Forty-leven

Whew!

Holy Cow! I just realized that my nifty-swifty "Going Home" banner must have disappeared with my old blogger template! Gosh. Well, for all those (three) of you wondering, I leave tomorrow. Going on a jet plane. From this side of the planet to the other. Off to turn the page on a new chapter in our lives. Dave is still here reading the same old chapter for another month. :-( Poor guy.

I haven't been stressed, but I woke up today and I started thinking about all the stuff, and my stomach started churning, and then I started to forget some of the things that I'd already thought about, which made me even more stressed out!

I've defrosted the freezer, taken the cats to the vet for their final check-up, given some stuff to the neighbors, the dryer we've borrowed for 3 years has been taken away, I've boxed up all our leftover food (more than I expected!!) and cleaning supplies to give to some friends, mopped the area under the dryer that was icky, and got a 6-month registration for the car (which Dave will have to get reimbursed for later...but it expires on Sunday, so it has to be done!).

And NOW I've got to pack my suitcases, clean the garage, clean off one shelf and put it back in the living room, Oh, EAT, give away the living room furniture, finish putting together stuff for tonight (because we're having a little going-away at a pub in town), then get myself ready for tonight. All in the space of 4 hours.

I would LOVE a nap. Just heat up my Rice Dream (sock) and snuggle down and drift away to la-la land. But, come to think of it, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep because I'd be thinking about the forty-leven things I've got to do in the next 4 hours!

I don't know when I'll be back in Bloggie World, but I'll get back here when I get landed and semi-settled.

Take care!

No, WAY Better!

Here's a conversation Dave and I had this morning:

Me: Hey. Hey, guess what happens tomorrow?

Dave: It's our anniversary. (very succinctly, like that would be the very bestest thing that could happen tomorrow)

Me: No. Better.

Dave: It's your dad's birthday? (a little more hesitant this time.)

Me: No. Better.

Dave: Um...we get to have dinner at the new Mexican restaurant with David and Vonda?

Me: Nope. Even better! (although that's gonna be pretty darned awesome!)

Dave: I don't know, what?

Me: We get to download the new season premier of NCIS and we'll get to find out what happened with Tony and Jeanne and Ziva, and Gibbs, and McGee, and Abby, and the Director!!!!

iTunes is awesome.

Ode to Summer

an original piece of poo-etry from Melissa in honor of the Autumnal Equinox

I have missed you this year.
Summer, Oh Summer.
Where did you go?
Did you spend too much time in Texas and Florida and New York?

I miss the way you gently caressed my skin with your warmth.
Summer, Oh Summer.
I miss the way you magically lightened my hair and darkened my skin.
Have you forgotten me?

I love you and thought you loved me, too.
Summer, Oh Summer.
I can't wait for you to wake me with your brightness next year.
I'll be waiting for you on the beach.

A Season of Lasts

Time is winding down. Or winding up, and speeding up, one of the two.

Our life of "camping" in the house is going okay - we're managing fairly well, I think. We've figured out how to stay warm on our air mattress 6" off the ground (put plain rice in a sock and microwave (dry) for 2 minutes...it's about the bestest cheap bed warmer around! Gives new meaning to the term "bed sock". Oh, Uncle Ben, you're still my idol.) Our new bedside "tables" strangely resemble cardboard boxes. I can now wash all our dirty clothes in 2 loads (suwheet!)

