Catching Up...Part IV

Summer was devoted to Jack's medical issues and to my learning a new job and adjusting to being in the workforce again.  Then came September...

As Jack was waking up from his emergency cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), I got a call from his sister Mardell...with bad news.  Jack's younger brother, Robin had been found dead at his home in California.  He was 51.  I hated having to tell him that.  As more details emerged, we learned he had been murdered!  (details here)  Stabbed seventeen times!  It was horrible.  Two weeks after Jack's surgery we flew out to California for the Memorial Service.  I think Jack needed to be with his family at that time.  It was a nice service and a good family gathering but we were exhausted.  We flew out and back in less than forty-eight hours.  Not something I want to do again!  Talk about jet lag...

In Novemeber we had tickets to a race in Charlotte.  Bought them and made reservations months earlier.  We were almost too tired to go and might not have, had we not already had the tickets.  While there we visited Concord Mills, a huge outlet mall.  We were looking in a jewelry store (a favorite pasttime of mine) and saw a lovely solitare at a great price.  Jack asked me if I wanted it.  I said "of course" and asked him if he knew what it meant.  He said he did.  I told him he hadn't asked the question...so he proposed right there in the jewelry store!  I'm so glad we went to Charlotte!  Oh...the race was fun too.

 

Novemeber rolled right into December...and Christmas...and color coordinated casts for Katie and Jackson! 

 

Just before Christmas, Jackson experienced his first broken bone.  He was racing Katie on his scooter and got his foot stuck...as he put it, "The scooter stopped and I didn't."  He flew over the top and landed on his right arm, fracturing both the radius and the ulna.  Damn, that must have hurt!  He said, "I tried not to cry, but I screamed."  My poor sweet boy.  At the same time, Katie has been experiencing pain in her right heel.  Turns out the growth plate is inflammed, a rather common occurence among athletic children (Sever's Disease).  It goes away when they stop growing.  In the meantime, resting it helps the pain, so Katie's right foot has been in a cast for the last few weeks to let her heel rest.  The hope is that when the cast comes off, the pain will be gone...and not come back.  Hope so!

 

That catches us right up to the present...awaiting the New Year. I am sure there are all kinds of things I've missed and lots of topics I could explore, but for now this will have to suffice.  Until next time...

Catching Up...Part I

Well, my last post was welcoming in 2012 and here we are almost ready to welcome in 2013.  I was starting a new chapter in my life and wanted to document it but, as it turns out, there really is life after sixty and I got too busy living it to find time to write about it.  I'm going to play catch up now and see if we can't finish out 2012 before 2013 arrives!

JANUARY
January was get ready to move month.  Got a lot of smaller but vital things moved up to New Bern, ordered new bedroom furniture for Jack's and my new life together, bought airline tickets for California and found a new home for my kitties. 

Jack's lease on the townhouse does not allow cats, so my kitties were not going to be able to make the move with me.  It was fortunate that I adopted them from a rescue group and was able to return them to the group when I could no longer keep them.  I gave them about six weeks notice and they were able to find a foster home for them where they could stay together.  Giving them back was a very hard thing for me to do.

Jack had some bouts of cold feet during this time, but worked them out and the move went forward.  I didn't know until much later how difficult this commitment was for him.  The actual move-in date for furniture got pushed ahead several times and didn't happen until early March, but the last night I spent in my house was about three days before Christmas.  To this day, I never quite know what to say when someone asks how long we've lived together!

FEBRUARY & MARCH
February brought only a rather disappointing Valentine's Day...next year's will be better...and some serious health problems for my brother, Glen.  He suffered his first attack of Congestive Heart Failure, followed by a second, finally culminating in open heart surgery in March.  As this is all catch up rather than real time, I can say that he is now doing fine, but it was a long and difficult road.  I spent more time in Greenboro the month of March than I did in New Bern.  It was very scary to consider the possibility of losing my brother.  It also caused some strained feelings towards baby brother Ken.  I know he loves Glen and would have been devastated to lose him, but I was disappointed in the amount of time he was able to allocate to helping Glen during this time.  Fortunately, Glen has some very good friends and support at Unity Church who pitched in to help with animal care, visits, food and household chores.

During one of my many visits to Greensboro I ran into an ex-husband - Bud...husband number two.  He was at the hospital for a job interview and we had lunch together.  It was a nice visit.

