**as i live and breathe**

she posts!! i know, i know it's a miracle. life has been strange lately and this has seemed like a chore so it kind of got put to the side for a while.

back to school got kicked off on a positive note. both kids were totally ready to head back. cj is a social fanatic and he totally missed all of his friends (read girls here). he also missed the weight room and has decided to wrestle this year. he met with all of the coaches and was thrilled to learn that he doesn't have to cut his hair....he just has to wear a funny hat-thing under the other funny hat-thing that wrestlers wear. it's going to be strange going to a sporting event rather than a choir concert. talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.

bailey was excited to go back because this is her senior year and that in and of itself is just way too cool. plus she is kind of a nerd (like me) and likes school. btw, she is taking HealthOc and one of the things that they get to do is go to the hospital and see a cadaver. i had her ask her teacher if i could tag along and she said yes. i am so excited. based on the schooling that i am doing and the fact that i have always wanted to be a nurse this is right up my alley. i can't wait!

angela took bailey's senior pictures last week. they turned out great. towards the end of the session i added cj to a few of the pictures and then had her 2 best friends in for a couple pictures as well. as soon as i get the final prints i will post some pics. angela is amazing and she was so fun to spend the time with.

i know this is kind of nerdy but the kids and i have been doing jigsaw puzzles at the dining room table. we get the 1000 piece eye-spy ones and they are a lot of fun. it's kind of "our thing" and i think that's really important right now. it's so funny to see the kids' friends jump on in when they are over...needless to say we get them put together at a pretty good rate with all the help.

speaking of the kids' friends, my house has officially become the house. a lot of the time i have 5 teenagers here making a lot of noise. but you know what? i love it. cj and his friends are playing "halo live" and the girls do what girls do. sometimes they get in the car and make a dutch bros. run...i wish starbucks was open later because i am not a dutch bros fan. all i can say it thank goodness for the little caesar's $5 pizzas. they are a lifesaver. the $5 footlongs from subway aren't too bad either.

well, i cut my hair. short. did i say short? if not i will say it. short. here is a pic of my inspiration. we are still tweaking it a bit and i go in next week for a color and touch-up cut.












this is vicki boutin. she is a great scrapbooker and i read her blog regularly. as far as i can tell she lives in canada which is a bummer because she teaches scrapbooking classes. i would really like to take a class from her. here's a link to her blog. check out her scrap room. it's too cute. vicki boutin i did copy her in the vinyl wall art of the owl on the wall and the birds above the door. they are so cute.

did i mention that i have a fat dog with acid reflux?? yeah, ummm how weird is that? jack apparently is about 4 pounds too heavy. dr. reid says you should be able to his ribs. yikes! he put jack on an extremely bland dog food and i give him a 10mg Pepcid in the morning and one in the evening. bug is queen of the "i am going to itch my face off" so we have her on some kind of cortizone/prednizone mix. pugs are a pain in the ass. seriously. if it wasn't for this....





















i am really missing this girl right now. funny how a plane ticket is all that separates us from the laughter and long talks over coffe and tea. bummer.





















well, the divorce is coming along. i didn't realize all that is involved in separating items. when both of your names are on everything it takes a lot of time to change all of that. the power bill, the gas bill, the phone bill, the cable bill, and the list goes on. i am doing just fine. it's an adjustment but it's the right adjustment.

Some think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go. --Sylvia Robinson

peace.