Happy Halloween! I know I've skipped a couple of days in posting, but Sunday I was just too wiped out from the party & yesterday Blogger wouldn't connect & let me post, so I told myself I'd try later & promptly forgot.

The party was a rousing success & a good time was had by all - or so it seemed, at any rate. We had several awesome choices for the disgusting food contest & choosing the best tasting of those was really hard, as our group of friends is full of excellent cooks. We had:

1. Pumpkin Puke (guacamole coming out of a jack'o'lantern's mouth)
2. Gangrenous Goblin (a sausage & cheese bread roll, the meat filling was a nasty green color)
3. Snout Stew (hot dogs slives thinly & made to look like pig snouts in baked beans)
4. Helen's Surprise (a pasta salad served in a potty chair)
5. Stomach Lining (pink jello salad with mystery fruit inside)
6. Goblin Guts (stuffed mashed potatoes that were colored green with red areas)
7. Fromundah Cheese (cheese curds)
8. Witch's Hat cake
9. Witch's Brew (lime jello, pineapple juice, ginger ale & dry ice)

The Most Disgusting was #2 & the Best Tasting was #3

The costumes were awesome, too. It seems like all of the women & one of our teen girls dressed as witches, though. It was kind of cool anyway, because we were all so different. Ryan dressed as an angel, complete with the white gown & wings, it was awesome.

So, tonight Rhi & her friends are all going out trick-or-treating & I'll probably be all alone here, unless I decide to pack up my goodies & go to Dawn's house & hang out with MY friends. If Erin plans to come over, I'll stay here, because he needs me right now (Alisha left him Saturday & has moved back in with her mom).

Today's picture is the treat bags I made for our Halloween party a few years ago. They were a lot of work, but they were sure cute. I filled them with candy & little Halloween toys, the kids all loved them. Now we don't have enough little kids in the group to even make it worthwhile.

Tonight is our Halloween party once again. I've decided on a disgusting food to make & a costume to wear, all that's left is the getting everything ready. Part of the food is cooked, the rest is waiting to cool down so I can handle it enough to finish it.

I went & did a bunch of errands with Rhi & Erin earlier - he got here at about 7:30 to start on his room & got quite a lot finished, which is good since they'll need to have it finished soon if they plan to move back in. I got some fabric to make a blanket for my best friend's future grandbaby. I can't start on it until I get some ribbon, but its gonna be really cute.

I don't have much to say today, but I do have a lot to get done, so I'd better go.

Today's picture is Erin, from his Sophomore year, I believe. All I know is that I really miss this Erin. He was a much nicer person than the version that's walking around these days. I wish I knew what happened & how. I wish I knew a way to get him back. It makes me very sad.

Anyway.

We got the grocery shopping done, gas for my car bought, all that's left to do is to gas Troy's XTerra up. I still have no clue what my costume for tomorrow night is gonna be. I do know what I'm cooking for the food contest though & bought everything I need to fix it. Rhi texted me while we were getting ready to go to the store & said she needed some sort of cold medicine & I bought her some & had to leave Troy at the store while I took it to her, since the only time she could really meet me was during her lunch period. I hope she's feeling a little better now.

Her boyfriend snuck up on me while I was texting her in the store to tease me & say I wasn't allowed to text & shouldn't be texting Rhi in the middle of class - I told him she texted me first & he laughed & said, "Yeah, she texted me too." (this probably came about because earlier in the week we had to have her tell him to cut back on the texting because we had a limited about every month to share between all of us & now Rhi has unlimited)

I think I'll play Guild Wars for a little while before I have to leave again, then I'll get Rhi & come back, shower, figure out dinner & then we'll go game with our friends.

My Mood:
My Weather: &

Today's picture is the blacklight companion to yesterday's. This is Rhi, from last year's Halloween party. I hope we get to use the blacklight for this year's party, although I kind of doubt there will be any decorating going on this time - I think people just want to put on costumes, eat & get drunk this time around. I think I must have been the only one who actually enjoyed the party last year.

