The Next Chapter Begins

Tim left for Lubbock yesterday. He had all his clothes in plastic tubs in the back of the little Ranger and headed out at ten. He drove straight through the snow, ice and rain headed for us here in Georgia for a thousand miles.

He called me last night a little after seven to say he had crossed the Texas state line. When Tim drives, he drives and drives. He only stops for gas. He sent me a text this morning at seven saying he was checking in at his hotel. Surely that is some type of record.

I was really worried about him driving such an older vehicle but our little Ronnie Ranger literally kept on truckin'.

I'd simply put it out of my mind that he was moving across the country for at least a year. I just kept considering it as him getting a promotion and new job.

I went to get ready for work today and opened our closet door to get my uniform.

His side of the closet was totally bare unless you counted the empty hangers.

At first my heart sank a little. He's gone. For a while. It was really the first time it hit me.

We've had a really really hard few years and  sometimes amazed we actually made it through and remained married.

We've been tested on almost every vow we made to each other, time and time again.

It's gotten ugly between us at times but we always got over it. Sometimes it only took an hour. Sometimes it only took a week.

If I had to visualize who would play Tim and me in a movie about our life would definitely be these two.

This would be who played me:

...No, wait a minute that's an actual picture of me!


I meant her:

Then of course, this is who should play Tim:

Tim is an honest, extremely laid back man of very few words. No worries, he's got me to do the talking and can say with confidence I excel at the task.

He actually does quote ole Jed often. When I do something really stupid Tim will just slowly shake his head and say "Pitiful. Just pitiful."

Now that he's gone, a thousand miles away and  taken this giant step forward for our family makes me remember all the reasons why I married him.

Once the initial shock of seeing his half of our closet holding nothing but empty hangers, it  struck me he had left every hanger.

Guess he'll be ironing a lot of clothes. It made me smile to think of that and then it was better.

Tim will be fine.

He's a hard worker and the only person I've ever met who doesn't like him is me, and that's only been sporadically during really rough financial times these past few years. (that also made me feel better to say)

I think I'm already liking this, even with the distance factor. We're now back to making what we were when the bottom fell out. If we didn't have five years of "Ketchup" to finish we'd be on vacation.

We are on an equal playing field now. He can really move up with this company, they've already realized his potential  in less than a year. That's a good thing.

I have a job I absolutely love and feel blessed beyond belief to have. Initially I thought was being trained to be a brain surgeon but quickly realized was simply stepping out of my "waitress" box and into the box of being the professional server I consider myself to be.

I love working at the new International Terminal. I've only been there for about nine months but quickly came to realize had been lucky enough to land a job at the only place I would work.

Domestic is okay unless you're a server or bartender. The International Terminal is only three years old and serene compared to the angry beehive known as Domestic. Not to dis anyone but if I have to serve for a living would much rather meet and interact with people flying all over the world to and from places I've only read about. I've met guys who work on oil rigs off the coast of Thailand and are in the air for over twenty four hours just to get to work. I've met people with interesting stories and destinations. I've met quite a few celebrities and even some kooks but every day is different from the day before and will be different from the next shift as well. I see or witness something hilarious, shocking or incredibly touching every single shift. It may be in the parking lot or on the shuttle bus. It might be in the security check point or on my walk through the atrium to the restroom or to get my free meal. Heck sometimes it's in the restroom and often times is simply at a table in the restaurant where I work, and not necessarily my own.

Two older women came up to our bartender yesterday. One handed my coworker her cell phone and asked if she would take a selfie of them both?

That cracked me up.

I think if they had asked me would have replied I'd be glad to take a yousie for them!

I've met people going to Africa to help conserve rain forests or endangered species. I've met people going there to hopefully kill one of the endangered species. ( kinda hard to be really nice to them) I've waited on and seen close enough to tell if  they had a booger in their nose, celebrities I've only seen on TV or read about. I've waited on people who have actually asked to sit with me because read my blog and have received emails from two different tables I waited on. Several from a couple in Ireland I waited on when flying through Atlanta and another from a couple from Key West.

Kinda cool...and I get paid for it too.

God has finally opened the window for us. Granted, Tim is on one side of it and us on the far other side but are all through it.

It may be another five year struggle but then will be finally set just fine to enjoy our golden years and cut back to part time.

All said and done am just grateful to have even gone to the dance.

I am  totally serious when say there have been at least over a hundred people who not only helped us limp to the window but somehow pushed us through and over.