Jack and I celebrated an annivarsary at the end of March. One year together as a couple.  It was a year full of ups and downs, but ended on an up.  Jack came home from work with roses, the first I had ever received from him, and sweet cards.  Then we went out for a romantic dinner at Morgan's Tavern, a place we particularly like.  It was a great anniversary celebration!

APRIL
April brought my sixty-second birthday, not a milestone, just another birthday.  I learned that Jack was not accustomed to giving birthday gifts and he learned that I AM accustomed to getting them.  Next year will be a better birthday...he promised!  I did have a great birthday celebration with Becca,Davis, Katie and Jackson!

The bedroom furniture I ordered in January finally arrived from High Point at the end of April.  It was, and is, beautiful and we are both happy with it.  Good thing as it is probably the last bedroom furniture we will ever have!  One of the downsides of getting older...realizing that your are approaching "lasts' in your life.

We went to California in April, but I will leave the details of that trip for my next installment.  It was a good trip overall, but heralded the start of a summer of medical issues for Jack.

Stay tuned...

New Year, New Beginning...

Well, three weeks into the the New Year and I'm getting used to it being 2012.

I will turn sixty-two this year, which means I will be eligible for Social Security benefits, should I want to take them.  It rather boggles my mind.  I've never been able to imagine being old enough for SS - it's always felt like it was off in the distant future.  Realizing it is upon me is a bit of a reality shock!

No New Year's resolutions for me.  I've never had any luck with them.  While, in one respect, the New Year can feel like a beginning, in most ways, it just feels like a continuation of winter...and I usually can't find any good reason to want to "turn over a new leaf".

This year the New Year actually is a beginning; it is ushering in the start of a new chapter in my life.  I am moving...to a new life in a new city (town?)...moving in with Jack, into his townhouse in New Bern.  Seventy-five miles and ninety minutes from home...and from Becca, Katie and Jackson.  I never expected to move even a short distance from them, so this is a good indicator of how much building a life with Jack means to me.  I'm going to miss them a lot and plan to make that drive between New Bern and Wilmington on a regular basis.  I'm going to miss Wilmington too.  New Bern is quite lacking in things to do, places to go, and good restaurants; Wilmington, on the other hand, lacks Jack!  It is a temporary move, to be sure, only until Jack retires in the next two to three years...then we will return to Wilmington.

I may be nearing sixty-two, but falling in love makes me feel more like twenty-two.  Right now life feels good and I'm happy.      

2011 Comes To An End...

Wow!  Haven't written in a long time!  It is the day after Christmas - the holidays are coming to an end - weeks of shopping, cooking, decorating, wrapping are all over.  Nothing left to do but take down the tree, ring in the new year and forge ahead.

The holidays were...well, holidays.  Spent Thanksgiving at Susan's (Becca's mother-in-law) as we often do.  It was good...except Jack was coming down with something (and stayed sick for a week) and I, apparently, offended Susan (unintentionally) with an offhand comment on Facebook!  I emailed an apology, but never received a response, so...who knows?

Made a visit to Greensboro to see my brothers on the fifteenth - mainly to celebrate Glen's turning sixty.  We had a nice birthday celebration and a nice visit - even got to see Ciera perform in a gymnastic meet.  Then I fell.  I was shopping with Ciera and my foot hit a place where the cement was uneven...and I fell flat on my face!  My left cheek is swollen, bruised and abraded.  Also ended up with a break in my pinky right where it joins the hand!  It hurts...a LOT!  Thank goodness it's my left hand!  Face is improving...the hand is in a splint for 6-8 weeks.  It's only been a little more than a week and I'm already sick of trying to do everything with one hand!

Katie
 in costume after a performance

Christmas was good - and a bit special this year as it was Jack's and my first Christmas together as a couple.  We went to two theater performances.  Katie was in her first play - How The Grinch Stole Christmas - she was a wonderful Candy Cane Who!  It was put on by a Youth Perfomance Theater.  Jackson liked it so well he went to three performances - one with Mommy and Daddy, one with his Grandpa, and one with Jack and me!  The same weekend, after a nice dinner at the Front Street Brewery, Jack and I went to see the Santaland Diaries at City Stage at Level 5.  I always love that show and it was a great production!  Jack had never seen or read it before and really liked it.  We had a great time.

