Boundary Lines

The Next Step(s)

I'm going to stop apologizing for my lack of entries. I really wish I was the kind of person who could sit down and slam out an entry in short time -- there are often a handful of things I would like to write about floating around -- but I it almost always takes me for-EVAH to start and finish these dang things. Oh well, I hope I'm at least getting to the stuff I want to have recorded for posterity's sake. And I hope you'll keep checking in!

So, we're nearing the end of our time here in Maryland, something I'm increasingly trying to ignore. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about what's around the corner for us, but our lives have become so closely knit with our friends here and we have had such an overwhelmingly awesome experience at the church and with everything we have learned, it is reeaaally sad to think about leaving!

I know we are all meant to go our separate ways, and that we have made many life-long friends, but I also realize that this year was just for this year. We won't ever experience it again, things will never be quite like this and it is even possible that we won't see some of our friends ever again (one couple is returning to a very difficult situation in Myanmar). I think I am doing a good job overall, keeping everything in perspective, enjoying the time we have remaining and having faith for whatever the future may hold.

I'd be lying though, if I didn't admit to a liiiittle anxiety/panic occasionally welling up in my chest. I've never been a big fan of change. Spending the first 23 years of my life in the same town, attending the same church and not traveling a whole lot didn't exactly help me in that arena. I am a completely different person in that regard since getting married and living all over the place, but wanting to feel in control and everything to stay the same same same (at least in terms of where I live -- I'll never want to stop traveling!!) will always be something I struggle with, I think.

Those feeling quickly pass though, when I think about living close to our families again, and moving to SF. We've had to get used to living so far from our loved ones, but in some ways it has gotten harder as time has gone by. Anyhow, we're coming around the bend and our final destination is (almost) in sight!

So, what exactly is the next step for us? Well, T will graduate from the Pastor's College in almost one month exactly. Most of our belongings are still in storage from our HORRIFIC move last year. We're checking out those "pod" things, where you load your belongings up in a storage box thing, and the company picks it up and moves it to wherever you're going. We are still not 100% sure if we are going to drive Arizona, or fly. This is dependent on whether or not the friends who have lent us the car we have used this year are able to sell us the car. They WANT to sell it to us, but their finances are very tight and they may need to sell their other car and drive this one.

If we drive, and we're pretty sure we will, we have started to plan a really great road-trip from NY to AZ. So far, we plan to stop in:
1) Akron, Ohio - where our pastor from our old church in Brooklyn is relocating in the next few weeks.
2) Muskeegon, Michigan - where T's aunt and uncle and second-cousins. We've wanted to come to their place for years and years and now it looks like it is finally going to happen!
3) Wisconsin -- We're finally going to see the dairy farms T's family and also spend some time with friends from the PC who live in Kenosha.
4) CHICAGO! - TFY ladies, our visit a few years ago left me dying to return to Oprah's hometown. I can't wait!
5) South Dakota - Mt. Rushmore, etc.
6) Jackson, Wyoming - I intend to learn how to fly fish. And I DON'T plan on setting my camera down for one second while we are there.
7) Billings, Montana - I have wanted to visit this beautiful state for years and years and years. I can not wait to finally look upon it's spectacular mountains, streams, valleys and star-lit skies. I think I am most looking forward to this stop over all the others.
8) Vegas, baby! The summer we moved from San Diego, we drove from AZ to T's parent's home in NV and spent the night at the Paris Hotel. We had so much fun, we're gonna stop there again. Woot! =)

Please, if you have any suggestions about things we can do at any of these locations (local restaurants, things to do with the kids, places to stay, etc.), pass them along! And if we're coming close to your neck of the woods, please let me know! It would be fun to try to meet some of you along the way. =)

As for Arizona, we don't know for sure how long we will be there, but we would love to leave there for San Francisco around Christmastime. It's POSSIBLE we'll be there as long as a year, but we really, really hope that's not the case. We're dying to be living back in our home state again!!

Alright, it's one in the morning, so this is going up as is. I want to answer some of your questions from my previous entry next time, and any you may have about our future plans as well, so please ask away! God bless, my friends ...

