Adulting is Stupid

IMG_20160309_145248One leaking drain…in the wall.

One homeowners insurance claim.

One giant salamander in the backyard (for treatment of water damage).

Three different companies (so far) dealt with in repairs.

One doctor pissing me the *bleep* off.

One car deceptively decent attempting to bleed us dry.

One 100* home (due to aforementioned treatment for water damage).

One new extra PT job.

Five cranky household members.

One miserable pooch.

Zero capability to cook in an already over-baked home.

One teenager eager to flee the coop.

Two exhausted adulters ready to turn in their adult cards.

Can I go back to Disney?

And never ever leave?

~le sigh~

Done.

That is me.

Just done.

 

 

One Word – 2015

Tonight is a night of reflection. When we all look back on the year that’s past and examine it, and then look forward to the coming year and anticipate what’s coming.

A breath of hope.

Of change.

Of life.

To look back on my 2015 I can sum it all up with one simple word.

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More so in the last 1/3 of the year, but definitely, all around, chaos.

There was much good to be had – Disney (again), getting my son back from the land of emo teenager, book releases, returning to the community theater stage (w/ my whole family, no less) good moments with friends and family.

There were also rough times – my dad’s downward spiral into some pretty bad Parkinson’s symptoms, working triple time at the day job, my publisher closing, and some pretty hurt feelings on my part (sorry, vagueposting that).

The last third of the year it felt like I couldn’t even take a breath we were so insanely busy. Between the play, Disney, work life and home life, I got hardly any writing done, hardly any breathing done.

Now it’s time to step back and take a breath. To look to the upcoming year with hope and excitement.

I see more chaos in the coming year for certain. I see myself setting more lofty goals for myself. I see big changes for my family’s dynamic as one bird flies from the nest. I see growth for my book sales, and moving closer to my dream of being able to stay at home again.  I see excitement as more of my Buffalo family moves to Indiana.

So I welcome 2016 with a certain level of anticipation and calm acceptance.

I look forward to whatever it brings me.

My Favorite Time of Year

The stress is real.

There are cookies to be baked.

A bevy of presents to be wrapped.

christmas1A tree to be trimmed.

There are more cookies to be baked.

Carols to be sung.

Play performances to be had.

Many more work hours than normal.

3 kids on Christmas break.

Working the day before and after the holiday (every holiday this season).

And then…

christmas2There’s the joy.

The presents.

The family together.

The food.

The lights.

The ornaments from the past and new ones.

There is so much to love about this season…all those stresses don’t seem so…stressful.

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Sunday Snapshots – Cell Phone Week

NYC (2)The past two weeks have been absolutely insane between Eagling up for Denver, me working more hours than usual, and odder days than I usually do, and 4th of July.

Long story short–my camera sat on the shelf.

However, the week wasn’t a total wash. My cell phone got some action throughout the week…so it’s not a huge outpouring, but at least I didn’t ignore my pictures all together. 🙂

Week – 6/28/15 – 7/4/15

Me, hours before the Eagle Ceremony with my Mother’s Scout pins.
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Some beautiful roses in my favorite color, a gift from my new Eagle Scout.
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The first blooms finally erupted on my Rose of Sharon.
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This guy popped up on the neighbor’s door frame.
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Of course, it wouldn’t be the 4th of July without some of the requisite fireworks photos.
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And that’s it for this week!  More to come next week…considering I get my camera back out 😀

Top Ten Tuesday – Things I Miss From Cable TV

Copy of Top 10 Favorite BooksJust over five years ago we gave up cable. Then, after a year I caved and got it again, only to cancel it again after our discount rate went away.

We sure don’t miss the cost, but there are a few things I miss .

With regular stations, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, we have plenty to watch and shows to catch up on, and other shows we can catch after a year, but some things just aren’t the same.

  1. DVR. There are so many times I simply forget a show is on, or something comes up and I’m not at the TV when it comes on. Worse, some shows (Hell, SYTYCD) just don’t let me catch it online “next day”. I miss the convenience of in-box DVR.
  2. Ghost Hunters. Inarguably the one show I miss. It’s also the one that SyFy refuses to stream in any way.
  3. The Dead Files. Another favorite. (Are we sensing a theme here?)
  4. My Ghost Story. (Seriously, I need help.)
  5. Nick at Night. It’s showing MY old favorites now…good shows, great reruns.
  6. Hell on Wheels. Yes it’s on Netflix, but first run is better.
  7. American Pickers. Yeah.
  8. Nat Geo.  ‘Nuff said.
  9. FX.
  10. 100’s of channels. Always something on. (this is both a blessing and a curse. Harder to turn off the TV and, oh, I dunno…WORK.)

In the end, life is better without cable. But some days I do get waxing poetic over the whole thing.

What about you? What is your favorite thing about having, or not having, cable as the case may be? If you don’t…what do you miss most from cable?