BILs

I have to tell you that I have the most amazing brother in laws. I appreciate them in so many ways. I am one of two girls, so getting four brothers via marriage has made me very happy. As I child, I longed for a big brother. Never got one. I always dreamed, as a youngster, that Scott Baio would be my older brother. As an adult, I realize that he is a total douchebag and I am lucky to have no association with him.

My BILs have in some way, shape or form amazed me in the last year. My Sister's husband N, had a kidney transplant earlier this year. The new kidney was transplanted on a Tuesday. We found out that Thursday that his new kidney had cancer. He had to undergo another operation in order to remove all of the cancer. A check up this week has shown him to be cancer free. Yippee! He is now doing extraordinarily well. We are referring to him as "The new N" since he has a rejuvenated outlook on life. Sweet. The New N is now my tennis partner and it is amazing playing with him. I remember not so long ago....the struggle that was his life. It is hard to believe that I am kicking his butt on the the tennis court each week! Sorry folks, I play to win. As Ricky Bobby says, "If you're not first, your last!"

My husband's youngest brother was diagnosed with cancer last year. He ended up having to have his eye, eyelid and all of the goo behind his eye removed. E won the fight on cancer and continue to fight in whatever life brings him. My husband's other brother (Mr. Big Momma has 3 brothers) was diagnosed at 24 with Type 1 diabetes. He was and still continues to be an athlete, never held back by his diabetes. Yesterday, he began a very long and tedious journey. He and 6 teammates started something called Race Across America. This is a bicycle race across the country. This is the second year he has participated. The team he is on (Team Type 1) is a team of all Type 1 diabetics. You can follow their progress by visiting http://teamtype1.org/. You should check it out. These people are truly an inspiration.

How about we all make a promise to one another? No complaining allowed. When life gets you down, you don't have to look far to find someone who has overcome something totaly amazing. Really, what do you have to bitch about?

No wire hangers here

There is a spring in my step that is much springier than ever before!!! I hear the birds singing louder then ever before. The sky seems bluer. Why you ask? It is summer people! And for someone who works in college publishing, that means very little work. Last summer I found that I got a bit bored. But, it was my first summer and a. I didn't know what to expect and b. I didn't plan for it. Because the hours you put in when you work for a publisher are long and hard, you start thinking about summer by the end of January. You can't imagine doing anything but work and when you get the rare chance, you are too tired to do anything. So, when I had a few local community colleges offer me teaching positions for this summer, I was stoked. What a great way to enjoy the summer. I would still have plenty of time off AND I could get back into the classroom and influence young minds, make a difference.

Those of you who have read this blog know that I have a son who is 16. Scary but true. He is not my biological son, as he is the offspring of my husband and his first wife who I fondly (and I say that loosely) refer to as Baby Momma. She doesn't do much outside of holding this title. Jr. and I have been happily mother-sonning for over 10 years. He tells us that he can't remember his life before my involvement. I wish I could say that this was because of my stellar parenting skills, but it is a reflection more on his age at the time we were introduced. Several months ago Mr. Big Momma took Baby Momma back to court since she was prepared to pull him out of school and homeschool him. He also wanted to see if he could get more normal split-parent time, since Jr. is only over Monday and Wednesday evening and every other weekend. It was a battle that left us with scars-o-plenty. They were worth it though, because we won. Ohio has shared custody rules that are to be abided by when both parents can't agree on how the child's time is spent. These rules specify that the child will spend the first half of summer break with one parent, the second have with the other. The Monday/Wednesday/Every Other Weekend rules apply to the parent who does not have the child full time. So, for the first time ever, Jr. is spending the first half of the summer with us.

So, with all that being said, I made the decision to postpone summer teaching until Jr. was in college. My new full time, half of the summer job is as a stay at home mom. Yes you heard that right. I, Big Momma am a SAHM! Who would have believed that I would have ever had this title? Certainly not me. Or my mom for that matter. Mom, are you still with me or have you fallen out of your chair? My new job is the reason for my super duper sunny disposition. Things are going quite well and I have found that I am pretty good at it. I have certainly had practice at being a mom, but have never done it full time. I never would have guessed how satisfying this line of work is. We have been packing activities into our days and around Jr.'s social life. So far we have shoe shopped, vacation clothes shopped (the boy wants to look GOOD! Got the ladies to impress, ya know!), attempted to pick strawberries (more on this later), played tennis, applied for his passport, taken the dog for long walks in the ravine, visited the Park of Roses (gorgeous), watched movies, visited Mr. Big Momma's office for lunch, talked and just enjoyed each other's company. Jr. is obviously not the typical teenager. I am so surprised that he is so willing to spend time with us! No eye rolling, no groans, just laughter, Napoleon Dynamite quotes and good times. I figure that he just doesn't get this type of attention or normalcy at home, so he soaks it up while with us. Plus, I am a better cook and love to feed hungry mouths. And let me tell you, he is ALWAYS hungry. We have made one trip so far to Costco this week and will probably have to make another in a few days. That boy can eat!

Enjoy the summer and this wonderfully cool evening that we are having!!!