Well, that sucks.

So a week or so ago I made this blog post yay...woohoo...

And then last week everything just imploded on us.

On Saturday of last week Brian had had enough of his original job, that he was still working at, so called in on Sunday and told them to (politely) fly a kite.

We spent a lovely day together as a family, after more than a month of barely seeing him, it was AWESOME!

Then Monday he went to work, all went well, as one can expect a work day to go.

Monday afternoon Mikeal comes home from school and with his arrival home we learn he'd earned himself 3 days vacation from riding the bus back and forth to school.

I wasn't terribly happy because if you'll remember, we bought a truck in December, it 'died' four days later, the top half of the motor was rebuilt over the next two months...and here we sit a few thousand dollars sunk into it later and the whole engine is completely seized up - YAY we get to put a whole new motor in it. So because the truck won't move under it's own power we only have one vehicle, meaning I'd have to get up at 7am, get ready for the day, get Miss Mikaila up for the day, take Mikeal to school, then take Brian to work, have Brian to work by 8:30, Mikeal to school before 8am; Brian works 45 minutes out one way, one direction, Mikeal goes to school 10 minutes the other direction, from the house. I'd then have to go pick up Mikaila from school those days at 2:45, because her bus drops her off at 3:10, but Mikeal is out of school at 3:05, then go home, chill out for a bit, do homework, then leave out at 4:30 to pick Brian up from work at 5:30, get home, cook dinner, and get the kids in bed by 8:30. Wash, rinse, repeat, three days. I am NOT a morning person, at all!

Monday evening came and the (new) boss called and asked Brian to come into work 30 minutes early...weird, but okay...just means my day just started 30 minutes earlier. (I wasn't pleased, but what was I going to do about it?)

Tuesday morning rolls around...get Mikeal off to school a touch early...get Brian out to work, and stick around to find out exactly what the early morning conference was to consist of because we were both slightly worried. The new boss is a great guy, the pay is great, Brian did a great job, but it is, afterall, just a small family owned & ran business, and things can get volatile, quickly.

Fears were confirmed when the owner said he'd love to keep Brian on board, but he doesn't have the time to really help train Brian on the things he still needs to learn, so when he takes time from his vehicles to help Brian with his so they're both losing money. As we all know, money makes the world turn...its not gravitational force as some scientists would want you to believe. So Brian finished up a few things around the shop, boss paid him what was owed to him, with a bit extra (which was awesome)...

Its been a week, maybe two...I haven't kept track.

I love my husband...I really really do.

But we're both going crazy with all this time together...especially since I have been sick with this stupid pneumonia crap and have pages and pages of homework to do and get done. This is my first real semester with a full-time class schedule and its just been a *bit* challenging with the sicknesses, the stress from many angles, and sickness.

BUT Brian expects to be working soon, all our bills are still paid up, the cupboards are stocked, and I only have one week of assignments left before I get a 10 day break from classes. Next week I'm hoping to have the rest of my student loan stipend money and with that I'll be purchasing the new (used, but operable) engine for the truck and if all goes smoothly the truck will be running within a week or two, so I'll have a vehicle again. And Brian should know sometime this week where he'll be working.

It does suck though that I'm putting the purchasing of my new dishwasher off to purchase the engine for the truck, but Mikeal makes a decent substitute in the meantime.

So all is well that ends well, such is life and had it not been for the threat of possible shoulder surgery that we prepared for in February we would not be able to weather this hiccup, but we're weathering it and I've seen evidence of Spring, so I'm content.

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Things I've "Learned"...

...while posing as a 19 year old for 3 days now...

* If you're not married by the time you're 20 you are either ugly, skanky, or a guy.

* Having a baby is the 'best thing ever'...especially if you're unemployed, living at home with your parents, and can harass multiple men into providing everything for you.

* 99% of the pictures you post of yourself should be taken by yourself, preferably in a bathroom with a dirty toilet in the background or in a vehicle.