We had a nice Christmas celebration with Becca, Davis and the kids at Lee (Davis' dad) and Karen's on Christmas Eve.  They always have a nice Christmas Eve party...and make fabulous chili!  Christmas Day was Doug's turn for Christmas at Becca's, so Jack and I had a quiet Christmas up at his place in New Bern...which is soon to be my place too!  Yes...we're moving in together the end of January!

Starting a new life in the New Year...        

A Day (or Three) At the Races...

A year ago, if someone had said to me that I would be going to races and liking it, I would have said they were out of their ever-loving minds!  But, to say that Jack loves racing would be an understatement.  It's in his blood. He even loves the smell of methanol (I got a strong whiff and it burned my eyes and my throat)!  Anyway, Jack's passion is racing and I want to be able to share it with him...so I went to my first car race last weekend.

We went to the Charlotte Dirt Track for The World of Outlaws Finals. Three nights of qualifying, heat races and main races featuring Sprint Cars, Late Models and Modifieds. Mind you, most all of this was Greek to me, but now I actually know what I'm talking about...a little!

I learned how just cold it can be up in the grandstands when the wind is blowing. I learned just how much red dirt one can inhale when the track is dry and said wind is blowing. I learned the difference between Late Models and Modifieds (I already knew about Sprint Cars). I ate track food...and paid $4 for a bottle of water, a Diet Coke, a hot dog or a slice of pizza, $6 for a hamburger or a beer...and liked it. We had passes to go into the Pits; seeing the cars close up was very cool. I am now the proud owner of a World of Outlaws hoodie, goggles (for the red dirt) and ear protectors (race cars are very loud). I learned that racing is more than just driving fast...and that watching it is fun and exciting!

I'm even looking forward to our next race trip! 

Exhausting August...

Wow!  Seems August has kept me busy since this is only my second post for the month and the last day of August.  For a little while there, it almost felt I was running a Bed and Breakfast...sans breakfast as everyone helped themselves.

Lin, a girl I went to high school with visited Wilmington with her husband Dale and we had dinner together.  We went downtown for dinner at Elijah's...one of my favorites...then walked along the riverfront in Historic downtown Wilmington.  We hadn't seen each other in forty-three years and didn't know each other very well in high school - so it could have been an awkward evening, but it wasn't.  Jack and I enjoyed the evening with them and conversation flowed easily.  A nice reunion.

The next morning Glen came for a visit and brought Tasha Dog with him.  We ate out a lot, spent time visiting with Becca, Davis, Katie and Jackson and...Glen and Jack finally met.  Tasha enjoyed her time lounging on the porch!   As usual, Glen put in time cleaning up my computers - he's a computer whiz - and he started work upgrading Jack's computer.   He pronounced Jack a nice guy and said I can keep him!  I always enjoy time with Glen.

Next came Roy and Cynthia.  Roy's a former boyfriend and Cynthia is his best friend turned girlfriend.  They were in town so Cynthia could gather more information for her upcoming book on Gullah culture (due to be published by Christmas) and spent two nights with me.  It was a nice visit.

As Roy and Cynthia left, Ken and Ciera arrived.  They wanted one last weekend at the beach before Ciera went back to school.  Got some beach time in and some good food.  Sadly, Becca and family were out of town so the cousins missed each other.  It was good to see them again...a little  odd, but good.

A few days later I experienced a first in my life.  There was a 5.8 earthquake in Northern Virginia that was felt down here!  It created much excitement and frenzy for East Coasters unfamiliar with earthquakes.  I was sitting on Jack's couch watching something I'd DVR'd (he was at work) and the couch started to shimmy sideways.  My first thought was that the dog was scratching while leaning against the couch...until I saw her sitting on a chair!  I didn't know what it was until I later went online, but I'm proud to say I didn't freak!  Jack, being from California, knew exactly what it was immediately.

Gail, Jack and Mardell

Jack's sister Mardell came to town next.  She was in New Jersey visiting a friend and they traveled to Carolina Beach for a few days, so we made plans to meet in Wilmington.  We spent most of the day wandering downtown and visiting - with a stop for lunch at Elijah's, of course, and ice cream at Kilwins.  I really enjoyed meeting her and her friend Ellen.  We got along well; I liked them and they seemed to like me.  Jack later told me I received his sister's stamp of approval.

