This month is flying by! Almost Christmas and then the month (and year!) will be over. One more down with an undetermined number to go...
So, I got my grades back for this semester and for the first time, I earned all A's! I really thought that I was going to continue my trend of all A's and one B, but it wasn't to be this time. :) Next semester, I'm only taking three classes instead of 4 like I've done every semester to this point. I'm looking forward to it, but know that the classes I'm taking should also be a bit harder so I'll need to keep focused. If I've figured it all out correctly, I have 3 more semesters to go for my associates degree, and then it's onto a bachelor program. I haven't yet decided where I'm going for that one, but I'm leaning towards one that seems to have a pretty good selection of online classes. That is probably the most important feature that I'm looking for, as I certainly can't go to classes during the day unless it's on the weekends. So, I'm getting there.
I think that we are completely done shopping for gifts and I only have a couple left to wrap. We will be spending Christmas Eve with Shell's best friend and her family, which has become a tradition that we all look forward to. They make a variety of pierogies that are to die for and we always eat too much. We can't help it. Then we're going to have my parents over on Christmas Day for, um... well, we know they are coming but we haven't yet decided what to make. I'm totally leaning towards Chinese takeout, but it's not going over very well. I just want as little fuss and mess as possible. Shell and I are both off on the 26th, and I'm really looking forward to a quiet and relaxing day together.
For the first time in a very long time, I will get to kiss my wife at midnight on New Years. When she was working nights, her and a coworker would split Christmas Eve and New Years Eve and she always worked NYE so that she could be home Christmas morning. With her new position, she is off on Saturday and Sunday nights, but it doesn't matter because her department is closed both days. We have no plans for that evening, just going to enjoy being together. :)
January is going to bring all kinds of good stuff my way. My sister is coming in on the 5th to go with me to the Cirque du Soleil and even though we don't have any plans other than that, it should be fun. She's only here until Monday the 9th, but then my best friend and his boyfriend arrive on the 11th for a week long visit. I will be off all but one day of their stay and I am SO looking forward to that! We don't have big plans for their stay either, but I see lots of games, drinks, food and relaxing, happy moments being had. I hope that the weather isn't very snowy so that we can get out and around with my sister and the boys. Those visits are going to be my Christmas gifts this year. I had them all under my roof last January and although their visits will be separate this year, I am looking forward to them just as much.
What it's all about...
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
December- For Better or Worse
I am seriously overwhelmed. Seriously. Why, you ask? Hm, where should I start?
There is one week + one day left in this semester and although I cannot wait for it to be over, I also need it to slow down. I can't seem to find time to study for my finals, not to mention I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to take one of them. Luckily, my grades are good again this semester, but I certainly don't want to go into these big exams without being prepared.
I haven't even begun decorating for Christmas yet and I doubt I'll be able to until the semester is over. That puts it at the 11th, unless my kids want to do it while I'm studying every night...
I'm getting my top two wisdom teeth extracted on the 16th. Yes, one week before Christmas. We had almost enough left in our FSA account to cover our portion of the surgery and since it doesn't rollover, we were happy to have a reason to use it. I didn't want to have it done while I was juggling school, so I had to choose either the 16th or the 23rd. I had my bottom ones taken out over 10 years ago, but the top ones seem a little trickier since they are really close to my sinuses and because of my "advanced age". Oh, and I'm having IV sedation for it, which is a first for me. All kinds of fun!
The prep for Christmas is just barely ahead of my decorating for Christmas. We're almost done with the kids. They are getting iPod Touches (so they'll stop playing games on my iPhone!) which are on layaway and only need two more payments, tickets to see Wicked which were just purchased a couple of days ago, and school yearbooks which will be ordered right after Christmas. All that's left for them is some stocking stuffers. We had our photos taken a couple of weeks ago and have the CD with our shots, so this weekend we're planning to sit down and finalize our Christmas cards and get them ordered. Our parents are all getting 8x10 framed photos and my grandparents are getting 5x7 framed photos. We are taking Shell's best friend and her girlfriend to see Wicked with us as their gifts, but I'm really struggling with what to get my best friend and his boyfriend. Other than that, we've got some gift cards to buy and that pretty much wraps up our gift giving.
My sister is flying in on January 5 to go with me to see the Michael Jackson Immortal Cirque du Soleil show. I am so excited to see this, especially after downloading the CD. And I'm happy that my sister is going to share it with me. She's only here from Thursday to Monday, so I'm looking forward to spending lots of time just hanging out and being with her.
I've got one more visit coming too, but I can't talk about it yet since it's a surprise and I don't want it ruined. :)
So basically, I've got a lot of crazy for one more week (+ one day) and then getting through Christmas. Piece of cake!
There is one week + one day left in this semester and although I cannot wait for it to be over, I also need it to slow down. I can't seem to find time to study for my finals, not to mention I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to take one of them. Luckily, my grades are good again this semester, but I certainly don't want to go into these big exams without being prepared.
I haven't even begun decorating for Christmas yet and I doubt I'll be able to until the semester is over. That puts it at the 11th, unless my kids want to do it while I'm studying every night...
