Start spreading the news

This is one of the most amazing, touching, make-you-grab-a-tissue articles I've read in a while. And the facts that this little girl is the same age as The Girl and I know this girl's father add an even more personal touch to me. I've followed the life of Antonia for the last couple years. I heard the stories of things tried and failed and of her regression back to infancy. I remember the decision for surgery...and the results.

I talked to my friend this morning. They've received 128 phone calls from this article from all over the country. Mostly it's people who want to help with awareness, start foundations, etc. But some...some are from the parents who have children in the exact same situation as Antonia wanting more information on the surgery.
One story I was told today was about the family with a two year old son in California who called. They were awoken by their neighbor pounding on their front door one morning yelling 'You have to read this article!' The neighbor had been in Pittsburgh on business...the same day the article was printed...and just happened to pick up a newspaper to read on the airplane. This California family had been told that this surgery could not be performed on children. They are now being helped.

So here's my part. There isn't much I can do, but I can help spread the word.

This has nothing to do with Harry Potter or dog fights

So The Paperweight and I were talking the other day on the phone. Just small talk kind of stuff. I don't remember how it got brought up but...

Oh wait, yes I do.

So The Girl and I were in the car early last week when she says, out of the blue, "Is Thing your husband?"
Me: No. He's my boyfriend. You have to be married to have a husband.
The Girl: Oh yeah. [pause] Is daddy your husband?
Me: No. Daddy used to be my husband. But we aren't married anymore.
The Girl: Why not?
Me: Because we didn't play well together and would end up fighting. We didn't want to fight anymore so now daddy has his house and I have my house. [pause] Do you remember?
The Girl: No. You and daddy fought? I don't remember. You know daddy has a girlfriend.
Me: Yes honey. I know.
The Girl: I like gummi bears. Will you buy me gummi bears? [trailing off in to 5 year old girl inane chatter. Repeat ad nauseam]

So I recounted this conversation to The Paperweight on the phone. It was an interesting conversation in a couple ways. One I'll get to another day, but the other….So Paperweight asks me, after I told him this story, "Do you and Thing fight?" and I laughed. You see, the thing is, Thing and I have never had a 'fight'. In the 9 months we've been together, there have been exactly 4 times when there was something we didn't agree on. The first, which I blogged about here, had to do with a 'friend' of his who hit on him and we disagreed on how it should be 'dealt' with. And that kind of set the tone for our relationship and how the next things were/are handled. If you saw our 'fights' you would laugh your ass off. It consists of us sitting down together and one person says, 'I feel [blank] because [blank] and I would feel better if [blank]' and then the next person does the same. We reach a mutual conclusion, usually a compromise of some sort. There is no name calling or swearing. No one throws anything (Paperweight loved to throw shit). No one even raises their voice and we usually hold hands or hug - just maintain some type of physical contact the whole time.
It truly is disgusting.
And as I told The Paperweight on the phone, it's really fucking cool.

So this past weekend was time #4 and it followed suit to the previous 3. I was feeling [blank] because [blank] and I would feel better if [blank]. Thing, in turn, was feeling [blank] because [blank] and he would feel better if [blank]. The conclusion?
We love each other.
He gets [blank] and I get [blank] both of which will take some getting used to…but it's worth it. But you know, the fact that we can do this, that I know we can sit and talk about anything with no fear, means just as much as the actual resolution to any issues we may face.

7:15 am

I have a casual friend who dropped out of sight for a while. He just recently returned and I found that he had himself hospitalized for a few months. You see, three months ago, his 21 year old son committed suicide.
As a mom, I can't imagine. More honestly, I don't even want to imagine.

As I watch him struggle with the loss, the pain, his identity and concept of God, it forces me to look at my own thoughts. 'Pat' answers are not my forte to begin with and I certainly would never dream of undermining what he is going through by doing that. But what do you say to ease the pain? How do you give answers that you yourself sometimes struggle with?

While I will phooey religion at every opportunity, I am a devote follower of God. Not 'believer', because that's bullshit. In my opinion, that's like saying, "I believe it will rain today." ie, you aren't sure but you think so. I'm sure. I could site facts and reasoning but does it matter? I'm sure many would come up with "reasonable explanations" to 'prove' that what I say is bullshit. And that's a discussion I never have. You know why? It doesn't matter. It's not my job to convince anyone of anything.

