Blog 2015

Wow.  New blog 2015 and it had over 5700 page views in 2015. Averaged over 800 a month.  The most popular posting was about Dave's memory book.  And Belinda's wedding came in second.  Most viewers were from the United States, but I got visitors from all over. It's kind of fascinating looking at all the numbers for it and realizing that it is read.  It's not just my personal journal tucked in a drawer somewhere (and speaking of that....I did find the one I had like that).
So may 2016 have at least 365 posts and may my page views double.  It may be time to amp it up a bit and see what happens.  Good-bye 2015 as you become memories and blog posts. 

New Year's Eve

We got some drive thru McDonald's and then took it to the park by Who Song and Larry's.  We watched planes landing.  We watched trains hustling down the tracks.  We watched the water moving.  And it was so quiet and nice.  Just the three of us. 
Came home and are now winding down.  Watching a little Netflix on the TV and we will be out long before midnight. 

Swimming Suits

It must be time for the stores to bring in the swimming suits.  We went shopping for snow gear locally and could not find much.  We bought the last two pairs of kids snow boots at Walmart.  Both boys.  That does not make my girl happy.  But she would be more unhappy with wet cold feet. 
Found some bibs online, but there is no way they could be shipped in time for this weekend.  Oy.
Then someone said something about craigslist.  So I checked and lo and behold there were one of each on there.  The one for a girl would have been iffy depending on how roomy it was.  Turns out that one was for sale in northwest Portland.  Now to me Jantzen Beach is northwest Portland.  Nope.  Think Pearl District.  I was so excited to have to drive over there and then back during rush hour. 
Well my friend Michael made a call to Kidz Cloz in town and she had two in each particular size I needed.  I already had a meet set for the boys so I kept that and then bought the girls in town.  No drive to Portland tonight. 
So we have coats, gloves, bibs and boots.  I have tons of scarves.  And we have a ride.  And if the ride falls through I will just suck it up and drive us, but I think we are set.  Don't know what my friend Doug is going to think when I tell him that Audrie has decided to tell people he is my boyfriend.  I think she and I need to have a little chat about what a boyfriend is.  Too funny. 

Snow

I've been watching Silver Star and it is just covered in snow.  A very good amount up there.  And it makes me want to take the littles up to some and play in it.  There won't be any more sledding on the hill at Papa's house.  And so I have to fill that void. 
There are a few obstacles though.  The first being snow wear.  Audrie did just get a coat so that is taken care of.  They need bibs, boots and gloves though.  And then we need a ride.  I'm pretty sure my car will not do well in snow.  The mini would have, but since we no longer have that one.....
The weather forecasts sounds like it could be a great weekend for it.  So here is hoping I get past the obstacles and get to take lots of pictures of the littles in snow. 

Now What?

So we have decided to stick it out here.  It has quieted down this week so maybe we are settling into a routine that we all can live with.  But while we are sticking it out to see if it will work I am in limbo.  Do I keep integrating our households or do we stay status quo in case we move in a month?  I don't know what to do.  Betting that I keep integrating and maybe that will be what keeps us here. 
Always watching and looking for work arounds to keep the noise level and chaos at a minimum.

2015 Winding Down

2015 is quickly coming to a close.  There have been a lot of ups and downs.  A lot of changes.  A lot of learning and growing  The biggest change was moving.  The hardest change was living without Dave.  But we did it and we have survived all of it. 
Audrie is growing in leaps and bounds with kindergarten.  She is practicing letters and their sounds all the time.  That in turn means Connor is also.  He never has to invent the wheel. 
Watching them grow and interact and learn warms my heart.  I love when their faces light up as they grasp new things.  Lately we have been discussing weddings and kissing and dresses.  I think my girly girl is starting to plan hers already. 
My personal world has shrunk and grown in unexpected ways.  Nice to finally find a friend to do grown up stuff with.  Sad that I allowed my world to be so taken up in the past that I lost a lot of myself.  Working on finding me and expanding my world.  So I again thank all those who I reconnected with from my past who reminded me of who I was and still am somewhere in the person I became.
So as this year winds down I am thankful for all the lessons.  I am thankful for the changes good and bad.  I am nothing if not a survivor and a bit of a sociopath.  And I have accepted that.  And now to start planning 2016 as much as it can be planned because I have learned that life always throws me a curve ball. 

Breakfast

I invited my friend Doug to coffee and he changed it to breakfast.  We met at a little hole in the wall called Lisa's Country Kitchen.  We had a nice breakfast, mediocre coffee, great conversation and visited with some friends of his.  Hid deal is he really hates chain restaurants.  So that is why he picked this place.  He was right....it was a much better breakfast than we would have had at Shari's. 
It was a nice hour out of the ordinary and a great distraction. 
Thanks for coming out before football, Doug, and for breakfast, coffee, conversation and Illinois planning.