I had to go & pick Rhi up from her off-campus class a few minutes ago & take her back to the school. The bus never showed up to get her, or it came early & no one bothered to tell her or something. Sean would have taken her back, but he had to go to Burger King to talk to them about a job they offered him & he didn't want her to miss eating lunch. It was no big deal, but I really hate driving at the high school at lunch time. Some of those kids are so rude, they just stare at you & then walk right out in front of your car, laughing. That, and teenaged drivers are pretty scary enmass when you think about it.

Rhi's been trying to get a job, so she can help pay for her scooter & pay her fines (from some trouble she got in last Spring), and increase our texting plan to unlimited so she & Sean don't bankrupt us. We figure she'll have one before Erin does, since he won't cut or comb his hair & is trying to get a job in fast food & she keeps herself clean & dresses nicely.

Anyhow, I don't have much going on today, its a pretty typical Thursday - especially the day before payday - we're just sitting around, trying to get a few things done before tomorrow & we're super busy.

My Mood:
My Weather: &

Today's picture is from our Halloween party last year. Its me, in my wig, under the black light we put in the hall. I really like the psychodelic look it has to it. I took a couple of me & a couple of Rhi under there, I'll post one of Rhi tomorrow.

So, Rhi apparently lost my camera, either at school or in between here & there. I guess it was a good thing that I was about due for a new one, but still, I hate to be without it now. Oh well, no point in being upset about it, I can't bring it back that way, all I can do is hope someone turned it in to the school or something. I'm so proud of the young woman that she's become this school year. She may have gone through her first heartbreak, but it taught her so much about herself & she's that much better for it.

I guess Erin & Alisha still don't have jobs. They plan to move in here the 1st of November, I guess. We're less than thrilled, which is sad to say, but true. There is sooooo much chaos anytime he's around for longer than about 3 hours. He picks fights with Rhi, or Troy & I & if that fails to entertain him, he starts in on Alisha & that always ends in a huge argument. I have some rules that are going to have to be followed if they wanna stay here, along with some rent that's going to have to be paid. I'm pretty sure they plan to stay with us until they have enough money saved to move to Portland. I guess I wouldn't be so put out, but they were supposed to have his bedroom cleaned out a long time ago, so I could use it for crafting & sewing & he's just now getting around to it, in time to move back in & he wants me to put all of my stuff into a storage unit. As it is, I'll have nowhere to put the Christmas tree now, because that stuff is sitting right where I usually put it.

My Mood:
My Weather:

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Update: Rhi found my camera, it was buried in her backpack, thankfully!

Today's picture is our dog, Tiny, in her Halloween costume last year. She loves wearing bandanas, jackets, shirts and anything else we throw on her. She knows what a collar is & that (98% of the time) they're for her & gets ecited when she sees a new one. She's an odd nut, that one.

It was oddly warm this morning, so warm that the windshields of both cars were frost-free & Rhi's scooter started up on the first try (which means I didn't have to drive her to school today). She's feeling much better this morning, although I could tell by looking at her that she wasn't 100% yet. Its almost impossible to keep her out of school, no matter how poorly she feels. Yes, she does love school that much. I'm pretty sure that she'll come home & go to bed, though - she does that most days anyway & I'm sure she'll be wiped out from being sick & going to school anyway.

I know everyone is probably tired of hearing about Rhi's love life by now, and it seems to get more convoluted every time I post, but there is more *L* Apparently, her crush was mistaken about what the girl from his past wanted to talk about. I guess she thought there was something he could do about her ex-boyfriend going to her house & beating her up. I'm sure there is, but it would involve him going to jail, which I'm sure he isn't interested in. So anyway. Rhi was the first person he told what was going on & they chatted for awhile after that. While I was fixing dinner, she came out & told me she wasn't single anymore. I guess he told her, that as long as they didn't have to spend every minute together, that he'd like to go out with her (this is mostly because they have different sets of friends & each want to spend time with their friends at lunch & so on), of course she understood that & agreed to it, as she needs her own space, too. I think really he's afraid of having a girlfriend like the one he had his Freshman year (he's a Senior now) that freaked out any time they weren't together & stalked him after they broke up.

