There is Always a Way

I should be sleeping

But, I am not.  I will be soon.  Very soon.

I got some grocery shopping done tonight.  It was much needed. 

This week, I am just going to have to power through.  It is going to be a rough one and I am just trying to mentally prepare myself. 

This coming Saturday is our church’s Bazaar.  This week will be lots of planning, organizing, and making sure everything is in order.  I am only slightly freaking out about it.  I really hope that I don’t forget something.   80+ vendors and we open up the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch.

And of course, besides that, there is the regular stuff.  I need to make sure to keep up with work.  Tomorrow (actually today now) night we have our church conference.  And then we need to figure out the three little kid’s costumes for Halloween on Wednesday.  We usually try and take them trick or treating at a couple different places.  We will see about that though, with having Halloween on a weekday.  We haven’t planned well.  And then Friday evening we start setting up for the Bazaar.  And of course, before Friday I need to have all the shopping done for the food, drinks, etc bought for the Bazaar. 

Anyway, my mind is a bit jumbled with everything.  I will just be glad when Saturday is over.  Sunday I get to see some family.  My niece is turning 3 and my mom will be in town.  Can’t wait.

And then….and then…next week Friday Mark and I are finally taking some “anniversary time”.  We will leave the kids with Garry and Cindy and take off for Kalamazoo to stay in a hotel.  The next morning I will run a 10k and we will have the rest of the day to relax and hang out with each other. 
It has been a long time since we have had any decent amount of time alone.  I am really looking forward to it. 

So, one more week to power through and then a little relax time.  A little breathing room. 

I feel so behind.  With work.  With life.  With everything.

I know I am being dramatic and tomorrow I won’t feel quite so overwhelmed, but right now I do. 

I feel like I have a lot of work to catch up on.  And staying focused has been difficult because I have so much life/family stuff to catch up on.  It is an endless circle. 

It is a good thing I ran a marathon on Sunday, so I don’t feel the need to run or train right now.  Because I don’t even know when I would if I needed to.

Work was work today.  And after Charly got out of school, I met with her teacher about her behavior issues.  The meeting went really well, and we talked for an hour or so.  So by the time we were done, I had quite a bit more work waiting for me.  So, I didn’t get done until after 5. 
Luckily, I have an awesome husband who had the house under control and dinner on the table when I walked in the door.  After food, it was time for a meeting at the church. 

When I got home from the meeting, Nate and Mark were outside waiting for the cops.  A random guy walked down our driveway and started to walk back behind our house and in to the woods, but ended up passing out in between our house and the church next door.  He was pretty wasted.  And incoherent.  By the time the cops showed up, they had a tough time waking him up.  The guy thought he was in Benton Harbor….which is about 20 miles away.  I have no idea how the guy got to our house (we are about a mile from the bars in town) and a good walk from anything else either.  Crazy.

Now, I am sitting and catching up on bills, etc.  Trying to get ducks in a row and all that.  Prioritize what needs prioritized.  Mark was able to sit down with me and go over it all, so that was good.  Sometimes it is hard to get on the same page at the same time. 

I do need to do payroll, but I think I can bust that out in the morning.  It is almost 10:30 and I am just ready to zone out for a bit and fall asleep. 

On another note though…I feel better today than I did yesterday (as far as post marathon pain).  My legs aren’t as sore.  And I am getting mobility in my knee back.  I think I will ice it again tonight, like I did last night.  It seems to respond well to that.  I am still going down the stairs slowly, but tomorrow I might be able to pick up the pace a bit more.

But, NO blisters on my feet, which is awesome.  I had some slight chafing in the middle of my chest where the bottom of my sports bra rubbed.  And some ever so slight chafing on my inner thighs (first time for that).  Oh, and I found a couple bruises on the inside of my arm where my arm band was.  I would not have even noticed if I didn’t see it in the mirror when putting on deodorant, lol.  All in all, my body held up pretty well for 26 miles!  The knee is the worst of the pain, but that was to be expected.  My tummy is about back to normal.  And my metabolism is slowly slowing.  I am starving right now, but I am going to choose not to eat and will just chug some ice water. 

Good night, world!!

Pulled a “Kari”

Yes, sometimes I do incredibly dumb things.  And at those times, I take a good laugh at myself.  A long time ago, I posted something dumb that I did on facebook and stated that “I pulled a Kari”.  Well, six months after that, a high school friend posted something and said she “pulled a Kari”.  lol.  I guess she remembered and wanted to make sure that I was not alone in my stupid mistakes.  :) 

Anyway, so to humor you…or just to humor my future self.  Here are a couple of my “Kari’s” that I pulled in the last couple of days.

