Fun and Frolic With Long-Term Love

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It’s nice enough to be on my back deck today! I’m thinking it will hold up for another year, as planned. I am going to call and get the guy out here that we connected with this past weekend, to give us a quote on a tear down and rebuild, with the addition of a wheelchair ramp.

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It’s a disaster at the moment, covered in winter berries and twigs from trees behind where I was standing. It’s supposed to rain all week, so I probably won’t get it cleaned up yet.

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This Spring I am finally removing the big rock feature on the left end of the deck. I figure I can use the contents as I repot my indoor plants. 😆 But that location is where the ramp will be, I think. We’ll pull out that little bush, and have the ramp come down and around the side of the house to the left.

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The cameras out here, DarkKnight has been testing different brands. I couldn’t even tell you what is active right now! However, the plan for this year is to connect the system out back with at least one good streaming cam to watch the wildlife on YouTube.
 
MisterMoonbeam and I went and bought a little retro corner bar this past weekend, as I’ve been looking for a flat surface to use as a buffet in the dining room. There’s only a small small available, and I was questioning whether we’d ever find something to fit! When I saw this little guy on Marketplace, I jumped!

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It looks to be a ChromeCraft brand that needs some love. It’s been spray painted and abused. I plan to get the center base back to silver, and I’m going to spray paint the base itself black. The main barrel I’m going to color green, and I found some silver metal starbursts to attach to it, to give that vintage look! Honestly I’d like to pull off and put on a new trim tape around the countertop (it’s kidney-bean shaped!) but I’m nervous since that would be a new thing for me to try.

Today the map canvases arrived in the mail, and I got those hung up by myself this afternoon. I like that the dark color pulls the fireplace black across from the other side of the room, and of course the map mirrors the globes I have in there as well. Amazon says that I have the rest of this wall coming over the next few days! There will be a horizontal line of wall-mounted air plants underneath the map.

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I am still planning on replacing the little table to the right, but I haven’t found a cabinet that I like yet. It needs to close and fit in MisterMoonbeam’s camera equipment.
 
Ugh yesterday and today I have the worst pain in my neck. Apparently I’ve been not sleeping so well, or laying wrong when reading. I was hoping it would be better this morning, but I woke up having to take ibuprofen.

Today I have therapy in the afternoon, and apparently I need to stop and buy some bottled water since we are almost out. I’m hoping to have time to stop at a local consignment shop and look for a cabinet for the living room. I don’t want to spend more than $60 so we will see. I’ve been stopping to shop at least once a week and so far have had no luck.
 
I woke up early this morning and the pain I’m at is like a level 7-8. It changes. I got up to pee and that always helps take the edge off, but it’s really bad today. I have a heating pad and it’s helping. Most of the pain is in my lower back, but it really wraps all the way around to the front of my abdomen, with hot spots on my hips. This causes my upper back to then start cramping, and my legs ache. Fuck these fibroids. OMG.

MisterMoonbeam and I were hyped up a bit before bed to have sex but then I got tired and nothing happened. I’m actually REALLY glad, because 100% I would have blamed this pain escalation on the sex.

I’m supposed to meet up with TheEngineer today. We haven’t seen each other since before I went to Mythicon. I was sick, and then he was sick. I’m not as excited about it, to be honest. We haven’t had sex since December and though he texts me everyday, it’s superficial and brief. This is on me - I just don’t have the energy to maintain this relationship. I WANT to have the energy but not seeing each other is a drag.

I do like him though, so we will see how things unfold. It’s not his fault I’m a shitty partner right now.

I did weigh myself yesterday and I’m sitting at 201.5 pounds. I still seem to just be stuck between 200 and 205, which I am fine with. I feel good about how I look, about half the time. The other half I feel weird in my body, like I am wearing a sack of skin that is held up by shoulder straps - like a set of overalls with a bunch of lumps shoved into the middle section. My clothes are all definitely a size 14 now; I’m mid-size. But, when I look at myself, I seem lumpy and large. I should have talked about my body dysmorphia at therapy yesterday, but the focus was more on getting caught up on where I’m at generally, as I hadn’t seen her since before Mythicon since I was sick and she was on vacation. I’m seeing her weekly though, so we will be back on track next Wednesday.

It’s 33 days until my divorce.
 