I'm getting my top two wisdom teeth extracted on the 16th. Yes, one week before Christmas. We had almost enough left in our FSA account to cover our portion of the surgery and since it doesn't rollover, we were happy to have a reason to use it. I didn't want to have it done while I was juggling school, so I had to choose either the 16th or the 23rd. I had my bottom ones taken out over 10 years ago, but the top ones seem a little trickier since they are really close to my sinuses and because of my "advanced age". Oh, and I'm having IV sedation for it, which is a first for me. All kinds of fun!
The prep for Christmas is just barely ahead of my decorating for Christmas. We're almost done with the kids. They are getting iPod Touches (so they'll stop playing games on my iPhone!) which are on layaway and only need two more payments, tickets to see Wicked which were just purchased a couple of days ago, and school yearbooks which will be ordered right after Christmas. All that's left for them is some stocking stuffers. We had our photos taken a couple of weeks ago and have the CD with our shots, so this weekend we're planning to sit down and finalize our Christmas cards and get them ordered. Our parents are all getting 8x10 framed photos and my grandparents are getting 5x7 framed photos. We are taking Shell's best friend and her girlfriend to see Wicked with us as their gifts, but I'm really struggling with what to get my best friend and his boyfriend. Other than that, we've got some gift cards to buy and that pretty much wraps up our gift giving.
My sister is flying in on January 5 to go with me to see the Michael Jackson Immortal Cirque du Soleil show. I am so excited to see this, especially after downloading the CD. And I'm happy that my sister is going to share it with me. She's only here from Thursday to Monday, so I'm looking forward to spending lots of time just hanging out and being with her.
I've got one more visit coming too, but I can't talk about it yet since it's a surprise and I don't want it ruined. :)
So basically, I've got a lot of crazy for one more week (+ one day) and then getting through Christmas. Piece of cake!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Half a semester down...
I'm two weeks into the second half of the semester, and feeling pretty good about where I am. I aced my music midterm, thanks to an extra credit assignment and have pretty good grades in my other classes. I received an invitation to join the honor society, which just blew me away and after discussing it with Shell, decided to join. Guess I'd better plan to keep my grades up, because I really want to wear the cool stole, cords, and tassel at graduation. :)
Speaking of grades, the kids got their first quarter report cards and they each have all A's with just one B, in geometry. They are doing so well, especially considering how busy we are. Football season is almost over for my boy, I think he only has one game left. Rehearsals for the musical my girl is in are in full swing, less than a month until the performance. We need to go shopping this weekend for her costume. Luckily, most of it, she could wear again, so at least we won't be spending money on something she'll never wear again. Speaking of costumes, I don't yet know if my kids are dressing up for Halloween yet. I don't think they were planning to, until the boy reminded his sister that since she is getting braces on after the first of the year, she won't be able to eat much candy next year. So, I think that she is reconsidering so she can trick or treat and eat candy. I don't know what she plans to be, but I'm sure she'll come up with something.
As a result of my being an adult and getting my exams, I'm having a small procedure done tomorrow. One of the moles that the dermatologist sent for biopsy came back positive for pre-cancer cells, so she wants to take the whole thing out and eliminate any chance that it might develop into cancer at some point. I'm told it's no big deal so I'm planning to return to work after it's done. There will be stitches, and the bandage will need to be changed at least once a day. I'm glad that I have Shell to do this for me, since it's on my back but this makes me wonder. What a pain it would be if I was single. I wonder if I'd have to drive to my parents house at least once a day to have one of them change the bandage?
Last but not least, my sister is getting a divorce. While my nieces were here this summer, my brother-in-law moved out. I'm told that it had come up previously, but after trying one thing after another, the decision to split was finally made while the girls were gone. So far, they are on the same page with everything. They are using a mediator, which seems like a much gentler way to end a marriage than having to deal with a lawyer. My parents however, have been shaken by this news. I think that it's a combination of the fact that they really like my brother-in-law, and that my sister's marriage has been a source of pride for them. When your daughter gets pregnant at 15 years old, her future probably looks pretty bleak. When she gets married at 16 to her 17 year old boyfriend, I don't think that you expect them to be together forever. They seemed to defy the odds though. They were married for almost 17 years, have 17 and 13 year old daughters, my brother-in-law went to the police academy and became a police officer and now a detective, my sister went to nursing school and is now an RN, and they own a cute house. On the outside, it couldn't be better. However, as with any relationship, noone really knows what it's like in each one except for those who are in it. And they had simply grown apart. From what I can tell, there isn't any animosity and they are agreeing on everything. I'm happy that my sister took control of her happiness and is moving toward being fulfilled in ways that she was no longer getting in her marriage. I'm sad for my nieces, but they seem to be handling it really well. I guess that is a sign that it was time as well.
