Days 23 & 25: I'm just making my own rules now!

Day 23: Favorite movie...didn't we cover this already? Ah, yep we did. The short answer is: The Notebook. But check out Day 7 for my top movies list!

My sister and I dancing at our cousins wedding

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs. This should be interesting...or not. I have quite the eclectic taste in music. I really need more than the 233 songs I currently have on my iPod. When I say I like all kinds of music I really mean, everything. Music is a big part of who I am and I feel strongly one should never restrict themselves as far as music is concerned and so I never have. I can find something I like in every kind of music. Some people are excellent at remembering lines in movies and tv shows, I'm that way with music.

1. T.I. Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna)
2. Taylor Swift- Haunted
3. Kenny Chesney- Young
4. Brad Paisley- She's Everything
5. Nickelback- Far Away
6. Kenny Chesney- Anything But Mine
7. Fergie- Clumsy
8. Katy Perry- Firework
9. Taio Cruz- Dynamite
10. Josua Radin- Today

Okay, well not as exciting as I had hoped but you might get the idea.

Day: 24 coming soon!

The Black Hole! aka Day 22

When I first read through the 30 day blog challenge this one already had me laughing. "Day 22: What's in your purse?" My purse is just ridiculous! I blame diaper bags, and having to carry them around for 9 years. My purse is most definitely a glorified diaper bag. I never carried a real purse. I skipped right over it and started carrying a diaper bag when Connor was born. Actually, I didn't even own a diaper bag until they sent me home with the free one from the hospital. I quickly realized that if I ever really wanted to leave the house for more than 10 minutes with a baby, a fully stocked diaper bag was a must.  I was a pro at stocking a diaper bag, too. After a couple of trial and error runs I seemed to always have the exact amount of diapers, wipes bottles and whatever else to make the kid happy. Then came Aubrey, 2 kids in diapers, so 2x everything. Then came Alli and for just a few months 3 kids in diapers and 3x everything. As they got a little older I began to have a little something to keep each of them content for whatever stage we were in. 

I had a brief period of time when Connor was almost six and Alli was potty-trained where all of a sudden I didn't need a diaper bag anymore. A generic change of clothes kept in the car "just in case" was enough for most occasions. I toyed with the idea of carrying a bag just for myself, a real big girl purse! The thought of having something all to myself was such a novel idea, I just had to try it out. It didn't take long before I figured out that it was just plain impossible to have such a thing really all to myself. I kept a purse for a couple of years, never really loving the idea, in fact I can't even remember what they looked like. Before I knew it I was pregnant with Olivia anyway. That's when the real fun began, this was right about the same time that some genius figured out that even though we had babies that might love cutesy, cartoony, fluffy things, didn't mean us moms loved carrying a bag with all of that on it. They came up with modern, stylish attractive-to-the-adult-actually-purchasing-the-bag, bags. That's really when I fell in love with (diaper) bags. I had gotten a great one when Connor was little a sage green diaper bag from Land's End, it was awesome but not so stylish.

After going through a couple of decent, but not to love diaper bags I found a super cute mod, pink and brown dots bag on clearance at Target. It was a sweet deal and I loved it. Unfortunately the inside seam split and Olivia was potty trained early so I put up with it a few months and never got a replacement. I would probably still use it in rotation these days if not for that darn seam. Oh well!

 The first real purse I fell in love with was one my mom bought me for Christmas of 2009, yeah that's right I was 29 before I took carrying a purse seriously and actually fell in love a purse. I also got tons of compliments on my purse, which made it even better. I carried it for a full year! Which brings me to my current purse. The purse I have now is from Phillip and Connor, they went out and bought it together for Christmas last year. I love it because it's pretty and black and because it was something my boys got for me together. That said, it is such a collector of crap it's crazy! 

In this sense I am so much like my mother! In most things I don't know there would be much about me that I would claim to get from her. Well, there are a couple of things. We're loud, we both enjoy the company of others and we both keep things, that don't make much sense to anyone else, in our purses. Similarities end there, I'm pretty sure. Here is the list, to the best of my ability of things in my purse.

• My makeup bag (I prefer to do makeup while riding in the car)
• 1 wallet for money
• 1 wallet for medical cards, gift cards, rewards cards etc.
• A box of crayons
• A stack of mostly useless receipts
• 3 pens
• 1 large paper clip
• A hair brush 
• A twisty thing off the top of a bottle of some sort
• 1 mitten from a magnetic dress-up doll
• 1 magic wand
• A picture of Gir Connor drew for me

• A stack of mail which includes but not limited to: Insurance statements, a bill, a wedding invitation (from February), a bank statement and a letter from school
• WIC checks and shopping guide
• A spiral notebook
• A hackey-sack
• A tube of bubbles
• A Christmas ornament that I keep meaning to stick in a box at my in-laws
• 2 mis-matched socks (because a mis-match pair is better than none at all)
• Lotion
• Hand sanitizer
• Nail polish
• 1 eraser cap
• 3 coupons for mouth wash
• Keys that need to be returned because they don't fit
• A reminder card for a dentist appointment in March
• A Java Jump rewards card
• Valentines day Mickey Mouse stickers
• The skirt from a Snow White pocket doll
• A pack of gum with one stick left
• A Valentine's Day card to Olivia from Phillip and I
• 3 pennies
• 1 nickel
• A couple of crumpled blank pieces of paper

I think that's it. As you can see the insides of my purse became a game of show and tell. Olivia was on a treasure hunt and so excited to find her Valentine's Day card. I found it funny that the last thing I pulled out was a cookie fortune that read: "You discover treasures where others see nothing unusual".

please excuse the laundry, we are right in the middle of laundry day(s) it'll be done tomorrow, promise!

