Breaking Bullies

Bullies.

We have all heard stories in the news or in real life of kids being bullied so much that they start believing what is being said, that they don't feel there is a way out, and that they take their own lives. It's heartbreaking. As a parent, you pray that your child will never experience such cruelty.

I was bullied when I was in middle school and high school. People, who I thought were good friends, decided one day that they wanted to hate me. Other "friends" made fun of my swimming, saying I was going to the Special Olympics. I was made fun of for the boy I dated. I just counted down the days until I was out of that too-small town, away from these people who hurt me so much.

Then, I wondered if people, "friends" who I was raised with could think so little of me, say such horrible things would think those things, what would people who didn't know me think???

But, it got better. College was awesome because I found my niche, a group of people who didn't make fun of me. After college, I made amazing friends.

Then, one day, years later, I encountered another bully. This time, I was a parent, a homeowner, living in an awesome neighborhood where we would all meet in the evening and talk outside while our kids ran, playing in between our yards. A neighbor, a person I considered a very good friend, got belligerently drunk one night at a party. She started saying how she never really liked me or felt comfortable around me because I was in a wheelchair. I tried to make sense of this - asking her to clarify. Her answer was just because I was in a wheelchair. Once again, I felt like I was back in high school. How can adults act that way?

I have mentioned on here that I went out of the way to make sure Mason never gets made fun of for having a mom in a wheelchair. It has happened. I'm sure it's happened more than I know of.

Some people say that being bullied is just a fact of life. That getting picked on builds a backbone to make us stronger down the road. Well, I've been down the road - I've gone through a lot in life and being bullied in adulthood still stinks and hurts as much as it did when I was much younger.

So, I can see why there are kids today that get bullied so much that they decide ending their lives would be the only way to end things.

And it absolutely breaks my heart.

Spring Break Recap

So many visions of what our Staycation would be like. Well... let's go back to that checklist that I wanted to accomplish:

1, Book our next Disney vacation.

Complete! We are now booked for a week in a two-bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs during our February break. I didn't add the Dining plan yet. Or purchase tickets yet. I know when I can book our dining. Like always, booking through Disney Vacation Club's Member Services is easy-peasy (though, IMO, booking Disney trips on your own is too!).

2. Complete reading Game of Thrones, Book One in a Song of Ice and Fire Series.

Did not complete. I did, however, get through most of the first season on Blu-ray. I still want to read the series, I just didn't yet.

3. Finish watching Season 1 of Sherlock (again).

Complete! Now, I am ready to start the second season.

4. Job hunt some more.

Still a work in progress. Obviously, I didn't find a job yet, but I have a more direct action-plan.

5. Go get sponsors for our middle school's 5K.

Didn't even begin. More on this later.

6. Finish St. Patrick's Day projects.

Did not complete. I wanted to make a shamrock button piece. I bought the supplies, I just didn't do it. Oh well. Next year!

7. Start Easter/Spring projects.

Complete, I suppose? I started. I did make an egg. And I cut out a bunch of things on my Silhouette machine to work on. So, I guess I did START some projects. Hey, I never said anything about finishing them!!!

8. Spend time with my three favorite boys.

Sort of completed.

Mark had Tuesday-Sunday off, so that was great. We did do some fun things as a family, however our Break began with Mason getting sick. He was fine by Tuesday, however had ever so nicely passed those germs onto me and I am just today finely returning to the world of the living. So, I had planned to go out and get sponsors (especially on Monday, while Mark worked), but we just couldn't.

Though I didn't finish reading Game of Thrones, I did, however, finish reading another great book. When She Woke is written by Hilary Jordan and is a modern re-telling of The Scarlet Letter, taking place in the dystopian future. Instead of the main character wearing a scarlet "A," however, her entire body is "chromed," or dyed red. It is really an amazing book (especially very relevant with today's government choices regarding the female body and abortion).

So, that was our Spring Break. Lots of tissues and Nyquil was used. And, sadly, we only watched one episode of Season 6 of Doctor Who. However, we played 48394587 games of Draw Something. That counts for something, right?

Back from my Break

Hi friends. I have taken a much needed Blog break. And I'm back!!!

What did I do while I was "gone?"

I wish I could say I went on a fabulous vacation. I didn't.

I wish I could say I worked on a huge project. I didn't.

I wish I could even say I completed a book. I didn't.

I just have been busy LIVING. Hanging out with fabulous friends and even fabulous-er (teehee) family.

This week is Spring Break for The Boy. Mark is taking a few days off work and we are just going to veg at home. And probably watch Season 6 of Doctor Who on Netflix.

