6/3 I'm alive

Yes, I'm alive, but still very tired. Started my new job on Monday of this week. But that was after a wonderfully fun-filled week and weekend with family. Kris and Brian's wedding was beautiful and the reception was off the hook. (Never thought I'd use that phrase.)

I loved every minute of Rob and Beata's visit and they are safely back in North Carolina now. Miss you guys already.


Tonight's article is Texting: Good, bad, or neutral for your kids?

5/25 So much excitement

Rob and Beata (and Chilli) are on the road and should arrive tomorrow sometime. I can't wait.

Have been straightening up the house and have put in some more flowers in the yard. But I'll need help with more of them. The last poppy faded into oblivion--the storm knocked off the petals, so that made me sad. Wanted R and B to see those huge orange blooms. And of course Gussie had to pee on the rug. He's not had an accident in weeks. Guess this is to greet Chilli and let him know whose house it is.

Article tonight is Update: Arrest warrant lifted on cancer patient's mother

5/20 Just everything

The poppies are blooming and will soon be gone. Some of the columbine are blooming with many more to come. The peonies are glorious and cheer me when I come home from work. Thanks so much Kris and Jan for making my beautiful little oasis.

My contributions are helping too. The only bad news is that the pole holding the birdhouse and flowers fell over during a bad storm. Jan thought she had it so far in the ground that it wouldn't dare fall over. Too bad. You tried, Sis.

I'll have Rob re-pot it. :) Plus he gets to put together my patio table and chairs.

He and Beata should be here Tuesday sometime. I'm taking off Wednesday and Friday, plus Thursday morning. I'm so excited.

Article tonight is--Update: Is it okay to let your child die?

5/17 A beautiful day

What a gorgeous day, huh? Gussie and I walked for a mile or so. Then we went to Panera where Gussie held court again. My oh my he is so popular, and he behaves perfectly there. Quite unlike at home. I mean he's good at home but when a person comes in he jumps all over them. Not at Panera. He is a perfect gentleman. I love it and I'm happy he's so popular.

Tonight's article is Is it okay to let your child die?

Just a little over a week and Rob and Beatka will be here. I can't wait.

5/10 Happy Mothers' Day

I've had a great day. Bought some outside furniture. (Thanks, Pete, for unloading it for me.) Gus and I sat outside while I started reading Twilight. I LOVE IT!

Rob and Beata called me today and so did Jill, so my Mothers' Day was perfect. Plus I got a package from B and R with a lovely turquoise necklace and earrings. Additionally, a shout out on Facebook, an email, and a text. How connected is that? I'm so grateful. Love you all so much.

Last night was tons of fun at Kris's bachelorette party. It started at 4 and I was done by 8. This is a real down side of being old. But it sure was fun while it lasted. :)

Tonight's article is Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi: Moms trust them most and so do I

4/15 REFUND

Yep, I'd made an error when I thought I had to pay federal taxes and I get a refund from the feds, Illinois, and Mississippi. I might be able to survive for a while longer. YAY.

Jill if you want to fly in for the wedding, I can swing it. Rob and Beata, I'm paying for your gas. Consider it an early/late Christmas present. I miss you all so much.

Tonight's article is: Tax day: Do you have any more hair to pull out?

Cindy, I assume you took Gussie for a walk. Thanks a million. My day was unbelievable. My staff are now on their 9th crisis call of the day. And I'm the supervisor on call. It's been incredibly busy. Tonight's class was nice though. I have some really neat people in it.

3/1/09 Happy birthday, Beata!

I hope the weather stays nice for your trip to Wilmington. And I hope Rob stays nice too. :)

Can't wait to see you for the wedding. It will be wonderful to have you two and Chilli here. :) Gus will be so happy too.


____________________________________________

This morning's article is TV host with disability causes complaints in the UK

11/30 Welcome home

Gus just peed on my bed. Yep. This is a dog who would never pee in the bed he sleeps in. It's almost like he didn't even know it happened. Normally when he has to go outside he growls at me (like it's my fault or something). But not tonight. So consequently my sheets and blankets are in the washer. I've put on clean sheets and luckily Bea and Rob gave me a new blanket. So I'll still be able to sleep.

