I'm back for a while

[ClingingToHope]

Thanks Mishka.

Back from New York City trip. Quick breakdown:

Friday - FAO Schwarz - awesome.
Saturday - Beatles show in morning, Times Square, Broadway - awesome.
Sunday - Carlo's Bakery, Hall of Science, dinner at local restaurant - eh, OK. Hall of Science was a dud.
Monday - morning kids sniping at each other. Tired of small hotel room. American Museum of Natural History. I lose my patience as kids keep bickering. Tears flow. Finally we make it in and it's boring for older kids. Short trip to Ground Zero. End day though with helicopter ride and boat ride. That was awesome and it salvaged the day, but I'm still struggling with D16's moods.

So back from New York. Interview today with nonprofit, Christian-based financial firm. I had low expectations going in, but I really liked what I heard. This could be a possibility. Another meeting tomorrow.

Weird thing. Found out on Facebook that XW and Biker Guy -- and the girls and their baby sister -- are moving. Apparently, it's only a couple of blocks from D12's best friends.

Hashing out a few issues in my mind.

Happy parts -- this means biker guy will be out of the house my parents owned when I was a kid and that XW and I lived in for 13 years. I HATED seeing another man in my house.

The new house is in the same school district the girls are in now. My big worry a couple of years ago was that XW was going to try to move my girls to biker guy's home town, which is 45 minutes away. It would have made it very difficult for me to see them as much as I do. The one discussion/fight we had over it I told XW I'd spend "every last dime" in court fighting for custody if she tried to move them there. So this is a good thing.

Sad parts -- the girls will be leaving what they've always considered home. This was THEIR house. Now they'll be moving to HIS house.

Happy part -- I've lived in the house I'm in now for two years now and I spent a summer here in '09. This will be more home to them than the new place.

Sad part -- hard to define. It will be weird not having them there.

Happy part -- I will make an admission here that has played a part in a lot of things the last couple of weeks. When D16 and I were having that major blowup two weekends ago, at the end, after we'd gotten through the major stuff, she said XW admitted she "isn't happy." D16 says she talks to XW all the time about it.

And that just released a lot of weight from my shoulders. That may be the wrong feeling to have, but it is the feeling I have. And ever since I've felt lighter. I worked hard in that marriage. I made lots of mistakes, but dedication to the family and to XW was never one of them.

Anyway, lots of doings in the past week. Five POSITIVE things from today.

1) Saw both girls. It's spring break. I drove one to and from work and saw the other briefly when getting D16.
2) Great interview.
3) Finally over a cold, which I battled all during New York City trip.
4) Setting up a day trip into Chicago next week to see my Reds play the Cubs.
5) Good email from government group saying I'll have "clarity" by end of April on possible job opening.