Mom was looking into a new job opportunity. Her and “B” were still together and happy, but Mom was still trying to figure out this new type of relationship and struggled at times. She went on an all-day whitewater rafting trip with “B” then got ready to go to Sacramento! Both boys spent some time on the road, separately. Phillip got his first real job then made a decision that changes the family…

We made it back to Bend and Mom got her job back at Trappers. She also typed up the divorce papers and was getting ready to send them off to Mac. Around this time she committed to enrolling in college with plans on becoming an attorney. Mom’s friend was facing eviction because so many people were staying at the house so Mom took us to stay with our Grandma in Hermiston until she could find a more permanent place. When Mom got back to Bend, she met a guy and went out on a date. After a couple of weeks her and her new boyfriend came back to Hermiston to get us so we could get back into school. At this point we had been out of school for almost 6 weeks and there were only 5 weeks left. Mac was hassling Mom and even started calling our Grandma. But Mom was happy with her new relationship, she thought it was fun and relaxed and even mentioned that it kind of felt too good to be true. Mac refused to sign the summons when Mom sent the divorce papers so she had to start all over again and was planning on having him served with either a sheriff’s deputy or Mac’s parole officer. She also requested that Mac not be issued travel permits to Bend or Hermiston. Mom got a new job driving “MPAs” for a company in Sunriver.

We have an extra long episode for all of you, plus this episode marks the beginning of the end. Our dog had puppies in Mat’s room so he moved to the living room couch. Mom was done with Mac and had plans to get us moved out. We share our memories from the large gap in Mom’s writing. Mom bought a 1979 AMC Concord to get us out of Spokane. Towards the end, Mac decided to “play it straight” with her and admitted some things. Before we left, Phillip participated in the regional spelling bee. Then we were off to a new beginning!

We start this one talking a lot about what we remember from this time before we get to the Journal, sorry! Mom got a job but money was still very tight and Mac was having a hard time in jail (kind of the point, right?) Mom and Mac decided to start living a “straight” life. No drinking, no drugs and a solid commitment to their religion. Phillip turned 14 and was getting ready to be on a local TV channel. Mom was nervous about the jury selection before the trial and then the trial happened and the verdict came in…

We got back to Bend and Mom was starting to move on from Mac but her feelings started going back and forth after two weeks of not hearing from him. When she finally does hear from him, we learn he was arrested and was in jail for something fairly serious. This event takes us back to Spokane so Mom can help Mac get through his trial. Mom looked for work and we rented a house from our old landlord, in a pretty sketchy neighborhood. Because of the situation, things were bad. We were broke, out of food and Mom was nearing her breaking point. The only okay thing going was that Mom and Mac were getting along (he was still in jail) and she was convinced things would work out this time.