So the Story Goes

If you'd asked me anytime before now if my family members were my best friends I would have told you no. A resounding no. Maybe it comes with moving out and starting your own life but looking over the past weekend I realized that it has become the truth. And not just my own immediate family but Hubby's family too.

I never had a large family growing up. My mother was an only child, my father had two brothers - one was married and had one child. The other has never married. Both live very far away and I really didn't know them very well. My mother's parents both died when we were fairly young and my father's father has also passed away. So, my whole life I've never been surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. Just my immediate family. Mother, father, brother, sister, and me. As I am the oldest and no one else has yet to marry there are no little nieces and nephews to play with either.

There were times that I was close to my immediate family. I have a lot of fond memories, but also a lot that involve fights and arguments. I didn't get along with my brother and sister very well until I moved away. Things are better now. Only my brother still lives at home so it's more pleasant when we get together and we actually enjoy spending time together. We play games and you can hear laughter instead of yelling. We actually talk on the phone to one another and want to share exciting news with our family first.

I also have a whole new extended family, marrying into Hubby's family. Now I have a neice and two nephews who are adorable. I have older siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins and I love spending time with them. This past weekend we had a sleepover at Hubby's sister and brother-in-law's house with two of their cousins. We made yummy fondue and played Scene It and sat around chatting and laughing. I got to play with my newly acquired neice and taught her to say "awesome!" It's her new favorite word.

As much as I love my friends and they remain dear to my heart, I've realized how much more important it's become to spend time with my family. They have become my best friends and I'm really excited about this new development.

Top O' the Morning To Ye

Yesterday was the 3 month anniversary of our wedding. Has it really been 3 months already?

Fitting that it should be on St. Patrick's Day. It's one of my favorite holidays and I've got the red hair and green eyes to match and I love my mom's traditional Irish fare. Hubby, however, was not so fond of the corned beef and colcannon. (There's not an Irish bone in his body.)

I took my wedding ring in to get resized. Ever since they soldered them together I've had a hard time getting them on and off. This was the conversation with the jewelry lady:

B: I need to get my rings resized.
JL: Oh, how long have you had them.
B: 3 months
JL: Oh! Well, have you gained some weight?
B: only in my finger. No, ever since they soldered them together they just haven't fit right.

What kind of question is that!?! Who asks that thinking it's an acceptable question? Even if I HAD gained weight, why would that be an ok question? Sometimes I wonder at peoples' idea of tact.

Academia

As of the end of this semester I only need 18 credits to graduate. Yes! A light at the end of the tunnel!

But as is always the case in my pursuit of a higher education the fates are conspiring against me. I just checked the newly posted summer schedule and there's not a lot of classes I can take. The only class I NEED to take is my second English class. The rest are all electives and for some reason not very many that interest me are being offered when I can take them. I can take classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I work Monday, Wednesday, Friday. But for some reason the majority of the classes I want to take, if they're being offered in the summer at all, are offered Monday, Wednesday. Grrr....

It looks like I should have saved some of the required Gen Ed classes for the summer because those are ALL being offered. Don't they know students only want to take electives in the summertime anyway? I'm thinking of taking an anthropology class. But it's in the evening. I'll probably take it anyway seeing as Hubby will probably be taking an evening class too and it'll give me something to do.

There are a lot of internet courses being offered but I'm not sure how much I want to take one of those. I can just see myself not being motivated enough to do the work. But if I don't take one I'll probably only take those other two classes and have to take 4 classes in the fall and I just don't know if that'll fit in my schedule either.

Internet class or no interenet class? What to do? What to do?

I don't like your caramel kisses

What is it?

I'm not in junior high anymore. I don't wear revealing clothing. I really DON'T try to draw attention to myself.

Why do guys continue to insist on addressing my chest when they speak to me?

Things That Don't Change Remain The Same

I passed a flyer for a swing dance club at the community college the other day. Dancing has always been a huge part of my life. I started tap, ballet, acrobatics and jazz when I was four. At 15 my best friend, a couple guys we knew, and I started taking ballroom dance lessons. I loved it. I ate it up. It was something I really enjoyed. After graduating from high school my best friend and I and whoever else we could drag along would go dancing nearly every weekend. It was a good source of exercise and a good way to meet people. At the same time, I didn't care much for the slow songs, I preferred just to get my wiggles out during the fast dances.

I moved to Cleveland for about a year and a half and there just wasn't time for dancing in my busy schedule. My work kept me really busy and when I wasn't working I was so tired I just went to bed. My best friend had started going to a swing dance club at one of the local universities and upon my return from Cleveland I started going with her. I hadn't swing danced much since we were 15 and took lessons but I loved getting back into it. There was a couple who taught the lessons and they were always so cute and it made me want to marry someone I could be like that with.

It didn't quite turn out that way. My husband really doesn't like to dance. He wouldn't go dancing with me before we were married and it really didn't bother me because we did all kinds of other things. As I passed that flyer I thought of the movie "Shall We Dance?" I could just go and dance with other guys but that thought just didn't appeal to me in the least. It's just not as important to me as it used to be. Maybe someday Hubby will like dancing. Until then I'll be content to dance around our apartment.

Lots of things change throughout your life. People and things and activities just aren't as important as they used to be as they are replaced by new and different things. And that's ok. I believe people and things are a part of your life when you need them and then you change and so do your surroundings. If you hold on too tightly to things of the past you miss out on things of the future.

Thoughts for the Day

Today's thoughts come from The Alchemist:

"When someone sees the same people every day, they wind up becoming a part of that person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own." (Pages 17-18)

"When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises." (Page 29)

And that's as far as I've gotten. I'm sure there will be even greater insights as I continue reading this amazing, enlightening book. I highly recommend it.