1.  I was driving through town yesterday and I started to yawn right at the same time that the noon siren went off.  For a split second, I imagined that my yawn was making the siren noise.  Then I snapped back in to reality…yeah. 

2.  So, I put my brussel sprouts in the steamer basket, put the lid on the pot and turned the burner on.  Five or so minutes later, the brussel sprouts just weren’t making much progress.  Oh, it took me a minute after that…much longer than it should have…to realize that I forgot to put water in the bottom of the pan. 
Let’s just say the pan was RIDICULOUSLY hot.  Normally, I would just leave it on an off burner and let it cool.  Well, my burners were all being used.  So, I put it on a hot pad on the back counter.  Next thing I know…I am smelling something funky.  Yes, my hot pad was only for hot stuff…not ridiculously hot stuff.  So, it burned and stuck to the bottom of the pan.  And there may have been some small burning embers on the hot pad…some may call it fire. 

The hot pad went in the trash after it cooled off outside.  And I still have to figure out how to get the remaining hot pad off the bottom of the pan.  Yeah….sometimes you just can’t take moments back.

3.  I went out of the house today to leave for work.  I pushed the unlock button on my keys, but the Jeep didn’t unlock.  I tried it again, still nothing. 
Yep, I was unlocking the car not the Jeep.  Which was correct…as I was planning on driving the car.  But, I guess since I had took the Jeep earlier in the morning, I just automatically went to that. 

I am sure there were more, but we will just leave it at 3 for today. 

On a slightly related note, sleep has not been too good for me lately.  Which might explain the above happenings. 

Two nights ago, I woke up multiple times because my knee was killing me.  I must have wrenched it in my sleep and after that I couldn’t get it in a comfortable position.  I remember sleepily walking in to the kitchen to get the ice pack at 2 am.  The ice helped a bit, but I still woke up a lot to adjust my leg/knee. 

And last night, as soon as I fell asleep, I heard a big thud.  Turns out it was my 6 year old that fell out of bed.  She was back in bed by the time I got to her (or by the time I figured out where the sound came from), so I just covered her back up and she went back to sleep. 
Then a couple hours later (who knows what time really), I woke up.  But, I still am unclear as to how I woke up.  Not sure if I heard something or not.  But, somehow I knew to go to Aydan’s room.  I tried to open the door, but he was blocking it.  He had woken up….wet.  Not sure what came first.  But, this was a night where we hadn’t put a diaper on him.  Sometimes he stays dry, sometimes he doesn’t.  He definitely didn’t this time.  I got him cleaned up and everything and back in bed.  After that I had trouble falling back asleep…which is unheard of for me.
And then about 5:30 this morning, my 3 year old decided it was time to get up.  We laid together and I turned on toons for her.  She was awake, but cranky awake and would fuss and kick.  She was irrational.  So, yeah, that was fun. 

Yesterday was a long day.  Work until 5.  Dinner.  Take Charly to Cheer 5:30 until 7.  Finance meeting at the church 7 until 9.  Watched Sons of Anarchy with Mark.  And then went to sleep.   

Today will be work until 5.  Cross Country meet at 4:30.  (yes, I realize those overlap).  Leftovers for dinner (so easy!)  And then the evening is free.   I should be able to get a run in.  I am hoping for closer to 8 miles. 

On that note, I sooo wish I could just crawl in to bed right now.  I am definitely not motivated to work right now.  I am hoping it is a light day in the “I need something from Kari department”.  That way I can focus on getting caught up on the testing that I need to do. 

I better get to it….

Weekend’s over

I am too tired for anything other than bullet points.

• I took a little over an hour nap today before small group.
• Small group was excellent and long overdue.
• Trip to WalMart took longer than expected due to ridiculous traffic back ups.  Still have no idea what the deal was.
• I found Aydan some Spiderman slippers.  The kid will be so happy in the morning, he has been wanting some.
• I found Nate a decent pair of gloves for football. 
• Bought a movie for our Youth Group to watch.
• The “schedule” called for 36 miles this week. 
• I got in 23.71 miles.  After 19 yesterday, I wasn’t about to run 12 today to make up for it.
• Aydan starts pre school tomorrow, I am so excited for him.
• Now I am drinking a glass of Shiraz and watching New Amsterdam. 
• I don’t think I will be conscious much longer.
• This weekend was crazy busy, but it was well worth it. 

