I'm back...finally!

Sorry for the delay in posting about our trip. We got back from Disney late Saturday night and it's been a whirlwind ever since...just trying to get back into our old routine, sleep schedules, work...etc. It's amazing how off we were after only 7 days away!!

Ok...the trip. It was great for the kids. I'm very glad I decided to go and don't regret it at all!! We spent a lot of time in Magic Kingdom, met all the characters and rode on lots of rides! It was a challenge because every ride the kids went on was their favorite. That one ride was the only one they wanted to go on and it was a fight to convince them to try another ride. Once we did...the new one was their favorite. And so on...Tired yet?! We had breakfast with Chef Mickey and friends at the Contemporary resort and breakfast with the princesses in Epcot. We spent some time in Epcot but the kids weren't interested in the countries, so most of our time there consisted of eating or shopping. We did spend a few hours at Blizzard Beach (water park) which was a blast!! We didn't go to MGM...kid's aren't really old enough for much. Ohh yeah...and we went to Animal Kingdom. The safari at Animal Kingdom was great as were the rides. The kids really loved it here! We stayed at the Pop Century Resort which celebrates pop cultures from the 50's to the 90's. Very cool! Our room was in the 60's building. Just outside our room was a 4 story Mickey Mouse telephone...just like something I would have had when I was 9. There was also a Foosball table with figures a story and a half tall...everything in this resort was over sized! Even Mr. and Mrs. Potato heads were over 2 stories tall and there was a 4 story tall Rubik cube! We spend some time at the hotel, but not much. Mainly for meals, playing for a bit in the arcade, swimming a few times in the pool, shopping and sleeping. The kids really had a great time, despite cycling through being completely overwhelmed, completely ecstatic, or completely overtired! The first night there Sarah actually feel asleep on Keith at dinner in the Rainforest Cafe. If you've ever been there you know it's anything but quiet...she didn't seem to mind! :)

I on the other hand, had a tough week. It was very hard being so close to Keith for 7 days straight. Especially after being separated for almost a year! It was hard to not fall back into old habits. I found that he struggled with it too by catching himself call me "sweetie," or making old comments. I kept myself from doing any of that but I was all too aware of wanting to put my hand on his leg, or lean into him...just because it's what I would have done. After a few days of that the emotional roller coaster became even worse. I also discovered while there that he has a girlfriend (don't even ask me how I found out...not going there!) which was a blow. I had a feeling and I knew he had been dating for a while but this one apparently is more that just a date. My heart hurts but throughout the week it was very apparent why I'm not with him. Almost on a daily basis I would say to myself "Thank god I don't have to deal with that anymore!!" I knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be single for long...he doesn't have it in him. That just says to me that he hasn't learned from any of his mistakes and will continue to make them over and over. Not my problem, right?! I'm taking my time and doing what I need to do to get healthy. My only fear is that the children will suffer the repercussions of his issues. My hope is that they will always see me as strong, resilient, fun, stable and consistent, despite what kind of life their father lives. I will make mistakes, but I will do what I can to learn from my mistakes and grow from them. I hope they learn this from me. So, anyway...I'm glad the week is over and I'm very glad to get back into real life. I feel much better being home and now I just have to find where I left my patience...maybe back in Fla??

Tomorrow will be my first holiday without my children. I was invited to go with the kids to Keith's aunt's house for Thanksgiving, but I decided not to go. I am going to a woman's house (who I am beginning to get to know better) who runs the single parent's meet-up group I belong to. She is having people over who don't have their children for the holiday, or who have their children but no family to be with. She is expecting 18 adults, most of whom I know. I'm really looking forward to it and it should be a lot of fun! They can get pretty wild which is right up my alley. The kids are sleeping over at Keith's tomorrow night, which will be a nice break for me, and then Friday the kids and I are going to my parent's for our Thanksgiving. I'm spending the weekend, which should be really nice. So...all in all, I'm hoping for an uneventful and fun next 4 days. Hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving!!!