If it sounds like I know him fairly well, its because I do. We've known him since Erin started public high school his Sophomore year. For a short time they were rivals, after that they were best friends. His name is Sean, by the way. Sean had a crush on Erin's then-girlfriend (and for all I know, she may be the one from his past, since he isn't wanting to tell Rhi who she is) and after she broke Erin's heart, Sean believed her lies & wanted to kick Erin's butt. They eventually overcame all of that, the truth came out & they became best friends. They spent every weekend together, either over here or at his house. He's been calling me Mommy2 for most of that time. He got into a lot of trouble sometime near the end of Erin's Junior year & he went to detention for about a month & they kind of stopped hanging out. Erin got new friends, Sean kept his old ones & I'd run into him occasionally at the store. He'd always stop & talk to me, I'd ask him why he wasn't at school or what he was up to & he'd tell me. I didn't see him much in the past year, then he came to Renne Faire one day & we talked a little while.

When school started, Rhi started talking about him, because they had a class together. He gave her a ride back to school from that class one day when she missed the bus (the class is off campus at the tech center), and it sounded like they were becoming pretty good friends. When Rhi & her ex broke up, Sean was one of the first people to notice that something was wrong with her & express concern - she didn't tell him what was really up, because she knew that he couldn't stand her ex & was still in a state of mind where she wanted everyone to not hate him. I started to wonder if he might be crushing on her a little at this point (I'm pretty sure he was when he first started coming around, but wouldn't act on it then being Erin's best friend & all), but I didn't say anything. Erin started up the old AirSoft club that he & Sean originally started & Sean started playing with them, so did Rhi (and Troy & I). I noticed that sometime around the time Rhi finally let herself get pissed off at her ex & started letting go of that relationship, that she started talking about Sean an awful lot, and that he seemed to be finding ways to be near her a lot more & so I mentioned that I thought he might have a crush on her - its all history from there.

We'll see what happens from here on out, but i have to say that I'm impressed with the fact that he told her the truth through all of this indecision & confusion, and made sure that she was always kept up-to-date on what was going on.

Today's picture is from a Halloween party we had a few years ago (we hve one every year) & these were the white chocolate suckers I made. It was the first time I'd ever made anything like that (and probably the last, too). I really haven't done anything remotely Halloween related yet this year. The house is undecorated. The porch is bare. No pumpkins have been bought. I haven't even decided what to wear for our party. Usually Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, but not this year, I guess.

The date with the crush didn't happen. It likely won't happen at all, now. Apparently, the night after he asked her again, a girl from his past called him & he thinks she may be getting ready to ask him out tomorrow. So, the movie was off. I think Rhi was a little hurt & angry about it, but what can you do? She didn't let it get her down for very long, thankfully.

I didn't do much of anything yesterday. I played on the 'net awhile & took a nap & read. Cooked dinner, watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition & Dexter & was pretty much finished for the day at that point. I'm not a very exciting person on days when Troy's at work & Rhi's gone apparently.

Rhi woke up sick today. Poor kid is running a fever, has head & body aches & is slightly nauseated. She really hates being sick, mostly because she hates missing school. Today there is no school, so I imagine she's hoping to feel better tomorrow.

Well, I think I'll finally make my bed, do the dishes from last night & either watch a movie or do some reading.

Today's picture (the one I posted earlier was actually for yesterday, but Blogger wouldn't let me post) is Tiny & Kaji, when Kaji was much smaller. I think it was the day we brought him home in May. They've pretty much been best buddies ever since.

They're so funny together & Tiny puts up with so much from that cat. He grabs a hold of her muzzle & hangs there, all Tiny does is to slowly get lower until she's lying down. He's constantly picking at her to play, even when she's asleep. It can be pretty funny to watch.

Rhi never made it to the movies with her crush the other night, he ended up not having as much money as he thought he was going to. (I guess to him, it wasn't a "date" because he "doesn't date," but when a guy asks you to a movie & pays for it, to me that's a date) They are planning to try it again this afternoon at the matinee. He does know that she likes him & has been asking her things like "What is it about me that you like?" and "What don't you like?" so it sounds like, to me, that he's interested in her. I know he went through a bad breakup & he may just be afraid of getting hurt again. Who really knows with guys?