Church was lovely.  Not nearly as chaotic as last week.  I was good with that. 

I got home and started cleaning.  Dishes, floors, bathrooms, laundry, etc.  It only took me about an hour and a half to get what I needed to get done.

Now, Peyten is napping.  Charly is at a friend’s house.  Nate and Aydan are downstairs playing video games.  Mark is helping a friend run an errand.  Garry and Cindy took off somewhere. 

I am alone and it is quiet.  It is absolutely magical.

We have small group in 2 hours.  I don’t have to do anything until then. 

I was starving so I heated up some leftovers and am eating that even though I will eat again for small group.  I am sure I will figure out a way to deal with that. 

I may just lay my head on a pillow and fall asleep.  Just might…

I wish

I could remember stuff.  I have a horrible memory.  And I don’t think it is something that is just coming on with “old age”…having kids…etc.  When I was a teenager, I didn’t remember much from my elementary years.  In my 20’s, the teen years faded fast.  And now in my 30’s, everything has pretty much faded. 

Even big events in my life, I don’t recall the details.  Sometimes I remember feelings, but not the details and that irks me.  My husband can remember details from so many things.  I am not sure how he does it.  And he doesn’t understand how I don’t remember things.  To each their own, I guess. 

But, I truly do wish I remembered more.  I wish I started a blog when I was in my teens.  Or, do I?  lol.  I guess some things are better left unremembered, but who knows.  When I am in my 40’s, maybe I will appreciate being able to looking back on my late 20’s and 30’s and see what my life was like and maybe even trigger more details that I didn’t write about. 

I guess that is the experiment.  To find out if I really do want to know all this crap I write about every day.  I know that right now, I enjoy looking back 5 years ago.  Sometimes I will randomly pick a month and scroll through the blog posts.  I enjoy knowing what I have done, how I felt, and being able to truly understand how far I have come.  To put myself in my old self’s shoes, so to speak.

Sometimes things in my early years haunt me.  And they haunt me because I can’t remember the details.  Only blips of images and emotions.  Oh, nothing too scary or out of the ordinary.  It is just like trying to remember a dream as it is slowly fading out of your consciousness.  Frustrating and maddening as you grasp at anything to hold on to the memory. 

So anyway, that is what I wish.  I wish I could remember more. 

That’s all she wrote…

YESTERDAY:

Work was work.  I worked from home, hoping to clean the basement in between work stuff.  The basement didn’t happen. 

I made dinner about 5.  Goulash, caesar salad, sauteed zucchini (still have so much of this stuff!)
I scarfed a small plate and then Charly and I were off to Cheer practice. 

I sat in the hot sun, read a book, played tetris, while she learned the cheers.  Practice went a bit past 7…since the leaders don’t seem to be able to notice the time.  I am not one ofthoseparents, but it is a little frustrating when they “play games” with the kids passed the scheduled practice time.  I just find it a bit inconsiderate.  If you don’t want to adhere to an end time, don’t give one.

When practice was over, Mark left to go help a buddy with some carpet.  Nate was pretty much passed out on the couch.  Apparently the first day of school followed by football practice was a bit much for him!  I gave the kids a bath and put them to bed.  I heated up a bowl of goulash since I was still hungry after the little bit I ate at dinner.  I sat down on the couch and waited for the kids to fall asleep.   I passed out and I was dead to the world from there on out. 

There was brief moments of waking up, but it was as if I was magnetized to the couch.  I am not sure why I was so tired.  I slept in my clothes until morning.  I was THAT tired. 

Soooo, I didn’t get ANYthing done that I wanted to last night.  I wanted to run.  I wanted to clean up at the church.  I wanted to clean the basement.  I wanted to look Charly’s school stuff over.  I wanted to clean up the kitchen.  I am sure there was more.  And I am sure I wouldn’t have gotten all of it done anyway.  But, still.  I guess my body needed sleep more than anything else. 

TODAY:

I cleaned up the kitchen this morning.  Got Charly’s school stuff handled.  Now I am working from the coffee shop.  There are NO plans on the calendar.  Which is crazy.  No practice, no games, no meetings.  I am hoping that I can eat a light dinner and then head out for a nice run.  Length, to be determined.   I haven’t double checked with Mark to see if he has plans, but I don’t think he does.  If it is raining, well that is ok.  I will just get wet and enjoy myself.  Did I mention I love the rain?  Yeah, I do. 

Rambling, complete.

