MerrinDonahue.com

Dude. Seriously? Have you heard about the kid in Florida who was kidnapped and escaped using a safety pin and his teeth? Seriously. If I was his mommy, I’d be so proud. This kid kicks ass.

It’s our last night with the mouse, and we had a wonderful time. I’ll put up the pictures on Flickr soon, but right now, I’m headed to bed.

It was snowing this morning on my way to the airport. In less than 3 hours, I’ll be in sunny Florida enjoying temps in the high 60’s. How’s that for turnabout? Enjoy your day!

Today, a friend of mine pointed out that Kevin and I never post anything mushy about each other on Valentine’s Day, which seems odd, since we get gooey on each other (wow….that sounded dirty, and I really didn’t mean it to) just about every other day of the year. So. Let me tell you a story.

Kevin and I have never—and I do mean never—had a good Valentine’s Day. I can’t even begin to tell you how many things have gone wrong on each and every February 14th, whether it’s the restaurant losing our reservations or being snowed-in so we missed dinner completely or finding a tumor on my dog’s leg or even spending the day in the ER. This year, we’re not even in the same state (which still beats out the ER and the dog’s leg).

We finally gave up the ghost two years ago. I figure it’s like this: Every other day of the year is Valentine’s for us. Flowers and cards get sent throughout the year, so it’s not like we need one special day to show off our love for one another. Now, we don’t do anything special on Valentine’s Day itself. I think we may have outsmarted Cupid. Typically, we shoot for something special either the weekend before or the weekend after.

So, tomorrow we’ll be together at Disney World. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not missing my Valentine today. I love you, baby. Oh, and F-you Cupid. We’re smarter than you.

I leave tomorrow for our little mini-vacation, and I haven’t done one thing to get ready. I haven’t packed, I haven’t cleaned the house, nothing. Nada. I have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning, so I’m quickly running out of time. Oh well. All My Children was really good today, so it took priority.

Oprah always says “You never know who’s living next door to you”. Well, I actually do. I’ve known for quite some time, and while I’ve tried my best to do the right thing, it hasn’t had any impact whatsoever. You see, the man that lives behind us beats his wife (and maybe his kids, but I know for sure that he beats his wife). I’ve called the police on him in the past, but still, it continues.

We live in a great neighborhood. We have wonderful schools, and friendly neighbors. People like to joke that we live in Stepford. And then…..There’s that one house. The yard is scraggly, the house needs some paint, the driveway is cracked and crumbling. You might drive by it and never give it a second thought other than “Wow. That place needs a little work”. What you don’t realize is something that I know to be true. Sometimes, things get ugly inside those walls. There is a lot of screaming. Some hitting. Ugliness.

Recently, our idyllic little neighborhood has been thrown into chaos. Twice in the past three weeks, in fact. Police have been called, people have gone to jail, someone has been hurt. And yet……
She’s still there. With her children. For a time, he was nowhere to be seen, but lately, he’s been back. Sunday, there was screaming. She was still there. I understand the cycle of abuse. I fully comprehend the thought process of the victim. I get the rationalizations. BUT. There are two kids involved, and that alone should be impetus enough to force a change.

It makes me unbearably sad. And tired. I am tired of listening to the dirty little secret of someone else’s life (and it gets so loud that you have no choice BUT to listen). I am tired of feeling helpless to do anything, and I am tired of feeling like it’s my responsibility. I am tired of wanting to yell at the top of my lungs for her to GET OUT NOW.
And I’m more than a little scared. This guy defines the word “unstable”. It really is only a matter of time until he becomes a headline. And there’s no telling how many people he’ll take with him.

I have spent more time on the phone this week than I think I ever have in my life. Truth be told, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, but man, am I ever glad that we don’t pay per-minute long distance fees, because honestly? I think we would be into the hundreds of dollars by now (especially after spending 3 and a half hours on the phone with Kamel today. Yes. You read it right).
I have never been a phone talking kind of girl, but I kind of like it.

You know how your life seems to be sailing right along, all smooth-like and mellow? That’s how mine usually is, but just lately, it seems like somebody hit the Fast Forward button. The last few weeks have flown by, and I don’t quite know how to make everything slow down again. I DO know, however, that I am really looking forward to our little getaway next week.