But the rest of the days have been about Lasts. The last time I will drive up to the military base. The last time I'll hang out with my Girlie friends. The last time Dave will drive the Miata with the top down in England. The last time I will see my old work colleagues from CWR. The last time I will drive that route to CWR through Seale and Sands. The last time I will hang clothes on that line. The last time I will work at Oxfam. The honest-to-goodness last time I will see most of these people ever again. The last time I will drive the scooter. The last time I will use my beloved vacuum cleaner. The last time I will shut the door to this old house. The last time we will have a drink with the sweetest neighbors on the planet, Tony and Carmel. The last time I will have to squeegie those stupid shower doors so the limescaley water doesn't leave spots. :o) The last time I'll have to think about how many hours ahead we are if I want to make a phone call to family or friends. The last time Dave comes to bed at "stupid:30" because he's been working on his thesis all night. The last time the kitties rub their bellies bald coming down the stairs. The last time I'll walk Jet. The last time I'll watch Grey's Anatomy out of sync. The last time we'll drive down Vicarage Gate. The last time we'll have dinner and devos with DB and His Mrs. The last time we will consider Pizza Hut to be the best pizza in town. :o) The last time I'll hear sweet Millie bark and run up to me and give my excited-doggie kisses.

Dave is working hard to "get-er-done". This mistress he calls a PhD is soon to know the meaning of them fightin' words: "We are finished." (Ooh. Can't wait!) Unfortunately for both of us, it won't be soon enough. :o)

The cats seem to be coping well in the House of Echoes. Alley doesn't really care as long as there's a patch of sunshine or a free windowsill. Gypsy spends most of her time hiding under the couch slip-cover. Poor girl. I'm afraid that this is going to be a traumatic 2 months for the kitties, but, to their credit, they are pretty adaptive girls, and I'm sure they'll be fine.

And me? I'm tired. I think I'm going to tape Grey's Anatomy (the one after the one where Izzie and George...ya know), and go to sleep. It's been a long day of lasts.

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Alley in a patch of sunshine
The Rocker all wrapped up

The Girlies at TGIFriday's

G'nite.

Must EVERYTHING Change???

My blogger template has mysteriously vanished, and I'm not bright enough to make it reappear!! So, I'm sad to say that not only are the environs of my physical living space changing, but so are the environs of my virtual living space. :(

Big sad face!

I've changed it now, though. I don't like it as much as my previous template, but sometimes you just gotta be flexible.

Anyways, hope you're having a good weekend!

And the fun continues...

The movers were out yesterday by 1:00. It was a happy and sad moment. Happy because we are past that gigantic hurdle, and sad because it's a gigantic signpost marking the end of this chapter in our lives.

I also had fabulous response on the scooter. Much more fabulous than I expected, as a matter of fact. So much so, that I sold it last night! I got my asking price and everything! (I shoulda asked more!)

And so far today, I have discovered a broken window pane, that the movers will pay for, thankyouverymuch. AND...(the fun continues)

...I have discovered that, even though I asked, stressed, begged, and otherwise indicated that they should NOT...I see today (in the clarity of the moment) that the movers have securely packed all of our suitcases.

Yuppers.

No suitcases into which to pack the clothes we are going to be wearing for the next 2-3 months.

None.

This deserves a two-thumbs up

AWESOME.

Welcome to CRAZYVILLE!!

Here I am. Tired. It's been a snot-slingin', shin-kickin' kinda day.

Last night a took a couple of very cute pictures and planned a really funny (in my esteemed opinion of myself) post for today that was bound to generate tons of comments. But I had paved my road with too many good intentions. Can you guess what today felt like?

So, without further ado, I am going to recount for you my day. I hope I don't bore you. (Too much). I will say, however, thankfully, that it has ended better than it began. (Look for the moral of the story at the end)

• 7:30 - alarm went off, Dave got out of bed, I stayed in bed and prayed for a while, telling God what I wanted out of the day (you know how that goes)
• 8:15 - I got up, put my glasses on, brushed my hair, took the sheets off the guest bed so we can use them for our air-mattress bed for the next two weeks
• 8:30 - Dave left for school, I made my breakfast, put some white clothes in the washer, started washing dishes.
• 8:45 - the doorbell rang (I was still in my pjs, by the way).
  

• Me: "Who is it?"
  
• Them (three men on my doorstep): "It's the movers"
  
• Me (slowly open door as heartrate skyrockets): "Umm. Okay. Well. Hi. Umm. Huh. Well. I thought it was supposed to be Company A, but your shirts say Company S-C"
  
• Them: "Yes, that's right, we're Company A, and we're here for your household goods shipment."
  
