Hey y'all. I just love sayin' y'all, y'all. Y'all know what I mean? I can't remember the last time I said, "you guys" (a term for which I constantly got ribbed for by my Louisiana kin folk).

Anyway - another day has past and I can't wait to share about what a fun day we had. Aunt Jan and Uncle Richard recently purchased a plot of land in Mer Rouge, La. on a lake...complete with a pier and fishin' poles. So, the whole family headed out to what has affectionately been named "Byrd Camp" (after Jan & Richard's last name). It was a beautiful day - although it never hit 70, there was no humidity whatsoever. There was a pretty decent breeze throughout the day, but if you caught a good patch of sun, it just didn't matter. Of course, there was a constant stream of food available all day long in case anyone began to starve...and, we had Grill Master D (sans Black Beauty tho') on hand to cook us up some tasty burgers w/ all the fixin's.


Clearly, the hottest attraction going today was the fishing. A majority of time was spent on the really cool pier that sits on Bayou Bonne Idee...all the kids really enjoyed the fishing. Us "older" cousins (me, Robyn and Ashley) recall fishing during the summers at the Scott camp, so it was neat (once again) to see history sort of repeating itself.

The most exciting moment for this mama was seeing her baby catch a fish. Abby had the biggest catch of the day (I have approval from Uncle David to say this as he oversaw most of the catches coming out of the water)!! It was a pretty little white perch and Abby roped him in ALL BY HERSELF! She went on to catch another later on as well. She was very excited...I know it will be a fond memory for her.


Other happenings at the camp were tree climbing, princess dress up, eating, losing crops (i.e. napping), bubble blowing and lots of running around. And, to top things off, we had a little fun in the bathtub. All 3 girls jumped in the over sized tub at the camp and the baby Grayson was dunked in as well. This picture of the baby Grayson is the only one I can really post since these days 3 little girls in a bathtub can get one into quite a bit of trouble. But Grayson sure didn't mind! Everyone got squeaky clean w/ new clothes and everything then headed back down to the pier for a few last minute fishing attempts.

You should really stop by the Drop Shots account and check out more pictures of the days events. More fun memories burned into the memory bank...with the Byrd Camp being only a short day's drive away, I can see more fun times are just around the corner!

Tomorrow morning we pack up base camp and head BACK to Fort Worth, Tx. where we'll be prepping our things for the ascent to Murfreesboro. We also expect a visit to Texas this week from Uncle Steve. Perhaps there might be another Bita song coming soon!

Prayer Requests:
1. More travel mercies (good thing God never runs out!)
2. Our belongings will be packed up onto a truck on Monday, then begin their travel to TN on Wednesday...although they are just "things", they are still our things alot of which are needed, some not so much :) Please pray for protection, safe arrival and no complications for our load.

love & louisiana kisses,
k

Yes, I know that is a completely meaningless title...but, my only other option was, "Let me recapitulate - oh wait, I never capitulated in the first place". That doesn't even makes sense...so, I went with funny.


It's been almost a week since my last post and I know millions of people are chomping at the bit to know what we've been up to! Well, I can tell you that although we've been having alot of fun, there's nothing that's too blog-worthy.

I did take a rather nasty fall on the bathroom tile on Wednesday. I was barefoot and the floor was freshly mopped...a recipe for disaster. Although I was a gymnast for a number of years back in the day, my ability to do the splits has been completely lost...and even if there was a small chance that I could do the splits, the area where I fell was small, and not designed for gymnastic activity. In case you were wondering, I can tell you with 100% certainty that ones knee is not supposed to bend left and right, but it will in a forced situation (like doing the splits in a confined space on a freshly mopped tile floor with bare feet). In other words, I started into the splits, and then my knee buckled the wrong way and hyper-extended. Yes, it hurt. Yes, I said bad words. I've been trying to nurse it back to health with RICE and it's feeling better unless I move it.

