they were done & everyone actually did it! Success!

After church, I took Tyson & his friend, Henry (the drummer from the talent show) to Guitar Center so we could mess around. The kids really had fun & the employees there are all really good sports about letting them play the instruments. Tyson fell in love with his first electric bass & has decided that he doesn't want to play 6-string, but loves the bass. He already is off to a great start, since he's been playing the acoustic upright. I showed him how to play the lick from "Sunshine of Your Love" & he picked it up right away & sounded great! We also ran into a guy there who said he does bass lessons, so I took his number & we'll go from there.

In other news, as some of you know, I will soon be attempting to add legal transcription to my resume & I'm really excited about that opportunity...Tyson will be going to his dad's for Spring Break. I was planning a trip to Vegas w/ Sarah for my 30th birthday, but decided that money was better spent on Tyson's birthday (which I'll write more about later - way cool plans!), so now I'm thinking about going to Eureka for a long weekend & seeing the fam. Anyway, I'd better give the computer back to Tyson...he's looking at Musician's Friend for basses. He keeps telling me that I just don't understand what he's feeling & he's just so ecstatic that he's found his instrument. I'll write more later...I intend to add my sister's word association from her blog before I can read her answers.

Update time again...

Let's see, last Sunday, Tyson & I went to church & I taught the 3,4 &5 y/o class again. It went really smoothly, since there were only 4 kids & I had a helper! This is such a fun age group. They're these little adults with amazing personalities and perspectives, but without all the pretense & crap that comes with adulthood! At one point, Maylee said to Addison, "Addison, are you ready for your makeover?" She was so matter-of-fact & grown-up about it - I guess you had to be there, but it was really cute! (They proceeded to smear eyeshadow onto eachother...which is preferable to the little "make-over" sessions I had at that age, involving scissors!)

Anyway, when Tyson & I met up after church, he told me that he'd formally accepted Jesus into his heart! Isn't that awesome?!? We then went out to the movies & finally saw The Pink Panther - SO cheesy, but hilarious. We both loved it & laughed out loud several times during the movie. Today on the way to school, we were talking about global warming (due to a recent section on this in his science class - this isn't our usual pre-school banter, which usually consists of headbanging to Green Day or Bowling for soup or singing along with Jason Mraz) & the end of the world & heaven & hell etc. I told him my theory on that, which is that if we do worship God & simply try to be good people who are kind to others & don't steal, kill etc. that we will be one of the chosen ones when Jesus comes to collect. This led to a discussion on how to be a good person & to realize that God is always watching & with us & is so proud of us when we do the right thing & disappointed when we don't. When I picked Tyson up after school today, he said that school went really well (which is a first - he really doesn't like school, even though he's a good student. The teachers are taken aback by his maturity & he can't relate to most of the kids). He said that he wasn't afraid of anything because he knew that God was with him today. He also said that he tried to "spread the word", but that nobody believed him. I told him that I was really proud of him & that it takes a lot of guts to do that! He always amazes me...

In other matters, I've decided to hang onto the Jeep, at least through summer so I can enjoy driving around topless (pun intended)! After that, we'll see. I'll probably try to sell it myself so I don't get ripped off in a trade situation.

Also note-worthy: Sarah called & mentioned that she would be going to Vegas during the week of my birthday & I told her I wanted in, so we are planning it! We'll stay at the New York, NY for 3 nights & hopefully catch a show while we're there. This is my BIG 3-0!! I think it will all work out, because I should get a tiny bit back from taxes (after paying for 2 years ago, when we ended up owing!) & it will be during Ty's Spring Break, so Seth can have him for the few days I'll be gone.

Other than that, I do have a couple of candle parties coming up this week & had a message from one of the ladies I back up for transcription to help out, which is actually just in time, since my docs will both be going to a 2-week seminar this month & I'll have free time & less $$! My F/T job has been driving me insane, but I won't go into that here (I've read about people who got fired for writing about their work on their blogs!)...I just try to do my job & go home. That's all I can do!

Oops! I almost forgot to mention that Tyson had his orchestra concert tonight, in which he did really well, of course. It was his school, combined with the other two elementary schools in Ashland & they have never practiced together! He was one of four bassists & only one of three 4th graders in orchestra out of all three schools! Also, I thought I should post some pics of his Talent Show performance, Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" for your viewing pleasure. Well, it was a nice thought, but it's not letting me & I've tried a bunch of different times. I'll try to post them another time.