• Me: "Ummm. Well. Huh. Okay. Good. But, here's the thing. Umm. You're not supposed to be here till tomorrow, because tomorrow is the 13th and today is only the 12th and I'm not ready for you." (clearly, considering I'm still in my jim-jams)
• Them: "Well, our paperwork says we need 2 1/2 days, and that we need to start today."
• Me: "But no one told me. No one told me. And I'm not ready. I had a plan."
• Them: "That doesn't surprise me, but since we've driven 200 miles and left our place at 5:30 this morning, we're really hoping we can get started today."
• Me (panic rising): "But I'm not ready for you. You were supposed to come tomorrow. I would be ready for you tomorrow. I have things I was going to do today to get ready for you tomorrow."
• Them: "Um." (probably thinking I was going to send them away)
  
• Me: "Well, okay. It is what it is. Come in and have a seat. Let me call my husband."

• 9:00 - called Dave's office. He wasn't there yet. Told office-mate the movers were here today, but not supposed to be till tomorrow. Tried his cell. No answer. Sent him a 911 text. No response.
• 9:05 - Dave called back, and said he had to send an email, but would be home soon.
• 9:06 - Called Marion to see if she could come sit with me and my stuff today so Dave could write (which he seriously needs to do, and God heard a lot about Dave writing in my prayers this morning). But she couldn't. :o(
  
• 9:07 - changed out of my pjs, and put my hair in a ponytail.
  
• 9:08 - started to show the mover guys around the house that would have been ready tomorrow so they could get started.
• 9:15 - realized the front door was wide open, and the kitty-cats were not securely locked in the upstairs bathroom (which I had planned to do before they got here tomorrow). Alley was thoroughly nonplussed, and Gypsy was AWOL. She's the most scaredy scaredy-cat ever.
  
• 9:18 - called Dave to tell him that I couldn't find Gypsy, and could he please hurry faster.
• 9:19 - found Gypsy. Cuddled with her for a minute, then put her into the bathroom with Alley, some food, their litterbox, and I pulled the door shut.
• 9:30 - brushed my teeth
• 9:35 - felt like I was finally starting to calm down after the shock and horror of the past hour.
  
• 9:45 - Dave got home, showed them his Professional Gear, and they started packing it.
  
• 10:00 - I put some stuff in our car and secured it so it didn't accidentally get packed (laptop, purse, pillows, fancy-labelled yellow folder, etc.)
  
• 10:05 - Dave noticed that the guy packing his office had accidentally packed some of his research articles that he needs for his defense - and quickly got them un-packed.
• 10:15 - Found out they could pack food (I had been told they would not pack any food. Maybe tea, cuz it's not food, but no food-food.) so I hustled a few food items into the car to protect them!
• 10:30 - Finally started to work on the room that I had planned to work on at 9:00! (I wanted to save some crafty bits to have around for the next 2-3 months when I am without all of my crafty bits)
• 10:45 - Realized they had packed the CDs that I had planned to burn to my iPod today. Stinkers!
• 11:00 - I decided that I would no longer mention the fact that THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TOMORROW! To-freakin-morrow! Grrr. (I'm not bitter, I'm just sayin')
• 12:30 - Saw that they had packed the dish drainer and my scrubber, so I made them unpack it, thankyouverymuch.
• 1:30 - had a sandwich while hovering/watching like a hawk to make sure nothing else got wrongly packed.
• 1:40 - Looked in bedroom, noticed that they had packed my worn-so-not-yet-cleaned pjs. (I won't see them again for 2-3 months. They are just going to fester in their dirtiness and infect whatever else they got packed with! Now, mind you, I'm not THAT dirty, so it's not like they are really festering, but I just wanted to only pack clean things!)
• 1:45 - they started loading the crates.
• 2:30 - I noticed that they had packed the sheets that were on the bed that we had been sleeping in. Again, to fester in their dirtiness for the next 2-3 months! Again, we're not THAT dirty. But you wash things like sheets and pjs before they go into boxes for months at a time!
• 3:00 - Dave went back to school to (hopefully) get some work done on the albatross around his neck also known as a thesis.
• 3:50 - They were done, the truck had pulled away. I was free to actually do some of the stuff I had intended to do today - like wash my pjs and bedsheets. :o)
• 4:30 - I went for a litttle jaunt on my scoot-a-boot, and when I was coming home, my lovely neighbor, Tony, invited me over for a cup of tea. So I went. I thought it would be nice and relaxing after my day! As I was walking out onto their porch, his wife, Carmel, said "Oh, Melissa, what scent are you wearing? It's lovely!" I laughed a good, hearty laugh. I said "Carmel, when the doorbell rang at 8:45, I was still in my pjs. I haven't bathed today. My scent is called 'Holy Cow! The Movers Came A Day Early'" :o)
• 6:30 - Dave came home with ingredients to make French Bread Pizza, which was Tase.Tee.
• 8:00 - Dave took his two big black trash bags full of office papers to the back garden and built a nice bonfire. It was dark, and there was a slight crisp in the air - a nice autumnal feeling. We have 3 apple trees in our back garden, so I decided to periodically throw some apples on the fire. It made our burning trash smell a little less like burning trash, and a little more palatable.
• 11:00 - we were done. Campfire was doused. We are pretty stinkin' tired.