 Thanks for following!

Cliffs Note Version of Days 16-21

Sometimes life gives you lemons and sometimes it all out takes a dump on your head. We've sort of found ourselves in the crap all over you part. Phillips mom has been battling cancer since 2003 and recently has been put on Hospice. While right now she has been doing amazingly well and has even improved over the last couple of weeks, we are walking the finest of lines. There is no telling, especially with a woman of her determination, how long we are really looking at. As if that isn't enough (and I must tread carefully here...) we are dealing with the serious addiction of another family member. It's hard to tell how much and what this person is on, if they have just lost their mind or if it is the addiction. This person has done something that completely crossed the line, as far as I'm concerned. Because I put my foot down and got upset and said "enough is enough", I have now been labeled as the Bad Guy, anything that has gone wrong in their life in the last two weeks, the blame is put squarely on my head. Any inexcusable behavior that they have participated in is because of the hurt that I have caused them, or at least that's the broken record story. I have been shocked, and hurt, confused and angry and this unbelievable situation. I haven't been allowed to have a voice, I haven't had a chance to explain my feelings about the situation. However, they, on a daily basis continue to drag me through the mud. I have no gain to go into further detail but you'll have to trust me when I say this is a terrible and (emotionally) abusive situation. It hurts me, I hate to see my husband have to go through the pain of what is going on with his Mom and then add this on top of it. My kids have now been involved and affected. I am a Momma Bear, and you don't mess with my kids and my family. Period. I have to have faith and trust that the truth of this situation will be known. I just hope it's sooner than later and it can be resolved before it's too late.


What does this have to do with my lack of blogging? For me, it's hard, very hard, to write about fluff when there is so much heavy stuff that sits unresolved. I can do it, but the perfectionist in me doesn't accept the sub par work that results. Then I argue with myself about whether or not to post such b.s. On top of this I have felt a lot of pressure not to air my feelings regarding this situation, out of fear for what such an unstable person might do as a result of my words. At this point I am so sick and tired of not being able to confront the situation as well as not having anyway of defending myself that I'm speaking out anyway. It's not as if this person will really read what I have to say anyway. At this point they are ignoring Phillip and I. Which is the grown up version of pouting.


Enough about that. There actually have been some really good things that have come out of the last two weeks. We have decided to focus more on our family, the kids specifically. This has made a huge difference in them, in fact I would like to write a post about each of them and how they have grown through all that has happened in the last year. We'll have to save that for later. Phillip and I have grown even closer together, he has shown to me how much our family, our marriage and our relationship really mean to him. I am such a lucky woman to have a man who loves and cares for me the way only he can. We are a team, we share in the burdens we carry, the trials we face as well as the happiness and success in life. I wouldn't have it any other way.


So, if there is so much going on, why not just quit the challenge? I refuse to give up, I promised myself that I would see this through to the end. It has also been so good for me to get back into writing. I want to finish the challenge. So here we go!


Day 16: Dream house
I dream of a house that has room for our family, 5 bedrooms would be perfect. A fantastic kitchen, that is big enough for all of us and more to hang out in, more of a gathering place. A living room where fun and laughter abound. I could care less for a stuffy formal room that is full of looking and no touching. I would like a rec/movie room for the kids to hang out in and have plenty of friends over, I would love to be the 'hang out' house. We'd like a pool table, too. I want a deck with lots of comfy chairs, perfectly shaded in summer for bbq's and relaxing. A pool for the kids and a hot-tub for the old people who need to soak their stress away. A yard for kids to run themselves into exhaustion. I also dream of a master bedroom full of relaxation. A master bath with a large soaking tub as well as a master closet in perfect organization. The best part of my 'dream' home is that I believe it will be a reality soon.

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to
Aside from my dream home? I look forward to Phillip to getting a job with wonderful benefits. I also look forward to my kids being out of the sibling rivalry phase.

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat
LOVE mexican food. It is my fav. I prefer Azteca, Phillip prefers Casa De Oro but I would never pass on either.

Day 19: Something you miss
My Grandma, always. She was my second Mom. I refer to losing her, a lot, when Phillip and I talk about what's going on with Mom. I am most grateful for all of the time I had with her, and all that she taught me. I'm pretty sure I still think about her everyday. I'm glad to know that she isn't really that far away and one day I will see her again.

Day 20: Nicknames
"Megs" I like it. Shorty when I was in school but then the rappers stole it and put it in their songs. You should see the royalty checks I'm raking in!

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?
I was annoyingly photogenic as a child. The reason it's so annoying is that I outgrew it. I can take a decent picture now, too but I have to work a lot harder for it. There are worse problems to have, I suppose. So here is a recent pic that is my fav and an older one. There isn't one picture of all time, sorry to disappoint.

That's me in the pink blankie, with Grandma and Grandpa. This was before anyone realized I was a ball of fire!

Our wedding day! I was so happy and walking downtown Spokane in a wedding dress. Best. Day. Ever!

