Welcome!

So here's the Reader's Digest version for those of you who are new to my blog.... My 39 year old husband, David, was diagnosed with a hideous and deadly cancer in
April of '08. We were told he'd likely die in less than 4 months. Obviously, that diagnosis turned us inside out and shook us to the core. At the time, our boys were 12 and 4... can you say 'fucking nightmare'??? I spent the next 14 months being his 24/7 caregiver and advocate... never leaving his side unless it was to get the boys to or from therapy or their cancer support groups. Cancer and the hell that it brings became our universe. And yet, I was able to get myself to a place where I was depending on my faith.... existing on a plane of pure gratitude. I focused my energies on recognizing the blessings that cancer had brought to our lives... yes, there ARE blessings that come with such a dire diagnosis.
Things were good. David miraculously entered remission in April of '09. I was looking forward to the next few months being our 'summer of healing' as a family. And then my world stopped. He left me... left US... on 6 June 2009. And FYI... he told me he was ending our 18 year marriage in a note. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had left me for a 'friend' who also happened to be married. Nice. The next few months are a blur... I descended into a deep, dark depression, and David's vicious treatment of me didn't help. He was running as fast as he could from everything associated with cancer, and that included me... our family, our home and the entire life we had built together. Things went from bad to worse when his cancer returned with a vengeance. He began treatment once again, and I had to dig deep to help him and make things as easy on him as possible. I even offered to have him move home so I could care for him through his treatment. As it turns out, it was a good thing he didn't take me up on that. The hateful way that he treated me during that time would have made caregiving for him an unbearable situation. I KNEW he was dying... nobody else did, because he fed them all kinds of bullshit... but I knew. Because of that, I focused on the boys and made sure they were with their daddy as much as possible.
His final months were a living nightmare... a kind of pain and darkness for which there are no words. No human being, no matter who they are or how they lived their lives, should have to suffer the horrific pain and endless indignities that David did. In spite of everything, I was with him constantly, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend and his mother. 'Too fuckin bad' was my theory. I wanted my boys to see that I NEVER turned my back on their dad. And I didn't. I continued to advocate for him in the hospital... fighting to get him the meds and the specialists he needed. I was there during his final moments of consciousness. I took Reilly to say goodbye to his dad, just before he slipped into that state. I was there when he died. I ID'd his body at the funeral home. I planned his funeral and his Celebration of Life. I placed his ashes in the wall of the Columbarium at the Naval Academy. We had spent half of our lives together, and though I was no longer in love with him, I did those things out of respect for the life that we shared and the family that we created.
The 6 months since he died have brought more changes. I struggle daily to untangle the financial disaster he left me, and I'm fighting like hell to keep our home. The boys are now 15 and 7 and trying to learn how to move forward in their lives without their daddy. I had to get a part-time job after spending 15 years as a full-time mother, and I'm doing everything I can to trim the fat so we can afford to stay where we are. My boys NEED the stability and comfort that come with remaining in our home and community, and staying in their schools. To that end, I will fight with every fiber of my soul to ensure that those things happen.
My greatest blessing is that I now have an incredible man in my life... a man who is thoughtful and loving, strong and sensitive, hilariously funny, and who loves me just the way I am. He is authentic. He knows who he is and is completely comfortable in his own skin. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's 11 years younger than I am and sexy as hell. :0)
Yes, my boys are struggling in many ways... the therapy and support groups continue... and I still have MUCHO 'death business' to handle. That said, I am starting to believe that there might be a happy future ahead... for all of us.
The past almost 3 years have been quite an emotional roller coaster, to say the least. Writing has been the most important part of my day, every day, since this journey began. I am once again being put in a position where I have to learn to survive... spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially... you get the picture. My hope is that I can hold on to my faith, find a moment of joy in every day, be the best mother I can possibly be, and hopefully... one day... emerge back into the light.
December 2010

04 February 2011

Happy Friday, Fuckers!!!

Yo doodle dos.... it's Comfort Zone Camp day!!!! Rory absolutely sprang out of bed today, just SO excited to get there. I cannot express my relief at the turnaround he's made. He was having such anxiety... crying about it every day... it was awful. What an incredible blessing that Miss Skylar was there last night to get him all pumped up. Do you see what a gift these support groups are??? It doesn't matter how old you are... knowing, and being able to really connect with other people who know exactly what your grief feels like... it's a gift. Truly. And good news... our new Parenting Alone support group starts next week. Yahooooo!


