A Life Too Ordinary

If you've ever wondered how short I am...I can't reach the floor!

     I've been blogging for five years now.  It's incredible to think of all the changes that have come and been accepted in that amount of time.  We have moved twice, our beloved dog Chet died, I've taken a semi-permanent break for volunteering, Laurel is half done with High school, Miah has grown up considerably and made astounding progress in school, Jay has been home more than he hasn't....too many things to number.  I haven't been the constant blogger.  There have been long stretches of time where nothing of note really happened, and facebook has turned into a daily accounting of my life.  It's funny though.  The in-betweens are my life.  All of the stuff that is too dull to mention, the little irritations that are more fitting for a facebook rant than a full blown blog...
     I have thought of putting hands to keyboard several times this past year, only to get distracted by life.  I did finally get around to posting my New Orleans pictures, but never got around to writing about what we did.  Now that I think about it, its probably not interesting enough to get into.  The basics are that Jay and I found a beautiful spot to renew our vows to each other on our 13th anniversary, just like we had planed since we first got married.  We both spent almost an entire year writing those vows, and it turns out, we were on the same wavelength the entire time.  I got to see a gator up close and personal, and we had time alone together.  The heat was miserable, the parking was expensive, and I won't be going back, but it was more about being in the same space together, and not about the space we were in.
     I wanted to cheer a few months ago when I found out that Sara is moving back to KY.  I had to hold on to that bit of news for a bit though.  I can't believe how much time has already passed since I saw her last.  I am so excited to have her closer to me I just can't stand it.  There just aren't words!  I just hope Jay is prepared for how much driving he'll be doing.
The other wonderful, exciting thing is that we are going on vacation with Sheila and Scotty this year.  We haven't gotten a lot of chances to spend this much time together since Jay and I got married, and I can't wait for June to roll around.  We will be in a cabin in the woods for Miah's 13th birthday, and I hope we don't disappoint her too much.
     This year the girls both have major milestone birthdays, 13 and 16.  I am beside myself with disbelief. Where did all that time go? I find myself thinking that more and more these days.  As Laurel approaches the age I was when I got pregnant with her, my paranoia grows.  She did have a boyfriend that I was getting nervous about, but she decided against pursuing that relationship.  I surprisingly did not breath a sigh of relief though.  I am very fond of this particular young man.  We even spent the evening with his entire family one night, and while it was awkward, I did really enjoy meeting his grandmother in particular. She struck me as a "Me in 30 years" type of person.  He still walks Laurel to the car though, so I think he hasn't yet given up hope.  Me either, kid.  He reminds me very much of Jay when he was that age, and we all know what great potential that has.  He is going to be a good man one day.
     Jay and the girls have added a new tradition to Pancake Day.  The three of them have started playing D&D together.  Now, before you roll your eyes (I did that already) I have to say that it is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.  I had a grown up male friend that I watched play this game in the back of his store, and it was ridiculous...but when it's Daddy and his too little girls  it rivals the cutest kitty on Reddit.  Seriously, you have not lived until you hear them slay a dragon together.
     I got Jay to join Weight Watchers with me. He has lost almost 18lbs already, and we have started walking 9 miles a week together, on top of the 30 minutes of stationary bike I do every morning, and the PT he does.  I'm almost at my 10% goal, and the exercise is getting easier.  I'm not terribly fond of the meeting leader, she is several years younger than me, and complains about not being able to drink enough...but thankfully I am still friends with my favorite leader from Georgia. I just can't see me relying on help from someone who is so much younger than me...and I have been going to meetings off an on for more years than I'd care to count.  I could be a leader myself if I had the inclination.  I don't think I have enough enthusiasm to be a good leader though.  I have seen good leaders, and I have seen bad ones, and I know how much of a difference a good one can make. I refuse to be half good at anything.
     Jay bought me an IPad for my birthday last year.  I tried to get him to take it back, because I already had an IPod, but he refused.  I reluctantly fell in love with it.  It has ruined my ability to type, and it does not have a blogger ap, so it's not perfect, BUT I spend a lot of time on it. Part of the reason that I haven't blogged much has been the IPad.  I really need to establish a routine so that I don't have to force myself to sit a the computer.  The whole point of the blog was to communicate with my friends and family, and to document our lives together.  Facebook is a good communication tool, but not a good way to record a life.
     Speaking of which, I have that life that I need to get back to.  Washing machine repairmen are on the way, Jay's car needs to be taken care of, the bills are due soon, and I swear I think I just heard my IPad alert me to a facebook message....