I can finally see how we can work it out.

Together.

With God as my witness it should and shall be!

Til next time...COTTON

Ziggy's Jewels... Or Lack Of Them

Today was the day Ziggy got a car ride. He was really excited when I opened the back door of my sister's Mercedes and let him hop right onto the leather seats. I've never seen him look so happy!

It was a short happy ride.

Ziggy's been a bad dog from the get go. We got him during a time when none of us had any time to teach or train him correctly.

Not his fault, so it kinda made you love him even when he was bad.

He got lots of love, if ya know what I mean.



He's almost three and can't seem to learn how to stay in a half acre fenced in yard with all the amenities. Food, water, nice big yard with woods and two dog houses with always fresh kennel shavings.

My sister took her skiddish female boxer on Tuesday to the mobile vet when it was in her area. She was a little worried at first but her pup's coming back around after two days of home recuperation.

I found out about and started using this mobile vet when we were broke as jokes with three dogs to take care of. I took Ziggy as a pup and got all his shots, Rabies included, a complete exam, heartworm test and years supply of preventative for $70. That's pretty stinkin' cheap.

It's a no frills "Vet in the Van" but the Morocca Doc (He's from Morroco) has done fine by all three of my dogs. He cured ole Ham of heart worms and is the only vet I use.

He comes to our county animal shelter every Thursday at eight o'clock and parks in the lot next to the animal shelter and county prison. Until five o'clock he has at least ten people at a time waiting to see him in his waiting room aka their car.

You get out and fill out a form telling him what you need done. When it's your turn you simply walk or carry your pet over to the door of the van as he examines and treats them right there on the literal spot. Sometimes he'll walk over and treat them while they are still in their owners vehicle.

I've never had one neutered there and learned from my sister the night before you were supposed to make an appointment the website before for all the details of the surgery.

Oops, my bad.

Instead I asked my sister what I needed to know since she had just taken her pup. I learned he couldn't eat or have water after midnight and to have him there by 8:15, then pick him back up by five.

That's all the appointment I needed!

He is so crazy busy with people and animals right from the jump, knew I could surely blend into the mass of people easily...and did!

True to fashion I got there fifteen minutes late.

I parked my borrowed car and left it running. It was thirteen degrees and the wind was insaner than me.

I hopped out, grabbed a clipboard from the sign in table and filled it out in the car with Ziggy bouncing all around like I was in the parking lot of a bitch strip joint.  (pun intended)

When one of the assistants came out of the van I jumped out with my form and quickly started off with my spiel as I handed her the clipboard. It went something like this and was fast like a machine gun:

"I know I was supposed to be here at eight fifteen and am late but can I still get my boxer neutered, he hasn't eaten or drank since midnight and I have cash?"

She said she didn't know if there was anymore room left in the van and didn't know where they could put him.

The Morroca Doc came out next and I spoke to him by name. He said hello back, walked over  and shot two little furry dogs in the hip with needles as two old people held them out, turned around and took the next syringe from yet another assistant and gave another pup on a leash a vaccination while the owner smoked a cigarette with her free hand.

It's not a Beverly Hills animal clinic but gets the job done and saves us all hundreds if not thousands.

The other assistant with my clipboard spoke with him and came back to the car to tell me they didn't have any room left. She walked off back towards the van when   Morocca Doc walked over, opened my passenger side door ... took the leash and led him into the van Ziggy was hoping held the strippers but quickly notated with a perk of his ears were certainly a loud  bunch of bitches!

After Ziggy disappeared into the "operationmobile" I got out and asked one of the assistants if they had room now? She told me the Doc asked if I could be back in one hour? I told her heck yeah, apologized once again for being late and got back in the car before they changed their minds.

It was the perfect day to have this done. It was too cold for them to be outside and Zig could stay in our bedroom all day and recuperate since I had the day off.

I was at the bank depositing my pay check when my cell rang about forty five minutes later.

"Come and get 'em!"

It took them a while to bring Ziggy out, there were at least fifteen people waiting now but pulled right up next to the van to get my patient. They finally brought him out and Doc helped hoist him into the back seat as Ziggy tee tee'd his way onto the seat. He looked groggy but okay besides peeing on my sister's car seat. An assistant came over with his meds and a pee pad (a little late) but gave me all my instructions, told me he had tested negative for heartworms and gave me a years supply of preventative, all shots were now up to date, handed me his rabies tag and sent us on our way for just a hundred twenty bucks. That's an awesome deal.