And now, for "The Rest of the Story"

I didn't get to read today's reading from the Bible study I do every day (IWED, by CWR) because of the chaos that started my day. Until just now. Hah. It's incredible! Today is totally one of those days that the Bible study you are reading smacks you right in the kisser and says "Listen up, 'cuz I'm about to tell you something important!" Amazing.

The title is "God's Road Map", and the Scriptures are Jeremiah 29:1–13; and Psalm 32:8–10
My all-time favorite verse, ever, in the whole of the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11..."For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And today's reading is all about that. All about choosing God's pathway for our life, and not our own. Choosing to let God lead us in everything we do, and not seek to do our own will. Choosing to accept the curveballs that life throws at us sometimes (or, shall I say, answer the doorbells that life rings sometimes), and turn it into good.

I know I jinxed myself by praying for things this morning like "God, you know what I am hoping to accomplish today. Please help me to be 100% perfectly prepared for this move, and not have anything hanging when the moving guys show up tomorrow. You know how nervous I am about all of this." (totally jinxed myself, right?) (it's like praying for patience!)

And, looking back on the day, I have to laugh at myself. Raise your hand if anything like this has ever happened to you:

• ding-dong You: Who is it?
• Him: It's God.
• You (slowly open door as heartrate skyrockets): Umm. Okay. Well. Hi. Umm. Huh. I thought you were going to give me lots of energy and clarity and help me get stuff done in accordance with my perfect (perfectly human) plan.
  
• Him: Yes. I'm here to help you, but not in the way you were planning.
• You: Um. Huh. Well. Okay. But here's the thing. I wasn't ready for you today. I will be ready for your call tomorrow, God. I'm just not ready today.
  
• Him: Well my perfect plan says that you and I are going to need to get started today.
  
• You: Yeah, but today I've got a million other things to do. Really, God. I mean, you know everything, right, so you know my to-do list, and you know it's as long as my leg, and you have to understand because you made me like this, and so you're just going to have to wait.
• Him: Yes, child, I know all that, but I also know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
• You: But no one told me that today was the day.
• Him: Well...not true. Maybe you were just too busy to listen? Dearest, the truth is that I love you more than you could ever know, and I was really hoping we could get started today. But, it's up to you. I'm going to wait for you right over here until you are ready. Just don't wait too long, okay?
  
• You (panic rising): Okay, but I'm just not ready for you today. I'll be ready for you tomorrow. I have things I was going to do today. I'm just not ready.
• Him: I'm just over here.
• You: Well, okay then. I can change my plans today. I'm ready to listen to your plans for my life.

