Friday, February 17, 2012

The Lost Year

Wow. Two posts in almost a year. It will be the lost year, because there's no way I'll remember what transpired over the last 11 months. But I can catch you up on the biggies.

I guess some time after the March post, we started tossing around the idea of selling the house. Yes. The. House. The dream house. The one we just couldn't get over. I probably started it. I just started feeling poor. John was getting closer to college, we bought him a car, Charlie lost his company car due to cutbacks at work, so we had to buy a new one and just life in general, I started to feel anxious. Charlie, the eternal optimist who never worries about much, got on board with me the day that the lot next door to us sold. There had been some hub-bub in the neighborhood association around the same time and we were worried about property values. So at some point, I think after school was out we got the house ready and decided to list it. I had been watching homes for sale in our price range and we figured it would take a year to sell it and by that time John would be done with school.

It sold in 3 weeks.

So, we moved in with my Mom. Yep, all six of us. Good thing she likes us. Anybody can love their kids, but it takes somebody of special character to put up with the six of us! It's cozy, and we're all pretty comfortable, but toilets and T.V's are at a premium. We all get along really well but nobody picks up their socks enough, and the laundry is never done. Literally. Never done.

Meanwhile, Charlie's company moved the plant from Seagoville to Irving, so his commute has gone from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes on a perfect day. ( I've sat here for 20 minutes trying to decide what I want to say about that.) Like most things that have happened since we moved to a small town, I find that I edit myself because I worry about who might read it. Let's just say I'm exploring Eastern Philosophies in an attempt to be Zen. I'm struggling. So when Charlie comes home from work my Mom swoops in and says "HOW WAS YOUR DAY??" All bright and shiny and interested and that's nice for him I think. I'm interested, don't get me wrong, but when it goes in a negative direction -because everyone needs to let off steam from time to time, my blood pressure skyrockets and my thoughts go really dark. Postal dark. The other day they got a company-wide email. Their parent company had awarded them an award for the best company of the year out of all the companies that they owned. So in honor of the award, they were authorized to have pizza and a cake for all their employees. A pizza party. And cake. Sounds shallow and bitchy of me I know, but if I were able to explain (bitch) to my hearts content, I think you'd understand why I'd like to say "...............!" And that's one of the reasons I don't blog as much as I used to.

To that end Charlie has been talking about maybe moving 40 miles west of where we are now. We've gone and looked at a new housing development. I love a new house, but I feel really gun shy and west was not the direction I was hoping to move. I have a lot of angst about the idea of moving Melee' who is in tears every time we bring up moving. On one hand, I've (been) driven to the new office a couple of times and it's a beating. And he's home late a lot. On the other hand...well there's just a lot on the other hand. Sunday night about nine o'clock, the Irving police department called to let him know there had been a break in. There was a door off the hinges, gate lock broken, fence cut open and a huge truck had been pulled into the shop and loaded to the gills. 2 of the guys got away, the third isn't talking and will soon be deported and they didn't catch them until After they had taken one full load of tools and equipment and had come back for another. So he had to leave the house at 9 just as it was starting to sleet and he didn't come home until Monnday night. It's times like those I think we should live closer, but mostly not.

John's Senior Year is halfway over. I haven't had any breakdowns yet and I think that bothers him a little. I said, "Don't worry you'll get to see plenty when I have to drop you off at college." Because I'm staying really positive that he will in fact finish an application for a college of some sort and actually send it in.

Melee' is having a great Freshman year and despite the fact that his older brother harasses him constantly that he's doing everything wrong, he feels comfortable with his friends and his position in the social heirarchy at school.

Peach is Peach. She tried out and made the Honor Choir at school which she loves, and is playing her last basketball game this Saturday which she hates. I made her do it. And every day she reminds me that I made her and how unhappy she is about that. And why did I make her? I ask myself the same thing every day.

Ace is movin and shakin and keepin it real. He just finished up basketball, which he loved! And wanted to start Soccer, which I conveniently "forgot" to turn in, and now he wants to start baseball which I am also against.

On a lighter note...One day we were headed to Zumba and the kids come with me sometimes. Zumba is in a food court area of one of the many flea market areas of town and to get to it we have to walk by several shops. One candle shop had a sign hanging that advertised these "scents"
Monkey Farts
Sex on the Beach
Butt Naked
normally I hurry everybody by and they hadn't noticed until the last time we went, they start giggling and I'm trying to make light of it and I said "Ew gross! What's Monkey Farts supposed to smell like?" Without missing a beat, Ace looks at me like DUH, and says "Bananas!"

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