Bring on the New

Year....

2020, doesn't that sound all Jetsons like?  

It was a good year, sort of.   When you have a kid with issues "special needs" it is never fantastic but who's year really is?   I am going to go with no one and leave it at that.

Jacob graduated so that was good.   I reallly didn't think he would do it and he really didn't but thank you calculus teacher for seeing him two points to push him to that point.  It probably wasn't ethical but you saw me and you got me and you felt for me (and him) and there will be a special place in heaven for you one day.

We went to West Virginia for a few days and saw a game and introduced Adam to the President....

of West Virginia University.  

Before I ever left that town I dreamed of sharing it with my children.   They would be as awestruck as I was the first time I saw the Mountaineers take the field, they would tear up at the band's playing of Simple Gifts, they would beg to have their picture taken in front of Woodburn Hall....

Oh well, it wasn't what I imagined but I enjoyed it.   

My happy place....I'll be back for good one day.   

We saw the Steelers play......

And the Texans.....

And the Astros.....

Yes.   We like sports.     

We made new friends....

and are finally at that point where you can leave your children home alone without locating a babysitter.   It is AWESOME!   (this wasn't one of those times.....she insisted on coming and I am a sucker and allowed it).   

As much as I swore I would never teach preschool again, well, I am teaching preschool again.    I am pretty much doing it as a favor and probably won't be doing it next year but never say never.   This is my first time working with two year olds.  I also swore I would never do that but I kind of like it.    I do miss my free time though and by free time I mean all that time I used keeping my house clean and cooking meals and doing kid stuff.   I still haven't finished any of my Netflix queue that was what I wanted to do with my "time off" last year.     

My sister moved to Florida and that sucked (hence the new friends LOL) but she hates her job so much she is actively looking for something else back here so it may not last very long.   

I am very blessed that my parents are still healthy and self-sufficient.   I am blessed that my children are healthy and thriving regardless of their smart mouths and frequent bad attitudes.   I am blessed that we have food on the table, a car that runs (19 years old!),  a house that is paid off,  friends and family who support us.   We are blessed to be able to send our son to college and pay for it sans scholarships because Lord knows that isn't happening.   Nevermind that he withdrew from two classes without telling us and finished the semester with a 0.5 GPA but, you know, whatever.   Hopefully he understands if he doesn't get it together in the spring it's Hello Army, Navy, whichever you want for him.   

2020.....I thought for sure I'd be living in a space high rise with a flying car by now.   

Happy New Year to all!

Finally

 I posted these pictures on Facebook and my best beach friend replied:   "Best Day Ever!" because she knows and she gets it and she loves me and was happy for me.  

I saw other mothers on Facebook doing the same and it felt strange to see their tears and read their beautiful posts about how they would miss them and how these years passed in a flash and they were the BEST EVER.    I remembered a little bit about Thomas the Tank Engine and weekly trips to the library and wanted to get misty about it, but it just didn't come.

I have to be honest and say, yep, BEST DAY EVER!

He has been living in that room for three months now and the stress for the rest of us has greatly lessened.   It's like we have come up for air and can breathe again.  

If he leaves the dorm for an extended time he stays with my parents, he prefers that.   He hasn't slept here since the end of August.   He is ten minutes away and I have been over twice, both times to take him to an urgent care because he was convinced he was dying of something......he is 18 and stopped taking his medicine and, therefore, his anxiety is high.   I finally convinced him to try a new prescription and he says it is helping.   I wouldn't know because I rarely see him but he asked for a refill so I guess that is a good sign.

He calls every Monday threatening to drop out because he is failing most of his classes.   I remind him he will have to leave the dorm and he changes his mind.   Academic probation is in his future.    He swears he will do better next semester and he should as he has signed up for twelve hours of the most easy and unnecessary classes that are offered but we are okay with that if he can just stay the rest of the year in that now filthy disgusting room.

He loves it and we love it.  

He's made friends and has a girlfriend.    His high school friends were coming around for a while but they seem to have faded away.   He is sad about it and I am too, for him, just remembering my own breaking away from that life, but it will be better for him.   I hope.

We spent Thanksgiving day with him.  It was almost nice.   He still hates Elizabeth.   She still hates him.  

He came over to help decorate the tree and he actually hugged me.   He said, "I like you better when I don't live here.".  

Ditto, kiddo.