Lucky also that he peed on top of the covers so it didn't go down to my new mattress.

Think he's paying me back for being gone so long? :)

Speaking of that, I thought the kitty would be mad that she'd been left alone in the house for five days. But she was so happy to see me. She's more affectionate than ever. That makes me smile.

I missed both my animals so much. And I'm happy to be home. Even though Gussie wet the bed.

Oh--Elizabeth gave him a bath, so when I picked him up he looked adorable. But one foray out into the wet backyard turned him back into the dirty bird he always is. Wish he'd stop eating mud. Sigh.

Anyway, I had a perfect time with Rob and Beatka, but I'm so happy to be home. Joe and Cindy, thanks a million for getting the mail and newspapers and for taking care of my sweet kitty.

By the way, I posted a new article today on examiner.com.

11/27 Happy Thanksgiving

What a wonderful day! There's so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is being with my son and daughter-in-law. The food is delicious. The company even better. Plus they gave me my Christmas present early--and we're playing with it.

I've wanted a Wii since they first came out, and we found the last one in this section of North Carolina. What fun! And such generous souls. I'm a lucky bug.

Some of their Danish friends came for dinner and we had a great time. They have a Wii at home, so they were able to show us some of the finer points of the games.

Tomorrow night other friends are coming over to play poker. Can't wait. I can use a little extra money. :)

11/24 Soon

I'm so excited. Will now leave at 3 AM on Wednesday (okay, am not excited about that part). But I can't wait to go to Rob and Beata's home. It's such a lovely place and I'll really be able to relax. Can't wait.

But I'll miss my Gussie and Bozie so very much. Wish I could drag both of them with me.

11/19 Wednesday again

One week from today I'll be in North Carolina with Rob and Beata. For some reason I thought they were coming to Quincy for Christmas so I didn't do Christmas shopping for them. But Rob said they hadn't planned to come, so now I have to frantically search this weekend for just the right gifts. Hard enough to do anyway, but in a time crunch it's even harder.

I can't wait to see them. It'll be so nice to have another mini-vacation. Sure wish I could take Gus with me though. I'll miss him terribly.

Took the day off work because of a medical procedure so it was a wonderfully lazy day--just me with Gus and Bozie. I loved it, and the rest felt great (emotionally, not just physically). Tonight I'm teaching a class at QU but it won't be full-length.

11/13 Fun evening

We had our company annual dinner tonight and it was nice. Held at Tony's Old Place, the food was spectacular, as was the company. I sat with people from my area and they are so nice. Finally met three husbands of my colleagues and they are not only sweet, but handsome as well. One guy (Bogdan) is from Poland so I called Beata and then gave the phone to him. They chatted for several minutes in Polish. Beata loved the surprise. :)

She and Rob are leaving early tomorrow morning for California to visit Jill and John (Rob and Jill's dad). I'm very happy they are going so everyone in John's family can meet Beata and vice versa. And tomorrow is Robbie's birthday, so that will make the trip even more special.

More later.

9/20 Not much new

Still sick. But I'm getting better I'm sure--I now have antibiotics and a fierce cough medicine (thanks, Jane and Jan). Slept most of yesterday and a lot of today, so that's got to be doing something good for me. Took Gus for our usual Saturday morning Starbucks excursion, and instead of going in to work, came home and slept again.

My nephew Cody took Gussie for a walk this afternoon. That's about all the exercise the dog's gotten for a few days--he and the cat have been sleeping with me all day. They sure are sweet.

In about an hour or so the entire family will meet for my sister-in-law Paulette's 60th birthday party. I know they'll have a wonderful time, even if the life of the party can't attend. :) Sure wish I could go, but Typhoid Mary needs to stay home.

I should start feeling normal by tomorrow (whatever normal is).

Oh, found out last night that my daughter-in-law Beata has pneumonia. I feel so bad for her, but glad it's getting taken care of now. They're coming to visit in two weeks so she should be all better by then. I can't wait to have a full house--with Rob, Beata, Jill, Kayla, and Hunter. It's going to be great.

8/4 I love my kids

The housekeeper came today during lunch to give me an estimate, and it's really reasonable.

