Happy Anniversary To Me!!!

Today is Super Bowl Day!  I love NFL Football, I'm just not real excited about the two teams that made it to the championship game.  I'm an Indianapolis Colts fan!  You know, Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Jacob Tamme (who just happens to be a Kentucky boy from the county next door).  For some strange reason, the Jets were able to take down the Colts and prevented them from making the Super Bowl this year.  The Jets were also able to take out the Patriots (can you say Wes Welker and Tom Brady)?  Going into the playoffs, I wanted the Pittsburgh Steelers to take out the Jets.  The Jets had come far enough and needed to be stopped.  Now that the Steelers did their job, I am cheering for the Green Bay Packers!  No team, not even the Steelers, need to win 7 Lombardi trophies - come on!!! 

I have lots of friends who are Steelers fans but each and every time I see the Steelers logo, it takes me back to 3rd grade, and my boyfriend, Tommy Garrison.  He was the first boy to ever buy me a gift and guess what it was?  My very own box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies.  Tommy was a huge Steelers fan and wore won of those big huge puffy black jackets with the Steelers logo on the back and the bright yellow lining on the inside.  So, thanks, Steelers, for bringing back a nice memory...but, really, I hope you all travel from Texas to Pennsylvania with nothing but maybe a little bit of pride left.  Go Pack Go!!!!  I'm a Wisconsin cheese head today :-)

Not only is today the Super Bowl, it is my two year Divorce Anniversary.  It's hard to believe that everything was finalized two years ago!!! 

I could sit here and write about lots of things:

• My lost childhood dream of marrying my sweetheart and living happily ever after.  
• The lost opportunity of growing old with the father of my three children.  
• The difficulties of watching my children grow up in two different homes.
• Having to share my children each week and through the holidays.
• The stress of working out the logistics of switching our children back and forth.
• Splitting costs of medical bills and sports activities fees.
• The sadness of knowing that the "sharing" will continue with my grandchildren.
• Shall I continue??????

I will not.  I have accepted the fact that some of these things will never happen and others have become part of my new life.  In two years, I have given myself time to heal, time to allow my children to adjust and began the process of moving forward with the new me!  Not long ago, I was riding in the car with my two girls and I told them that there was one thing I learned through my divorce that I hope they learn in their early 20s - to be independent and figure out who they are on their own, not as 1/2 of a couple - that can come later! I shared with them the fact that I moved from my house with my parents, into a dorm room, and then into my first house with their Dad (after we were married of course!).  I went from having my parents pay my bills and support me to having their Dad pay my bills and support me.  I told them that I wanted them to go to college, earn a degree that they will be happy with and one that will support them, and to live on their own for awhile.  I said, "sure, you can have a boyfriend if you want one" but don't totally depend on him because he may not always be there.  I told the girls that they need to learn to stand on their own two feet, to enjoy some alone time, pay their bills, learn how to take care of their cars, deal with creditors, set and empty mouse traps, they need to know how to do EVERYTHING by themselves and then realize that a helpmate is just that, a helpmate, and they are not needed for survival. 

This may sound harsh.  I don't think it came out quite so harsh when I was talking to them.  They know that I still believe in love and happily ever afters and I want those things for them more than anything.  I also know that love can die and happily ever afters sometime take a detour.  I drove it home saying, learn who you are while you are young --- that way, you won't be scared out of your mind and ready to shut down if you find yourself single and brokenhearted at age 38!  They were listening, now if they take Mama's advice...that remains to be seen :-)

The best thing about my life at this point is that I now see great things happening in my future that I couldn't see in the past.  I'm ready for the challenge of all things new.  I'm ready for some things to get a little easier.  I'll brace myself for the surprises and disappointments, knowing that I can get through them, because I've done a pretty darn good job over the past two years!


If I wanted to spend $2.49 on a greeting card and another 44 cents on a stamp, I would like to send a greeting card that said:

Dear Wasband,

Do you know what I miss about being married to you?

And the inside of the card would be blank, meaning NOTHING :-)

I'll save my money.  A gallon of gas is worth much more to me!