THE NEW KITTENS

Wednesday

Chad

Awww.

That Church I Used To Belong To

I find myself not very concerned with anything Mormon anymore. Yes, it's part of my past; has shaped much of who I am now (including the leaving part); but life moves forward and I find myself giving it less thought every day.

I'm not worried about the ward people finding us (so far, they haven't).

I don't care about the upcoming general conference (I used to brace myself for it, especially knowing that at least one talk about LGBTQ issues would be coming).

I scroll through the posts on the Exmormon Reddit sub, and I don't read most of them now. They aren't interesting or pertinent.

With that article I posted on Facebook last week, I pissed off a very devout LDS family member, and she blocked me. That's one less person I have to worry about pissing off.

The other Mormons in my life are understanding, loving, and kind.

I don't live anywhere near Utah (or Idaho or Arizona), so there's no influence there. I'm not constantly slapped in the face with it.

I can breathe and think freely.

I have peace.

I feel well.

Maybe this is the "healed" portion of the program.

Anticip...........ation

My husband is hanging something on the wall for me right now and I seriously couldn't love him more....

Though I suspect this feeling will be eclipsed the first time I see him holding our new granddaughter.

The Truth Hurts

"Every queer Mormon has heard phrases like “I love you, I just can’t support your lifestyle” or “love the sinner, hate the sin,” and every time it reminds them of their place."

The Mormon Church Is Gaslighting the LGBTQ+ Community

Posting this article on Facebook today caused a massive argument between a devout LDS family member of mine and, well, pretty much everyone else I know.

It sucked. Particularly so because tonight, we attended the wedding of a young woman we've known since she was in Primary, who married her girlfriend. It was a beautiful ceremony and we were glad to get to see it happen, and to see Kim and Kaitlyn supported by their (mostly) devout LDS families.

The stupidity of the Mormon church regarding this issue cannot be measured. More than stupid, it's painful and sometimes deadly; and worst of all, it's completely unnecessary.

It just doesn't need to be this way.

Zillow-Related Turmoil

I'm looking at homes on Zillow and freaking out that I will never ever get to live in a lakeside cabin in New Hampshire.

Also, I would probably not ever live in Mississippi, but their housing prices are pretty sweet.

Twenty-one years in the same city (lovely though it is) is doing a real number on my brain.

Look at it though. LOOK AT IT:

Our Handsome C

Zombies? Zombies!

Quite possibly the coolest library book I've ever SEEN 

Then this horse shows up

And me fresh out of oats.

(H, horsing around)

Wisdom

"What you will allow is what will continue."

- @aladin_82

Going Home, Part One

My brain is utterly fixated on the brand new bag of pistachios hiding somewhere in my minivan, among the suitcases, snacks, garbage, and bags of stuff my newly widowed mother-in-law gave us today. 

Death sucks, by the way.

Later: I love that there's a Garden of Eden truck stop in Eden, Idaho.

We first discovered this treasure while bringing L home last December. I made us stop here today.

In a Nutshell

People who shout garbage like "homosexuality is a sin" - leaders and members alike - don't deserve to have nice people like me go to church with them. So I stopped going.

Also this nugget:

H: This guy on the podcast said something about ADHD that was so relatable. C and I were both laughing.

Me: Oh, what was it?

H: I forgot

Weird Al: Strings Attached

My sweet and generous sister grabbed tickets for Hubby and me to see Weird Al with her and her husband P.

Beautiful Pacific, by Hubby

@HistoryTime_ are weenies

They: tweet something about Hedy Lamarr

I (have watched Blazing Saddles too many times):

They:

Random Gripe (From Working a Funeral)

Why are funerals always held right smack in the middle of the day? Like people want to spend the whole day farting around. Have it in the morning, or evening. But this all-day thing is lame. If it's my funeral, have a beach weekend.

Vacation

It's been a fun week so far. 

I have sand on my scalp. I call this vacation a success. 

Words of Wisdom

H, talking to C: "If you ever feel bad about yourself, just remember that there are people out there who think Trump is the second coming of Jesus."

C: "I don't."

What is "Three Bands I Wish Were Real"

Tone Deaf Leppard

Hoobaskank

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Discarded Slim Jim Wrappers

(Credit: @travisakers)

PANTS ARE STUPID

That's pretty much it.

Reflection

But first: I FINALLY LEARNED THE NAME OF THIS SONG!!!!!!!! 

holy poop I hate it when I don't know song titles.

Take a wissen.

And now:
(Language. Proceed with caution.)

Me to my kids five years ago: "Some people we go to church because they're there, and other people, we go to church despite them being there." = Some church members (including people my kids had to interact with) are assholes, but we go anyway because The Church Is Still True.

Me now: NOPE NOPE NOPE. We don't deliberately put our kids in the path of adults who shame them for their hair or clothes or attitudes. We don't take our gay kid to listen to anti LGBTQ rhetoric. We don't endanger their physical or mental health by entrusting them to psychos whose favorite damn phrase is 

"I CAN DO HARD THINGS"

because years later, looking back on all that my kids suffered because of MY belief in a religion, the hardest thing to do is forgive myself. 

I should have grabbed my babies and run out the door of that church.

Just having a little cry now.

I can't go back and change the past. 

"When you know better, you do better." 

Etc. 

Still wish I had a time machine.