So I called Rob and Jill and told them the price and said we'd split it three ways which is what I thought we decided. Jill just emailed me to say they'd talked and they are splitting the cost so that I'll have no worries.

Amazing kiddos. They grew up great, despite everything I did to screw them up.

I love you so much, Jill and Rob (and your spouses too for agreeing to this).

5/15 Horrible and fantastic news

The horrible is that the deal fell through on my house. Depressing.

The fantastic is that Jill and kids are visiting in October, and I'm thrilled beyond words. We're hoping that Rob and Beata can come at the same time.

5/11 I'm home

The drive was the hardest ever. The wind blew so hard for most of the drive that I thought about stopping somewhere and resting. My hands gripped the wheel so tight nearly the whole trip. But the nice thing was that both my wonderful kids called me while I was driving. (Thank heaven for hands free phone ability.)

And when I got home, a surprise awaited me. On the front porch was a lovely arrangement of flowers--roses, carnations, tulips, and bachelor buttons--from Rob and Beata. Such a sweet gift, and it made me feel so special.

I'll take it to work tomorrow since I work 12 hours. Besides if I leave it here Quincy will probably eat the flowers. :)

2/27 Tired but happy

Met with the new painters last night. They are great guys. Both teach and coach at a middle school and both have been teaching for 25 years. I'll get the estimate today or tomorrow. They'll even come back in to touch up after the floors get finished.

I've got everything arranged, including someone to clean up at the very end--because I'll be gone. This has taken a lot of orchestration, but here's the schedule:

3/17 and 3/18 Movers move
3/19-3/23 Painters paint
3/24-3/27 Floorers floor
3/28 Cleaner cleans
3/28 House goes on the market officially

Throughout--payor pays. Yes, it's taking some money but it's going to be the best looking house in the subdivision and that will help sell it. Someone (who shall be nameless) said I should paint the place myself to save money. I'd love to do that. But I've never done it before, plus I work until 3/20 and am leaving that same day. (Have to be at work in the new city on 3/24.) There's absolutely no time to (a) learn how to paint and (b) actually paint.

This move is happening incredibly fast. I told Rob that I see the effects of stress on me. But I'm doing the best I can. And at least this is good stress.

I'm a lucky bug.

1/25 Let's talk about something silly

Since it's my lunchtime I'll accept my friend Monk's challenge to blog this meme:

How long have you been blogging?

Since December of 2004 and there have been very few days that I've missed.

What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?

No real blogging mentors, although I do admire people who stick to it. It's not easy.

What inspired me to start blogging was that I'd always written travelogues for my family and friends. When I went to New Zealand, Australia, and Okinawa I'd email everyone about the fun I was having. By the time I moved to the UK for five months, blogging had been developed and this was a much easier way to communicate to my family/friends.

After I returned to the states my blog became a lot more boring, hence the title of this blog.


Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?

For fun.


What 3 things do you love about being online?

Basically I've met so many great people. In 1995 I joined an online writers' community and have met many of those folks face to face. They've become dear friends and it's all because of being online.

What 3 things do you struggle with online?

The hardest thing is to remember that this is a public forum. And also that people can (and do) misinterpret what one says. When anyone has criticized me about being boring or self-centered, I just say, "Stop reading it." It's my blog and I'll write about what I want.

I kept diaries for many years. In some ways, this has replaced it. In others, no--I can't write my innermost thoughts. But my blog has helped me keep so many memories alive for myself. That's a really good thing.

I tag my niece Kelly, my daughter-in-law Beata, my son Rob, and my brother Joe. Will they respond? Maybe Kelly will.

12/26 Home again

Flew into New Orleans and drove back to Biloxi. Woke up at 2:30 AM (central time) so I've already put in a full day. Am catching up on some email at the office, and will pick up the puppies at 4. Looking forward to that. I've really missed them.

Yesterday was a great Christmas. Beata, Rob, and I all took part in the cooking (with Bea doing the most). Tom, Catherine, and Beata's friend Tina came for Christmas dinner. It was delicious and I'm still full.

