We just came home from a great pseudo vacation. My brother got married this weekend, so we went to the beach for the wedding. This particular beach happens to be where my parents and best friend live. So, naturally, we took Mojo up on her offer & stayed with her & her son, Monkey Boy.

She took having six house guests in stride. I watched in horror as my three younger children proceeded to make a HUGE mess of her tidy house. In character of the perfect southern woman, she made us all feel very welcome, and occasionally followed my children's trail with the dust buster. K-Man, of course, disappeared for the entire weekend with Monkey Boy. I actually missed him by Sunday.

When we arrived at her house Thursday night, I was beside myself excited. We stayed up late talking & it reminded me of the slumber parties of my youth. We giggled and gossipped until about 3:00 in the morning. K-Man & Monkey Boy sent notes attached to stuffed animals down the stairs to us. They, of course, were up at the crack of dawn.

We spent the weekend visiting my parents, attending wedding functions, and just hanging out with our hostess. Pete and I took some beach walks and checked out an antique show. Mojo and I hit Starbucks and the beach one day, and spent quite a while reading funny cards in the Hallmark store another day. All in all, we had a fabulous time.

It is always hard to leave that island. While Atlanta is my home, I have family and friends down south. My consolation is that we're going back next week for Fourth of July. Until then, I'll try to remember the sound of the waves breaking over the sandbar...

Fired With A Chaser Of SWAT

As millions of people arrived at their offices yesterday, drama was unfolding here in A-Town. A friend of Pete's called him to tell him not to come in to work because there had been a bomb threat just moments prior. Being the curious cat that he is, he immediately proceeded to call everyone he knew to get the full scoop. Apparently, a contractor had been fired late Friday afternoon. So, bright & early Monday morning another employee goes to clear his desk & pack his things. Lo & behold! She finds a grenade on his desk. She freaks. They clear the building & call the bomb squad. Learning that this was the story, Pete commented to me that he thought it must have been a fake, since this guy had more toys on his desk than our boys have in their playroom. The bomb squad did indeed check the building and pronounce said grenade to be a harmless toy.

So at this point, this poor guy has lost his job, spent all weekend moping about only to wake up to his door being beaten down by the SWAT team. As people are milling around in the parking lot at Pete's office, this guy is face down in the middle of his street with automatic guns in his face, and news crews trying to break a dramatic morning story. Man, you gotta hate Mondays.

Life Changes

As the saying goes, "there is no time like the present." My problem seems to be that by the time I realize it happens to be "the present" the time has already escaped me. This is why I only post once every couple of weeks. Life is spinning around me so quickly right now that I can barely keep up. Everything is changing, and I have a love-hate relationship with change.

My husband, Pete, is a software developer for a large corporation. He has been with this company for six years and he has watched them grow and change. Now, change is on the wind for him. He is currently preparing to strike out on his own. Pete has always wanted to own his own software business, so with the help of a couple of our most brilliant friends, his dream is nearing reality. This is both exciting and terrifying for me. I could not possibly be more proud of him for having the courage to break away from the security of a full-time job. At the same time, I realize that the next few months will be difficult. I want to help, but I am about as technically inclined as a sea cucumber.

My sons continue to grow and change. While K-Man is discovering girls, my little EJ is taking his first steps. Mini Pete is potty training, and Baseball Boy will start Kindergarten in the Fall. They really are growing up too fast.

My girlfriend, Mojo, is suffering through the eternal divorce from a self absorbed @$$, looking for a teaching job, and anxiously awaiting the repair of a car that she hates.

I guess what I am just now beginning to figure out is that no matter how long we keep our children in diapers, or pretend that some people could be capable of caring for us (or anyone else for that matter), or find contentment in our safe, secure jobs, we cannot escape the inevitable. Life will seek us out and force us to come out from under our little rocks.

Finally a Father

My husband has been "Daddy" in our home since the day he moved in. I have two children from my previous marriages. The boys warmed up to him immediately. You know what they say about kids & dogs... From day one, he has read their bedtime stories, tucked them in at night, hauled the telescope up the hill or down the driveway to point out planets, stars, and the occasional eclipse. He goes to baseball practices, withstands hours of Mousetrap, kisses boo-boos, checks homework... and that is just for the two sons he married into.

Having two ex-husbands can lead to a mountain of drama. Fortunately for us, the first one had the decency to drop off the face of the Earth. We have not seen or heard from him in nine years (my son is 10). So after years, literally, of paperwork and legal fees Pete has become a father again.

I am thrilled to announce to the world that Pete has adopted our K-Man. The first thing the judge noticed, after announcing her decision to finalize this adoption, was the monstrously huge grin that came across my son's face. As we walked out of the courthouse yesterday, each had an arm around the other and they talked about cars and stars and video games, the real father-son bonding stuff.

Mojo is in the air

I love my life. I really do. I have a doting husband, four beautiful sons, a nice house in a great neighborhood, blah, blah, blah. But, as the saying goes, "the grass is always greener". My friend, Sharon, is in the middle of a divorce & cannot possibly understand me when I say to her, "I want to be you!" She is beautiful, brilliant, clever, resourceful, a fantastic mother & friend, and has a razor sharp wit. I'd give my left arm for the wit alone.

However, as we all know, divorce sucks! I have yet to find a way to feel good about myself during a divorce (and I have a bit of experience here). At best, you feel like you made the worst decision in your life when you married that jerk. The typical feelings run the gamut of failure, self pity, anger, bitterness... you get the picture. I'm sure this is why retail therapy is so helpful. When you find the shoes that make you taller, or the jeans that perk up your ass, it provides you with a longed for sense of self satisfaction.

So today, Sharon called me to tell me that she was the object of not one, not two, but THREE hard earned, well deserved, incredibly gratifying stares. Three different men of varying ages stopped to check her out this morning.

Therefore, Sharon, I must officially and publicly dub you Mojo Mama. Work it girl!

Welcome to my World

Just wanted to say 'Hi' and let you know that this is my first try with blogging. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!