We had a great time. My daughter had a field day... no, week, because when your parents are divorced and you're the only grandchild on both sides and everyone wants to see you, you get something like 8 Christmases ;)

Fun moments: Watching the girlie sneak around in all her Spy Gear. She got a black jacket, put on her black boots, spy gear in a bandalier-type thing... oh my. Too funny. Playing Scrabble with my fiance and my Dad. I don't remember Dad ever joining in on games. We happened to get 2 sets of Scrabble for Christmas so I left one at my parents' house so we can play when I visit. (Dad tromped us, by the way!)

Another great time was watching Michael and my daughter play a card game called "Blink". It moves really fast but it's simple to play (so it's terrific for kids). The hilarious part was all the "smack" talk taking place - I had no idea Katie was so spunky. Hilarious, I tell you!  She even won a few times, can you tell?

Plans for New Years are ... well, there are none.   But the New Year, 2008, is going to be amazing :)

but life is great :)

Michael and I met online back in February and we are doing awesomely :)  There are 1000 miles between us at the moment, but he's making arrangements to move up this way soon.  He is undoubtedly the most amazing man on the planet and he's all mine. yay!  What's even MOSTEST coolester, is that he thinks I'm the most amazing woman on the planet.  And I'm all his!  woot!  The major difference between this relationship and any other? is it's based in our faith.  What an amazing difference. 

The kiddo is awesome, work is fine, happiness abounds :)

Yay!  

I met my sweetie on another blog site via a mutual friend.  He lives 1000 miles away - literally - so it has its share of challenges.  

What I like about it :  

We started out as people with mutual interests chatting about those interests.  It wasn't a dating service - we started out as friends.  The emotional aspects kicked in later.   

We've spent months talking about our faith, families, dreams for the future, past relationships, etc.

After 3-4 months of talking, we finally met face to face.  I felt instantly like I was home. 

Each being divorced, we're very dedicated to not experiencing that again.

Despite the distance, we have movie dates - finding movies we have in common or renting them, hitting Play at the same time.

My mailbox is surprised by "thinking of you" greeting cards... that's SO cool.

We're really enjoying ourselves.  Hoping to close the distance relatively soon.  Meanwhile, we're keeping those cell phones and text messages burning!

having a good time back at church - the kiddo loves going to Sunday School and asked if we could go EVERY Sunday for the rest of our lives :)  I hate to tell her about the summer hiatus *eek.

After talking online since January or so,  I finally met my Knight last weekend.  He was every bit as kind and sweet in person as online.  Yay!  And he wasn't a murderer!  Double-yay!   It was more fun than you can imagine - and knowing you lot, that's saying something.  :)

Yay for lurve!  

Catchup! Har!

It's been a crazy month at Hvn's Haven but things are heading in a really good direction right now.  I made a few stupendously stupid mistakes and thankfully no long-term harm has come of it - I got involved with someone so far removed from my own lifestyle that it scared me straight, so to speak.   I think my "fling" with exotic latino males is done :)  The accents WERE really cool, though ... sigh.

So... I've made a turnaround.  Katie and I will be going back to church.  I've started reading the Bible.  I'm recentering myself in a healthy direction and I feel SO relieved.  The craziness was fun and exciting, but I liked how Doug - yes, my ex-husband - put it.  "Stop going after opposites and people who fill the far edges of who you are"

That rings SO true.  The parts of Doug and Sean and Ricardo that I found exciting or exotic helped fill this outer-fringe desire for excitement and non-normalcy (that's worded really poorly but I hope it makes sense).  I fear being with someone "too" normal because although it sounds really safe and reliable .. it also sounds dull after a few years.  But someone more like me - with a solid core that is good, loving, and kind - with some flashy quirks to keep things interesting - now THAT would rock.

I just may have found him :)  It's very early yet, but the initial signs are stupendous - not just good, STUPENDOUS.  We will meet face to face for the first time next month.  It's squee-alicous!

So how YOU doin?  

• Happy President's Day - Katie and I celebrated by cleaning house and going to the children's museum for the afternoon.
• Mom is doing much better this week, still very tender where the incision was but that's to be expected.
• MASSIVE work project rolled out this week, after 5 years of requirements gathering, software design, testing, redesign, testing, tweaking, testing, training and rollout. Thank goodness. AND... the clients are happy. I'm SO good at what I do :)
• Dating - I'm not. Quite deliberately staying solo for awhile. Doing some reading in my newly rediscovered free time. It's all good :)
• and that's about it from Lake Wobegon!
• OH .. getting ready for the Museum - Katie decides she wants to wear a dress and a matching hairbow, "ya know mom, to attract the boys."  Oh GOOD GRIEF.  *giggle 

My Mom called me last night to let me know (FINALLY) that she was having "minor" surgery TODAY on her breast to remove a lump.

For the record, no surgery on your parent is "minor".

Hey, see that link over to the top right, "Click to donate a free mammogram?" CLICK IT.

Mom came thru the surgery fine and when i called her tonight she was loopy on pain-killers. So how is she planning to spend her recovery? By having a colonoscopy Friday. Woo, does my Momma know how to party or what :)

Because it is SO perfect, I sent her a link to tblog's gfak40 blog post about his colonoscopy. I completely love his writing and if you haven't seen this one, you should!

It's pretty well known that local media goes a little nuts if any snow or ice is expected. It's also apparently a law that the two guys from Chicago have to make fun of the "local yokels" for not being able to handle a few snowflakes.  They moved here in 1998.  Get some new lines, you jokers.  Jeeze. Same damn thing, EVERY TIME.

There's 4-5 inches on the back deck so far, and no signs of it stopping any time soon.  Bleh.  

For the record?  Our new cat likes being tossed into the snow about as well as dear Toby used to.  *giggle*.

I guess it's like the cranky Chicagoans.  It's tradition.   

Houston, Texas - their weather sucks in the winter too; but there is still awesome food.

Sinus infections left untreated turn really really ugly.

That pretty well sums it up.  

I invoke my powers as a female to change my mind about logging in/posting ;P

I read a book yesterday that has given me a "lot to chew on", as my Grandmother used to day. It's "The Four Agreements", by don Miguel Ruiz. subtitle "A Personal Guide to Freedom". It's also "A Toltec Wisdom Book." The Toltec were (and are!) men and women of Mexico - artists, scientists, philosophers - who formed a community to preserve the spiritual knowledge and ways of their ancestors. The Toltec ways have been passed down for generations, outlasting the conquests of Europe and modern times, and they continue to be keepers of knowledge.

I'll not be posting here or lusing tblurt any more. I thought Doug and I could remain friendly and banter back and forth, but apparently that isn't the case.  We always prided ourselves on being able to do things that weren't "the norm" but I guess even we can't pull this one off.

Daytripper7 - let it be publicly known I never harbored one ill thought about you.  You're a sweet person and I hope your future life is happier and healthier than you can ever imagine.  

That's about it.  Yall take care.