* The use of proper grammar & spelling is only for people who think they're better than you, anyone who uses proper grammar & spelling to insult your intelligence is 'stupid & immature'.

* Tattoos should only be gotten if they look cool that week, preferably in places that can be easily shown off in any type of clothing.

* "Older men" refers to any male over the age of 21, who has grown tired of catering to the whining demands of their 'adult' girlfriends who are unable to drive themselves anywhere because they don't have a license, therefore are unable to get a job, and unable to care for the children they have with some other man..and refuse to do anything but make that other man's life absolute hell because he won't cater to her every whim either.

* Many of these (19-21yo) 'Baby Daddies' work their butts off to make sure their children are being cared for, in every way possible under the circumstance of not being able to tolerate the 'Baby Mamas', only to have to put up with ungrateful childish brats (the mamas) to the point they become physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted and get left with the feeling that maybe their baby will be better off without all the drama, so just pay the mama and be done with.

* A guy not checking in with his girlfriend for more than 12 hours is reason to blast him for being some sort of uncaring low life that is 'not needed'...only for such posts to be deleted at hour 13 because he finally found his phone charger and saw where you'd blew up his phone.

* Jersday is actually Thursday, the day that Jersey Shore airs.

* Babies are only an excuse to keep the spotlight on you, in an effort to out shine your friends...whether it be the pregnancy announcement with the 'man of your dreams', the fallout that comes a few months later when you find a better man or he gets tired of your bullshit ways & abuse, the birth in which you hope the baby daddy comes running back to your bed so he can spend more time with his child, or the following months when you realize you can make his life living hell because he wants something to do with his child, but not you because you're a drama whore bitch.

* Deceit is a way of life. It doesn't matter who the lie is going to hurt in the long run, so long as you get your 30 seconds of fame off the deal that's all that matters. Being proved that you openly lied, by telling the truth not 12 hours beforehand is justification for deleting all posts about the truth, so that you can further prove just how 'mean' these 'childish people' are, nosing in your public to the world business that you post.

* A "great job" entails working at KMart over Taco Bell.

ugh...I'm so terribly happy I am actually 'old' and have nearly a decade under my belt since my own teen years. Even then I can't remember it being anywhere near the level I read on a daily basis with these folks. Maybe it's because we didn't have such things as Facebook, not even MySpace back then, and only VERY few folks actually had a cell phone of their own. Regardless of the reason for not knowing such petty foolishness actually existed on such a grand scale back then there is NO WAY I'd want to be a teenager/young adult now...no way in any sort of hell.

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Admission

So I may have done something as a sort of 'experiment'. To say it was successful is an understatement. It is also quite disturbing.

A young friend of mine is having issues with his baby momma spreading lies and hate over social media networks, namely Facebook. I've been her 'friend' on my real account for nearly a year, but was recently blocked because I called her out on a lie she told, by using one of her earlier posts to prove that she was just lying to create drama...I created a fake 18 year old account.

I then friend requested this gal and several of her listed friends.

Should I mention now that 90% of these folks (guys and girls alike) have absolutely NO privacy settings set. Before friend requesting most of them I was able to see everything about them that they'd posted. After they freely accepted my request I was able to even access their phone numbers, a combination of cell and land lines.

I have had this account open and in operation for less than 40 hours at this point...Fake name, complete with fake picture and no real information about myself, just that I'm homeschooled and live in the area and not from the area.

Within 12 hours of having this account I was messaged for the first time by someone...at that point my friend count was up to 30. He wanted to welcome me to his friends list, asked if I was from the area, I gave my generic response "been here for a year or two, homeschool, know no one"...his next message to me included his phone number with a request that I text him, with assurance that he wasn't a creep.

I know of the kid in real life, his mom and a dear friend of mine are friends, he went to school with my friend's son, etc...so that's a whatever issue...the issue though is that HE doesn't know if *I* am or am not a creep (I promise I'm not and I've since neglected to reply back to him, at least until I can let the powers that pay for his cell phone know what's up).

