Closing a Chapter

As of Tuesday, October 24th, our divorce was final.  I have run the gamut of emotions for the past four months - many, many tears  (less frequently now, but it still happens, sometimes when I least expect it.)  And, of course, some anger - at Dave, at myself, and just with the whole situation... but thankfully, mostly what I'm feeling now is acceptance. There was a time that I was very worried about how I would feel when this day happened.  As with most things, though, time has helped me to be prepared for it.  It was sad to read the papers, see the judge's signature, and know that our marriage is over.  But at the same time, it felt good to have the closure - we were able to end things amicably, and this is the final step.   I want Dave to be happy, and I want to be happy - and this is a step towards that, for both of us.  We didn't actually know that the judge had signed the papers until Sunday, when the attorney forwarded the papers to Dave.  He forwarded them to me that evening, since we had been discussing how we would handle health insurance costs for the month of November.

And so on Monday night, I decided that it was the right time to drink our very last bottle of the Thumbprint wine we had bought/shared together from our trip to Sonoma Valley.    So I cracked open the bottle, poured some of it in my coffee mug, and started my annual trick-or-treating traipse around our neighborhood with Gail, Caitlyn, Connor and Jace.


I'm having such fun with the camera on
my iPhone... the "emo" special effects are great!

Gail's daughter is 8, but with Jace and Connor being 13, I warned Jace that this may be his last year for Halloween... ("Son, when you're gettting close to being as tall as many of the people handing out candy, you're probably  too old for trick-or-treating!")  Of course he doesn't see things the same way, but we'll discuss it next year. This year was nice - it had been 60+ degrees that day, and the mild weather made the evening very enjoyable, which has not always been the case. There have been many cold and rainy Halloween nights spent walking around the neighborhood over the past several years, so I'm always thankful for the good weather!

I could end this post here, and make it all about my divorce being final - but life goes on, and that's the whole point, isn't it!?  So what was the rest of my week like? 

Well, by the time we called it a night on Monday, my throat was getting scratchy and I could hear my ear popping when I swallowed... uh oh. I hate getting sick.  By  mid-morning Tuesday it was obvious I had something going on, so I left work and headed to the walk-in clinic.  The nurse practitioner took one look at my throat and accompanying 101 degree fever, and diagnosed me with strep throat.  I filled my prescription, headed home and went to bed, with Vicks and a towel on my chest (reminds me of when I was little!) and slept on and off for 18 hours...  Gail, bless her, brought me over some warm chicken noodle soup and crackers on Tuesday night.  By Wednesday morning Jace was also sick, so I met his grandmother at the walk-in clinic and she waited with him while he saw the nurse practitioner.  Then he and I spent the day moving between our beds and the sofa, and just taking it easy.  We're both feeling better now, thankfully. 

Last night I met my friend Larry for drinks and appetizers - he is a wonderfully talented vocalist, and I always loved singing with him.  But more than that, he's a great friend.  I've missed him over the past couple of years - since we don't sing together anymore, we've just not made time to get together.  We caught up on each others' lives, and both agreed we wouldn't let so much time pass again!

Today will be a busy day - I'm already awake, and figure that I'll head out for a walk when it gets light.  Then I'll get the grocery shopping done for the week, and do some much-needed cleaning around the house.  Next I'm headed to the mall with my sis Suz, while Jace and my nephew Payton keep themselves entertained on the Xbox for a couple of hours.

I'm hoping that the weather cooperates tomorrow; if it does, then Jace and I are meeting my friend Leslie and her husband after church - he's the one in the photography class with me, and is going to take some shots of me and Jace with the fall leaves.  So exciting!