This whole thing has made me look closer at my relationship with Shell. We have been through a lot of rocky patches that made us wonder, at the time, if it was worth staying together. I can honestly say that there were times that we probably stayed only for the kids and because splitting up would be a hassle. And had we not found ways to heal our relationship, I don't think we could have lived in that place we had allowed ourselves to get to. But we did heal, many times over, and we are now in a better place than we've ever been. I'm certain that the kids being older has a lot to do with that, but I also know that I value her more now than ever before. I've found and embraced the sex drive that I had all but lost, and even though I hate the size I am now, I also feel pretty good knowing that Shell finds me sexy and appealing and turned on by me. We text and email each other throughout the day to flirt, play games, or just say I love you. We don't have a lot of time together in the evenings, which is ironic now that she isn't working nights anymore, but we are making it work. And this, right now, makes me extremely thankful that we didn't give up before. This is what I hoped we could achieve, and even though we still have less-than-stellar moments, we bounce back from them much quicker. It's a much healthier model for our kids and that makes me very happy.
Oh, and somehow, I am having much better luck commenting on blogs all of a sudden. I don't know what changed, but so far it's going quite well. :)
Speaking of grades, the kids got their first quarter report cards and they each have all A's with just one B, in geometry. They are doing so well, especially considering how busy we are. Football season is almost over for my boy, I think he only has one game left. Rehearsals for the musical my girl is in are in full swing, less than a month until the performance. We need to go shopping this weekend for her costume. Luckily, most of it, she could wear again, so at least we won't be spending money on something she'll never wear again. Speaking of costumes, I don't yet know if my kids are dressing up for Halloween yet. I don't think they were planning to, until the boy reminded his sister that since she is getting braces on after the first of the year, she won't be able to eat much candy next year. So, I think that she is reconsidering so she can trick or treat and eat candy. I don't know what she plans to be, but I'm sure she'll come up with something.
As a result of my being an adult and getting my exams, I'm having a small procedure done tomorrow. One of the moles that the dermatologist sent for biopsy came back positive for pre-cancer cells, so she wants to take the whole thing out and eliminate any chance that it might develop into cancer at some point. I'm told it's no big deal so I'm planning to return to work after it's done. There will be stitches, and the bandage will need to be changed at least once a day. I'm glad that I have Shell to do this for me, since it's on my back but this makes me wonder. What a pain it would be if I was single. I wonder if I'd have to drive to my parents house at least once a day to have one of them change the bandage?
Last but not least, my sister is getting a divorce. While my nieces were here this summer, my brother-in-law moved out. I'm told that it had come up previously, but after trying one thing after another, the decision to split was finally made while the girls were gone. So far, they are on the same page with everything. They are using a mediator, which seems like a much gentler way to end a marriage than having to deal with a lawyer. My parents however, have been shaken by this news. I think that it's a combination of the fact that they really like my brother-in-law, and that my sister's marriage has been a source of pride for them. When your daughter gets pregnant at 15 years old, her future probably looks pretty bleak. When she gets married at 16 to her 17 year old boyfriend, I don't think that you expect them to be together forever. They seemed to defy the odds though. They were married for almost 17 years, have 17 and 13 year old daughters, my brother-in-law went to the police academy and became a police officer and now a detective, my sister went to nursing school and is now an RN, and they own a cute house. On the outside, it couldn't be better. However, as with any relationship, noone really knows what it's like in each one except for those who are in it. And they had simply grown apart. From what I can tell, there isn't any animosity and they are agreeing on everything. I'm happy that my sister took control of her happiness and is moving toward being fulfilled in ways that she was no longer getting in her marriage. I'm sad for my nieces, but they seem to be handling it really well. I guess that is a sign that it was time as well.
This whole thing has made me look closer at my relationship with Shell. We have been through a lot of rocky patches that made us wonder, at the time, if it was worth staying together. I can honestly say that there were times that we probably stayed only for the kids and because splitting up would be a hassle. And had we not found ways to heal our relationship, I don't think we could have lived in that place we had allowed ourselves to get to. But we did heal, many times over, and we are now in a better place than we've ever been. I'm certain that the kids being older has a lot to do with that, but I also know that I value her more now than ever before. I've found and embraced the sex drive that I had all but lost, and even though I hate the size I am now, I also feel pretty good knowing that Shell finds me sexy and appealing and turned on by me. We text and email each other throughout the day to flirt, play games, or just say I love you. We don't have a lot of time together in the evenings, which is ironic now that she isn't working nights anymore, but we are making it work. And this, right now, makes me extremely thankful that we didn't give up before. This is what I hoped we could achieve, and even though we still have less-than-stellar moments, we bounce back from them much quicker. It's a much healthier model for our kids and that makes me very happy.
Oh, and somehow, I am having much better luck commenting on blogs all of a sudden. I don't know what changed, but so far it's going quite well. :)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Update and a Meme
I am so incredibly tired today and I think my body is starting to rebel against no downtime lately. This has been a busy week, which let's be hones, was preceded by many busy weeks and will be followed by many busy weeks. It all started (this week) on Saturday, when we cleaned our house from top to bottom. Seriously, it hasn't been this clean in months. I also had class that day. And that night Shell and the boy made cherry almond scones because we invited my parents over for brunch on Sunday. (Couldn't let the freshly cleaned house go unnoticed.) I got up at 8am Sunday morning and threw towels in the washer, started making bacon, and worked on some homework. My parents showed up at 11, we ate scones, bacon, frittatas, and hash browns then played Tripoley. The kids and I were not too sure about it as my mom was reading the directions, but it was a lot of fun. They left around 5 and I immediately started working on the study guide for my music midterm, which I'll be taking this Saturday morning.