By the time I hit the 24 hour mark of having my account open I'd accepted another dozen random requests from kids requesting me to be on their friends list. And a few others had accepted my sent request. Within 24 hours my friend count was nearly 50 and only one of those 50 asked if I knew her personally. I gave her the same bullshit line about being homeschooled, not knowing anyone around here, just attempting to meet people....she accepted my request without further question.

I have now had my account for a whole 40 hours and my friend count is over 50 people, the requests and accepts have slowed, but not stopped...

I know where most of these folks work, go to school, the TV shows they like to watch, their phone numbers, when they're home, when they're gone, when they're where and with whom.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily have to friend all these folks to know any of this information, they have it all out there in the open for any troll to run across.

THIS is how easy it is to troll, stalk, and potentially harass these young adults. Yes, I've checked, at least from the information provided the folks on my 'fake' profile page are between the ages of 17-25, most around age 19 & 20. You really don't want to know what else I've learned about the 'new' young adult culture over the last 40 hours either. It's enough to make your head spin....and will be fodder for a future blog post.

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What does Love mean?

A question answered by 4-8 year olds...

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make ! sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

A four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

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Answer To a Question

Some have asked me why me Twitter name is @gypsy_momma .

The answer isn't because I think of myself as a person who rivals Esmeralda, contrary to popular belief.

Its really quite a bit more simple than that.

I moved. a LOT. While pregnant with my son, up until about the time he was 3, I moved well over 20 times, across 5 states (I think just 5).

The insane amount of moving started the evening I got the positive pregnancy test. It was a previously planned move, from Arkansas to Indiana, for my ex's job.

Upon entering Indiana we moved another half dozen times from trashy hotel to mini-apartment-like hotel suites, until we finally found an apartment that would work for us...

Two months after Mikeal was born the job transferred us again (namely because my ex was drinking too much to fulfill his contract properly, and his boss was trying to cover his own ass with having a drunk asshole driving kids 13-15 years old around neighborhoods.) So we found ourselves back in Arkansas.

Less than two months later my ex was charged with kidnapping, indecent exposure, and attempting to rape a 5 year old, who lived in Missouri, just across the state line from us. He went to jail for a few weeks, I moved in with my momma in Oklahoma.

My ex was released after his dad paid his bail money, we moved into a house down the road from my mom. (At this point I was completely clueless as to the truth behind his arrest.)

A few months later he re-contracted with a different guy, in the same door-to-door sales line of work, we moved to Tulsa.

My ex started feeling paranoid due to the multiple 'visits' from law enforcement to our home, mainly brought on by our neighbors calling the cops for domestic disturbances. I tried to move back in with my mom, but she wouldn't have it, same story with my aunts and uncles, as well as everyone else I knew...I became 'stuck' - 21, only a high school education, not a dime to MY name, an abusive drunk for a husband, and a 1 year old baby.

We ended up moving again into his adoptive father's camper (his adoptive father who happens to be the police Lieutenant) for a few weeks...and then I found out the whole truth behind the charges against my ex. His lawyer was so kind to play back the 'confession' tape to my ex and my ex thought it'd be perfectly fine if I was standing in there while it was being played.

In September the final trial date was set, Mikeal was 13 months old, and we'd again moved into an apartment that I was to keep up with for him to move into when he was done with his sentence... I'd already formulated and perfected a plan of a different sort. I'm a great actress...at least great enough that EVERYONE believed me when I said I'd be there for that lying, abusive, drunk, baby raping, fetus killing, sorriest excuse for a human being I've EVER known.