We've also enjoyed a few spring thunderstorms here. I remember each year growing up we would spend a few weeks in Louisiana (of course it was always in the hottest and humidist 2 weeks of the year). One of my favorite memories was the summer thunderstorm. It would be lik 85 degrees out, pooring rain....the thunder and lightning would make your knees shake. Unless of course you knew the counting rule: the more seconds you count between the thunder and lightning, the farther away the lightning was and the less you had to worry. As a kid, that's a comfort. Especially at night, sleeping in the room of a thousand windows (that would be the living room at my Nana & Papa's house). I would lay there, listen for the thunder...then count, "one one thousand, two two thousand, three.........whew!! it was a 7!" Anything over a 4 or 5 was like...no worries. Anyway - the room we are in here in Texas has a big window that's perfect for viewing storms....one woke me up in the middle of the night, so I got up, opened the blinds and just laid there watching the rain and lightning and listening to those huge claps of thunder. I love it!!

Tomorrow morning, we are off to Lafayette, La. to visit Aunt Jan and Uncle Richard and then we're off to Monroe to visit the rest of the family....Abby will FINALLY have some kids to play with! Poor Abby has gone over a month without proper child's play. She will have all her little cousins (well, they're technically 2nd cousins) to hang out with....she's very excited! I'm also going to make sure that Mike gets his first proper serving of mudbugs...here's a little picture of some of my family eating a "proper" serving of mudbugs:



Yeah...yum.

One other item of note before I sign off...we have an official arrival date for Murfreesboro. April 21st. Exactly 15 years and 2 days after the date I officially arrived in the Bay Area from San Diego. Our moving guys have a 6 to 12 day delivery spread, so although we arrive on the 21st, our stuff could be there as late as April 27th.

A few prayer concerns:
1. For protection for our belongings as they make their way out from California to TN...and, that the delivery spread would be closer to the 6 day and not the 12 day.
2. For traveling mercies - to and from Louisiana
3. For speedy and full recovery for my knee injury

love and won tons,
k

Here's a phrase we don't have to hear for awhile, "check out time is 11am".

We left Midland, Texas this morning at 9am and arrived in Fort Worth sometime around 3pm (with 2 leisurely pit stops somewhere in between). We came in just in the nick of time because a storm is making its way through Texas as I write this... Once again, I can't say enough how blessed we've been through this entire trip - the weather has been fabulous (not one drop of rain the entire time). In addition - on the days where we've had to drive long distances, the time flew by so quickly! I don't know how that happens other than we know that people are praying for these things specifically. Your prayers are being answered - thanks!!

Randy and Mike unloaded the 1000 lbs that we've been carrying around in the car while I proceed to explode it all into our bedroom and other areas of the house. Settled in for 3 weeks. By the way, it is very strange driving our Camry round these parts - seeing our car parked in my Mom's garage!

At this point, we hope to settle into a somewhat normal routine....Mike will be working in his "office" for the next 3 weeks and I will be doing a bit of AFH work myself as well as helping with cooking and shopping. I will also be pursuing some living arrangements in TN and negotiating with the Van Lines on the shipping of our "stuff". We also look forward to visiting family in Louisiana the first week of April!!


Now don't go bailing on me - I will keep the blog updated (probably not on a daily basis, but as I feel led to) as well as our pictures. By the way - have you seen the option to sign up for these blog updates via email? Look over at the top right hand side of the blog where it says, "Subscribe"....put your email address there, then go through the verification process (which is a snap) and then you'll get these blogs delivered to your email the next day. That way, you won't have to remember to come back (and we don't want you to forget about us!).


Lastly - here's a little laughable tidbit....we just got some of our mail here in Texas (delivered from our mailbox in TN). And guess what? Mike has JURY DUTY!! I wonder if Contra Costa County will pay for his plane ticket? What's even more funny is the hoops he has to go through to get himself "disqualified".