My head is killing me today, but so far, I've been far too lazy to actually leave this part of the house & get some ibuprofen to take. I have also been too lazy to get dressed. I had a fairly rough night, the power went off at 2:30am & thankfully, Rhi woke us up so Troy could set his alarm on his phone. I had a hard time getting back to sleep because it was too dark & too quiet. Then the power came back on at 5:30.. I dreamed it right before it happened & dreamed I looked at the clock & it said 5:34 - then the power came back, I looked at the clock & it said 5:34.. then I couldn't get back to sleep because it was loud again, with the fan & the radio. I finally got back to sleep just in time for Troy's phone alarm to go off & scare me half to death, followed 10 minutes later by the actual alarm clock. By 8:30 my body was hurting & my head was aching, so it was time to get up. So I'm still tired & somewhat grumpy.

I don't really have much planned today. If I can get this headache to stop, I'll probably straighten up the living room & hopefully vacuum. Rhi is supposed to do the dishes for movie money, so we'll see if she gets up in time to do that before movie time.

Today's picture is one I didn't take myself, but its from last night's football game. It was a really good game, the spirit was extremely high & the crowds were huge for both teams. I could try to do a play-by-play, but quite frankly, I don't remember everything. The first half was dominanted by Cedar High, without a doubt. The second half was a different game, altogether. It was like they came out & said "You know what? We're gonna play football OUR way." and they did.

Our team, Canyon View (the guys in black & teal), ended up losing, the final score was 42-21, but they didn't roll over us like a train & we put up a good fight. It was the best I've seen them play this season. We ended the season with dignity & that's all we could have asked for, really. Next year will be our year. This year was Cedar High's year, they ended the regular season in first place heading for the state championship.

We have a three-day weekend. Hunting season has started & its traditional for the kids to have the first Monday off of school, its officially called "Harvest Holiday," but we all know its really "Hunting Holiday." That's ok, its one more day that I don't have to get up early. I celebrated by sleeping late today & just letting my body tell me when it had enough rest. Then Rhi & I met Erin & his friends at Rainbow Canyon & played AirSoft for a few hours. It was a lot of fun & being out there, climbing hills & doing all of that walking is really good for me. I even managed a couple of kills this time.

After that, Rhi & I went out to my folks' house for a little while, since we hadn't been out since August & I was pretty sure they were getting a little concerned since we hadn't. They teased me about it for awhile &then we caught up & I had to leave, because Rhi's head was hurting & I was gonna have to come home to figure out what to cook & all.

Today's picture is Rhi & her best friend, Wade at school yesterday. She looks so beautiful in this picture & so different from the way she has looked over the past month. Its so nice to see her happy & smiling again. The new hairstyle is awesome, too.

She was asked out to a movie tonight (the midnight show) by the new crush, so we'll see if that happens or not. She has a great attitude about it, too. She told me this morning "Hey if it doesn't work out, that's ok, there are other boys who like me, too."

We went to the Freshman & Junior Varsity games last night. The poor Freshman team never even scored, and I'm not sure if the JV ever managed to, we left before it was over, but they were, at least, playing a pretty good game. We were all getting cold & Rhi was bored. (unusual, but Wade had just left, so that was probably why)

Tonight, the Varsity play. It should be a good game, or at least, we're hoping that CVHS puts up a fight & at least scores. We may or may not go over to our friends' house for awhile afterwards (we'll have to take Rhi home first), it depends on how tired & cold we are, since Troy works Saturday morning.

In a little while, Troy & I are heading out to play AirSoft with Erin & his friends. I think I'll probably stay in the car & read, though, since I'm not feeling great today & have really bad cramps on top of that. I may end up playing for a bit, though, who knows?

I guess that's about everything. Troy had a "discussion" with Erin last night about whether he was finding a job & what he planned to do if they lost their apartment and all of that. I guess he plans to move back in here, either with or without Alisha. He was told under no uncertain terms that if he was living here he is paying rent, since he isn't going to college & that's always been the rule. Anyway. Time to go.

