Diamonds, rubies and rubber

The prospect of a long weekend stretches ahead, much like the pages of a blank book, waiting to be written upon. I'm off today, enjoying my newly minted outlook on work and life. I'm sitting here, drinking coffee, perusing blogs and making a list of stuff I want to write on the pages of my weekend.

This is the first weekend in ages that we have no children. According to the "schedule" (yes, those were air quotes), we are supposed to have the boys every second weekend. That rarely happens, and we generally see the kids at least once during the weekends that are technically not ours. The joys of living close to each other, and I mean that sincerely. We are 10 minutes door to door, and so can be there almost instantenously if something comes up. The kids love being with their dad, and here, so things often "come up" (yes, air quotes again...)

This step-parenting thing is a wild and wonderful journey. I have often felt like an outsider, trying to fit into this family, and then every once in a while something happens that lets me know I'm inching closer to the inner circle. Around these parts, the current rage with the young'uns are these types of rubber bracelets. Last weekend, Frodo and I dragged around many many stores looking to find one or ten. When they arrived on Wednesday evening for their night with us, I noticed that HB, Frodo and Mini-Me each had a blue bracelet on which said "Family ... expect the unexpected". Frodo apparently managed to secure three of them at school that day, and was very excited about the whole deal.

As we sat watching television that evening, Frodo took his bracelet off, and slipped it on my left wrist. He told me that he was going to get a fourth, and then everyone in his family would have the same bracelet.

Wow.

I inched closer that evening, and believe you me, I wore that bracelet to work the next day with a pride that I've never ever experienced before. That bracelet is more precious to me than any gold or diamond one could ever be.