What I want to accomplish this week?

1. Book our next Disney vacation. And I will blog about it. I am obsessed with Walt Disney World and we are Disney Vacation Club members (Disney's version of a timeshare), so we go quite often and I loving planning. I have a pretty good idea of the when and the where, I just have to get off my booty and call Members Services and book it (I could do it online, but I have a question to ask).

2. Complete reading Game of Thrones, Book One in A Song of Ice and Fire Series.

3. Finish watching Series 1 of Sherlock (again).

4. Job hunt some more. Seriously, this is starting to get depressing...

5. Go get sponsors for our middle school's first 5K. Your's truly is one of the co-chairs.

6. Finish St. Patrick's Day projects (just in time to pack up for next year. Ooops).

7. Start Easter/Spring projects.

8. Spend time with my three favorite boys.

Oh! My wonderfully amazing friend, Mandy, has a website. Each week she features a Geek of the Week and I am this week's Geek! Read about me here!!!

Learning Lessons

Day 27 of NaBloPoMo and the prompt is: What is something you learned from someone else?

Really? That's it? I have learned a lot from my boys.

From Gibson the Wondermutt, I have learned to love unconditionally. That dog loves everyone and goes out of his way to prove it. Even by practically laying his 80 pound body on top of your hip to cuddle on the sofa.

From Mason, I have learned that love is patient. It's no big secret that I have never been a fan of kids (especially the green-nosed ones. Ew.). And I am sure part of it is because I am, by nature, a very impatient person. However, being a Mom, you have to be patient.

From Mark, I have learned that love is forgiving. No surprise with my upbringing, I had a very hard time to trust a boyfriend. In past relationships, I never could fully believe 100%-no-doubt-about-it that someone would always be there for me. Mark changed that.

Sure, I have learned so much more from the wonderful guys in my life. They are great people who I adore with every part of my being.

My Vow

Day 24 of NaBloPoMo and I am still not posting my crafts. Maybe I will start a new "Silhouette Saturday" feature. Hm.

Tonight, I went to dinner and a movie with my mom and dear friend, Laura. My boys have friends over every other Friday for Game Night, so I always try to go out, too.

We went to see The Vow. Mom had read the book, which I plan on, too. In it, a husband and wife get in a car accident which leaves the wife with amnesia. She can remember her life up to a certain point, but nothing at all about her life with her husband. He spends the movie trying to help her. It was loosely based on a true story.

I love my husband with every ounce of my being. I know I don't say it enough. And I really know I don't show it enough either.

What would I do if he didn't remember me? If he didn't remember how (or why) we fell in love? How would I react? Would I fight through every possibly obstacle to get Mark to remember me or fall back in love with me?

At our wedding, we vowed to love each other in sickness and in health. But so many times, you hear stories about people falling apart during a time of need. My own father pulled further away from us after my car accident. The statistic of couples divorcing, especially if an illness/disability occurs to their children is ridiculously high. Do they not remember their vows?

I would hope Mark and I would hold strong to each other if, God forbid, something were ever to happen to Mason.

If you love someone enough to vow to spend your entire life with them, that doesn't just mean when everything is hunky-dory and peachy-keen. It's the bad times. The sad times. And, to quote Jimmy Buffett, "the going half-mad times." I think too many forget that. Or decide it's just not important anymore.

Sons vs. Daughters

Day 17 of NaBloPoMo and I really do not like the prompt, but I will write about it:

Friday, February 17, 2012
What do you think of the saying, "A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life."

I hope this isn't true. I want Mason to one day get married, obviously, but I also want to be a part of his life forever. While it's true in my situation (we usually spent most holidays with my family), I think it depends on how close you are to your parents/family.

Growing up, we spent ALL holidays at my maternal grandparents' home. My paternal grandparents wintered in Florida, so they were never home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm sure we may have seen them on Easter, but I remember spending all holidays with my maternal grandparents.

So, it just seemed natural that we would do the same.

Mind you, Mason is not even thirteen years old. I have no idea what will happen in the future, but I do know I will work my hardest forever to make sure I have a wonderful relationship with my son (and I know Mark will, too). I want him to be happy. And I will pray that includes spending time with us forever.

People have commented how unfair it is to have an only child because Mason will have to make sole decisions on our well-being once we age. That's an entirely different blog entry, but I think because Mason "only has us," we have a much more unique situation.

So, what do I think? I think that saying is a bunch of... well, crap.