Well, it's past my bedtime, so I'm gonna crash - write more soon...

Here I sit, on hold with yet another insurance company...bored out of my skull...why can't I be independently wealthy & work for fun? Well, I only have 35 more years to work if I retire at 65, but who's counting? By then I will have tossed aside my morals to marry an old (dying) geezer with money. (I realize this may come as a surprise to some, but yes, I DO have morals!) Anyway, for fun, here's my Top 10 on Tuesday (a day late):

10 Things You Want, but Don't Need
1) A MAN!!!
2) Let's see...ice cream, cheese cake, frosting, brownies...
3) A really awesome body (which is why I REALLY don't need #2)
4) A really awesome wardrobe to go on that awesome body
5) A recording studio in my fabulous house
6) A hot tub!
7) An old-school VW bug convertible
8) A log cabin &/or a stucco house w/ Spanish tile
9) A vacation!!!
10) A dog...I miss Charlie, our bassett-beagle mix, SOOOO much!

(BTW, has anyone noticed how much I use parentheses?)

After several failed attempts at getting Seth down here to spend some time with Tyson, he finally made it this weekend! He (or should I say his girlfriend?) spoiled Tyson & got a motel room with a water slide & pool & let him decide where to eat dinner, so he chose Red Lobster. He called me at 10:30 p.m. & left a really cute message that he got an "adult dinner" that cost $25 & that he drank Mountain Dew, Code Red & some Root Beer, but assured me that he would brush his teeth really good! I'm so glad Seth finally made an effort - I don't understand why it's so hard for him. Me, I'd be calling every night & begging for time with Tyson! I finally got to meet the 43 y/o girlfriend, who was very nice & I liked the fact that she seemed comfortable with me & not insecure or jealous or whatever. I think it's a little weird that I have no feelings whatsoever in seeing Seth with another woman - it's just a little disconcerting that she's so much older.

Anyway, I had a really fun weekend. On Friday, Tyson went over to his friend, Henry's, & I went out with my gay friend to celebrate his last day at the bank he worked at (where we met). I burned him a CD with the Grease I & II soundtracks on it & he loved it. He is just SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO funny & we all had a really great time. On Saturday, I cleaned house while waiting for Seth to show up, then debated over whether I should read my book & stay home & maybe do some karaoke by myself or if I should go out. There's a new girl at my work who just moved here from Bend & told me to call her if I ever went out, since she hasn't been out since moving here, so I decided to call her & go out. After a brief detour at Bath & Body Works, we met at a place where they had stand up comedy & left when that got over & went to Lava Lanes, where my friend Frankie was playing with his band. I hadn't seen him since before Christmas, so that was pretty cool. BTW, Kristin's boyfriend came with us & offered to be the designated driver, since he was on-call that night, so I figured I'd take him up on it! So we had a pitcher of beer & listened to music, then Kristin's boyfriend called his old roommate (a cute Peruvian guy) to hang out with us, so when he got there, we headed into Ashland & danced at Kat Wok for the rest of the night. It was really cool, because the roommate has a girlfriend who's in the Peace Corps, so I didn't feel like we were being set up, but it was nice to have someone else there so I wasn't the third wheel. We didn't get wasted, either, so no one was out of control or sick, which is always nice. I stayed the night with Kristin & Loren & woke up the next morning to go to church.

At church, they were having a celebration for the completion of the 40 Days of Purpose campaign we've been doing, complete with a potluck. Then I came home & jumped in the shower & Seth dropped Tyson off & headed back to Gold Beach. Tyson & I finally dug in to his science project that's due on 3/1 & rented "Out of the Blue" with Paul Walker (hot, hot, HOT!!!) & Jessica Alba (who Tyson thinks is hot, too). Pretty good flick & a nice way to end the weekend. Now it's back to the grind. I've scheduled a party for Sunday, then another on the 11th & a combined party for 2 people on the 14th. $$$$$$$$$$$$... Things are settling down, for the most part, though, & I really will get around to emailing everyone eventually! In the meantime, this blog will have to suffice!

Hey! Betcha missed me, huh? I was getting a little nutso there with all the chaos in my life, so I decided to tone it down & not try to do as much, but since making that decision a week ago, I've tried in the process, to make Tyson my priority & actually relax at night with a book or settle in to watch American Idol (helloooooooooo, Acey, baby!!!), therefore not leaving much time for blogging or emailing my far-off friends!

