Thursday, December 29, 2011

Do you ever listen to music and get instantly transformed to a certain time in your life?  I do. 



I put on Pandora at work yesterday and this song came on, along with a few others from the same album and it brought me back to a few years ago, sitting in my huge Mission Hill apartment bedroom, huddled under the blankets because we couldn't afford to turn the heat past 60 and being heartbroken because Matt had broken up with me. I'm not sure why this album was such a great break-up album but I listened to it over and over again and haven't really listened to it much since then.  Felt weird hearing it yesterday.

This year is ending on a different note.  On Monday I'll be turning 25 and there's something about that age that is definitely no longer in young adult territory and now it's moving toward you better start getting your shit together territory. I waver back and forth between thinking that this is exactly what I want to be doing with my life.  We only get one chance at this thing and I laid awake last night wondering it this was it for me.  I'm not exactly sure where to go from here, and I know that's vague, but maybe I'll find the words in a bit.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I sure did. It was just Matt and I (and Emma) in the morning. Matt kept hinting the night before that this years stocking was the most expensive stocking ever, which made me believe there might be some jewelry in there, but there wasn't.  It was a gift card to the camera store.  BOYS. I'm not sure what exactly $25 is going to get me at a store where the cheapest thing is like $300, but, he tried.  He also bought me a Kindle which I love love love.  I didn't want the newest one with internet stuff because I know I would just surf the net instead of actually reading.

He about shit his pants when he opened his gift.  He loved it and even knew a guy that was featured in the book, pretty damn cool.  We spent Christmas afternoon at his parents house.  I always enjoy time with his family.  His new sister-in-law has declared a war on Christmas though and doesn't want her infant son believing in Santa.  What in the holy hell are you supposed to say to that?  I just looked at her with a smile and walked away.  

Anyways- since the New Year is 4 days away I figured I would re-visit my goals from last year and see if I actually accomplished anything.

This past years list included:
-Land a job closer to/in Boston: Done!  Landed a job IN Boston.
-Get out of debt: Uhhh, I think I actually accumulated more debt on one credit card but paid down another.
-Learn to knit: Nope.  Matt's Grandmother talked to me a few days ago about it though so I think I'm going to start soon.
-Take more pictures:  I think I did!
-Scrapbook more: Complete fail.
-Travel outside the United States: Yes!  If Puerto Rico counts, which it does. We need to get Matt a passport so we can start going other places.  And win the lottery.
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On to this years list:

-Finish school and get my degree
-Seriously get out of debt
-Travel out of the state, maybe take a mini road trip
-Try to cook more

That's it, I think.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas is finally here!  I can't wait until tomorrow morning.  I think I'm more excited than the kids.

Today, we let A open up his Wii console and games since we won't have him tomorrow morning.   He was pretty excited and has been playing ever since.  I just can't wait to watch Netflix on my couch. So far this month we have decorated the tree, had a gingerbread house making night with A's cousin, mailed cards, watched the Grinch and Elf, and tomorrow we will soak up this holiday with family. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.

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(I won those cards through a giveaway and they were adorable. Check out the shop: Ribbons & Bluebirds)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

I normally try not to discuss the workings of our relationship with A's mother because I'm not exactly sure that a personal blog is the place to air the dirty laundry so I'm going to approach this topic as lightly as I can.

We try our very very best not to say anything bad about his mother, her significant other and anything that may go on in their home.  I'm not quite sure that respect is reversed but we try not to fall into little games. Holidays are always challenging because according to their court agreement, each parent has time with A, but the beginning time is not specified.  To make things easier, and to try and be conscious of Christmas, we offered to meet with A's mom on Christmas Eve so that he could wake up at her house and do all the Christmas hoopla and then we would take him from 1-6. This seemed fine and dandy, but yesterday, she changed the plans and we would only be getting him from 3-6. 

Before I met Matt, he would have probably just said okay and left it at that.  BUT, I don't play that game.  They have a court agreement stating that we get to see A from 1-6 and technically, we don't have to drop A off on Christmas Eve but were doing so to be nice.  See what being nice gets you? 