After they left, I packed up, then Rob and I played some more cards. I had trouble sleeping, and when I woke up I heard Dr. Tran crying for me. I'm really going to miss that kitten.

I'm also going to miss the rest of the zoo--Bobby, Bella, Chilli, and Billi. And of course--Rob and Beata. They were so sweet to me the whole time I was there--making Christmas extraordinary.

(Oh, I talked to Jill and the kids yesterday too. Can't wait until my trip to Los Angeles so I can hug those sweeties.)

12/24 Achoo

My eyes are watering and my nose is running. Nope I'm not sick. It's just that a certain cat slept on my face for a while. It happened this way...

At 6 AM I got up to goo to the bathroom and Dr. Tran kept putting her paws under the bathroom door and crying. I let her come back to my room with me. She climbed on my bed and sat on my face. Just as happy as she could be. I moved her, but she ended up sleeping on my cheek. And she purred so loudly that I couldn't go back to sleep. So here it is Christmas Eve and I couldn't even sleep in. Fine with me though, because I love that little kitten.

Yesterday was another good day. We left at 12:30 to go to Linda's house for Sunday dinner. Tom, Catherine, and Judy were there--everyone from when I lived here. And Linda's son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Christy, were visiting. The food was tasty and the company was fun. I really enjoyed meeting Jason and Christy. They have two dogs--a yellow lab and a Newfoundland. They foster dogs for two rescue organizations, and the Newfie was a rescue that no one wanted. They said he's just a perfect dog though.

Their lab Rocky does what's called "dock jumping." It's a contest where the dog jumps off a dock after a toy, and the distance covered is measured. I'd never heard of it but Rob said I can catch it on ESPN 2. I know that Quincy would love it, the way she feels about water. Cookie is so dainty when it comes to getting wet or dirty, that she wouldn't go for it at all.

After the get-together, Rob, Beata and I went to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville. It was quite interesting and covered the beginning of Special Ops (the OSS during World War II) up trhough current times. We also saw a few movies, one was made like a ride where the chairs go up in the air, vibrate, and it's like you are actually experiencing what's on the screen. It was a good afternoon.

We got home around 7:30 or so--after Rob and I went grocery shopping. We have all the food we need for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so Rob and I don't have to leave the house today. Yay.

Poor Beata has to work. I'll be napping, trying to make up for the early rising caused by the nefarious Dr. Tran.


Catherine and I at Linda's house


Me, Beata, Tom, Judy, and Linda


Rob and Judy


Beata and I at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum

12/23 Another wonderful day

We had fun yesterday and hardly left the house. Rob and I played games most of the day, including online poker. And we played lots of cards, especially Spite and Malice.

Beata had to work from 11-7, so we went to Maurice's so I could buy a pair of jeans. Beatka is a great salesperson. I left with five items--jeans, shirt, camisole, necklace, and earrings. And no buyer's remorse.

I made dinner. At Rob's request I made sloppy joes. Yeah, a real gourmet meal. Made some vegetarian sloppy joes too. We stayed up until after midnight playing poker.

And I didn't wake up until 9:30 this morning. Can't believe I slept 9 hours.

12/22 Yesterday was a long day

It's the last time I'm going to drive to the New Orleans airport to save $150. It wasn't worth the aggravation. I had to get up at 4 AM and drive in horrible fog all the way. Plus it took me more than 20 minutes to walk from my car to the ticket desk. Nope. Not again.

But it was all worth it in the end. My flights were on time, and we experienced no problem. Flying on Friday was smart because Saturday was supposed to be the most crowded flying day. Everything was comfortable for me.

Rob and Beata were at the airport when I landed, so I didn't have to wait. It was wonderful to see them. We stopped at the Something Shiny Diner for a late lunch. (Forgot the first word of the name.) It's an old-timey railroad car type diner, the outside made of metal, and shiny as all get out. The inside was old fashioned too with cool booths, and miniature jukeboxes in each one.

When we got home I was so happy to see the zoo. Bobby, Bella, Chilli, and Billi were all happy to see me. And Rob made a deal with Beata on the way home--she could keep the kitten if they named her Dr. Tran.

