Things are great. I feel like my heart is on overdrive or something. To the point where the other night I was having ... like.. a positive version of an anxiety attack (great description Miriam, you champion /sarcasm) and couldn't sleep.

Today is Obi's first day at his new job. They called him on Tuesday and were like "Are you free for the next two weeks, starting Thursday?" and just like that, he's working. Doing some TV commercials. He knows a couple of the guys working there already, so that's good too. The other place he was interviewed for? One of his mates working there messaged him yesterday asking when he starts, sounding hopeful. I heart that guy. Only met him once, at a red carpet thing. He got tanked on free red and spent the whole night declaring his love for his baby boy. Never knew a guy to love his kid so much, helped change my view of fathers. (This was back when I was big-as-a-moon with owlet.) Anyway, so hopefully, after this two week gig, and the one month thing for September, this third company might have something lined up. It's exciting, despite the fact the job security or lack there of scares the shit out of me. We're still being careful with the pennies and trying to build our savings back up, but I won't have to accept every shift at work like a desperado, and I don't have to eat any more stew. My stew is awesome. But I'm just not that kind of girl. Haha.

Thinking of food, my husband of perfectness made a delicious lasagna last night. His best yet. Wasn't without mishap though. I ran out with Isis to grab some herbs because we were out of stock, and when I came back the whole unit reeked. It was barf worthy. I don't know how Obi couldn't smell that the mince he was cooking was off, but dear lord. So he took Isis back out to the shops (I'm sure workers over there were like O.o) and I called Bec and told her we had some half cooked dog food, come get it When he gets back, he goes "OMG that stinks! The whole place smells like off meat!" Yeah mate, I know.
Gods I love him.

Things with Isis and I have been sweet too. Maybe that's just because I worked quite a bit this past week (well, a lot for me, everyone else would think it was bludgetastic) and didn't see any of her tanties, and because for three weeks I got to sleep in while Obi looked after her of a morning but I don't know... She just melts my heart. I thought I loved Obi, but I didn't realise how deep a capacity to love I actually have. That sounds bad, I know, but I mean it in a positive way. It's kind of like after we got engaged and I realised how much we'd both been holding back, in fear of scaring off the other with our clingyness... I've never laughed so much or smiled so much. And to get to share that with my best friend? It's... it just amazes me that life can be this good.

A sorrowful counterpoint to this happened at work yesterday. It's not a bad story, it just... is. See... I'd been there about three hours, on express, doing what checkout chicks do. And this customer I recognize comes up and I start scanning and talking to him. He's a lovely old guy. Kind of reminds me of my grandfather. He often tells me that I'm sweet/polite/lovely/well presented but not in the creepy gross way so many other old men do. He's always nice. He doesn't stuff around, or get impatient. Anyway... as part of my job, during every transaction, I have to ask the customer if they have a rewards card. Sometimes I dread that, because some people are real arseholes about it and you never can guess which ones will be. He tells me he doesn't have one, and then says "Not to be morbid or anything, but I wont have time to use any points, the doctor tells me I only have two months left..." He's got cancer in his throat and stomach. He goes on to crack jokes about how he's going to live off chocolate and ice cream, and he's sweet and not having his own pity party at all. And I went along with it.

Then after he left (and when I told Obi when I got home, and now) I could barely hold back the tears. Some of them didn't get held back. I don't know why I'm so crushed, but I am. I struggled badly to make the end of that shift in one piece. Society will lose something when this man moves on. I hope I get to see him again so I can tell him that, and thank him for being so nice to me these past couple of years. May the Goddess bless him.

I feel better having acknowledged how I feel about this. *lopsided smile* Now, something more positive eh?

Plans! So, next year in Mapleland, Obi should have his school reunion. We're all planning a big camping adventure between BC and Albatross for whenever it is we go over there. All his mates - who also invited Bec and Chris, who will probably take Chris's brother as well if they go. I'm wondering, if she's not off volunteering with elephants when the time comes, if Snow_Girl might want to come hike and drink beers too, but we can cross that bridge when I actually know when this crap is happening.
This morning I asked my half sister if maybe she'd like to send her eldest two kids along as well. I'd look after them, feed them, whatever, as long as she paid their flights. She seems pretty keen. I'm sure Obi will not be so keen, I mentioned it in passing to him once before and he wasn't thrilled, but he doesn't know what it's like to be a single parent. Ok, neither do I, but my mum was one, and I was super grateful when other people took us on holidays, because she never did. Angie does a great job for her brats, and their dad is alive, and she has a fiancee (who most of the time has a very your-kids-your-problem attitude until he wants to discipline them) but it's not really the same. So yeah, I want to do this. Of course, realistically, if we pop another brat before then, we'll only have room for the one extra kid (five seats in a car people) but maybe Bec and Chris could look after the other.

That's the other thing. When we go to Canada we stay with Obi's parents. I wonder if they'd be willing to also put up Bec and Chris? (If we had Angie's kid/s I'd expect the parents to put them up too, asking nicely of course, because the kids would stay in the same room Isis would, and I'd pay their food. There'd be no reason to say no.) Now Bec has been nothing but hospitable to that family when they come down, and supported Dustin (and I) financially for months on his first visit to Oz, back before we had combined finances. Additionally, they have loads of space, and they themselves refuse to pay for lodgings when they travel, staying with us (or other family/friends). They know my family as well as any group of in laws know the other side... but, I still don't know if they'd do it or if dad's natural greed would win out. I can only ask when the time comes I suppose.

Of course, while Amanda's wedding is on, all extra guests may have to vacate for a few days so that more immediate family can stay in the house, and that's totally reasonable.

Did I say my sister in law is getting married? Why yes I believe I did. She sent me a picture of her hand the other day. Apparently he didn't propose, but they were talking about it and he said "If the ring fits you can keep it" and it fit. It was a ring he already had before they met, but apparently they went to the store together a while back and she picked out the exact same one. I personally would still be irked if I were her, I'm not comfortable with the symbol of my engagement being a ring my man bought for someone else, but if she's a bigger person than me good on her. (Obi was like "maybe it's a hand-me-down?" but I'm pretty sure it isn't. The design is modern and she'd have bragged if it were a family heirloom.)

Anyway, so she said she will aim to line up the wedding with our next visit, because she "Doesn't want to make us choose between the wedding and the reunion". Obi's like "I wonder if she knows I'd choose the reunion?" Hahaha. That's really mean and slack and I told him that. But I still think it's funny because I'm a mean and slack person. I also said to her our timing would depend on baby 2, because I'm not sure how up-to-speed she is on our TTC. I mean, it's not like we make it a secret, but I don't cry to her when I get negatives the way I do to you guys either. She goes "Oh, that makes it hard to plan I don't want a clash like we had last time" which made Obi and I go Having Isis saved us paying for a trip we couldn't afford for a wedding that didn't happen last time. We think "what happened last time" was pretty damn fortunate!
It's all in the eye of the beholder eh?

I'm so happy and excited about life and traveling and stuff! But this is long and I am cold, so that's the end. I need to work on better endings for my blogs.