This whole situation is extremely frustrating for me because most people don't see this side of things.  They don't see the perspective from the dad's side and automatically assume he's some deadbeat asshole who wants nothing to do with his child.  But Matt does.  He pays more than he's supposed to in child support, wants to see A regularly, would love to have A full time, yet keeps getting shit on over and over again.  There's this manipulation game that keeps going on and we try our best to stay out of it but it grates on you.  How fun is it that you may have to call the local authorities on Christmas because the mother of child is in contempt of court and won't hand your son over.

Luckily, I don't think that will be happening because we went back to our original agreement.  But, I don't understand the need for drama.  Why can't things just be?  Things are going well, we are trying to compromise, make the best decisions for A, and when it looks like things might actually be going okay....BAM.  Shit hits the fan.

We are not going to let this little blip ruin our Christmas though and we will try and make A one very happy boy.  We know he will have fun at his mom's house and we want that for him, we just wish that she wanted the same at our house.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

It's over!  WAHOO.

It's probably going to take a few days for it to sink in and by then, my next semester will be starting.  I passed Accounting and hopefully I never ever ever have to take a course again.  Next semester I'm taking Micro-economics and Algebra, snooze fest. 5 more classes for my degree, 5 more.

Now, onto Christmas!



Loving that song right now, along with Sufjan Stevens Christmas stuff.  Dare I say, She & Him has taken a back seat. Matt and I are going to try and finish up shopping tonight and then that will be done.  He invited some friends over for a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. Bless his heart. It doesn't sound like too many people will be able to attend, duh, so it may just be us, TBS and Ralphie and his BB gun.

3 more days of work before spending way too much time on the couch begins.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

So, you know what's even more effed up the having an accounting final on Monday?  Having a quiz and an exam a few days before!  Seriously.  Because I didn't already want to peel my face off. 
I never really suffered from anxiety before but I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin.  I have SO much riding on this accounting final and I'm terrified.  My memory is shot to shit and trying to remember everything is, impossible.  Next Monday at 8 pm it will all be over and hopefully I will pass and never have to take another accounting class in my life. I also need to finish up my management class which won't be difficult, it's just a bunch of 'busy work' which I also hate.

Anyways-I'm digging my way out of this hole and hope to be back soon with something more exicting than talk of higher education. I even have some pictures!

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

It's already hump day.  That's what I like to hear. I feel as though the next two weeks are going to fly by, mainly due to the fact that my accounting final is on the 19th, and eeeeeeeeek!

This past weekend was lovely though and I'm trying to keep focused on not going absolutely haywire. Matt was rather bummed when I brought up the idea of no tree, so I caved in and we now have a tree in the living room.  Of course I love all of the cliche things, such as watching Teen Mom 2 while admiring the glowing lights, it makes my heart full.

But, with the addition of this tree, comes the addition of Emma's curiosity.  I already knew she was going to be infatuated but I can't keep her away from the damn thing. She loves going over to sniff it, which is cute, but then the needles fall off and then she starts digging her head in a little deeper, starts drinking from the base, licking the presents, rolling around, etc.  By the end of the month, I predict our tree will be bare from about waist height down.

We also took A to see Santa at the mall.  As we we're walking in, Santa was just coming out of his room and going up the escalator and A got his first peek at the big man.  He sat on Santa's lap, made the goofiest face ever, and told Santa he wanted "wolverine hands".  Shit.  Didn't buy him those.  Hopefully his mom comes through.

I have pictures of all of this crap and I know I'm a bad blogger because I didn't post pictures but I leave my house when it's dark and get home when it's dark so pictures will have to wait until the weekend.  Stay tuned.

Tonight, my downstairs neighbor invited me down to have a girls night with wine and salad, so wine for dinner it is!

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Last Friday, Matt and I both had the day off so we decided to pack up the child kid and dog kid and take them to a new park.

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A is a bit of a wiener when it comes to things that may get the adrenaline pumping so he didn't partake of the really cool zipline that this new park offers, or the rope climbing structure that leads to a huge slide, but he seemed to enjoy himself.  I spent most of the time walking with Emma and looking at birds in the water.    If she wasn't on her leash, she would have been swimming with those birds.

Yesterday, I got word that I won a contest for some Christmas cards so once they arrive, I will share them.  I guess my last post of not being able to send out cards will be damned.  Matt also was whining last night about getting a tree so I might just be a big fat liar about that too.

Right now I'm listening to Against Me, about ready to start on a DIY gift for our parents and will spend the rest of the day wrapping gifts, doing a little homework and cleaning.