Granted he didn't stay there to totally recover from anesthesia, but where better to be than home once given the all clear?

He paced in the back seat the entire way obviously complaining about me duping him into thinking it was gonna be a really fun field trip when in fact they cut his buddies off but at least it was done.

I put the car in park in front of my garage door when he spewed his guts out over the urine he placed not ten minutes before on my sister's leather seats.

It took a while to get him upstairs and once locked in my bedroom had the other two idiots laying right outside the door wanting to know what was going on and how did he enjoy the strippers?

I called my sister and told her about Ziggy's one hour snip. She asked me if they just made him bite on a bullet?

The first day he wouldn't even come out from under our bed. I'm not sure if he was hurting or pouting, probably a little of both.

The second day he came out from under the bed to lay in the floor in front of the TV. (just like a man)

The third day he jumped up onto the bed. No easy feat with stitches in your crotch but was a good sign.

We've kept the other two dogs away from him just to let him heal and the boy is coming along nicely.

Not really looking forward to a repeat of all this next Thursday when I fake another appointment for Charlie, our bull dog but has to be done.

Ham will go last.

I dread the thought of taking a totally blind dog to an unfamiliar place with thirty other dogs and cats yapping and meowing but will simply bite the bullet myself. It lowers the chance of cancer and other problems in male dogs and are way too many unwanted pups in the world.

Ziggy's behavior totally has changed and all for the better. I told my sister last night neutering either helped or now know he needs to be on a twice daily dosage of Tramadol.

On different note...

Tim leaves tomorrow for Texas. He'll be gone at least a year if not more. He bought some plastic bins today and is loading up the little Ranger and heading out in the morning for his thousand mile drive.

These past few years have been a test for us both, not to mention our kids. Deep financial problems make it hard for a married couple to remain blissfully happy and we've certainly proven that point.

We're still faced with car problems. He leaves in the morning driving the only running vehicle we own, a twenty five year old Ford Ranger. If he gets five hundred miles without breaking down will consider it a good omen. If he makes it all the way will be a miracle.

I suggested the above idea to Tim if he does break down.

Our two boys took Tim out for a send off dinner (appropriately enough) at Texas Road House tonight. Massey had gone back to school this afternoon and I met them all at there after work.

We've had great times, we had good times and been through some really rough times but have always done it together.

Tim finally got the well earned  reprieve he's been waiting for.

A great job and thousand mile buffer from my sarcastic, extremely quick witted and seemingly always right / left wing mouth and opinion.

He's doing this for our family. He's doing this because he loves us and doing this because we are lucky enough to have a man like him for our husband, father and provider.

He has no hesitation about getting in a quarter century year old truck and heading to the pan handle of Texas. We needed and wanted to move ahead, Tim got an offer to if willing to relocate so gratefully accepted, bought some plastic bins to pack up his clothes and is driving to our next stepping stone.

I so vividly remember the above photo and day. We were in love, happy and on the top of the world.

For over twenty years we constantly moved ahead, had three awesome kids all uniquely different far from perfect but make us pretty proud each and every day. Even when they screw up.

Tim completely started over at the age of fifty one from scratch in an industry he's worked in for over thirty years.

Tim has integrity.

I'll stay here and try to fix up our house which will be paid for in less than two years. A good pressure washing, freshly painted shutters and new roof will cover the outside of the house. The rest will require a lot more but we're no quitters, not by a long shot!

Worried about Tim's long drive in a short truck but will keep the faith. That's all you can do sometimes and for over five years has worked for us.


I know and realize we are still luckier than millions and millions and millions of people. That's why I think we have a really good chance!

Til next time...COTTON

Just Not A Fan Of Winter

This is how we feel in the south if it just snows one inch. We're not used to it, rarely prepared for it and certainly don't know how to drive in it.

With the threat of inclement weather all employees working tonight were instructed to bring an overnight bag in case they had to keep us to open the restaurant tomorrow. I packed my bag and went in at one this afternoon. It rained the entire way there but at least was only forty degrees.

I thought it would be slow, Mondays are always hit or miss. The tipping gods smiled on me and made a little over three hundred dollars. At nine o'clock it was still above freezing albeit raining cats and dogs and management gave me the go ahead to go home so I did. I'm off on Tuesdays and have learned to like and appreciate my days off.

