Day in, day out

It's November. The warm spell we had last week has come to an abrupt end, as it often does in Michigan. I don't mind the cold weather, though; I get to wear my sweaters and enjoy hot chocolate. That's not to say I'm looking forward to the freezing chill of winter, but it's on its way nonetheless. May as well find something positive about it, right?

So much has happened since I last blogged: school for the kids and myself, work, writing groups, marriages and divorces. Geez. Where do I start?

Back in April I accepted a full-time position in the National Events division of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Getting back into the work scene was great. I have fresh experiences and skills to list on my resume and I have new clips to add to my portfolio. Plus, it inspired me to go back to school and finish my bachelor's degree. That brings me to Cleary University, where my mind has been jolted into an awakened state. It's a good thing (even though I feel like I'm drowning). I'm enrolled in an accelerated business degree program that pushes students through a rigorous six credit hour course every six weeks. I completed the first class with an A; my current class isn't going as well.

Before I knew it, summer had passed and the kids were also in school ... and I became the co-leader to my daughters' Brownie troop. Am I insane or what? The troop is fairly large and the girls are the most unruly group of gals I've ever dealt with, so I'm pretty miserable. I keep reminding myself that my suffering is for the greater good.

PageJammers died. It was going so well for the first year and a half, but it just kind of fizzled out. I'm thinking about restructuring the group and opening enrollment in January 2009. I want it to be a work group instead of a social one. Meanwhile, I have been able to participate more often with the South Lyon Writers (thanks to a decrease in my hours at work). SLW had their first ever conference last month and it was wonderful! I had a great time sharing information with my fellow writers.

What else has happened? Let's make a list:

• Well, we had a scare with Lisa when her pediatrician felt a a hard mass in her abdomen. Turns out it wasn't the worst case scenario--phew.
  

• Umm ... I unintentionally crashed a stranger's wedding. Turns out I was a month early for a wedding I was actually invited to. I had two weddings to attend: one in October and another in November. It was the October one that I messed up. I'm not from Plymouth. I had no idea that the Cultural Center was tucked away down some alley-like street that just happened to be next to an actual banquet hall. So when I saw people in tuxes outside this building, I figured it was Matt's cousin and that I was in the right place. Yeah ... no. I was supposed to go down the alley-like street to the Cultural Center. Needless to say, I missed the ceremony and dinner by the time I found the real wedding. But a month later when I was to attend the second wedding, I had no problem finding it because it was held in Plymouth at the actual banquet hall I wrongly visited in October. Funny.

• My sister has apparently fallen out of love with her husband of 10+ years. It has us all bummed and I think she has made a terrible mistake. The strange thing is, they seemed to be the most perfectly matched couple. And if they were the ideal match and their relationship fell apart, then what hope is there for the rest of us married folk who seem to be so mismatched?
  

I guess that's all for now. I'll try to be more cheerful in my next posting. Until then, happy reading and writing.