Dear Stephanie

Hello there new (but you feel like old) (and I mean that in a good way- really the best way possible) friend. You asked how I made my blog look like this. I truly have no idea. I clicked on some button last week sometime and I haven't figured out how to undo it. Which I'm sort of tempted to do. But you like it? Well, maybe I won't be in such a hurry to figure out how to change it.

I was thinking about you today, otherwise known as errand day. I wondered if I would run into you at Target or Woodmans. I also thought about how crafty and clever you are. Does that sound too stalkerish? I really need to watch that.

Anyway, you sweetly said you missed my words. I got a say, I miss blogging too. I'm trying to figure out what is to blame for my absence. The best I can come up with is football season, which has, thankfully, ended - at least tackle football. Three nights of sitting at the practice field for 2 hours adds up to a lot of reading time but not much time for other things - like blogging, or folding clothes, or spending time with my other children. I sort of took tackle-practice duty because my One has really struggled with his anxiety around it and my Bob doesn't do well in those situations. Good to recognize the strengths and weaknesses in a partnership, yes?

I have been pretty vague about One's Anxieties, to protect his privacy, but in the interest of recording this for my future reference, I will say that his suicide talk has all but ended (thank God) but the negative talk ("I hate my life", "I hate this so much", etc) continues. I'm taking that as progress and I'm really hammering home on "staying positive". If nothing else, I'm hoping he will quit the negativity just to get me to shut up.

One last comment about One. He has been on a real high ever since his season ended. We didn't let him quit, despite his many, many requests. We have heaped on the praise for making it to the end, and he is giddy. I am so glad we trusted our instincts to make him stick it out, though there were many nights I thought, "oh, just let him quit - it will be so much easier". That said, I did tell him he could opt out of his last practice because I was just so sick of the fight. Couldn't stand one more minute of it, really, so I gave him the go ahead to skip it. And you know what happened? He ended up going. Once I took away the pressure to go, he realized he really wanted to do it after all. He's a tricky one, that One.

And now my time is up. I have dishes to unload and wash (made cookies this afternoon for the first time in forever), clothes to get out of the drier, and work to go to. I would love to get together. Did I ever tell you how much my Two loved your Ruby at her birthday party? I know - months ago. Just forgot to tell you all along.

I hope you had a great weekend with your people.

:) Teresa

partnership, yes?