Our Lives Here - Part 2

Hi all! How is everyone out there doing? I hope you had a beautiful Easter and beginning to your spring. We spent Easter Sunday with a few of our friends from our class, enjoying a scrumptious potluck (seriously, T and I agreed that the food our friends brought was easily as good as any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner we've ever had) and a lively egg hunt in the playground behind the church. I tried very hard to stay "in the moment" that day, realizing that celebrating Easter with these particular friends was truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. It is SO bittersweet thinking that our time here is almost over!

I was happy to hear that you enjoyed reading a bit about our lives here this year. I feel like I've kept things kind of under wraps, which hasn't been my intention at all. It's just that we've been SO busy and I have felt like I've been trying to drink out of a fire hose most of the time. All of it has been good, spectacularly so, but I think I've been doing so much learning and growing and changing and definitely also struggling, that I haven't been in a place mentally or otherwise to put much of it into words here. I hope to write more about some of the things I've been learning here, but that will probably take awhile to put together. For now, here are more highlights from our lives here:

Gym Day. Every Thursday morning, the church opens up one of the gym areas for the wives and kids to hang out/play/run off some steam together for an hour. This is definitely one of the highlights of the week for the kids and I! All the kids have a blast running around together and the moms sit together and talk and talk and talk. The best part of Gym Day though, is when the Dads come and join us at the end. We all miss them so much during the week, getting to see them in the middle of the day, even for just 15 minutes, is precious time indeed. The kids start looking out for them as the time for their arrival approaches, and absolutely lose their ever-lovin' minds when the first Dad is spotted. They go running and yelling for them, jump in their arms and just about hug them to death. It's fun to see all the Dads running around with the kids, throwing balls and getting down on the floor for a quick wrestling match.

When it's time for the Dads to go back down to class, all the kids line up for a race around the gym. It's not uncommon for the younger kids to do their lap bobbing around in their Dad's arms or on their back. I've watched the Ronanator's head almost snap off a couple of times as T tucked him under his arm and took off at the blow of the whistle. The Shookie is actually quite fast, but hasn't discovered his competitive streak yet and tends to run his lap smiling and enjoying running with his friends rather than trying to win the race. Such a sweet boy he is!

Another large part of our time here are the many meetings we go to every month (at least one a week, sometimes two.)  Like I told you in my last entry, the ladies meet by themselves the first Saturday of the month with one of the dearest women I've ever known. Once a month the guys and the girls also have what I've nicknamed "Meeting w/ the M's", where we have 2+ hours to ask the president/leader of our family of churches and his wife ANYTHING we want to. From how he chooses sermon topics to traditions they have honored as a family throughout the years to their opinions on books/authors to personal disciplines that have most helped them as a husband/wife/father/mother/pastor/friend -- it is all fair game. The emphasis is on the practical, and I'm telling you, by the time these evenings are over, my hand is almost cramping up from writing down all the "pearls of wisdom" we've been given.

The class has also been split up into 3 care groups, and each of these care groups groups is split into even smaller fellowship groups. The care groups (ours has 8 couples I think) meet once a month with dear B. and her husband, where we dig even deeper into our marriages. Not only have these meetings helped T and I to start looking at and talking about areas of our marriage that we need to work on, but I've seen my friend's marriages being changed in huge ways as well.

I also meet twice a month with 3 ladies from our care group/fellowship group. And yes, you guessed it, the three of us dig in even deeper. It is an opportunity to share more specifically the struggles, triumphs, joys and difficulties of our day-to-day lives, and to pray for each other. I have benefited immensely from the relationships that have formed from this group, and with at least one of the ladies (my friend from Germany that I mentioned before), I think I have found a life-long friend. Such a blessing!

Last night, at another "Meeting w/ the M's", I was looking around the room and my heart was filled with such affection and thankfulness for our new "family". Just 8 months ago I didn't know who most of these dear people were, and now I can't imagine my life without them! 

There is a verse in the book of Luke that says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." This picture of God's blessings being poured out in such a way that they cannot be contained describes our time here to a T. Certainly, there have been difficult times -- being away from family, moving to a new town, not having our own space -- but not for one second would I ever trade this experience. Not for all the treasures in the world.   

As you've read this, if you have any questions about what I've said here, please ask! I'm sure some of it sounds a bit odd, and knowing me, I've probably been a bit unclear at points. Still, I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into our crazy lives!

