That Pretty Glow

“This is your very first post.”

So those words are intimidating. I feel pressure to get the words exactly right, like I’ve read on so many other people’s blogs, but then…

I decide that I don’t care. I’ve had to make that decision a lot in the past few years. The One where I don’t care. Over the last 5 years, I’ve gotten married, had two children, and made an across state move. It hasn’t been easy. I mean, being married is hard. Having children is hard. And the kids make the marriage have even harder spots. It seems like I’m supposed to say stuff about how we banded together during the hard parts and our marriage grew stronger, but I’m not sure I can say that. We have great times and there’s lots of love.  But still, life happens.  So with that in mind, 2017 has been DIFFICULT.

Not to bore you with the details or cry “poor me”, but here’s a quick run-down of what’s been happening…

• Ted (my husband) quit his job (aka the reason we moved down to Las Vegas) 

• Ted got a new job. It required him to work insanity – inducing hours (he once put in 27 hours straight), then he was demoted after putting in everything he possibly could have, and finally he quit (but not before being accused of being drunk on the job??!!). 

• That job was beyond insanity. So he decided to quit the culinary industry, after being in it for 20 years, to go back to school. 

• I, suddenly, am the breadwinner.  Or at least, I had to become the breadwinner. That’s not stressful at all…

• I reinjure my back from a 10 year old, off and on, injury that hadn’t quite healed. End up in a walker and then a wheelchair. And also an ambulance.  Finally,  back surgery.  

• Remember how I’m the breadwinner? Yeah, I am a 1099 contact worker, as a Speech language pathologist.  I only get paid if and when I work. Guess what you can’t do when you have back surgery?

• My husband and daughter go up to Reno for Spring break. Once they get up there, the car literally blows up.  $3500.

But no big deal. Not stressful at all. Enter family. Remember that thing that makes life harder?  Sometimes, it also makes life easier and worth it. 

My mom is one gracious lady and she took me in, let me stay at her house, fed me, bathed me, and lots of stuff in between that doesn’t need to be said. I love that woman. She will literally do anything for me. 

There are a few blessings that cannot be overlooked. 1. The car that blew up did so right in front of Ted’s mom’s house.  Not in the middle of the forsaken desert.  Not in a place where the only electricity producing place is a brothel.  At his mom’s house. Literally in front of it. Huge blessing. My baby girl and baby daddy were safe. 2. We had the money to pay for the car from our tax return. We didn’t go into debt to fix it.  3. My insurance covered the back surgery.  4. I’m no longer in pain,  and I no longer have the need to take countless pain medications. 5. Ted is soooooo much happier, or at least working on it. 

So, yes, 2017 has sorta sucked so far. But I have to look at the good in it so I don’t go insane. 

There’s a few more good parts though.  I’ll share them later. 

Those parts make up “that pretty glow”.