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So my date day today with TheEngineer went really well. He came to my house and greeted me with a kiss and he was SO EXCITED to see me. I was shocked, not gonna lie. He was just so jazzed, and his energy was infectious. He treated me to lunch, and we visited 5 vintage/thrift/resale shops. I bought 3 globes because I have no willpower. Lol

At the end of the date we hung out at my house for like 15 minutes and talked about our relationship. He told me he regretted not being able to see me for our Valentine’s Day date, which we canceled due to the snowy weather. He said he wanted to tell me then that he wanted to call me his girlfriend, that he was happy to have labels like that. His grin was so big - oh, he was adorable and he made me love him in that moment.

After TheEngineer left, DarkKnight was home and I got to give him kisses and see him briefly before he left for his practice. We have a sleepover tonight so I am presently waiting for him to text me that he’s on his way back. I figure I probably have another hour before that happens.

Tonight MisterMoonbeam and I went out for dinner at Black Rock, after we went to JCPenney and bought his wedding ring. The one I had ordered and received from Amazon was like a Cracker Jack box prize. JCPenney was having a sale, so we got a nice ring for a little over $100 for him. I guess it’s a tungsten ring with a wood insert? I love how it looks, and we think it will be okay with my moss agate solitaire that he bought for my engagement ring.

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I love how mine looks like pond water - I don’t know, it just resonates with me for some reason. I definitely didn’t feel like I wanted a diamond again. I still have my diamond solitaire from DarkKnight and I never wear it. I’m actually planning on going to a pawn shop soon and finally selling the diamond engagement ring from my very first wedding, and my white gold wedding band from PunkRock.

I don’t necessarily feel like I will wear this ring anymore than I normally wear DarkKnight’s set that I have. I do feel like it’s important to have something meaningful to me though, if I wanted to wear it. That makes no sense but whatever. Lol

Today was a good day, in spite of the painful start that I had.
 
Bluebird said:
So my date day today with TheEngineer went really well. He came to my house and greeted me with a kiss and he was SO EXCITED to see me. I was shocked, not gonna lie. He was just so jazzed, and his energy was infectious. He treated me to lunch, and we visited 5 vintage/thrift/resale shops. I bought 3 globes because I have no willpower. Lol

At the end of the date we hung out at my house for like 15 minutes and talked about our relationship. He told me he regretted not being able to see me for our Valentine’s Day date, which we canceled due to the snowy weather. He said he wanted to tell me then that he wanted to call me his girlfriend, that he was happy to have labels like that. His grin was so big - oh, he was adorable and he made me love him in that moment.

After TheEngineer left, DarkKnight was home and I got to give him kisses and see him briefly before he left for his practice. We have a sleepover tonight so I am presently waiting for him to text me that he’s on his way back. I figure I probably have another hour before that happens.

Tonight MisterMoonbeam and I went out for dinner at Black Rock, after we went to JCPenney and bought his wedding ring. The one I had ordered and received from Amazon was like a Cracker Jack box prize. JCPenney was having a sale, so we got a nice ring for a little over $100 for him. I guess it’s a tungsten ring with a wood insert? I love how it looks, and we think it will be okay with my moss agate solitaire that he bought for my engagement ring.

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I love how mine looks like pond water - I don’t know, it just resonates with me for some reason. I definitely didn’t feel like I wanted a diamond again. I still have my diamond solitaire from DarkKnight and I never wear it. I’m actually planning on going to a pawn shop soon and finally selling the diamond engagement ring from my very first wedding, and my white gold wedding band from PunkRock.

I don’t necessarily feel like I will wear this ring anymore than I normally wear DarkKnight’s set that I have. I do feel like it’s important to have something meaningful to me though, if I wanted to wear it. That makes no sense but whatever. Lol

Today was a good day, in spite of the painful start that I had.
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Ooh I love both rings! Gosh, if I had 2 husbands, I'd wear their rings a lot. You must not be a ring girlie. I know you love bracelets. But damn, that new ring would look so good with your woodland wench type outfits. It's just perfect.

I always wear earrings and bracelets. I don't wear rings every day, because sometimes my fingers just need to feel free. But I do wear them often, and necklaces, as well. I also never take off my gold ankle bracelet and silver toe ring because I can't feel them on me at all.
 
