The End of 2008

Well I have been deliquent in posting for the last week and a half. Not for lack of starting a post and then abandoning it though. I have been on vacation for last week and this week as well so I have no excuse. Just have been blue a bit.

The usual hubub has been going on. Actually much more than usual with Zach home. It took approximately 2 days for our house to return to the old days of summer. Zach exploded his crap all over the house, leaves his messes for me to clean up and has a constant stream of friends coming in and out and staying overnight and eating all our food. It's like he never left. He is different though. Definitely more mature. Seems to make better decisions. He takes anything Marine related very seriously. You can tell he wants to succeed in the Marines. Thats a lot more ambition than I have seen him show for most anything in a long time.

He leaves January 19th back to Cali for MCT (Marine Combat Training) for 4 weeks. Then he goes straight to MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) school. It could be in Pensacola, FL or at 29 Palms, near San Diego...he clearly wants FL over Cali. That decision is made in the last week of MCT so we won't know which location for awhile. MOS school starts with a 7 week basic course and then based on your performance in the class you can be sent to a more advanced training at other bases. That advanced training could be from 3 months to 8 months longer.

Zach has optimized every opportunity visiting with friends and having his friends over for parties. Now he has started working at the recruiter's office and assisting him. So he is working 8-5 for right now.

Kt has spent most of her break working. Of course JCP keeps them busy at Xmas time. It's a bit of a bummer for her as working has cramped her social calendar. A quick update on the EZ situation. Due to each of them having a busy schedule (and in my opinion just laziness in coordination and planning of time together) they decided to just be friends. For instance she would work 3-11 on a saturday but of course doing something from 8:00 am to 2:00pm would be impossible...because why? well good luck on figuring out that one. Curently "all boys are stupid and I don't need one until I'm out of High school...well at least for now" So whatever..it does not stop a large array of flirters from calling and trying to gain her interest.

Ike is busy. He is a mall rat I'd say. He spends a great deal of time there. He also spends a great deal of time texting and talking and visiting with Naomi....his new love. She is a girl from church that he gets along great with. More like as a real friend but now with the added elements of hand holding and occasional kisses. It's still cute to see him wallow through his "first love" My existance has become incredibly embarrassing for him. Ahhh the rough life of being 14.

I have to admit I've been in a funk for the Christmas season. It was so hard to be in any kind of Christmas spirit. I didn't put up one decoration or even find the Xmas box. It was all busyness. For some reason the robbery really bothered/bothers me. I think of that jewelry box and I'm just so pissed. I found some earlings similar to the saphire ones that were stolen for Karen for xmas. They were emeralds though but still very similar. Although K would kill me for spending that much on them it was about the only joy of my Christmas. I don't think K even understands how bad I want to replace all that for her. It really bothers me. Now to all the both of the family members that read this don't think I didn't enjoy being together but maybe I can just say I was distracted. I remember when the kids were young and we'd set up the tree and put the kids to bed and I'd listen to xmas music on the stereo and sit in the dark looking at the xmas tree lights for hours. I wish I could recapture that feeling. I guess add in that it was a really tough year financially and quite a bit transitional and it just made for a stressful year end.

Of course today did not make things better. as my BMW was sitting right in front of my house and zach and I napped in the living room 35 feet away someone went in the car, opened the glove box and rifled through it and finding nothing valuable they took the ashtray...the whole ashtray which had maybe 2-3 dollars of change in it. Next time I'll leave a key and a note saying they had better make sure the car is not found for 30 days. Still I want the general public to stay out of my !@#$@%! stuff!!!

I'm sick of being violated like this. It still wouldn't surprise me if it was the same person we suspect robbed the house. We did find a few more things that were stolen. He took some cheap perfumes from Kt's room that were like 4 dollars. My fathers 45 year old electric hair trimmers that he used to give my brothers crew cuts in the mid 60's (and amazingly I still used on Zachary's hair.) some coin jars...

So they took a shower, used our shampoo, took a towel, perfumes and a hair trimmer...a well groomed thief?

We are definitely looking at upgrading all our security.

I also have a couple of friends struggling with issues and I really would like to just get everyone together and say "hey whatever happened in 2008 is behind us and we can all look forward to creating a happy new year in 2009.. (completely despite the impending inaugaration of obama and subsequent ruin of democracy)" My resolution tomorrow is to not be sad and do what i normally do best which is find the good in all situations. I will not look back on 2008 anymore and i will be optimistic about 2009.

...and I might just keep toasting the new year until I feel that way.