The only thing about the weekend that I'm not looking forward to, is being away from Finn. :( I have to tell ya... the whole 'absense makes the heart grow fonder' thing.... um, no. I call bullshit. That's how I spent the vast majority of my marriage... between the years in the Navy and then all of the business travel, we were apart more than we were together. And look how well that turned out!!! I think the fact that we want to be together every second of every day is a beautiful thing. We make each other laugh. We make each other feel loved. We make a great parenting team. We just truly enjoy each other's company. And do you have any idea what a big fucking deal that is for someone who was raised as an only child??? I've always cherished my alone time... even craved it. Now? Forget it. If I'm with Finn, I'm happy as a clam. :0) Of course, I still look forward to time away from the kids.... but that's just to preserve my sanity. But what parent doesn't need some time away? 


Today will be busy, with traveling to Richmond, meeting the Big Buddy, the parent's dinner, etc., but tomorrow I've got nuttin'. I'm hoping to take advantage of the day  to be lazy, maybe see a movie, and work on Finn's Valentine present. I have wanted to make jewelry for years, but never got around to it. Yesterday I went to the craft store and got some things to make Finn a necklace. He bought himself a really cool choker on our cruise, and he's worn it every day. It's made of little pieces of white shells, and it looks damn sexy on him! I bought some really cool tiny black rocks and some sterling wire. Now I just have to get online and read about how to affix the clasp. I'm excited! I think he'll really like it, especially knowing that I made it for him. :0) 


I'd better scram... Reilly has his sports physical this morning. Lacrosse tryouts are only a couple weeks away, and he is counting the minutes!!! 


Mucho love & hugs to you...
S


***Persevere through the innumerable ups and downs of the path.***
***Find something to smile about every day.***
***It's not what happens to you that matters the most... it's what you do with it.***
  -Instant Karma

03 February 2011

Home at last...

Damn... what a long ass evening!!! Rory had a great time at group. Even better? His adorable friend Skylar (who is going to camp this weekend and also went last year) regaled him with tales of the fun she had and all of the special things that they get to do. When he came out of group, the first thing he said to me was, "Mommy!!! Camp is gonna be SO fun! I can't WAIT to go!!!!" Yeeeeehawwwww!!!! :0) We then got in the car and discovered a voicemail from his 'big buddy'... calling to tell Rory how excited he is to meet him tomorrow, etc. And get this.... his name is David. When he heard that, Rory absolutely squealed with delight and said, "just like daddy! Just like daddy!!!" It was very sweet. 


I have mucho to do tonight to get ready to go... especially since I'm packing for myself now too. Just wanted to address my To.... first of all... doesn't Cookie work for a dentist??? Can't they hook a sistah up??? WTF??? And yes, I LOVE your posts & I genuinely miss you when you take a break from writing. And even though you keep mentioning how much you must "annoy" me, I can honestly say, that is not the case. True... many moons ago, you usually made it your business to piss me off. Not only that, you definitely derived some sort of sick pleasure from it!!! I don't know what changed, but I'm glad it did... and I'm SO happy to have you back in my life. :0) Hey.. I just had a thought.... maybe now, after everything I have endured... even though you're a big, tough dyke... you realize that I FINALLY have enough pent up aggression and hostility within me that I COULD actually beat your ass!!!! Ha!!! Yep. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Just remember.... YOU ain't so bad!!! 


Okay... off I go. Laundry, packing, dogs, kids' stuff for school, book a hotel... yada yada yada. 


Love ya!
Weasel
xoxo

Progress...

I am happy to tell you that the meeting with my financial planner today was very productive. This guy is an ANGEL. Seriously... he is doing SO much work for me, and all for free. He also recruited one of his close friends and colleagues today... that guy is a CPA and is going to take over handling the tax nightmare that I've been dealing with. Scratch that... the tax nightmare I've been PAYING attorneys to deal with. And yes... Ed got his friend to offer his services pro bono too. Holy shit... I'll take it. :0) The best news is that he literally filled out all of the loan mod documents with me sitting there, and then submitted the packet to Wells Fargo. That is a GIANT thing off my to-do list. Obviously, I have no way of knowing what, if anything, will come of it... but at least the part that's been hanging over my head since I started this process LAST MARCH... is finished. Now we wait... and pray. 


I'm going back to see him in two weeks so we can do some planning. Yeah... NOT looking forward to that. He had a whole power point spread sheet up on the wall with all of my income and expenses plugged in, and he's starting out by planning until I'm 65. Again, I'd be in much better shape if I didn't have this enormous mortgage payment hanging like a noose around my neck. But if there's ANY WAY IN HELL to make it happen, I'd like to stay there until Rory finishes 5th grade. This lil guy needs to stay in that tiny country school. And yes, if something else more manageable becomes available in our attendance area in that time, then I'll certainly consider moving. 