Today's picture comes from SkyFest this past September. This was the view from my driveway on the second morning. Its awesome, because we can see all of the balloons from home, they fly above us, sometimes floating down far enough for us to see the pilots & they wave at us.

Rhi worked on the chase crew for The Southern Cross from New Zealand that day & had a great time. It was the last time she & her ex went anywhere together & she still remembers it fondly, just because it was an awesome day for her. The sound of the burners is really loud from here, and last year it woke Tiny up, she raced to the window & freaked out when she saw a hot air balloon on the horizon. She was growling & shaking. This year, she just tilted her head & looked up in the sky (she was in the yard with me), so I think she remembered.

We have so many awesome cultural events in our small town. It really makes living here exciting. It seems like there's something going on all the time, no matter what the season is. I would have never imagined all of this when we visited here 14 years ago, but my mom did tell me that I'd be surprised what all goes on here. All that, plus clean air, a low crime rate & nice schools, too. I guess it makes up for the other crap we have to deal with by living here, but I imagine every community has their fair share of that.

Anyhow...

Tonight are the last Freshman & Junior Varsity football games, and their against our cross-town rival, Cedar High. Tomorrow night, the Varsity team plays them. We plan to go to all three games, starting at 4pm today. Today's games are away games, so we'll have to go to their field, which is fine, but I'm not sure how we get to the guest side of the stands, since we've only been there watching home games (Rhi's ex plays for their Varsity team), but I guess we'll figure it out. We really love going & will miss it after this week. That's one thing we carried away from that relationship, we discovered that the three of us really love watching high school football together. Troy seems to spend a lot of time teaching the ladies at each game exactly what's going on, but its ok, they appreciate it & he doesn't mind.

I didn't get anything done that I had planned to yesterday, I just kind of hung out on my computer & then went & watched The Biggest Loser last night. Troy did cook dinner, though. Rhi went & played AirSoft with Erin & some friends until about 8 last night, too. She said she had a lot of fun. All I know for sure is that it was very muddy & she forgot to change out of her white jeans before she went & that she came home rosy-cheeked & smiling. I also know that she has a crush on someone new & that's a huge relief, even if nothing ever comes from it.

Ok, that's my news o'the day.. now onto a meme:

1. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up? My ex - the Evil Asshole.

2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be? The Black-Eyed Peas for that stupid "My Humps" song.

3. Who would you really like to just punch in the face? Kyler Anderson - I'm pretty sure the only thing he really understands in this world is physical pain - and he really deserves it.

4. What is your favorite cheese? Sharp Cheddar or Swiss

5. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your immediate disposal. What kind will you make?
Mesquite-smoked turkey, sharp cheddar, bacon, avocado, tomatoes on some sort of nutty bread with mayo and Dijon mustard.

6. You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie celebrity of your choice. We are talking no-strings-attached sex and it can only happen once. Who is the lucky celebrity of your choice?
Ummm. No idea.

7. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who do you pick?
Again, no idea.

8. Now that you've slept with two different people in a row, you seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy crap, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it?
Oh. Probably on bills or something, just to get a little more caught up.

9. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
If I'm going alone, I guess to Pueblo to visit Garrett. If Troy has a ticket, too? Ireland.

10. Upon arrival to the aforementioned location, you get off the plane and discover another hundred-dollar bill. Now that you are in the new location, what are you gonna do?
Use it for food & stuff, wherever I am.

11. A demon rises out of Hell and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. It is...?
Bloody Marys

12. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there?
You know, I've never thought about it. All the past I want I get with the pleasure of historical re-creation without the risk of death or dismemberment.

13. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?
Cocktails on the beach every night beginning around 6 p.m. Attendance mandatory. Virgin cocktails & slushy, fruity drinks for the kids available, too. (part of this was already here when I did it, I just added to it)

14. You have been given the opportunity to create the half-hour TV show of your own design. What is it called and what's the premise?
No idea, I'm not all that creative.

15. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck. And any variation of it.

16. One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What do you do?
Probably whimper, cry and not be able to move.