A few days later, Irene came to town - a rather unwelcome visitor as Irene was a Category 2 hurricane.  We battened down the hatches at my house, left the cats lots of food and water and retreated to Jack's to ride her out.  She was expected to bypass Wilmington and make landfall at Morehead City so we knew the cats would be safe.  We fared well - only losing power for about eight hours.  It got a little warm without A/C and have to admit we missed cable which stayed out about twenty-four hours...but really no great hardship.

Wonder what September has in store...

July...

As usual, July has been a busy month. It is chock full of birthdays - in calendar order - Jack was 64, Michael was 38, Davis was 41 and Becca was 36.  Then there was Ken's yearly beach vacation visit.  We had a good time...as always.  The past two summers Ed was living here and did lots of cooking while they visited.  Prior to that we used to eat out most of the time.  This year was a combo of both - I did some cooking and we did some eating out.

The little cousins spent lots of time together, especially Katie and Ciera.  There were sleepovers in both directions and a trip to the theater with the girls to see Annie. Jackson spent that day with Daddy, while Ken and Matthew detailed my car (a great bonus!). Matthew went off on his own the first few days to hang with some college buddies.  Hard to believe he's twenty now.

We put in lots of beach and pool time.  The girls are becoming excellent swimmers and Jackson is getting braver about trying out his skills.  Katie even managed to coerce Grandma into going down the waterslide at the pool!  Ken took a picture, so my awkward plunge is preserved for posterity!  Jack spent a pool day with us and met Ken and the kids, while Katie and Jackson wore him out in the pool.  We can still hear Jackson calling out, "Mr. Jack! Mr. Jack!"

I've turned into a real beach grandma this summer and am sporting the best tan I've had in decades!  Becca has asked me several times if I am trying to give myself skin cancer.  I do protect my face, but haven't been as careful with the rest of me.  Have to admit I like the color on my arms and legs.

This Saturday Becca and Davis have a wedding in SC, so Katie and Jackson will spend the weekend with Grandma.   

I'm still anticipating visits from Glen and from my niece Laura and her family.  Ken has talked about coming down again, and Jack's sister will be in the area in a few weeks, as well as an old girlfriend of mine from high school.  Hard to say just what August will bring...

Updates Here and There...

Still waiting to hear about the job.  Called the recruiter in HR and got voice mail - hung up without leaving a message.  Yes, I know that was wimpy.  I'll try again tomorrow.  The waiting is killing me, but I'm almost afraid to find out because my hopes may be dashed.  Every job I don't get is one less option available to me - or at least that's how it feels.

My Sunday dinner to introduce Jack to my daughter, son-in-law and grandkids went well.  The food was good - so everyone said - and conversation was fine.  Though Jack was nervous (he said) he interacted nicely with everyone; I was proud to show him off.  Everyone seemed to like him well enough and he seemed to like them.

Well, I am officially one month in arrears on my mortgage.  The bank calls every day...five or six times if I don't answer.  Talked to them today and exlained my situation.  I got a few "I'm sorry" platitudes and several useless suggestions as to how I could get them their money.
The woman at the other end of the phone asked if I had any relatives who could help.  I expressed dismay that she would expect my children to pay my bills when they were busy trying to support their own children.
Then she asked if I had considered renting out a room.  I replied that I'd considered that, but that it would only net me about a fifth of the mortgage payment so why bother.
She replied that I might find work.  I said I was still looking, but at sixty plus and after 18 months without a job, I asked what she thought my odds were.
She asked if I have any income at all.  I told her I had a few more months of unemployment.  She asked how much that is.  I told her and said it is equal to my mortgage payment, which leaves nothing for electricity or food.  I asked if she was suggesting I give up either.
She suggested that I could get hardship permission to tap my 401K.  I said, "You want me to use what little retirement money I have to try and save a house I can't afford so that I can be destitute and eat cat food when I'm seventy?"
She suggested I contact a realtor.  I told her I had and that I would have twenty thousand dollars in out of pocket costs.  She suggested a short sale.  I told her I had considered it but had been told that the bank wouldn't be likely to approve it if I have retirement money in the bank.  She said she didn't know about that.
I think she must have reached the end of her list of suggestions because she finished up by telling me that since I am still in arrears I can expect to get "follow up" calls daily and wished me a nice day...  

My Week in Review...

Okay, I had a great birthday dinner and ice cream with Katie on Tuesday.  It amazes me just how grown she is becoming.

The dentist on Wednesday wasn't quite as bad as I expected and I have an appointment to get the the rest of the work in a few weeks.  Maybe my teeth will last me a lifetime after all.

