Good thoughts, PrincessM. Your expertise has always been so helpful to me.

And with the way wayward minds "work" - they often roll custody in with property.

My WxH could not keep them separate. If he got mad over property, he got more difficult in regards to DDs and child support.

Two VERY different issues.

Fox

Thanks Fox,

Ok, that could have been scary. But workable.

Anyone who has ever been audited knows the more you document, the better it is.

Have a call in to my lawyer already to get clarification on this.


Thanks PM, MEDC, Foxy, Queenie.. it's easy to be strong when I've had good people blaze these trails before.

Church sign on the way to work the past couple of weeks has really helped in the strength department..

"Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision."

Glad things are moving towards the end for you. Sounds like you have a decent handle on things. I will continue to keep you and DS in my prayers.

I finally got my final court date..aug 5th at 2pm. I am so excited to get this chapter of my life closed.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks a lot for the support.. I can't say I'm glad things are headed where they are headed just yet.. I still think it's the most tragic thing I've ever witnessed in my life.. especially for DS and DSD.. I know DD is much happier now, and in many ways I am too.. but it is what it is.

I hope you have a good weekend too.. enjoy the weather I'm thinkin about taking the kids out to the county fair tonight.. should be fun.. DD's swim/birthday party is Saturday.. Sunday I think we're going to try heading to the pioneer village and I've got Monday and Tuesday off as it's my 'extended week' with DS... man.. THAT is exciting to me.. I've got a whole week with DS, from tonight until the 20th with no interruption from WW..

Oh.. and I'm not sure if I've pointed this out yet.. since documentation is being discussed...

I just went back through the last ten or so pages of my visitation/contact log that I've been documenting all of my contacts with DS in.. never looked at the page count.. in 11 months we're looking at about 72 pages of 10pt single spaced...

I think I'm covering the bases

LOL - very good.

Binder companies love US.

Getting in late again, but this sounds wonderful. Good thunderstorms are rare in San Diego.

Glad you had such an awesome birthday.

Well SD.. I took some pictures of some of the ol purple pink and orange cloud formations over the rows of corn in the back yard just for you if you're ever feeling nostalgic


Well.. it's been a bit and I think I'm mostly caught up on recent events with everyone else.. so I suppose it's time to share my own.

I'm staying fairly blissfully ignorant of many of WW's comings and goings, though I do hear through the network of friends I have (this is a fairly small town in the grand scheme of things) that WB has broken some of the carpal bones in his right hand, and will be missing work for some time yet. Add to that, the child support database has been a bit wonky lately and it seems that nobody is getting their checks until they get it sorted out. Now, maybe it's fortunate that DS is with me this week but I can't help but think that this is a little bit of God working to ratchet up the pressure on them..

And yep.. that's about all I've really thought about WW.. at least on my own.

Since the 11th I've been a busy guy. Friday night I picked up DS and DD and after we had dinner we went out to the county fair. I actually ended up running into my lawyer there, who I didn't recognize in his shorts and t-shirt until he was right on top of me saying 'Hi there Jim..' and extending his hand. Had a quick shake, wished him well and then excused myself as the kids.. transfixed I'm sure by the flashing lights, whirring machenery, and clanging bells.. hadn't noticed that I had stopped. I hope he didn't take offense.. but then again I haven't talked to him since.. and I'm not about to pay more in fees just to be polite ..

Anyhow.. we hung out at the fair for the evening, and had a blast. The weather put a crimp into our plans for a birthday weekend swimming party on Saturday, so we did some general hanging out, some housework, and went to see Wall-E at the movies. DS crashed out about 1/2 way through the movie and wants to go again, but DD and I enjoyed it. It sparked some interesting thoughts about human behavior, at least in my mind.. about how much effort we -want- to put into things.. and what we'll allow ourselves to become if we're catered to.. I thought it was profound thinking for a few days.. and then I realized that it really just sucks that I can't just enjoy a movie without having the 'betrayed' view of things spring to mind.

I gotta face it.. I'm turning into a cynic about society and people in general. I want to stop myself all the time.. but I'm finding more and more of my 'friends' being in situations where maybe they weren't cheated on.. but they didn't even try to 'wait' for the end of the divorce to move on.. I suppose that's the betrayed's choice and all.. and maybe I'm being judgemental, but it's starting to bother me that I'm associating a great deal with some people who I don't think are bad people.. but are just.. I dunno.. a little icky to me now.. They say things to me like 'Man, I respect the path you're trying to walk, waiting till the divorce is over and all.. but if I were in your shoes I'd be looking to move on already..'... maybe they're just upset that I'm turning away their efforts to 'hook me up'.... I really don't care if your cousin is a nice girl, a great mom, looks fantastic in size 5's, needs a guy like me in her life, and does stripperobics (but no actual stripping.. I admit though it's amusing to think of having a pole in the living room).. if I was single and childless that might be interesting, but I'm not so piss off.. My kids need me more than she does.. and if she'd have me right now, would I really want her?