Speaking of my lil guy... he's having a really rough week. His teacher has been e-mailing me that he has been kind of out of it... sort of spacey and not really able to focus. Totally normal for the timeline, but I HATE that he is suffering so. On that note, I'm seriously considering staying in a hotel near the camp this weekend. It's almost 3 hours from our house, and I'm really feeling like I should be close by if he just can't make it. True, money that I shouldn't spend... but I don't think I have a choice. It actually makes more sense for me to stay there anyway... We get to meet the kid's 'big buddies' between 5 and 6 tomorrow evening, and then there is a parent's dinner and support group meeting after that. Then on Sunday, the closing ceremonies start at 12:45. They do a big healing circle and each child is given the opportunity to pay tribute to their parent. That's a lot of damn driving for not much time at home. So I'll be looking into hotels when we get home from Rory's grief group tonight. The shitty part for me? I don't want to be away from my Finn! I know... boo fuckin' hoo. 


Gota scram & pick up the little man. More later. 


xoxo
S

No shit...

Yo doodles.... I may be an idiot, but I'm not a COMPLETE moron. I don't think for ONE second that the teen drama is over with Reilly. Puhhhhleeeez. He's only a freshman for the love of Christ... I am FULLY aware that I have a loooong road ahead. And hellllooooo.... Rory is 7, Leilei is 6, and Jayden is 2... there is PLENTY o' kid/hormone/smart-mouth/beastly behavior ahead. I was simply reveling in my one wee victory with Rei. Yeah... still thinking it fuckin ROCKED.


Auntie Nut.... did I read your post correctly? Did your vet expect you to pay that bill in full BEFORE doing the procedure???? That is BULLSHIT!!! What a king sized DOUCHE!!! You're supposed to just let that poor baby suffer until he gets his cash??? I wanna punch that fucker square in the face. Methinks it might be time to change vets. Shit... if Tom expected me to pay in full before taking care of my babies, I'd be really screwed. I'm paid up now, but for years, we had an ongoing account. With 12 animals, there was no way we could keep up. 


As for Uncle Monster, I'm so sorry that the job situation continues to be such a nightmare for him. First of all, the way they eliminated his position after the INCREDIBLE job he did, was just a ginormous fuck-over. And I just don't get why there aren't a thousand agencies clamoring for his services. He has so much experience, is so smart and has such integrity... it boggles the mind. Maybe this lil tidbit will put a smile on his face, at least for a minute. A few days ago... completely out of the blue... Rory said, "When is Monster John coming back? I miss him and I wanna play monster!!!" It was precious. Any chance I've mentioned how much I HATE the 3000 miles between us??? Grrrrr..... 


So last night, Finn & I said fuck it, and took ourselves out for dinner. Sometimes you have to get out, just to preserve your mental health. We went to Clyde's... a yummy restaurant witha great atmosphere. It's BEYOND cold these days, and that thends to keep people home, so it was pretty dead. The place is ENORMOUS, but we ended up sitting right next to another couple. The way the tables are situated, it's very easy to hear other people's conversations. Oh. My. God. Talk about entertaining. These two were clearly on a first date, and it was a NIGHTMARE!!!! Well, it was for the woman anyway. This guy was such a blowhard... so full of himself... it was absolutely painful to witness. At the same time, it was SO fucking funny that we couldn't contain ourselves. I always have fun with Finn and he never fails to make me laugh.... but I can't remember the last time we laughed so hard. Funny how their hideous date turned into our incredibly fun evening. :0)


I was thinking as I sat there, how much I DON'T miss those 'suit guys'. I'll take my blue collar redneck over a pompous ass like that ANY day. It's interesting... when I started dating, I thought I knew what kind of man I wanted to be with... who I should be with. But you know what? When I stopped looking for that guy and just took a chance.... that's when I met my Finn. I think there's a good lesson there... for ALL of us. We need to stop focusing on what we think our lives should look like. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be living with a redneck farm boy and that we'd be raising our children together, I would have told you to get your head examined... immediately. And while I continue to struggle with the fallout from David's death, personally, I've never been happier. I had no idea what it felt like to be absolutely adored... cherished. I had no idea that I could be in a relationship that is so full of laughter... so full of mutual love and respect. I thought I knew what I wanted... what I needed. I had NO clue. Finn is everything I never knew I was looking for. 


