gulp 
{{{JtC}}} I’m sorry, hon. That’s got to be rough.
pilot, no dings here for me either. Probably a Florida thing. At least not nationwide.
Thank you, again, for your wise words. You’re right, I have no problem telling him this ever. I keep reassuring him. I just hope he doesn’t have these continual thoughts as he dies. I don’t want him going to whatever afterlife he thinks of (we’ve never talked about it, but I know that he believes there’s some kind of afterlife because he’s expecting to meet Mom there) thinking that he’s failed any of us.
Taters, thanks for the hugs. It sounds like next week is going to be hell. Business travel should never be this stressful! (Says the woman who hasn’t had to travel for business ever.) I hope you get a little relaxation while you’re out of town.
Happy birthday, metal mouse ! May your day be filled with warm sun, light breeze and all the love you can imagine, and your next year filled with things that help you grow further as the person you want to be. (And yeah, I’d have to agree that everyone needs hugs this week in particular.)
BoFae, thanks for your words of wisdom as well. I know that a large part of it is me not being ready for him to be done. And I’m trying hard to push that to the side, but it’s so difficult sometimes. Yesterday, I reminded him that he was such a good parent that he drove an hour and a half when my car wouldn’t start, only to find out that I was out of gas (faulty gas gauge) and he never gave me a hard time about it. I’m hoping that I’ll have time to remind him of more good things before he’s gone.
GodBod, I’m so sorry that she not only felt the need to cheat but lie to you about being Aero. {{{GodBod}}} Feel free to rant, rave, scream or yell as much as you need to. And if you want someone with a good ear to listen, I’ve got some pretty good ones. My DM is always open.
doggio, isittimeisittimeisittime? Can’t wait to see the sweet pup in her natural environment (read: your home).
GodBod: This 
I’ve had more than two or three “big” break-ups, but even when some of them were bad (and some were pretty bad), I realized that I’ve learned something from each one. Sometimes it was as simple as "I’m never doing that again, sometimes it was a more fundamental understanding of who I am and where I gain my strength. You’ll come across the person you’re meant to be with when the time is right.
This is Florida. They don’t know how to do apologies.
{{{Oopsie}}}, good luck with Bailey’s vet visit tomorrow and fingers crossed the cost won’t be too bad. Safe travels to NJ.
Today ended up being even better than I’d originally expected. I went to my study, talked like old friends with the woman running the study, and found out that they have another one that they’d like me to do as well. Each one pays $200, so I’ll end up with $400 in the next couple of months. It’s ALWAYS useful, especially since CtE will need all their senior year stuff today.
Speaking of CtE, they’re already home. I’m not really upset about it, per se, because TN is in the middle of TCAP (standardized testing for 3-8) and EOC (for select courses) testing. CtE had a history EOC today, and then the rest of the day was going to be pretty much nothing as other tests were being given, etc. So them coming home to work on their schoolwork means that I can at least keep an eye on them and make sure they’re doing what they should.
I think I’m going to spend some time this evening sitting on the porch reading again. It’s a beautiful day out, though I don’t have as much time to enjoy it with having to get BtY from school. Though if I finish the various bits of online things that I need to do, I may steal a little time anyway.
Hope everyone has a great rest of your day. We all need a bit of happy right now.
I have been remiss! 
happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear metal mouse, happy birthday to you….and many more! 
Or me!