twistedmensa

My MIL and FIL were both Catholic but never attended Mass together. He was a crack of dawn type and she loved to sleep in.

My grandparents were the same way...and they were polar opposites politically, as well.  I loved watching them interact.

The date of my high school reunion has been changed from July 23 to July 30, so I might be able to make this work. I think my kids would literally kill me in my sleep if they thought they had a chance to go to Disneyland and I didn't take them...lol. DH and I took them when they were younger. My daughter remembers going, but my son was only 4 and doesn't remember.

I'm sorry about your cat. We had to euthanize our cat last summer for the same reason. He had a large protruding tumor in the exact same place as DH...it was very surreal. The kids were sad, but they handled it very well.

Congratulations for losing 20 pounds!

I really need to start exercising and eating healthier, too. I have gained back most of the weight I lost on what I referred to as the "Widow Diet" and that is not a good thing as I was definitely what would be referred to as "fat and happy" when DH passed away. 

My daughter wants to start working out and we can use the facilities at the Air Force Base for free, but I'm really self-conscious about my weight so I've been avoiding it. Perhaps I should heed my own words (Suck it up, Buttercup!) and just do it. I am really not liking what I see in the mirror these days.

It looks like I have a competing activity that may interfere with my attendance. My thirty year reunion is being held in the Denver area and the two possible dates are the weekends of July 16 and July 23. I guess I will just have to wait and see how everything unfolds. In a perfect world, Disneyland would be sometime around July 16, then to Denver for my reunion the weekend of July 23 and then continue north to Cheyenne Frontier Days for a little rodeo action!

Congratulations!

Being the house the kids all hang out at is a blessing and a curse. I liked always knowing where they were, but the wear and tear on the house was remarkable. Holes magically appeared in the walls (interior and exterior) and nobody has any idea how it happened...lol. I get it. When I prepped our home in Florida for sale, I shipped the kids off to my mom's in AZ. After that, once I cleaned something, it stayed clean.

Now that we have moved into our new home, the damage has already begun. The toilet paper roll holder has been pulled from the wall....and nobody knows how it happened...(rolling my eyes).

And here's a great big fuck you to Santa. Where are you when I need you? I'm wrapping presents at midnight Christmas Eve....ALONE! Why, Santa, am I doing YOUR job? You are a slacker and maybe it's the Bailey's talking, but I would enjoy the hell out of kicking your jolly fat ass!!

I hope everything went well today.

I don't have one...but I'm pretty sure it would end up tied up and left to roast over a candle flame...lol.

Arizona desert dweller....Phoenix area.

I have many of the same feelings. My faith has been shaken to the core. It isn't that I question the existence of God, but my understanding of the nature of God has been shattered. This has been very troubling for me, since my faith is what has gotten me through the most trying times of my life.

Anger...I think I am permanently stuck in this "stage."

Last year was our first Christmas without DH. It sucked. We didn't decorate, except for a 12 inch tiny musical tree that I got for the kids a few days before Christmas...just to have something to put a few gifts under. This year, my kids are definitely looking forward to the season (I'm not) so I decorated the house, including the outside. I still can't locate some of the decorations, they are either stacked in the garage or I have misplaced some boxes during the move, but our home is nonetheless "festive."

I have always done Christmas dinner at my house until we moved to the Keys in 2012. Now that I'm back, it looks like I'm back to doing dinner. I enjoy baking, but not in bulk...so I opt for the Honeybaked Ham Store in my time of need and let them do the grunt work. I plan on watching a marathon of my favorite holiday movies and avoiding as much socializing as I can.

I would be perfectly happy if nobody showed up, but my mother has already invited people. I have never been a Martha Stewart type, so playing hostess is not my thing. I don't get a big thrill out of putting on a fancy holiday shindig. I'm a little resentful that I have to play Susie Homemaker for the day when I would be perfectly happy to do a drive-thru dinner.

I am trying to remind myself that putting on a brave face, while difficult, will make better Christmas memories for my kids. No need for me to rob them of happiness this time of year.

So I will don the Christmas Tree hat with the pretty LED lights and put on a maniacal smile that screams, "Merry Freakin' Christmas!"

I'm in. I'm currently surrounded by adolescent attitude.

I think I'm going to remove my profile from the site I was on. The only hits I've gotten thus far are either under 30 or over 65...I'm not a stickler for age, but under 30??? No thanks, I already have two kids...lol.

The only decorating I did last year was a 12 inch musical tree that we got less than a week before Christmas Day. I only did that so there was a place to put the few gifts I got for the kids. This year, I've dragged out all of the boxes labeled Christmas and plan on setting them up on Monday. I know the kids will be glad. Me, not so much...but the fact that I'm even motivated to set things up is a big step.

I am thankful that there are restaurants open so my happy ass doesn't have to cook or clean today!!

I desperately want human contact... except when I have it.

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OMG...story of my life...lol. GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!

A small cabin in the mountains is what I live and breathe for. I'm just trying to get my kids raised and off on their own so that I can do it. City life is NOT for me anymore and hasn't been for quite some time.

I have found trying to help my children with their grief while experiencing my own the absolute hardest part.  The most difficult parenting issues we will face and we are facing them without the help of our partner and a time when we are at our own personal weakest.  It is way too much, way too hard. 

This. You ripped the words right out of my mind.

I have no family and a child who fights with me daily.  Well, he's not a child, he's a young adult who should be on his own.  The stress and the unhappiness is taking its toll on me. 

I totally get this. I fight almost daily with my adult (19) child. She refuses to do anything to improve her situation. She won't get a job, she won't go to school, she won't even go to counseling. She has an excuse for everything and I am beginning to run out of patience and sympathy.

If you ever need to vent about your son, I can absolutely give you a sympathetic ear.

I miss his smile.

I've been trying to get my 19 year old daughter to get her license for over a year now. She doesn't even have her permit yet. She did try and take the written exam about 6 months ago, but failed it because she didn't bother studying the manual. I have to go to DMV today and I gave her several days warning, but she has put off looking over the manual until 6 am this morning. It's more important to her to socialize online with people she has never met. Now she's throwing attitude at me because I'm rushing her... :  "Mom...you know I've been up all night...I can't take a test, I'll fall asleep!"  Any excuse to avoid responsibility.

I would KILL to see her driving off in my old car...nothing bittersweet about it...lol.

UPDATE:

FINALLY!!! I have stereo enjoyment! Geek Squad mounted the tv to the wall today and I hooked up the stereo...I'm not so sure the neighbors are happy, but I'm ecstatic!!!

I may have to break down and update my receiver. It's a 15 year old Harmon Kardon, I really like it, but it doesn't have any HDMI hookups, and that's how most new components are configured. Looking for one that is 4K compatible, but this will get me by for a while.

First up on the playlist: Lana Del Rey, Ride....