I've Been Thinking ....

.... that it's been a while since I've updated you guys on what's going on around here.

It's been a busy summer.

To say the least.

Let's see .... as for the kids, I'll go in order.

Daughter #1 graduated at the end of May, as you all know. I can't remember if I wrote that she got a fellowship at a theatre in Maryland. She was the only dramaturgist to get a job before graduation .... not that I'm bragging or anything.

She gets paid and gets an apartment provided. It's a great theatre and I think she's pretty excited.

AND .... she's coming home Sunday to stay for a few days!!

Which hopefully means that Daughters #2 and #3 will be here this weekend, too.

Which also means that I'll have all 6 of them home for about 12 hours or so. Yes, the only 12 hours kind of sucks, but hey .... I'll take what I can get. :)

Daughter #2 has decided to postpone the Peace Corps for now. It turns out that her doctor didn't turn in her forms on time (no matter how many times she went in to get them finished!) so they wanted her to do some of them over.

The Peace Corps doesn't give anyone a firm date for placement. They just leave you hanging until about the time it's time for you to go, whenever that is.

Which makes it difficult to get a job, knowing that you might work for only a month, or maybe for 9.

And which makes it hugely difficult to obtain housing. Not many places rent on a month-to-month basis anymore, so this really puts your life in a bind. She didn't know what move to make, not knowing when they'd call to say "It's time to go."

So she will be living with Daughter #3 and another friend while she resumes her job from last year. She's also considering going to grad school. She wants to be a social worker.

So we'll see what pans out for her.

I have to admit .... I'm not too sad to see her staying closer to home (nor is Daughter #3!).

Speaking of D3, she started her teaching job this week. Yes, I have a child who got a job doing what I paid for her to study in college!!! She's a deaf ed teacher, meaning that she will be teaching deaf students. She will be an awesome teacher. I'm really excited for her. School hasn't started yet, but the teachers had to report this week. Hopefully she'll still be a teacher after two weeks of nothing but 8 hour meetings. Yuck.

Son #1 came home from working at camp this week. He and D2 worked there again this summer. This year he was a medic.

Kind of scary ..... since he's an accounting/Spanish major in college and, as far as I know, knows beans about medicine (he'll totally deny that ..... so don't tell him I wrote it).

He will be leaving for Spain in a couple of weeks. He'll live and study in Madrid this semester. I'm going to visit him for a week in October. He's pretty psyched about this trip. Who can blame him?! What a great opportunity. I'm jealous.

It's been great to have him home. I'll really miss him for 4 months.

Son #2 has had a good summer. He's mostly hung out with his friends and enjoyed the time away from school. He's planning on joining the Marines when he graduates in May and I'm very proud of him. I think he'll be a great Marine, just like his grandfather.

He and I have had a good summer.

Son #3 started back to football this week .... from 4 in the afternoon until 10 at night. Every night. In this stinkin' heat.

Such is Texas football.

sigh

He had Son #2 shave his head Sunday night .... before football the next day. Not just buzz it. Nope ..... shaving-it-with-shaving-cream-and-a-razor shave it. I have video, but I don't have permission to post it.

Yet.

;-)

I've really enjoyed him this past month.

It's been much more pleasant around here. I think everyone's grown up a bit over the summer.

Thankfully.

I'm still dating C.

We're doing very well.

We're doing great.

In fact, he went to Camp Widow with me and it was great to have him there.

I think that it was good for him to see how many people read the blog AND have gotten something from it.

Maybe he "gets it" a bit better now.

I hope so, anyway.

He was a great help there for some of the other men. There were 10 this year, which is a huge improvement over 1 last year. Not that Matt isn't enough man for 10 men, but I think he really appreciated the jump in testosterone. :)

C was able to talk with one man who's wife died only 6 months ago. I was in awe of this man ... and so many others, who came to CW so early in their grief. What a huge accomplishment.

Anyway, C enjoyed the weekend and meeting all of the "bloggers" .... even though he doesn't "get" blogging. It was a fun crowd. One that has a wicked sense of humor and a desire for fun .... and alcohol. :)

I basically took the summer off from work .... to be home with the boys more and to travel all over the place.

I've played tennis when I was home .... which really hasn't seemed to be that much.

Yes, we're still playing .... in this God-forsaken heat and humidity. We are the people who are on the nightly news as idiots who suffer heat stroke because they have no common sense.

Tennis players. Guilty as charged.

I started physical therapy a couple of weeks ago for my back and hips .... and for my shoulder, which I found out has a small tear in the rotator cuff. Hopefully the therapy will help enough to make surgery unnecessary. Especially since I think I'll refuse to ever have surgery again after last year's nightmare.

The back and hips are improving, thankfully. The shoulder is still undecided.

Still taking the B12 shots every week.

Forever and always, but hopefully I'll be able to go down to every other week some day.

So that's about it. The summer is quickly winding down. Everyone will be back at work or in school in less than two weeks.

I'm looking forward to getting back into my regular work schedule and to enjoying Son #2's senior year.

Yes, I still cry once in a while.

And I still miss Jim.

Every single day.

But I'm doing well.

Enjoying life and enjoying the kids and enjoying love.

Life is .... good. Who'd have thunk?

And God is good.

Even when I don't understand Him.

:)

Thanks, Peeps.

Thanks for always being here .... even you lurker-Peeps.

It's so very good to know that you're there.

And that this makes some small difference.

And .... that Jim still makes a difference.

Happy Thursday/Friday.

:)