It's me again. I finally got an internet connection for my home computer. Things have been really going well lately. I spent a whopping 45 cents to file my taxes (the cost of a stamped envelope at the P.O.) and received my huge refund about 2 weeks ago. It took about 3 hours of spending the money on paper before I was actually satisfied with what I was going to do with it all. Also, I finally sold that old van a couple of months ago. My hours were drastically cut during all of January and much of February, so the sale of the van really helped out a lot. I'm still waiting for my ex to pay his child support. Believe it or not, he actually got hired at Wal-Mart! On the Texas Attorney General's website I can check on the most recent payments. None so far, but they have initiated the withholding process. I guess that means I'll start seeing some child support some time before the end of the decade.
Andy has been trying to lay the guilt trip on me. He keeps trying to issue me ultimatums. He'll beg me to move back in with him and be his wife (btw, he is still married to another woman) in one phone call. Then he'll call me back after I hang up on him to tell me that he's taking me back to court to take the kids away from me if I don't come back. Then after I've hung up on him again, he'll call back to tell me he's contemplating suicide. Not to sound insensitive, but this last time, he said he was going to put a bullet in his brain and I suggested that he spread out a thick layer of newspaper first. It's not that I want him to kill himself, I just don't like him using it as a tactic to get me to return to his life. I've told him flat out that because we are both parents of our children, that is the only reason he should be calling me...concerning the kids. I refuse to waste my cell phone minutes listening to him tell me how much better my life and the kids' lives would be if we got back together. I've gotten to the point that when he calls I don't answer the phone unless it's the day of or the day before his weekend visitation starts. I will let the kids know that he's calling in case either of them wants to talk to him. Usually Matt will go hide in his bedroom and Katy will just say "Okay" and go back to what she was doing. Sometimes it's all I can do to remain silent and hang up on him while he's rambling on about how much he needs me in his life. Last week at our monthly bible study, one of the ladies mentioned a verse that really seems to fit my life right now. Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast in the liberty for which Christ has set you free. And let not yourself become again entangled in the chains of bondage." I've mentioned that to several friends and they tell me to do exactly what it says. So I will.
We are still taking the taekwondo lessons. Starting this month, we will have to pay for them, but I budgeted that into the tax refund. We acheived our second belt level near the end of February. We actually received the new belts the day of our first tournament. I thought I was going to have to rent a trailer to bring home Katy's ego. Of the three of us, she is the only one who earned a gold medal (along with a bronze). Matt got a silver and a bronze, I got 2 silvers. And we had a lot of fun that day. I lost about 10 pounds during the first month we started the lessons which was great! Since then, my weight hasn't changed, but it does seem to be migrating. All my slacks and jeans are becoming baggy in the backside and all my t-shirts are getting too tight in the chest.
I have had a couple of major setbacks over the last few months. I severely injured one of my knees carrying a computer monitor up the stairs to my apartment. As if the icy weather that day weren't enough, my neighbor dropped her deep fryer down the stairs when she went to empty it. Then as if I'm not overweight enough, let's fall on my knee while carrying a 40-pound bulky item! At least I didn't break it (my knee or the monitor). Then more recently, the transmission in my car had begun making funny noises. I'm going to have to replace it. We were under the impression that it was just the clutch and the clutch release bearing. It's not, the tranny has a leak in it and when the mechanic worked on it today, there were metal shavings from the gears mixed with the gear oil. Thank God I have an emergency fund. I think this actually qualifies as an emergency.
Well, I think I'm rambling on a little and if I don't get into the shower now I'll forget about it until after they've turned the water off in the morning for some construction they're doing on the main road (and it will be off until they are done moving the water lines which will take who knows how long).
I'm putting this message board in my favorites so I can continue to stop by.
Y'all have a great April Fool's Day
emily