Mmmmwhaaw!
k

Well folks, I'm back - first off, I'd like to thank Mike for a fabulous post last night...and just so you know, I encourage him frequently to post, but he insists that I do it. Please feel free to encourage more of Mike on this blog by shooting him an email.

So I was chatting with my stepdad, Randy on the phone a few weeks ago about driving routes. I had mentioned that we really needed a stop between El Paso and Fort Worth because the driving distance was too long. Usually, I would try to find places to stop where there was some local sightseeing in order to increase our fun quotient. When I asked him about stopping in west TX somewhere, he said to me, "well...God didn't spend too much time on West Texas". The comment made me chuckle at the time, but I've come to realize that truer words have not been spoken! Mike was right on in his post - there is a whole lot of nothing going on around these parts.

We decided to by pass the city of El Paso (which we now refer to as By Paso) because we had more than a few occasions to hear what a stinky little town it is. So, we thought instead to make a really long travel day (Albuquerque to Midland), get to Midland late in the eve then have a "day off" the next day to ramp up for another travel day to Fort Worth. So we slept in and had a leisurely morning getting ready and hanging out. About noon, we decided to see if there was anything to do in this town - or if it was in fact just a "mid-way" point between By Paso and Ft. Worth.

So Mike was in charge of mapping out a little sightseeing. Our expectations were low to begin with - but, we did want to give the city a chance. We ended up at the American Airpower Heritage Museum. Entering through the doors we found ourselves in the museum gift shop. The price of admission made both Mike and I scoff. I wondered if for that price I would get to ride in a B-52 or something. I mean, really...scoff, scoff (or should I say, squeek, squeek).

We decided to go for it anyway - and we are so glad that we did.

Now I will be honest with you - I wasn't terribly excited about spending the afternoon in a airpower heritage museum...there are a few hundred other things that I could think of that would be more fun for me. But hey, that's what us gals do for our men, right? I sacrifice many a chick-flick to cuddle up and watch "Band of Brothers" with Mike (to be honest, though it's a favorite in our DVD collection). I go out of my way to put war movies in the Netflix queue because I know that Mike will enjoy them. (In Mike's defense, he will gladly suffer through a chick-flick if I really want to see it). So, I pulled up my boot straps and walked on in to the museum.


WOW....this museum was so well done. Although there were some Vietnam era planes, the entire museum (all 40,000 square feet of it) was dedicated to the history of WWII airpower. There were incredible exhibits, mini-movies, artifacts, memorabilia, hands-on equipment as well as a research library and conservation lab. There were actual airplanes to see as well - including a B-29 Superfortress affectionately named "Fifi" (whose wheels were taller than Abby).

We spent quite awhile checking out this museum and we recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Midland, Tx. Please check out more photos of the museum by clicking here.

Later on in the eve, we decided we wanted to find another reason to like Midland. Mike was on the case again - this time, his goal was to find a local eatery that would serve up some BBQ.
"Sam's BBQ" on Scharbauer Dr. was selected for our dining pleasure. Once again, Mike hit a homerun. Although, there a moment of trepidation as well pulled up to the joint. It just seemed shabby and run down. Mike turned off the car and we sort of sat there a minute - the unspoken words flying back and forth. I saw a sign in the door that said, "smoking allowed" - that's my out, I thought to myself! I mentioned it to Mike (who is almost allergic to cigarette smoke)...."OHHH Noooo..." he said. "We should go somewhere else"...."Well, no...let's just go here"...."Well, if you really want to"...."Should we?". You know the drill...

Finally Mike just opened the door - I could almost hear Abby say, "Finally" under her breath. We stepped inside Sam's and the smell of mesquite filled our nostrils. OH YEAH. The place was just about as toe up on the inside as it was on the outside...but at this point our eyes were blinded by the lovely smells that were making their way into our noses. We sat down in a booth whose vinyl was duct taped together. We were handed a laminated piece of paper with a handful of choices (no kid menu and crayons here, baby). Nothing seemed to matter - we were in a mesquite-induced trance. We ordered - and in no time plates of food appeared before us. Let me just say this....there was no family chatter going on at this table. Just eating. It was good bbq.

