Spouse

I got this from empress who had gotten it from Cowtown Stacy. I had to copy for our two month anniversary... even if she didn't tag me!!!

What is his name? Keith
How long have you been married? Today is two months.
How long did you date? It was 41 weeks before we got engaged and we were engaged for 43 weeks before we got married.
How old is he? 39 (I'm exactly five years younger, to the day!)
Who eats more? Probably me.
Who said I love you first? I did, and he wouldn't tell me back cause we were on the phone.
Who is taller? He is.
Who sings better? ME! I even sang at our wedding because he wanted - even just once - to hear me sing my heart out, so I did.
Who's temper is worse? Probably him.
Who does the laundry? Both of us although he does most of the carting to and from upstairs to the laundry room and back.
Who pays the bills? We both do.
Who cooks dinner? When we cook at home, it's both of us.
Who mows the lawn? Neither, we don't own a house yet. But when we do, I'm fairly certain it will be him, unless he needs some help once in a while.
Who wears the pants in the family? If I had to pick one, I'd say him but we make most our decisions together.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Wrinkled

I know my post for this is a little late. But here it is... wrinkled.

Unfortunately the cat decided she wanted to play with my roses that were in the vase on the table. This one was quite wrinkled and wilted from being out of the water for so long.

Find the photo hunt here!

Better Morning Than Yesterday - Please

Yesterday morning, it was like I'd woken up but forgotten my brain.

I left for work and forgot my badges to get into the office. So two exits from work, I had to turn around and go back.

This was a good thing because after I'd turned around I also realized I'd forgotten my laptop.

So I got home, grabbed the laptop from the house and my badges from Keith's car and set out for work again.

When I got upstairs, I realized I'd left my laptop down in the truck. So I started a few things that would take a while and set out to get it.

When I got back upstairs, one of my co-workers noted that my shirt was on inside out. No one else had noticed. The worst part is that I had thought about the fact that it was inside out when I took it off the hanger, cause most of my shirts I hang dry inside-out. But then my brain, didn't remember that while I was getting dressed.

Ugh.

Here's hoping for a better morning today. At least I've got my shirt on right-side out.

Husband's Car

The last couple days while Keith is out of town, I've been driving his car. It's an all black S2000. The excuse has been that they have been painting the lines in the parking lot at the apartment complex. There are two rows and I didn't want to park his car over where all the turkey butts would be parking, plus that and if they got ahead of schedule, the white spray would be harder to get off an all black car where wouldn't be as noticable on my metalic stell blue truck. But honestly it's more because it's just fun to drive and the weather has been gorgeous convertible top-down weather. ;-)

Tuesday nights we go to Thai a couple friends from work. Keith normally parks down the end of the lot because the spot is a bit larger so people are less likely to hit it. When walking out of the restaurant there were two other S2000s parked next to "twoie"! I had to take a picture with my cell phone because that was all I had with me and send it to Keith. Here it is, I know it's not the best shot but all the same.

Ian's Baseball Season

This summer Ian decided to try baseball. The athletic association has a great learning league, the players play each of the positions all season long so they can learn all the various things to do. Ian had a lot of fun.

I took this picture one evening when he came over to get a drink. Loving my new camera, I think it focused perfectly on him.

Ian in his baseball uniform, originally uploaded by fltrbysvn.

Ian hit this double and it was perfect. He was actually using a teammates bat, which was an ounce heavier. Ever since he's been trying to convince me of getting a new bat.

Ian's first double, originally uploaded by fltrbysvn.

You could see his excitement when he made it to second. Yeah, I did that!

Ian's Double Excitement, originally uploaded by fltrbysvn.

Wedding Photos

I have to thank my sister for taking all the pictures at the wedding and my mom for letting her borrow the Nikon. My sister took very beautiful pictures of every moment.

Here are a few of my favorites. My most favorite is now in the title.

A Fantastic Wedding Gift

When I was little my mother taught me how to wind the mantle clock that had been her parents. She told me one day, when I got married, the clock would be mine. Well, I got married, 13 years ago, and when I asked about the clock I was told no, you can't have it. Talk about disappointed. Things at that point in my life between my parents and myself weren't good. They weren't ahppy with my choices and weren't happy with hoom I'd gotten married to.

Fast forward to last year. I got divorced. I found a man that I love deeply and he's helped me to fix things with my family, although I probably have to say the divorce had a lot to do with that.

