Meh.

The last month or so has both been eventful and uneventful all at once, if that makes any sense what-so-ever.  (It probably doesn't.)  Life with a tween, a toddler, a husband, a dog, a home, friends, and a full-time job is pretty much always crazy in it's own way.  Even the "quiet" moments are full of growing, changing, moving, etc.  That's just how adulthood works, I suppose.  I'm just guessing on that b/c I'm still in denial that I'm an adult.  I believe I'm just an overgrown kid who fakes it fairly well.

We've been seeing our niece a little more often lately, which has made me very happy.  I hate the brokenness of our family, more so now than ever before.  I don't miss my sister-in-law, per se.  And goodness knows I don't miss her daily drama.  I just know that what our family has become is not what my mother-in-law wanted and it's not even what I want.  I'd take the somewhat-strained-but-holding-it-together-because-that's-what-families-do dynamic over the fractured and not speaking mess we are any day.  I keep reminding myself that this is our new reality and it's for the best.  It doesn't make it easier, but it's a good reminder to keep me from feeling too much grief.  It's funny that I feel this way about Justin's side of the family, but I haven't spoken a word to my mother in 6 months and I don't have the slightest regret or sadness about it.  I'm one messed up individual.

In other news, I'm on year 2 of not doing the A-Z blog challenge.  Last year there was just too much going on w/ a new baby and whatnot.  This year I'm just too tired to think coherently enough to plan out a month's worth of daily posts.  I'm definitely jumping back in next year, though.  I love challenges, particularly ones that involve writing.  With children and responsibilities, you put certain things on the back-burner because your priorities are different, but that urge doesn't go away.  In fact, my creative urges have started becoming pretty strong lately.  That's not just to do with writing, but a lot of things.  For instance, I've been really wanting to do more cross stitching lately and I'd love to learn to crochet.  I know they're antiquated, old-lady hobbies, but I love needlework.  Also, I've discovered a whole slew of funny and inappropriate cross stitch patterns online that are right up my alley.  I've got a list of about 5 that I'm going to do and give as little gifts over the next few months.  It's hard to fit in time w/ a very active, very handsy toddler running around.  However, I've managed to make it work.  

One project I'm going to try my hand at soon is string art.  I'm making a map of Oregon w/ the "O" symbol and Oregon Ducks color scheme for my father-in-law's birthday.  He'll be 65 in May and I didn't want to get him the same sort of gift we get him for Christmas or any other birthday.  65 is kind of a milestone, so I was trying to think outside the box.  I'm also contemplating recruiting my niece and Trin for a covert house-cleaning operation.  His bachelor pad is in serious need of a deep-clean.  My plan is to go over there on a day when he has to work.  We have a key to his house already, so he'll never suspect a thing.  We'll pop over shortly after he leaves for work and when he gets home, it will be more-or-less spotless, and definitely smell better!  

Yeah, so that's my random, kinda-sorta updatey post.  I'm hoping writing this will motivate me to get back into regularly updating this blog and not letting it be one more thing that falls to the wayside.  This would have been a lot more entertaining if I had a cup of coffee first.