Back to Basics. Day 15

Matthew 25:40
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Day 14: A Year Ago...

This is me in January 2010. It was a week after I filed for divorce. I had an extra 50 lbs. from where I am today.  I was on my way back to life but it's a good example of what all of the stress had done to me. I had been falling apart physically and emotionally. I think the picture speaks for itself.
It didn't take long but I found myself again. I was on the right track. I knew that I had to wake up and start taking control over my life. I also knew I had to face every decision I made, right or wrong. It was a scary place to be after living for years in a fog and going along with what I thought I was supposed to do. I had to make those decisions. Start listening to myself, to that being inside (The Holy Ghost, Spirit, Conscience, whatever you believe it to be). Live by my moral compass and not anyone else's. It's amazing to me what finding that power within myself has done for me. I had to crawl out of my hole and live for the day that I had been blessed with. I needed to be alive and present for my kids. I had to realize that everyone has a right to happiness and hadn't done anything to be excluded from this privilege.
Scary, indeed. In order to live again I had to let down all of the walls that I spent building around myself. The ones that protected my heart from ache, and my ego from bruising. Every time there was a fear, there was a new wall. I spent years building those walls because of pain, and disappointment, I just didn't want to feel anymore. I got exactly what I wished for, and more. Not only did I not feel pain and disappointment, I pretty much didn't feel anything at all. A deep, dark empty hole of depression that I couldn't fill up for anything. The worst part was, all of that pain didn't go away because of the walls. Instead it sat there and waited patiently for me to take them down. So not only did I distance myself from the happiness, I saved the pain for later.
I'm in such a different place now. I can't believe what a difference a year makes. I just hope that if you look at me now you don't see the same person inside. I hope the damage, I have learned from, wasn't permanent. I love life, the good the bad, the pain and happiness.

Day 12-ish

I never leave the house without...my husband.
No really, this is pretty much true. We are always together. Because he lost his job at the beginning of February he has joined me in stay-at-home parenthood. I hate to admit it but he's better at it than I am and I'm not sure how things are going to flow without him. He's always keeping me on track and between the two of us life is organized and runs smoothly. I love my time with him and know it won't last forever, he'll return to work soon enough and I'll be flying solo. Although, solo, isn't exactly fair because he's always been really supportive of me staying home with the kids. He understands how important it is for the kids to have their mommy available. And now he knows it takes two of us full-time to do my job. Maybe I'll get lots of presents after he ditches me for a paying job. A girl can dream, right?
When the day does come that I can't leave the house everyday with my husband, I suppose the thing I'll have to replace him with is my iPod touch. She's my little miracle that does everything but make a phone call.

Day 10-11-12

Ok, so blogging everyday might be overrated. I might be saying that because I'm having a hard time keeping up. None the less, I shall keep forging ahead. Today will be three posts.

Starting with Day 11. Why? You ask. It's my blog and I want to. Neener-neener.

I am a TV girl. I love my TV and watch copious amounts. Well, I used to.  The good ol' telly had been a great way of escaping for me. The day to day stresses would get lost as I would delve into the ridiculous arguments on The View, or as I'd dance around with baby attached to my hip as Ellen would make her way around her audience movin' her thang to a catchy beat. Oh how I could laugh at those silly sit-coms, Friends, Seinfeld, and That 70's Show. I would easily solve everyone's problems right along with Dr. Phil. Don't forget the drama of Law and Order: SVU. My Olivia's name came from Mariska Hargitay's heroine character; Detective Olivia Benson. I realized a few years ago that my television consumption was a bit much, just in time for DVR. This handy device made it easier to choose which shows to watch while also allowing me to make sure to put my family first. If I didn't get have time to watch a show, I'd just delete it.

Now we don't have cable or satellite service. After paying far too much for cable for a couple of months we decided to invest our time and money in other things. Don't get me wrong, I still have a love for TV, probably will always like that mini-vacay from life. Now we turn to Netflix and Hulu. The great part about these services is the constant noise of the TV on in the background is gone. If it's time to watch TV we turn it on and choose one show, when it's over we turn it off. I have to admit, there was a teeny-tiny moment of panic when we did make that choice. Now, I am so happy we did. Because our means of receiving shows has changed, so has the availability of some of my old favs.  Here is the revised list of most watched shows.

Lie to Me- This show could be my favorite of all time
Kitchen Nightmares- A show Phillip turned me on to. It's a great one if you're in the mood to watch someone get torn apart and then put back together in a matter of 45 minutes.
The Office- Another classic, but Phillips not quite sold...yet.

Days 8 and 9

It's terribly appropriate that these two days are combined as it seems as though, after the week we've had, that the last two days have run together. As of Wednesday life became much more complicated for us. There will be a time to write about that too, but because of who is involved and the emotions at play I will continue to respect everyone's privacy. Again, the kids are doing well and we have so much to be proud of them for. Phillip and I continue to look to each other for the love, support, strength and laughter we need.

