I'm still here.

Lest you think that I went to bed Friday night and passed on due to sheer exhaustion. What DID happen was this:

Managed to sleep nearly 10 hours Friday night. Heaven.

Saturday: Ran to the grocery store with The Geej, then headed out west to Malcontent Mama's annual birthday ranch shindig. The sun came out and shone for the first time in many days, and the ranch was gorgeous in its full spring splendor. The kiddos got to play in Sandy Creek, which had just enough clear, cool water to make it a toddler paradise. The Geej, although skeptical at first, ended up having a blast splashing about. Malcontent Mama even arranged for crafts, and encouraged the kiddos to find rocks to paint. There was plenty of good food and lots of cold beer for the grown-ups. All in all, it was a really great time.

After the party, one of my friends Thelma and her daughter Ruby Jane came to my mom's house (which is only a few miles from the ranch) with The Geej and I to spend the night. Slumber party!!

The next morning, we took the girls on a lovely walk through mom's neighborhood and then they played, played, and played some more. It's amazing how much little girls squeal. Really, it is. (My camera battery died while we were out at the ranch, or else I would have photos of all of this.)

The rain came back full-force today. We got about 6 hours of hard rain starting at around 3:30 this afternoon. We NEED it due to our long drought, but still. We don't need a biblical deluge. I'm sure my weeds will be up around 4 ft. tomorrow when I wake up. Lord...

Some other stuff: Check out this cool metal thing I hung on my bedroom wall last week. The story is this: It was in my step-father's office for a while, then hung in our house forever, and then, when my mom moved, she just put it in storage. It's got just enough cheesy-but-coolness to it that I figured it would look good in my weird room. And it does. I was going to hang it above my bed, but then I thought, "If this thing falls on me in the middle of the night, it won't be pretty." It weighs about 25 lbs., and it's very pointy (as you can see).

Also, I'm trying to figure out how to use my camera, and I'm learning more every time I play around with it. For instance, I learned how to take really close up photos by using a macro-portrait setting. See?

Aww...

Still very, very busy at work. Trying to catch my breath, but not having much of a chance to.

OH!! And Cheryl's going to Thailand, ya'll!! Can you believe it? My mom? In Thailand? I really can't picture it. I wonder what the Thai people are going to think of the wonder that is her hairdo. But seriously, I'm so proud of her for being so adventurous. An opportunity arose for her to travel with her sister (who's going there for work), and she jumped on it. Good for her! I can't wait to hear her stories about it. The Geej and I will miss her!!

Right after she gets back, then I'm heading out to Charleston, SC and Raleigh/Durham, NC for work. I'm traveling with Jaye, so it should be fun.

Okay. That's all I've got. More soon...