Fast forward to our wedding day. I mentioned in my wedding post that my mom rushed off while we were running errands to talk privately with daddy on the phone. I learned why at the reception. Over by their seats was a huge bag. Mom said I have a special present for you and there are cards in the bottom too. I asked her if I should open it now and she said it was up to me. I peeked (I don't like waiting). Inside was this clock.



I broke down in tears. Mind you they were happy tears. It was my family clock and it was now mine. Things had been fixed. The relationship with my parents was back where it needed to be. My mom thanked Keith for bringing me back and supporting me and in the middle of the reception I was having to explain all the water works, even though the were really happy tears.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Colorful

Just got home from a boy scout pool party. While there the boys all competed in the rain gutter regatta.

Ian's and Logan's Regatta Boats

The Wedding

Our wedding day has come and gone. Almost two months ago. But life has been so busy that I haven't even been able to upload favorite photos or post anything about the day here.

June 24th 2008

The day was perfect. Actually the entire time was wonderful. But I'll start with that day.

The boys (Ian and Logan) were on their best behavior. My favorite part of the morning was Ian half teasing Logan because he had not wished Keith or me a happy birthday. It was more of a you should do it, in a "whisper" that could be heard while I was walking to the breakfast table at the hotel.

After breakfast the errands began. My mom, Mary Beth (Keith's step-mom) and I left the guys to fend for themselves for several hours, leaving around 9AM and hoping to be back by noon.

Off to the bakery. Simple enough, 36 vanilla cupcake with plain white icing... wonder if they knew it would be for a tier stand that would be our wedding cake.

Off to the restaurant. They took the cupcakes and let us put aside the favors, wine glasses and the presents for the boys in a side closet. But due to a last minute luncheon prior to us using the room, we would have to come back after three that afternoon to set anything up. "It's OK; it can be done" mom said, we'll leave the hotel at 3, come here (five minutes away) and still make it to the park (another ten minutes away) by 4.

Off to the manicurist. The night before, Mary Beth, realized she hadn't done her nails or gotten a pedicure. Mom took care of it, called her manicurist and made her an appointment. A quick stop at the deli next door to order a few sandwiches for lunch that we could pick up when we came back. And then my mom realized there were two bills she needed to drop off, so we ran around to do that.

Off to my parents. Just to pick up a few things. Note: the hotel, just for fun to be with all the family was only 15 minutes from my parents house.

Off to get the flowers. A call from daddy as we're on the way out the door... is it raining there yet? No. He was leaving work and it was coming down in sheets. He works 15 minutes opposite the hotel from my parents house. We get to the florist and the sky is dark. But we must stop at the hardware shop to see an old friend first, just a quick hi, we have 5 minutes to get flowers and get back to pick Mary Beth up. The flowers are gorgeous! My mom and I had review images on line from four states away on the phone. She said she'd order them since I couldn't make it back up and I knew this florist does lovely work but still was awestruck that they were so perfect. The flowers were in the truck and then the sky opened up.

Off to pick up Mary Beth. The girls were all concerned.... oh your wedding day. They ran next door to the deli to check the weather channel and came back exclaiming that it will be OK, just a quick storm it will pass and the skies will clear. Mary Beth's nails aren't dry. We wait a few minutes but it's already noon. I need to get back, eat lunch, get myself showered, get the boys bathed, let Keith get in the shower and leave by 3! Mom leaves because daddy called. A story I'll have to tell another day. ;-) She walks out saying she'll get the sandwiches. I get Mary Beth into the truck and buckled so she won't ruin a nail.

Back at the hotel. We attempt to politely kick everyone out of the hotel room, so we can get ready but Keith's brother has just arrived. So we quickly eat sitting on the beds. By 1:30 everyone is out of the room. Thankfully while I was gone, Keith has ironed everything that needed ironed and gotten things laid out. I hop in the shower then throw on a robe while I get the boys a bath and Keith shaves. Then the boys, trying to help got themselves dressed at least in socks, pants and t-shirts. Keith's in the shower and I'm drying my hair and putting on makeup. Somehow all of this is done in an hour and a half.

Off to the restaurant. My mom, Nana, Ian and I get in the truck. The rest pile into various cars to go to the park. Mom and I make quick work of getting all the favors/name cards out and the cupcake tier put together and the boys gifts hidden but reachable.

Off to the park. The weather has cleared. It's absolutely beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and perfectly blue. We arrive and mom gets Nana down to the gazebo. She comes back to say I have to wait a few minutes because the laptop (which is needed for me to sing) is still in daddy's car. That's OK, for the first time that day I can breathe. It's here!