So, let's see....update:
Basketball is over. Baseball tryouts are March 13th & the season will start after that.
I've been doing the Partylite thing & actually sold over $1800 last month, so that qualifies me for an extra 7% bonus over and above the 25% I already make off of those profits, in addition to which, I get the "Infinate reflections" candle holder I've been coveting, plus an extra $25 gift certificate to spend on candles & whatnot. Partylite has been good to me! I've made up my mind that I'm not going to bust my ass trying to get the free trip to Aruba. Crazy as it sounds, it's just not worth it. I'll do enough parties each month so that I can bonus & make a little extra, but not so much that I'm losing quality time with Tyson.

I've decided to keep the jeep for a while & get some equity into it; I've not had great success with my attempts to trade it in for a more responsible vehicle. I know I'll be glad to have it this summer.

Still absolutely nada in the love/relationship/guy dept., but most days I'm cool with that & even a little grateful. (Other days, I feel completely undesirable & wonder what the heck is wrong with me!)

Before ending this post, I should note that my BF's Sarah & Maya, along w/ their mom, Phyllis, were on today's Ellen Degeneres Show! They were in the audience, of course, but hey, they were on national TV! Pretty cool stuff!

Just finished up four tapes of transcription after doing my first candle party on my own tonight (total sales tonight: $976.75, for this week: $1,066.45!!!) so I'm pretty beat, but wanted to share some pics that I just got back, as promised, of the new 'do & the jeep:

Alas, the flurry of activity that surrounds my life, much like standing in the midst of a cyclone, has settled (if only temporarily)! Therefore, I shall grace my avid blog-readers with some of my prose...

Okay, I'll quit being pretentious...I was trying to find a way to slip in the word "plethura", since it's just a really cool word, but I think you get the point.

So, the latest & greatest: First of all, I can't believe that I haven't yet blogged about what a great basketball player Tyson is! He's having such a blast & he stands out as one of the top players on his team! I am so impressed by his ball-handling and shooting skills. It's nice, too, that his coaches are laid back & not very competitive, while still teaching the boys how to play well. Our team is "The Squirrels", which I thought was pretty funny until I heard of another team called "The Melonheads". After such hardcore Pop Warner & Little League, the YMCA sports are just plain fun.

I also should let y'all know that I did take the Jeep out & had to use the 4-wheel drive a couple of weekends ago. It was a lot of fun & I took pics that I just sent out yesterday for developing (yep - still using the old-school film!).

Let's see...Brenda came back from her trip & relieved me of all her extra transcription work (which actually turned out to be very profitable!) & was very pleased with my work & the lack of corrections from the docs, so that's always nice to hear!

Also, yesterday afternoon I was at work & received a call from a lady I'd auditioned for a couple of years ago for a musical she wrote. (She had asked me to be the narrator instead, but Seth said that wouldn't be worth my time, so I didn't do it.) She called to ask me if I'd like to do a live reading of an excerpt from a local author's short story at a coffee shop on Sunday. I went by last night & picked up a copy of the material & did a test reading & she was really impressed & told me I had a career if I wanted one...whatever that means. I am considering picking up some reading material to practice to apply for reading books on tape for a place out of Ashland, called Blackstone Audio Books.

The candle thing is going just fine - I really haven't done much more & I have my first party at April's on the 11th. (She's a friend that used to work with me at the Eye Cente.) She's planning to do a Mexican theme with enchiladas & margaritas, so it should be a lot of fun, plus it will be my first show that I get a check for in addition to all the candle credit.

Last but not least, Seth called & apologized for the way he'd talked to me the last time we spoke & I told him that, even though I still didn't feel comfortable with the way things went during Tyson's visit, that Ty & I had talked & I'd agreed to not tell Seth what to do. The bottom line is that if I don't, we really have nothing to argue about. Besides, I have to trust (to some degree) that God chose Seth & I both to be Tyson's parents for a reason & he has something to learn from his dad, be it good or bad. I know that Tyson has a strong enough foundation at home that he won't be easily influenced at his dad's. Tyson was feeling like he was caught in the middle between the two of us, and that's the last thing either of us wanted. So, for now, at least, we are getting along & trying to be the best co-parents we can, for Tyson's sake.