Sept 22 he was sentenced to...wait for it...make sure there's nothing terribly breakable nearby...swallow whatever it is you're drinking or eating...Make sure you are completely ready to read this...you're still not ready...4 months. Yes, you did not read that incorrectly. The bastard who ADMITTED to intending rape this 5 year old child, who ADMITTED to leading this unattended child from the stoop of her apartment to a laundry room, and ADMITTED to exposing himself to her, was only given 4 months in a PSYCHIATRIC treatment facility for DRUG ADDICTION. He was also given 4 years of probation. My dad on the other hand? was only simply accused of sexual misconduct against a minor, there was no proof, and the accuser's story changes as often as I buy underwear, was given 30 years in a maximum security prison, not a few months prior to this. I put my plan into action.

My ex had given me a list of 'rules' to follow while he was incarcerated. Rules included things like: pay both of his vehicle payments, I wasn't allowed to start smoking (I was a non-smoker at that time), I wasn't allowed to go out with friends, I was to keep a phone line turned on so he could call collect, and I was to accept any and all charges and be available anytime he called, I wasn't to fall behind on any bills, blah blah blah blah blah...I don't remember them all, but he was kind enough to send them to me in a letter a few days later...and you better believe it when I say I made DAMNED sure I broke EVERY last one of them before he was released. By the time he got out 4 months later I'd started reinventing myself. I moved so that he couldn't find me.

Of course his family made my life an absolute living hell after they found out that I wasn't going to grant him 'permission' to come and live with me, and he couldn't go live with any of them because they each had felony convictions, except for the adoptive father, who was also a foster parent, therefore unable to accept him as well. I couldn't tell you how many times I moved around that city (Tulsa, OK) or how many different jobs I'd lost because of them...it got to the point that I found myself on the street with an 18 month old.

Thankfully my sister was willing to let Mikeal come stay with her, not me though...I'd obviously screwed up along the line to find myself homeless, therefore that's what I deserved...yea, my family is a bit screwed in the head, but whatever. A co-worker and his roommate let me sleep at their place while I worked to get back on my feet, it wasn't a safe place for Mikeal, (HORRID neighborhood) so I did what I could, working as many hours as possible, at three different jobs. I spent my spare time in a chatroom.

Due to the AWESOME people I'd met in said chatroom I ended up moving to Austin, TX...the frequency of my moves slowed, I started to stabilize, and Mikeal was with me. I met Brian through that chatroom as well.

As anyone could tell you who has had to start over from scratch it's not always smooth...I did move a few more times, once back to Oklahoma for a year to get my divorce finalized, then back to Texas for another year, until I had problems with my pregnancy and we made the move back to Oklahoma to be closer to my mom & family... We were there for three years, and now we're in Tennessee, closer to Brian's family because Oklahoma is the quicksand pit of the country, we had to get out while the getting was good. We've been so INCREDIBLY blessed by making this move and I have absolutely no plans of packing up again, for a REALLY long time.

The great thing about moving so much in the past is I went from 'having' to use a large moving truck for everything, to just a few suitcases...now I think we're up to about three large moving trucks of 'stuff'...but it's just that - stuff. I've gone without all of this, I'm not afraid of going without it again.

So that's the long story. The short story is that I gained the nickname "Gypsy" because I can pack up, move, and 'disappear' at a moments notice.

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Things that Suck

Vacuum cleaners suck. They suck better after you've cleaned the filters and components...especially the canister that collects all the Legos, socks, sucker wrappers, and dirt that accumulates, quickly.

Vehicles suck. Unless you keep them clean and maintained, then they'll run like a dream until the end of time. This doesn't just include the interior & exterior...this includes everything under the hood...be sure you know what fluids to use and refill low fluids with. Nothing is worse on a vehicle than using the improper fluids.

Bathrooms suck. Unless they're cleaned and spotless! Nothing is more disease ridden than a dirty bathroom - use bleach!

Kitchens suck. They're filled with awesome wholesome goodness, but the moment things aren't properly cleaned and cared for they become deadly.

Wives suck. They suck better & more often when the item they're sucking on is cleaned and maintained....do I REALLY need to elaborate?

Feel free to add to the list of things that suck below. :)

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Things my Mother Taught & I'm Passing Down...

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

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