The Crack of Dawn

I just figured out I can blog from my phone. I have one of those mini-computer phones, the kind that's really just ridiculous to call a phone since calling people on it is the thing you do the least. I'm a bit of a geek like that, I'd rather text than call and I get a kick out of googling random things.
So why am I up blogging at 6am on a Saturday? Can't get back to sleep. I never really can if I wake up after about 5 am. NG left for his test a few minutes ago after a very fitful night of sleep for both of us. I think I checked the aforementioned phone 8 times during the night afraid we'd oversleep. We set two alarms and are staying with (one of my dearest) friends who has a 5 month old baby. Realistically, oversleeping wasn't going to happen regardless. I had dreams about his test all night and when he was up at 5, I was up with him.
I got to share in the joy of a great report card yesterday, 4 A's and a high B! Its so awesome to share these things, to get to be part of a family, its hard for me to wrap my head around all I've been given sometimes. I've always wanted a family. It never occurred to me this is what it would look like, but as time goes on and I get more settled into it, it feels very normal. So what does TD want as a reward for such hard work? Chapter books. I'm so excited that reading is fun for her. What's funny is that she's reading some of the same ones I read at her age, and that shocks her.
As a sidenote, the conversation about the report card yesterday took place almost entirely on speaker phone. I have to wonder how her mom feels hearing me on the other end of the phone and having her daughter tell me she loves me.
Just a little insight into what goes through my head at the crack of dawn. Its still dark out. I love being a morning person.

The next chapter

Here we are.  The wedding's over and life has begun.  Normal is a figment of everyone's imagination, so instead of striving for "normal" I'm just going for happily functional. 

The wedding went off without a (noticeable to anyone but me) hitch and we had a wonderful time.  The weather was beautiful, the food was good, the wine was tasty, and everyone had a blast including us.

Now we're onto life.........trying to get my house cleaned and rented (since selling it didn't go far at all), trying to build an addition to NG's house, homework, jobs, NG's big test this weekend, friends, and trying not to get fat.  We've settled into something that kind of qualifies as a routine, even though the visitation schedule is anything but regular.  TD and I decided one night that she and I are just along for the ride at this point, which was a nice bonding moment for us.  She really enjoys introducing me to her teachers and others as her stepmom, and they have all apparently been hearing about me for quite a while.  Her teacher mistook me for her mom the other day (we look nothing alike, but adult woman with 9yo = mom to most people) and seemed to be surprised when I didn't freak out. 
TD has taken to telling me she loves me, which warms my heart to no end.  I can't help but wonder if she'll ever figure out she's not even supposed to like me. 

I've never been happier, it's truly amazing to me that I've been handed this little family.  In 14 months I got a husband, a kiddo, a new job, a new house, and a new town.  There are times when it all smacks me in the face and I wonder how I got here, then there are times when it seems like it's always been this way.

In amusing-because-I'm-a-therapist news, TD declared the other night that her mom (who needs a nickname, by the way, if anyone has a good one) will be going to college with her.  Not kidding.  TD understands the arrangement to be that she will decide where to go and mom will move to that town.  This, according to TD, has always been the plan and is because Mom isn't going to get remarried and "likes it just us".  So clearly Mom missed the chapter on differentiation.  Not just a theory folks. 

So we're off to the other side of the state this evening, Hubs is taking a big exam tomorrow.  Chances are good that he won't pass, and we're okay with that, we've decided it's practice.  Part of our book is going to be moving to my hometown when TD is getting out of high school, and to do that with any level of financial stability, he's going to have to get this certain license for his profession.  It's a bitch of a test, so we're giving him about 7 years to pass it.  Ha!