Life moves pretty fast...

...and "I do" day is right around the corner. Where the hell did April go? I swear I didn't hole up in some dark place for the month but darn it if I have no memory of it. Here's a recap (according to my trusty planner):

• Weekend one was our Belhaven, NC trip to Michael's hometown for church and to visit the cemetery where his parents are buried...super lovely trip but a looooooong day in the car
• Weekend two is unaccounted for in the planner. I know that on Friday we hit this super cool bar in Durham called Dains Place. They have a small menu of good pub eats and for dessert...oreos and milk!! We ended up playing the game, Things while we were there which is totally hilarious. As for the rest of the weekend, I have no idea what we did.
• Weekend three I ventured to Boone to see Miss Deb D. We attended a conference on Friday where I got in touch with my Zen which was much needed. We also squeezed in a hike and Mellow Mushroom...talk about a good day! Saturday I was lucky enough to see and hear Miss Deb perform at SHOW which was very fun.
• Weekend four was just last weekend so I actually remember what we did. Friday, Miss Christian joined Michael and I at my friend Laurie's for a dessert birthday party. It was fun and Miss Christian was the center of attention. On Saturday we traveled to Wake Forest to our friend Kathy's where we met her new man. He's not so new but i hadn't met him yet. He grilled out for us and we had some yummy eats. He also loves to play euchre so he's good people in my book. We played the best of three games and sadly, MJ and I lost. Sunday we took Christian to get fitted for her bridesmaid dress...and of course she looked absolutely ADORABLE.

This weekend turns to May. It is a full weekend so I will definitely post about it...hopefully!

Bleck!

So, I am not sure when it started. I hate bugs! I mean HATE bugs.

Since I was young, I have been terrified of spiders. I remember in grade school and high school, waking up at night to find a small wood spider on my wall. We lived in a wooded area so it is not surprising these little creatures would find their way into our house. I would go downstairs and wake my father up to kill it because I would not be able to fall asleep knowing it was in my bedroom...somewhere. Just so you know, my bedroom measured 20 feet by 19 feet. It was half of the ENTIRE upstairs so the odds of the spider actually making it over to me, without being sidetracked with something more exciting than a terrified teen, were low at best. Nonetheless, dad would come and kill it so I could get my much needed beauty rest.

I am afraid this spider aversion escalated into ALL bugs.

In Chicago, we had silverfish and house centipedes. You, know those disgusting things with the thousand legs and when you kill then its like they were never there. UGH...those things creeped me out and DAMN could they run fast. No matter how much dusting, cleaning, spraying we did we always had a few throughout the year.

I would say the most difficult part of my move to NC are the bugs. Palmetto Bugs my ass. These suckers are cockroaches the size of Mini coopers. They have nothing to do with cleanliness...they just live here ALL the time. Obviously, they mostly come out in warm weather so I get a brief reprieve in the winter months. When I moved into my house, it had been vacant so they were not happy to find out that a new tenant arrived. I SCREAMED the first time I saw one. No roommate to bribe into killing it either. After 1000 sprays of Windex it was dead and I was finally breathing again.

I quickly learned that all southern homeowners have three things: a plumber, a handyman and a pest person. My pest person is Amy. I have her on speed dial...seriously. She comes once a quarter to spray and if I see one any other time, she will come again for FREE. I love her. I gave her a Christmas present to show her how happy I am to have her in my life. She has made adjusting to southern life quite pleasant.

But now I have a new foe...a small, tiny one that I can barely see. The TICK! Bleck! YUCK!

We went hiking on Saturday. It was warm and sunny and it felt great to be outside. Upon arriving home, Christian shared that she had found some ticks on her. I instantly went to panic mode, jumped in the shower and washed all over. I even made Michael do a tick check for me. I got the all clear and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fast forward to Sunday morning....I was getting ready to get in the shower when Michael noticed something on my side. I couldn't look so I shut my eyes and cried. I had a tick...on me! He went through the proper procedure of getting nail polish remover and applying it so that Mr. Tick would pull off easier and not leave behind its head...ugh. It hadn't done any damage but I was horrified. I showered again...did 15 more thorough tick checks and crossed my fingers there were no more. Not quite sure if this incident has ended my summer hiking plans but I'm damn sure I'll be buying stock in tick repellent.

Mama and her Cub

I think most children have experienced teasing at one point or another. Glasses that are too big, pants that are too small, scrawny arms, a big butt...all are causes of nasty remarks from peers as we grow up. I tended to internalize those remarks, tell funny jokes to be like-able so that the teasing would cease. I made it through grade school relatively unscathed.



Survived feels like such a strong word to justify what I went through. Kids today are survivors. Today kids are tortured...literally. It's difficult to turn on the news and hear about another child who harmed themselves due to taunting and bullying. It makes me so angry which explains why my mama bear claws came out yesterday.

Future step-daughter Christian is with us for the extended weekend. On our drive home from the store, she began sharing about the fight she and her best friend were in. Typical teen stuff...I donned by best "cool step mom/social worker" hat and provided some advice. I tried to hold back and let her come to the best conclusion without my influence. She voiced frustrations that BF was trying to get other friends "on her side" which left Christian feeling bad since she wasn't quite sure why BF was upset in the first place. We talked through her feelings and by the end she felt a little better. I felt like I did a pretty okay job as step mom and we went home to make dinner.

Then she opened her facebook account. Apparently BF consulted her older brother about the fight and he decided to email Christian. He threatened her, saying things that made my skin crawl. I was appalled. Then I was pissed! I could feel the adrenaline rush, my lips purse and my blood boil.

No one threatens my cub.

I wanted to drive the 250 miles to this little shit's house and give him a piece of my mind. I wanted to tell him to stay out of someone else's argument and allow them to solve it by talking it out. I wanted to yell at him for threatening to harm this beautiful little girl.

I did my best to keep my cool. We blocked him from her account. I passed on the information to MJ so he and Christian's mom could handle the situation. Parents conversed, decisions are being made and in the end I am sure things are going to be fine.

I have never felt that innate sense of protection before. And as I sat there last night, braiding her hair before bed I looked at her and sighed, smiled, and thought that I am a lucky woman to have this little "cub" in my life.