Day Eight! My favorite place I've travelled to?
I have been to a lot of places in the US, Canada and Mexico. Growing up my mom was involved with The American Optometric Association and each year in June they meet somewhere different in the U.S. So most of my traveling was done as a kid, which has been a disappointment for me. I always thought growing up I would keep on traveling. I suppose that my favorite place I've ever been is Hawaii. I went there first when I was about 7 or 8 years old, but other than being toted around with my grandma and great aunt I don't remember a whole lot. There was a luau and it was hot and humid at the time. I also remember how beautiful it was. How I'd never seen any place like it. The soft sandy beach, and the thick deep green plants, trees and bushes. I remember one day it rained, and I had never smelled a rain so sweet.

Clearly impressed with the craftsmanship of my headpiece and lovin' the large frames!

The second time I was there, I was about 14 years old. Hawaii, it seemed, had not changed. The smell in the air was familiar, the beautiful flowers that seemed to be everywhere. The beaches were even more amazing the second time, with the added bonus of being old enough to appreciate lying in the sun and learning to body surf. That trip was all about the beaches, a different one everyday. The beauty, the environment, everything I could take in, was enough to distract me from the constant tension and bickering from the adults accompanying me. That says a lot!

Places I can't wait to go:
Hawaii, of course! We'd love to go for our honeymoon and appreciate the beauty as adults.
Germany. Phillip was born in Frankfurt while his dad served in the U.S. Army, and we'd love to go explore his place together.
Italy. I've always felt drawn to Italy, the culture and the beauty.
New York. I went there with a group of kids (teachers and parents) from school between 7th and 8th grade. It was such a lively city. I remember visiting the twin towers and taking the ride in the elevator to the top. Now I'd like to go back and visit the same place and get a true feel for what happened.
Disneyland. I have wanted to take the kids for years, this one will happen soon. It's a must as a kid and mine are almost to old!

Day Nine!
My favorite picture of my best friend.

Anyone else see the genuine happiness? This is our engagement picture. The reason we chose this one was because it stood out. It wasn't even a hard decision. We were given hundreds of beautiful shots to choose from. I love so many of them. This was the one because we saw so immediately a reflection of how we were truly feeling. We've both lost weight since this photo, and I could nit-pick it into a thousand pieces but what stands out, every time is the feeling I get when I see it. The perfect moment of how excited, happy and in love we both are...ahem, were right then. There just isn't anything false there. What you see is what you get, which is pretty much how it works around here.

Movies and such...

The last 24 hours have been ridiculously crazy and hard. I suppose that can be a problem when you have people who read about your life everyday. I am most definitely not complaining, in fact I have been so thankful for the outlet writing has become, as well as all of the overwhelming support I have felt. It could not have come at a better time.

Our family is going through a very difficult and sensitive situation. The emotions are raw and constantly on the surface. At this time I am going to refrain from going into depth because I would like to respect everyone involved.

Don't you worry, the kids are well and doing such amazing things these days. Phillip and I are stronger than ever and using this trial to grow together and gather strength from one another.

So, onto movies. I'm not really a movie buff, I rarely remember the lines of a film, let alone catch on when someone quotes a movie. For whatever reason my brain doesn't work like that. Phillip on the other hand, he's definitely into movies, loves them, buys them like candy and can't get enough. There aren't very many movies that I like to watch more than once but here is a list of them and why they mean something to me:

5. A League of Their Own. I used to watch this movie all the time. It came out at a really great time for me. I had played softball for a couple years, back in the day that was my sport. I somehow wound up on the varsity team in 7th grade which was right around the time it came out. It's one that reminds me of my sister, we'd argue over who was Dottie (Geena Davis) and who was Kit (Lori Petty).

4. Sleepless in Seattle. This is the first love story I fell in love with, and another Tom Hanks hit. I've probably watched this movie more than any other movie in my life. It came out while I was in my early teens and was completely appropriate for what was going on in my life. I still love this movie!

3. Big Business. Another sister movie. We watched this hundreds of times, in fact now that I think about it maybe we watched this one more than Sleepless. There was never any fighting over who was which sister in this one. I was always Sadie (Bette Midler) and Melissa was always Rose (Lilly Tomlin). 

2. Date Night. Look at that, I do watch current movies! This movie is the most recent I will watch more than once. Phillip and I turn it on for a good laugh.

1. The Notebook. The sentimental favorite. I bought this movie at a Black Friday sale one year because it was $4.00 and I was slightly delirious from lack of sleep and crazy mobs. I had it for over two years and hadn't even opened it. Then, during one of our first phone conversations Phillip mentioned that The Notebook reminded him of us. Collective "Awwww". So as soon as we got off the phone, of course I had to find it and watch it. And of course I fell even more in love with him. We've watched it several times together. I love it when we get to a part and he says "See that? Just like us...".

Happiness Is...

There are very few pictures of me holding my youngest, maybe a handful. I adore this picture because I was just in the moment. Taking in the miraculous moment of her birth. This was the first time I held her. I had gestational diabetes while pregnant with her, so there were a bunch of tests they had to do as soon as she was born. It feels like forever when you're sitting there waiting for all of the poking and prodding to be over with. Of course I sent her dad to watch out for her, which left me alone in the hospital room. What, once just moments before was a hustling and bustling room full of Dr.s nurses and neonatal specialists, all seemed to disappear with my baby. I'm not sure exactly what they expect one to do in this situation. It seemed as though, a millisecond before the anxiety got the best of me and I was just about to hop out of bed onto still half numb legs to franticly and spastically search for my baby myself, in rolls this perfectly clean, dressed, bundled up, peanut sized baby followed by a nurse and dad. Big sigh of relief as the nurse hands over my little miracle. She was intently sucking on her binky, clearly a lot of work had been put into cleaning her up, getting her dressed and diapered and swaddling her tightly just so. I could have cared less, I had to get my eyes on every part of her. I gently unwrapped her. It wasn't enough that no less than 3 nurses, a doctor and specialist had all checked her over. I needed to see her fingers, toes, chicken legs, tummy, and kissable rosy cheeks, pouty lips  and button nose, all for myself. So I did. Then I scooped her up held her close and realized, in that moment, I was not the only one who had been confused and lonely by the sterile storm of hospital protocol. So together, at last, finally some peace and the single connection we had both been looking for. That, is this picture.