We came to the register to pay and the waitress asked us if we enjoyed our meal. I couldn't help myself - I said to the waitress, "Well, as my Aunt Jan would say, 'it was so good it made me want to slap my mama's hand'". Not only did I say that, but I said it in my best southern accent. So it came out more like this, "it wuh so good it made me wana slap my mamas hayen"
Praise the Lord that the waitress thought that was funny because that could have been an awkward moment. It already was for Mike...

So - there you have it. Saturday in Midland, Tx. - in the books. Tomorrow we are off to Fort Worth for a much needed travel respite. We will be there for 3 weeks, then we have some more traveling planned. Don't stop checking the blog though - you can count on me for more meaningless commentary.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Praise: We can't believe how quickly the travel time goes - we feel this is an answer to prayer - thank you for those that are praying - it does make a difference!

2. Please pray for - yet again - safe travel...this time to Ft. Worth.

3. We have been praying for housing arrangements for our arrival in Tn. There are not alot of apartment complexes in TN...at least in the area where we are targeting. There is one complex that fits our criteria - but not sure if the one we are looking at would be available at the right time. Please pray that God would be preparing our place even now and that it would be clear to us which place is right (and that we would be open to whatever it is).

Lastly - I just want to say how much we love hearing from "home"....your emails and comments from the blog are bringing us joy on the road. We miss you guys and look forward to our next visit to CA.

Love you so much it makes me wanna slap my mama's hand.
(Hey Mom - it's just a figure of speech, ok?)

k

Today was our last full day in New Mexico...and we decided we would make it count!


We woke up bright and early and headed out to find a beautiful day in Albuquerque. Our first stop was Target to get rid of a gift card that was burning a hole in our pocket. After that stop, we drove to our next destination - an aquarium called, "Albuquerque Aquarium" (wow, someone really used some brain cells to come up with that name). Coming from the Bay Area (and originally being from San Diego), zoos and aquariums are usually a big let down for me. But this one was nicely done - not so big that you can't see everything and not so small that you feel cheated. Just right, really...


We got to see a very large variety of fish, sting rays, sharks, jelly fish and even 3 birds that were part of the ray exhibit (which I initially thought were fake until one of them took a jump into the water!) Speaking of stingrays, we got to watch one of the workers there feed the small sharks that were in the ray exhibit...

There was a model boat exhibit as well - also, an outdoor exhibit that included a real shrimpin' boat (I of course was not impressed with this since I saw tons of these almost every summer visiting in Louisiana). They had a nice theater that continuously ran documentaries. We happened to catch the one about Rio Grande - it was quite fascinating!

After exhausting ourselves at the aquarium, we headed over to the Rio Grande Botanic Garden. This was a really, really cool place - made especially cool because the weather was incredible! As you walk in the park, you are immediately drawn to a pathway that led to "Children's Fantasy Garden". This is a well put together exhibit where you, the visitor are made to feel the size of an ant! There is a fun maze, little nooks to explore, beautiful landscaping and even a fun slide. Lots of photo opportunities in this little mini wonderland (by the way, that's a shameless plug to encourage you to click here to see the pictures! ) Here's one of Abby hiding in the carrot patch (notice the ant off in the background):

After the botanical garden - our tanks needed a fill up. We hit a diner on Route 66 called, "Route 66 Malt Shop and Grill". This is one of those places where you first drive up and ask yourself, "do I really want to eat here?" It's a tad shabby on the outside - and small! We decided to take a chance on it and we are SO glad that we did. We sat at the soda fountain counter and chatted up the owner, Eric, most of the time. Mike and I each had a hamburger - and my opinion is that it's probably the best burger ever. Everything in the cafe is old school - they even sell phosphates, which are the original sodas (you mix a little syrup w/ plain soda water). They also make their own root beer which has won awards on a national level. We had quite a lengthy discussion with Eric about politics, cheeseburgers and music. The place was a definite gem - I would highly recommend it.