I am humbled by God today. In the midst of the chaos and craziness of the day that started out so awfully, for God to show me that He was with me all along. Right there.

Thank you, God, for showing me, once again, that your plans are perfectly perfect. And I may not always see the perfection of them in the midst of it, but you do. And I thank you for loving me so much to hang with me when I was trying to put you at the bottom of my to-do list during this, one of the most challenging times of my life, when I need you the most. When I can't stand on my own, and I have to lean on you. Thank you for being there for me to lean on. I know I can't do this alone. And I know you don't give us more than we can handle, and I'm trusting you to keep me up. And, most importantly, thank you for loving me in spite of the fact that I keep "releasing" this all to you, only to take it all right back. I'm going to try harder tomorrow, God. I know your grace is sufficient for tomorrow. Thanks, God. Goodnight.

Kaputski

Do you know what I did?

I was so excited yesterday after my celebratory scooter ride, that I washed it. Scrubbed all those bugs and stuff right off! Then my friend, Jane, called and asked if I wanted to come over for a little while. (Of course!) So I dried off the scooter and pushed it into the garage, and closed the door. I went off to Jane's, drank some tea, and introduced her 16-month-old son to Chocolate Chip Cookies (they are NOT biscuits, thankyouverymuch!) :o) Good times, man.

So today, the sun is shining, I've got stuff on my to-do list that I want to procrastinate, and I thought "what better way to not do what I need to do than to scoot down to the local Tesco for some dinner innards" (gonna make stuffed peepers). I went to the garage, and sat down to start the Old Girl. And I realized my fatal error. Yesterday in my haste to get to Jane's, I hadn't actually turned the key to the all-important OFF position. I had left the key in the ignition. And guess what? She's deaderna doornail, folks. D.E.D. :-( I'm very sad about this.

I'm charging the battery now, but I'm still sad. I'm such a dork!

So, it's only fitting that I take the Miata out, instead. Bye!

Goodbye Ole Friend

The time has come to part with my beloved scoot-a-boot. :-( It has served me well these two years. I love my scooter.

I remember four or five years ago, Target was giving away a Vespa in each store, and my friend Angela and I went on a Target Pilgrimage filling out the little forms in all the Targets in Denver, Colorado Springs, and surrounds. I did not win that scooter, but I also did not give up on my dream to have a zoom-zoomy scooter.

When we moved into the house we are in now, I was able to justify buying a scooter because we lived close enough to town that I wouldn't have to go on any scary roads, and I could drive it to work if I wanted to, or to town when I went shopping (had to get creative with where to stash my purchases, though!), or when I just wanted to get out and feel the sun on my back and the wind on my face. (Okay, more like "sun in my eyes" and "wind through my shirt", but shh, don't tell!)

But now, we have to sell her because we are moving and can't take her with us. I am very sad for this day. I love her. I feel like I'm leaving my beloved Tinkles at the pound because I'm moving to a dog-free apartment.

I hope her new Mama and Papa treat her well, and keep her in a warm, safe, covered home. And feed her only the best food. And bathe her often. And take her out to get sunshine. And never ever let her sit out in the rain and get cold. She doesn't like cold. She likes to go for long drives in the country, and likes to run fast, too. And I hope they never let her fall and scrape her knees on the pavement.

By the way, if you live near me and know someone looking for a scooter, I can hook 'em up, yo! :o)

Okay, peace out.

Going back, way back!

I know it's not Throwback Thursday (because it's not Thursday, and because I'm never quite that with-it), but I thought after yesterday's post about two chairs, I would send you a little throwback.

This pic was taken, oh, about three decades and a half ago, but you can see the sighing chair there on the right of the bright and sparkly Christmas tree. :o) Ain't that a great tree? Silver and blue is about the best Christmas decoration combo, ever...even back in the day! Grandma's aluminum tree. Hmmm. Wonder what that would get on eBay today!

And check out those threads! Mom? Was I wearing a pair of your walking shorts just all hunched up at the waist? Or was I just a "wide-legged trouser" trend-setter?

