Counting...

Hi there.

Do you count Tuesday? If you don't, it's only 4 more days! I'm making lists, too. I am trying to refrain from ridiculous purchases that seem to call to me whenever I have company - cute handsoap for the bathroom (although the stuff in there is perfectly good and more than half full) or new silverware (which I've been wanting for months but really, techically, don't need) - having a houseguest always presents itself as the perfect excuse to buy things.

So I've been trying to stay close to home, just hanging out in my yard, or, as I did yesterday, by CK's pool. She was gone most of the day but the kids wanted to swim, so I parked myself in their backyard and read Food Network magazine, drank lemonade and listened to the kids laugh and splash. It was, well, heaven. Then they coerced me into going to Coldstone (yeah, twisted my arm!) so we did that...came back and hung out some more. Finally, in the evening, J and I had dinner and went for a long walk,while JJ and JK made themselves dinner and swam until they were frozen blue.

Today I had lunch with my friend TM (her husband is one of J's ACs) and went for a 90 minute massage afterwards. My shoulders and back are so messed up, between my bed, the mysterious nerve damage and general mental stress that works its way straight from my heart to my head to my right shoulder. She worked it pretty hard today but I will need to go back in a couple of weeks and start a weekly routine for a bit. Hopefully the doc will approve insurance-covered PT...we'll see.

J was, as we expected, dispatched out to northern Washington this afternoon. Fortunately, he has a commitment on Sunday here so he'll be back at least for a couple of days. He will probably be gone when you get here but likely home before you leave, so that's good. We got him packed up and out of here about 8 tonight - it will take him about six hours to get to camp. I had C and T this evening so S&T could hang with friends, so it's not too quiet around here...yet. :-)

Tomorrow I'm having breakfast with KB...then mattress shopping, then...who knows? Maybe some sun time. Today was cloudy and cool, but in a really nice, break-from-the-heat sort of way. We were supposed to have gone to the ball game tonight, but since that fell through, maybe JJ and will do that tomorrow night instead. Beer, hot dog, baseball. Hello!

Anyway, had another night of absolutely no quality sleep and am exhausted. I just started The Third Angel (Alice Hoffman) and, as always with her, am hooked from the start. Think I'll get the kids settled, crawl in bed, kick back an Ambien and read until I drop the book.

More tomorrow - can't wait to see you!!!

Love, A