Thursday's interview went well and the job sounds pretty decent for a hospital job.  The manager said she thought I'd fit in well on the unit.  She had one more interview to do Friday then would make a decision.  I feel like I've got a good shot at it - but one never knows anymore.  Recruiting promised I'd hear something one way or the other this week. 
The hospital is exactly one hundred sixteen miles from my front door and thirty-nine miles from Jack's front door.  We talked about it and Jack is okay with my commuting from his place.  I'm trying not to let my mind run rampant with "what if" plans for the future.

I hate the waiting...  

A Busy Week...

This is a bit of a busy week coming up - busy by my standards, though I'm sure not busy by daughter Rebecca's "busy-mom-of-two" standards.

Drove back to Wilmington today after a weekend in New Bern with Jack and arrived just in time for an appointment with Rusty, my financial advisor.  Rusty's a sweet thirty-something young man who pays me lots of attention and is helping me plan for retirement - something I should have started decades ago!  Turns out I have a bit more set aside than I thought and he has some good ideas for pulling a small monthly income out of it to supplement Social Security.  If I can wait until age sixty-six to retire, I might be able to make it on my own if I keep it very simple - if I am not alone I will be in good shape.  If I have to retire at age sixty-two, I can only make it if I have a life partner to share expenses.  Not great news, but it helps to have a realistic picture of the future.  Rusty is fully behind my plan to walk away from my house.  He says it makes perfect sense for me.

Tomorrow - the summer solstice -  my beautiful granddaughter Katie turns seven.  She's already had a beach party with friends; tomorrow will be dinner with family at a restaurant of her choice followed by homemade ice cream at Boombalatti's!  It's hard to believe she's seven years old already - the time's gone by so fast.  She's becoming an amazing young girl.

Wednesday is the first of my upcoming appointments for dental work.  It will be an uncomfortable and expensive afternoon!  Thursday I have the job interview at Carteret Hospital.  That will be interesting and stressful as it can affect several areas of my life - or change nothing at all.

Finally comes the weekend.  Jack and I will spend it together as we usually do...with one change.  Becca, Davis and the kids are coming for Sunday dinner and Jack will finally meet them.  

By my standards, a very busy week... 

If...

I find myself in a place I could never have conceived of a few years ago.  Always thought I knew where my life was going.  At this age, I'd be nearing a milestone wedding anniversary, enjoying the grandchildren and planning retirement with my husband.  I came to terms with divorces, remarriages and relationships a long time ago, but anticipated that everything else would remain stable.  How wrong could one woman be???

Sometimes it feels like my world is shattering around me.  I have been unemployed for sixteen months and prospects are dim.  In two more months my health insurance runs out, but I'm three and a half years away from Medicare.  My unemployment will end in four months and, unless a job turns up, I will be without income.  I can draw Social Security at age sixty-two, in ten months, but it will be a reduced amount and not enough to live on.  My plan was always to wait until full retirement age of sixty-six to begin drawing but I won't be there for another four and a half years.  There is always the option of trying to find a low level job which will give me some income but, again, not enough to live on.  I can also try to purchase private health insurance but it is expensive - especially for someone with hypertension and little income

As my previous post (Requiem for an American Dream) explains, I can't afford to keep my house.  I missed my first mortgage payment this month.  Judging by others' experiences, I should be able to continue living here at least six more months, but I will eventually have to leave.  Where will I go?  My daughter has reassured me that I can live with her if necessary, but that is not something either one of us wants to see happen - though it was a comfort to hear her say that and I love her for it.

It is scary to have the future so uncertain, to have no idea where I will live or how I will support myself.  If I can land a good job with good benefits I would be okay.  If my current relationship works out and if we were to move in together and share expenses I would be okay and happy.  If I were to win the lottery...

If is a very big word...

San Francisco, Returning Home and Clogged Pipes...

Back from my San Francisco trip for two days...and the bathroom pipes clogged again.  Steve - my good-looking plumber - came by, unclogged the pipes and once again refused payment.  He's going to come back next week with a camera and see if he can find the root of the problem.  There's got to be a reason the pipes keep clogging.  I hope we can get this taken care of...I can't keep calling him every few days and he can't keep unclogging my pipes gratis.

San Francisco was nice.  Visited the Castro District and enjoyed the Different Lights Bookstore; went to Chinatown to eat Dim Sum and to North Beach to eat Italian.   Traipsed through the rain to the Japanese Tea Garden, had some tea and met a delightful young man from the Netherlands.

