Weekend Update

I made some money off of eBay and after figuring in the costs of the items, the packaging materials and the shipping costs, I did okay. I sold about half of the stuff I listed and some of it went for more than I could have imagined. The other side of the coin is that I am free of a bunch of "stuff" and the bookshelves are a little leaner. Maybe I can get on KSL classifieds and Craigslist and try to move the remaining junk that way. Hmmmmmm........

School starts next week. I like that I get a half of a week to myself before I have to start my own classes. This is going to be a great year for AJ & CC. Maybe me too?!

LL's girl is here "in country" as of late Saturday evening. We won't see her til Monday morning but her text said she was on the ground at the airport. I know it is knocking LL on her butt to have her girl here (and not there). I don't know how she managed to get from her airport back to her home. There aren't wiper blades on eyelids. It had to be killer. Her text said it was hard watching her daughter "walk away". It takes a lot of faith and guts to let go like that. It's LL's b-day tomorrow and this is a cruddy way to spend it. I wish I could fly out there and spend time with her doing some celebrating. Money is the root of all plane tickets!

Talked to Soda today. He called to ask me to come to his work so he could talk. Once I was there, all he wanted to tell me was that he wasn't a "cry baby" and that he was fine, "sorry to have bothered you". Geez, Soda. What the heck is so wrong with feeling emotional about the woman you love having a potentially life-threatening event in her life? How can you be that shut down? Sometimes he is such a neanderthal. But I love him anyway.

Gotta find a new phone plan. Stone wants the phone back for his boy once he is returned from hi mission next month. I don't know what I'm gonna do. Probably just go back to using a prepaid Tracfone and use it only if it is absolutely necessary. That will hurt, cuz I've just gotten used to having text access to LL and JW, etc. Easy come, easy go though.

My legal assisting is still going on. I tell you what, some of the things that people fight over when they are breaking up are so sad. And how about the way they put their kids in the middle of things as little guilt tools to manipulate their situations. Police escorts to supervise getting your stuff from your former house, not returning the kids from visitation, refusing to let the kids see the other parent, moving out of state where one parent won't see the kids very often if ever...Gotta have a strong constitution to handle this stuff day after day - for a living.

Ever read these books?

A Boy, A Dog, A Frog and A Friend

Frog on His Own

Frog, Where Are You?

A Boy, A Dog and a Frog

Just wondering...

Ebay & Lumps

So, Ebay has a free listing period until September 7th and I got in on it. I gathered up a pile of old books and VHS or DVD videos and clothes and auctioned them off. Some things went like wildfire and some fell flat. All in all I made some cash so now the kids can get their school clothes without mom cringing at the register!!! Thanks, Ebay!

In other news, we had a visiting teaching conference last night in which I sang with a group of sisters. The final number was about being sisters and they had us all stand up and hold hands in a giant ring while we sang it. http://www.defordmusic.com/mysistershands.htm

It was a sweet experience that threw me off my singing a bit but we got through it. And believe it or not, I did not indulge in the chocolate fondue fountain that was part of the dinner! It didn't appeal to me....go figure. But boy those croissant chicken salad sandwiches made an impression. I had to take a second one and go outside to eat it so I didn't give away my secret pig-out persona. GOOD STUFF, MANARD!

This morning I got a call from Soda. He just found out that his wife has found a "lump". She has to schedule a mammogram (appointments are a few weeks out) but she doesn't want to. This brought back all the nightmare memories of having watched her mother suffer and die from the same thing. He's so convinced that it will be the worst news that he is beside himself with grief already. "I can't do this." He asked me to not tell anyone so I'M NOT TELLING ANYONE! But he needs prayers to cope. I suggested he get on his knees and pour his heart out to the Lord but he didn't want to talk anymore when I mentioned it. I even said he'd want to help his son if his son was suffering with something this serious, and the Lord is just as loving a father with his sons. This made Soda so uncomfortable that he ended the call. Hmmmmmm.

LL's oldest daughter will be flying out here next week for school. She sent me a list of books that are coming here through the mail. She will be living on campus, which is a great thing for freshmen. LL is going to miss her girl, though. They are tight and great friends. It will be a rough one. That will leave LL at home with only two kids (cuz hubby is in Iraq and oldest boy is on a mission). She's a strong woman but things like this can tear you up for a while. I pray for her peace and safety all the time.

Stone's oldest boy will return from his mission at the end of next month. Stone is so excited to have his boy back! He said they will go as a family to Disneyland and then shortly after that he will take the boy on a cruise that goes down near where the boy served his mission. His next oldest boy is getting his papers in order to go next. Big changes in that household, man.

Ma was here last week for a night. She shopped and spent the night at our place. Next day we met Stone for lunch at a new Taco Time nearby. Before she left we watched 4 CD's filled with pictures of her trip to Rome and the Italian countryside. Lots of great photos of the statues and flowers.

AJ had band camp all week last week. From 8am to 8pm for a whole week! On Friday we parents got to go sit on the field and watch a sneak peak of their new performance for the year. I got a great seat right in front of him and took video and photos of my boy doing his music/ percussion thing! Talk about a thrill! It's so awesome that he has such talent and enjoys it at the same time.

CC went to girl's camp and had fun with her friends there. The leaders were acting like the girls, she said, and it was weird but fun too. She also went boating with her friends one day this week and to a water park with other friends this week. I have to say that she is very social and I envy her skills at this. Now we have to get her over this cough she has. She's ready for school to begin!

I'm tired. Legal work until late. Boxing and shipping Ebay stuff. Shower? Chya!!!

This week in review

Well, I turned in my first billing invoice to get paid for my legal assistance.

I'm hoping to get paid soon........

So, this week this is how CC and I spent our time. Chillin' and taking it easy.

.......

AJ just returned from a weeklong camp. He came in with stories and well-used camping equipment but what I noticed most of all was....

.....his stubble. Yep, that's right!

I love my kids.

In other news, it has been confirmed that the long-lost relative I mentioned the other day has been officially located! Although we are not welcome (for reasons we don't comprehend at all), we are very happy to know where this relative is and that they are alive. It is a sensitive situation. It hurts to be excluded and we don't understand at all. They have their reasons.

WE HATE IT BUT WE HAVE TO RESPECT THEIR WISHES THAT THEY WANT TO BE INVISIBLE AND WITHOUT ANY FORM OF CONTACT.