Perfect!

This video contains adult content. I chose to use the edited version of the song. The video is graphic, the song is not. If you don't want to watch the video you should still listen to the song, it has a very important message.

Perfect by P!nk

This goes back to Day 1.

"12. I believe women are stronger than we are ever allowed to believe we are."

Music is powerful! What song makes you feel stronger and proud to be who you are?

There once was a boy who realized he couldn't live without this girl...

Part II of  There once was a girl who fell in love with a boy.


Life and time won alright. This is where things get messy. This is also harder for me to talk openly about. Since we're being honest...here goes nothing.


Summer before my Junior year in high school I met an older guy, by five years. He was visiting some of his family who were my church leaders in Spokane. They tried to discourage the relationship, to no avail. There was already a part of me who was mature beyond my years. I was interested in him. We started writing letters back and forth. This was back in the days of long-distance phone charges, and boy did we rack up the bill. Nearly every phone bill was upwards of $100. Our parents weren't impressed.

During the first few months of our (truly) long distance relationship. I went through a lot of ups and downs. I hooked up with and lost my virginity to what was the male slut of my graduating class at West Valley High School. This guy got my number from a mutual friend that went to Central Valley High. Called me, set up a date, where he took me to the pet store, and then to a fast food restaurant. We wound up at my house, alone to watch a movie. Started making out and well, you can guess the rest. It was disappointing. He left quickly afterwards. I felt so alone and emotional. There was no connection. There was no romance. That was not what I wanted and had dreamed my first time would be like. I tried to call him when I knew he would be home. His sister answered, and awkwardly explained he wasn't there. He came over unexpectedly the next day. When I questioned his intentions, and his supposed break up with his long time girlfriend, he admitted that they were still together. I was crushed. He kept saying, "...but I want to be with you, too...". The more he said the more pissed off I got. I yelled at him and then kicked him out of my house. I was devastated. 

After that my new found long distance relationship took flight, with one last bump in the road. Sometime around November 1997 I got a letter from Phillip. Only the address in the top left corner, and on the back it read "You should know who this is from!". I had mailed of a letter months earlier to him with the same thing written on the back. My heart felt as though it was on a roller coaster. Pounding, again as if he were standing right there. What was I going to do? I wound up calling him a few hours later. We caught up on the phone. I told him about school and my job. He talked about school and his family.  Neither of us mentioning our newest love interests. After a few phone conversations things just stopped moving. He went on with his relationship which wound up lasting 4 years. I went on with mine.


I wanted out of Spokane more than anyone. Mostly I didn't want to be where I was in life. It was awkward and uncomfortable. I was a senior in high school, In my mind getting out of Spokane was the answer. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. I was being a good mormon girl and getting my young self hitched in the temple and moving to Utah. When I did this, when I made that choice I gave it my everything. We bought a townhouse and started our family. My value and purpose in life was to take care of my husband, bear and rear our children. I wouldn't me honest if I didn't give credit to the happy times. We laughed together, made a lot of friends, built his career, and raised our children. I didn't know what I didn't know. Over time I started feeling lonely, depressed and like I had little purpose in my own life. I just kept trying. It's hard for me to explain the last few years of my marriage, but happy was fewer and farther between. It seemed like the harder I tried to make my life into something it wasn't the more unhappy I became. It also seemed that the more I put into my empty life the more people believed my life was wonderful, and perfect and fantastic. It was confusing. I tried to go back to school. I was an awesome student and made straight A's, but it wasn't enough. After a couple of semesters I dropped it all together. September of 2009, I knew something had to change and fast. I was growing increasingly depressed and to try and fix it I was on a serious cocktail of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety and a little something to help me sleep at night. On a normal 'good' day I was taking 4 pills a day, on a bad day 6. All legitimately prescribed by a psychiatrist. I often wondered how people couldn't just look at me and see right through my pretty candy shell. On top of the depression I was beginning to suffer from serious stomach pain. Some days it was debilitating, towards the end most days it was debilitating. I had MRI's, x-rays, CT scans. Nothing showed any problems. I started taking laxatives, and pro-biotics. After a trip to visit my mom in Georgia over Christmas and suffering for most of the trip. I realized I wasn't being true to myself. I was living life for everyone around me. I was unhappy and needed to face it all head on. I had to take control over my life and deal with all the choices I made. I had to be responsible. 


After Christmas I knew in my heart what had to be done. It was something I never thought I would do. Divorce. I sat on the word for a couple of days. Thought about what it really meant for me and the kids. I was more scared of a choice than I had ever been in my life. I hadn't had a paying job since 2005. How was I going to survive? What about the kids? Where will we go? and How in the HELL am I going to tell my husband? I lived silently and alone with my decision for two weeks. 