Beata said yes of course. When we got there it was neat to meet the little cutie. Then I saw the Dr. Tran videos on You Tube. Oh my they are hilarious. If you're interested just go to You Tube and search for Dr. Tran.

Rob keeps quoting the videos and now I know why. I'm quoting them too. :) And what a hilarious name for such a little kitten--she's only about six weeks old.

Last night Rob and I played Sequence. He won. Then we played online poker. We both won. Pretty cool. He came in 5th in his tournament and I came in 3rd in mine.

Today Beata works from 11-6. I'm going to her store later to buy some jeans. I definitely need some.

12/20 Rain rain go away

Wow, it's been pouring all day. There's hail right off the coast but that hasn't hit us. Thank God. I've done a lot of driving today (and eaten a lot of holiday fare). But luckily I managed to traverse the worst of the huge puddles without problem.

The roads are hazardous too. But the good news is that it's almost done. And when I take off tomorrow morning for North Carolina, the weather is supposed to be perfect. That certainly makes me smile.

The puppies are at Pampered Pets and I miss them already. Tonight I must do laundry and pack. And clean dog hair off the Christmas presents I'm taking with me on the plane.

Can't wait to see Rob, Beata, and the zoo. It'll be great!

12/14 Meetings

Spent all day, yes all day, in meetings. Luckily the ones from 10-4 were in a building one block from the water with an unobstructed view, so I was able to do some dynamite daydreaming. One week from today I'll be in NC with Rob, Beata, and the zoo. Can't wait.

But I already feel guilty about leaving my pups for so long. As I sit here in my office they are both asleep at my feet. Just like kids they are so cute when they are asleep.

Tomorrow night I have a Christmas party at Genia's and Sunday night there's a gift exchange with my card playing buddies at Caroline's. Monday night will be the only night I'll have free after tonight. Guess that'll be a gonzo laundry and packing night.

12/7 I've been absent

Sorry for the scarcity of blog entries, but I've been working late every night. It just seems there aren't enough hours in the day. And when I am finally finished working, I play with the dogs. They miss me. And I sure miss them. Wednesday night they had to stay at Pampered Pets because I couldn't get there before closing. So last night I made sure I picked them up and brought them home before going back to work.

These pictures are of my dining room and kitchen. The table isn't my regular one but the one I put up when people are coming over to play cards. Rob put up the shelf which contains some of my lovely items from Okinawa, including two beautiful tea sets from Rob and Beata.

12/1 70 degrees in December

My home office was basically just a big closet until Rob came and helped me organize it. I'm grateful beyond words. (The TV, printer, and phone are on the desk. Everything but my laptop.) Still some boxes under the desk, but I'll take care of that soon.

11/29 More pictures

Some of the live oaks that died were sculpted beautifully by an artist with a chain saw. (Yes, they are really called "live oaks.")





















My beautiful kids.

11/27 Photos

A series of pagodas on a fishing dock.


















And the Hard Rock guitar at the casino.


























King Neptune lost his arms in the storm.























Finally, here's a Katrina Cottage--many of the survivors are given that after the FEMA trailers are removed.

More photos later.

11/25 Not much time

Need to get some sleep. Rob is downloading his photos for me, and I'll post some tomorrow. But for now I have to catch some zzzz's.

He was absolutely awesome today. Rob did so much work around my house; I can't believe it's the same place.

I took him to the Beau Rivage tonight for dinner--the seafood buffet. He was suitably impressed, and did some damage.

11/24 It's really Sunday

What fun we've had. Today we drove around and enjoyed each other's company. I showed Rob all the devastation from Ocean Springs to Waveland, and he is angry that our country doesn't realize all the work yet to be done. But we managed to have fun despite the storm's ravages.

After the drive we went to High Cotton to eat. I had my usual friend green tomatoes and Rob enjoyed a seafood platter. We went to Lowe's afterward and got stuff to work on the house. Then we re-cleaned the place and my friends came over at 7 to play games and cards. They just left. And it's actually Sunday instead of Saturday. They loved Rob and he loved them, so it was a successful evening. And both Quincy and Cookie were so well behaved.

