All good things must come to an end?? I hate that saying.....

Well, I had a fabulous weekend. I drove to Florence to see W. We didn't do anything great but we just spent the time together and that made it a fabulous weekend. I think I could do absolutely nothing with him and have a good time. I love that about W. He is just so easy to be with and we could talk all day and night or not say a word and it would be just as good. I was finally introduced to his parents on Saturday and I loved them! I also got to meet his son for a few minutes. What a cutie!

He was called to work on Friday night at midnight. He works for CSX and some super smart person had run through a crossing guard and broken it. W had to replace the guard and rewire the signals to flash when the arm goes down. He had to do all of this in the POURING rain and thunder and lightning. I actually went with him and sat in the truck while he worked....well....I should confess that I SLEPT in the truck while he worked. I was impressed with what I saw though! That's something else that I like about W....he is a HARD worker and he can fix ANYTHING. After being married to a man who couldn't change a light bulb without calling for my help, that's a very important quality to me. Ok...so I exaggerate a little but the ex was quite helpless.

As usual, the weekend had to come to an end and I had to drive 4 hours home. I hate the long distance thing BUT, given the fact that we were both divorced in the last year, I believe that our relationship can and will be stronger when we are actually able to be together.....and I hope that isn't too far off.

I hope everyone else had a fabulous Easter weekend. I'm really not looking forward to tomorrow morning at all.....

1 Year Anniversary today.....

......since I've been divorced! What a roller coaster ride it's been too! APRIL 8, 2008 was the day. I didn't realize that it was my 1 year anniversary until this afternoon when I finally had to write today's date on a check. It kind of made me feel like I had reached a milestone. No one really WANTS to be divorced, I assuming, but the fact that I've made it a full year and I'm still in tact is an accomplishment.

The last year of my life has been up and down. I spent the first 6 months in the bed...literally. I couldn't get up. I later found out that I had a bad case of mono and that was contributing to my lazy, tired body but I was also in some serious depression. I finally got a prescription for Zoloft and Wellbutrin and I was able to life myself out of that hole. By the time November rolled around, I was ready to go on a date.

Since then, I've found a great man. We'll call him W. More on him later.....

Preteen Misery

How is it that I'm the mom of two preteen girls? They are only 10 & 11 but they are both in full blown pre-adolescence. I have never seen two people as miserable as A & L are. And the drama!! The drama is incredible. For example, A brought home her report card this week. She had 5 As, 2 Bs, 1 C. She bawled...and I do mean bawled...her eyes out for an hour or more over the C. Nevermind that it's still a 3.5 GPA!! Let's also not forget that she is in a new middle school this year. L had all As and 1 B+.

Tonight is L's turn to be miserable (I think they must take shifts because it would be exhausting to be miserable ALL the time). She absolutely couldn't believe that I didn't buy deli meat at the grocery store yesterday and there was NOTHING to eat in the house. As I recall, I spent approximately $150 yesterday buying food that SHE likes!! Oh! How could I forget this morning? On the way to school, she had a MELTDOWN over a story that MUST be written today...before she arrived at school. I tried to help her by giving her topic ideas and none of them were good enough.

And then there's G. I think she has a goal of saying "Momma" as many times as she can in one day. It's most pleasurable to her to say my name when I'm on the phone.

I know that all of this will pass one day and I'll look back and laugh...actually, I'll look back and wish that their preteen girls will act the same way to them as they act to me. I hope I can make it that long.....

Pictures and Christmas Cards

I finally had my girls pictures made. Tina Nitz of Nitz Photography www.nitzphotography.com always captures the best shots of the girls. Tina recently worked with Pottery Barn kids for their photography needs. Her work is really awesome and I am so lucky to have her! Check out her website and you'll see her fabulous work.

This year, she created the Most Awesome Christmas card for me. You can see a sample of it above. It is two sided and will fold into 4 small panels. It has a high gloss finish and I'm just so excited to send these this year.

I spent way too much money on these pictures. I choose to believe that these photos are keepsakes that will be cherished for many years. Somehow, I feel more justified that way. I was able to purchase Christmas gifts for the grandparents and a storyboard for myself. I also purchased black and white 16x20 wall portraits of each girl. I can't wait to pick these up from her studio and get them framed and hung!!

I just googled "pumpkins" hoping to find some ideas on how to carve our pumpkins this year. This is one of the images that I found. I think it's hilarious... and I think my neighbors would get a good laugh. The homeowner's president however would probably fine us... she's not got much of a sense of humor.

I also found this cute picture. I love the creativity!

It was actually CHILLY here this morning in Florida... and I LOVE IT!

Tips for Saving Money

In this slow economy we should all be a little more aware of how we spend our money. I work for Citigroup so I've been very worried about keeping my job in the last few months. Luckily, at this point I feel like the lay offs are nearing the end but the thought of possible losing my job has made me very aware of where I can save money.

Oprah's show today was all about how people across the country are learning to save. There are so many simple ways to save a little extra every month....and it all adds up!

I would love to hear how you cut costs....and what you plan to do with your savings!!

What do you love?

Is there something in your life that you just absolutely can not imagine not being a part of your life? For example, my daughter LOVES ballet. She lives to dance. She enjoys every hour she spends in a dance studio...and she spends many hours there! It thrills me that she is so passionate about something.

I honestly have to say that I am missing that kind of passion in my life and that makes me sad. I am trying to remember if I ever had a passion. I'm sure I did at one time but I can't remember that time in my life.

What about you? Do you have a passion for something in your life?