That's a lesson I've been trying to pass along to Reilly, as he fights against our new family situation. I keep reminding him that no, our life doesn't look the way we thought it would.... but he needs to at least be open to it, because if he let's it happen, it could be better than anything he had ever imagined. 


New subject... I'm still REALLY thinking I want to go to nursing school. I keep looking at the class catalogs, the entrance exams... and I KNOW it's what I want to do. I just don't know how to make it happen. Short of winning the lottery, I can't see how to work it out. Hmmmm.... definitely something to keep pondering.


Since I continue to be an unemployed ASS, I volunteered to work at the Woodgrove blood drive on Valentine's Day. I think you know how passionate I am about blood donation, and I thought it would be cool to participate at Reilly's school. On that note, PLEASE give blood. It's easy, fast and painless. Your ONE pint of blood can save THREE lives. And if you want to donate platelets? Even better. David's life was spared, more times than I can count, because of donor blood and platelets. There were SO many times that he took a turn and we thought that was it... but the donor blood products gave him a LOT of extra time. So DO it! You'll be surprised how great it will make you feel. :0) INOVA is really cool too... they send you a postcard as soon as they give your blood to a patient. It makes my day.... every single time. 


Time to head to the meeting with the financial guy. I'm guessing I'll be in tears before too long. Shit. Hope you have a happy day. 


This is what I woke up to this morning... the boys slept together last night. :0)


Much love...
S


***Thank a friend who believes in you.***
***Take the opportunity to do small things well.***
***Love yourself for who you are.***
  -Instant Karma

02 February 2011

Mesut... I'm on my way!!!

Mesut is my hair stylist. I have an appointment at 10 and I couldn't be more thrilled. My hair looks HEINOUS. I want to send out big love and thanks to my mamasan... she still can't seem to post here... grrrrrr.... but she continues to call and leave me lovely messages of encouragement, and continually reminds me that she's got my back. I don't know what I'd do without you, mom... I certainly realize that I am INCREDIBLY blessed to have you in my corner. I've told you many times how much I HATE that I STILL need your help. Fucking hell.... I'm 41... having to rely on you so much makes me feel like shit. You always tell me not to feel that way, and that you want to help in any way that you can, but I just wish I could stand on my own and not need you so much. Please be assured that I am doing EVERYTHING in my power to find a job, manage my finances, and get up on my own two feet. Thank you for ALWAYS being there for the boys and me... thank you for accepting my new family with Finn with open arms... just, THANK YOU. I'll never be able to fully express how grateful I am for everything you have done, and continue to do for us. I love you, love you, love you... MUCHLY!


Got to thinking about the whole money situation last night. I think I may have come across something I could cut out. I didn't realize how expensive my growing heroin addiction has become, and I think maybe the industrial grade margarita machine I had installed next to my bed might have been a bad idea. Hmmmm.... thoughts? ;-) I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... it's a DAMN good thing my gut and my meds won't allow me to drink alcohol. I GUARANTEE I'd be a falling down drunk by now. This would all be SO much easier to deal with if I was just fuckin loaded all the time. 


So... some potentially good news on the job front for Finn. He had a great talk with Tim last night, and is supposed to hear from the service manager in the next day or two. Financially, it would pretty much be a lateral move right now, but there is HUGE growth potential there. They'll even help him earn all of his certifications, which will really increase his earning potential. It would also be wonderful for him to have a job that he enjoys going to every day. He DETESTS the job he has now... he works with a bunch of lazy fuckwads who spend all of their time figuring out how to AVOID doing any work. It makes him CRAZY!!!! He WANTS to work... he doesn't care if he's shoveling shit... just let him WORK for fuck's sake!!!


The guy didn't buy the jeep last night... grrrrr. He says he's still interested, but until we see cash, we're not counting on it. He got an offer this morning from someone who wants to trade him a Ford Expedition for the jeep. Hmmmm.... we'll have to look into it. We DEFINITELY need the cash, but it would be SPECTACULAR to have a car that we could all fit in together


Guess I'd better hit it... time to get my hairs did. Have a good one. :0)


xoxo
S


***Forget what others think of you.***
***Dare to live the live you've dreamed for yourself.***
***Put difficulty in perspective and ask what choices you have.***
***Receive life's gifts.***
    -Instant Karma

01 February 2011

Chuggin' along....

