Mid-Way Through May

Last weekend with Auntie Jo was great, even though I was completely unprepared.

Recital portraits were taken, for the most part. (A couple of costume snafus...will still have to do one set of retakes, after the recital.) The experience wasn't so terrible that I'm giving up on dance, and I know my girls are pleased. Of course, they may not have known their dance futures were in jeopardy. Reagan isn't in the recital, and going to the dance studio and not allowing her to go in, well, she just dissolved into a bawling fit. Broke Brian's heart. Made Mama sad, too. Guess we won't be leaving her out of recitals again.

Darcy didn't make it to her soccer game, but Brian and the kids (less Lily) did make it in time to deliver snacks. Yea, Darcy's Dad! Those kids play for snacks, for sure. I was at home, trying to inhale lunch and get Lily ready for her portraits. Good grief that girl has a lot of hair! There were a lot less girls in the afternoon and Lily had fewer costumes. With impeccable timing, Auntie Jo didn't arrive until after Lily was done and we were on our way home. To Lily's great delight, she didn't have to take a nap as we went to pick up Auntie Jo at her fabulous B&B and then on to the grocery store to pick up some drinks and snacks.

Brian and I got a break after dinner when Auntie Jo bathed all the girls and put them to bed. *sigh* How can someone without kids be so amazing with them? On Sunday, she took them to McDonalds while Brian and I went to the grocery store. As I put the groceries away, I actually allowed her to sweep the kitchen. For some reason, it'd didn't feel as bad as I thought it would. Girls took a late nap because we were planning on a late dinner in Fort Worth. Then she left on Monday after a leisurely lunch at a new place here in town. I didn't cook a single thing all weekend.

This past weekend was the first weekend that we didn't have something planned. Soccer season is over; the outage is over. It was really nice to not have anything planned on Saturday. Well, I had something planned on Saturday. Although, to hear the details of that adventure, you're gonna have to check the other blog....

Wasting Time....

Tomorrow starts an incredibly busy weekend for me. My dear friend who I recently went to visit is coming to visit us and I really should be fumigating, scouring, chiseling, hanging up pictures, etc., etc. Visiting her home is a visit to an oasis where it is quiet, peaceful and clean. She always has a drink at the ready and there is no schedule or demands.

Here, it is quite different. I know she's not coming for peace and order. She has that in droves at her beautiful home with the perfectly landscaped yard and the sparkling pool. Here, we thrive, or at least work with our version of carefully controlled chaos. Saturday will find us with recital dance portraits with 2 girls, with hair and makeup to do, and 5 costume changes between the 2 of them. Oh, and Darcy has a soccer game right smack in the middle. It is the last game of the season and we are on snack patrol. Nothing at all calming or relaxing about this day.

Tomorrow is Moms and Muffins or some such thing at Lily's school and then begins my first training session for my Ombudsman program. You know, the volunteer role I am undertaking to insure the local nursing homed elderly aren't exploited. I am really looking forward to it. It's going to be 15 hours of training and then about 15 hours of interning and then I will be in an official capacity.

Tomorrow night, I am teaching my scrapbooking group and I am thrilled to report that the layout is prepared, the card samples are prepared and the kits are prepared. I am actually prepared ahead of time. And I do mean the traditionally accepted definition of the word prepared. This is unusual, but predictably, it is liberating. I may try to be prepared again some time in the future for some other thing.

I hate that my distance/training widget has a big fat zero on it! I really did start my training back in January, and I loved getting my mojo on. I was feeling empowered. Healthy. On a track to be fabulous. Then I got sick. And sick again. Then the kids got sick. And were in the hospital. Then we were sick again. So of course, I stopped going to the gym. Of course, I did. And I haven't been back. But now, I've got my new blog started, my participant page is up and ready, and I am six months out. Training has to begin now so that I don't die.

I have a mini-mileage widget on this blog but on my Adventure blog, I'll actually be chronicling my journey. I'm getting excited...

But I really should be getting prepared for the weekend. I have no idea about making up little girls. The Little People have been running the house today so it's probably time for me to take back the reins. I need a trip to the grocery store and a trip to the gym so that silly tracker can stop with the big fat zero. As crazy as it's going to be, I'm ready for the weekend to start.

Gone And Done It

For the 2nd time ever, I have signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. A 60 mile walk over 3 days for the fight against breast cancer. Sixty miles. Walking. With my feet. In whatever weather. In November. November weather in North Texas could be anything. Sleeping in tents on the ground and showering in the back of 18-wheelers. I couldn't make this stuff up. I've registered twice now, but this will be my first time to actually participate. Before, in 2007, I just knew I wasn't going to be the kind of person who could walk 60 miles over 3 days, while 9 months pregnant. Reagan was born just 3 weeks after the event.

No worries this time.

I am in it to finish. And I am chronicling my journey to adventure.

So, today....

• I updated my Participant Page with what I hope are words to inspire many people to donate many dollars.
• I have composed what those in the know call my "donation letter", which I plan to send to everyone I know. This details as plainly I can manage why I have signed up for what is most assuredly the most difficult thing I have knowingly undertaken. (Motherhood does not count. I had no idea what I was getting into there!) And it's funny...my reasons for doing it this year are completely different from the reason I wanted to do it last time.
• I have created a new blog, 3-Day Fitness Adventure, to chronicle my progress, from can to cain't. Go there! Bookmark this site. I am doing important stuff here and you don't want to miss a single blister or heat rash.

Visit the new blog. Be a friend! Look for us on Facebook. Tell your friends. Give me some space on your own blog. Pass me along. Direct some traffic my way. Even if all you can muster is a little solidarity. Encouragement to press on when the Dog Days of August come nigh will be appreciated.

Breast cancer affects us all.