Joey Ford8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tbh5paNBs 維尼

October 14, 20168964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡktIQ2xmXSp 維尼

Week 7: Journal 58964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡboqzqu1X89 維尼

This morning my art appreciation group met up for the first time in like ten years. We still haven't really gone anywhere with the project. Our presentation isn't until late November, so we're not stressing too much about it. Though I have a feeling we're going to be in the exact same place at the middle of November. All we did today was talk briefly look over the chapter over Artistic Media (the chapter we're doing our project on) and just summarized what parts of it said. The rest was just a bunch or random conversations that I didn't care about. Oh well, at least nobody ever brought up Family Guy.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iTNSG4lzE 維尼

The only thing I really got out of the meeting actually had nothing to do with the project. Lauren, the girl who babysat Bunny several weeks ago, asked me how Bunny was doing. All I said was: "Oh, she's doing great" and told her that she is now watched by the Bloomfields (or "her friend's parents" as I referred to them as) after school. Lauren started telling me that Bunny was actually the sweetest and most well-behaved kid that she had ever babysat (saying that the other children she dealt with were "awful"). That was pretty touching to hear. Then again, I already know how much of a sweet little girl Bunny is to people she meets. Even with our old babysitter, Bunny was really sweet and polite to her. She's never given anyone trouble before. So it's really no surprise that Bunny was also sweet and polite with Lauren.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYmCnUoJYE 維尼

Lauren also told me she would like to see Bunny again sometime. Why not? Lauren's a pretty nice girl. Maybe I can bring Bunny along with me if we ever meet up on a weekend. 8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RolYFC7Qn 維尼

Speaking of my little Bunny, this morning she told me for the fiftieth time that she really want to see that Trolls movie that comes out next month. Let's hope I can afford that when the time comes. Doing things like going to the movies are really hard to fit into my budget, the reason why me and Bunny rarely eat out. Going to Chuck E Cheese a couple weeks ago actually was quite a sacrifice on my budget. Sure I afford small things like ice cream every so often, but anything that goes over fifteen bucks can really hurt me financially. I'm paying over seven hundred dollars for my apartment every month as well as water, electric, and Internet bills, a grocery bill, a phone bill, gas, and other things. My free spending money is very limited. 8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7j4eSD2ED 維尼

But of course I didn't say all that to Bunny. I just said: "Let's hope we can, Sweetheart." That's exactly what I said about The Secret Life of Pets, another movie that Bunny had wanted to see but I couldn't afford. For the record, we did actually see Frozen in theaters (when Bunny was three), but that's because we went with Justin and Michelle and they paid for us. I can't be any more grateful for how helpful those two have been in the past several years.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡhISG4Cgi0v 維尼

I've been wanting to write a little more about something I talked about a couple of journals ago. The whole thing how Savannah's mom never fights with her ex-husband around Savannah. I said that I was really touched to hear that and that it just makes me happy to hear about parents making sure that they never fight around their kids. Mainly because I myself would have given anything for my parents to have been the same way.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4UitYshAH 維尼

I've never really talked about my childhood in this journal before, but I might as well write about it now since it's appropriate. When I was a kid, my parents were both alcoholics and drug addicts who would fight practically every single day. And it didn't matter if me and my brothers were right there in front of them. If they were pissed at each other, they were going to fight and scream at each other no matter what. Sometimes they would get violent. When I was four, my parents got into a fight right in front of me and my mom smashed a beer bottle over my dad's head. Another time, I saw my dad punch my mom in the face. I still remember how terrified I was seeing these things. Honestly, I was terrified every time they got into a fight. I kept on worrying that one of them was eventually going to kill the other one.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCOxiRVMmp 維尼

Even when my parents weren't fighting each other, my childhood was still a nightmare. My dad, being a heavy drinker and meth addict, was extremely abusive and would constantly beat me and my brothers. Every little thing we did would cause him to grab a belt and beat us until he left bruises. When I was four, my dad held Josh down on a bed and beat him with a belt for several minutes (he was only about five at the time) and he made me and Justin watch. I still remember Josh screaming and crying and trying to squirm away but my dad held him down really tightly as he beat him. I don't even remember what Josh had done. But whatever it was, there's no way it could have been bad enough to deserve that kind of punishment. Sometimes my dad wouldn't even beat us because we did something wrong, sometimes he would just hurt us out of anger. I can't even count the number of times where my dad randomly smacked me and my brothers in the face for literally no reason. Well, no reason other than "I'm angry, so you must suffer."8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzYPqLPrcz 維尼

