Holy Busy Life, Batman!

I've been running hither and yon having an absolute blast this summer, which means my posting has gone down the toilet, but I'll have blog fodder through the winter when it's too cold to be doing all outdoor timewasters I've been doing.

Digger moved home from Wheatland (again); he's hoping to start school in the spring.  Ashinator is planning on joining him for spring semester.  In the meantime, they are job and apartment hunting.  Sadly, I think they're going to have to lower their standards for their first apartment.  But then, didn't we all?

Monster finally got back into school after being out for two years.  He's my youngest and school has been a constant uphill battle for him.  He doesn't get why we have to jump through the hoops and just do certain things.  School is one of them.  He'd rather just get a job and work than be in school.  Well, after two years, he's decided that maybe school isn't such a bad thing - no one wants to hire a sixteen year old drop-out.  He even mentioned to me that he regrets his decision to drop out, as the only school that will admit him is an on-line high school; he's burned all of his bridges in the public schools.  The good news is, that even though he's been a drop-out for two years, he scored well enough on his placement exams to be admitted as a junior.

This whole kids-growing-into-adults thing is rough and I don't think I like it.  I liked it so much better when they were my good kids and we were thick as thieves.  Now we each have our own lives/friends/goals and I miss the "all for one and one for all" thing we had going when they were little.  It was us against the world.  I spent some time the other night just wondering when it all changed and I can almost pinpoint it.  It was when I got hired on with the college.  The first year I was an adjunct instructor there, we were able to keep it up, but working 7 am to 10 pm every night kept me away from the kids too much and it hasn't let up at all.  In fact, over the past seven years, my schedule at the college has been ten to fourteen hours a day.  The job seemed like God's gift when I took it so long ago - we really needed the increase in pay to keep a roof over our heads - but there are times now that I wonder if it was worth it.

I see my girls, Robs and Staci, with their children (who are much younger than mine) and miss those times with my kids.  This whole transition-to-adulthood thing really sucks.

Gah - done with that touchy-feely crap.  It was getting thick there for a minute.

Anywho'sadamnsaplately, I'm off to ride the best mare on the planet and then Ripley gets her last (I think) cosmetic present - a European Rally stripe.  She's been wanting one since I brought her home.  I've had it for months, but my schedule hasn't worked out with getting it applied until today.  I can't wait!!