Um..... yeeeeeeaaaaah.

Huh. Nice last post, Captain Bringdown.

Okay, I was in a really crappy, sick, angry place. But I'm much, much better now.

Lots of big changes in my world. My oldest kids turned 19 in March, and I was feeling old, so I went a little crazy. I dyed my hair red, chopped it all off, and got another tattoo. I was afraid what people would think, but people generally seem to like the new look.

My position at that janky homecare company got eliminated due to budget constraints. It's okay, because it turned out to be the job from frickin' hell. Totally dysfunctional, stressful, and terrible for my health. Now I have a new job, and I adore it. I'm a nurse for assisted living in a Twin Cities retirement community. I've been there about 8 months, and it's totally my dream job. Awesome residents, great coworkers, healthy work environment, and the pay is pretty good. On top of it, I get to use the degree I worked so hard for! I'm leading a Bible study and developing a spiritual care program. I also coordinate the activities program for assisted living. I couldn't ask for more... this is the best job ever, and I seem to be well-suited for it. I even managed my department for 12 weeks when my supervisor went on maternity leave. That was stressful, but nothing went down in flames while she was gone.

I'm seeing someone new. It's kind of a different situation... we've been friends for almost 2 years, and eventually realized that we both wanted more. We were just as surprised as anyone else. He's a great guy... very open and honest, very sweet, romantic and affectionate, always positive and optimistic, and he makes me laugh my ass off. There's nothing we can't say, nothing we can't talk about, no fear, and absolutely no ego between us. I can do something totally stupid and know that he's going to treat me with respect, gentlness and love. I also know that if something tough needs to be said, he's going to say it immediately instead of stewing over it and letting it fester until it damages our relationship. Best of all, he adores my kids and they adore him. It feels so good to be able to be open about our relationship... the last one I was in was pretty clandestine. He didn't want anyone he knew to know we were together, even though we'd been together for quite a while and thought we could spend the rest of our lives together. I couldn't see him when his kids were around. I always felt like his dirty little secret. With this man, I've met all his friends and his entire family, and he's proud to introduce me as his girlfriend. He makes me really, really happy.

That's the big update in a nutshell. I'm in a much better, much happier, much more settled place, and I'm damn glad to be here.