After lunch, we headed to base camp for some much needed resting and indoor activities.

For dinner - we opted for another local eatery called, "Rudy's 'Country Store' & BBQ". The food was incredible - only this time, we didn't quite have the warm, friendly atmosphere that we did at Route 66. Actually, I would compare it more to Seinfeld's soup nazi. You ever go to a place where you've never been before and have this weird feeling like you're supposed to do some odd ritual to get your grub? Well, that's kind of how we felt. I had to go to the counter and ask the gal what we were supposed to do to order. She seemed all spun out about my query - clearly they were not in need of my business because the place was packed with lots of people who knew what they were supposed to do! Anyway - it wasn't that big of a production after all, but the fact that I had to ask meant that now everyone behind the counter knew we were "not local". So - we wait in line and, as luck would have it, the register we wind up at is the same gal from before. NOW I had to ask her how I should order for my peeps because the menu is basically just a list of meat and prices. Again with the spinning out. Well, ok - she wasn't that bad...but she broke it down kind of fast, which made me all flustered. I just picked a few things and she rang it up. Can you believe that this family of 3 walked out of the place fairly full for $16?

Anyway - the whole serving process is kind of different. First, she put down this crate looking thing (they are the plastic holders that soda delivery guys bring cases of soda in). Then, she lines it with butcher paper. Then, she turns and gets the meat from the meat cutting guy and throws it on some more butcher paper. They give you more butcher paper to use as plates. And, the gal throws a bunch of wonder bread on top of everything and sends you on your way. The tables are set up family style and they are covered in red checked table clothes. Once we got settled on the table, started putting all the pieces together and actually ate the food, we decided it was WELL worth the cost of humiliation.

So - that's our day in a nutshell...

A few prayer items:

PRAISE: I can't believe the weather we've experienced....it's been truly beautiful everywhere we've gone, this has been a huge answer to prayer for us!

Please pray for our upcoming travels - tomorrow (Friday) is a long travel day (500 miles) and the routes that are available to take all have high wind (50mph) advisories. Traveling mercies are requested as well as some kind of time warping to make the trip go by fast :) We are headed off to Midland for a few days, then on to Fort Worth for an extended stay.

kisses, hugs, trout and pancakes,

k

By no means is our San Diego hotel room "deluxe" accommodations...I wouldn't call it shabby either, but let's just say that that we are staying in the block of rooms for the people who managed to find the bargain price that was too good to be true. Little things that to me make a huge difference in the comfort of a room are missing. But, after 5 nights I've come to find comfort and contentment in our room - I've even gone so far as to sing the praises of our mattress (it's actually quite comfortable!)

But this evening, it didn't matter if you were staying at the Motel 6 or the Waldorf Astoria because the Creator of the Universe whipped up a little something special for us that no concierge could hold a candle to. Outside our window was the most spectacular, magnificent, stunning sunset that I've seen in a long time. This picture cannot do this sunset justice...it just had to be experienced. I just imagined what my sunset looked like at the cliffs (one of ours stops from the day before). I thought God might be sitting behind the sun and blowing the clouds our way because the effect was like pillowy waves that the sky could not hold onto. I feel ridiculous even trying to describe it...you just had to be there. Yeah, it was sight to behold.

I mentioned the cliffs...that would be Sunset Cliffs. A place of significance to me when I lived in SD, as I spent a many times there wrestling with things I didn't understand. My favorite thing about the cliffs is the sound and the smell. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful view - the entire Pacific Ocean is before your very eyes (and if the sun is in just the right place, you can watch it reflect off the waves like a golden shimmer). But there's just something about closing your eyes and using your sense of smell and hearing to experience it. It's something that I've missed living up in Northern Cal. and now I will surely miss it much more. I know there will be new things to experience, but there will always be a part of me that's "from the beach city".

