I just gotta say....

I love spending time with my family...seriously. I do. Whether it's by chat or phone or conference call or in person. I love it love it love it!! And that's literally what I've been doing since Friday...well, really Thursday!! I finally caught up with Michelle on my walk...that girl is one busy chickadee!! We talked for a half hour, getting caught up with her insane life (no really, some freaky pedophile drum teacher dude gets busted while he's supposed to be at work for propositioning an undercover internet detective...that's the kind of stuff that happens to her!!), but at least band is almost over and maybe we can hook up in person this summer. Sigh. Missed her on spring break this year. The ultimate...she's going to see her sissy!! WAAAH!!! I wanna be there!! Then, as I'm sitting down after my walk (still talking to the meeshster) and Meliss calls and we end up with this great conference call, laughing our butts off at each other's stupidity and usually at me...oh well. They don't like my leopard print cardigan...but they haven't seen it either. And I don't wear hootchie mama shorts that have photo proof they are too short either there missies!!

Saturday we celebrated Cassie's bday...she came over to a decorated chair (can you believe I found Garfield AND a unicorn at the same place???), chili and presents... Paul made her favorite ice cream pie and managed t get the candles to say "19" and IN the ice cream. We played cards and laughed and learned some card tricks from Chris and some jailhouse card game that we'll need more instruction on. Just a great time...3:00 and Paul's gotta go to church to sing at 4 and I suggest to Joseph that we go formal shopping so it's not in a panic later on (as is our usual shopping mode with anorexic tall boy). Found a pair of great black dress pants, and shirts (3--black, coral and a deep pink) and 2 ties that are cool. He's set for a while, I think to myself, just as he's opening his mouth to tell me all of his old navy shirts are getting too short. I rethink my previous gleeful thought...and add "for dress clothes" crap. He needs to stop growing. Seriously. He's tall enough. Enough with the growing!! And I think back to Paul at this age and wonder if Joseph will also grow crazy amounts in length this summer like Paul did back in the day. Maybe I should just introduce him to the nudist colony idea till he's done. Sigh.

Cassie comes back for her food that she left behind (pie, chili and corned beef) and tells me she found a wedding dress. Thus ends the good part of her birthday, by her accounts. Chris got a new game and went home and played it and all the people that were invited over to her place for her bday didn't show. :(

Sunday, I go to my fabuloso prayer class, and really get this stronghold thing with the speaker's great illustration..and am working the women's ministry desk at Patrick walks up and tells me I should really smile more. Brat!! But I was so glad to see him and Lindsay and Theresa. I just love it when they come to church...and hang out after. We had breakfast and played cards, and my cardshark sissy just quietly kicked our collective butts. She ALWAYS wins!!

Doesn't look very happy to have won, does she??? She said she was tired, but I think she's just tired of dominating cards when Meesh isn't here.

And finish Sunday night off with a great convo with Meliss...I just love talking her her. We get each other...

We took picture of each set of "losers" for each round...those that had negative points. At least we sunk as a family!! LOL Somewhere around round 8, we finally were all positive and no more pix were necessary!!

Our first bbq of the year...yummo!! Marinated asparagus and chicken. soooo yummy!!

Saw Joy on Monday FINALLY!! We've been trying to get together since January...you'd think she lives in the Arctic,not Shorewood. I just love hanging with her too...it's so easy to sit and yap the day away. I feel completely accepted by her and we laugh...and laugh...and laugh...and eat.

Last night, we went out to BB to buy Patrick his "happy birthday drink" and stayed fr a long time...laughing and joking around and taking stupid pictures. Just had a seriously great time!!

So today...it's back to my world of housewife of the year and getting ready for the shoebox swap I forgot about that is this Saturday...talk about an oh crap moment!! So, I'll be cleaning, laundering, folding, dusting, putting away, printing shopping lists, etc.etc. and slicing and dicing card stock!!

I love my life...warts and all!! And Judy comes in this week!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!