Magdlyn said:
Ooh I love both rings! Gosh, if I had 2 husbands, I'd wear their rings a lot. You must not be a ring girlie. I know you love bracelets. But damn, that new ring would look so good with your woodland wench type outfits. It's just perfect.

I always wear earrings and bracelets. I don't wear rings every day, because sometimes my fingers just need to feel free. But I do wear them often, and necklaces, as well. I also never take off my gold ankle bracelet and silver toe ring because I can't feel them on me at all.
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I have a major aversion to metal. If you check out my bracelets, like 99% of them are lucite, plastic, braided, beaded or leather. So rings are kinda not my jam at all.
 
Does metal just not feel good on your skin?
 
Magdlyn said:
Does metal just not feel good on your skin?
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It just gives me the ick. I don’t like touching doorknobs or silverware. Just one more thing about me that is ridiculous!
 
Well, people have aversions. Do you prefer to eat with wooden spoons or chopsticks over metal silverware?

So the moss agate ring is your engagement ring, but you're not wearing it, right? Will you have a wedding ring from him to put on your finger during the ceremony, or just use this ring?
 
Magdlyn said:
Well, people have aversions. Do you prefer to eat with wooden spoons or chopsticks over metal silverware?

So the moss agate ring is your engagement ring, but you're not wearing it, right? Will you have a wedding ring from him to put on your finger during the ceremony, or just use this ring?
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I would prefer plasticware, or silverware with plastic handles. I just deal with it, most of the time.

I’m not wearing the ring yet because it will be my engagement ring. He hasn’t proposed. I think he’s waiting until after my wedding anniversary with DarkKnight on Monday though. He’s respectful like that. I’ll have it on after his official proposal.

I don’t want a separate wedding ring - I’m not wearing what I have as it is and it seems like a waste of cash to me! I figure he can snag it back the morning of our ceremony and put it back on me later that day.

We’re not having a fancy ceremony - we’re going to show up at the officiant’s house to sign the paperwork and she’ll file it for us. We’ll then go meet up with a photographer at the outdoor spots where we want to get photos together, and say vows to each other. We’ll exchange rings then and be good to go!

His ring arrived in the mail today and it looks great. We are both happy with these! :) He picked up his suit today too. He now just needs to buy a tie and some socks. I have a friend that makes bouquets and centerpieces and such - she was actually just featured on the news for this! - and she’s creating me a halo headpiece and a bouquet. This was the inspiration photo I gave her:

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We’ve had a couple of discussions about where we want to travel to for the honeymoon but we haven’t settled on anyplace yet. If we are able to get married the Friday we want, we’ll just be gone Friday-Saturday-Sunday. We don’t want to waste any of his vacation time as he may need to take off of work for my surgeries and such.
 
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Thanks for explaining about the rings. Exchanging gold wedding bands is traditional, but it's interesting to see how non-trad people do things.

My son was just telling me about going to my ex-husband's recent wedding. He got married to the woman he started dating in 1999 when we first experimented with poly. She is a Sikh and lives on an ashram and he's been visiting her there regularly for years. (They tried living together at one point years ago, but it didn't work out then, for various reasons.) Anyway, they got married in the big central meeting building on the ashram. They already have rings together, my son said, like, just "love rings," or whatever. So, they just exchanged vows in front of an ordained person, surrounded by the other Sikhs. Most people wore white, as they do anyway. Some people sang a song, they were declared husband and wife, and that was it. Then they all shared some cake.
 
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Ooh! My flower friend sent me photos tonight and it’s now all paid for! These are going to look amazing with my wedding dress & corset! MisterMoonbeam’s suit is navy and that chartreuse boutonnière is gonna POP. I’m super excited. Hopefully I can get this stuff into my hands soon so I can go shopping for the tie!

In other news, tomorrow (the 11th) is my wedding anniversary with DarkKnight. We went out today to see the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and it was a blast! I’ve seen it once before, and it was a new show for him. Part of the fun of this play is that they choose 4 audience members to participate - and I got picked!