While Steve, Dad, Mike and Abby went exploring down one of the cliff areas, I was looking around snapping pictures and something caught my eye. I'm walking on this rocky path...I mean, it's a cliff...it's rocky, dirty, sandy, whatever you want to call it. I'm looking down the nooks and crannies of the cliff and all of the sudden I realize that there is plant life growing out of these rocky areas. Forgive me if you are horticulturally savy with a green thumb....maybe my next comment is ignorant. But I always thought that you needed moist, deep, fertile soil for stuff to grow. How in the world does plant life come out of a rock?

I guess I don't really care about the logic behind why a lush green flowering plant can grow out of a rocky crag (actually, I don't know if this would be considered a "crag" - actually, I don't really know what a crag is but doesn't that sound good?). What I care more about is being open to a spiritual lesson...I think there are many from this scene - but the one that seemed to be highlighted at the time is this: God can take something rocky, rough, dirty, etc. and make something beautiful come out of it. I was also reminded that the place that experienced the growth had to yield to God's hand. Of course all a rocky area can do is yield, but hopefully you get the picture I'm trying to paint. Some of those rocky places in our lives that we have a hard time turning over are just waiting to burst forth with lush, green life...

Ok - enough of that...I know I didn't post yesterday - I just needed a day off. Here's the readers digest version. We went walking around at Seaport Village then went to Sunset Cliffs for awhile. We drove to Point Loma then headed back to base camp to rest. We had late evening dining at Sala Thai (another cuisine that we'll be missing in TN, I'm sure!! Hey S-girl - the Tom Kha here is AWESOME!!)

Feel free to check out the photo gallery by clicking here.

Prayer requests: please pray for Mike...he's feeling under the weather again and he's up against a 3am conference call on Friday morning and MANY hours of driving on Saturday. Also - we've got a huge travel day on Saturday....San Diego to Cottonwood, AZ. Please pray for travel mercies and also for good weather!

Lastly - today I had to take a ton of clothes to the laundromat in La Mesa. Fortunately, I had the company of my bro and daughter to take the edge off. Leave it to them to find something goofy to do at the wash-a-teria!

Missing you,
k

Tonight is our last night here in Patterson for awhile....we have enjoyed being so close in distance (only 74 miles to be exact) for so many years. When we wake up tomorrow, we say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa....our hearts are already heavy thinking about it! As we tucked Abby in to bed tonight she showed signs of sadness as she spoke about a dream that she had last night. As best as I could, I tried to help her through the feelings that she was having - careful not to dismiss them, but also gently reminding of the positive. A mother's heart is burdened seeing the sadness of her child....it increases the difficulty in my own goodbye preparations. I do find some comfort in knowing that although the quantity of our visits will decrease, the quality and length of our visits will increase. It's been nice staying a whole week (first time we've done this)....it doesn't feel so rushed, there's just more time for relaxed visiting.

So tomorrow morning when we take off down Sperry Ave - we'll jump on Hwy 5 - but this time, we are going SOUTH instead of our usual North. It will be a strange feeling. Up till now, it hasn't truly felt like we've left home yet - maybe because Patterson feels so homey to us! - but, we're still so close....it's like we could just hit Concord again before we leave.

Next stop on the Road Trip - San Diego...

Today wasn't all heavy hearted....we had a fun night hanging out with Tito and Kim, as well as Mike's childhood buddy, Kevin (who we all call "Lopes"). Mom & Pop took us all out to dinner (Lopes came over later on) to "El Rosal" - Mexican food, yummy. The portions were out of control, but the food was very good. Especially funny was Mom & Pop's "number 2" that they each ordered. If you know Mom & Pop - they are like most 55+ - they eat very little and usually leave with a hearty portion in their doggy bag. Tonight was certainly no exception! There was so much food in their order, they had to bring it on 2 plates (4 between the 2 of them)....good grief. I looked over at their plates when the waitress brought their to-go box....there was barely a dent.

