A hot lunch date

Yesterday, I got to spend a little bit of time with The Dude.

Lately, it seems like the universe is conspiring against us, and our time together has been limited. Quite frankly, it sucks. We both have so many responsibilities that we have to handle so we try to sneak in time together whenever we can - even if it's just a quick lunch or a drive-by visit.

Yesterday, it was lunch. We went to a little coffee shop here in town for some sandwiches, which were yummy as always. They sell other stuff too....

I think I want this one.

hehehehe

He bought this one for me - I just have to find the
perfect place to hang it....

After we got done eating, we ventured down the block to a used bookstore. We could have spent hours in there, but we were limited on time - which also saved our wallets. All of the books here are donated - and all of the profits are donated to LOCAL charities. This is my kind of place - paying it forward right in our own neighborhood.

Hopefully, if things work out as planned tomorrow, we'll get to actually spend a few hours together *gasp* before he has to go to work. We have some errands to run and places to go and people to see - but we have to see how well that pesky universe behaves.

And the really good news is that I should be getting my nice shiny new camera tomorrow - you know, since I broke the one that my friend gave me a few months ago. So be prepared for more pictures! Yay! Pictures! And they might even be focused!

Milestones

I mentioned on my facebook page a little earlier this evening that I have some milestones to celebrate this week.

The first couple kind of snuck by without much hoopla, since I haven't been feeling well.

January 7, 2005 - the day that my first divorce became final. Honestly, I pretty much forgot about that one this year. I think I mentioned something about it to The Dude the night before or something, but it just kind of breezed on by this time.

January 10, 2011 - just over a year ago - my first blog post as Non-Stop Mom. Wow. I'm actually impressed by that, because I never expected to stick with it this long, but it's been a blast. While I am nowhere near "big blogger" status, I find it amazing that this thing has been viewed over 36,000 times. I mean, really, is it *that* interesting?

January 12, 1998 - 14 years ago today - I arrived in Kansas, intent on making a home here. I had driven from Long Island, NY to here over the span of 5 days with everything that I owned packed in a Ryder truck with my car on a dolly behind it and my cat in a carrier on the passenger seat.

Why did I do it? Why did I move halfway across the country? This is a question that I get asked a lot. Without going into deep, dark details about a period of my life that still embarrasses me, suffice it to say that I moved out here to pursue a relationship with someone who I had met online. Keep in mind that 14 years ago, meeting someone online wasn't as socially acceptable as it is now. I had met him in "real life" and things seemed to be genuine, so I packed up and moved. It was after I got here and landed a really good job that I found out that he wasn't as honest about some things as he should have been - specifically, about his marital status.

Anyway, like I said, I had a really good job, and rather than tucking my tail in between my legs and running back east, I decided to stick it out and start a new life. I soon met the man who would become Ex1, and the rest is history.

Now, 2 marriages and 5 kids later, there isn't much that I would change about how I ended up here. I made some horrible choices, but I also made some really good ones, and they all led me to where I am today. My life hasn't turned out exactly the way that I had planned, but I really can't complain about much. I have 5 wonderful kids and a boyfriend who has shown me more about the way that a relationship is supposed to work than both ex-husbands combined ever did.

And then of course, there's tomorrow. January 13, 2012. The first anniversary of the second divorce becoming final, and my 41st birthday. Yep, I admitted it. No use fighting it, is there?

Before you ask, no, we have no plans. I still don't feel great, and now The Dude is sick after taking care of us all week. So I'll just get the kids off to school and do my thing like I usually do, just with no running since my lungs are still filled up with razor blades. Maybe I'll take the kids out to dinner or something. I have no idea, but I'm sure that it will be fun.