I'm sure I could go on & on, using a plethura of words (hee hee!), but I'd better wrap this up for now & save something for later.

Hello, my long lost friends! I feel like I've been out of the loop for a while, but I'm slowly catching up...For right now, I'm just gonna post my Top Ten on Tuesday & then I'll try to post an update later...Here goes:

10 Favorite Articles of Clothing

1) New z.cavaricci faded jeans with cool rips & patches
2) Tan hooded very heavy coat with fleece lining
3) Tan Lands End boots that go perfect with the coat
4) My staple Levi 501 button-fly jeans
5) My orange v-neck Gap T-shirt
6) Black petite Dockers-very slimming & go with everything!
7) My flannel jammie-pants that have snowmen & say "Snowbody's perfect"
8) My maroon tank-top that has a real bra built in!!
9) My tummy-socker-inner-aka-Bridgett Jones undies
10)My cream-colored satin cami w/ the wide straps so I can wear a bra underneath (but I never get to wear, since it's low cut)

Egads! I just finished the last tape that is due tomorrow, this one being for a doc that I've only done once before, who also has a special format & happens to pay the least! 18 patients on his, alone! This one took me 3.5 hours & I think by the time I got through, it'll average out to roughly $10/hr. That's just a little disheartening! Oh, well, it keeps me in Brenda's good graces, which means she'll keep giving me extra work, and all the other docs are getting really easy now, so the pay/time ratio is much higher. Counting this tape, I did a total of 9 tapes this weekend, plus held my starter show (which topped out at $507 in sales, so that paid for my $350 starter kit, plus gave me a $257 "shopping spree" for more product & brings me to 5,000 points toward the 19,000 needed by March 31 to get an all-expense 5-day trip to Aruba with a flight straight out of Medford! Woo-hoo!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH to all who attended, purchased or booked a party from mine - or did all three)! Today (after 2 nights of 5 hours of sleep), we got up & went to Hometown Buffet for breakfast (I'm SO hooked on their breakfasts!!) as a reward for Tyson for helping out with 5 little girls, two of which were 21 months old + two 5 y/o & a 7 y/o. He was NOT thrilled to be helping me with that aspect, but he did a great job & complained very little, for him. After stuffing our faces, we went to church, picked up my new license plates for the Jeep, then met with Tracey (my candle leader) and her leader, Vicky to sign all the formal paperwork, etc.

Part of me is glad that this weekend is over, but then again, I wish I could just have my whole weekend back! I just keep telling myself this will all be over soon...Oh, in the meantime, I woke up this morning with no voice & still can hardly croak out any words. I'm hoping I can talk at work tomorrow, but I may just have to let my calls go to voicemail & call them back the next day. I'll be doing payroll in the morning, anyway. Well, I think I've managed to stay up late enough tonight already, so I'm gonna fling myself from this desk chair to my bed in one swift movement on the count of 1.....2......ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Well, so far so good...I did catch Tyson's cold, which progressed into sweats & vomiting last night, but I managed to work until 1pm, then finally gave in & came home for a nap. When I woke up, I did a few tapes, then had to go pick up 5 more in town. I've already done one more & all of these are due on Monday, so I think it'll work out ok. I do still have to clean for the candle party & Tyson has a basketball game tomorrow beforehand. It doesn't help that my garbage disposal backed up & the Drano didn't work. I'm not quite sure what to do yet, but I'm thinking I may have to be Ms. Amateur Plumber sometime tomorrow & open up the pipes under the sink, since I can't call the maintenance guy in, because he might see that I have a cat & I'm not supposed to! Never a dull moment!

Well, I'm off for now to actually sit down & watch a movie with Tyson. He's been so helpful & understanding through all of this. Man, I've got the best kid ever!

I really shouldn't be up right now, but this is my last night before all hell breaks loose & I'm drowning in transcription & candles, so I feel obligated to at least say a temporary goodbye to all of you...so if you check in here & don't see anything new, keep coming back - I'll return to the cyber world before too long!

Back to the craziness of my normal life! I guess that's what I get for complaining of a plateau period...

Tyson started basketball on Tuesday. I know both of his coaches & they're great guys who are less concerned about winning than teaching the boys & giving everyone play time, so I'm thrilled! Tyson's really enjoying this & the schedule is much more convenient than other sports have been, since both of the coaches actually work until 5:00, so practice is from 5:30-6:00 on Tues & Thurs., with games on Saturdays.

