I’ve been thinking about this assignment since I handed it out. I had it all figured out and how I was going to do it and of course as I grab the camera I decided that was all wrong and I should do what I REALLY think and not try to be all funny. If you want funny, watch Shaun as he’s watching football…or the video before this. Both, equally as funny.
Your Freedom:
I was originally going to show you my divorce papers (in an artistic way) because that was the word I used most often when I was going through all the BS when I was an idiot and didn’t actually GET the divorce and waited until almost too late. The more I thought about the word ‘Freedom’ and my personal freedom, this seems to be more important than the actual papers.
So many people get divorces and are never truly ‘free’. They are in court battling the other parent, using visitation and child suport as ways to get at each other. They are going to court to defend the person they are. They are emotionally and physically drained after every single drop off and pick up. They live in fear of the other parent trying to get full custody. They have to deal with new spouses that just want to stir up shit. The child/children are torn between having to deal with two adults that can’t act like two adults and that are setting the worst possible example of how to behave.
It’s hard though. It’s hard to be the bigger person because you if for one second you’re not on your toes and waiting for the other shoe to drop…it will drop and if you’re not ready to fight, you lose your kids. That is NOT freedom. That is living hell.
This picture shows my freedom from all that. This is Dan taking me, our girls, and my new step daughter to the fair. He was going to bring Shaun and Tyler too, but those two would rather sit around and talk about tampons than go to the state fair. This is my freedom. This is the reason I can breathe at night. Because we can communicate. Because we can see the bigger picture. Because he clearly has NO life.
My Hope
I have Hope that I will make back to Maui soon. I have Hope that the kids will be there with us.
My Wish:
I wish that all the bills get paid, the NEW BLOG FROG doesn’t get lost in the mail like the last one and that my daughter can brush her own damn hair tomorrow morning.
DID YOU PLAY?
58 responses to “SPF: your world”
FIRST BITCHES!! ahaha….
great wish…
Oh yeah, and I played early to make up for all the other weeks I didn’t play.
Oh I like your wish (could have put that one down myself).
I played!
Oh and …THIRD BITCHES!!!
(I had to get that out of my system)
I heart you, Kristine. That is all.
I love you too, Kalki
Ah, Maui! I love that place, too!
I played, the post after my 9/11 tribute!
Kristine, I’m not sure if you’ll ever know how much of an inspiration you are/were to me earlier this year when I made the scariest decision of my life.
And now – when I start to get mad at him or start to think about how I can *fight* him on this or *win* that, I always take a deep breath and stop – because I want for he and I to have what you and Dan and Shaun and his ex have. I want us to get along for the kids and be able to spend time together with Bubba and not be constantly at each others throats. You’ll never know how often I think of you and Dan…..
Anyway – I played. Yeah me.
I played this week woo hoo!
Love the wish!
Ahhhh, Maui! I played :-)
I love you so much because you are always so honest and open about everything. :) I hope one day, I feel as free and can post so honestly.
I love the first picture and the story behind it and hope you all do get to take the trip to Maui altogether.
I’ve had a really bad and trying week and the theme you picked helped me to express my angst as well as still be a bit humorous and hopeful for the future. :)
This world is a better place because people like you are in it. :)
Well, this was certainly something different for an SPF, but I think I was able to embrace it.
I Played!
Dude! you guys are making me cry! like for reals! tears in my eyes.
I love you too Kristine!!!
Kristine, you are amazing. The relationship that you have with Shaun is incredible, but the fact that you are still able to get along so well with Dan – is just amazing. It says a lot about the kind of person you are.
Kristine, you have got to know that I heart you big time. I think you guys are great parents for how you are able to be… adults. So many of my friends were kids of divorce and I doubt any of their parents ever got along as well as you and Dan. You’re amazing! I read you every day and you always put a smile on my face!
I played!
hey kristine! just wanted to pop on really quck after a terribly quick and busy summer to let you know think i heard that one band you took photos of on the radio up here in vancouver :) if it was them, they were great :)
I really miss spf, im wanting a new camera bad, will be starting my site back up more this fall. I miss reading you, can’t wait to catch up.
I played.
My husband’s mother was born in Maui. Her family comes from there. I keep saying we will go, but it just hasn’t happened yet.
Awesome post Kristine! Hawaii rocks- I used to live there and I totally miss it.
I played!
You’re the best, Kristine. You warm my heart and make me smile.
I love your freedom, the photo(s) and your description. Dang, you’re so grown up!
I’m playing right now.
Have a wonderful weekend.
This was a good one. I keep wanting to participate, but by the time I see what the assignment is it’s always too late. I need more notice. Like maybe you could post the topics on Moday!???
That would be MARVELOUS.
But you’ve got your own routine going with this thing I know. I don’t expect to see Monday new assignments…
amazing post Kristine….I am amazed at the sense of family you guys have….got to Maui and take the kids and the dogs!
and I played :)
I love your wish. It’s the little things, no?
I played.
I love all three. I have that same kind of freedom with my ex – you all know him as Uzz – but it is refreshing to be able to call him and ask a question and wind up talking for 45 minutes!
