Happy Spring?

I thought maybe warmer weather was here a week or so ago. I was wrong.

We celebrated Bob's and Meg's birthdays last weekend. Family things aren't as much fun as they used to be. As we've gotten older, and kids have gotten older, we don't have much in common. B & L didn't say one word to us the entire time. D & S and their kids are much friendlier. Their kids have always been well-behaved and fun to be around, we did talk to them a little bit.

After the other families left, we found out our nephew is in rehab for an alcohol problem. Immediately, his wife was jumped on as the cause. I get so mad at this family sometimes. His wife is the best thing that ever happened to that guy. If it weren't for her, I can seriously see him still living at home, and probably not working. In his entire life he has never been able to keep a job. He has nothing set aside for retirement because he's never had a job long enough to get into a pension or 401 program. He's gotten so much money from my MIL to go to college it's ridiculous. He goes for one or two classes, then quits because he "doesn't have time", which loosely translated means he won't be a millionaire without having to work for it, so he loses interest. He's been doing that since he graduated from high school. He never officially drops the class, either; if he did, he'd get a refund to pay his grandmother back. Heaven forbid that happens! His wife, meanwhile, managed to get her Master's degree. Good thing, since they have 4 kids!  All you hear from the family is how selfish his wife is, because he hasn't been able to go to school. Drives me nuts. I don't understand everyone's need to bash her, when she's the one with the drive and ambition to keep the family together. She got an excellent job out of state several years ago and the family moved - since the nephew couldn't find a job here anyway. Now, according to everyone, that's the reason why he's been so unhappy. Oh please... He had a job back here last year that was supposed to be a great job, good pay, good benefits, etc. Once he got here and started working,  he immediately started complaining that he had to get up in the morning, drive all the way to work, then have to work until 5:30 or so, then come home and be so tired he'd fall asleep and then have to get up and do it all over the next day! Poor thing! Turns out he was drinking a lot then, plus talking every night for hours with his wife and kids. Steve made the comment that with all the complaining he was doing, he was just setting everything up to quit. Sure enough... He had to take an insurance class to keep the job, but he just had no time to study, because he was working SO hard. Sure enough, he went back home... but that's all his wife's fault too.

See, the thing is, I like his wife, I like her a lot. She's smart and funny and an all around good person, and I hate to be around when this talking behind her back goes on. This isn't the first time this has happened. It seems that when ever the family gets together his wife becomes the topic of the day. I'm sick of it. Plus, I wonder if that's how they talk behind her back, but are SO nice to her face, how do they talk about me when I'm not around? I really wouldn't care at this point. If they don't like me that's fine, saves me from having to go listen to their BS.  Just say the word and I'll stay away! The problem is, I know if I say anything or get sick enough of listening to them to say what I really think, then Steve will never hear the end of it, which will cause problems for us - even though he is totally with me on this. Life is never boring, that's for sure...

Amidst all this other stuff, my baby girl turned 34! I'm trying to figure out how that happened. It seems like just the other day she was in kindergarten, or high school, for that matter! Now, it's Hailey who's getting ready to start school! My granddaughter!  I'm so proud of Meg! We have our moments, but I love her to pieces. I hope the Lord hears my prayers and she and J get the thing they desire most.

That's it for now, I guess. Peace!