SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

It seems many of us here are not having a good go of things currently. Lots of stress in life.

I wanted to take a few minutes to share my blessings and happy moments and maybe you can too.

1. DD had her wedding 2 weekends ago, and it was marvelous. She was beautiful, they are truly in love, and so very very happy.

2. My Grand is now 5 mos old, and I get him all weekend this weekend. He is rolling all over the place, and starting to have some food. He smiles all the time, and is the sweetest snuggly boy ever.

3. I am down over 62 pounds from my heaviest in June and recently carried 3 30lb bags of dog food, and was shocked at how heavy it was. I lost that plus some. Awesome.

4. We have put a reservation for a new Chocolate Lab in the spring this week. While my old girl is certainly enjoying the twilight of her life, we continue to love her make her home made food, and make sure everyday is happy for her.

Congratulations Tush!!! Very happy, wonderful news!!!

I got nothing so I will just enjoy yours.

I relocated from New England to the Midwest over the summer, and while I'm still adjusting to the big downsize, it was necessary.

I relocated my singing also, and sing with a local group that is highly respected in the area. I'm being challenged as a musician and it's a lot of fun (and work, too).

I am permanently home-based and contributing in big ways at my company. I love having my car sit for days on end.

Before I moved, I got another Maine Coon cat (I have two now--a 14-year-old and a 1-year-old). She is feisty and fun.

I'm going to Europe (Austria, Slovenia and Croatia) this coming summer. I've never been and I'm going with my choir on tour.

My kids are happy and thriving and I can't wait to visit them and have them visit me.

Happiness is indeed what you make it. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade and don't forget to throw a little vodka in it.

Cat

Well my brother helped me replace the strut on wh van. It was awesome. I'd never done that before.

My brother was so calm and wonderful despite some hiccups. He made it fun. And then when the kids came hone he showed them how to do some things too. Ds and little M were right into it.

Today wh had a hissy that the auger belt came off the snow blower. He went to work and I fixed the belt....until it came off again. I figure we need a new belt since it's pretty worn and probably stretched. Even tightening the tensioner didn't help. At least i figured it out and Will pick up a new belt tomorrow.

The kids and I shoveled then wh used the tractor to finish the driveway when he got home so for now it's all good.

DS will be home from Army basic training on Tuesday for 2 weeks. He called today and sounds SO good!

My foot is healing amazingly well. I have had almost no pain in the operated area, only the incisions and some blisters under the cast.

People from my company came together to get my department's work done last week when the only person still in my department had a week of vacation planned since early in the year. For literally the first time since I started working there in 2005 I've been able to take time off to recover from my surgery and the mental stress I'd been under and not worry about the work being done. Managers in the building picked up pieces of the assessment process and entered their information, and people who do my job at other facilities were able to access the files remotely and complete the assessments. My coworker was able to go on vacation to Puerto Rico with her daughters and their families to celebrate her 60th birthday. And I have someone who used to work with me who is interested in returning to take the open position.

Still don't have to go back to work until February.

I retired this year, and I am enjoying my first holiday season without working since high school. Its awesome. My outside Christmas decorations rock, and tomorrow is Christmas cookie baking day.

And at the end of May I got a new rescue dog. He's 5 years old and is a dachshund mix that is so adorable he's the talk of the neighborhood. And he got chosen for a photo shoot by our Visitors Bureau and he is likely to appear on the cover of our city's Visitors Guide in the spring. I live in the a historic tourism community in northwest Illinois, but he's from New Orleans. He came to a local shelter here from the shelter where the Animal Planet TV channel show "Pitbulls and Parolees" was filmed. So he went from that to a star is born. The only downside is that he has not experienced cold and snow until now. But I bought him a puffy coat. I named him Bentley, because I figured it would be fun to tell people I got a man to cuddle with and a Bentley at the same time.