Shell and I took the day off on Monday to schedule a couple of appointments that were long overdue. In 2007, I went to see a dermatologist because I have a lot of moles and freckles all over my body. She did a full skin check and recommended that I come back yearly so that she would have something to compare to. There weren't any at the time that really concerned her though. So I scheduled that "yearly" follow-up for Monday at 8:50am and dragged Shell along because she is always pointing out moles that she is concerned about. I'm glad that she went, because the doctor was able to ease her concerns about almost all of them and gave her a lesson on what to watch for. There was one on my back that usually gets rubbed by my bra, so even though she thought it wasn't a concern from a medical standpoint, she agreed to remove it. There was one that she wanted to check (also on my back), so she took a piece off to biopsy, along with the other. Skin check- done.
Our next set of appointments weren't until the afternoon, so we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then home to watch some of our recorded shows. Then we were off to the gynecologist. Yay! We were there last in 2009, but the doctor said that unless there was a problem or concern, it's okay to go every 2-3 years. At least until I'm 40...which is in 3 years. My exam checked out okay, other than a high blood pressure. Shell was given an order to get some bloodwork done and we checked that off our list as well.
I couldn't get in for a well-woman check at my regular doctor that day, so it'll have to be scheduled still. The only other appointment that I needed to make was to get my teeth cleaned (I'm about a year behind on that one :/), but since I couldn't fit it in on my day off, I'll be going in for that at 7am on the 27th. But then the list of overdue annual appointments will be fulfilled. At least for this year :)
This Saturday is going to be busy all day long. Shell's bloodwork has to be done first thing in the morning, so I'll take her for that at 8am. I need to be in the testing center by 9 to take my music midterm, we have our hair appointment at 11, I have biology class at 1, and our boy has a football game at 3. I am going to be SO happy to get home after all that!
I saw this mem on Heidi's blog and even though I think I took one like it a couple of years ago, I thought I'd do it again. Oh, and I'm still having the worst time commenting on your blogs. I've tried over and over, and get into this endless circle of being logged out, then needing to preview, then trying to post and being told I have to log back in. I haven't successfully posted a comment in so long. I wish I knew for sure if it was a blogger thing, then I would go to wordpress for sure. But I don't want to do that only to find out that blogger wasn't the problem in the first place. Ugh!
Anyway, on to the meme!
Are you open with your sexuality? Yes, very. I never hide who my family is. This became my norm after my kids were born and I realized that to hide or stay in the closet about who we were would only give them the impression that there was something wrong with us, and I was not going to contribute to that ridiculous idea. So I've been open everywhere I worked, and my entire family knows. In truth, I'm proud of us and what we have. We've been together since were were 17 years old and we own our home, have two smart and overall awesome kids, two dogs and are loved and accepted by those who matter. Our children aren't ashamed of us, they invite their friends over and call us mommy and mama still, even in front of their friends. What we have is worth being open about.
Who was the 1st person you told that you’re a lesbian? I dont' remember actually saying "I'm a lesbian", but I told my best friend that Shell and I were a couple. Luckily for me, he had already come out to me a year or so before, so I got no judgment from him. :)
Overall, how difficult was it to come out? Actually, coming out was not difficult at all. The hard part was that my mom didn't like Shell, so I think that the opposition was more about who I was with than what her gender was. Now that said, if I went to my mom tomorrow and said that I thought I was wrong and I'm really straight? She'd probably throw a party and start lining up available men in a second!
Do you own anything with the Gay Rainbow on it? Yes. Bumper stickers, stuffed animals, buttons, shirts, jewelry... I like the rainbow. :)
Do you consider yourself Butch, Androgynous, or Femme? Of those three? Femme. But I don't really think of myself as a "femme". The extent of my makeup use is a little eye shadow and some eyeliner. I wear chapstick, not lipstick. I abhor pantyhose and skirts. My hair is short and cut so that styling it takes minimal time. I don't wear perfume and I keep my nails short. I often go several weeks between shaving my legs. See, not really very "femme", but it's the closest of the three.
What type of females are you most attracted to? Butch girls do it for me. They don't have to be stone butch, soft butch is okay too.
What famous lesbian is your favorite? Rosie O'Donnell. I like a lot of famous lesbians, for a lot of reasons, but I like Rosie for almost every reason.
What is your favorite lesbian movie? I will forever love Fried Green Tomatoes, even though they totally glossed over the lesbian relationship that Ruth and Idgie had in the book, you can still find it in the movie and I just love them.
Do you have any Pride tattoos? I don't have a "Pride" tattoo, but I do have a tattoo of a heart with Shell's initials in it.