Our Lives Here - Part 1

I recently realized that you guys have NO idea what our lives here in Merry-land look like. What T is studying, what I'm studying, the kinda stuff we do as a family during the week. Those sort of things. Actually, maybe that sounds really boring to you! In the spirit of not-wanting-to-forget but also not wanting to shove everything into one never-ending entry, I'm going to split this into two (hopefully more readable) parts. So please come back for Part 2!

To start with, there are 21 students in our class in total, all but one of whom is married, and even the token single guy got engaged over Christmas. Most of us are somewhere in our 30's, with the oldest couple hitting close to 50 and the youngest being one of my closest friends here -- the baby of the group at 20 years old! We come from all over the world, though the vast majority hail from the East Coast, with Germany, Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, and Myanmar (Burma) being represented.

No surprise, T and I have loved getting to know our international friends. Before we got here we joked that on the first day in class T was going to stand up in class and say, "No offense to the rest of you, but we will only be spending time with those of you who live in locations that we would like to travel to in the future!" =) As it turns out, some of our closest friends here are the German and Aussie couple. I swear we didn't do that on purpose, lol! (We're still working on the Bahamian couple. ;) )

The guys tackle different topics in one-week chunks. For example: Biblical Theology (the systematic study of God as revealed in Scripture), Homiletics (the study of preaching), Old Testament/New Testament studies, Church History, etc. Many of these classes are broken up into 2-3 weeks, spread throughout the nine month course schedule. There are also week-long classes on topics such as marriage and parenting. These classes, which were strategically placed at the beginning of the year have had a tremendous impact on everyone's families, down to a person. It has been such a joy watching my friends fall more in love with their husbands with each passing month, and also their children!   

The wives have monthly meetings together the first Saturday of every month that the wife of the "pastor" for the guys leads. I just sent my mom an email describing these meetings as "the best way to start the month that I could ever think of". This is very, very true. Not only is it a time for all of us to get together and catch up without the kids around, it is also a time where we can ask ANY questions we may have about growing as wives, mothers, women, the wife of a (future) pastor, etc. I love that dear B. (the woman who leads the group) says over and over again, "There is NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION." This has made all of us feel like we can be ourselves and ask whatever is really on our hearts and minds. Our time together and with dear B. has been invaluable. Other than the friendships I have made here, I think it is these "Ladies w/ B." meetings that I will miss the most when we leave.

Well, I think I'll leave it at that for now. I hope you've enjoyed this peek into our lives here. Part 2 is already mostly written, so come back before too long to read about another highlight of our lives here ... Gym Day!

Wavin' atcha

Hey guys ... I'm still here. I haven't disappeared. Haven't gone anywhere. I guess I'm just at a loss for words. I have a whole post written up about our day-to-day lives here, but for some reason I feel weird posting it. Like I'm invading someone else's privacy by telling you about the program T's in. If I can figure out what is bugging me about the entry, I'll post it.

In the meantime, we're getting ready for the Shookie's SIXTH birthday (this Tuesday) and just picked my parent's up from the airport, kicking off a one-week visit for my Dad and a two-week visit for my Mom.

We're doing well and I am keeping updated on all of you. I'll write something of substance when inspiration strikes. For now, I have to give the computer back to T so he can go study.

Blessings ...

It's Gonna Be A Great Year

Hi all! How YOU doin'? We're doing fine and dandy over here. Well, mostly. Really.

Upon returning from CA (the flight home went as smoothly as could be hoped for, btw -- Ronan slept AND we managed to snag him a seat without paying for it. Score!) T got as sick as I have ever seen him in the 14+ years we've been together. He usually toughs it out, pretending to feel fine even if he's not 100%. Or every once in awhile he gets a lingering dry cough that drives the both of us batty. But this? This kicked his ass. He was flat on his back in bed, in a coma-like stupor with a fever, cough, sinus congestion, aches and total inability to function normally. He told me when he got better that he couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to, closing his eyes "for just a second" only to wake up 3 hours later. He's finally better now, but up until the middle of this week was still feeling pretty wiped out. (Playing 2 rounds of ping pong made him feel like he'd run a race, lol.)

Anyhow, now the boys have the crud. The Shookie is sleeping very fitfully by my side as I write this, ending a day of sluggish fevers and no appetite and coughing coughing coughing sneezing. Ronan isn't much better, though at least he didn't spike a fever today. Oh, and on top of being sick, the poor guy has two top MOLARS coming in. Talk about suffering. Needless to say, sleep has been scarce these past few days.