So, this Saturday is his first game. I was going to have my candle party afterward, but I've rescheduled it to the following Saturday & it will be my starter show, because I'm going to become a consultant! This means that I'll be earning points toward a trip to Aruba, as well as actual income, along with free stuff & discounts on candles. I'm really hoping I can make it work & not totally burn myself out. I will also be working in the 3-4 y/o classroom at church on Sunday, as I've mentioned before, so I went over the curriculum last night & gasped in horror! I mean, we're talking a real class here, not just babysitting! I think I can handle it, but it will be a lot more work than I initially thought!

On top of all this, I've agreed to do some backup transcription while the regular lady is out of town for four different days & five different docs! This will be the same weekend as my candle party! I'm probably crazy, but it helps to keep busy& extra cash is always nice!

Well, I figured out a solution to my need for spontanaety and change: I got a Jeep Wrangler! I've wanted one ever since I was a kid; then later my dream car was between that & a VW bug convertible. (At one point, I desperately wanted a 'Vette convertible that would be either hot pink, turquoise or a purple body, with a checkered top - thank goodness that was just a phase! Can't tell I was a child of the 80's, can you?)

Anyway, after church today, Tyson & I stopped by a couple of lots & test drove a Jeep & a Dodge Durango. Between the two, we were actually moving in the direction of the Durango, because the Jeep we drove was all jacked up & really tossed us around. I had my reservations about the Durango, though, because of the high miles. The next lot that we pulled into, I just wanted to compare prices on the Durangos, and we know a guy who works there (from Ty's football team), but when I pulled in, I immediately saw a pristine white Jeep Wrangler with a tan soft top. I was thinking that this was a beaut, but would be out of my price range, since I really didn't want to increase my payments beyond what I was already paying on the Honda. It didn't have a list price on it yet, because they had just gotten it in. Well, we talked to Dave & took this baby out for a spin, and I fell in LOVE! First of all, it's a 5-speed, which is a must when you're driving around something like this - I mean, you gotta feel all manly! It ran much smoother than the first one, & the engine idles really nice & smooth, plus, both the interior & exterior are in incredible shape! It's a '98 with only 53 K miles on it. Of course, it has 2 & 4-wheel drive (which I've never used before, but I'm sure I'll figure it out sooner or later)! I managed to get it for no $$ down, except for what I'll get back from Honda on my warrantee, and my payments will be the same. (They would've been about $20 lower, but I wanted to buy the 3 year warrantee, since it is a little older.) It also came with a really nice Clarion CD player with a removable face plate & a car alarm, which is something I didn't have on my Honda. All of the other Jeeps that I've looked at in the past week have only come with tape decks & no CD player. I just can't wait to be able to take the top off & cruise around! Down the road, I'd like to pick up a little trailer so I can haul stuff if necessary, like the quad that I hope to eventually get, or a little tent trailer/camper. One thing at a time... The only negative (besides the excellent warrantee, gas mileage & resale value of the Honda) is that I had a lot more cab room & trunk space with the car, but the back seat of the Jeep folds down & I can fit Tyson's bass in the back, even though the neck of it extends to between our seats.

This was just what I needed to shake things up & feel new again! Next Saturday, the church is having a snow day up in Greensprings at the Box R Ranch, so that'll be a fun little trip. After playing in the snow, I'm going to host yet another candle party. I know, call me crazy, but I'll tell you what: it's the best way to get great candles & holders etc. for free & for incredible savings! Partylite has a bunch of new stuff, including new scents that just came out. I've been thinking about becoming a consultant...there's no buy-in, and if I could do that & my transcription, I really think I could make around what I do now, with working 8-5 + transcription at night. I'll probably continue to just think about this for now, though, because dangit, I really am responsible, and I know that if I hang in there & stay on track that things will continue to get better.

I'm getting excited about just waking up & driving my Jeep to work tomorrow! I'm such a dork! I'll take some pics soon & post them here so y'all can eat your hearts out!

I figured I'd better post something before I completely lose any audience I may have acquired...

Life is in a plateau zone right now, which is better than it could be, so I'll be grateful for that! I have many great friends, a good job & extra side career, a wonderful family & a sweet, albeit incredibly strange, cat. What more could a girl want, really?

