The price of Divorce.

I assume it's true we all want to find our true love the first time around. However, that does not always happen. In fact, it may take some "MANY more times around" than others. I am on my 2nd marriage and I have found the love of my life. It does not mean I did not love my first husband. I did. I just did not love him the way I love my husband now. My husband now is the one that God intended for me to have. The first time around I wanted control of who my mate would be, the 2nd time around I let God have control and prayed, and prayed, and prayed about it. He gave me the mate I was intended to spend the rest of my life with--FOREVER.

My first husband gave me the 2 most wonderful blessings that I could ever have ask for, not saying that I will never be blessed again with more children, but right now I am VERY happy with how things have turned out. My girls are perfect...well, they are to me.

Yet, the price of divorce is sometimes making decisions that are not always what I want. I wish so badly that my ex-husband and I lived closer together...much closer...like in the same subdivision closer. By being 13 1/2 hours apart, it makes for a lot of travel time. I have blogged before about liking the time that I spend in the car alone traveling with the girls, and I do, but when I can't be there in the moments they really need me for (even if it's just a hug moment)...I get overwhelmed with sadness.

This is not to say I would have stayed married if I had it all to do over again. I wouldn't and neither would the EX. We both have the lives we were meant to have these days and "for the rest of our lives" , but the highest price of divorce, when children are involved, is that there is no right answers on how to solve the time and distance issue and all that we can hope for is that years down the road they understand that every decision was made with their best interest at heart!

Mrs. B

Thanksgiving

" I am thankful that God trusted me enough to give me 2 perfect children!"

----Christy Buettner Boyd

Picking up my girly-girls.

My EX and I try to share "our" girls 50/50, but due to distance...it's truly not feasible. So...my 5 months have to be about quality instead of quantity, and that's very hard. I try to squeeze in EVERY relative, going to the movies, reading books, playing board games, cooking or baking, and just hanging out and relaxing. In the summer, this is easy, but on the "holiday" weeks...everything seems like a blur. That's why I love picking up my girls. It gives us time to just talk, sing with the radio, or look at the scenery. It is OUR time alone.

I watch Claudia, in the rear view mirror, as she plays her Nintendo DS. Catarina falls asleep texting and listening to her Ipod.

We have these moments where everyone is doing their own thing, but we are all there together...and that's what matters. I'd drive a million miles to spend one minute with them and sometimes...it feels just like that.

:o) CBB

Clinton

Dear Hillary,

I'm sorry I failed you.

( I am, also, very sorry that you didn't send me a wedding card/gift...even though I invited you...with or without Bill.)

I want you to know. I believe in you and that great things are to come your way. I will not jump ship. The democrats are needed to lead this country and I believe that Obama can lead us in a much longed for, new direction. ( I believe you could have done this, too, but that's not where we are now.)

You have always been an inspiration to women EVERYWHERE, and will continue to be as time goes by. I think you will be an intricate part to the new administration and that people will love and respect you more in 4 years than they do right now. I love you, Hillary. Thanks for the ride.

friends of math...

I love teaching Math. I am, by no means, Euclid or Pythagoras. I just enjoy teaching kids a skill they need and will use everyday for the rest of their life. Now, it hard to convince them that they will EVER need geometry...or that math is fun, but I try.

I call all my students "friends of". I have about 100 "friends of geometry" and a little over 20 "friends of algebra". The kids think it's hilarious that I call them this, most like to say, " I'm not a friend of geometry, I can barley spell it".

Everyday though, I feel a little more like they at least enjoy coming to my class...I try not to think that it is merely for the Twizzlers or Smarties or Tootsie Rolls that I give out on their "good days", but I hope its to acquire a new tool that will help them now and later in life. I hope that if it doesn't click in their minds now...they will one day have one of those that's what Mrs. Boyd was talking about...wow, I finally get it moments.

At least, that's what I hope. :o)

Mrs. B
Some great math website are:
http://www.famousmathematician.com/
http://www.coolmath.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://www.mathsisfun.com/
http://www.aplusmath.com/
http://www.mathgoodies.com/

Toyota Tacoma

Truck price in 2000-$7k
mileage-145,000

Buy-back from Toyota in 2008 with 254,000 miles-$8k

Deal of a lifetime-Priceless!

You deserved it, baby!
:o) Mrs. B

sister weekend.

Yeah...that's not us. These gals are way more classier than us, but not nearly as fun. :o)

This weekend was the annual SW (sister weekend). It's a weekend with my mother, her sisters, nieces, cousins, etc. (anyone in our clan that is female)

We all look forward to it year round. We plan on what we'll do, what we'll do to each other (while sleeping), what we'll discuss, what we'll get each other, and of course...what we'll eat.

This year, though, my favorite thing was reconnecting with my cousin, Gina. When I was a kid and stayed at their house, I idolized her. She was pretty, popular, a cheerleader, and a smart mouth. All things I thought I was at 9...so I just figured she was what I was going to be when I became her age...LOL.

However, over time, and the strained relationship that my husband and her brother have, we just lost touch. In fact, we only saw each other once a year at the family reunion and didn't say too much to one another even then...

To save money on gas, we decided to ride to Tennessee together. A trip, that later, we discussed we both were dreading...LOL...Needless to say, she and I had a blast from beginning to end. We stuck right together the whole weekend. We laughed when everyone ran off and left us to do other things. We laughed because we got stuck on the air mattress beside the door that let cold air in, we laughed together all weekend. It was one of my favorite times with a family member in a long time. I learned so much about her...how far she has come from the struggles that no one is this family can imagine. I just loved her so much more at the end of the trip than I ever had when I was 9. I was so proud of who she is and although in a new, and different light...I kind of idolized her all over again.

It was a wonderful weekend. Carrie Ann and her new husband John were great hosts. They have a beautiful home and everyone loved life in Tennessee for 72 hours. :o)

Are you kidding?...Christmas already!

I am totally depressed. It is not Christmas, yet. In fact, it is not Thanksgiving, yet!

Why does Thanksgiving always get skipped? It is one of my favorite holidays. The day set aside for family and friends and the idea of simply being thankful for everything you have in your day to day life.

Instead, everyone seems to somehow forget Thanksgiving Day and they move right into the Christmas season after Halloween and then right into Black Friday.

Thanksgiving is not about preparing to run over small children and the elderly, just to get a new TV for 1/3 the price it was yesterday. I mean, come on people!!!!

Do we not want to remember the whole Pilgrim/Indian story? Was this not the day that lives in infamy for bringing us corn and corn-based products...LOL. OK, so maybe it was not this exact day, but I like to imagine it was around this time. :o)

I just want to say, for the record, that although I do love Christmas, Charlie Brown...Thanksgiving is not forgotten in the Buettner-Boyd home.

Very thankful this year,
CB ( CB, CB and CB, too.)