5 years and 5 years

I am a creature of habit. I go to extremes. It is only black and white. There is no shade of grey in my color wheel.

I have been toying with the idea of blogging again for a while. Tonight I finally logged in. As always, there is a pattern.

I started my blog in 2005 and stopped in 2005.

I restarted in 2010 and stopped in 2010.

It is now 2015. I wonder how long I will go this time. I wonder if it will be 5 years before I return again. I hope to stick around longer this time.

I guess it is a time for an update being as it has been 5 and 10 years since I was posting on here and boy has life changed.

When I last posted I lived in Modesto, CA. I have since lived in Reno, NV, Spokane, WA, and Coeur D'Alene, ID.  Again, returning to being a creature of habit, I am back in Modesto, CA.

My sister moved back to South Dakota. She recently earned her Master's in business management. Good Job sis!

My mom has had a handful of strokes which forced her to retire from nursing earlier then she would have liked. Otherwise she is pretty good. She and my dad got remarried. I didn't see that coming. Dad has also retired now. They moved back to South Dakota where the cost of living is much less.

Between 2005 and 2010, was 2008 and that is when Bart and I got married. We are still married.

Bart is a Certified Pharmacy Technician. He still loves to blast his music in the car when he drives and loves his big ass speaker box and sub in the trunk. He is generally  pretty easy going. He tries to figure out how to make people's day a little bit better. It is a great attitude.

Life has truly been full of ups and downs. Right now we are staying at Bart's parents house as we get life back on track.

Pets: We don't have any of our own right now. Bart's parents have 2 dogs Charlie a bichon and Sophie a Shih tzu. There are also 3 outdoor cats. Lucky Louie, Biggs, and Lilly. The cats are outdoor cats at this time because Bart is deathly allergic to cats.

The kids:

Holly is 26. She has been married and is currently single. She had a daughter, Nevaeh who she gave up for adoption at around 4 months old. Holly's husband was older then me and he had 3 children Holly's age making her their step-mom and me a bonus grandma. Two of those children have had several children as well, so there are about 6 bonus great-grandchildren.

Reality is, Holly and I have a very strained relationship at best. Two of her step-children are friends of mine on facebook, but I have never met them and have only had very limited interaction via facebook.

Holly's world is just that, Holly's world. She will forever be my daughter. She believes she happy and ultimately, that is what matters. It doesn't matter if I wouldn't choose her life. It matters that she is okay with her life as it is.

Nevaeh was adopted by a wonderful lady. Bart and I see her frequently and we are Grandma and Grandpa to her. She is as all children a true blessing.

Justin (Bart's bonus son) is a truck driver. He is married to a sweet gal named Courtney. Justin also has a bonus son, Brandon. Justin and Courtney also have a daughter, Aubri.

Boy the grand-babies and great-grand-babies are multiplying fast.

Camron (Bart's son) is also a truck driver. He is single and enjoying life.

Bart also has a daughter. He hasn't seen her since she was a baby. I hope one day to meet her, until then. She will live in my heart as another bonus kid.

Oh, that's right this blog is supposed to be about me and my thoughts. Here I am telling you all about those who are close to my heart.

Hmmm. I have spent probably the last 2 months hitting sweepstakes hard. Hoping for some Christmas surprises. =) Someone's got to win, so why not me, right?

When we were in WA/ID I had started going to school for Pharmacy Technology as well. Life happened and I had to drop out. I was pretty heartbroken. The licensing laws are different in CA then in WA and ID. So, I am trying to get over myself and get back to studying so I can take the PTCB and get on to a more fulfilling job. Helping people, being of service, etc.

For now, I am working part-time in a woman's clothing store.