just the facts....

I dropped Austin off for his last day of high school this morning. (we hope). The English grade is still in question. He was up until 2am finishing a worksheet. Seems fitting that our last day would go like the rest of the past thirteen years have gone: with Austin behind on his school work.

Vocational Rehab through the Department of Labor takes him over from this point. I'm trying to schedule a meeting with them next week. There is educational assistance available but he is throwing up roadblocks at the idea of going to North Georgia Tech, as they suggested. I just want him to learn a skill so that he can be gainfully employed. I'm hoping that we can work out a transitional plan that Austin is comfortable with.

I have an appointment for a washing machine repairman to come out on Friday morning. I'm hoping that our landlord will allow us to leave the washer and dryer in exchange for part or all of the rent for June. Having those items in certified, good working order will help.

I have a very good job prospect lined up and will meet with them in two weeks. It would mean a move but it will allow me to work part time. My plans at this point are to live with the parents (if they'll let me) and work as long as I can so that I can pay off the various medical bills that have accumulated, accumulate some savings and be better prepared for whenever the time comes that I'm not able to work at all. I feel very confident that I can work part-time.

It will break my heart to leave the mountains. Y'all just don't know how much peace I feel here. However, I can't work part-time and afford to live independently. I can't work full-time and have any quality of life. Something has to give and... this seems like a really good opportunity for me to catch my breath, recover from 12 years as a single mom and prepare for a happy, stress free retirement, eventually.

My plans are to store my household goods in a storage place up here. Things are cheaper here (I paid $100 a month for storage in Jacksonville, the same size storage unit was $40 a month here) and it will be much, much easier to move things a short distance than it would be to move them two hours away. My hope is that eventually I will be able to move back up here, when the time comes for me to stop working. This is my happily ever after place.

At any rate... Austin and I will start moving things into the storage unit this weekend, you know, the kind of things that we don't use on a daily basis like books and bric a brac. We will need to take a load to the dump at some point. There's a lot of work ahead of us and by us, I probably mean ME, which is not good for my back but it has to be done. If I can spread the process out over the next couple of weeks, it will be easier.

My Stallings cousins have been chosen to be on Family Feud. I think I mentioned they did an audition a few months ago and they just found out that they were picked! As long as they do well in rehearsal, they will be on the Feud! Their matriarch is my Great-Aunt Bette, my grandmother's sister, the other Steel Magnolia. I know she's tickled!

I have a doctors appointment at 9:15.
Austin is in school for only half a day UNLESS he has more work to do in English. They will keep him until he passes.
I'm putting beans and ham in the crockpot for dinner.
One of the cats pooped on one of my dresses which really aggravates me, especially since I can't wash it until after the repairman comes on Friday.
We have absolutely no plans for graduation. It doesn't start until 8 and they roll up the sidewalks here at dark so it's not like we can go out for dinner afterwards.

For so many days I was stuck on pause and now... life is speeding up again. That's not really a complaint, just an observation.
Life is still good.