Saint Gregory’s Abbey 2012 recap

I am going to attempt this post. It will be a long one with pictures and if my scrolling doesn’t behave, I am not sure I will be able to do it without getting too frustrated. We shall see.

With that, where do I start? I like to document these trips because well…I don’t get away by myself too often. Vacations usually end up being “working vacations” and if you have ever gone on a vacation with small kids…well, they aren’t usually “relaxing”. I would have to choose a different adjective. Enjoyable, yes, but relaxing, no.

Anyway, when I go to the Abbey (this is the second year), my sister and I have no choice but to unplug. As I was driving to the Abbey, I got about a hundred yards from the drive and my phone went “no service”. Oh yeah, I remember that from last year. I guess I won’t call my sister when I arrive.

I got to the Abbey first and only had about a five minute wait and my sister pulled in. We got the key for the cottage (which wasn’t where it was supposed to be to start, which had us a bit worried since the monks were no where in sight). But, we did get the key and were able to get settled in to the cottage. I took a little video of the cottage before we left. Maybe I will post that on its own later.

We were both hungry, so we started with a snack.

Grapefruit, strawberry, and mint.  Zucchini bread with butter.

Did I mention my sister and I take pictures of everything?  Especially the food.

And the coffee with Heath creamer, of course;)

Next was 11:30 Sext Service.  Here is a picture of inside the church. 

The sanctuary looks like an upside down ark.  I wish I could record the smell.  There is always a lingering scent of incense and it is quite comforting. 

Here is the path back to the cottage.

It is a little under a half mile each way.

Next up is lunch. 

Salmon, sauteed onions and mushrooms, and brussel sprouts.  Corona with mint for the beverage.  This meal hit the spot.  Did I mention I love brussel sprouts?  Yeah, I do.

Oh, and since Mindy and I share the same quirk by being meticulous about how we eat our food, we thought we would grab a picture of our “last bites”.  Ya know, the last bite is important.  That is the flavor that is going to linger after the meal is over.  Mindy and I might be the only people that think about each bite of food and make sure there is the best flavor in each bite.  But, that is definitely ok.

Of course my last bite is the brussel sprout…

After another service with the monks, we had a snack of sauteed zucchini with fresh parmesan.

And I got my pasta dough started for tomorrow night’s dinner.

I also started some bread, that we almost forgot we were going to make.  But, I am not even going to bother with the “before” picture as the bread did not work out.  I am not really good at (yeast) breads.  I really should stop trying.  They never seem to rise for me.

At 4:30, we had Tea Time with monks.  We meet in their dining hall and sit around and chat and drink tea.  It is great that they do this.  It is nice to see the monks out of the sanctuary and get to know them a bit.  They like movies. They like music.  They like the Beatles.  They know a lot of lines to Princess Bride.  They are witty and sarcastic.  Of course, I am generalizing.  We only talked to two of them during Tea.  But, they are all very nice and approachable. 
There was two other people that we chatted with during Tea who were also staying at the Abbey.  They were staying in the Guest House which is more like a dorm with single rooms and they eat with the monks.

After Tea was Vespers.  After Vespers we went back to the cottage for dinner.

While Mindy got the sandwiches around, I rolled the pasta for tomorrow’s dinner.

Is it possible to make pasta and NOT drink wine?  Probably not.

The view.  The food.  Yeah, it was good to say the least.

The horseradish mustard makes the sandwich.

After 7:45 Compline service, we relaxed back at the cottage.

We got our first puzzle done.

Oh, and there was certainly random laughter throughout the weekend

And then the cheese was calling to us….

The bread didn’t rise AT ALL, but I decided to bake it anyway so we would have something to put our cheese on.  BUT, then I also baked it too long and burnt it.

Of course, we ate it anyway…

And it was still ok.  The cheese had great flavor.

We didn’t stay up too late.  Mindy went to bed before me.  I had to stay up a little longer doing a puzzle.  “Just one more piece…just one more piece”.  Yeah, I get a little addictive when it comes to puzzles. 

Saturday morning, we woke up nice and early.  We set the alarms for 3:30am.  Here we are, ready to head up to 4am Matins.  Poofy eyed and all.

Some people may think we are crazy for getting up so early to go worship with the monks.  But, it is quite the spiritual experience.  Not to mention, when you get up so early, it makes for A REALLY LONG DAY, which is fantastic when you want time to go slowly while on vacation.

After we got back from Matins, there may have been a nap…oh yes, there was.  I fell asleep on the couch while Mindy finished the next puzzle

And then somehow, Mindy fell down while getting the grapes out of the fridge.  Of course, had to get a picture of that!

