Past and Present

My life a year ago was incredibly different. Here's a look into last year: (See for yourself)

For Thanksgiving I was with my now Ex-Husband. We were spending the holiday with his parents, my NEW In-Laws. We were still on our way home from Las Vegas, where we said "I do" on November 17. At that time my life seemed great. I was happy, my In-Laws loved me, I was with family for the holiday. Sure, there were things that bugged me but I was grateful for the life I had.

I even was out shopping on Black Friday, with my Husband and MIL.

A year ago, I was an ass/bitch (a most horrible creature)--and you can ask the one I was harsh to. A year ago I listened to one side of the story. Nothing but poison and lies coming from my MIL: My new lil brother in-law had asked his HS sweetheart to marry him but there were rumors of them eloping, not their original plan. I became a vile bitch. For that I am sorry. There's no need for details, just know that I did whatever I could to make her uncomfortable. When I was in her position, almost 5 months later, I apologized to her (better late than never).

It's funny, we still keep in touch and we both know exactly why our relationships failed. And we're grateful that they did fail. Even though we endured such heartache. We learned valuable lessons. We're always going to keep an eye out for an interfering MIL.

That was a year ago. This year:

Thanksgiving this year was spent with My Family: My kids, Mom, Grandma, Aunt, and cousins. It was great, just like my son said, "The best Thanksgiving ever!" The cousins that just recently moved out of state came home. One surprised us all. There was laughter, great food, and an atmosphere of love.

I'm obviously not shopping this Black Friday - especially after reading about someone getting trampled to death at a Wal-Mart in NY.

I've been officially divorced for over a month. But it's been over 7 months since my MIL filed for divorce. I now live in a beautiful place, with a lake just for me and my dog. My kids are surrounded by family. My aunt only lives on the other side of the lake. We feel loved. I feel loved. I feel no jealousy. And I am happy. I'm grateful for the life I have, for my kids, my family, and everyday I get to enjoy.

That sums it up pretty well. And now I feel I can transition more smoothly to my next topic of Interfering Mother-In-Laws.

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"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." -Gandhi