Walking up the park path, my son by my side, my family smiling, and my husband to be was just wonderful to see. No tears this time. All smiles!

Back to the restaurant. The reception was lovely and the food was fantastic. One small scary moment which probably embarrassed my sister more than anything she had her heart rate accelerate and paramedics were called but was feeling OK after about 15 minutes.

Finally back at the hotel at 930. Exhausted but needing to get a few things taken care of. Keith's nephews say they will play with the boys for a few minutes while we get their things moved to the other room and get changed. Finally got to very wound up boys off to bed in mom and daddy's room around 1030 and then said our good nights to everyone else.

As rushed as it was, or maybe seemed, I wouldn't change a thing! It was perfect and I'm happy!

Ian's So Smart

OK, I know he's my son... so I really always think he's smart but really this was pretty good.

Sunday afternoon, Keith left to bring his son home which is about a three hour ride round trip. So that gave Ian and I time to spend that was just the two of us. We went outside and played football for a bit. Then we came inside to play cards for a while before his father came to pick him up.

While we were playing Uno, Ian paused for a minute and said Mommy I have to tell you something. I said sure buddy what is it. He said I know what that ring is for, pointing to my engagement ring. I asked him what he thought it meant. He told me it meant that I was going to marry Mr Keith. I asked him what he thought about that and he said it's very cool, he makes you happy and it means I get to be a big brother.

Then we talked about the wedding and I asked him if he would walk me down the aisle. He said but that's Opa's job... so I told him that Opa was doing the ceremony so he would need to be up front already and I'd really like it if he would walk with me... Ian said yes, that would be awesome! Then he started doing his little happy dance and gave me a huge hug.

It was the best conversation I think I've ever had with Ian.

Big News

I'm engaged!!! Keith proposed on Tuesday by a lake near our work! I knew this was coming because we'd discussed it and he even let me help pick the ring since my heart was set on something a little different. Our birthday is the same day and it is also the day we will be married next year, so I wanted a three stone ring with a diamond and our birthstone (alexandrite) - him and me and us forever. We had to have the ring made and I absolutely love it. The alexandrite changes color from bright teal in the sunlight to the gorgeous red-purple in candlelight (as seen in the picture below).I'm so excited because my dad will be performing the ceremony back home in NJ. He was so happy for me, he called back 20 minutes after we called so Keith could ask his permission and I could tell him what I wanted for the ceremony, to tell me he'd thought of the perfect lake. My dad rarely picks up the phone so that was a huge deal.It's unbelievable how happy I am - I'm loving life!

Senior Moments

This is from the Blog Challenge at ScrapShare...

1. Who was your best friend? Probably my sister and brother. The three of us hung out together a lot my senior year.
2. Did you play any sports? Not at the school, but for the city I played soccer.
3. What kind of car did you drive? 1985 and a half Ford Escort Wagon
4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? Probably volleyball night at church or the bowling alley with brother and sister...
5. Were you a party animal? Nope not that year...
6. Were you considered a flirt? Not at all.
7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Choir.
8. Were you a nerd? Yes and because it was a small school my advance classes were college level that had been recorded and I had to watch.
9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? Again... Nope not that year.
10. Can you sing the fight song? Small school... no theme song.
11. Who was your favorite teacher? The teacher from the AP Physics videos.
12. What was your school mascot? Small school... no school mascot.
13. Did you go to the Prom? Small school... class of 4... no prom.
14. If you could go back, would you? Not even if it would save my life.
15. What do you remember most about graduation? I had to give the speech... it was really more of a thank you/good-bye to the school staff... they'd been great for my only year there.
16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? Small school... no senior skip day.
17. Did you have a job your senior year? Yes, life guard and water safety instructor and I worked at a local video store.
18. Where did you go most often for lunch? The church kitchen, we weren't allowed off the church property during the school day.
19. Have you gained weight since then? Um yes.... I'm about twice the weight I was then, but I was way under weight then... so that's not really a bad thing.
20. What did you do after high school? Went to college for two years and then joined the Air Force.

44 Things... A Shortened List

Today one of my best friends sent my boyfriend and I a list of 44 things in life that make you happy. He replied the following to both of us...

1. Falling in love.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail or e-mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
14. A good conversation.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
26. Your first kiss.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

Three guesses on who I'm thinking of...

