My family consists of a loving husband and a beautiful 3 year old daughter. I have been married for 10 wonderful years. Smoka and I actually met online in 1996. We both used a chat program called PowWow. I was not working so it seemed the way to get through my divorce and not going insane was to vent about it. What a better place to vent than to people you didn’t know was my thinking. We were both going through divorces. The way PowWow was setup was you were in a main chatroom, but had the option to speak discreetly with 1-9 people. Smoka would come into the room and say hello, but I would never respond. At that point, I felt all men were the same so why waste my time even saying hello.

After a few weeks of seeing each other in the chatroom, out of the blue Smoka paged me (decided to try talking discreetly to me). I accepted the chat and had no idea what I was in for. The first thing he puts into the chat was “You know you want me”. At first I didn’t know what to say. From seeing him in the Chat Room area, I knew him as a joking type guy. If I wasn’t going through a hard time with divorce (the X had ran around etc), I know I would have talked to him. He had the attitude that anyone would want to be around. After several long chats, spending time together in the open chat room things turned into more of a 1 on 1 with him and me. We would chat for hours daily. He was also going through a very hard divorce. The difference was, he had 2 small children and I had no children. We had so many things in common it was amazing. We continued to chat for a few months, as well as talking on the phone. It seems we always had something to talk about, to get to know one another more each time. I know I was falling in love and had not even met this man.

He kept telling me he was going to get on a bus and come to visit me. Being across the United States was hard. One Sunday afternoon he did call me, to inform me he had a bus ticket in his hand and would be boarding a bus for my hometown in 30 minutes. I was totally shocked. My mom knew I had met someone online and that he wanted to come to meet in person one day. That was not my fear, the fear was informing my father of this all. My mom was a huge help in informing my father. His only thing he said to me was “What if he is a murderer?” I replied with, “What if the guy I meet at the supermarket or bar is?”

Well within 4 days Smoka was here to visit me. We hit it off from the very beginning. Meeting him was odd. I felt I knew him better than I knew anyone before in my life but at the same time I was scared. The nerves raced as I waited at the bus station to pick him up. The whole situation went so well. To this day, I still feel like I know him so much longer than I really do. After being here for a week, he informed me that if he could find a job here he would stay. I had just started a job the week before at a local ISP as a Technical Support Representative and they were hiring. Smoka put an application in, was interviewed and hired within a week’s time.

2 years to the day of the date he arrived here we were married. It was all so wonderful. After a bad marriage of nearly 5 years previously, I finally found the man of my dreams; my soul mate. I knew the day I married him that he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We have a very open relationship. We can tell one another anything. I feel everything in life is a learning experience that only makes us a stronger person.

Today was a great Mother's Day. The husband and niece did dinner for my mom, my mother in law, my other niece (she is 21 and has a son that’s a year old) and me. They made salad, lasagna and bread and it was fabulous!! We spent a few hours together just chit chatting and who could ask for more?

We found some old video tapes the other day, so tonight I showed our daughter Mommy & Daddy's wedding tape. She asked alot of questions and did enjoy it I believe. She kept saying, "That was before I was here, right?" She is such a smart little girl. She still amazes me daily with her vocabulary.

Tonight the daughter is watching 1 show then it bedtime for her. It was another long day. I know she is tired, so I am hoping that after reading her a story she will be out.

Welp, she just called me saying "Mommy, I want to go to bed" so that means her show is over.

OK so daddy is going to read her a book tonight. Sometimes it's nice when he reads to her, other times I feel left out!! I feel the same way if he gives her a bath. I guess I feel I'm not doing my motherly duties, or I simply don't know what to do with myself?

My nieces just come down to see if my daughter wanted to go for a walk with her. That means mommy gets some free time to do some cleaning and blogging. My niece is the best! She is 19 years old and a wonderful person. My parents have been raising her since she is 6 years old. She is in college, but on summer break. My daughter is very close to her. They share the bond I always had with my niece. She is going to school for neuroscience at a college that is only about 30 minutes away.

9 am I wake to the sound of my daughter yelling my name. I look at the clock to see 9:04am. She yells "Mommy" yet again so I know it's time to wake up. So much for sleeping in today! I am getting out of bed and hear the door to the upstairs close, or at least that is what I thought it sounded like. I come out and can't find my daughter anywhere. At that point I figure someone upstairs must have heard her yelling and came down to get her. I go up the stairs to the kitchen door, to have the door pushed closed in my face. My neice was up in the kitchen with my daughter. They decided to make Mother's Day breakfast. I returned downstairs and went outside to have a smoke.

It's a rather cool day today, winds gusting to 40 mph. The sun is out, the temperature is in the 50's. My dad was up sitting on his deck having his morning coffee. He wished me a Happy Mother's Day, then asked where "Chickie" was. The daughter has so many nicknames. The poor girl is going to be so confused at school.

20 minutes later I am handed a plate of pancakes and eggs. The breakfast was great! I feel for my niece who had to have a 3 1/2 year old assisting in making breakfast.

It is now 11:30am; the daughter is watching some cartoons. It is nice, because it gives me time to update on here.

Yesterday we went to the Mother In laws to plant flowers as a surprise Mother's Day gift for her. She was at work till 5pm so we knew we would be able to do yard work for her and plant some flowers.

After spending a few hours at her house, we came home and had lunch. The daughter was getting tired, so her and I took a nap. Upon waking we decided on burgers and hot dogs on the grill for dinner. It was a quick throw together dinner. It had looked like rain would be coming in so Smoka cooked the burgers and hot dogs as fast as the grill would.

After dinner the mother in law had called to thank us for doing the flowers for her, she loved it. Knowing that made her happy was the best feeling.

The night was rather busy. The daughter got a special treat from Pappy. Ice cream off the ice cream truck. Smoka took a ride up to his mom's to talk to her. The daughter and I then went up to her house as well. I didn't stay long; I still needed to go get a hibiscus for my mom for mother's day. I ran to Kmart and picked up Mothers Day cards and a hibiscus (peach) for my mom. I got home and it was nearly 9pm. Where had the day gone?!?! I took a quick shower, and then gave the daughter her bath. Of course by this time she was over tired and didn't want a bath. Not wanting a bath is a new thing. She will kick and scream about not wanting a bath. I just nod and continue doing the daily routine. Getting her undressed and into the bath tub. She had a small cut on her finger (from planting at Mamoo's today) so of course she was screaming that her finger couldn't get wet or it would hurt. After 15 minutes of yelling and fighting me the whole way in the tub...The bath was done and over with. Now the next fight would be over brushing her hair. Ahhhhhh, the joys of motherhood.

Around 10pm we finally had her ready to go down to bed for the night. Bath time done, medicine done, good night to my parents. We head down stairs to have the daughter get her second wind. She watched one of her shows, then instantly came out wanting Smoka and I to watch a show with her. I knew today was a long day for Smoka, so I went into the living room to watch something with her. There wasn't much on to choose from, so I suggested we watch a movie. I popped in Bride Wars and she sat with me watching it. The movie got over about midnight and I knew the daughter had to get to sleep.

Every night at bedtime I read a story to her. She has a book shelf full of books to choose from. Tonight we read from The Mother Goose book of rhymes. This book used to be my brothers, and I remember reading it to him many years ago, so it makes the book special.

Finally after a long day, the daughter was sleeping!!! Time for Mommy and Daddy to relax.