Don't Be Shy!

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Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Mid-Life Crisis????

I believe I'm in one! LOL...I waited until my crisis was healed b4 posting! 2 weeks ago I went and got a tattoo! It is a celtic knot (which represents my love of quilting) that symbolizes a mother's and her children's hearts intertwined. It is done in purple and pink with shading...I might go back and have it colored in solid...it's on the inside of my left leg...and I LOVE IT!!!


NOW...for the news I promised you this morning! My oldest, Joe, has struggled with stayin employed at one place more than a few months. He's been homeless, broke, and in DEBT. Coming up March 1, he will have been employed at 2 places for a YEAR! WOOHOO!!! And he's working to pay his student loan off, bought our old car and is paying for that, the ins. on it, and his cell phone. We have been his bank since he hasn't been able to get a bank account. He moved out in Nov. and it is NOT a good situation. We are pretty sure his roommates are ripping him off financially and that they are makin their money selling drugs. NOT GOOD...SO Joe said he needs to get out and we agreed wholeheartedly. (the good news is he didn't sign the lease, his roommates did so he's not locked in) I made some phone calls to apt. places on Monday, we looked at a place and put in an app. It will save him about $200/month and that doesn't include the decrease in his gas costs. We co-signed for him because we didn't think he'd qualify on his own credit. BUT HE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then today...well, is there any better way to wake up than this? I turned on my cell phone and the voice mail "whoop whoop" sound went off! SO...I said to myself, AH, Sarah called after I went to bed. (she was supposed to call me after her job interview at 8PM last night and I heard nothing.) But the voicemail wasn't from Sarah...it was from Joe.

I will save this voicemail FOREVER!!! And remind me when he's made me upset to listen to it! The voicemail went something like this:

"Um, hi mom. It's Joe. I just wanted to call and tell you thank you so much for your help in finding me a new place to live. I have to tell you how much I appreciate it and how EXCITED (he giggles) I am to have qualified on my own for the apt too!!! I have had such AN AWESOME day and it's due largely in part to you and dad!! I am so thankful that you and dad are helping me pay off my loan to Target (he'll pay us back but we wanted it off his credit) and helping get my student loan back on track. It's just such an AWESOME feeling to be doing this on my own! And I REALLY REALLY appreciate your help...and dad's, I'll call him tomorrow and leave him a message but I thought I might catch you awake tonight. I just had to say THANKS!!!!! I appreciate your help!!! (he giggles again) I am just so HAPPY!!!"

I have listened to that message 3 times already! My heart is SO FULL and HAPPY!!! I pray that Joe is "getting it"!

THEN...there's Sarah. Spending money like she's got it! And she doesn't! She has to pay a LOT of the bills now that she's at a CC instead of WIU. I just shake my head on that one. She should hear about the job tonight...she'd get $4/hour and her tips being a server, which is what she does here. She said she'll probably get hired but is unsure of how many hours she'll get. Time will tell on that one.

Have a great rest of the day...OH...here's a pic of my 5 blocks for the Hazed and Infused quilt.



Have a great day!!!
Hugs
Laurie

12 comments:

Tracey said...

You know...those things DON'T COME OFF!!! :oP

Congrats to Joe again. :o)

Jeanne said...

{{{Laurie}}} A hug for your joy about your son, and another hug for the tattoo. I have a small one, too :)

Mary Johnson said...

Aren't you brave? I'm due for a midlife crisis too - I'll be 45 in June but think I'm too chicken for a tattoo.

It's good to hear your son is getting things together. It sounds like he has a lot of support and hopefully he'll stay on track.

I've got 2 sons out on their own 20 and 22 and both doing OK so far. The youngest just moved out in Nov. He's finishing up his internship for his culinary program and is working for Ritz Carlton.

Bonnie K. Hunter said...

Hopefully if we can all hang in long enough, we will ALL have that moment when our kids actually "get a clue" and realise how much they have to be grateful for, even if they have to work so hard for it!

Bonnie

Cher said...

yes, save that message-it is a wonderful payoff for hanging in there with a challenging son! been there and still doing some of that!
love the tat...good for you to do it...and I like the blocks! colors are working well together!
Cher

Laurie Ann said...

Sounds like your son is back on track and how nice that he actually realizes and appreciates what you've done for him. You can keep the message and play it back in the future when he doesn't seem so appreciative. :) Love the tat! I'd like to get one on my foot of a couple of dog prints, but so far I've been too chicken! Maybe I'll get one when I come out to Kansas to use your long arm! :)

Granny said...

Laurie: That's so great to hear the good news about Joe. I only know a little of how you've struggled and had your heart broken with him. It has to make a mother proud to see the light coming on. It even encourages me .. knowing I'll probably face many of the same challenges with Chad.

Love the tattoo. You're so brave! :)

And, the blocks are going together so nicely! Love the colors.

Judy

Finn said...

Thanks for sharing Joe's call with us Laurie! I'm sure I'm not the only one who would LOVE to get a call like that one. Rest assured you and DH aren't alone in having kids that have to learn the hard way(or so it seems). BIG HUGS for all the happiness, it is so gratifying.

Love the tatoo also, very sweet..*VBS*

Kay said...

I'm so happy for you! I have a son with some similar problems, and so can identify. You've done things right.

Samantha said...

Wow, that's so wonderful about your son!!!

Love the new tattoo, and also the hazed and confused blocks.

The Calico Cat said...

WOW - lots of family stuff going on.

Just to let you know the quilt that was posted on my blog was designed by Judy Martin (not sure which book in addition to the F&P magazine.)

tami said...

I know just how you feel about your son getting things together. I always worried about my daughter. She could never seem to realize that in order to get money out of a bank you actually had to put it in first. She went off into the world at 18 to join a professional ballet company so naturally needed financial help. I still remember the first month she said to me that she had it covered and hasn't asked for anything since. It's so neat when they realize that it feels so much better when they do it for themselves.