Well, I'm Back!

At last!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, a lot has gone on in my life since then. Susan and I did Christmas with my family, and we all managed to get some good cheer going even so soon after my brother's suicide..... The next day, my mom, my sister, and I divvied up my brother's ashes. I kept my share in a small wooden box on my bookshelf for a while, but more on that later.

After Christmas, Susan and I drove down to Sarasota, Forida to visit her grandparents. OK, so the weather sucked for driving, but it was good to get away, and I has a surprise for her after that visit. While we were down there, we got to stand on the beach at sunset and I tossed my brother's ashes into the Gulf of Mexico. Goodbye, bro. We'll miss you. It was a sad moment.

But I've digressed... There's a bigger point to make:

On the way back north, we stopped at Disney in Orlando. Susan didn't know this, but I'd bought us a reservation back in September. We had three days and nights there, and on the first night, having dinner at Cinderella's castle, I gave her the ring she's always wanted, and asked her to marry me.

She said "yes."

And there was much rejoicing.

So we've spent a lot of the last few weeks working out details, or trying to, anyway. She wants to get married "under a chuppah," (that's the Jewish ceremony), and by a rabbi, but she doesn't know a rabbi who performs interfaith marriages. Actually, she does, but he's not her rabbi. It would be easier if I'd convert (she won't, she's already said), but I won't do that; I don't believe it, I'm too much of an agnostic humanist, and converting religions just to get married even if you don't believe in it seems like rank intellectual hypocrisy to me. Susan agrees with me on that one, but it still is making things harder.

So.... We can't get the ceremony planned and set, her parents are less than thrilled, and that's where things are. If we can't work out these issues within a year, we'll go to the courthouse and take care of it there. Metaphorically, anyway; I have a friend who's family friend is a district court magistrate, so we'll really bring the courthouse to us, but what's the difference? A wedding's a wedding.

What else....? Remember when I said I took the position with the ad firm, as head copywriter, while their head copywriter was on maternity leave? Well, she came back, and got promoted, so I'm officially keeping her old job. It's nice. The economy sucks right now, so no raises, but hey, I'm still doing all right.

Susan got promoted her job, too. She's now a shift supervisor at the call center.

And we got a cat.

And all of that is life, isn't it?