Okay, so I got my few errands done in record time today. Quite pleased. One of the things I had to drop at Ed's office was a rough monthly household budget. I've been using a budget program called iXpensit on my iPhone... I literally put in every penny I spend. It's got a ton of categories and extras, so you can really keep track of exactly where you're spending your money. That's all good, but I'd never gone through and actually looked at the monthly print out before today. Holy Christ... I am seriously fucked. And TRUST ME, there are NO extras in there. It's gas, electric, propane, heath insurance, medication, groceries, pet food, etc. I didn't even write down the other stuff that pops up... $800 for tires and car repair... $600 for Max and Shyla, sports fees for the boys, attorney fees... fuck. I'm thinking my only way out of this shit heap is to finally go get that job that's posted on Craigslist every day.... "Be an escort while your kids are at school... $1000 per day." Gross. 


I've already decided to cancel our tv service when it expires on the 15th. Really, the only other thing I could get rid of is our family club membership, and I SO don't want to do that. Seriously.... if we go out to dinner, it's because we have a gift card. A movie? Gift card. We're not spending ANY extra money. Finn is out this very minute, trying to sell one of the jeeps. Not the one I've posted pictures of... he's got another one that he'd already finished working on. Please, please PLEASE..... I hope this fucker buys the damn thing TONIGHT!!! We just re-listed the Mercedes and would like to list the tractor, but we should wait at least another month to do that. You want people thinking 'spring' and realizing they need farm equipment. The kids are cute. I could sell them. Well, I'm guessing nobody will take Reilly... he eats too damn much. 


I flagged a few job listings today, so off I go to forward my resume. Hey To... you'll be glad to know that Rei LOVED your nicknames. So far, his favorites are Add-A-Nad and MackSack. And Miss Robin... he actually did a great job with the kids today, but there will be NO earning back privileges for a while. I can't even describe what a different kid he is when he doesn't have his phone. It's sad really... I'd like to pitch the fuckin thing in the Potomac. They're also not allowed to have phones at Comfort Zone Camp, which is this weekend. He was already TOTALLY pissed about that. I have ZERO interest in giving it back, and then having to endure yet ANOTHER fight to keep it for the weekend. I'm thinking that Monday sounds fair... a week of no tech shit for blatantly lying to your mother and being incredibly manipulative. Let's just hope he doesn't fuck up AGAIN... I'll just keep the stupid thing. And he knows I'm a big enough bitch to do exactly that. You know what? I take that back. I don't think keeping his phone & computer or going to school to humiliate him was in ANY WAY, bitchy or out of line. What I'm trying to show him is that I love him too much to ALLOW him to get away with shit like that. And, I love him so much that I have NO problem walking into school and making myself look like a huge asshole. He already tells anyone who'll listen what a giant bitch I am and that I'm ruining his life... I may as well live up to his expectations. :0) 


xoxo
S

Seriously???

I cannot BELIEVE that NO ONE had any comments about Operation Humiliation!!! WTF??? You suck. Go back, read it again, and comment!!!


We're having another day off of school... had a wee bit of sleet overnight and woke up to a 2 hour delay for school. Just as we were about to get ready, we got a message that they had cancelled, due to worsening road conditions. Sweet! The REAL beauty part is that Reilly is on kid duty... including Jayden. Being that he has no phone, no laptop and is in DEEP SHIT, he's actually doing it with a smile on his face. He outta sleep well tonight after keeping up with those kids all day. :0) Luckily, the roads aren't that bad, because I have to get over to Ed's office to drop off the loan mod paperwork and my rough monthly budget. I will be beyond thrilled if he can just fill out all of that shit and have me sign it. That would be heavenly. 


I'm also heading to the Apple store. I don't know what the fuck the problem is, but I can't send e-mail from either of my accounts. I'm receiving e-mail, but can't send any. NOT cool.... especially since we have several buyers interested in the jeeps and all of the pictures are on my computer. These people are LOCO for shots of the jeeps, so I've GOT to get this shit handled. 


Also need some good juju, prayers, whatever for my Finn on the job front. You know the family with 10 kids that we adore? Well, the husband runs a car dealership & told me last week that he's always looking for good mechanics. Finn talked to him yesterday, and it sounds like he might have a good opportunity for him... either at his dealership, or one run by one of his colleagues. Being that it was the last day of the month, Tim only had a few minutes to chat. But, he told Finn he'd be calling in the next day or two to discuss some options. Fingers crossed!!!!


Time to get my shiz to the money guy. Have a good one. 


xoxo
S


***Pick up pearls of wisdom from unlikely places.***
***Fill up your inner holes with something spiritual.***
***Tell people today how much you love them.***

31 January 2011

Mission accomplished!!!