And then it was time for breakfast.

Brown butter egg (since I had the pan too hot), toast, nectarine, and coffee.

Yum.

After breakfast was 8:15 Terce and Mass. 
After service I decided to get a run in. 

Let me tell you about this run.  It was glorious.  The weather was beautiful.  My legs were happy moving.  There were many hills that were challenging, but just helped me feel alive. 

And since I was out in the middle of no where, half way in to the run I gave in to the heat and humidity and took my shirt off.  I don’t usually run with just a sports bra on, but it was quite comfortable and invigorating!

The run was an out and back.  7.16 miles in 1:10:33.  9:51 pace. 

I was quite the sweaty mess when I was done.  After a cool down and a shower, it was time for another breakfast.

We tried out a recipe for “oatmeal cups”.  We weren’t impressed.  Maybe if we tweaked the recipe, they might be better.  But, the consistency just wasn’t appealing this way.

Reading and puzzles, that is what took up most of our down time.

After 11:30 Sext service, we went back to the cottage for lunch.

Now, this is the lunch of the weekend.  It was the highlight of our meals.








Porterhouse steak, angel hair pasta with pesto, sauteed mushrooms/onions/peppers.  Amberbock for the beverage.

Gone!

Large meals of steak seems to make us laugh….:)

I am a bit fuzzy on details…I think there was a nap sometime after lunch.  Either that, or I just put together more puzzle. 
We missed the 2 o’clock service, but made it up for 4:30 Tea. 
First we had a snack of toast, nutella, and bananas


Oh, and puzzle number 3 done.


After Tea and then Vespers, we made salad for dinner.

Spinach, carrots, tomatoes, red onion, green peppers, cucumbers, avocados, and parmesan.
It was a very tasty salad, but I couldn’t eat it all.  I was still a bit stuffed from that steak!

The evening was winding down.  We went to 7:45 Compline service and then came back to the cottage to relax for the night.

I stayed up a little late to get the fourth puzzle, done


I slept pretty hard on Saturday night.  Sunday morning wasn’t as early as Saturday morning.  Matins and Lauds are combined on Sunday and they start at 5:30.  I set my alarm for 5am.  Mindy decided to stay back and I went up to the church alone.  Since it is two services combined, it lasts a bit longer; about an hour and fifteen minutes.  I was sooo sleepy.  Next time, I think I will get up a tad earlier and have some coffee before hand. 
By the time I got back to the cottage, I was starving, but I was more tired than hungry so I went straight in to my bed and crashed.

The next thing I knew, I woke up to Mindy setting a hot cup of coffee on my night stand.  She was getting breakfast around for us. 

We had a little bit of everything.  Grapes, zucchini bread, nectarines, strawberries, fried potatoes, fried egg, and toast (a tad burnt, but I kind of like it that way).

We went up to the 8:30 service and then came back to the cottage to clean up.  We were sad that our time at the Abbey was coming to a close.  But, we managed to get a few rounds of Spit in.

We used to play Spit a lot growing up.  It is fast paced and someone usually gets hurt.  But, it is a lot of fun and we laugh a lot.  It brings back a lot of memories as well.

For lunch, we had leftovers

And with that, we finished cleaning up the cottage.  We loaded our cars and headed up to the church for the last service.  We dropped the key to the cottage off to Abbot Andrew as he was going to use the cottage after us.  He was starting his vacation and apparently that is where he spends it!

It is hard to express all the feelings I have about our time at the Abbey.  I love spending time with my sister.  I love reconnecting with God through our time with the monks.  I love to have the time to cook, relax, read, and do puzzles.  I love being able to “unplug” and since there is no internet available, I have no choice.

It is a time for me to “find my center”.  And that I did.

It’s Friday!!

Before:

After:

The kids are off to their Oma and Opa’s for the night. 

It is always a bit odd when the kids leave.  It goes from crazy to quiet so abruptly and it is always surreal.  In the picture above, they were all screaming pretending to be on a roller coaster as we went ever so slightly downhill along the highway.  Silly kids.  And the second picture, of course, is me on the way home with an empty back seat.

I got home and the house is trashed.  There is so much to be done.  And of course, I want to do none of it.  I want to enjoy my kid free time with relaxing and doing things that I want to do.  But, with the kids gone, it is soooo much easier to do things like clean the house (because it actually stays that way).  So, maybe once I get some paying work done, I can devote an hour to the house and at least make it presentable.  Get it out of the way. 