In the meantime I was on facebook, catching up with old friends left and right. It was my outlet and connection. Early in January, I noticed that a friend of mine was now friends with Phillip Dompier. "How funny," I thought "wonder what he was up to...". So I went to his page and sent a friend request. Almost immediately it was accepted. A couple of days went by and all of a sudden an instant message popped up. I was sitting on the couch next to my future ex-husband, it was 8 o'clock at night with my lap-top. It said "Hey, how's it going?". I slammed the lap-top shut and said. "Let's get the kids tucked in". That heart pounding was so familiar, even though so many years had passed since I felt it last. I didn't go back on instant messaging. Instead I sent him a message later that night asking what he was up to, what was new, how are things, sorry I missed his instant message, I was getting the kids to bed. I also added a generic comment about "I'm married, have four kids and doing well". I got a response later that morning. Phillip was fresh out of his own divorce and just trying to find himself. He had some really nice things to say about how he's happy for me, that I'm doing so well. I realized that with him I was doing what I did with the rest of the world, I put a layer of sugar to hide my pain. I was so sick of it. I was disgusted with myself for doing it, and doing it without a second thought. It was really time to bite the bullet. I decided that I was going to end  my marriage the next day. 

I couldn't sleep and just kept thinking about what I was going to say, how I was going to say it. Agonizing over what it meant for the kids. They were going to be devastated, their life was going to change and I had little I could promise them about how everything would turn out. I just didn't know. Whether it was the right thing to do, or not. I got up and wrote Phillip a message. I let it all out on him. I felt like all of my friends were going to be judgmental and or tell my ex before I had a chance.  I knew I could trust Phillip and I knew that he had an idea of what I might be going through. I was sure he thought I was completely insane. I really didn't expect to hear from him ever again. I had to let it out, and so I did. After letting it all out I fell asleep sometime around 4 am. The next day was pretty uneventful considering I was about to change our lives. The older kids went off to school, I watched my usual morning shows, played with Olivia, ran some errands. I put Olivia down for her nap in anticipation for some quiet time to gather my thoughts and get ready for the kids to get home. I also checked facebook. I had a message. It was Phillip. He said he was sorry to hear about all that was going on and that if I needed to talk to someone give him a call, anytime.


That evening he came home in time to tuck the kids into bed, 8 pm. It was part of our normal routine. After we were finished I stood in the kitchen as he started in on the dishes. I was so nervous I couldn't hold still. Finally, I just said it. I told him it was over and we needed to decide together how we were going to go about this, remain friends and watch out for the kids interests. The entire conversation was 45 minutes from start to finish. A clue to me that I was on the right track. There was no arguing, no one raised their voices. We agreed it was time. Then we watched some tv show together and went to bed. I was fine once I let it out. But in the silence of the night I fell apart. I couldn't stop crying, as if every emotion that I had been stuffing for years, spilled out of me. I needed to turn to someone, so got my phone and dialed the number. Phillip said "anytime" right? Why not 1am? I was desperate for him to answer the phone, but scared that he would. He answered. My heart pounded again. I said "Hi, this is Megan..." he barely got out "Hi" before I just started babbling like a flooding brook. I cried and cried and just went on about how I don't know what I'm going to do, what about the kids, how could I be so cruel? He sat there on the phone patiently answering my endless unanswerable questions until I finally ran dry of both tears and words. I thanked him for being there, he thanked me for calling. I hung up the phone and passed out from exhaustion.


I woke up the next morning, feeling oddly refreshed. I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I finally let it all go. Over the next few days we worked out a plan for the kids. Discussed how to remain friends and when to start dating again. We decided that we should continue living together (platonically) until the end of the school year. We worked on a schedule to get the kids used to "Mom Time and Dad Time". We also sat down and wrote out a letter to our family and close friends explaining our situation and asking for support and respect. By the time the divorce was final we were both ready to start dating.


I was well aware that I had to keep what was going on with the divorce as separate as possible from my relationship with Phillip. They were completely different. I didn't want one to poison the other. I was honest with my ex about everything that was going on. I was afraid of going too quickly from my marriage to a new relationship. It was hard, it was obvious to both of us that the same feelings that were so strong at 13, 14, 15...were still there. Having had more life experience under my belt, those feelings now made much more sense. Still, I proceeded with caution. I was honest with Phillip, too. I explained that with four kids I didn't have time for games, my kids will always come first, they aren't disposable, and that I expected him to be completely honest with me. If at any point he couldn't deal with it all he had to pull the cord. He assured me he was in it for the long haul. He said he loved me and always had. He would do whatever it took and wait as long as he needed to wait for me. We started talking on the phone multiple times a day and texting almost constantly. After the first month of that, Phillip had to go to his dad (they were all on the same family plan) and ask him to change the phone plan. I was so embarrassed. What a great first impression! 

Things had been moving along at the pace of a freight train, but a smooth running freight train. We came up with a two year plan, where in we would date for two years, let the kids get used to the idea of Mom with someone else, and give Phillip time to bail if he needed to. If all went well we would marry in the summer of 2012. I came up to visit Phillip in person, and make sure I wasn't losing my mind and in some weird made up online relationship with a giant super-freak. I promised myself that I wouldn't go into a relationship blindly and for all the wrong reasons. Especially now when I would have four kids counting on me to not destroy their lives. 


