Extravagant divorce

 

Today, Paladin is having surgery.  So, I’m sitting here at work waiting desperately for a text or a phone call or an IM that says, “I’m alive.”  *deep breath*  Obviously, I’m not on a next-of-kin list, but he’s made sure that his Dad will call me if anything goes wrong.  He likes to remind me that it’s a simple “procedure” and only a local anesthetic (he’s having fat from his belly inserted into his vocal chords to allow him to speak easier…his voice is very raspy and he loses his voice after talking for a while).  But, it’s not like that will keep me from worrying.  I was worrying yesterday when I was blogging and waiting for him to get back and tell me what the time frame was for the surgery (I was worried that they’d do it spur of the moment).  I hate not being there, but that’s the idiotic Army hospital system.    Instead, I’ll sit here and speak inanely of future plans and the house.

 

Here are some pics of the house.  Naturally, I forgot to get pics of the outside but at least you can get an idea of the “before” (heh just wait until I get a hold of it…that’s one of those benefits of a guy that likes being in a union…he’s used to letting me take the lead on most things already). 

 

These are of the living room:

 

 

 

 

 

This is the dining room next to the living room (the wood spindles separate the two rooms):

 

 

 

 

 

This is a view of the kitchen (with its little U-shaped area which is FAR too small, but it will do for now…alas, there is no dishwasher…the horror!): 

 

 

 

Paladin was under the mistaken impression (obviously given to him by the real estate agent) that the house is a 1970’s build.  HA!  It’s a dog-run style 40’s/50’s house that was probably remodeled in the 70’s.  This room is the old entrance/lobby which they let Bell (the oldest) use as a bedroom:

 

 

 

This older part of the house still has good sized rooms, but they’re only 12 feet wide.   Both of these other bedrooms are each about 16 feet long or so.  The lilac is the girl’s old room and the yellow-orange (yes, it’s actually yellow-orange…I know because one of the kids stuck a yellow-orange coloring pencil to the wall…Mull picked the color…it is so GONE…I like orange, just not THAT orange) one is probably going to be the new Master bedroom (it’s attached to a bathroom/laundry room and it’s easier to heat just one side of the house):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of those rooms open onto the kitchen.  The “west wing” attaches to the dining room.  The west wing has a pass through area/room and a small bedroom/nursery which Martian (the second child and only boy) had begged to have as his own (it was too dark to photograph).  The west wing’s main addition was a HUGE 16×30 (I’m guessing here) Master bedroom and bath:

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a lot of work to be done.  The cabinet doors all need to be cleaned and refreshed/refinished.  And the bathroom/laundry needs some new flooring laid.  There’s a couple of odds and ends repairs that can be done quickly and easily.  The pass through area and Martian’s room are largely unfinished and need to be fixed up.  There are some doors that need to be put up including a French door that I’m sort of nudging/insisting upon in the dining room (there’s NO door leading directly into the backyard…it drives me nuts already).  There’s also a lot of poor gardening ala Mull that needs to be rectified (mostly nonsensical placements including putting 2 Camelia shrubs less than a foot apart and less than a foot from the gas meter that’s attached to the house…that’s just stupid).  It’s a lot of little things, but by this summer it should all be dandy! 

 

Why this summer you ask?  Paladin and I are sort of engaged.  lol  Yeah, I could hear that collective, “Sort of???”  As he likes to put it, the intent is DEFINITELY there.  He’s very old-fashioned and he won’t “officially” ask until his divorce is final.  The reasons are simple: Mull.  Since we started dating, Paladin is standing his ground with her more and refusing to play Sugar Daddy as often as he was.  Without a doubt, Mull thinks I’m behind this, and we’re basically laying low because…well…why screw up a perfectly good divorce unless you have to?  That’s what I told Paladin anyhow.  He really overpays Mull ASTOUNDINGLY so.  She gets $1100 just in alimony from him and that doesn’t include the couple of hundred dollars per child and the stipend from the couple in California that’s adopting her next kid.  He’s also paying the payments on the van that she’s driving.  On top of that, he’s been playing Sugar Daddy because he can’t stand the idea of his kids going without.  I certainly don’t want the kids to suffer a bit, but as I told him, she’s using that to take advantage of him and it’s sort of a mystery where all that money is going because I don’t see it being spent on the kids.  Besides, as I keep reminding him, it’s better to buy the kids things yourself so you know they are getting the benefit of that money and not some fella that Mull may be taking up with.  Yeah, I’m a suspicious sort of ho!  No doubt! 

 

As far as Paladin and I are concerned it’s a fait accomplis.  We are in a committed relationship heading toward living together in the coming weeks, and will be married this summer either just before or just after Independence Day.  Fitting, no?  lol  Was it fast?  Absolutely.  But, it’s not as fast as our first marriages, and we’ll have the benefit of living together for almost 6 months prior to marriage.  So, if I don’t kill him before July, we’re good!    I honestly don’t consider my marriage to M. to have been a mistake nor do I consider it being fast a mistake.  The mistake was in not having a man that didn’t just talk about commitment, but acted on it.  Paladin is that and more.  He’s a country boy, and he’s used to at least trying to fix it himself before calling in an expert.  We have different faiths and political views, but they aren’t so different as to be incompatible.  When we are together, the conversation rarely lapses.  We are both reasonably learned people who talk about all sorts of subjects.  We have already made our union, and act accordingly.  We have picked out the furniture for the house together (as you can see it’s empty, but a budget means that we’re getting just a few things to make do with such as a futon/sofa and dining chairs to go with an old dining table of mine…very Modern Country is what I’m thinking…I’m moving my king size bed out there and we’re replacing it with a cheap queen size at the trailer since I’ll still be spending a couple of nights each week at the trailer to make commuting to work easier).  We make decisions together.  We’re at the same level of maturity and it’s EXCITING to have someone in your life that FITS you. 

 

As far as the elephant…yeah, I’m probably going to have to make a paper mache one.  Lol  But, Ron’s idea about the fire jugglers was great!  I doubt I can get them out here in podunkville, but Tina heard that and said I should call the local dance troupe, the award winning Dixie Darlin’s.  We’re hoping we can find one of those fire baton girls!  If she’s cheap, she’s in! 

 

So, yeah, if you’re taking a vacation in my neck of the woods this year, you are ALL TOTALLY INVITED!  Ya can’t say I didn’t give you enough notice!