I didn't need the three guesses ;-)

Life

Hey All,
Life has been extremely busy of late.
But I have some important news to share... I have a boyfriend! He treats me so well and love me just as I am. We'd been friends for a while and secretly liked each other not that there was anything that could be done while we were married.
I can't tell you much about him now except that he's a really good guy, extremely nice an very handsome. There will be more soon, I promise.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

The House is Sold

YAY!!!

The house is sold... we will have our money through the lawyers office tomorrow. I won't go into all the gory details of the day... let's just say there were a few kinks in getting everything taken care of.

The next big step will be getting the separation agreement finally signed, which should be tomorrow.

Then I get to splurge on myself. I'm buying myself a new truck. I'm getting a Honda Ridgeline... I can't wait to go get it... and by the way, that will probably be tomorrow as well.

I'm off to celebrate with a few friends, after today, I need Happy Hour.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Ups and Downs

The last couple weeks has been a lot of ups and downs...
Most of the ups were stuff I can't really talk about just yet... so more to come on that in the future.
The downs...

• The house had something that needed to be fixed prior to the up coming closing, fortunately it only cost about a hundred dollars. I suppose it could have been worse.
• I had to do the final tax filing with Jeffrey... the couple of hours spent with him to get that done was not fun. Fortunately, we got money back from both federal and state... Unfortunately he doesn't trust me enough to not come at him for money so... he wrote me a check for the amount and then I wrote him a check for the same amount to cover my half of the joint bills.
• Work has been crazy busy, so I've been burning the candle at both ends. Some days the distraction of actually having to be at work has been welcome because it keeps me busy... other days it's really tough to concentrate.
• Ian has not been wanting to spend time with me... complains that he will miss the house, which I can understand... complains that he misses his father, which just kind of irritates me because it seems that he wants his father more than me and that hurts... complains that he doesn't like sleeping at my new house, which I try asking what is wrong I will try to fix it and he just doesn't know. He's seven and I can understand this is tough, really I do but I just wish he would want to see me too.

Guess that's about all for now... 11 days and counting until the house closes and we can finally sign the separation agreement.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Lazy Weekend

This past weekend I didn't do much of anything... maybe two loads of laundry (which really is all there was) and paid the bills.
I had Ian Friday night, he had a sleepover with one of my friend's sons from my work. They had a blast and played nicely. They even slept in a bit (9am) on Saturday morning.
There is stuff I need to do at the house, I just didn't feel like it... I kind of needed the break, it's been a whirlwind of a couple months and I think last week it was all catching up to me.
So I'll get to the stuff I need to do (like hanging curtains and pictures or working on my scrapbooking which I haven't touched in 7 months). But for now, I was kind of just happy for the break.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

A Signed Contract

Today at lunchtime we went to the realtor's and signed off on a counter offer to the bid on the house.

Then at 5 I got the call that they had accepted what we modified and signed off on it. Yay!!! I'm so happy, I can't even begin to describe it.

They want to move in on the 28th of February. Between now and then it will be busy... the house has to be inspected and appraised... then the sellers have to get all the title work in order and we have to hire a lawyer to review the closing paperwork. It's going to be a fun month... note that "fun" is sarcastic.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Yay - An Offer On the House

Finally an offer on the house... thank goodness.

Jeffrey was actually not too happy, I think he would rather stay in the house... but I'm not going to help him pay the mortgage forever and he can't afford it on his own.

We have to meet with our realtor tomorrow morning to sign paperwork to accept the offer. It is pending the sale of the buyers current home and they are looking to move in at the end of February.

Keeping my fingers crossed that all will work out.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

A Long 7 Months Away

Well, I know it's been a long time since I've posted and lots has happened... more so in the last couple months but a lot along the way.

The biggest thing that has happened is that I've left my husband Jeffrey. For a very long time now I've been unhappy and not many people knew it because I tried as best I could to hide it. He was very controlling whether he knew it or not. He also made fun of my weight, even though he just said it was because he loved me. I never thought I could leave... I thought I had to stay, I felt stuck.

Then I switched jobs last June and the people there made me realize how strong a person I was. Then I started paying attention to how much I did at the house. Then I thought for a little while that I needed to stay for Ian's sake. But I realized I could be a much better mother if I was happy. So I made the decision that there was no turning back and I was leaving.

I moved out on the 15th of December. I've found myself a nice two bedroom townhouse. We share custody of Ian. The only thing holding the separation back is the sale of the house, which I pray will be soon.

I'll write more about everything as time goes by but for now I just needed to jot down some thoughts... figured it had been long enough that I'd been away.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn