Breakthroughs and Breakdowns

The following important things have happened to me this week:

Breakthroughs:
I threw caution to the wind and bought a pair of flip-flops. Not just ANY flip flops, mind you, these are turquois with little sequin butterflies at the toes. I have not worn flip flops for several years on account of my medically deformed feet. I usually feel too self-conscious to show that much of my monstrous toes. But Kacy talked me into them and I felt a lot better when I wore them to Savers and saw a woman who had not shaved her legs EVER wearing a short skirt and bare legs. It's a little hard to talk about in detail: needless to say, the sight of her curly-black-haired legs made my feet look really good.

I decided to stop correcting Mike when he sings the wrong lyrics to songs. I learned from Marcy D. that it is not good to correct people (according to Dale Carnegie). I think this is true. Who likes to be corrected? Now I wish GOOGLE would take a page from Dale Carnegie's book and stop saying "did you mean TUCSON preschools?" when I accidentally type in "utscon pre skools." If they have to ask, then they already know the answer. Just give me the links, would you? Google can be so snotty.

I finally explained my fear of camping to Mike. I have been hiding it for our entire marriage. But the real reason why I fear camping is the bathroom situation: I used to be able to "go natural" as they say. Now I just can't do it. I need a real latrine. I'm also afraid that it will just suck, in general, and then what will we do? We'll be stranded! We discussed it into the wee hours of the morning and I think I am ready to try again....

I ordered sausage links from Schwans, and they arrived, and I have been eating them. That's what I call a breakthrough into the world of gourmet sausagery. I'm in, everybody--and I'm LOVIN' every minute of it!

Breakdowns:
Holden had his last day of preschool on Wednesday, about which I was crying inconsolably in the car on the way home. Holden wasn't crying, I was crying, lest you think that last sentence was just a mistake. Through my tears, I asked "won't you miss Nathan?" to which Holden responded "Mom, there will be other Nathans." He does a good job of talking me down.

While watching Winnie the Pooh's "The Heffalump Movie," I broke down crying. What a good message about tolerance and acceptance of others! Holden asked me to leave the room, and my dad came to the door and asked me what was wrong.

I broke down when Mike asked me if I want to go camping this weekend, which led to the aforementioned breakthrough conversation about my camping fears.

I broke down re: moving to Tucson and the fact that Mike was only teasing when he said that the MTC had offered him a full time job. He can't tease me like that. He doesn't know what kinds of breakdowns it causes.

And I broke down when the neighbor kids came over for the umpteenth time to play on Holden's tractor and playhouse. It was awful. They were all...over...me. I think I hate other people's kids. Not mine, and not my close friends' kids, or my relatives' kids. Just neighbor kids.

And that, my friends, is my week in a nutshell. It's been a roller coaster, I'll tell you what. But at least I'm getting my emotions under control.