So my point? I don't fucking have one. Do I really need one anyway?
I can give you some great philosophical sounding bullshit about 'living each day to it's fullest' and 'live every day as if it's your last' and yada fucking yada. Who hasn't heard that a million times? And how many people do you know who actually do that? I know I sure as hell don't. Do you think if I knew I'd die tonight or tomorrow that I'd be sitting in my office right now? Or that I would have bothered staying up late last night to paint my toenails?

Would you be sitting here right now in front of your computer reading these words if you knew this was your last day on Earth?

Do you honestly want to know what gets me through each day?
My being late for work.

Yep, sounds simple, eh? No joke though. I'm supposed to start work at 7am but several months ago, I was running late one day and had the chance to see something new. I've been late almost every single day since then.
A few blocks down from my office building is another office building. Every morning at 7:15 am, an employee of that other building, before entering, stands outside the front of the building and prays. He stands, hands upraised, before God and anyone this side of the City of Pittsburgh. What he prays for I, of course, do not know. And I would be fine with never knowing.
You see, it touches me deeply every time. He has no fear of ridicule for doing what he believes. He has enough faith to make him devote to his daily ritual. He is one lone man...but where there is one...

It gives me hope.

And hope, is something this world needs more of.

I must have bumped my head

You see, yesterday, The Thing and I booked our trip to San Francisco. Now, in case you've forgotten, I live in Pittsburgh. We're only going for 4 days. Are you screaming in terror now? Why the hell not?! Don't you see what this means?!?!

We're flying there.

[insert wild and insane screaming and uncontrollable weeping here]

Um, yep. Fauvie don't fly. Fauve has never flown. Fauve gets a bad case of the shivers and irritable bowels just thinking about flying. Fauve has never admitted that to anyone before. Fauve is kind of starting to like talking about herself in the third person.

See how freaked out I am? Though that might be the Grey Goose talking. Not that I'm drinking at work or anything (shuddup Girlfriend, you are the one who bought it for me).

This is going to take a whole lot of drugs. [sigh] The things we do for love.

Damn it to hell!

Once again, I forgot to give a shout-out to Cajun Boy who last week in his comments section proclaimed me to be "the divorcee slutty broad blogger, the sluttiest of all!"

If he keeps up that kind of sweet talk, I may just add him to my blog roll...
[smooch]

Think we can work this into our wedding vows?

“We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
- Author Unknown

Perhaps

this is a distant relative?

If Rude Cactus can get away with bullets...

• Saturday - Thing arrived, purple & pink birthday cake in hand, and we 'enjoyed' a ton of screaming girls for a totally girly princess birthday party. My house has so much 'pink' in it now it looks like someone vomited Pepto Bismol on everything.
• Sunday - We took The Girl and The Boy to a local family-oriented amusement park. A good time was had by all.
• Monday - I went to work while Thing visited some of his relatives in the area. He did stop by my office and take me to lunch though. After work, I came home to find he had done some grocery shopping and we cooked dinner together. Mucho fun. And he got to experience the whole after work chaos - tired & cranky - thing. He didn't go home early so that's a good sign.
• Tuesday - We went to Girlfriend's house for picnic, fun, and fireworks. Stayed up way past my bedtime but managed to stay relatively sober so I wasn't too cranky the next day.
• Wednesday - which most of you celebrated as Independence Day. At the Fauve household, though, it was My-baby-girl-turned-5-and-i'm-so-freaking-old-and-she'll-be-in-college-before-I-know-it Day. Once again, there was picnic, fun and fireworks, but also more birthday cake and a little tequila.
• Thursday - went back to work, ate leftover birthday cake, and cleaned my house. Jealous, aren't you?
• Today - currently 'on break' at work...have suitcase in car so as to head down to The Thing's for the weekend while the kids spend the weekend at The Paperweight's house. We are spending Saturday with our friends Inigo and Buttercup and hitting a show somewhere in Virginia.
• Have a good weekend everyone!

Another first

The Thing came up this weekend. Actually, he's still here. He took some vacation days so I get to keep him until Wednesday evening. (yea!)
Saturday was The Girl's birthday party and yesterday we took her to a local amusement park. Before we left yesterday, The Girl attached herself around Thing's leg sitting on his foot. This is a common occurrence but yesterday, she added to the routine. This time, she looked up at him, all smiles, and announced 'I love you, Thing.'
I was in the same room but my back was to them as I packed our bags to go. My breath caught and my heart stopped and a smile wanted to tug at my lips as I cautiously awaited what would happen next...

'Aww sweetie, I love you too'

And all is good in the world.