We're far from being out of the hole the past few years put us in but close enough to the top of the hole to peer out. It's a beautiful sight to see!

Had it dropped below freezing while still at the airport would have been the first person to offer and stay. Last year when the airport shut down from freezing ice and snow most all the employees made about seven or eight hundred dollars in a single shift and was kinda looking forward to making that myself but with still forty degree weather outside decided to take my money and go home. Tim only has a couple more days before moving to Texas for a year and picked family over finance this time.

I clocked out a little before ten, went out through the security and stopped at the restroom I always stop at and fill my water bottle at the water fountain for the ride home.

Then it hit me.

I had left my overnight bag with all my makeup, and toiletries hanging on a peg at the restaurant. I had to dump my water bottle back out (can't take it through security)  go through security again and back up to the restaurant and retrieve my "Work Face".

My manager simply laughed when he saw me walk back in, over to the peg and walk back out with my bag.

I just rolled my eyes and said bye again.

By the time I got back to the parking deck it was pouring. I'm a nervous night time driver anyway, especially in rain. My eyes are terrible and haven't used my vision insurance yet.

Note to self:   USE IT SOON.

When I got on the interstate you (or maybe just me) couldn't even see the lines of the lane. I just simply followed behind the vehicle in front of me and hoped they could see.

I hit a patch of water, hydroplaned while going 55 and made me even more nervous.

Here's my first big gripe.

DO NOT DRIVE IN HEAVY RAIN WITH YOUR EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON!

Are you stopping? Do you need help? Are you braking or are you just trying to kill us all?

I was a nervous wreck until finally saw my exit just ahead. Then I got even more discombobulated.

There were two cars on the right of the exit ramp pulled off with flashers on and another on the left.

At first thought it was a road block and rolled my eyes again to even think the cops would do this in such a terrible location.

I saw  (with my bad eyes) an elongated blob which appeared to be a woman standing outside her car door talking to someone in another one  so just slowed it down even more as I passed.

No one had arms up flailing, no one tried to flag me down. They had seemingly just decided the ramp was a good place for all three of them to pull off and confer.

That's bad weather and southern drivers in a nut shell.

They're idiots.

My twenty five minute drive took me thirty five but just felt good I had made it at all.

God help us all when we wake up tomorrow and temps are below freezing with all that water on the road.

At least thanks to my nerve wracking ride home I won't be one of them.

Til next time...COTTON

Really... A Friday The Thirteenth?

Zach took Ziggy out yesterday morning at seven thirty before he went to work. With Zach standing out there with him our little Houdinin saw something move in the woods behind the almost six foot fence and was over it in a New York  minute and off to the races.

I told Zach to go ahead to work and I'd go look for the idiot.

Here's MY thing. This dog has a great life here. He always has food and perhaps maybe sometimes slimy water until I notice and change it but is living large by dog standards. He's welcome to any piece of furniture he chooses to plop down on and gets plenty of love.

Damn,  hope I come back as a dog in my next life!

After four hours of searching began to think ole Ziggy was really Dog Gone for good. I called the Pound, he wasn't there so walked all the busy side streets off our subdivision to make sure he hadn't been hit by a car.

I called Massey at school to tell her of his latest escape and within ten minutes got a text from her that she found him and was talking with the lady now who had him.

I started to tell Massey to ask the woman if we threw in twenty bucks would she keep him?

Then I saw his face on FB where they found him at the elementary school right around the corner from us.

Maybe he was trying to learn to be a smarter dog. Can't blame a pup for trying.

I called the woman and embarrassingly enough had to ask if she could bring Ziggy back home? I didn't have a car at the moment...or at all for that matter but she brought the little rascal back about fifteen minutes later and was  actually happy to see our little bad boy.

Who'd think you'd find your dog on FB? Massey did and after just a few minutes of posting about his disappearance found this picture of him. Thanks to social networking we once again have three big dogs. Maybe we need to learn to be smarter!


I'm letting another one of the Lost Boys stay here on and off for a couple of days. We have plenty of room now and are handy to have around a house in much need of repair. He stayed here when I had to leave for work early so some dude could come pick up Tim's old non working car we sold on Craigslist. We got enough money to buy Tim a laptop for his new job and lots of groceries. Beats the heck out of it sitting in our driveway reminding us what terrible luck we have with cars every time we leave the house.