Hah! This cracks me up.

Hasta la beesting - I've got some more chores to do.

(wanna see other Throwbacks from other folks? click this button)

My English Garden

I've been busy taking pictures of all of our worldly goods these days (because we're moving across the planet), and I thought I would share this one with you.

I feel like it's just a snippet from one of those Better Homes and Gardens spreads about someone's shabby chic garden all green, and beautiful, and filled with antiquey things. Except if you look around the rest of our garden, you won't find anything else! :o) We have lots of vines, and bushes, of course, but nothing growing in quaint locations like this.

Been busy busy bizzzeee lately. Yesterday I had to clean (hard-core clean) all of our outdoor furniture so the moving company will actually pack it up and send it back. I think I'm getting too old for this! Ugh.

And then, once that was done, I came inside and repotted most of my houseplants so that I could clean and pack all of my good planters. I am going to try to sell or give away all of my houseplants. I'd prefer to sell them because every £1.00 I make now equals $2.00 in a month when we're looking at houses and furniture and refrigerators and stuff. Finally this wretched exchange rate is swinging in our favor! Whew! It's been an agonizing 3 years, let me tell you!

And then I got on the phone. Between the phone company almost cancelling our phone line instantaneously (yes, I did shriek down the telephone at Jaz, the idiot) (I mean, for Pete's sake, how could anyone expect me to coordinate and organize an interplanetary move without a phone!), and not getting anyone from the carpet cleaners/window cleaners/house cleaners to call me back after leaving multiple messages...I'm getting the feeling that someone doesn't want me to move. Well, here's a shout-out to whomever that is: "We're Going! Like it or not!"

I've just taken some pictures of our old family rocking chair. I'm going to see an Antiques Appraiser today so I can have documentation (for insurance purposes) of the value of it. How can you put a price on sentimental value? How can you put a price on memories? How can you quantify the comfort that comes from the sound of the wicker creaking and sighing when I sit down? Ah, well, it made it here safely, and I'm praying it will return safely. I love that old chair.

And then I've got to send off the deposit and booking form for my sweet kitties to be able to get on a plane and follow their Mama back to their Homeland. £660. That's how much it's going to cost to bring my girls home. Worth every penny, thank you very much.

Poor Dave is going to be a lonely man - all his girls gone. He's not finished yet, but he's working like a dog to get finished. We don't know, yet, when he'll be heading back, but sometime before the end of October. So, maybe it's better that he won't have us distracting him from completing his work. His torturous work. That he loves. And hates. :o)

I've got letters to send, clothes to pack (that's another post waiting to happen), other phone calls to make, other photos to take. And here it is, 10:20 am, and I'm not getting much done.

So, with that, have a great weekend, and good luck getting through your To Do list! Here's hoping and praying I get through mine! :o)

(and the rocker)

Taking it back.

Just in case you read my last post "Putting it out there" -- I've decided to take it all back. :o)

I tossed and turned in bed thinking about that post. I honestly hope it's been a long time since I've written or said anything so snotty! That's the beauty of The Blog -- I can take it back out of cyberspace, and few are any wiser.

If you didn't read it, basically it was saying that I was entering a scrapbook website contest with a few of the pages from the scrapbook I am building for the kids we sponsor in Ecuador. Which was all well and good, except I crawled right up on my high horse and started to prance. I really hope I didn't offend anyone. If I offended you, I'm really sorry. And not like "this is my blog, so nanny-nanny-boo-boo" sorry. Like "this blog kept me awake at night" sorry.

Most of the blog was probably okay...but it was the other parts that kept howling at me from the dark, closed computer. So, for the curious among you, I have copied (below) the (hopefully) not-so-bad parts, and left out the rest. (It was only one paragraph, but it was a doozie!)

And for the record, I think now that I probably couldn't win anyways, because I'm technically not a resident of one of the 50 states or the territories. Bummer!

Here 'tis:

Welcome back from the break.
And now, get ready for another episode of "Never In All My Born Days!" starring Melissa!

