It's time to re-name my blog.

Why?

I am no longer just going through life comfortably numb. I have found peace. I have found happiness. I have found courage. I have found love.

Finding these things has not been easy for me and I have disappointed people along the way. I finally decided to do things because *I* wanted to, not because it would make so-and-so happy.

Mr. Hunzer and I split up over a year-and-a-half ago. We had been having problems for 2-3 years before that, separating for a few months in the fall of 2005, but finally came to the agreement to just go our separate ways. We live two blocks apart from each other, we are co-parenting our kids and we are still friends. I still call/text him when I have something goofy to say and vice versa. We were basically friends and roommates for the last few years of our marriage. I'm glad we ended things when we did because it has made the last year and a half bearable. We do not resent each other but respect each other. It's nice for us...and really weirds people out who find out that we are no longer together but still get along. I will always love him. He is the father to my children. He is a wonderful, wonderful man and the 2nd greatest father I know (the first being my own dad, duh).

In August 2008 I started grad school online at the University of Phoenix. I'm getting my MBA in Healthcare Administration. It's definitely not easy. In fact, it is a HELL of a lot more difficult than I ever imagined. I only have a year left of school. After that, I may go for one more MBA in Marketing or something...might as well since I'll have the core MBA classes done.

In March 2009 I lost my job at the cancer center. I didn't get laid off. My stupid ass got fired. I was "late" too many times. Frankly I find their reasoning a crock of SHIT and I would LOVE to battle it out but I'm too heartbroken to care. I loved that job and loved my patients even more. I miss the patients terribly. I miss some of my coworkers terribly.

I spent 3 months off of work and doing the stay-at-home Mom thing again. Yuck. I did it for over 7 years before I got the job at the cancer center in October 2007. Being off of work for those three months showed me that I needed to get a job to keep my sanity. I love my babies more than life itself...but holy hell. I like adult interaction, money and freedom too.

I started my current job at the end of June as a Client Service Supervisor doing release-of-information for a large health care system in the Twin Cities. The best part? It's 2nd shift baby!! I don't start work until 3pm and finish at 11:30pm (at the earliest). I'm not a morning person AT ALL. I love my job so far. We are crazy busy and overtime is not an issue. Shit ~ I'll take time-and-a-half anytime!!

Did I mention that I have found love? Well, I have and cannot believe how lucky I am to have him in my life. He's everything to me. Best part? He loves my kids. Worst part? He's currently on deployment in the Western Pacific. Yep, he's in the Navy. This is his first deployment. He joined the navy at the beginning of this year...at the age of 29. He's wanted to do it for a while and finally did. We've known each other for a few years but reconnected earlier this year and BAM ~ wedding bells are ringing!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we are engaged?

YES WE ARE!!

We are going to do the long-distance thing until he is able to get out of the Navy (2013). He is stationed on a ship in San Diego. My ass is staying put in Minnesota. I love where I live and could never uproot the kids. Besides, I would never in a million years put Mr. Hunzer through that stress. It wouldn't be fair to anyone. The kids really like him and already have a ton of ideas for the wedding. I have a few ideas myself but I know this for sure ~ there isn't going to be a big blow-out wedding. In fact, there just may be an elopement first and then an official wedding a year or two down the road. Shhhh... Thing 1 says she already has a wedding present for me and Sailorman. She wants to be the flower girl. Thing 2 said he wants to walk me down the aisle. The Baby Boy Child will be the ring bearer. I've decided that I want both Thing 1 and Thing 2 to walk me down the aisle with the BBC carrying the rings right in front of us.


Mr. Hunzer is in a relationship too. I haven't met her but I hear good things about her. Mr. Hunzer seems very happy with her. She has nine-year-old son so my kids have a playmate when they hang out. I told Mr. Hunzer that as long as she is good to the kids AND to him, then I'm cool with it. The second she starts treating any of them badly, including Mr. Hunz, then I will stomp her guts out.

I'm just sayin'...

Enough babbling. I think it's high time for a photo update!!











New Ink #1 (mine is the right one, it's the kanji symbol for "love" on my left wrist. Sailorman's is the kanji symbol for "eternal" on his chest, over his heart):




New Ink #2 ~ It means "forever in my heart". The initials ACW are my stepdaughter's initials. The initials CAM are those of a friend who died in 1994 at the age of 14.






EEEP!!!



This last photo is very indicative of my life right now...



~ xoxo ~

Now, off to brainstorm a new name for the blog...