I got home from work later that night and found out he made the transaction, left the money for me and borrowed the bicycle in the garage to ride to work. Probably didn't help much that it had a really low tire and he couldn't find the pump but he said it went pretty quickly after he finally made it to Ace hardware three miles up the road where they gave the tires some juice. Bless his heart took him over an hour to peddle six miles but told me he was just happy to have a ride. By the time my dude came to buy the car he'd missed his ride to work. That's a nice Lost Boy.

Today I finally joined the credit union the rest of my family did a few years ago. Dang, the woman  tried to get me to apply for a loan on the spot. I declined but will keep that thought in my back pocket. Tim flies home tomorrow night from Texas to pack up and drive back in the only vehicle we have running.

I may go back and take her up on the offer.

So today is Tim's birthday. I'm pretty sure I don't sound as loud and look a lot better a thousand miles away.

Awesome present I gave him if you ask me!

So our crazy life continues to be crazy.

I'm beginning to see a theme here...or at least resemble it.

I aspire to resemble this, and will.

It may not get better every day but every day gives you a better chance at getting there.

Til next time...COTTON

Learning to Like Each Other Again

I took Tim to the airport this morning. He left for his new job in Texas with his new boss before noon. I dropped him off on the domestic side to check in and drove around to park at international where I work and met him at his gate. We got there in time for us to go by the restaurant where I work, drop off all my stuff for work and meet a few of the peeps I work with. The international terminal is a beautiful place, just completed a couple of years ago and has a calming sensation to it compared to the hornets nest known as domestic.

It was nice for him to meet everyone and see the awesome place where I work. One of my managers put it the best way. "Now you both have great jobs, what a gift!"

Tim and I met in 1988 and married in 1990. Jeez I remember the above photo!

Me  in my sixty dollar wedding dress from an outlet shop obviously accentuating my (not) huge boobs and him in the tails he let me pick out. He looked really good that day and of course my mouth was wide open as Tim looks on silently.

Touche' ...we're still both that way.

Our first twenty years together were easy peasy. The last few, not so much.

I think we fell out of like about five years ago. I still love him though and will be his wife until the day I die or he kills me. If he does kill me I'll be just fine with him pleading insanity. I'm enough to drive anybody nuts and Tim's endured it full force these past few years.

The first couple of years were just a shock and slap in our face. The next couple took a toll on our tolerance of each other.

He always took the high road. Me, not so much and the first one to admit it.

The past couple of years it finally boiled over in me, had to go somewhere and unfortunately for Tim hit him full force in the back. Again and again and again.

When things go south (small pun) you eventually come to a point when you throw your hands up, just point at each other and feel nothing they do is good enough.

That was a lot more me than Tim and feel extremely lucky he's still with me.

I'm totally honest when I say our marriage has been crippled. It's solid enough but limping and that's okay too. Til death you do part could be thirty more years if we're both lucky.

Sometimes you have to take a step back to see what's really ahead and I didn't.

Instead I complained and found fault with every breath he took while at home. My own pity party made him the bad guy and me the victim.


When this opportunity for advancement came up he jumped on it and agreed to transfer. I know he'll be glad to get away from me for a while and can't blame him one bit but is making a huge move...and up!

I'll just stay here bossing around Zach and the dogs for a while longer. In two years our house will be paid off and can move with him wherever he gets transferred next.

It's a break we both needed.

Some time to think, some time to advance and some time to remember why we married in the first place.



"I, Kelly, take you Tim, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

I remember saying those words to him and know he remembers saying them to me.

Life's a crap shoot.

Sometimes you bank big the first time and sometimes you have to roll with the dice and hope for the best.

We've found our current best. I'm here at home with a fantastic job and Tim's moving up and on, without having to hear me constantly, sarcastically and unintentionally beat him down every step of the way.

I think his new job may be God's way of telling me I'm really lucky.

I'm lucky we still love each other.

This is a fantastic chance for us and fantastic chance for our marriage. 

Sure  sometimes feel like it shouldn't be me to say it first but tonight it is.

I love you Tim Cotton and you kick ass for loving me too !

.

I'll have to admit  look forward to a king sized pillow top mattress alone with the pups. They are much easier to boss around and haven't heard them complain once.

Til next time...Cotton

I Must Be A Super Hero By Now

The past week or so has seemed like an eternity to me. After I sat in eleven degree weather for almost an hour in the parking deck I got sick as a dog. I only missed one day of work due to the fact I couldn't even force myself to get out from under the covers of my bed.