Their response? 'Well I'm not asking you to marry her or anything!'... sorry.. excuse me? So you want to hook up your wonderful sweet cousin with a guy on the rebound who's supposedly looking for nothing more than to dip his vienna sausage in the bayou? Sorry.. I'll stick with SPAM and eggs.

Ok.. so we got sidetracked there..

Sunday was great.. after mass DS helped us get everything ready for DD's rescheduled swimming party.. and I got to hang out with some dear friends who have always been close to DD and I.. reconnecting with people who largely avoided hanging out with me for the last 5 years because of WW being so unfriendly towards them.. territorial and jealous of my closeness with these people.. I dunno, but it's nice to see the old gang back together again. Still.. I'm reminded that I had front row seats for one of the affairages in the group.. had been cheated on by another in college (though we had been friends before we had a brief 6 month R and have since recovered that friendship.. she's gone on to marry, get cheated on, divorce, and marry a pretty fantastic guy.) ANYHOW.. the party was great ..

Monday was spent at the park with a longtime friend of mine and her two girls who are about the same age as DS and DSD, and we decided that we'd all go together on Tuesday to the pioneer village/historical recreation site nearby.. and then to dinner to celebrate DD's birthday.

DSD is at her Grandparents in Ohio this weekend, but she called last night (first time since all this started) to wish DD a happy birthday, and talked to me and DS a little too.. DD thought that phone call was even more special than the Wii we got her.. yeah.. she's spoiled.. kick me later for that Foxy

Much fun was had by all.. but I'm one tired turkey.. it was almost a relief to get to go to work this AM.. if it weren't for DS clinging and crying his little heart out when I had to drop him at daycare this morning.. there's part of me that swells at him crying out that he wants his daddy.. but it kinda breaks your heart just the same that the last 4 days he felt perfectly safe and 'normal' again.. just to go back to the routine.. I dunno.. getting ready to leave work now to go pick him up, so it's only going to get better.. can't wait to see him.

My prayers and thoughts with you all... your Wednesday update guy J

I'll never dip vienna sausages in the Bayou again

thanks for ruining that for me

I understand about the friends though. Outside of MB most of the advice I've gotten is I should be nailing everything that walks in front of me for the next year.

Wow, that's really great advice :eek:

They're not bad, they just want you to feel better and most have no idea what you're going through.

Plus, being a guy, no other guy's gonna tell you to be still, take time to heal, work out your emotions

no, we hear

to get over woman, must conquer other woman, bang chest, grunt, drink beer, light fart...aughh aughh aughhh aughh aughhh

try not to hold it against them

Poor idea. There are a lot of things with teeth in the bayou.


well...the occasional beer is okay.

yeah, plus you could catch crabs

believe me, pinchers are worse than teeth

THAT JUST CRACKED ME UP!!

I had to step away from the computer so as not to hit the computer when I fell on the floor laughing.

THANKS, Guys!

Well, ya know...... if you gave her two sticks to rub together she would appreciate you more later.



Fox

see, see, THIS is why I stay away from vienna sausages!

I'm going to skip over all of the vienna sausage comments,,,the possible comments are too many to choose from!

Oh, and the pinchers vs teeth?? BC! Shame on you!

But about this -


Well, except our outstanding Men of MB!!

Oh, and perhaps Stuart Smalley,,,,,"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and donggone it,,, people like me!"

Oh,, and DEFINATELY get DD those 2 sticks that Fox recommends! LOL!

vienna sausages?

What a pathetic meta4!

I prefer Ball Park Franks - they plump when you cook 'em!

Okay, back 2 lurkdom.

-ol' 2long

That is TOTALLY what I thought of on my way to court! What the heck was I afraid of ~ "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, (most) people like me!"

WxH didn't have a CHANCE!


hahahaha~!

Fox

This sounds like fun.. in a self depricating sort of way.. can't I just make some aggressive music with 3 other sweaty guys, and drink beers and light farts?

I'll leave the conquering other women and banging chests to the 26 year old kids who work swing shift construction jobs and still live with their parents.. oh wait..

I'm afraid of the mixed messages this would send... she just became a teenager afterall.. there is going to be a STRICT no stick rubbing policy in my house..

yeah.. I went there.

Nice to hear from you ol buddy..

But we're also avoiding anything named Frank.. especially if he plumps when I cook it..

Besides... everyone knows you eat vienna sausages in the raw..



Wow... what has this thread turned into?