The actual characters in the show are adult actors pretending to be middle-schoolers in a spelling bee. So yeah, I got drafted to be one of them with the only preparation was a slip of paper saying that no matter what, ask for the definition, and ask for the word to be given in a sentence. 😅

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No photos were allowed during the production, but it was actually kind of amazing because during the show the “contestants” each have a big sign around their neck with a number - and I was randomly given number 4! This is my favorite number (along with 8) so I was super excited about that.

Anyway, the way it works is that as the show progresses, the audience participants are given harder words so everyone is eliminated by intermission, at which point just some of the actors are left. Though, before that they do give words like “cow.” Lol Also, as we walked up to the microphone to spell, they would announce fun facts about us. 😅

After they called my name to spell my first word, they shared that I was an international hopscotch enthusiast. I was then asked to spell “fandango,” which I did. Yay! I was glad not to be the first one eliminated.

The second time I went up, it was shared that I was actually three possums in a trench coat. 😂😂 This was extra hilarious to me because last week I went on a picnic and saw an actual possum. 😂😂 Anyway, I did not spell the word “jeofail” correctly, but I was given a juice box and a hug.

DarkKnight said I did great and he was happy to see me on stage, because he’s the local theater performer in our family! This was about as much as I am interested in doing, but it was a good time. We finished off the evening with dinner at Mango Grill, and then a trip to Lowe’s to buy a new staple gun and some succulent potting soil.

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DarkKnight took the day off of work for our anniversary. We don’t have any couple-y sort of things planned but we might go out this afternoon to shop for queen-sized headboard. My crafty project to create a headboard with a tapestry and a frame failed last night. lol

I am going to spend some of the time working on the spare bedroom today. I need to hang pictures and wash the floor.

One of our friends from the Virginia triad is coming to stay a few days, as it’s Spring Break and she’s off of work. (The “unicorn” of the group.) She’s very distraught because the male partner who blew up their polycule is now planning on moving to the southwest?! I asked her if they were breaking up and she said it was complicated.

I totally understand wanting to move away and start over, but this dude literally took 5-figures from the shared bank account with no warning, and paid a year’s lease in advance on his new bachelor apartment. Now he’s leaving? That makes no sense. I hope she can make it make sense. I kinda need it to make sense.

MisterMoonbeam’s birdwatching classes have completed and today is a one-off experience that I bought him - hiking on a trail with a group to discover local birds. Of course it’s windy and freaking freezing out. It’s from 10 am to noon today.
 
I'm so glad you're feeling well enough to continue with fun activities! You are keeping well distracted. That's great.
 
Magdlyn said:
I'm so glad you're feeling well enough to continue with fun activities! You are keeping well distracted. That's great.
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I am in pain every single day but I pound some Advil and push through. Usually that is doable, thank goodness.
 
Bluebird said:
I am in pain every single day but I pound some Advil and push through. Usually that is doable, thank goodness.
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That's my life, too, but I'm 68 and have arthritis. You'll be better soon, I know it!
 
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I cleared more stuff out of the garage this evening. I have a van full of trash for the dump and a car full of donations to be delivered tonight. There is still A TON of craft materials to sort through, so we’ve decided to move all those down to the storage room in the basement for now. DarkKnight carried down 6 or so totes for me but I know there’s lots more. MisterMoonbeam’s late wife was SERIOUS with her hobbies! ♥️

My goal is to be able to park one car in here before my surgery, and even if I don’t get to organizing and cataloging all of the crafty things, at least they’ll be consolidated in the storage room and out of the way.

I’m not sure what to do with the empty shelving units. We may use them in the storage room, we might not. I don’t want to lug them downstairs and then not need them, so for now they are living in this space.

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That mess in the middle is not as bad as it seems. Behind the red cooler in the center is my 4’ x 8’ table, which is covered mostly with a chop saw and a tile saw and some other bigger equipment. And the black & yellow tote with shelving pieces on it has an actual motor scooter behind it! Once I start pulling that stuff out, things will move faster!

I just remembered that my vintage side tables that had the tops broken when we moved in last April are stacked on the table as well. I think I am going to try and have the stone replaced for the house-anniversary! It would be nice to finally bring them inside. When they were pulled out of the moving van broken, I was devastated and just started crying. It was like the last straw on a very stressful day. I am actually excited to see them now!

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That’s a picture from when DarkKnight and I bought them at the vintage resale shop. They were begot like $400, I think. I fell in love instantly and then never got to use them.
 
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