How do you feel about Gays/Lesbians having children? Well, I'm pretty much in favor of it. And I think that with queer parents, kids have a different perspective on kids who fall outside the norm.
If it were legal, would you marry another woman? In a heartbeat. I don't know if Colorado will do it in my lifetime, but that's what we're waiting for. I can't see getting married in another state if it won't make a difference in the state I live in.
Have you ever attended a Gay Pride Festival? Yep, we go every year. Denver has a great Pride festival and the kids love going too.
Do you have more Gay/Lesbian/Bi friends than you do Straight friends? I'd say it's probably about even.
Have you ever personally dealt with homophobia? No, and I know how fortunate I am for that.
Did anyone stop having contact with you after you came out of the closet? There were a few people who put some distance between us, but it didn't last for long. I'm just too lovable to stay away from forever. ;)
Do you believe you were born a lesbian? Yes, absolutely, 100%.
Are you proud? Yes. :)
Shell and I took the day off on Monday to schedule a couple of appointments that were long overdue. In 2007, I went to see a dermatologist because I have a lot of moles and freckles all over my body. She did a full skin check and recommended that I come back yearly so that she would have something to compare to. There weren't any at the time that really concerned her though. So I scheduled that "yearly" follow-up for Monday at 8:50am and dragged Shell along because she is always pointing out moles that she is concerned about. I'm glad that she went, because the doctor was able to ease her concerns about almost all of them and gave her a lesson on what to watch for. There was one on my back that usually gets rubbed by my bra, so even though she thought it wasn't a concern from a medical standpoint, she agreed to remove it. There was one that she wanted to check (also on my back), so she took a piece off to biopsy, along with the other. Skin check- done.
Our next set of appointments weren't until the afternoon, so we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then home to watch some of our recorded shows. Then we were off to the gynecologist. Yay! We were there last in 2009, but the doctor said that unless there was a problem or concern, it's okay to go every 2-3 years. At least until I'm 40...which is in 3 years. My exam checked out okay, other than a high blood pressure. Shell was given an order to get some bloodwork done and we checked that off our list as well.
I couldn't get in for a well-woman check at my regular doctor that day, so it'll have to be scheduled still. The only other appointment that I needed to make was to get my teeth cleaned (I'm about a year behind on that one :/), but since I couldn't fit it in on my day off, I'll be going in for that at 7am on the 27th. But then the list of overdue annual appointments will be fulfilled. At least for this year :)
This Saturday is going to be busy all day long. Shell's bloodwork has to be done first thing in the morning, so I'll take her for that at 8am. I need to be in the testing center by 9 to take my music midterm, we have our hair appointment at 11, I have biology class at 1, and our boy has a football game at 3. I am going to be SO happy to get home after all that!
I saw this mem on Heidi's blog and even though I think I took one like it a couple of years ago, I thought I'd do it again. Oh, and I'm still having the worst time commenting on your blogs. I've tried over and over, and get into this endless circle of being logged out, then needing to preview, then trying to post and being told I have to log back in. I haven't successfully posted a comment in so long. I wish I knew for sure if it was a blogger thing, then I would go to wordpress for sure. But I don't want to do that only to find out that blogger wasn't the problem in the first place. Ugh!
Anyway, on to the meme!
Are you open with your sexuality? Yes, very. I never hide who my family is. This became my norm after my kids were born and I realized that to hide or stay in the closet about who we were would only give them the impression that there was something wrong with us, and I was not going to contribute to that ridiculous idea. So I've been open everywhere I worked, and my entire family knows. In truth, I'm proud of us and what we have. We've been together since were were 17 years old and we own our home, have two smart and overall awesome kids, two dogs and are loved and accepted by those who matter. Our children aren't ashamed of us, they invite their friends over and call us mommy and mama still, even in front of their friends. What we have is worth being open about.
Who was the 1st person you told that you’re a lesbian? I dont' remember actually saying "I'm a lesbian", but I told my best friend that Shell and I were a couple. Luckily for me, he had already come out to me a year or so before, so I got no judgment from him. :)
Overall, how difficult was it to come out? Actually, coming out was not difficult at all. The hard part was that my mom didn't like Shell, so I think that the opposition was more about who I was with than what her gender was. Now that said, if I went to my mom tomorrow and said that I thought I was wrong and I'm really straight? She'd probably throw a party and start lining up available men in a second!
Do you own anything with the Gay Rainbow on it? Yes. Bumper stickers, stuffed animals, buttons, shirts, jewelry... I like the rainbow. :)
Do you consider yourself Butch, Androgynous, or Femme? Of those three? Femme. But I don't really think of myself as a "femme". The extent of my makeup use is a little eye shadow and some eyeliner. I wear chapstick, not lipstick. I abhor pantyhose and skirts. My hair is short and cut so that styling it takes minimal time. I don't wear perfume and I keep my nails short. I often go several weeks between shaving my legs. See, not really very "femme", but it's the closest of the three.
What type of females are you most attracted to? Butch girls do it for me. They don't have to be stone butch, soft butch is okay too.