Zach and one of his buddies had dropped my broken down car off at a mechanic I used to use and the news I got wasn't too good. He didn't work on foreign cars and didn't feel comfortable doing the repairs but told me the engine didn't sound too good when he finally got it to crank. He told me I needed to take it back to where I had the engine installed and let them fix it. I haven't even had the car two months and have had issues from the jump.

I was majorly depressed. MAJORLY!

I got out my car insurance policy and noticed we had rental. I attempted to rent a car then found out my policy only covered rental if my car had been in an accident. First off I also had towing but the guy they told me to use said he couldn't tow from a parking deck and had to finally rent a come along and have Zach and his buddy tow it home.

Car insurance is a freakin' scam if you ask me.

My mechanic buddy didn't charge me anything to look at my car but at least found out was firing okay and the battery was still good. That was something at least.

My sister has been awesome about loaning me her car to get back and forth to work but I was really tired of putting her out when the problem was mine not hers.

Sometimes when people have to help you out time and time again it's almost depressing.  Instead of feeling helped and grateful I felt helpless and hopeless. I went to bed after scarfing down more meds and hoped the next day would be better.

It wasn't.

I had just woke up when Zach came into the bedroom and said a water pipe in the garage had just busted. He cut the water off at the street just as our garage started to flood.

You have got to abso- freakin'- loutely be kidding me?

He wasn't.

Zach tried to fix it but all we had was duct tape and gorilla glue. Neither worked.

We tried to call my bro in law who fixed a busted pipe in our kitchen last year but  was out of town. I called my sister's husband and he came right over. It only cost twenty bucks to fix but had to let the glue set until noon the next day. I was just so grateful for him fixing it one more day hardly seemed to matter.

You don't realize how dependent you are on running water until it stops running.

Tim took a cold shower the next morning at five thirty. There is no way I could have done that, I chose the much preferred female/ momma method when I got up at seven. I heated three gallons of water I bought at Walmart on the stove and took a sponge bath of sorts and wet my hair. I used a small bottle of water to brush my teeth and Wah La  was ready for work with my semi clean self.

I'm still having car issues, it's been almost three weeks and my car is still in the shop.

Mindlessly scrolling through Facebook one night depressed about not having a ride to work twenty five miles from home simply decided to use social networking for what its intended usage really is.

Networking.

I simply put as my status:   "Anybody from Newnan headed to the airport around noon tomorrow and willing to let me hitch a ride?"

Bingo, less than five minutes later I had a ride picking me up for work the next day.

I  may be having some really bad luck lately but was extremely lucky as a teen and attended a really awesome high school in a really awesome city on the fringes of Atlanta, less than five minutes away.

The above picture is of the old gym which was only used for storage but painted every year by the graduating senior class complete with a huge Wildcat on the roof. The old gym was used when my own father went there in the early forties but was just storage for the county by the seventies. It sat right by the football field and same little cinder block ticket booth my father walked through in the forties followed by his kids in the seventies.

Kinda cool.

This was the football team when my own Diddy attended...

And this was the team when his own three kids attended...

The people who attended Russell High School are a great bunch of folks from a great bunch of East point families.

Less than two minutes after posting on Facebook a classmate who graduated the year before me messaged to say she worked at the airport and would be more than happy to give me a ride.

That my friends, is the Wildcat way!


We still have reunions every year and people from the classes from the fifties to the eighties all come. The last one I attended had over a thousand people. We all still get along and get together pretty often. Going to that high school means just as much to them as it does to me.

Now that's a pretty neat high school.

My friend picked me up the next day right on time and we chatted about old times the entire trip. I had to make her take ten bucks for gas. She refused multiple times and finally just left it in her car as she dropped me off right at the doors of the international terminal where I worked.

Sweet!

Not only that, said she would pick me up when she got off that night and cart me home again.

She's taken me to and from at least three times since and has been a real blessing not to mention load off my mind about how I'd get to work on certain days.

I need to have this tattooed on the back of both my eyelids.

After quite a few hard months of long hours at a totally manual labor position obviously meant for a dude much younger, my husband is moving up in his workplace. Actually he's literally moving.

To Texas, next week.

Here's the thing. When you are Tim's age starting over with a solid company and they ask if you're willing to transfer for a promotion your best bet is to say "Absolutely" and he did.

I need to look back at that half empty half full picture again because Tim leaves for Texas next week in the only running vehicle we own and have been sharing.