I don't know - I have this underlying feeling lately of needing to break free - ride a roller coaster, eat a hamburger (even though I stopped liking those about 15 years ago) or ride a quad & get dirty. I just feel that I've become so focused on being a good parent, a responsible person, keeping everything organized, clean & just so, that I've strayed too far from the spontaneous, loud, trusting, grubby country girl that I used to be. Not that I want to have a crazy, dirty, disorganized life; I've become quite comfortable in my sane zone, but I think that I need to have a release of some sort to help me remember who I started out as & to know that it's okay that I still have some of that in me somewhere. Maybe this won't make any sense to you, but it's very real to me. I just don't know what I'll do about it yet. Of course, my spontaneous escape from my everyday reality will have to be meticulously planned, so that I can maintain the balance that I've fought so hard to keep.

Maybe I just need to have a day/night out without Tyson...I love that kid with every fiber of my being, but it's not good for either of us to spend so much time with eachother & no one else. He's getting way too used to having me all to himself. Sometimes I feel just a little suffocated by him; for instance, if I try to read my email, he's right there looking over my shoulder & gets his feelings hurt or gets suspicious when I ask him to leave my room so I can check my email or write in private. I know it's irrational, but I feel guilty about it, too! But, you know, if I wanted to complain about something Seth did, like in my previous blogs, or write about it to a friend, that's not something I want Tyson to see. At the same time, if I can't express my frustrations to others, how am I supposed to deal with it?

Anyway, enough whining...off to church tomorrow morning, where I'll be given my curriculum for the 3-4 y/o childrens' class I'll be starting to help with on the 15th. I'm really excited about the opportunity, if a little apprehensive.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2005 wasn't nearly as bad as I'd figured it would be, and I just know that 2006 will be even better! I've given up on resolutions long ago, as they tend to be just another way to feel guilty about all the things you know you should be doing, but aren't (or maybe, the things you are doing that you know you shouldn't be)!

This was a very relaxing weekend - we did the usual clearing out of Christmas stuff, and I went after Christmas shopping, which I probably shouldn't have done, because I spent entirely too much money at Bath & Body Works, but what was I supposed to do in the face of 50-75% off sales? I really had no choice! I also scored on a great area rug & picture for the living room, so I did some redecorating. I've been perusing this Trading Spaces book that Robbin gave me for Christmas, and it really gets me going! The picture is actually a painting on canvas in black, with a spotlight on a trumpet player sittig on a stool. I don't know the correct term for it, but he's made out of some sort of material that stands out from the canvas, all 3-D like. Really cool stuff!

Anyway, today is the last day to veg before our work & school week start again, so we're taking full advantage. As a matter of fact, I'm typing this naked! Just kidding! Wanted to see if you're really paying attention...But I am in my PJ's and have no desire to do anything about it! Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas & a safe & fun New Year.

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!

I have to share a funny from this morning: Seth called to talk about the plans for Thanksgiving, and he finished one of his sentences with "Babe". I said, "Did you just call me Babe? You can't call me that anymore!" We both had a good chuckle over that. Anyway, here's my Top 10 on Tuesday:

10 Things You Like Eating at Thanksgiving Dinner
1) Well, turkey, of course! (White meat only)
2) Olives (one for each finger)
3) Mashed potatoes and gravy (no giblet gravy, Mom, pleeeeaase!)
4) Pumkin pie w/ whip cream
5) My dad's banana pudding with Nilla wafers
6) Apple pie (preferably Dutch apple)
7) Fruit salad with mini marshmallows - no walnuts!
8) Ham
9) Deviled eggs
10) Hmmm...other miscellaneous pies?

I've been shirking my duties as a responsible journalist for a whole week, so I suppose it's time to bite the bullet & do the whole "this is what I've been doing" thing...