After dinner - Tito and Kim came back to the house and Mom served up some fantastic orangey-goodness bundt cake. Lopes rang the doorbell just as she was cutting up the slices (great timing, Lopes!). So we all got to sit around the table for one last dessert (although there's still breakfast tomorrow), visiting and telling stories.

Now, the night wouldn't be complete with out some Wii-ing....and, since Lopes has never Wii'd before, we had to break him in. Of course, after Mike showed him the official buttons and movements, Abby broke it down for Lopes and showed him how it's done.

We loved our time visiting family here in Patterson. It was the perfect first stop on this crazy adventure of ours....enough like home so that we feel like we haven't gone anywhere. It's been a great way to "ease" ourselves into a "homeless" state. Not sure about feeling homeless - I rather like the old saying that "home is where the heart is". Yep, I'll be hangin' my hat on that one for awhile...

virtual hugs and kisses,
k

Prayer Request: please pray for travel mercies for us as we hit the road...praise that we are blessed with good weather tomorrow.

Yep...it's a done deal. Charlotte Ave just shed 7500 pounds of Amaro belongings. Those mover guys zipped in and whisked all the boxes and various household items away....in the rain no less. What was left was a house that doesn't even look familiar to me anymore. Weird, I must say. Reality is setting in.

So tonight we had dinner - our LAST DINNER - at Claim Jumper w/ Nancy and Leslie. It was great visiting with them - of course, there's the goodbye part....those are getting a little old. After dinner, we headed back to Charlotte Ave to do a little "clean up" before tomorrow's activities (cleaners, final electrician and plumbing work). Abby jumped right in and was a huge help, as usual. The movers were kind enough to leave all kinds of random things behind! We found a slipper for one of Abby's dolls, a plastic kangaroo, a pair of socks (which incidentally were right in the middle of the room - hello? what's up with that? throw them in a box and put them on the moving truck - what are we paying you for anyway?), lots of dust bunnies and about $3.29 worth of coins.

One item that really threw me for a loop was a big, huge, massive box of used toiletries. Let me stop right there - I have a confession to make...I am a toiletry junkie. There. I said it. I was faced head on with my addition as I sat and looked at this 4 cubic foot box of various toiletries - all used. See, the movers can't take anything in the toiletry realm that's been opened. Just my luck.....all my cool lotions, body washes, body sprays, mouth washes, astringents, bubble baths and the like....I had to say goodbye to it. Of course, I'm getting good at goodbyes now!

So - that's it for now....empty house. Lots and lots of errands on tap tomorrow including a trip to the doctor for Abby, whose cough is just not going away. It will be a good opportunity to also say goodbye to Dr. Chua-Lim...Abby's pediatrician of 5 years now.

Today I'm especially thankful for: Ann and Tyson K. - they took Abby today so she could play and have fun while Mom sat and watched movers all day. Also, Shelley and Natalie O. for taking Abby on Tuesday. They will probably never know how much that meant to me to have Abby cared for while all this boring stuff was going on at home. I'm also thankful for my long, long time friends Nancy and Leslie....who I've known longer than anyone else in the Bay Area! Saying goodbye tonight was harder than it looked (I've run out of tears at this point). Lastly, I'm thankful for Harv - who, even though is the most un-sentimental person I know (don't call me mean for saying that - he would tell you the same!), managed a hug and a "it's been nice" for me as we took off this evening from the house. It has been nice, Harv! You've been one of our best friends here in town and I would eat a fish eye to prove it to ya.

Prayer requests: please pray for health (esp. for Abby) and safety as we take off tomorrow for Patterson.

love and dust bunnies,
k