I got off the plane in Spokane and had a friend there to pick me up. I had not so secretly made a plan to spy on Phillip at work. I sent him a text to let him know I was in town and we were going to grab some lunch and hang out until he was off work. We were already going up the hill to embark on the spy mission, when I got a text from him saying he was let off of work early and sitting at Panda Express eating lunch until I was ready for him to pick me up. We were at a stop-light. I looked to my left and there was Panda Express. I told my friend to pull into that parking lot. "He's at Panda!!". I quickly explained that plans had changed, he's off work and eating lunch, "right there!". I wasn't relaxed and cool anymore. I was nervous and there was that heart pounding thing again. I had to pull myself together and did the best I could. I called him and said we were there at Panda and had been on our way to spy on him. He laughed and hung up. I went in and was met with one of the best hugs of all time. A kiss for old times sake. We sat down so he could finish his lunch. I was too nervous to eat. My friend politely left us to catch up and that's exactly what we did.


As they say: The rest is history!

It's Day 4, who wants to hear about my parents?!

I hear crickets. I've decided that in order to stay true to the challenge as well as my 10's of fans, I will do two separate posts.

This is Mark. He's my dad. He has worked hard all his life. He taught me to always do the right thing, and have integrity. Don't worry about what others think. I am a Daddy's Girl, through and through. I am so happy that at our wedding he got to walk me down the isle and give me away to Phillip. (for various reasons this didn't take place at my first wedding. He is the best Grandpa and all the kids adore him!

This is Cheryl (on the right). She worked like mad to provide for our family. She is well educated and beautiful. She taught me to just keep going. Even when everything falls apart, don't give up. I cannot tell you how many times she told me to "Buck-up Baby!". I don't think I really understood how successful she was until I was quite a few years into adulthood.  I am proud to be her daughter.

There once was a girl who fell in love with a boy...

Today's post is mushy, gushy and is not intended for those with weak stomachs and jaded hearts.

Consider yourselves warned. 

This is our story the way I remember it...

I had been playing the violin since 4th grade and joined the Strings class at Centennial Middle School in 6th grade. I  loved playing the violin and for my age I felt that I had substantial talent. It was the one period in school where I didn't have to stress out. The only thing stressful in that class was the far too tightly wound Strings teacher, Mrs. Jensen. I found out later in life after having a few different music teachers, that tightly wound was a norm for Strings and Orchestra teachers. Regardless, Strings and Orchestra class was always a highlight of my day.

It was one of the first days of school in my 7th grade year, when he caught my eye. We were in Strings class, seated in a perfect crescent shaped row. Sitting across from me was this boy. We kept catching each others eye and on that day a crush was formed. Just a couple days later my friend Sara leaned over, between songs, and asked me if I had a crush on any boys this year. I blushed and said "Yes".  Lord only knows why, but she looked surprised and asked "Who?".  You see, I had somewhat of a reputation of being boy crazy. I kissed lots of boys in 5th grade, not as many in 6th grade but kissing was fun. At the next break between songs I quietly revealed my crush. She excitedly, and all too loudly in my opinion said "He's my neighbor!".

A few more days had passed and I quietly kept my crush to myself, and anyone who asked me if I had a crush. Sara encouraged me to write Phillip a note. "C'mon" she'd say, "he's really nice!". Finally I got  up the courage and wrote it down on paper. No less than five times as I had to carefully scrutinize how well I wrote his name, and then how nicely I signed mine. I'm sure it wound up being something sophisticated like:

    "Dear Phil,
How are you? I like you. Do you like me? Let me know if you want to go out. We can hang out at Nut-break. Please write back.
    From, Megan"


I had no clue what I was starting. As far as I knew we would "go out" for a couple weeks get tired of each other and part ways. I was wrong. This boy was different. He preferred hanging out with me during nut-break (and entire 13 minutes between 2nd and 3rd periods) rather than his all too tough 7th grade friends.  We would walk the halls hand in hand and talk, well mostly I would talk. After that all too important 2 week land mark, we both fell pretty hard for each other. We wrote notes back and forth. Called each other and talked on the phone for an hour or so a day. It was apparent to both of us that we were experiencing something different, something more than we had felt before and something that was hard for our tender 7th grade hearts to fully comprehend. We wrote plenty of love letters. In the length of a middle school romance we might as well have already been planning the wedding. No one I knew, aside from an adult, had been together for more than 3 months and there we were going strong. We were inseparable at dances, found each other so we could hold hands during school assemblies. Often exchanged notes expressing our love and amusement for one another, always interest in how the other is "doing". Nut-break became the time to look forward too. Being that we were going on 13 there were very few opportunities to actually hang out and get to know each other. We had separate lunch schedules so sitting together wasn't an option. Our time together was nut-break. After walking the school hand in hand for a month or so we realized there was a quiet corridor between the gym and 6th grade hall. Rarely would anyone, student, teacher or otherwise, have a reason to walk through this corridor. This became our spot. See that, right there between the Powerade machine and the door? That was it! Well the Powerade machine replaced a Welch's juice machine. It was the "pop machine". We knew that when the other said "pop machine" that's where we met. It's where we had our first kiss, and where we went back to kiss some more. That is until someone caught on and they ruined it all by sticking a hall monitor right across from our pop machine.