17. Your house is on fire! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don't worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what's the item?
The family scrapbook.

18. The Angel of Death has descended upon you. Fortunately, the Angel of Death is pretty cool and in a good mood, and it offers you a half-hour to do whatever you want before you bite it. Whatcha gonna do in that half-hour?
Tell my loved ones all of those things I know they're gonna want to hear before I go. And hug them. A lot.

19. You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What's it gonna be?
Super-speed.. maybe it would speed up my metabolism & make weight loss easier. If not, the housework would go fast.

20. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
The first half hour of my relationship with Troy, when I was telling him that I was in love with him.

21. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
Yeah. Anyone who knows me, already knows what it is.. or one of them. The rest of ya'll? None of your bizz.

22. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool stuff... you can move to anywhere else in the world! Bitchin'! What country are you going to live in now?
Ireland.. duh?

23. This question still counts, even for those of you who are under age. You have been eternally banned from every single bar in the world except for ONE. Which one is it gonna be?
Go ahead. Who cares? As long as I can still drink with my friends, it doesn't matter.

24. Hopefully you didn't mention this in the super-powers question.... If you did, then we'll just expand on that. Check it out... Suddenly, you have gained the ability to FLOAT!!! Whose house are you going to float to first, and be like "Dude, check it out... I can FLOAT!"?
Hehee!! My brother's, when he drunk (which is all the time) just to freak him out.

25. The constant absorption of magical moonbeams mixed with the radioactive vegetables you consumed earlier has given you the ability to resurrect the dead famous-person of your choice. So which celebrity will you bring back to life?
Who cares? Its not like I knew any of them.

26. The Gates of Hell have opened, and Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person, etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? Troy's dad. I would've liked to have met him & to have had him in my children's lives.

27. What's your theme song?
"Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing" by SheDaisy

The sky is blue & clear today & the air is bitterly cold, or at least it was when I took Rhi to school this morning. There was too much black ice on the roads for her to ride her scooter safely, so we'll wait another day.

I've decided to try to post a new picture every day when I make my first blog post. Today's picture is one of Rhi that she took herself sometime last week. I know it was before Friday, because she dyed her hair brownish black that day. I like this picture, because it captures the serious side that she shows to the world so often, without the scowl she shows them too often. She didn't care for it & chose one with a smile for whatever purpose she was actually taking the picture for.

I'm still not feeling great, although I managed to sleep most of the night last night & don't feel quite so wiped out today. Yesterday, the bed seemed to be calling my name all day long & it was all I could do to stay out of it. My head still hurts, I'm still stuffed up & even though my fever broke at some point during the night, I know I'm not done with it. I hope I feel better by tomorrow night, since we have football games to go to then & Friday night.

I finally finished knitting the scarf I started last winter/spring the other night. It wasn't that it took me all of those months to do it, but more that I put my knitting away for the summer because I was working on other things. I started Rhi's scarf & have been working on it every day because she really needs all of the warmth she can get while riding her scooter. Its going to be very pretty, its a spring green homespun yarn that I'm doing in a thick ribbing pattern. I kind of screwed up the first 6-8 rows, but I was too lazy to frog it & start over & she doesn't care anyway. I need to learn to use my circular needles & start making stuff for Morgan's baby.

Today, I'm going to try to get my dishes done & then I think I'm just gonna take it easy, since I know that my body needs the rest so that I can get better. I'm gonna let Troy cook tonight & try to finish the book I'm reading (The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice) so I can start the next. Yeah, exciting stuff happening here.

Thunder Snow?