But you know what? Despite living in an infirmary, we're all doing really well. The kids are troopers and even though I know they feel like crap, are both being so sweet, playing and cuddling and wrestling together. And I am guzzling Airb*rne like crazy (and praying!) and thanking G-d that so far I haven't fallen victim myself.

This feeling welling up in me is far more than thankfulness for not having caught the flu from my family, though. These past few months have been pivotal for me, as I knew they would be, and I am leaning into the time we have remaining here with great anticipation. I feel like I am growing in leaps and bounds -- as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a woman. I am spending time with some of the most humble, wise, kind, loving women I have ever known. Women who are freely sharing what they have learned in their 30+ years as wives, mothers, friends and women (and pastor's wives). Thankfulness barely touches how I feel about this. My head literally spins when I really think about it.

But most importantly, my faith is taking root. Questions are being answered, convictions made stronger. I am seeing things I've studied my whole life more clearly. And yet, I hope that I am also becoming more humble. Not a pushover. Not compromising. If anything, I think I am feeling more bold and confident in my beliefs than I ever have. But I hope that my faith is also birthing in me more kindness and care for others, especially my family.

It reminds me of the verse in 1 Corinthians 13 that says , "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing". I really believe that everything I am learning here is for nothing if I am not becoming more kind, compassionate, understanding, etc.

I don't know how to tie this up except to say that I am so dang thankful I can hardly stand it. Thankful for the awesome experience our family is having here, thankful for my family, thankful for everything I am learning, thankful for the changes I am beginning to see in my life, thankful for the friends I'm making here, thankful for the life that God has given me.

Yeah, I think that's some love there.

Edited to add: The reason the boys were feeling so poorly? They both had ear infections ... Ronan had two and the Shookie, one. Ouch.

Rollin' on the River

I am lying in a big, comfortable bed next to T, on the first night of our Christmas vacation with his family. We are staying at this beautiful house on the Russian River. (Lots of pictures at that link!) T's Aunt Karen rented it for the whole family to stay at together, so for the next few days much fun and family time will be had. It is sure to be a very special time, and I'm feeling incredibly blessed and thankful to be here in this amazing place with so many loved ones around me. AND both of my cameras (video and DSLR) are working, so I can take record of the many memories we will be making (and share them with all of you as well).

I know it's a busy time for everyone, but I would really love to hear what you have planned for the Holiday, if you can spare a moment to tell me here. Will you be traveling far, or staying at home? Will you be celebrating by yourselves or having a huge gathering like our family? Any traditions you are particularly looking forward to? Any gifts you are looking forward to giving?

I hope you and yours are well, and that you are looking forward to a restful, Happy Holiday with friends and loved ones. Merry Christmas to all!

I swear on all things holy I will post again soon

We flew home last night. To CA, that is. I am sitting in my SIL's new home, grabbing my niece and hugging her as she follows the Ronanator around. "I've never played with Ronan before.", she said. At which point the Shookie fell to pieces because his cousin wasn't playing with him and that is death in his world. I kindly pointed out that they could all play together. Which was apparently an unacceptable option. Go figure.

It keeps hitting me that we are HERE, after being away from our family since August. My heart skips a beat when I think about the next two weeks, which are sure to be full of love and laughter and growing-ever-closer to our family. (Not the least of which is due to jaunts to little places like this for lunch --- whooee, heaven on earth.) Of course, this will make going back to MD all the more difficult, but it's good to be there too.

Anyhow, I am STILL working on Ronan's birthday post. I know, I suck. But we've been so BUSY lately! Trips to Amish country! Christmas shows! Parties! Packing! (May I drop dead if I use another exclamation point in this post. Seriously!)

I hope this finds you doing well, and basking in the glow of the Holiday season, the season of "good news of great joy that will be for all people -- a Saviour had been borne!".

Blessings ...

Seven Strange Things

Brooke ... the gorgeous, knock-you-off-your-feet-with-that-smile, glowing, intuitive, inspirational-on-EVERY-level, hot Mama even (especially??) when pg ...  has tagged me. And so I shall join in the fun and tell you a bit about how weird yours truly truly is.