IF I have time today, I want to get in a quick 3-4 mile run.  If not, I am not going to beat myself up about it.  Tomorrow morning, I am making sure that I get in A LONG RUN!!!! I haven’t had a long run in so long and I am so craving it.  Just me and the pavement.  I am going, no matter the weather.  The kids are gone, so I should be able to go first thing in the morning.  And then in the afternoon, Mark and I can get ready for our Lock-In with the Youth Saturday night. 

I will probably work today, pretty much until it is time to leave.  Tonight is our town’s first Varsity football game.  It will be nice to go without the little kids.  Nate is still here and plans to go to the game and hang out with friends.  But, Mark and I can go, actually watch the game, and not worry about kids and various items falling through the bleachers.  Oh, and not have to take MULTIPLE trips to the bathroom. 

Last night was Nate’s first JV game.  It was an away game and it was a lot of fun.  I think Nate enjoyed himself.  This is his first year ever playing football, so it was all very new to him being on the field.  They lost :(  But, maybe they will win the next one.  He is #88

Now, I am going to plow and get some work done.  Mark is off running an errand and Nate is at football practice.  Sooooo quiet here :)

It’s 9 am….

and I feel like I have an endured an entire day of mommy business.

Charly woke up at some time during the night and moved to the couch. 

Aydan woke up at 6am….wet.  I got him cleaned up and dealt with a meltdown over choice of underwear.  Changed his bedding and got everything in the wash.  Laid him back down on a couch.

Peyten woke up as soon as I got Aydan settled.  She was poopy (luckily she still wears a diaper to bed).  I got her cleaned up and put underwear on.

They all wanted milk, but since we got rid of the sippies, they have to sit at the table to drink it.  Which none of them wanted to do.   I managed to get everyone settled in the living room and we watched an episode of Little Einsteins (I really do not like that show).

Then they all wanted milk so I put them at the table.  There was complaining/issues about which cups and straws and bubbles and spilling.  Oh my. 

I decided it was time for a bath, so I put the two youngest in the tub and let them play for a bit.

Charly took a shower after they were done.

Everyone got breakfast.  Cereal.  There was complaining/issues over what kind and Aydan had to pour his own cereal and milk, but the milk was too heavy.  Yeah, try and convince a 4 year old of that.  And since I had a hand on the bottom of the milk while it spilled a bit and apparently bumped his hand as it came down…it was all my fault that he got “hurt” and spilled his milk.  Yeah. 

I caught up on the dishes.  Put away the clean and washed the new that had compiled overnight (I still wonder how that happens…)

I cleaned out the microwave.  Boy, was that needed!!

Aydan had two bowls of cereal (two different kinds). Peyten had seconds of hers (and she chose to use her Tinker Bell mug to eat out of).  Charly tried to take care of Aydan’s bowl so she could take his seat and spilled the milk that was left, on the floor. 

I have laundry going for Aydan’s bedding and then for our swimming gear from last night and then I have the girls clothes to wash.  Luckily, Mark did my laundry yesterday (so sweet). 

Now, Aydan is having his “potty time”, sitting on his little toilet with the laptop in front of him and he covers his legs with a towel so his legs don’t get cold.  Yeah, it is what works for the kid….lol. 

The girls are watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Mark is up and has about 5 errands to run today, including getting Nate signed up for school.  Plus, it is Mark’s birthday!

I need a shower….

Happy Thursday!!  Oh, Nate has his first football game tonight.  SO EXCITED!!

Two views on a day

Pessimist:

Today was long.  I didn’t get much time, if any, to myself.  I didn’t get a run in.  I didn’t get all the work done that I wanted to.  I am tired and don’t feel too well.  I need to do laundry.  Balancing my checkbook today was a tad depressing.  I had to run from work, to dinner, to meeting, to meeting.  I would like to be watching the movie “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” with Mark, but I can’t concentrate.

Optimist:

Today was long and I got a lot accomplished.  I was able to get the bathroom decently cleaned.  I have jobs that keep the bills paid.  My kids are healthy and able to run around and be crazy.  Mark and I were able to work well together to make dinner, eat dinner, and clean up the kitchen all within 1 hour.  I had two meetings at the church - both were productive and smoothly run.  I am blessed to have a church family that all comes together for one common goal.  I cut my hair…it needed it.  (I am too frugal to pay someone to do it.)  I got a high score in Tetris.  First time hitting the 1 million mark.  I love these comfy pants I bought the other week.  I may just wear them every day for the rest of my life. Maybe.