Mind Dump

Day 16 of NaBloPoMo and I'm over half-way there!! Yay!! And I'm ditching today's prompt of :

Respond to the proverb: "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family."

I've been in a funk this week. It started on Monday when I got sick. Since then, I'm feeling better, but in a blah-like mood. I'm not sleeping well.

Tomorrow, I am working at The Boy's school all day, covering for the receptionist. And it's Friday! Weekend cometh! In Ohio, we would have Monday off for President's Day. They don't in our school district here.

The Boy's birthday is next week. He is going to become a teenager. I am so not ready for that. At all. And the spoiled kid can't think of anything he wants for his birthday. I guess that's what happens when it's so close to Christmas. Mark and I have a present plan that's pretty sweet.

My Great Uncle Stanley passed away on Tuesday. I found out by reading the funeral home website. It's weird. I check it everyday, to see if anyone I knew died. More and more names are looking familiar. And I'm not the only weirdo from my town who does this. Anyway, Uncle Stanley was my paternal grandfather's brother. He was one of the few paternal family members who stayed in contact with my mom, sisters, and I after the divorce. He and his wife, my Aunt Nelle, would always visit us when they came to town. They were great people. He will be missed. One cousin contacted us on Facebook to let us know it happened, for which I am thankful. We are used to never hearing family news until much later.

Mark made Oatmeal-raisin-bacon cookies last night thanks to Bon Appetit magazine. They are really good, but I can't really taste the bacon. Gibson got into trouble for jumping up and grabbing one from the table this morning. This caused Mason to get scared, because dogs can't eat raisins. He's fine, albeit in big trouble. Silly Wondermutt.

No other real happenings right now. I am taking Tylenol PM tonight so I can finally get a good night's sleep.

You've Got a Friend

Day #15 of NaBloPoMo and I'm ditching their prompt.

My "naughty" friend, Colleen is a therapist with a blog. Today, she wrote about how adults find friends, especially moving to a new area.

When I moved to Austin, I knew no one outside of my family. I quickly found out that quite a few people from my hometown lived in the Austin area (it's actually quite shocking -- one of my old neighbors lives nearby!). During the first six months, I didn't really know anyone because we lived in temp housing (an apartment) as we built our house in a different town. I kept sane by talking to my old friends back home, but I knew that once we moved into our house, I needed to find my people.

Once we moved, however, my first priority was finding friends for Mason. Luckily, we moved in the summer, so we spent so much time at our neighborhood pool (which is just down our street). I began talking to neighbors, too. Mason met three of his best friends today that summer at the pool. I met a lot of people at our neighborhood's National Night Out Event, too.

When school began, I started volunteering at Mason's school. I got to know more neighbors. Then, I started working and met some great people, too.

Today, the majority of my friends I have met through either Mason's school, swimming, or our neighborhood. Mark and I have a few "couple friends," that we hang out with, too. I am very blessed because I have some amazing friendships that I've made here in Texas. Dare I say I have too many friends? No, I would never -- but my calendar quickly fills with lunch dates and girls nights out. Again, I am blessed.

Thank you all for being my friend!

31.

January 31.

It was the day that changed my life. I can remember bits and pieces so vividly, like it was just yesterday instead of thirty-one year ago.

January 31. Thirty-one years ago.

People have asked if I could go back in time and change things, would I? Of course not. Everything happens for a reason. If I changed that one event, would my life match up to what it is today? I wouldn't want to chance that. I love my life.

Thirty-one years later, I am happy. Thirty-one years later, I have this amazing family that I love with all of my heart. I have a husband who I fall more and more in love with each day. I have a son who is a great kid, gets amazing grades (just found out he's getting a 100 in 9th Grade Science - boo-yah!), and is more sensitive to others maybe a little bit because of me. I have this Wondermutt who acts SO! EXCITED! TO! SEE! ME!! every time I come out of the bathroom. I have a loving mother who still makes me peanut butter toast when I'm sick and hangs out with me when I need girl-time. Thirty-one years later, I have friends -- lord, do I have tons of friends! -- who I know will be there for me forever.

I am blessed. No matter what happened thirty-one years ago today, I truly am blessed.

Then - at my third birthday party.

Then - on my third Christmas. Almost one month before the accident.

Now - with Mason at the Tidal Waves Pep Rally
Now - with Mark at Ben and Samar's wedding.

Now - with Mom at Flip Happy.

Now - with the Naumann's at Epcot.

Now - with my girlfriends also known as the Pentagon of Trust.

Now - with friends in awful 80s wear! ;-)