the weekend wasn't as bad as i'd worried it might have been.

to start, we ended up staying at my in-laws' house instead of
with joe's brother. first off, i told my mil about my
increased depression, and i was pretty much left alone as much
as i cared to be. i spent lots of time reading in my room
instead of socializing, and it was ok with them. that would
have been much harder to do with my sister-in-law. the kids
stayed with joe's brother, because they have a son daniel's
age. they all had a great time, and joe and i got some peace.

the party was better than it had been, too. there were only
40-50 people there this year, much less than other years. lots
of people from out of town and some nearby didn't make it.
that many fewer people to smile at and say that i'm fine, and
no, i'm not working right now, that i'm still working on
getting my skills up-to-date. i kept wishing i could be
completely honest, but it would have had repercussions
throughout the family had i just told one person there
(they're incredible gossips), and it's not what's needed now.
bad enough that half the people there worked for the family
business that failed this year after fifty good years in the
trade.

i'm home now, and i have kitties happy to see me, and i've
taken time out from chores to kick back and post. things are
ok.

-lisa