my apologies for not blogging sooner. i have a good reason though. i've been sick for about five days now. i knew i'd get sick. that's what happens when you lay down with your two year old every night (to get him to go to sleep) and he coughs in your face for the first 15 minutes. so now i have what ryder had, just worse. i've been coughing like crazy. luckily, i had a couple great clients this weekend, who understood and were willing to reschedule.

and then...drama. have i mentioned that i hate drama. i'm just too old. and i don't want to deal with it. well, my weekend was filled with it. the worst being a neighbor of mine, saturday evening:

ding dong (at midnight)
(steve enters the room...he had just gone to bed)
steve: was that the door bell.
deb: yep, get it.
steve: who is it?
deb: i don't know. just get it.
(female neighbor standing at the door)
neighbor: will you guys stop [bleepin] call security. we have our in-laws at the house and you guys need to stop this [bleep].
steve: we didn't call security.
neighbor: i know you guys did. you do it all the time.
steve: we didn't call security.
(deb stands up from computer)
deb: we didn't call security.
neighbor: you guys did. we know you [bleepin] did. who else would do it? you do it all the time.
deb: we didn't call security!! come on...let's call security and we'll get this straightened out right now.
neighbor: we know you [bleepin] did. why don't you guys just mind your own [beepin] business.
deb: i'll call security right now and put them on speaker phone. we can settle this right here. you can hear security say that we weren't the ones that called.
(more transpires but can't remember exact wording...lots and lots of cussing though)
neighbor: at least i work. why don't you [bleepin] get a job and stop staring out your window. you [bleepin] [bleep].
deb: grow up. just grow up.
neighbor: [bleep] you [bleep]. like your kids aren't out in the street screaming at 7 AM.
deb: nope, we're not even up at 7 AM. just grow up.
neighbor: just stay the [bleep] on your side of the street. stay in your pay grade.
steve: likewise.
(neighbor walks across the grass cussing and hollering, back to her house)

on sunday, steve takes the kids to the park and i'm working (yes, i do work) on the computer, which is right next to my front door. my neighbor and her daughter, stop in their car in front of my house and just sit there and flip me off. not a drive by...they sit there. when steve got home, i told him what happened. he said, "i'm going over there. i'm going to discuss this with him man to man. this has to stop". and steve did...he went to the neighbor's house and talked to the dad (the active duty member...we live in military housing). steve comes home and says he thinks that things will be fine. the guy apologized and said that he will talk to his wife and daughter. well, not even five minutes later, they flip me off again...and again.

just to clear things up for those reading and/or wondering:
we didn't call security.
we did call the police three weeks ago (along with two other neighbors) b/c people were fighting on the front lawn and cussing / hollering at each other.
i don't stare out my kids window. my kitchen window is right where the sink/counter is so they probably see me there a lot.
i do have a job :-)

so that is part of what has stressed me out this weekend. i'm trying hard not to let them get to me and definitely not let them intimidate me. however, the whole thing just sucks. yesterday, i was super bummed out, thinking i have to change things. i have to change my way of thinking. this is just a little hurdle that i will get over. i can't let things (beyond my control) get the best of me.

live life with arms wide open
today is where your book begins
the rest is still unwritten
- natasha bedingfield

so, with that chapter over and a new chapter beginning, i attack life with arms wide open.