Random monday ramblings

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There are so many things to write about, I do not know where to begin! I’ve been so busy, this poor blog hasn’t been updated in over a week.

So, because I have no clue where to start, this is just a post about random things . . . forgive the lack of organized thought, please! And if it turns into a novel, I apologize in advance for the extraordinary length.

My ex-husband’s family members are some of the nicest, sweetest people I know. We went to my ex-father in law’s 80th birthday bash Saturday and I’m glad we went. It was a lot of fun! The kids enjoyed seeing their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents and I enjoyed catching up with all of them also. Seeing how much all of the kids have grown was amazing!

But it was also very overwhelming. Especially for Gman. He had a bad day at school today as a result. First time all year I’ve had a phone call home about him from his teacher. She said he refused to do his work today and made loud, disruptive noises all day.

He seems fine now, though. We talked about it briefly when he got home this afternoon and even though he didn’t really say much, I’m wondering if seeing his dad caused it. I kinda think so, but at the same time, I really hope not. We want the kids to spend time with their other family but I think at this point, limiting the time they spend with their dad is important. I do hope that at some point in the future, they will be able to spend more time with him without it causing issues.

Speaking of their dad, I wasn’t too worried about seeing him myself, although it was awkward being in the same room, at the same table with both my ex-husband and my husband. A little weird. And kinda creepy because my ex said “You know I still love you.” I’m hoping it was the alcohol he had to drink doing the talking.

But somehow I doubt it.

On the other hand, I’m incredibly thankful his family still considers me a part of their family, not just the kids. And they always welcome my husband and The Short Dude with open arms too. I’m telling you, these are incredible people and we’re blessed to be a part of their lives.

And speaking of my husband – he got me a new car a little over a week ago. First time I’ve had a new car in ages. Well, it’s not new – just new to us. And so far, I really like it. He’s been saying for a long time that he should buy me another car. Not that I don’t like the van – it’s nice and necessary with 6 people in our family – but sometimes driving a huge van with only one person doing errands seems like a waste to me.

So, we bought a 1999 Subaru Impreza wagon. It’s got enough room for me and the kids to run errands after school or for me to pick them up and cart them around to friends houses, etc. The two things I like best about it are that it’s economical and it’s an AWD (all-wheel-drive). Those were two of the requirements on the list I gave my husband when he said it was “now or never” to get a car. The van has AWD also and I told him the new car had to have it as well.

It’s not the Outback edition, though, and I kinda wish it was. That usually means it has few upgrades like cruise control and such. But I can live without that. It does have power windows and child safety locks so I’m happy.

Winter quarter is starting for me on the 19th of this month so things are going to get really crazy pretty soon. I don’t know what classes I’m going to have yet but I should know by next week.

And . . . we have a wedding to go to in May. One of the cousins we saw (all grown up!!) this weekend at the birthday party is getting married. He and his fiance have an 8 month old son who is just adorable. That means my weight loss goals are going into overdrive! So, if you have any suggestions, ideas, thoughts – please let me know!! I especially need to tone up my thighs. Just trust me on that one . . .

In fact, you know what I realized this weekend? I could wear pants *at least* TWO sizes smaller if my thighs weren’t so freakin’ huge! And no, I am totally not kidding.

You know what else? I even wore a SKIRT to the party because I went shopping at what seemed like a million stores between last Monday and Saturday morning and I could not find one stinkin’ pair of pants that fit me properly!

Not one pair!

And if you know me, you know I can count on ONE hand the number of times I’ve worn a skirt or dress in the past 20 years. I’m not kidding, folks.

I hate dresses and skirts. Hate them. Especially in winter.

At least it wasn’t snowing . . .

And just because I’ve spent goodness knows how long writing this post today and I’m too tired now to write anymore, I’m going to end it with a couple pics of The Teenager because most of the other pics you’ve seen are of the younger kids. Only because they don’t mind having their picture taken and The Teenager would just as soon bite your head off than let you take a picture of her.

But I wish she’d let us take her picture more often because she’s a beautiful girl.

This one was taken Friday at her Aunt’s apartment on Capital Hill in Seattle. You can see the Space Needle in the background.

And this one was taken Saturday night at the party. The Teenager is on the left and one of her cousins is the beautiful girl on the right.

I still have more to fill you in on so I’ll be back soon.

In the arena,

PS – I’m having some layout issues on the blog so if you’re reading this there and not in a feed reader, please let me know if the alignment is off and include the browser you’re using (Firefox, Safari, etc) with your comment. Hopefully I can figure out what’s causing it soon. Thanks!

“The moment we choose to love, we begin to move towards freedom.” ~ Bell Hooks

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.