What's the Haps

J. trekked with H. to Modesto yesterday morning for the DMV face-to-face.  H. was late getting up and sadly, J. made him three pieces of cinnamon toast which he didn't have time to eat.  I was sort of irritated about the wasted food -

It was delicious.

Rare for me to eat breakfast before I get to work - J. usually scrambles some egg whites for me and I eat them when I get to my office.  Three pieces of toast and a small glass of OJ - just what I needed to start a(nother) incredibly busy day.

Now it's end of day Friday and today was super busy, too...but another cycle of year-end madness is officially done - pending board approval on Tuesday.

There are tons of blue jays enjoying the seed and I saw two robins earlier this evening as well.  I love creating a place for them to fill their stomachs and the jays look so much better than they did a week ago - their feathers are fuller and their getting round bellies back after a summer of very dry, hot weather.

H.'s DMV interview went OK and we await a letter - hopefully tomorrow but most likely Monday.  In the mean time, he's getting to/from school with the help of friends and his dad, who frankly is one of the most patient, giving guys on the planet.  Thank goodness for J.'s Kindle - he's fine sitting in a Starbucks or wherever, connect to WiFi and surf the web or watch videos.  We sure hope he won't have to spend basically full days in Antioch & Brentwood next week but it's working out so far.

I have concerns about H. lately - he's spending time with someone who I haven't met yet and am a little on guard about.  She picked him up last night to head to school and I said 'well, I'd like to come out and meet her finally [J's met her already - she and her husband invited H. and J. (and me but I declined) to a BBQ over Labor Day] and he seemed reluctant.  He said 'just in a hurry so it would be better if you met her another time'.  Guess that's reasonable but his reaction felt more 'concerned' than just that.  I'm not sure what this woman is doing spending time with kids in their early 20's - she's married with kids and in her 30's, I think.  It's just strange to me.  H. and a bunch of his friends spend time over there a lot and lately, H. is there more than any other 'friend'.  I'm not sure what to make of it.  I'm a mom.  Can't help it.

I'm not working this weekend and I'm off every Friday from now until the end of the month!  I'm grateful for a work-free weekend though I started a list here by my computer of things that need doing.  Sometimes just writing the things down as I think of them is the best way to get my mind to shut off a bit...if I've written it down, I don't need to worry I'm going to forget.

My fingernails are back in a growth cycle.  I just tried to paint them dark blue - I love the idea of dark polishes but they are a PITA to apply and even harder to make look good.  So I removed the polish and now there's various shades of blue on, under and/or around my nails.

I reached out to a dear friend this week and have decided that I am going to make time every month for at least one or two dinners out with friends.  I've been contemplating a lot of friendships lately - 'cuz honestly, it often feels like we don't make the effort.  And I include me in that as well.  We all think 'I'm too busy' or 'they're too busy' or 'well, I haven't heard from them in ages so they obviously don't care about spending time with me' or [insert a myriad of things I can think of when I'm in that mode].  And the truth is my friends are real friends.  People that have been in my life for decades and we don't need to be in touch often to reconfirm that.  These are the truest, dearest, people on earth and in my life - so we just have to start making it happen.  I have one dinner this coming week with someone I haven't seen in over a year and another dinner the week after with another someone I haven't seen in over a year.

And another new friend (work - I've known here a couple years now) and I had lunch last week and we talked through our 'friendship' styles.  When I'm having a hard time and need a friend, I reach out. When she's having a hard time, she retreats and shuts down.  We have completely opposite 'support/need' reactions and it can lead to hurt feelings or mis-understandings.  So when she called me around noon today and said 'How's your day going?  I'm heading to Starbucks, want to come'? and I replied 'I just got back from Starbucks and a doctor's appointment'.  She said 'I'm having a really hard day' and I said 'then I'm going to Starbucks with you'.  She's usually in shut down mode when she's had a hard day - so I applaud her reaching out and I dropped everything to go with her.  It was a nice break.  We are great supports to each other and that really helps - 'cuz there's lots of stuff I don't write about and it's nice to have someone who knows what's going on.

J.'s back is bothering him and he's never had any back issue that wasn't a kidney stone.  He's trying to convince me that it's muscular and 'I used to have this a lot when I was younger'...I met him when he was 40 so I never knew him in his late 20's/early 30's when these back flares were apparently 'common'.  So he's a little groany and moving slowly and I will do my best to do things this weekend so he won't have to.

That's going to be a long weekend of taking the dog out - she's back to her constantly starving, frequently peeing mode and she's whiny and sort of a pain.  But she's the cutest dog ever and is so earnest in her cuteness, she's impossible to resist.  We'll spend a lot of time outside tomorrow - yard work, sweeping, etc. -

I can't wait for two sleep-in days...especially the moment when I wake up close to when my alarm would be going off and I realize I get to go back to sleep!!