What famous lesbian is your favorite? Rosie O'Donnell. I like a lot of famous lesbians, for a lot of reasons, but I like Rosie for almost every reason.
What is your favorite lesbian movie? I will forever love Fried Green Tomatoes, even though they totally glossed over the lesbian relationship that Ruth and Idgie had in the book, you can still find it in the movie and I just love them.
Do you have any Pride tattoos? I don't have a "Pride" tattoo, but I do have a tattoo of a heart with Shell's initials in it.
How do you feel about Gays/Lesbians having children? Well, I'm pretty much in favor of it. And I think that with queer parents, kids have a different perspective on kids who fall outside the norm.
If it were legal, would you marry another woman? In a heartbeat. I don't know if Colorado will do it in my lifetime, but that's what we're waiting for. I can't see getting married in another state if it won't make a difference in the state I live in.
Have you ever attended a Gay Pride Festival? Yep, we go every year. Denver has a great Pride festival and the kids love going too.
Do you have more Gay/Lesbian/Bi friends than you do Straight friends? I'd say it's probably about even.
Have you ever personally dealt with homophobia? No, and I know how fortunate I am for that.
Did anyone stop having contact with you after you came out of the closet? There were a few people who put some distance between us, but it didn't last for long. I'm just too lovable to stay away from forever. ;)
Do you believe you were born a lesbian? Yes, absolutely, 100%.
Are you proud? Yes. :)
Friday, September 30, 2011
September...is over?
While I am thrilled that the heat of summer is over, I just can't believe that this year is winding down already. Shell has begun making plans for Christmas gifts and I'm just sitting here shaking my head in disbelief. Since the kids and I went back to school it has just been one big whirlwind of activity. My boy started playing football, thanks to a generous gift from my best friend and his boyfriend. We were struggling to figure out a way to pay for his registration and they sent my boy a check for his birthday that covered the whole amount we needed. He plays in a league sponsored by the local rec center, but his team is comprised of boys from his school only. They are 12 and 13 year olds and my kid is the second tallest on his team. He's so tall. When we went for their annual checkups at the end of July, he measured 5'8 3/4" tall. The girl was 5'4 3/4". I was pretty tall for my age growing up, so while I'm not surprised at their heights, it still amazes me that my 13 year old son is now taller than me...and still growing. Anyway, he loves playing football, but his team is not so great. Only 3 of the boys on it have played before and it shows. They still have two games left to play, but so far they've only won one and it was a scrimmage. He wants to play on the high school team next year, which should have better outcomes. Other than the couple of games I've missed due to my classes, we've all gone to every game and cheered them on. Shell loves that he's in a sport that she already loved to begin with and my girl asks questions all the time so that she can understand what's going on. Even my parents have gone to a lot of the games, which has meant more to us than they know.
For their birthday, the kids got their first cell phones. We've held out on this for a long time, but so many times recently we've noticed how it would be an advantage for them and us. Shell and I were both overdue for updating our own phones, so we did a free upgrade on hers, got the kids the free-with-plan phones and I got an iPhone 3. Such a move up for me from my old flip phone and I am loving it. With four phones in our house that have unlimited texting, free mobile-to-any-mobile, and free nights and weekends, plus 700 shared minutes to landlines, it didn't make sense to keep the home phone any longer. Not only did we get rid of that, we switched from satellite to cable for our television and switched to a faster internet service. These changes would be saving us quite a bit if it wasn't for the extra phones plus the data plan on the iPhone...but it comes out to be almost a wash.
Shell and I didn't have unlimited texting on our phones before, but now that we do? So much texting going on! I text my sisters, I text the kids, and Shell and I text while we're at work. Texting has allowed me to reconnect with a friend that I had spotty contact with over the last few years, and we text almost daily now. It has been such a delightful addition to my days being able to catch up with her and have her in my life again. We had a lot in common when we were close as 13/14 year olds and we have even more in common now. Actually, I wrote about Judy a little back in this post and am truly thankful that we are picking up where we left off and jumping right in to being great friends.
My girl auditioned for and got the part she wanted in this year's school musical, "The Big Bad Musical". It is a super cute story about the trial of the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. My girl plays the newscaster, Sydney Grimm, and she even has a big solo at the end. Because of his practice schedule, the boy didn't audition so this is all for the girl this time. Even though he's not doing the musical, he is still in band and performs with the pep band. Their schedules along with my on-campus classes keep me very busy. Now that Shell is working days, she's not available to run them where they need to go, so it's made my days full. Luckily, she's been getting some overtime recently, so hopefully we'll be able to catch up on some bills and make Christmas a little less painful.
As for my classes, I'm enjoying them for the most part. My math buddy from last semester decided to move to the same class that I'm taking for math, so we have each other to work with again. This is helping a lot. Music Appreciation is not the light workload that I was expecting, so although I really enjoy it, it's a lot to stay on top of. For my English composition class, we are building up to our final research paper with weekly exercises to strengthen our paper. And Biology...well, it's certainly not my favorite class, by a long shot. Luckily, it is not the Biology that science majors have to take so it's a little less on the technical side, but it is still biology and I am still not a science-y person. It shows.
