On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: 3 days of sneezing...

and some lights on a Joshua tree!

My weekend started out with a cold.  Actually, I've felt sick all week, but the worst days were Friday and Saturday.  I had a weekend without Mike and I have to admit it was a bit lonely.  I missed him terribly.  At the same time, it gave me a chance to spend some time with my mom and the kids, which is never a bad thing.  I caught myself wanting him with me though...like such simple tasks as making my morning coffee weren't quite complete because he wasn't in the other room.  That's big.  That's huge.  I think he and I have passed huge and gone straight to ginormous, but I think I'll leave that for another time.  For now, that is just between him and I...because some things should be kept that way.  But other than me missing Mike, I did have some things happening this weekend.  Thursday, (why do I always feel like my weekends start with Thursday?) Mike took the kids and I to dinner.  It was so nice.  He was supposed to stay over, since he would be gone over the weekend, but it didn't work out that way.  He ended up having to work late, so we went to Outback near his office in order to spend some time together before he left for Utah.  I also ended up giving him my cold.  Still sorry about that, sweetheart.

Friday was...difficult.  About a year ago, my ex hooked up my cable (former cable guy) and it ended up getting shut off a month ago.  During a random call (I say random because he calls out of the blue and never with an actual reason.) I mentioned that it needed to be turned back on.  Since then, I've been getting excuse after excuse as to why he can't make it "all the way over here".  You would think I lived across the country.  So, anyway, after having to cancel plans with Mike last weekend because Rick was coming over and him never showing up...I was fed up.  I wanted my cable, I wanted him to get his visit in with the kids, and I wanted to be done with the whole thing so he would go away again for a few months.  Selfish of me, but I don't care.  I called and left a message at his mother's house (knowing that he goes there during the day when she's not home), telling him that I would come and pick him up after I got off work so we could get things done.  He called back, I picked him up, and took him back to my house.  It was uncomfortable and awkward.  Maybe it was the little sticky note on the cable wire that said, "I hope I can still turn you on." (get it? like cable, but an innuendo at the same time...ugh. gross.) or maybe it was the completely disgusted feeling that I get when I have to be in the same room with him.  Probably all of the above.  Autumn was happy, though, so I endured several hours of his horrible jokes...and the fact that he had to confirm with me what grades his children were in and how old they were.  How the fuck did I put up with that for 10 long years?  When he was about to give me an excuse about his ride not being able to come get him and that he would just stay at my place, I drew the line.  I told him to get his things, that I would drop him off wherever he wanted.  I took him to his friends house, declined an invitation to hang out, and got the hell out of there.  The kids were even glad to see him go at that point.  He had overstayed his welcome, which is something he does a lot...my friends who know him can attest to that.  I told my mom about it the next day and was so thankful that I finally met the person that I am supposed to be with.  Everything that I have been through led me to Michael and I wouldn't change it for anything.  She and I both agreed that I have such a great man now...but we all know her opinion of Mike, right?  She's glad to finally see me happy.
Later that night, I was online and got an IM from SportsBabe.  I've mentioned her before.  She is also friends with C2.  She wanted to catch up and hear all about Mike.  She also wanted to tell me all about her new beau.  They have also had kind of a whirlwind romance, like Mike and I, so we compared notes and gushed about our men.  They are planning on getting married next year.  Then she blurts out with, "Yeah! We're having a big party to celebrate our engagement at C2's house in a few weeks! I really want you to be there. You'll come, right?"  And I'm supposed to bring Mike so they can meet.  I'm considering it.  I really do like her and I'd like to keep her as a friend.  Will I be able to get through a night without punching C2 in the mouth?  Maybe.  He was a complete asshole and still is.  The problem with that is that he admits it and doesn't apologize for it.  He basically warned me about it several times, so how can I hold a grudge?  I won't think about it until I actually get an invitation, which knowing SportsBabe, will be less than 24 hour notice.  She has to know he and I haven't spoken at all in months, right?

Saturday I spent in bed.  Literally.  I even missed a lunch date with one of Mike's best friends.  I felt bad, but she was very gracious about me cancelling.  I laid in bed and slept off and on all day, until about an hour before my mother showed up at my house.  We had plans to go out looking at Christmas lights.  We ended up at the holiday cactus garden at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory.  It is basically a bunch of desert vegetation covered in over 500,000 twinkle lights.  It's actually quite beautiful and the pictures I took don't do it justice at all.  I'd like to go back and spend some time there with Mike, sans a boy with pre-teen angst and a daughter who won't stop fighting with her brother.  I was wishing he was there the entire time and I think he was a little sad that he missed it.

Today I felt mostly recovered, except for a stuffy/runny nose.  I rested this morning, then spent my afternoon cleaning the landfill that was Mini-Me's room.  It was disgusting.  It had actually gotten so bad, that I threatened that she would not be able to have Christmas unless it was clean.  I knew it wouldn't get done.  It had become too much for her to do on her own, so I gave in and helped did it all.  I sat tonight and watched a Christmas movie on TV alone.  I always thought of myself as a person who required alone time.  Recently, my alone time is more lonely than anything.
So, tomorrow begins another week.  I get to have Mike tomorrow night and I'm happy for that.  We're going to the theater again on Friday and then we have my company Christmas party to go to on Saturday night.  I'll be glad to finally get to introduce him to some people in my life other than my children and mother.