1. I love Cool Ranch Doritos so much that at one of the first ladies meetings for the wives of the students studying with T, when we were asked what our favourite dessert is, this is what I said I'd probably choose to eat. Most of the ladies laughed, but at least one wasn't able to hide how strange my answer really was. Yeah, I probably should have just said "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups" ... which is another favourite of mine.
2. I will only hold hands with T (or the kids, etc.) with my right hand. I would absolutely FREAK OUT if I had to hold hands with him with my left hand. I can only hold hands with my left hand if I am ALSO holding hands with someone else with my right.
3. I also almost always start up the stairs or walk across door ways with my right foot.  And I think I have to come off the bottom step with my right foot also. Yeah, I'm a nut.
4. Unlike daisybones, I prefer even numbers. And dates. For example, I looove that the Shookie was born on 02/26/02, and the Ronanator on 12/02/06. My birthday is on the 24th, my brother's on the 6th, my Mom's on the 2nd and my Dad's on the 28th. Maybe this has something to do with my "even" obsession??
5. I'm a pretty darn good whistler. I never learned to whistle like this, but I bet a could win a few amateur competitions if I worked at it a bit.
6. I am currently sporting about two inches of new hair growth all around my hairline. My hair has never cooperated very well, but this is absolutely out of control. I talked to a good friend of mine who is a hairdresser over the weekend, and looking at it she thought it was about 3-4 months of hair growth, which coincides with Ronan weaning himself (Did I tell you he did that? At 8 months. Overnight. Cold turkey -- from multiple feedings a day to NONE. BAM! Lotsa fun, I tell you.) Anyhow, this has never happened before, I hate it and it definitely makes me feel strange.
7. Growing up, I had no desire to ever leave the town or church I was raised in. I wanted to stay put forever. And I didn't really have much of a desire to travel, either. I am very, very happy to say that ALL of that has changed, due almost exclusively to meeting and marrying T. He has broadened the horizons of my life in every way. (I get all goose-pimply just thinking about that/him!)

So, how strange am I? You can be honest, I can take it!

I tag the following:
Any of the TFY ladies who haven't been tagged yet. As well as the lovely Holly (hope this helps with NaBloPoMo!), Sandi (who I am so happy is blogging again!) and Leigh (who I think has already been tagged, but I can't help myself ... love that gal!)

The Rules are as follows:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. (This meme has been making the rounds though, so don't feel obligated to tag 7 people if you're not up to it.)
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Coming Soon: A note for my baby on his 1st birthday. (Can you believe how the last year has flown by?!)

T has taken the Shookie to church with him this morning, while I stay at home with the Ronanator who is runny-nosed and teething and warm and not his usual happy little self. I'm going back and forth between here and the kitchen, while I make this recipe from the beautiful Giada De Laurentiis for our company who will be arriving with T in just a couple of hours. We watched Miss Giada make it yesterday and, having a butternut squash on hand (I try to always have one around in the Fall ... oh, the yummy yummy soups they make!), thought we'd give it a try. Because lasagna? Yum! And lasagna with butternut squash AND a basil bechamel sauce? Heavenly.

My favorite Holiday of the year is fast approaching and we are preparing to drive up to NY for the long weekend. We could have stayed here and celebrated with our host family or one of the other PC student families, but we're all missing our old neighborhood and friends, so we're taking advantage of what is likely our last opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in NY and heading North.

I am SO excited to be going "home"! As the weather has cooled off and the leaves have changed colors, I've found myself really missing Park Slope. Especially 7th Avenue. I've longed to walk the Shookie to his old school, passing our favorite shops and restaurants and friends along the way. I'm so happy to be here in MD, but I also miss the life we had there. We were blessed to have called Brooklyn home, even if only for a few years. Other than the whole multiple miscarriages/secondary infertility part, they were some of the happiest years of my life.

We'll be there for most of the week, out on Long Island with our Pastor's family on Wed./Thurs. and then IN the Slope for the weekend with other friends of ours. We plan on going to see "the" tree in Rockefeller Center (it's not lit yet, but is up and might even be decorated by now) ... one last family trip together to watch the ice skaters and lights and hoards of tourists walking around. Boo hoo! I'm not sure what else we'll do in the City, but honestly I'd be happy to just walk around and soak in that fabulous NYV Holiday vibe. There's nothing like it anywhere else in the world!

