Fragging: A Whole Lot of Happy, a little bit of sad.

Friday already?! This week has flown by!

But I'm not complaining.

If you visited on Sunday, you saw that Elayna injured her thumb this weekend. She went to the orthopaedic doctor on Tuesday and they said that it was a minor break. They put her in a soft splint, and she goes back next Thursday for a recheck.

It was broken while she was practicing soccer. She decided she wants to try soccer this season, which is great because she and Andrew will be on the same team. We were at the park practicing, just me, John & the kids, when she hurt her thumb - the season hasn't even started yet! But the good news is, she will still be able to play. I'm excited! I think it will be fun - and less hectic! - to have both of them in the same sport, on the same team.

On a sad note: Yesterday, our old dachshund girl, Suzie, passed away. You may remember me posting about her in January. It was sad, but at the same time a relief. Her health was failing and we were struggling with whether or not to have her put to sleep; she didn't seem miserable but she wasn't 'right', either. Thankfully, the decision was taken out of our hands as she passed peacefully in her sleep during the night. It's just going to be so hard to get used to not having her around.

On a happier note: It looks like I will be going to work soon! A friend of ours from church is expanding his business and wants me to handle the new portion of the business. So far it sounds like it's perfect for me right now. I'm excited about that, too.

Last night we got to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I won four tickets from a local TV station. We had a blast! I'll share pictures later. I love winning stuff like that!

We had my FAVE, Chipotle, for dinner afterwards. I LOVE me some Chipotle!

I have gotten some of the most wonderful, heartfelt, supportive comments this week, and I want to thank you all. Most of you I thanked in email, but some of you don't have your email enabled, and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate each and every one of you!

That's all from here! We're looking forward to a relaxing weekend with gorgeous weather. I wish you the same! Join in the Fragging Fun at Mrs 4444's place.

P.S. I added Twitter & Facebook share buttons - feel free to use them! ;-)

This Time Last Year

When I looked back at what I was blogging about this time last year, I realized that it's a lot of the same stuff that's going on this year.

We were fundraising & preparing for the March for Babies.

We were preparing for sports season to start (although last year it was softball).

We were getting ready to celebrate the many March birthdays in our family.

We were preparing to move.

All the same stuff as this year.

Yep, we are moving. Again.

Since John and I met & married, we have moved several times. The first three moves were happy occasions; we moved from a crappy place to a nice place; from that nice place to a tiny but decent place in the town we wanted to be in; and from there to a great house that we absolutely LOVED in that same town.

That's when things got difficult. That house started literally falling apart, and to make a long story short, the owner wouldn't fix anything, and we found out that the house was in foreclosure. She was unemployed and using our rent payments to live on; the mortgage wasn't being paid.

So from there we moved into the first house we found that worked for us, in the same neighborhood. It was fine. It was a nice house, but overpriced. But the owner really wanted to sell, and we were not (and still are not) in the position to buy. He actually told us shortly before we moved to keep the house ready to show at all times, in case he stopped by with a potential buyer. I have four kids and multiple pets; that's just not happening. (we later found out that they let the house go into foreclosure after we moved out.) So we kept our eyes out and after about a year in that house, found the house that we're in now.

This house was great. Same rent as we were paying for the house we were in, but so much better. It was perfect for our family. We were determined that this would be our home until the youngest children graduated high school, at the very least.

But unfortunately, when you rent, you don't call all the shots. Once again, the homeowners have decided to sell (or at least, try). When our lease ends, we have to move. Again.

Always before, I looked at the bright side. I told myself and the kids, 'Home is where your family is'. I could always make the best of it.

Not this time. Not last week, at least. This time, it just hit me hard. I just wanted to give up. I wallowed in the unfairness of it all. I regretted so many past decisions and mistakes.

I have since come around, though, I am proud to say. I've dealt with the sadness and the loss. I've reminded myself of how much we have, that nobody can take from us. I've reminded myself of what we have to be thankful for.

And I'm looking at the bright side, and there is definitely a bright side. Financially, we will be better off because we are looking at houses that fit our budget, which drastically changed now that I'm not working. The realtor who rents this house to us has several other homes available in the area that are more in our price range. We will be much more comfortable financially, so that when I do start working again I can easily work part time. This is so much better for our family.

Also topping the list of pros about moving? The internet & cell phone service at the place we're most likely moving to is EXCELLENT. Where we live now, the service is barely existent. And clearly, I have my priorities, people.

And....this new place? Is cool. Very cool. But I'll post more about that later.

And the kids took the news just fine. They're even excited about it.

The thing is, the thing I finally remembered, is that we will be okay. No matter how many times we have to move, we will be okay. We have each other and we are really a happy, resilient bunch. We roll with the punches. I try to use these things as lessons for our children; make better choices so that you can buy your home, and don't have to be at the mercy of homeowners and landlords.

But really. We are all healthy. Our kids are doing very well in school. John has a job & excellent health insurance for all of us. We have our family, friends, and church family. There are far worse things that can happen, than to have to move from one comfortable home to another comfortable home, with your loving, dysfunctional family. Because home really is where your fun, dysfunctional family is!

But I really hope that this time next year, I am NOT blogging about moving. Again.

{Linking up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.}

Depression Is Not...

You can find a lot of resources online that will tell you the definition of Depression. I'm sure most of you have at least a basic understanding of what depression is. But there are many misconceptions about depression, people who suffer from depression, and the medication that some people take for their depression.

So I am here to tell you what Depression is NOT.

Depression is not a choice.

Depression is not an excuse.

Depression is not a copout.

Depression is not a bad day (or week).

Depression is not something a good cry will make better.

Depression is not something you can sleep off.

Depression is not something you can shake off.

Depression is not something you can control.

Medications are not a crutch.

Medications do not numb.

Medications do not create a 'high'.

Medications DO provide balance.

They provide emotional stability.

The help you keep your head above water.

They help you get out of bed in the morning.

They save relationships.

And they save lives.

There are exceptions to everything. But don't assume that the person you know who takes medication for depression doesn't really need it. Because she 'acts fine'. Maybe those medications are the ONLY thing that enable her to 'act fine'. Maybe behind closed doors, she does not 'act fine'. Maybe they are the only way she is able to parent her children. Maybe they are keeping her alive.

Depression is serious. It kills people every single day. Please don't make someone feel guilty about needing help for this illness.

(all images from PostSecret)

I'm Pouring My Heart Out today with Shell @ Things I Can't Say.

Visit her blog for more PYHO posts.