Hi folks. Here we are, the beginning of another crazy week! It's hectic here, but it's all good.

About a month ago, I saw an ad for a contest in a scrapbook magazine that I thought I might should enter. It's Simple Scrapbooks, and the contest theme is "Inspiration". The editor, Stacy Julian, is going to pick five entries on their on-line reader gallery that inspire her, and I decided to set out and see if I'm one of them!

I think the question "what inspires me" is a life-long question pondered by philosophers and coffee drinkers world-wide.

Inspiration.

What inspires me? What inspires other people? What do I do in my daily life that might inspire someone else to do something? Well, now that you ask...

You may remember that I have been slowly creating a scrapbook for each of the two children we sponsor in Ecuador (through Compassion International. It rocks.) I posted a couple of my pages for you to see, sometime way back in March. I used to just send photos and letters, but then I thought that I could make it just a little more special for them. Compassion, though, has pretty specific rules about what we can send to the kids -- basically it has to be paper or photos, and it has to be flat. Period. Or it goes in the trash before it ever leaves Colorado. Which forces a scrapper to be a little more creative (or a little more simple, I guess). I send them 2 pages a month (or so), in a plastic wallet that they can then put into a binder (because I can't send them one). I am trying to send pages that tell a little story about our lives, and I write about each photograph in English and Spanish (thanks to the help of our friend Enrique, or course!)

[edited]

So, with all that said, today I am putting it out there. I'm posting 3 or 4 of my pages to their reader gallery to find out if what I am doing can inspire Stacy!

And you know what, even if it doesn't inspire Stacy, I don't care. I know I'm doing the right thing for Bryan and Julissa, and that's really all that matters. [edited]

By the way, you'll have to go to the reader gallery to find the pages I've done recently -- Castles, and Cathedrals.

That's it. Goodnight. Maybe I can get some sleep now. (local time: 3:05 am)

Scattered Smothered and Covered

Seriously. I've got hash browns for brains right now! Here's an example of a conversation I had in my head this morning as I was doing cleaning-related things.

Ick, I need to put some Drano in the bathtub. But you have to let it sit for 15 minutes then flush with hot water, so I guess I'll boil some water in the kettle, then bring it up after 15 minutes. So when I go downstairs to get the Drano, I'll take some clothes down to put in the wash. And I have to go through my handbags and figure out what to donate. Oh, wait. Let me put the clothes in the wash. (downstairs now, clothes are in washer). Ick, I think I'll wash these dishes now. I think maybe I'll go ahead and keep one saucepan and one skillet after the movers come. Well, and I might as well go ahead and ship back our dishes. They're not that bad, and it will give me time to find a new set that I really like. (these were cheap and low-quality). But I still like my blue glasses, so I guess I'll try to stick to something that will complement them. Maybe Ikea will have something. I'm glad there's one so close! But I guess I'll have to keep 2 plates and 2 bowls back after the movers come (because we'll be in the house 2 weeks after they take all our stuff) I wonder what food to keep back. Well, I can always give whatever is leftover away. Hmm...I better get on the ball and figure out a way to sell all the electronic equipment we've got that we're not taking back (the UK has a different voltage, so electronics are not compatible) What have I got to sell? One toaster, two crock-pots, two blenders. What did I need to get from the cabinet? Not the toaster. Not the crock-pot. What am I going to cook for dinner? I suppose I could make chicken. I'll have to remember to get some out of the freezer. Wait, what else did I have to get out of the freezer? Was it the freezer? Or the pantry? No, it was the cupboard. (still washing dishes). I really hate the counter tops in this house. I better wash the cat's water bowl before I empty the soapy water. I love bubbles. (dishes now done, sink empty) Okay, before I forget, I better check the cupboard to see what it was that I wanted from there. OH! The kettle! I've got to put Drano in the bathtub!

No kidding. And it happened again later! I'm such a scatter-brain!

At least I remembered to take the chicken out of the freezer!