So, what will YOU be doing for Thanksgiving? (And for my lovely Canadian friends, please share what you did last month for YOUR Thanksgiving!) Where will you celebrate, and with whom? Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to? Anything you look forward to cooking or eating?

I wish all of you a happy, healthy and memorable Thanksgiving! And as Paula Deen says, "Best dishes from our house to yours!". God bless ...

Another "Twitter" Update

Hi all! Well, I've been totally having writer's block these past few weeks. Not that I write over here nearly often enough anyhow, but I've been even more stumped than usual lately. I'm happy to say that I think part of it is because our lives here are so dang GOOD it feels overwhelming to try and capture it all in a few sentences. However, I have been jotting down a sentence here and there over on Twitter, so I thought I'd do another update here from all the stuff I've taken down over there. Just so you's all will know what's been going on in our neck of the woods. =)

Because no update on our lives here would be complete without mentioning the frickin' BUGS, I shall begin with ...
        October 11th ~ DAMNIT!! I have killed FIVE ENORMOUS bugs here today, 3 of which were gargantuan spiders. Think LOTRs big. I haaate this part of living in MD.

• October 22nd ~ Just returned from a surprise overnighter with DH. Mom watched the boys ... and we spent 16 hours eating, sleeping, watching movies and "playing" in bed! Sooo relaxing and romantic! Have the best DH (and Mom) in the world! (If my SIL is reading this ... my sincere apologies if I've scarred you for life. ;))
• October 23rd ~ T grew up in San Diego most of his life, we were married there and the Shookie lived the first 18 months of his life, right where it is burning. Close friends evacuated from their homes, the hospital where the Shookie was born evacuated also. Feel like my HOME is going up in smoke! Very, very bummed. (SO thankful to be able to say that no one we know lost their home or was harmed in the fires. In some cases, the fire came right.up. to their home and then went the other way. Miracles!)
• October 26th ~ The Ronanator started walking yesterday. Hip hip hooray! He's like a drunken sailor toddling in circles around the room, hands held up and clenched with a BIG smile.
• October 27th ~ The rain has FINALLY slowed down after 2 days of non-stop downpour. Going with the 'rents and family to see Fall colors in Shenandoah Valley. (This was absolutely beautiful! Pictures to come ASAP.)
• October 30th ~ Wow, am SO sad that my parents are leaving today. Woke up an hour early, feeling something close to anxiety about it. Please don't go, I say!
• (Later on that same day) Also, am loving that the Ronanator POOPS right after waking up. What a way to say "Good morning", eh? Fuuuun.
• Also that day ... Seriously, what am I going to do when my Mom leaves? She's upstairs cleaning the frickin' windows! My house is going to fall apart w/o her!
• October 31st ~ Steamed and pureed carrots, put them in a YUMMY pumpkin bread mix from Trader Joe's. Faces have been drawn on pumpkins, ready to be carved by the Shookie. (Actually, he drew the faces and *I* will carve them .... don't have those "safe" knives this year.) Also, will be roasting seeds. Am on a ROLL today!! Whoo-hoo! =)
• November 1st ~ It's Nov. 1 and the Christmas commercials have already started en force. Good grief. =P
• November 2nd ~ The Shookie and T flew to CA last night to surprise T's Mom for her 60th Bday,so it's just the Ronanator and I for the next few days. What to do? I know exactly what I'm going to do, actually. I'm not coming out of my bedroom until it is CLEAN! Outta control, it is. =P
• A couple of hours later ... Waiting for the Ronanator to wake up from his nap so I can vacuum. A super clean floor ... it's the little things that satisfy, don't you think?
• And a couple of hours after that ... Dude, the Ronanator STINKS. This whole eating "real" food has a serious downside. Good grief!
• That evening ... Baby down for the night (I hope!) ... Watching movies, drinking a hot cup of (decaf) coffee and relaxing. A perfect Friday night!
• November 4th ~ W/ the Shookie and T gone, I've been relaaahxing all weekend. Loverly!! Funny how taking care of just one kid is SOOO much more easy now, isn't it?
• Today! ~ So happy to have the Shookie and T back, both of whom are lying comatose on my bed right now, after taking the red-eye home.

So, that's what we've been up to around here lately. Exciting, eh? ;) Drop a line and say hi when you have the time! Mwah! =)