W31, OM20, part II

[RBinBR]

Well, I get back in town from my trip and find out that OM is back. He's been back at the apartment for several days, it seems. I guess "he won't listen to me anymore" meant that he was coming back here no matter what.

Well, we'll see how long this lasts -- I'm betting on no more than two weeks. I really think this is the last go-round for W. I don't think her conscience can take it.

FIL called me and told me that W was going to take D4 to meet OM at the mall. MIL pitched a fit and told W that she was doing an evil thing, etc. W then reportedly took D4 in the car but changed her mind a block later and brought her back. She is obviously very troubled right now.

I'm obviously a little bit disappointed, as I had hoped that she would use the time while I was away to completely break it off with OM (instead of welcoming him back). Disappointed ... but not upset, however. I was prepared for this and I'm excited about my trip next week to Disney with D4.

I've actually had a great time this week. I went camping and hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wednesday, I set up my tent at Elkmont campground inside the park, right next to the Little River ... an absolutely amazing place to camp. I started on a planned 5 mile hike from there, but I somehow couldn't shake the desire to hike all the way up to the Appalachian Trail. I just knew that I wanted to go all the way up, so I did. That hike up and back down was ultimately 23.4 miles, with an elevation gain of 3550 feet. It consumed about 11 hours, with the last three of them done in the dark with a flashlight. If I tell you that I was exhausted and sore when I reached the top, you can only imagine the pain I was in when I reached the bottom over 11 miles later. I did it, however, and overcoming the pain to complete the challenge felt awesome ... not to mention that the scenery was jaw-droppingly beautiful. This was my first time in the Smokies, but definitely not my last. Amazingly, I was somehow able to walk the next day (with difficulty, however), and I did the short hike to Laurel Falls. I spent the rest of the day exploring the Cades Cove area with all its history and saw many deer and wild turkeys as well.

On Tuesday, I did try to go visit my mother on my way to Tennessee, but she wasn't home. I'm actually not as concerned with talking to her anymore. The important thing isn't so much that I confront her about my upbringing ... it's that I confront myself and use the knowledge I've gained to change.

Anyway, I plan to stay pretty dark with W this week, leading into the trip next week.

I'll talk to y'all later, and I'll try to catch up on some of your threads.