Well, well well.... a certain teenaged yard ape thaought he'd get one past me today. He mentioned yesterday that there were a couple basketball games at Woodgrove tonight & that he wanted to stay after school to catch 'em. He'd worked it all out and was planning on getting a ride home from his friend's mom. Yesterday.... while he was STILL at Austen's... I made the HIDEOUS mistake of going down into the basement. Will I EVER learn??? Jesus H Christ on a popsicle stick... that kid is a PIG. Yeah... pretty much EXACTLY like his father. We had words when he got home & he was given very specific instructions as to what needed to be done immediately. As far as the games were concerned, I left it at "we'll see". He was very apologetic and seemed to do some cleaning up. Cut to this afternoon... I didn't make it to the club, so I decided to put the treadmill to use. My plan was to workout while Rory & Leilei played, then shower, then make dinner. Things didn't go quite as planned.... I went downstairs only to find it even MORE disgusting than it was yesterday. How did he DO that???? He was at school all day!!! I called him immediately & his phone was turned off. It was 4:00.. he was OUT of school. I've already told him repeatedly, that if he doesn't start using that phone for it's intended purpose... ME being able to get a hold of the butt plug... that it's gonna disappear. 


By then I was FURIOUS. I started poking around and grew more and more pissed with each passing second. He has a habit of stuffing garbage in every nook and cranny he can find. God forbid he get off his ass and put something in a garbage can. There were STILL dirty dishes everywhere, open containers of food, dirty clothes strewn about, and probably 200 DVD's OUT of their cases and just tossed around. I could barely see, I was so mad. 


At 4:30 the asshat calls me. Long story short, that's almost exactly the time he walks in the door from school, but he was still AT school. He feigned surprise and said that we'd talked about it this morning and I had told him it was fine. Uhhhh, no.... I think I'd remember that! Especially today of all days... it's not like we had a quick chat before I dropped him at his bus stop. I drove his ass to school!!!!! I have NO doubt that he was counting on the fact that I wouldn't be able to leave home to pick him up, and then he'd be able to stay by default. As much as he bitches about having the other kids in the house, now he's using that fact to his advantage. He KNOWS how important the family schedule is.... homework, dinner, baths, reading, bed... etc., and he makes it work for him. I told him how angry I was, how disgusted I was about the state of the basement, and that when he got home he'd be losing his phone until further notice. And then I had a BRILLIANT idea... why not surprise the kid by showing up at school???? I got dinner on the table for everyone and dashed out of the house. I SPECIFICALLY wore my workout clothes... that means I was sportin a tank top... yep, tattoos a blazin!!! And of course, the pink hair. I had a very specific mission: OPERATION HUMILIATION !!!


Evidently, one of his friends saw me come in the building, and shot him a quick warning text. By the time I got to him, he was no longer in the gym, rather out in the hallway. No matter... I marched his ass right back in there. And we stood... at the bottom of the bleachers, just long enough for everyone to get a good look at me, and to see that I was his MOM. That was in the gym where the jv team was playing. We then went into the other gym, where the freshman were playing.... and everyone knows him. 


As we were walking out, he asked if he could go to the cafeteria to say goodbye to his friends. Sure. He walked in & I could see through the glass that they were all laughing hysterically. Being the bitch that I am, I went in too.... and you could hear a pin drop. I said, "hi guys... let this be a lesson... DON'T LIE TO YOUR MOTHERS!!!" Then I turned around so they could see my back and said, "get a good look.... take it all in. Reilly, get in the fuckin car!!!" 


It was fabulous. Brilliant. Priceless. You may think it a bit harsh, but I say, nay nay. The kid needs to learn that I'm STILL in charge... that he is, in fact, STILL a kid, and he will NOT defy me. I'm fairly certain that he got the point. 


xoxo
S




***To.... you ROCK with the new names!!! Can't wait to try em out!!! :0)

To-do lists BLOW...

Is it just me, or do your to-do lists have a bit of a rollover factor? You know... things you were ABSOLUTELY gonna do, but the first few things took hours longer than they should have, and then you kinda say, fuck it... I'll do it tomorrow? That's where I am today. And to think... I even planned ahead! I drove Reilly to school this morning because I had to hit the DMV. It opens at 8 and there's one right down the street from Woodgrove. I was going there to deal with my expired registration, when the gal behind the desk tells me she can't renew it because I need an inspection. WHAT???? Didn't I already DO that??? Ugh. Luckily, they have a garage right around back, so I took the car back and waited. In the mean time I texted Finn about my frustration. He reminded me that I DID have an inspection when I got my new tires a couple months ago. Cool, right? I even had the receipt and the certificate in the car. I'm thinkin... jackpot!!! So I drive back around, go back in the office and present my certificate. Oopsie doodle.... yes, I need that, but I need something else too. FUCK!!! It turns out that I had gotten the Virginia safety inspection, but I still needed the emissions inspection. Bloody hell!!!! How many fucking pieces of documentation do I need to drive in Virginia without ending up in the pokey???? So yeah... I had to go back to the garage, AGAIN, and wait for an hour. I got to the damn place just after 8 and didn't leave there until 10:45. Infuriating. 