So, this is what I've been doing:
Monday: All I remember now is watching Prison Break (I just can't get enough!) Oh - I also went to the music store & picked up a guitar string for Tyson's electric guitar & learned how to string it. Got invited to an open mic on Thursday by a guy who works there.
Tuesday: Worked & probably did transcription like the mad woman I've become. Also went to Applebee's for kids' $.99 night; a tad disappointing. Traded in Ty's old Nintendo for a Gamecube game.
Wednesday: More work, more transcription...
Thursday: Tyson wanted to skip the open mic & stay home to play his video game. More work...after watching Reunion, of course!
Friday: After work, Ty & I went back to the music store & played with different instruments (including an electric upright bass, that I'd love to get him, instead of the big old thing he has to lug around). The guy from the store said he was waiting for me to show up Thurusday at the open mic, but I told him he lost out to video games, which he in turn called "The Devil's Box". Rented two movies & fell asleep before the first one even started.
Saturday: Had some friends of Tyson's over & went to see Sophie's play with Susan. She was incredible! I'll be able to say "I knew her when..." Rented Stealth & bought Dodgeball (My Vinnie-baby!!! XOXO)& watched both.
Sunday: Went to the 11:00 church service & the Thanksgiving potluck afterward, then went across the street to see Harry Potter "The Goblet of Fire". Awesome movie! (Very looooooooonng, though.)
Then I got up this morning to do it all again! Actually, this will be a very short week. I get off 1/2 day on Wednesday & am going to lunch with a new co-worker at Senor Sam's, then to pick up Tyson from school. I just got a message from Seth this afternoon (WHY can't he call when he is supposed to?!?) that the plans have changed again & that his mom will be working until 3pm, then leaving to go pick him up in Gold Beach (WHY can't he get his license?!?), where they will stay the night before traveling back here for Thanksgiving. This means that now, even though I took a 1/2 day off of work, I can't leave until after 3pm to drive the 5 hours to Eureka! Grrrr....On the up-side, I picked up two new karoake CD's last night for the trip. One with old country hits, including "The Gambler", "Elvira", "On the Road Again", "Crazy", & two Johnny Cash songs. The other has all kinds of music on it & should have something for everyone. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone.

Well, I suppose I should free up the phone line on the highly unlikely chance that Seth is going to call back at the scheduled time...

At long last, here are the Halloween pics! I have to say I'm a little disappointed because you really can't see the detail that I added to my dress (by hand-sewing, nonetheless!) or make out my head-piece, but still, you get the point. I've also thrown in a picture of our spastic kitty, Domino, since I promised that in August, when we first got him!

Been super busy working (transcription) and haven't had much time for anything else. So, as much as the men have been pestering me with phone calls, flowers and such, I've been having to decline their many offers...We did manage to go to church Sunday, which makes two weeks in a row! Tyson just about flipped when one of the band members started totally wailing on the electric guitar & people were bouncing up & down like a mosh pit (without the moshing). Next week there will be a potluck afterward. I'm looking into becoming involved in the children's Christmas performance, but there's a 4 hour class I have to take first, and it's on the same day as my friend Susan's daughter, Sophie, is performing the lead in a play here in Ashland, so I think I'm going to see if they offer the class another time. I don't get to do a lot with Susan outside of work, and I adore Sophie! Anyway, that's the latest...still looking forward to Turkey Day in Eureka!

My docs have been absolutely killing me with transcription! I've gotten pretty good with these guys, because I do their stuff consistently and they use a lot of the same wordage for different patients, but one tape actually took me 2 1/2 hours last night, and since I just had to watch My Name is Earl, that meant I didn't get to bed until 12:15! (Considering that a letter on one patient usually takes me 5-10 minutes, that's a lot of dictating!) It sure will be nice to get paid, though...

I've been having a lot of fun flirting with the delivery guy at work (and the cutie pie at Dutch Bros., and one of our sales reps....) and one of the ladies at the front desk asked him if he found me attractive, and he supposedly said yes (woo-hoo! I think he's pretty normal, too!), but that he's waiting for a girl that he loves to come around. I told him that works out even better, since I'm holding out for my Mr. R., too, so maybe we could be friends who do things together to kill the time while we wait...hey, it might actually work better than dating, since that's not something I really look forward to trying...anyway, we'll see if he takes me up on it. I took a pic of him yesterday, since I'm trying to use up my roll of film with the Halloween pics so I can post them!

Looks like Dad's and my Hometown Buffet Thanksgiving fantasy has been thwarted...I do love the family get-togethers, though, and it's been a while since I was in Eureka. I think I'll bring my karoake machine so we can all jam. It just won't be the same without Kathy there, though (no offense, Laura, I'd just love it if we could all be there)! I'm sure I'll be posting more on that before too long.