I played, too.
Oh damn. I should have wished for the Bill Paying Fairy to come live with me too.
Grrrrr….
I played!
Cute frog…. :)
I played!
I love that Dan took you to the fair.
Love the Maui flowers.
Love the frog’s jacket. He’s so badass.
i absolutely love your #1. not only the picture, which is awesome, but the whole story behind it. you guys are great and amazing. you really are. and your kids are lucky to have you as parents. all of them… :)
oh and i actually managed to play again.
Paid bills – boy, that would be nice!
I played!
Loved all your choices, Kristine! And I loved this week´s theme! I played too :)
http://timelessthoughts.wordpress.com/
This was a hard one, but I muddled through somehow.
Hmm, a bill-paying frog. I know I read that wrong, but what an idea. I picked a frog up out back last night and took him to the pond. Should have brought him inside. Darn!
I played!
Oh Hawaii how I love thee. Let me tickle your sandy shores. Let me caress your crystal waters. Let me dammit.
I hope you get your hope also. I played after a long time off. Good topics.
I love what you and Dan have. I think it fucking rocks.
I finally got mine up!! Great ideas and beautiful pictures. I hope (God forbid) if anything were to ever happen with Terry and I we could have that kind of realtionship.
I’ve had a tough week and this was truly a challenge when I thought about it. However, this morning, I had fresh eyes. Snapped some quick pix and it’s all up for God and everyone else to read.
Thanks for sharing your deepest thoughts.
I played.
I was wondering where the Blog Frog went.
I never got the damn thing.
I love your blog…
And I too have the same type of relationship with my ex, in fact I talk to him more on the phone everyday than I do my fiancee (of course I live with the fiancee). But, we make sure that the kids have all they need and are cared for and that at least one of us makes it to any event. We even live in the same neighborhood and he gave me advice yesterday before a job interview that’s 40 minutes closer to home (crossing my fingers). Everyone should have a relationship with their ex that is that good. I do wish he’d get a serious girlfriend though so his Mom will stop hating me. In fact this year my neice (his sisters daughter) got married and I was as involved as if I were still married to him. There’s even family pictures that my neice insisted I be included in. My fiancee’s ex is beginning to come around even and start behaving civil. I keep telling him it’s all because of me ;) Oh and his ex-girlfriend and I have become very good friends….it’s nice to be grown-up about situations and move forward. It’s so good for the kids, look at the legacy we can leave them even if we are divorced.
I managed to play this morning! Happy Friday!
I played! And Im curious about the blog frog
kristine, thanks so much for your sweet comment. *hugs* back to you and i’m gonna talk about CA with the man for sure so we can be BFF ;) he’s from long beach so i’m sure he’d love to go back there. it may just be too expensive…
GREAT photo ideas. Boy after reading some of the comments we should all get together for a group hug ))HUG((. Good to know there’s still lots of love in this world.
P.s. I would play if I had a digital camera or a scanner, but I’m poor like that I guess.
Thanks for the sweet comment Kristine, and ::hugs:: right back at ya’! Though I think I may have gotten too deep on myself this week and need a little bit of that Xanax we were all talking about the other week. ;-)
today i am late… but i played ;)
you totally rock, kristine. your first SPF was awesome. it’s so great how you kept the whole family together even after getting divorced and getting married again. you really made it work!
i hope you can go to maui again soon :)
oh, and i am sure your daugther will learn to brush her hair herself fairly soon :)
I already commented here but I am having trouble commenting on other sites because of the Blogger/Beta thing. Will someone please explain it to us and the benefits/drawbacks. How do you change and is your blog the same after you do? If you do a post on your blog please let me know.
Sorry Kristine for hijacking your comments.
Great pictures as usual. I didn’t play again this week, I will try to get back in the swing of things next week.
OK. the beta blogger thing is really easy. Unless you have some super-custom-built template that doesn’t mesh with blogger then you won’t have any trouble at all making the switch. You have to soon anyway, or you lose your blog. And it’s got some neat new features that typepad/wordpress have had for a long time.
I’ve been to so many wonderful posts today that I wanted to comment on and couldn’t.
Yeah, yours, and yours, and yours, too.
SWITCH!!!
[…] This week’s subjects are: […]
This is my first week playing. I know it’s late in the day, but time does get away from me when I have things to do.
Yes I played. Way late but I didn’t even cheat this week. All my pictures were taken TODAY! Woot!
I love the picture of the picture on an angle.
Have a great weekend!! ;)
I played!
http://myfamilylife.wordpress.com
Yes I played. A little late, but I finally figured out how to get the pictures on. Enjoy@
Great SPF…i didn’t like having to think so hard, though! I played…finally…crazy day! Better late than never, right…and it’s before midnight! :o)
I am playing…a day late. I am working on it now. I love that first pic…very cool. I heart this game !
I am around here, but I love your pictures!
I played this week for the first time!
‘your freedom’ is priceless – I know this and appreciate your candor . . . I wish everyone else could see AND ENJOY the bigger picture. Communication is key, ain’t it? yer awesome!