Next stop was the bank. Another 5 minute stop took me a damn hour. I don't even want to get into why it was such a clusterfuck... just know it was a giant pain in my ass. 


Okay, now some good news... I spoke to Ed, my financial guy this morning. I'm going to drop off my loan mod packet tomorrow so he can go over it, and then we have a meeting scheduled for Thursday morning. Even better news??? I booked myself a hair appointment for Wednesday. Thank God. The last time I got my hair done was before Christmas. Trust me, when your hair is as short as mine, that is NO bueno. Can you believe that the selfish dick who does my hair had the temerity to go home to Turkey for a month??? I don't give a fat fuck that he hadn't seen his family in four years.... my hair is FAR more important!!! ALL travel must be approved by MOI! The hair situation is particularly dire right now, because I am getting fatter with each passing moment. Having hair around my face only serves to accentuate my pork!


One scary thing during my conversation with Ed... he said it's probably time to make some "hard decisions".... he's referring to the house. The thing that no one seems to get, is that the boys HAVE to stay in their schools. Shit... so does Leilei... she doesn't need anymore change either. And even though the BEST thing for them is to stay in their home, I'd be willing to move if we could stay within our attendance area. But guess what??? It's not possible to find something cheaper in the Waterford area. It's just not. Trust me. I've done the research. I HAVE to get this loan reduction... I HAVE to find a job that will actually bring in some money, and Finn HAS to find a job that brings in more than he's getting now. No problem, right? FUCK!!!


I had a check cut for my useless attorney... took that estate account down to 75 bucks. :0) Have at it, creditors!!! I still owe them a couple grand on top of what I took out today, but I'm not gonna pay them in a lump sum. (Like I could...) They'll get it when they get it. They have all but ignored me since Eileen left, so they can go piss up a rope. 


Gotta scram for now. I have some things to pull together to drop at Ed's tomorrow. Hope you're having a good day. 


xoxo
S


*Hey Miss Helen.... YES, you are the darling girl who gave me that book. Love you! :0)


***Act with integrity.***
***Facilitate the growth of others.***
***Exercise your soul.***
    -Instant Karma

30 January 2011

4 peeps in bed... check!



Guess who???? Your favorite pain in the ass, comin' atcha! Would you mind if I gushed over my amazing Finn. YET again??? While I was at Costco, he watched the 3 lil ones, did a bunch of dishes, was on doggie duty, cleaned Jayden & Leilei's bathroom within an inch of it's life, AND got dinner on.... a pot roast with potatoes and carrots and a big side o' corn. Yep... he's a fuckin ROCKSTAR!!! Me luvvvves him HAWWWWWARD!!!!! And then when I thanked him for doing all of that, his response was, "you don't have to thank me, baby." Oh. My. GOD! WHERE did he COME from??? All I can say is, DAYUM!


One teensy sliver of good news... I got a response from my financial guy. He said to call him tomorrow and we'll schedule a meeting for this week. I'm just seriously hoping that he'll be able to help me with all of the loan mod crap. Say a prayer, wish on a star... whatever. I need this to work out. 


The kids are actually excited to get back to school tomorrow... even Reilly. I'm SURE it has more to do with hangin' out with pretty girls than anything else. Whatever works. Last night when he was at his friend's house, the dog woke them up at about 3:30 in the morning. None of them could get back to sleep, so they went sledding... in the middle of the night!!! He said that he's never had more fun in his entire life. Good stuff. :0) Apparently, he was the best version of himself all weekend, as the kid's parents told him he's welcome there anytime. I sure hope they meant it, cuz the kid's got major plans to hang out there whenever he can! The best part? I think it was a much needed break for ALL of us. He came home in a fantastic mood and was genuinely happy to see everyone. It didn't hurt that Rory and Leilei had sent him 'mail'... notes and pictures that they slipped under his door... and Jayden ran into his arms when he walked in the house. 


We've got some good nicknames for the ape, re: his mouse nut. So far, we've got:
Plus One
3 Ball
Tri Ball
and 
Tri Rei ( that one is courtesy of my mother.) 