Before I wrap this up for now, I'm curious if anyone else is having trouble with blogger. I am finding it impossible to comment on other blogs with my google account and it is really frustrating. I don't really want to move my blog, but if Wordpress is more reliable I wonder if it would be worth it. Any thoughts?
For their birthday, the kids got their first cell phones. We've held out on this for a long time, but so many times recently we've noticed how it would be an advantage for them and us. Shell and I were both overdue for updating our own phones, so we did a free upgrade on hers, got the kids the free-with-plan phones and I got an iPhone 3. Such a move up for me from my old flip phone and I am loving it. With four phones in our house that have unlimited texting, free mobile-to-any-mobile, and free nights and weekends, plus 700 shared minutes to landlines, it didn't make sense to keep the home phone any longer. Not only did we get rid of that, we switched from satellite to cable for our television and switched to a faster internet service. These changes would be saving us quite a bit if it wasn't for the extra phones plus the data plan on the iPhone...but it comes out to be almost a wash.
Shell and I didn't have unlimited texting on our phones before, but now that we do? So much texting going on! I text my sisters, I text the kids, and Shell and I text while we're at work. Texting has allowed me to reconnect with a friend that I had spotty contact with over the last few years, and we text almost daily now. It has been such a delightful addition to my days being able to catch up with her and have her in my life again. We had a lot in common when we were close as 13/14 year olds and we have even more in common now. Actually, I wrote about Judy a little back in this post and am truly thankful that we are picking up where we left off and jumping right in to being great friends.
My girl auditioned for and got the part she wanted in this year's school musical, "The Big Bad Musical". It is a super cute story about the trial of the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. My girl plays the newscaster, Sydney Grimm, and she even has a big solo at the end. Because of his practice schedule, the boy didn't audition so this is all for the girl this time. Even though he's not doing the musical, he is still in band and performs with the pep band. Their schedules along with my on-campus classes keep me very busy. Now that Shell is working days, she's not available to run them where they need to go, so it's made my days full. Luckily, she's been getting some overtime recently, so hopefully we'll be able to catch up on some bills and make Christmas a little less painful.
As for my classes, I'm enjoying them for the most part. My math buddy from last semester decided to move to the same class that I'm taking for math, so we have each other to work with again. This is helping a lot. Music Appreciation is not the light workload that I was expecting, so although I really enjoy it, it's a lot to stay on top of. For my English composition class, we are building up to our final research paper with weekly exercises to strengthen our paper. And Biology...well, it's certainly not my favorite class, by a long shot. Luckily, it is not the Biology that science majors have to take so it's a little less on the technical side, but it is still biology and I am still not a science-y person. It shows.
Before I wrap this up for now, I'm curious if anyone else is having trouble with blogger. I am finding it impossible to comment on other blogs with my google account and it is really frustrating. I don't really want to move my blog, but if Wordpress is more reliable I wonder if it would be worth it. Any thoughts?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Alphabet Meme
The proverbial kick-in-the-pants....
A. Age
I turned 37 in May. I really am not the kind of person who identifies with their age. I look at the number and never feel like it applies to me. There are plenty of days that my body feels like my age and older, but mentally I can't reconcile the number to me. I don't dread birthdays like so many others because I truly feel like it's just a day that I get presents and extra attention...how is that something to dread? :)
B. Bed Size
Queen
C. Chore you hate.
I HATE pulling weeds! Probably because we don't do it until they're already very long and have strong roots...but I'm not a fan of being in the sun for long periods of time and have never been one to play in any kind of dirt. No gardening or landscaping for me.
D. Dogs.
LOVE them! We currently have two basset hounds, one male and one female.
E. Essential start of day.
I guess it would have to be brushing my teeth. I don't always eat breakfast and I'm just starting to play around with different types of coffees (thanks to our pretty new Keurig), so neither of those are essential. Oh wait... I absolutely can't start my day until I've fed the dogs, otherwise they'll just whine and whine until I go crazy.
F. Favorite color.
I love greens
G. Gold or silver.
Both. I read somewhere recently that the long held belief that you can't wear both at once is no longer the case. I wonder if that's true because I have jewelry in both that I'd love to wear together if I could.
H. Height.
I am 5'8". I was taller that most of the boys when I was in junior high and much taller than my female friends. Didn't really like that so much. I am still taller than a lot of my friends. It's not so bad now.
I. Instruments played.
None.
J. Job title.
Right this minute, it is Receptionist/Office Support. Hopefully very soon it will be something on par with Office Manager. Keeping my fingers crossed... I'd appreciate it if you would too. :)
K. Kids.
My son and daughter will be 13 years old in 12 days. I'm still processing it...
L. Live.
I was born and raised in Southern California, but was never the definition of a California girl. Never. Now, I live in a suburb of Denver and love it. THIS is where I belong.
M. Mom's name.
Marvell
N. Nickname.
The nickname that is directly derived from my name is Tyff. But I am also Mommy, Timmy, Babe and Beautiful.