Tomorrow we're putting up my Christmas tree and cleaning out my office. He's also going to put down some boards in my attic so I can store things there. Lots to do tomorrow and we'll celebrate our good work by going to the Beau Rivage for the seafood buffet tomorrow night. Should be another wonderful day.

Rob is super, and it's such a pleasure having him here.

11/23 Rob's here

He arrived at 2 PM. He absolutely loves my house, which makes me smile idiotically. I made dinner and then we've been playing games for hours. It was really fun.

The dogs adore him and he says the feeling is mutual.

What a wonderful treat to have my son here.

Tomorrow we're going exploring and tomorrow night friends are coming over for games. Both Rob and I love cards and other games so I think it will be a fun night.

I promise to take pictures tomorrow. For now, I'm beat. Love to all.

11/20 My big news!

(Rob, the day I picked out Quincy--when she was 10 days old.)

Rob is going to visit me from Friday until Monday. I'm so excited. Not only will I get to see my wonderful son, but he's going to do some chores around my house--saving me some money.

A huge thank you to Beata for loaning him to me. Unfortunately she has to work (drat that retail job!), so she can't come too. I'm going to miss her but it will be super to have my son here.

Saturday night I've invited over my card playing friends to play games becasue I wanted them to meet Rob.

Can't wait.

11/14 Rob's birthday

How can my sweet little boy be so old? He's 36 today. Seems impossible.

I have so many happy memories with Rob. Some not so happy--but those fade a lot faster, which is fine with me. He's made me laugh for 36 years, and I hope he makes me laugh for 36 more.

Happy birthday, honey. I know it's going to be wonderful since your sister arrived today. It was good talking to you, Beata, and Jill this morning. Wish I could be with you all, but I know you'll have so much fun.

Looking forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving, no matter where we end up. :) Love to you all, Mom

Editing to say: For more on Rob's birthday, and a few pictures, go to my brother Joe's blog.

10/19 What a great day

Rob, Beata and I woke up at 4:30 because my stupid alarm went off. Rob went to the gym to work out while Bea and I went back to sleep. At seven we had breakfast--some yummy pastries from Panera Bread. Then it was time to say goodbye to Beata.

Rob drove me to Charlotte. It was a nice, uneventful trip. What a pleasure it is to spend some uninterrupted time with your adult kids. We really missed Beata though. But she was out earning money.

When we arrived in Charlotte I got to check into my hotel room right away which made things a lot easier for us. Then we met up with my friend, JC, a gal I wen to grade school and high school with. The lunch wa so enjoyable. Joyce and I always have a laughfest when we're together. I'm really a lucky bug to be able to travel and catch up with people who mean something to me.

Rob left around 2 and I had a conference call with coworkers at 3. It lasted until 4:30, but my first meeting here started at 4. So for a half hour I attended two meetings at the same time. It was pretty confusing, but I managed. Thankfully I remembered to keep my phone on mute most of the time.

Tonight was good--we had a team leader meeting and then an all Crew meeting. This year I'm a division leader which is a step up--not in glamor or coolness, but in responsibility. I like it though. The Avon Breast Cancer Walks not only do a tremendous amount of good, but they are fun and addicitng as well. Gotta run--I'm hungry and tired.

Be nice. And no talking politics while I'm sleeping.

(As I type I'm sitting next to a handsome young man, Joshua. What a little cutie.)

10/18 I arrived

My connecting flight was canceled so I arrived in NC a few hours late. Rob picked me up in Raleigh and we had a fun drive to Sanford. Beata arrived shortly after we got home. She made a delicious dinner and we relaxed afterward.

Bea made a confession to me--she confessed that she can't wait to become a citizen so she can vote. And she's decided to be a Democrat. I whooped with joy. The two of us against the rest of the family. YES!

The zoo were all thrilled to see me. Since I miss my dogs, it's nice to have three of them fawn over me.

10/17 Packing up

Lots to do at work today, then the landlord sprayed for ants and the smell gave me a horrible headache. So I had to leave around 4, but that's okay. I had lots to do at home too. Am packing for my trip. It's not so easy--everything, including my sleeping bag and mat, have to fit in a duffel bag. So I have to stuff everything for Thursday through Sunday.