Obviously, me and my brothers were terrified of our dad and we would always try to hide from him. When I was six, we all hid underneath one of our beds for several hours. Then our mom found us and she let my dad line us up to beat us. I guess "punishing" us for hiding from him. I don't know. And no, my mom never did anything about my dad's abuse. She would never do anything other than just sit on the couch drinking or smoking marijuana as my dad screamed at us and beat us.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf20nHrOsi 維尼

When I was six (towards the end of kindergarten), me and my brothers were removed from the house by child protective services. Apparently because the school found bruises on Justin and he told them everything that was going on at home. Then the police found a bunch of drugs at the house and our parents were both arrested. Me and my brothers were put in a foster home for a short while before our grandparents came and took us in. We lived with our grandparents for the next several years. During this time, my parents both served time in jail and actually separated and lived really far apart from each other. At one point, my dad was living in New Mexico apparently. After we were removed from the house, we didn't see our parents for a really long time. I didn't see my mom again until I was about twelve and I didn't see my dad again until around the time where we went back to live with them. Yeah, my parents did eventually both clean up their lives and got back together. At the time, I was fifteen and towards the end of my freshman year of high school. So that summer, me and Josh went to go live with our parents again (Justin had already graduated and moved out). They were much calmer and toned down after we moved back in, but me and Josh's relationship with them was still not very good. Mainly because they hardly ever talked to us or even looked at us. All they would do is say small things like "Hey boys" or "dinner's on the stove, help yourself." Yeah, we never ate dinner as a family. My parents spent most of the time on the couch watching TV.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0meGf7SGR0 維尼

Yeah, my relationship with my parents was pretty much nonexistent, but at least things at the house were about a hundred times better than what I dealt with when we were a lot younger. I couldn't imagine ever going through that again. And all I can say is I'm really glad Justin finally spoke up. I can't imagine spending another twelve years with all that crap.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJHxTjk99F 維尼

I'm really glad kids like Savannah don't have to deal with anything like that. I mean, I know her situation isn't anything like mine was as a kid. But at least her mom is making an effort to make sure she isn't hurt by the divorce or her parent's negative feelings towards each other. Just hearing about a kid dealing with fighting parents gives me a lot of painful memories.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSnMfYerof 維尼

Ah, that's enough talking about depressing stuff. Let's write about something more positive. More cute memories about my Bunny!8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡd29Zt8MpQd 維尼

When Bunny was about four, I squashed a cockroach that was crawling on the counter. Bunny saw me and said: "Daddy, why did you kill the poor cockroach?"8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡw33dBwtpfw 維尼

Me: "Because cockroaches are gross."8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzcVhU3yCY 維尼

Bunny: "But what if it had a family? What if it was a mommy or a daddy?"8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wcf0v11QJ 維尼

Well, I sure hope that roach family has been able to cope. For the record, I've tried my hardest not to squish bugs around Bunny since then. Though I'll still keep on killing roaches. I freaking hate roaches.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tnOJNNQq6 維尼

When Bunny was really little, she had a really big thumb-sucking problem. She finally stopped she was about five, but I kept on trying to get her to stop way before then. And this led to one of my favorite memories when she was four. We were at church and I saw Bunny sucking her thumb. I whispered to her: "Baby, don't suck your thumb." Bunny just looked at me for a minute and then said: "Well then you suck my thumb" and she put her thumb in my mouth. And then we both started laughing together and people started staring at us. Yeah, I try my hardest not to make any sounds during church, but I couldn't help myself at all then. This little girl was just too goofy.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡCec1Qu04GP 維尼

And the next memory actually happened just last Christmas. Or around the time of last Christmas. Me and Bunny watched Home Alone together for the first time. A couple days later, Bunny pointed a banana at me like a gun and started making gun noises. I just looked at her and said: "What are you doing?"8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡGygcEUSnjP 維尼

Bunny (grinning): "Keep the change you filthy animal!"8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTbbj1rMZd 維尼

Man, if only I had gotten that on camera. I should've gotten that on camera. I should've at least pulled my phone out and asked her to say it again. Oh well, at least I will always have the memory.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7mQoDDD6m 維尼

Anyway, right now it's about noon, so I'm going to warm up some microwavable cheeseburgers and watch some One Piece for a while. Then I need to get Bunny's bag together. Also, Saturday I don't have to go into work until four, so at least I get to spend a lot of time with Bunny before I have to work with Ruth for the second day in a row. Stay positive, stay positive.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM9vPgv9jY 維尼

Okay, time for some cheeseburgers.8964 copyright protection447ＰＥＮＡＮＡhifYw1h1M9 維尼

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