Johan was in the states on business and enjoying the sights.  He is 32, single and fluent in Dutch, English and German with a smattering of French.  He recently met a very nice young lady online named Eva and was hoping the separation would not thwart a budding romance as the eight hour time difference made communication difficult.  As we sat and shared stories of hopeful romance found online, I found myself wondering if an American that age would be as comfortable chatting with a sixty year old woman as he was.

Also visited the famed City Lights Bookstore, prowled the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, walked Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square, rode the trolleys and the cable cars, and toured Alcatraz as described in my previous post.  It rained a lot and the temps stayed between forty-five and sixty.

It was a nice trip, but I was ready to come home.  Rather unusual for me.  I'm usually gypsy-like and never quite ready to go home.  This time was different.  I learned that, while I love to travel, who I am with matters more than where I go and the person I really wanted to be with was back home.

More Questions...Just for Fun

Found these on another blog and borrowed them...don't know why there are only nineteen and not twenty, but since I stole them, I won't complain.

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?  My pets are definitely members of the family.  I have two cats right now.  I've had other cats and dogs in the past.  They live in the house, sleep on my bed and are mourned when they die.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?  That my granddaughter's, my brother's and my hearing all be restored to normal.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?  Intolerence...accompanied by violence.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?  Give some to each of my family members to make their lives comfortable - Children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews...and a couple of friends.  Then settle down somewhere and start traveling.  Would also likely give to some favorite causes if I had that much money.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?  Laughter, my grandkids, hugs...

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?  Very tough question.  Being loved is the greatest feeling in the world...but so is loving someone whole-heartedly.  It must be a toss-up, but going to say loving someone as giving is more rewarding than receiving.

7. What is your bedtime routine?  Don't have much of one.  Off with the clothes, under the covers, read for a little while and spoon if I'm not alone.

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?  Kind of have two semi-relationships right now - see my other blog Auntie G's Adventures in Online Dating for details.  I met them both online.  One through eHarmony and the other through SeniorPeopleMeet.com

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, what would it be?  Never gave this any thought.  I lived with an artist for a while and watched him create beautiful paintings from blank canvas.  Also lived with a writer and saw that process.  Maybe watch the process of composing music...or the process of a stage production.

10. What kinds of books do you read?  Legal thrillers, political fiction, mysteries, current fiction, some non-fiction...to name a few...Not fond of short stories.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?  Happily coupled, well-traveled and enjoying my grandkids...

12. What’s your fear?  Growing old alone.

13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?  Don't have any real desire to visit outer space...too many places on this planet I haven't seen yet.  Of course, it would be in my best interest to forego junk food for the rest of my life...

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?   Really tough one since I want to be neither single nor poor.  Single and rich...and living with someone???    Not sure which way to tip the scales.  Married, but poor...if it was happily married.

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?  Should I state the obvious?  Head for the bathroom...

16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?  Well, don't actually have one right now...two potentials are more like it.  I like them just the way they are - if I could change one thing about whoever becomes my partner, guess it would be to have him be rich.  Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure makes life easier.

17. If you could pick a new name for yourself what would it be?  Katie was my favorite name for a long time, but it now belongs to my granddaughter.  Sooo will have to come up with a new one.  Used to like Abby when I was a young girl and Sarah when I was in my twenties...

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?  I would try, but there are somethings I could not forgive no matter how special the someone is.

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?  It would have to be Italian food.  I could never give that up.  Of course, I'd weigh three hundred pounds in six months...

An Ending...

It's been along time since my last post and lots has happened.  Actually, only one thing has happened, but it feels like lots.  My relationship has ended.

We were together for over two years and we lived together for a year and eight months.  Ending our relationship was a mutual decision.  Turns out we are as different as night and day.  In the beginning, we thought we had so much in common, but it seems we were looking at our common interests through rose-colored glasses.  My niece, a therapist, pointed out that in new relationships commonalities tend to get blown out of proportion - "You like white?  Wow, I like white, too!"  Don't know if that's what happened with us, but the end result is the same.  The relationship died slowly months ago; he moved out a couple of weeks ago.

We did have one true commonality - a love of family.  We both place a high priority on family and on merging families.  We created some good memories of family gatherings, times I will always remember and cherish.  I can't speak for him, but I will miss those gatherings...and his family.