Life Update

NOTE:  This post was actually composed two days before appearing on the site.

I need to do a few posts here coming up.  I need to do a weekend recap, for a lot went on; I need to do tell you all that I want for my birthday, which is coming up in two months (I'm just excited about some stuff.  I'm giving you a head start.); I need to do a TTMMHH for today, because I can already see that today's going to be awesome.

Today will just be a bit of a life update, noting a few things that are going on right now.  For one, I've started writing a book with Brandi's input.  I've only got a few pages down, and I'll admit that I did them even before the winter, but I'm kind of stuck, and here's why: I can't find my plot and character notes that we took in the planning stages.  I don't know what to do without those plans -- they were PERFECT.  Our characters were just right, the progression of events made sense and was natural, and everything fit so nicely.  I'm lost without them.  I guess the next move in the book development is to go through the stacks of papers in my apartment.  Blegh.  :(

Summer started for me about...what, two weeks ago?  I feel like it's already halfway over.  And technically, it's a quarter of the way over.  Ohhh, that makes me really sad.  I don't want to be at school again in six weeks.  Anyway, I have been driving here and there and doing all sorts of things, as will be the pattern for my summer once again.  I went to Hilton Head, SC with my parents two weekends ago because my dad had a business conference there, so that was fun.  I swear, I could eat seafood all day for the rest of my life and be a happy girl.  After HH I was back at the apartment for a couple of days to clean up some and to get laundry done in preparation for my next thing,

This past weekend I made my way to my parents' place for a few preplanned fun times.  My sister-in-law Page's baby shower was Saturday at the house, so I spent Friday afternoon and Saturday morning preparing for it.  I actually woke up at 5:45 Saturday morning -- quite unintentionally -- and couldn't go back to sleep, so I went ahead and got some things together even then.  It was a lovely shower, if I may say so (couldn't have pulled it off without the help of my co-planners, Timbs and Aunt Shelly!!), not that I have anything to compare it to.  All the guests seemed to enjoy themselves, as did Page -- which is the important part.  No awkward games, no embarrassing stories, just good people and good food.  I'm a master dip-maker, by the way, in case you're wondering.  Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Saturday evening, our financial advisor and his adorable kiddo came over for dinner so Mom could make sure that he and Andrew become best friends.  If that happens, I'm okay with it.  I'll just play with the three-year-old every time they come over.  Pooh on all that financial mess that the boys talk about, I'm ready to pretend to be Batman and Robin.  Duh nuh Nuh nuh Nuh nuh Nuh nuh Batmaaaaaannnn!!!  Maybe Dad has a utility belt I can borrow for next time.

Sunday was church, then a wonderful Sunday dinner with all kinds of friends and family at this super-sweet all-you-can-eat Japanese steakhouse but not just Japanese food kind of place.  It's pretty fantastic.  We stuffed ourselves to the point of discomfort, then headed home for naps.  And that was most of Sunday.

I returned home Monday via a long and wonderful drive during which I wore out my voice and Amos Lee's tunes, and almost blew out my windows, I'm sure.  I've been here ever since, listening to music, clearing out my DVR, cleaning up a little (I went CRAZY with the Swiffer Duster today), and thinking about the book.

It's a big job, you know, decompressing from ten months of teaching school.  I think I do pretty well with it, though.