Well, it's been awhile since I daylogged anything, and people have been asking me what's been going on, so here goes...
For much of the summer, life sucked. Then I got over it.
In October, I went to Wiccanpiper's nodermeet, where I got to meet Apatrix, LaggedyAnne, Vandewal, and amib. It was absolutely awesome!
In November, I started dating my sweetie. It was exciting and scary - mostly scary (sorry, baby...). I had resolved that I wasn't going to let myself depend on anyone anymore, that I wasn't going to let anyone get close enough to need them anymore, except my kids. So much for that plan...
In December, Social Services finally closed my case, despite all that my ex-husband tried to do.
He picked the kids up December 11th, Friday, at 7 pm. December 12th at 1100 they walked back through my front door, sobbing. My daughter told me that she had had an archery meet that morning, and that Daddy had taken them. They were charged $1.- to get in, and my ex threw a FIT. Apparently it was pretty bad, since her archery coach called me Monday to ask if Rowan was ok. He started yelling that he wasn't gonna pay no buck to watch his daughter shoot archery, packed the kids back in the car, and drove them back to my house, yelling that I use him for cheap day care, that he hates Trigg County and will move as soon as he can, and that he'll probably get deployed soon anyway. He dumped the kids off at the end of the driveway without checking if we were home and drove off. That was the last time he picked the kids up for visitation. He didn't send gifts or cards, or even phone the kids for Christmas. Christmas Eve I had to work, and my babysitter couldn't make it, so my sweetie drove 6 hours through a blizzard to watch the kids. I think he had fun watching my monkeys get all excited over their presents.
In January, we found him a job in Hopkinsville, KY... amazing, since you wouldn't expect to find an IT job here in the boonies rather than in a big city. He moved in with us and started work the end of January.
In March, the monkeys and I went to Florida and did the Disney experience, something I'd been promising them for several years. We had a chance to have lunch with CzarKhan, too - awesome burritos with several different types of hot sauce, ranging from wimpy to atomic. I tried several, and regretted at least one.
In April, his mom came to visit - twice. I really like her, and I think she approved of me. She and Rowan became fast friends, and she's coming back in June.
Also in April, I found out from a friend that my ex-husband has been riding around my neighborhood on his 4-wheeler, telling anyone who'll listen how his horrible ex-wife betrayed him while he was gone in the Army, and how she won't let him see his kids, and how he sits in the woods on his 4-wheeler and watches us through the windows with binoculars... just a little scary. I got an EPO against him, which I have since changed to an agreed restraining order so that he can stay in the military (since with an EPO he wouldn't be allowed to carry a firearm). He has to attend domestic violence classes and get a psychiatric evaluation before having visitation with the kids again.
Right now, I'm interviewing for jobs in West Lafayette, IN, and we're planning on moving there end of June. I've got a friend who works for the Purdue University IT department, and he thinks my sweetie shouldn't have a problem getting hired there.
Things are going so well right now that I'm a little scared. I keep thinking this can't last. He and I complement each other so perfectly that it can't possibly be true. We're planning on going to the July reunion, so we may see some of you there. We'll be the ones acting disgustingly smoochy ;D.