I'm thinkin Mouse Nut is pretty good too. If you've got a good one, lay it on me. He's been having as much fun with it as we have... definitely makes him feel like it's no big deal... which it isn't


That's it for me. Here's another book you might want to take a look at. And by the way... I FINALLY found my copy of Bridge To Forgiveness. :0)







































That's it for me. Sleep tight, nutter butters.
xoxo
S

Monday's a' comin'.... ugh.

It's been a pretty great weekend... nothing pressing on the books, but got a lot accomplished around the house. Had my Friday evening alone with Finn, and Rei is STILL at his friend's house. Niiiice. It's amazing how calm everything is without Senor Walking Hormone at home. The toddler is more even keeled than he is these days!!! The kids were playing beautifully this morning and we even got to sleep in... not much, but a few extra minutes makes a big difference. I decided I was feeling good enough to tackle some 'scary mail', and figure out what things I positively HAVE to accomplish this week. BAD IDEA!!!! Now I'm completely overwhelmed... AGAIN... and scared shitless. That loan mod paperwork is due by the 10th, so I figured I'd go through it all, one more time, to see what holes I could fill in. Nada! Zip! Zero!!! I swear to God, that shit may as well be written in Chinese. I can't understand ANY of it. Talk about making me feel stupid. They want all kinds of tax documents, proof of income, an itemized monthly budget, this affidavit, that affidavit.... on and on it goes. I know it doesn't sound difficult, but there are all of these extra notations... "if you're in this situation, file form abc red"... if you're in that situation, file form xyz blue"... and don't forget to send us one of your bloody limbs AND your first born.... unless your first born is a boy, then send us a cat. Seriously.... it's all SO convoluted. And the thing that's REALLY funny???? On every single page, it says "We're here to help you." I call BULLSHIT!!!! I've called them a zillion times. I always get a different person and they NEVER have the same answers. Even after they assigned me a 'case manager'... doesn't matter... I can't EVER get that dude on the phone. I can't believe that I'm the ONLY person going through this who doesn't have a fuckin clue how to gather this shit, or what exactly it is that they want. It seems like they make it as difficult as possible, so you miss your deadline and then you're really fucked. 


The only good news is that I've continued to file every document as they've come in. I have a tax folder, an insurance folder, one for each bank, etc... 14 files in all that comprise my death business bag. Gross. I immediately sent an e-mail to my financial guy telling him what's up and that I NEED to see him this week so he can walk me through this paperwork. I didn't hear back from him the last time I reached out, so he'd better fucking call me TOMORROW. And hopefully, the files I've been keeping will provide the info that I need. 


I also just got my first 'claim' against the estate.... a credit card of David's with a $17,000.00 balance. So far, I've just continued to get bills from all of his creditors. This is the first one that sent a document acknowledging his death, and requesting repayment from the estate. Good luck fuckers! There's less than $500.00 left in the estate account, and I'll be withdrawing that tomorrow to apply to my attorney bills. Legal costs and funeral expenses are the ONLY things that I'M authorized to spend that money on. Too bad for you, bozos!!! I just hope they do their investigation and close out the case before there's any payout from SDSI. But there are SO many people after the estate, I'm sure whatever money we get will be completely eaten up. It probably sounds shitty that I want to tell all of these creditors to go screw, but seriously, why should my kids & I be on the hook ? He's DEAD people, and I was NOT a co-borrower on ANY of this shit!!! Call it a loss and go on about your business. I'm sure the credit card companies will be JUST fine. It's not like these are my bills that I'm just trying to make go away... if that's what I wanted to do, I would have filed for bankruptcy by now. 


Also on tap for tomorrow is a trip to the UPS store. There are at least 6 or 7 NEW places that want me to fax David's death certificate. Awesome. I also have a pile of envelopes from companies who have YET to be notified of his death. Those will be some fun calls. And then I guarantee that they'll each want a death certificate too. Just curious.... who dropped the fuckin ball???? This is all shit that my Wills, Trusts & Estates attorney was supposed to handle. I sure as fuck don't want to get in touch and ask though.... they charge me 75 bucks every time they read one of my e-mails!!!!


More fun to be had... a stop at the DMV to deal with my registration. I guess I should call that douchebag dentist and thank him for letting me go. It certainly seems that I wouldn't have the time to work this week anyway. I sure wouldn't mind stopping by there and fire-bombing his office.... dick. 


Off to Costco I go. Many hungry peeps to feed, and they outnumber us... NOT good.  


Later...
S