We woke up this morning to thunder. Thunder that sounded like something enormous, dragging something huge across the sky. It didn't sound at all like thunder & for a few seconds I was very confused, as it was *almost* mechanical sounding. Then the next flash of lightning came, followed quickly by the next crack of thunder & I knew what it was. I kept waiting for the sound of rain falling, but it never came. Why? Because snow doesn't make any sound:




Of course, I only had a passing thought that it might be snowing, as its stil fairly early for it, even here, at the base of the mountain. So, even in my passsing, hazy, early morning thoughts, I assumed it would be a small dusting & nothing of importance. Shortly after I got out of bed, Rhi asked for a ride to school because there was "a little snow on the ground." I still thought it must be a dusting, until I looked out the hall window on my way to the living room. There must be 4 inches on the ground! I don't think I remember a first snowfall of more than an inch, not since we've lived here, at any rate. So, Rhi got a ride to school, and hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow. (hopefully because she really loves that scooter & the freedom to go when she wants to)

Speaking of Rhi, she seems to be doing a whole lot better with the whole break-up thing. She's dressing nicely & doing her hair & makeup again, so at least she cares what she looks like, which is a vast improvement over 3 weeks ago. She may be BSing me & just doing it to make me happy, but I'm of the opinion if you act happy long enough, you will eventually feel happy.

Still no news on whether Erin & Alisha have managed to find jobs yet. I did take him to get his paycheck from his previous job yesterday. He said he was still waiting to hear back from a few places & that Alisha had taken their applications to Wendy's that morning. It would be helpful to them if they still had a car, but Alisha's broke down a couple of weeks ago & I don't know what happened after that. I was told they were working on getting it fixed, but I haven't heard anything else & they still have no car. So, I guess we'll just have to wait & see.

I don't feel well this week, I think I have a cold or a touch of the flu. Whatever it is, all I want to do is sleep. Or whine. My head hurts, my eyes are heavy & my throat is sore, too. I wake up every morning at abou 3:30 or 4 coughing & then I can't go back to sleep for at least an hour. And then there's the stupid fever and occasional nausea. Living in my body is fun times right now. Yay. Not.

Catching Up at Last

Well, since I lost the ability to actually post in my MSN Spaces blog, I thought I'd start a new one here (again). I doubt that any of my previous readers (the 2 or 3 I had) will find me here, but its worth a shot.

I kind of dropped off the planet after about mid-June, but around that time Spaces changed & I couldn't post anymore. Ryan made it home safely, the first week was kind of chaotic, since the city had so many things planned, we wanted time with him & his family did, too. I'm surprised he didn't tell us all to screw off & run away for about a month. He didn't, thankfully & we all (including him) got used to having him back. We ended up helping all of them move at the end of June (yes, right before Faire) and then spent the last week before Faire frantically finishing up sewing & making product for the booth.

Erin moved out at the beginning of July, with Alisha. It seems that they may end up back here before long, as both of them are now unemployed. I just hope they realize that they aren't living here for free, either. We can't afford it anymore.

Faire went well, we didn't make an awful lot of money, but I did get a better idea of what does & doesn't sell, which prepares us for next year. Working in a booth or running a booth doesn't leave a lot of time or energy for playing at Faire, but at least we felt like we were doing something with our time while we were there. The only thing that happened that I wish I could change was that one of the boys from our Amtgard days came back into our lives.

Rhi got her drivers license in August, shortly after school started & was thrilled about it, until she found out that we couldn't afford to get her insured on either one of our vehicles. We started looking for something we could afford for her, but didn't have an awful lot of luck. She also started dating the boy from our Amtgard days at the end of July. We were ok with this, he treated her well, he said all of the right things, he made sure she got home when she was supposed to. She seemed pretty happy with him, that was really all that mattered. His parents (supposedly) hated her & wouldn't allow him to date her, so he lied about it, which didn't help anything.

I really think he shouldn't have been involved with anyone, and certainly shouldn't have been lying to his parents or anyone else. He should have, at the very least, been honest with Rhi about what he was after in a "relationship" because it wasn't the same thing she was looking for. He asked her to go to his Homecoming dance (he goes to a different high school than she does) & so I bought her a dress & everything she needed for the dance & the week of Homecoming, after she had skipped her own the Saturday before, he broke up with her. She had a very hard time of it over the past few weeks, but she seems to be coming out the other side finally.

This past weekend, we bought her a scooter, so she has her own transportation now & she's thrilled with it. She plans to get a job & pay for at least half of it, along with her own gas & maintenence.

Other than that, my best friend's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. The baby is due June 7. None of us were thrilled about it, but expressing those feelings won't help or support her & that's what she really needs right now.