A Joyful Day

Son2 is now a married man.  It was an amazing day, a day of joy for them and for our family and friends.

Son2 and his bride, C

I am so thankful, for all he has overcome, to see him so happy, and for a wonderful new addition to our family.

summer news

We have a wedding coming up very soon!  About a month ago, Son2 said they were changing the date of the wedding, and wanted to get married this August, at our house.  It is supposed to be very small and very casual.  So, now it is two weeks away, and although it is small, there are still of things to arrange.  I am helping as much as I can, and although it is stressful, it is fun and exciting. It will be very non-traditional, and Son2 says the mohawk is coming back for the occasion.  The bride and groom will be all decked out in full punk attire.  My husband and I will be getting in the spirit by getting temporary tattoos.

We spent the 4th of July holiday at our place in Florida. It was hot of course, but fun and a nice little getaway.  My sister-in-law, M from California, met us there for a visit. Hadn't seen her for three years, and although Son2 had told her about his addiction back then, I don't know what he told her exactly, and H and I didn't talk to her in great detail about it back then.  Anyway, we were having a nice visit, catching up on our lives, etc. H mentioned some hobby that he kind of lost interest in, around the time of active addiction, and how difficult those times had been.  M's reaction bothered me.  She said that was over, and isn't everything ok now?  Good for H, he told her that we would never "get over" that.  

Interesting, isn't it?  For all the moving forward our family has done, that episode of our lives still lingers.  Son2 has come such a long way, treatment, counseling, graduating from college, and now getting married.  But, if anyone thinks we can forget what happened, they are nuts. We are all different people now.  Growing in different directions than we were before.

Last week we had to put our little weiner dog down.  She was very sick, 12 years old, had a good life.  It was surprising to me how sad that made me.  The house is not the same without her.

So that's my summer. I'm very excited about the wedding. It's going to be great!

Sharing the milestone

A couple of weeks ago, Son2 graduated from college.  He achieved a BFA in the Peck School of the Arts from UW-Milwaukee.  That Saturday we attended the Senior Art Show and then the PSOA Convocation.  Then Sunday we hosted a party at our house.

I didn't share this right away, I guess I wanted to hold on and savor this as long as possible.

That's Son2 below, far left. Next to him, his NA sponsor, and two of his sponsee brothers, and the baby daughter of blue shirt.

And this is his senior capstone project from the show.  It is a collection of prints that reflect his journey over the last few years, through addiction, recovery and artistic growth.  He gave us a copy, a gift to us for graduation.

Life moves on.  We spent a few days in Florida, Son2 is looking for a full time job, summer is here, busy at work.

This is Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day I have something to say to families struggling with Addiction:

My son is graduating from college.  His first semester in college, he dove deep into heroin addiction.  It was a horrible experience, and I won't go into all the details now.  Five years of college, and he pulled himself together and is now graduating.

I'm not saying this to brag, to throw this in your face, or make any of you feel bad.  I'm tell you this, to let you know there is hope.  Everyone has a different story, every one of us has felt pain, and many continue to struggle.  So, I'm not going to blab on and on about how life is grand.

Just know, there is hope.  Don't give up.

And to all you mothers... Happy Mother's Day.  Your kids love you.

it's finally spring

I am pleased that spring has finally come to Wisconsin.

I am so excited to say that Son2 is graduating from college in a couple of weeks!

I don't know what the future will bring for him. I don't want to look back at all the crap that happened, I just want to enjoy this.  I don't want to think about other "stuff" going on in my life right now, I just want to be happy.

Congratulations to my son.  I am so proud of him.

Where I want to be...

This is where I want to be... Florida.  

But where I am is Wisconsin, big snowstorm yesterday, roads were a mess, a foot of snow in the driveway when we got home from work, and now today, piles as tall as me along the side....

I am really sick of winter. I think a lot of us are here.  

A couple more weeks and my husband I will be down in Florida for vacation.  I can hardly wait. 

On a side note, we saw Son2 and his fiance at my cousin's wedding last weekend.  It was nice to see her again, starting to get to know her. It's good.

Didn't see that coming...

Just when I think there are no more surprises, Son2 comes up with another one... keep reading, it's not what you think...

So he texted me a couple days ago and wanted to know if we were home from work, sounding like he wanted to talk.  In my mind, red alerts are going off, but I talked to him and he seemed fine, although a little mysterious.  At first I was afraid he was going to say he was using again, maybe some day that will NOT be the first thought in my head... Anyway, he wanted to get together so we could meet his new girlfriend.  Yeah, ok, we hadn't met her yet, he talks about her a lot, even though they've only been going out for about a month.

Last night, we meet for dinner, met his new girlfriend, C. She seems very nice, quiet, pretty, kind of artistic and "punk" like him.  We had dinner, talked, she is an assistant manager at a pizza restaurant, works a lot of hours, seems ok, from what I could tell.  So, then Son2 says they are engaged and they want to get married next year.

DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. I don't even know what to say, we just met her, I wish I knew her better, because I don't even know what to think.  We of course, gave our congratulations, lots of hugs and kisses and plans to meet family, etc.  

He seems happy, he seems sure. But I can't help but think of the other times he was head over heels in love, and then everything fell apart.  I do not want to see that again.  But, I will wipe that doubt off of my face, and be happy for them. He is older, wiser, and more mature. He is making this choice.

I wish them all of my best wishes and happiness.  And, I welcome her to our family with open arms. HIGH HOPES, that what I have.  And, remember, he is very happy.

Looks like I will have a new daughter-in-law! Very exciting!