Still planning to go to church Sunday & am looking forward to getting to know more people there, so I'll be more comfortable. Krista says they're always looking for musicians, and that would be really awesome. I just feel like it's so important to not only talk to Tyson about God & the Bible, but to expose him to worshipping with others before he gets too much older. He asked me on the way back from church last weekend if I was going to be all religious now, and I replied that I've always been a very religious person, but he just didn't see that side of me a lot, and that I'd still be my same fun self. My beautiful friend, Mahvelous Mahge, taught me that you can talk nasty & have a good time, but still have a close relationship with God. I figure He knows me better than anyone else, so if I tried to hide my true self, that would be pretty pointless.

Well, I'm gonna try to actually get to sleep at a decent time since I'm all done with my transcription for tonight, so signing off until next time...

Quick post - I can't believe it's almost midnight! I had three transcription tapes tonight, and I decided to leave one for tomorrow, after seeing how far into the tape the doc recorded...ugh! But, hey, it's all about the money, right?!? What doesn't kill me makes me more tired...

Anyway, I just had to brag on my boy for a sec - what else is new? I'm just so proud of him! He got 98% on his state report! (Missed one thing in the whole report, just because he forgot to fill in the population of the tops 5 cities.) He also got 100% on his spelling test, now that we're able to study the words, and he got an A- on his "What I Did This Summer" report. I know this year has been tough on him, because he's in the 4th/5th blended class, but he's really rising to the challenge & making his mama proud! And he's made friends with a lot of the 5th graders that he used to not get along with! I could just burst, really!

A Medford Cowboys' running back looks for a hole to run through as Ashland Bears, from left, Jared Cataldi, Jamie Flynn and Tyson Morris converge.(Tyson's #42.)
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Football season is over - we went to the season-end party last night & got trophies & that kind of thing. I'm totally leaving it up to Tyson if he wants to do it again next year - he felt a little overlooked this season, but he was a 9-year-old playing with 10,11 and 12 year-olds.

Went to church this morning out in White City with Krista & Dustin. It's the second time I've gone there, but Tyson's first. He really liked the music & was very responsive to the sermon. I'm planning to keep going every weekend now that we don't have football every Sunday.

I'm going to look into talking to the admissions office at SOU. It's something I've been putting off forever, and as crazy as my life is, I think I really need some intellectual stimulation - something to bring me outside of myself & to help me quit reflecting on how pitiful my love life is & something outside of Tyson, as much as I love doing things with & for him. So, we'll see where that goes, anyway. Nothing else to report, so I'm going to get some work done at Lithia Women's Care. Hopefully I'll be posting Halloween pics soon...

Alas, the time has come for the infamous posting of the "Mr. Wrong" list. Let it be known that I have taken the research for this blog post very seriously & spent basically the last 29 years of my life compliling this list...

Mr. Wrong...
...has no sense of humor
...doesn't believe in God
...believes the only way to show affection is gettin' freaky
...is insecure
...hates kids, animals & old people
...wants to control the way I look, eat, speak, dress, act & think
...doesn't like my friends & family, and they return the sentiment
...is not bright
...is a gorgeous, but vain, man-whore (yep, that one broke my heart the first time)
...hates road trips
...can't hold down a job
...gambles, is a pot-head, or is otherwise addicted
...doesn't like music
...is a liar and a smooth talker
...is city boy
...doesn't like to play sports
...isn't a gentelman and doesn't have manners
...doesn't keep his word
...expects my life to revolve around him & his plans (or lack thereof)
...is a pushover & doesn't speak his mind
...feels like the world owes him something

Ok, you asked for it! I just happened to post this on one of my pissy days. You see, people think I'm totally nuts for wanting to hold out for a guy that's unavailable & who probably doesn't reciprocate my feelings. And, although I'fve always prided myself on not listening to eveyone else, look where that got me last time! Maybe it's time I listen to the people who care about me, because they can see things more clearly than I can. But what are my options in the meantime? The freaky 60+ year old tamale guy? The 60+ year old tennis stalker? The ??+ Vietnam Vet with PTSD? Or better yet, the icky car salesman (again 50-60+)? I mean, it's not like I'm really getting asked out by any prospects I'd actually consider; why not at least convince myself it's ok, because I'm holding out for the best? But, I've been thinking about "fate" or "destiny" and "soul mates". And I think I'm probably the only person I know who actually believes these things exist. And maybe I'm the one who's wrong. It's just that I have settled too many times & for too long to accept anything less anymore. So I guess it's just me, my kid and my cat. I should probably get like 40 more cats so it'll be official. Anyway, I have to go finish watching Reunion so I can live vicariously through others, who hopefully have a Hollywood ending...