Well, it's been more than a year and a half since I posted anything here. Yeah, I'm a slug ... what's new? <ggg> Hmmm, well, what *is* new? Let's see ...
I've lost a few more pounds since my last post - I'll call that a BIG win! Three more pounds and I'll be satisfied.
My son is home safe (praise God!!). He's living nearby and trying to decide what a former Marine should be when he grows up. ;) He's got plenty of time, but I can't wait to see where Life leads him!
My daughter has decided she's ready to tackle college, and she starts next week! She's always been so freakin' smart, so I knew she would go eventually. But along with smart (which she gets from her dad), she's also strong-willed. For those who are as un-PC as I, read that as "stubborn as a mule" - we have NO IDEA where she gets that from! So of COURSE, college had to be on her timetable! :) Well, at the moment she's planning to major in astronautical engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronautics). She's smart enough to do it, but we all know how our minds change a bazillion time when figuring out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. We'll see if something pulls her in another direction. In the meantime, she is on a road trip with her best friend Kinsey, final destination New Orleans. BUT ... a quick stop along the way in Houston, to see the Space Shuttle. She just texted me a picture of it and she is completely over the moon! (no pun intended) I'm so thrilled for her - what better way to start her exciting new journey than an exciting journey!
I have also started a new, albeit small, journey of my own - a new job. I didn't intend to go back to work, really, but in the course of trying to volunteer, I ended up with a paycheck instead. I now work for the OSBI FSC - the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center. The building is so close I literally can't listen to one whole song on Sirius before I'm there. However, that assumes I don't drive the extra mile *past* work to hit up the nearest Sonic Drive-In for my daily "Rt. 44 iced tea with extra extra ice" fix -- one should NEVER assume that I will skip this step. My job is nothing glamorous - I'm not the latest, greatest CSI in town - but I REALLY enjoy what I'm doing, and I work with some terrific people. Those things count for a LOT, you know? Big money is great, but if you're miserable at a place where you spend about a third of your life, money won't really fix that, will it?? My job gives me lots of 'projects', and that's where I excel - I'm a 'project girl', according to my family - so this fits me like a glove.
Some fun things in my life that are new ... I've been on some great road trips in my new (to me) car, my dream car (I drive my baby anywhere I can!). South Texas to meet up with a Marine friend; Colorado to spend a long weekend with Marine moms from Nick's old unit; Rt. 66 from home to the Santa Monica Pier (my husband came along on this one - we still have to do the eastward leg of the Mother Road); and I have a couple more trips planned. I'm going to Colorado again in a couple of months (this is an annual thing now), and heading out to Cal-i-for-nye-ay next June for a long weekend with a DIFFERENT group of Marine moms (and assorted others). I'm looking for more opportunities for RTs - needlework shops, quaint B&Bs, even nothing at all except some sounds of nature, and some time to be by myself and explore. Now that hubby and I are empty-nesters, I ponder - a lot more than I used to. Maybe I have more time for that now .... maybe I just realize the need for it more than I did before .... who knows? Something else to ponder, I guess.
So the dry spell seems to be broken, at least for the moment. I have more new things to tell, but I'll save those for a new day.
Until next time, be blessed.