O. Overnight Hospital Stays.
When I was 3, I had the measles and was in a quarantined hospital room. I'm not sure for exactly how long, but it was a matter of days. I gave birth to my twins via C-section, so was in the hospital for 4 days then. The only other time was when my son was 2 months old and spiked a very high fever. He (and I) were in the hospital for 3 days while they attempted to figure out what was causing it, and what wasn't. Thankfully, it was none of the bad stuff that they could test him for and once the fever broke they diagnosed it as something viral.
P. Pet Peeve
School supply lists
Q. Quote from a movie
"I love ya more than my luggage."
R. Right or left handed?
Right
S. Siblings.
2 sisters. They are polar-opposite twins and are 3 1/2 years younger than me.
T. Time you wake up.
Whichever comes first: The dogs needing to go outside or my alarm at 5:30am. I have no idea how late I could sleep if the dogs didn't wake me up. On the weekends, they never let me sleep past 6:30. :(
U. Underwear.
Is not all that exciting. Have never worn a thong and strongly believe that given my weight, I should keep it that way.
V. Vegetable you dislike.
I don't like beets. That may actually be the only vegetable I don't like.
W. What makes you run late.
Sleeping in "just a little longer". Screws me every time...
X. X rays you have had done.
Lots of dental x-rays, ultrasounds during pregnancy, my knee and one mammogram.
Y. Yummy food you make.
French toast, omelettes, pumpkin bread, spaghetti, shrimp scampi pasta.
Z. Zoo animal.
I have always loved the Przewalski horses. I think they are beautiful.
A. Age
I turned 37 in May. I really am not the kind of person who identifies with their age. I look at the number and never feel like it applies to me. There are plenty of days that my body feels like my age and older, but mentally I can't reconcile the number to me. I don't dread birthdays like so many others because I truly feel like it's just a day that I get presents and extra attention...how is that something to dread? :)
B. Bed Size
Queen
C. Chore you hate.
I HATE pulling weeds! Probably because we don't do it until they're already very long and have strong roots...but I'm not a fan of being in the sun for long periods of time and have never been one to play in any kind of dirt. No gardening or landscaping for me.
D. Dogs.
LOVE them! We currently have two basset hounds, one male and one female.
E. Essential start of day.
I guess it would have to be brushing my teeth. I don't always eat breakfast and I'm just starting to play around with different types of coffees (thanks to our pretty new Keurig), so neither of those are essential. Oh wait... I absolutely can't start my day until I've fed the dogs, otherwise they'll just whine and whine until I go crazy.
F. Favorite color.
I love greens
G. Gold or silver.
Both. I read somewhere recently that the long held belief that you can't wear both at once is no longer the case. I wonder if that's true because I have jewelry in both that I'd love to wear together if I could.
H. Height.
I am 5'8". I was taller that most of the boys when I was in junior high and much taller than my female friends. Didn't really like that so much. I am still taller than a lot of my friends. It's not so bad now.
I. Instruments played.
None.
J. Job title.
Right this minute, it is Receptionist/Office Support. Hopefully very soon it will be something on par with Office Manager. Keeping my fingers crossed... I'd appreciate it if you would too. :)
K. Kids.
My son and daughter will be 13 years old in 12 days. I'm still processing it...
L. Live.
I was born and raised in Southern California, but was never the definition of a California girl. Never. Now, I live in a suburb of Denver and love it. THIS is where I belong.
M. Mom's name.
Marvell
N. Nickname.
The nickname that is directly derived from my name is Tyff. But I am also Mommy, Timmy, Babe and Beautiful.
O. Overnight Hospital Stays.
When I was 3, I had the measles and was in a quarantined hospital room. I'm not sure for exactly how long, but it was a matter of days. I gave birth to my twins via C-section, so was in the hospital for 4 days then. The only other time was when my son was 2 months old and spiked a very high fever. He (and I) were in the hospital for 3 days while they attempted to figure out what was causing it, and what wasn't. Thankfully, it was none of the bad stuff that they could test him for and once the fever broke they diagnosed it as something viral.
P. Pet Peeve
School supply lists
Q. Quote from a movie
"I love ya more than my luggage."
R. Right or left handed?
Right
S. Siblings.
2 sisters. They are polar-opposite twins and are 3 1/2 years younger than me.
T. Time you wake up.
Whichever comes first: The dogs needing to go outside or my alarm at 5:30am. I have no idea how late I could sleep if the dogs didn't wake me up. On the weekends, they never let me sleep past 6:30. :(
U. Underwear.
Is not all that exciting. Have never worn a thong and strongly believe that given my weight, I should keep it that way.
V. Vegetable you dislike.
I don't like beets. That may actually be the only vegetable I don't like.
W. What makes you run late.
Sleeping in "just a little longer". Screws me every time...
X. X rays you have had done.
Lots of dental x-rays, ultrasounds during pregnancy, my knee and one mammogram.
Y. Yummy food you make.
French toast, omelettes, pumpkin bread, spaghetti, shrimp scampi pasta.
Z. Zoo animal.
I have always loved the Przewalski horses. I think they are beautiful.
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