Well haven't I been a slacker? Oh yes I have! And on a pretty grand scale, but that's for another post, or later on this one if I get to it. :)
Since BJ left last August, I have been enormously depressed. On "minimum mode," as our therapist put it. So last January I decided to acquire a cat. They say cats can lower your BP and stress levels. So I went online "kitty shopping," and found what we (H, N and I) thought was a suitable match at the local shelter. When she finally calmed down enough to stay out from under the bed for reasonable lengths of time, she was pretty nice to be around. Except for the scratches up and down my arms that one doctor took for "a bad rash." She gradually got calmer and calmer but would break out in random outbursts of biting and or scratching my face and/or hands. Maybe that was her way of expression affection, but it hurt. So when we got orders to leave I was only a tiny bit sad when we gave her away.
Moody teens- I know teenagers are supposed to be mercurial, full of angst and hate everything, but N and Z took things to a whole other level. They developed new issues requiring a different kind of therapy. Probably if their dad had not gone away for a year these issues would not ever have surfaced. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. When we found out about the move, N was apathetic and Z was violently opposed. I'll give him that, since if I'd been forced to move right before my junior year with the friends and activities he's had to leave behind, I'd be pissed too. But his whining kept on and on all into the summer (fortunately he was gone for most of the summer) and even after we all got here. I tried not to show it but the constant hurricane of negativity made me want to crawl under a rock. He's a bit better, being involved in the new school and all. N has a new shrink whom I DO NOT like. But that really is a story for another post.
And then there's the move itself. We knew from the job selection that there were no jobs available for BJ at our former base so we would definitely be moving. No problem for me- I start getting itchy feet after 3 years and it had been over 3. Z was in complete denial. N didn't care one way or the other. H minded a little, but knew she'd make new friends. She's a little people magnet. So we find out in March that we are moving to the St. Louis area BUT we have to medically cleared (the AF had to find doctors to meet our special needs). THAT process took 3 months- 2 to collect all the paperwork and 1 for them to do a job I could have finished in a day or so. That was agony, because were we moving or not? I didn't know what to tell people. I didn't do our usual pre-move "sort and chuck." So I sat (figuratively speaking) on that. Just when I was ready to rip all my hair out in frustration, we were cleared to move. Hallelujah! Now I had to do all of that in about a month . . . yeah, no. Luckily BJ was able to come home home about 6 weeks early and BLAM! We were moved (after 5 VERY long days of driving, but that's ANOTHER story).
So, you see, I've been very busy and very not busy. I'm a pro at task avoidance and procrastination (which is why I still have full boxes sitting around). Also sarcasm. Well I'm off to sit on my bum and watch soaps while eating bonbons!