I've had to force myself to even get out of bed some days. It's been a mental and emotional struggle for me most days but need to once again remind myself any day you wake up on this side of the dirt is a good one.

Sometimes you have to play the cards dealt and just hope the next hand is better.

I felt like I was slipping into a black hole but after a few good crying sessions and much soul searching realized we weren't slipping as much as gradually gaining ground.

So I've had to bum rides, big deal.

I didn't have breast cancer like a friend of mine recently posted. That's something in my favor and as a bonus now have full medical, dental and vision coverage plus a hefty life insurance policy.

Maybe I need to use that vision insurance first after all.

The slow time has finally ended at work and once again am banking pretty good every shift.

I've forced myself to look at the bright side which isn't easy after these past couple of months but will end up a tiny blip on the radar of life when all is said and done.

Sometimes I come home from work so mentally worn out I go straight to bed. Sometimes I have to watch a funny video to make myself laugh then go straight to bed.

Laughter is what I really enjoy. There is something about hearing a genuine laugh from someone that makes me smile.

Case in point. Yes I'm a huge dog lover but think this is the greatest dog/owner chat EVER.

Then if I'm still feeling down I watch this one.

 If I have beer or two, this red neck woman cracks me up every time. I can tell she's from the south and sometimes wonder if she lives in the county we do.

So I'm plugging along. Tim's plugging along and moving on.

Next week he will be in Texas and I will be here at home. Kinda makes it hard to still share a vehicle. All I can hope for is that after over two weeks maybe, just maybe my car will be ready to drive.

Seems it's not today... actually my good friend picked me up and took me home again today. As ticked as I am about my car at least am equally lucky to have all these people helping me get around.

It's gotten so much better that it's hard to believe we made it through the long dollar drought years.

We're not at this corner anymore, we're standing at the cross roads of a much brighter and exciting future.

This time next week Tim will be driving our lil Ranger to Texas (pretty good pun) to live for a while and I'll stay here in the house working at the airport. We only have a little over two years left on our mortgage and want to slowly fix it up over the next two years and sell it for hopefully a hefty profit. Tim should know by then where he's headed next and I'll be able to join him unless it's a place I don't like (just kidding! kinda)

Heck if we could manage to stay together after the last five years would both be idiots not to hang around for the Golden Years now.

It's gonna be different with him living halfway across the country.

Number one how am I gonna yell at him?

I'm just being funny but not totally. I'm not sure why Tim stays with me. We are like night and day, always have been. That's great when things sail smoothly along and they did for almost two decades.

When the boat you've been sailing smoothly on suddenly hits the storm of the century things can get pretty tense and they did.

Tim internalizes, I blow it out like an over filled CO2 tank.

It can be an ugly battle and once or twice was.

 I think twice out of five years is pretty good odds considering he's married to me and my smarty pants quick witted and overly outspoken self. (that's a nice way of saying I can be a real bee-otch but at least know it)

He's stayed with me, I owe it to HIM to stay with Tim and knowing what a good man he is, lucky for me will.

He probably feels like he's going on vacation.

I'm not easy to live with but have never asked anyone to do anything I wouldn't be willing to and often times have done.

I think we're actually a perfect match. A sometimes dysfunctional but hang in there baby match!

I've been putting it off in my mind that he's really leaving for maybe a year or more in less than a week. We've had so many opportunities offered and simply taken away I learned years ago not to count chickens before they hatch.

Hatch this!

Tim  came home from work tonight with his plane ticket to Texas for Monday at noon.

I have to be at work at one thirty on Monday so we're leaving together at nine thirty. I was given another "Make the Moment" card at work and have an eighteen dollar gift card good for any restaurant in the airport. I'm taking Tim to Ecco for an early lunch so he can see and experience what a great place it is too.

It's happening, it really is. Tim feels great about this new job and said he wished he'd found this company twenty years ago.

I've also got a job I wish I'd found twenty years ago.

I call that PROGRESS in a major way.

Shout out to Tia for getting me on at Ecco and shout out to Vicki for helping Tim have this incredible opportunity.

We're still struggling and will continue to for a while but the thought of actually having our  "Golden Years" is back on the table and wouldn't miss it for all the gold in Flavor Fave's teefus'!

If I had to thank everybody the musicians would drown me out and go to commercial break after about ten minutes but please know I appreciate each and every one of you, your support, prayers and actually think this may be the real deal.

I feel a Happy Dance a poking!

Til next time and won't be as long as the last...COTTON