I can't wait until tomorrow though. I haven't seen Rob and Beata since May and it'll be wonderful to see them.

But I miss Quincy and Cookie already. What a wuss.

10/15 Leaving Thursday

I get to visit Rob and Beata on Thursday and part of Friday. Am flying to Raleigh and will stay at their house overnight. Then on Friday they're driving me to Charlotte, where I'll participate in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. I was asked to be the Operations Division Leader for the crew and said absolutely yes.

It's a great event, and my sisters, nieces, friends and I go to the Chicago one every year. My sisters and I have done it for the past six years and over the years others have joined us. It's such a wonderful time. Even though we're all so busy--especially Jan who walks the 40 miles--we still get to spend some quality time together and I cherish it.

This one won't be as much fun as Chicago because they won't be there, but it's a worthy cause and I'm looking forward to it.

Plus it will be super to see Rob, Beata, and the zoo. Haven't seen them since early May when I drove back there to pick up Quincy. She was eight weeks old at the time. And about eight pounds. Now she's eight months old (tomorrow) and more than 60 pounds. How time flies!

Can't wait to see two of my kids!!!!! I could use the hugs.

8/11 Lots happening

It's been an amazing time. Right now I'm at McDonald's with the grandkids. They finished breakfast and are playing while I try to catch up a little.

Can't remember if I mentioned the lovely flowers that Rob and Beata sent me for my birthday. Amazing. And some of them are still beautiful more than a week later.

We've seen lots of our family especially Jan, Tim, Jane, Sarah, and Jordan. It's been great. Jan and Tim are just wonderful to let us stay so long. Jane has been incredibly generous with buying the kids things and supplying an extra duffel bag to put them in for the trip. :) Jordan and Sarah have been such big helps with watching them.

Swam every day but one so far. Yesterday we swam twice so that made up for the one day we missed. Hunter's had a few meltdowns where he cried for his mom, but it hasn't happened for several days. In fact now he calls me mom, I hope that doesn't worry you, Jill. Both kids want to live with me now, I think it's 'cause I told them you're never coming back for them and you don't love them anymore.

Okay, the truth...they really miss you, but there's no crying anymore. They are having such a wonderful time swimming every day, being with family, and enjoying "vacation rules." I told them that when we get to the hotel in St. Louis that their vacation rules are officially over and that we need to get them back into "mommy and daddy rules" so that when Jill and Todd walk into the hotel they won't be horrified at their children's behavior. Truth be told, Tim and Jan both say that Kayla and Hunter are very well behaved and polite, so that's very good to hear.

I put Q in the kennel a few days ago. She's such a HUGE puppy and I wasn't having a relaxed time just worrying about the damage she could do at the new house. She is completely housetrained at home (except for the unfortunate diarrhea incident--no fault of hers), but has managed to pee several times on the expensive living room carpet. Plus she enjoys Jan's flowers--a bit too much. So tomorrow morning we'll pick her up and bring her to the house so she can run around outside for a few hours before taking off for St. Louis. I'm much less anxious. The kids are easier to watch. :) We leave about noon tomorrow and will stay at the hotel. Jill and Todd get in at 9:30 so the kids will be anxiously waiting for their arrival.

The following day Q and I leave early for Jackson MS. I have a meeting in Jackson on Tuesday, so will put Q in day care there while I work. Tuesday evening we'll head for home, and that will be a welcome occurence. Have to rest up from my vacation.

Today will be fun though. We're having a family picnic at Jan and Tim's lots of folks are coming and we'll swim then have a feast. Can't wait.

7/9 There's nothing to say

But you know I'll say it anyway.

Not too much excitement today. I had to leave work at noon because our internet was down, and I had a conference call and needed the internet at the same time. So I came home for that. Q was happy to get to go home early. She napped while I talked/listened, so it worked out well.

I have a new boss. David, already a Senior Vice President, was transferred to another position. Heather G is now my boss and although I'll miss David, Heather is great and I'm sure things will go well. Other changes in our larger company, all good.

Rob called a little while ago, so I'm smiling. It's always great to talk to your kids. He's great and I'm looking forward to seeing Beata and him in the near future.

More later about a great letter I received.