The summer before 7th grade my baby brother was born. It was a huge event that sort of rocked my world. I adored my brother and loved playing mommy to him. But it was a lot to handle, especially at that time in my life. There were a lot of things that made it even more complicated than just a new sibling. Also, because of the new addition to the family, our teeny 800 sq. ft. house that was barely large enough for my mom, sister and I, was now bursting at the seams. At some point Mom decided it was time to move and most likely it would be out of the school district we were in. Towards the end of the school year a house was chosen. With this information I was devastated. My mom, after hearing our story when meeting Phillip (again) asked if that was why I had been so "moody" during the move.  Apparently. It was on the last day of 7th grade, I decided that because I was moving so far away it just wasn't reasonable for us to embark on a "long-distance" relationship. At the time "long-distance" was a whopping 8 miles. I remember sitting in our empty except-for-a-phone, house, having the excruciating conversation with Phillip.
"I'm sorry" I'd say, "I just don't see how it can happen. How will we see each other?". I heard the sadness in his voice "Please, we'll figure out a way, don't do this...". I was crying, he was crying. We continued on this way for over an hour. Any minute my mom would be there to pick me up and it would all be over. We continued on until the inevitable. It was over. I was a mess. I had said goodbye to my first love and the first house I really considered home. 

Because we were in strings/orchestra through high school, we saw each other at various functions 2 or 3 times a school year. We would awkwardly catch each others eye, perhaps have a quick conversation. My heart would always pound like mad when I would look for and find him. At the time I had no idea that he had all the same feelings. We both have memories of watching each other from afar. We even wrote each other letters, and spoke on the phone and contemplated getting back together all the way to our Junior year in high school. The timing was never quite right. Every crush and every boyfriend I had for years was always compared to Phillip. They weren't sensitive enough, they weren't as talented, they weren't as intelligent. Eventually time won and we parted ways. Never really saying "it's over" completely. 

Actual note from 7th grade. Thanks Mom!

The Meaning of it all...or the blog title, but "it all" sounds so much more important.

When you go through something in life that changes you, good bad or otherwise, you live in it and it defines you. Which is why it is often referred to as a "defining moment". You'll have to forgive me for referencing it so often, but my divorce was one of those moments, the decision and the repercussions.
After talking with our families, and friends as well as sending a letter to everyone we could think of I was hit with a flurry of responses. Disappointed, shocked, concerned and almost always I was told how wrong I was.  People were set on telling me, with conviction, how I was ruining my children and any sort of chance they had at becoming productive members of society. They were sure to grow up as criminals and druggies, not to mention that I was setting them up to be molested by, what would surely be, the parade of boyfriends I would introduce them to. (Yes, I really was told that I was setting my kids up for sexual abuse). I was told by a friend that God had spoken to her. She said that she had a personal revelation for me and my family and that moving to Washington would destroy my family and especially my children. For once in my life I was speechless.  Of course after the conversation I thought of a thousand responses some angry, some witty, and some thought provoking. I mean here I was sitting in the midst of one of the most difficult situations of my life. Of course I was worried about how it was going to affect everyone, especially, ESPECIALLY, my children. All I heard from what I had considered my closest family and friends was how I have ruined my children. When I did hear genuine concern I would find out that those people would relay information I had shared in confidence back to my ex. Which was ridiculous because we were on good terms and readily sharing information with each other, in fact we were still living in the same house.

I knew in my heart that I was really doing what was best for my family, myself and my children. I learned to hold my hand closer to my chest and believe in myself. I went on trusting in everything I had learned about being a mother. I had to let go of what others thought they knew. It wasn't productive to go back and rehash conversations with people. As much as I wanted to, it would only feed into what they already thought they knew. I had to let it go, even if walking away from them meant they would think they were right. If you know me, you know that I am good at being right and having the last word. It was hard.

I suppose, that if it didn't inflate their heads so insanely large, I would have to thank those people for something. It is because of them that I put on my big girl panties, held my head high, and decided to prove them wrong. Even if they never really know it, I have the last word. We know the same people. I have a theory. Those people who were so transparently concerned for our well-being are secretly (or not so secretly) into gossip. If you know any of these people, go ahead and let them know we are doing amazing and we are thriving. However, I think I'll save my gratitude for my children because with or without the condescension of others I would have put on the BGP's and done the same thing for them.




My family as it is today is my endless source of pride. I am so proud of my kids for all that we've been through.  Even through all of the changes and some of the loss my kids have proven to be resilient. We just recently had parent/teacher conferences. Every single child is touted as well behaved, intelligent, extremely social and above all respectful. At home we have our ups and downs, like every family on the face of the planet. I think most of it comes down to sibling rivalry and cabin fever! We address issues as they come up. All of the kiddos remind me that they love me. They adore and respect Phillip, it has been such a blessing to watch each of their relationships grow. Phillip is a fantastic husband and in all my life I have never met two people who are on the same page of parenting as easily as Phillip and I. We aren't just on the same page, we are on the same word, in the same sentence in the same paragraph. I am so proud to call him my husband! I have also given up the need to convince others of this, if they deserve to still be a part of our life then they will figure it out over time. They will form their own opinions and come to their own conclusions. In the meantime, this is our family and we're Thriving!