The Highlights

I've surprised myself with my lack of blogging during this visit with Jeff's mom. The days have flown by...she's been here almost two weeks...and tomorrow she flies back to California. So much has been packed into these days together; but even though we've been busy, I fully expected to post on a fairly consistent basis. After all, if I could write regularly in the immediate aftermath of Tobin's birth, why couldn't I do it now?

Last night, I finally realized that one of the reasons I've been absent from blogging is that, as an introvert, I lose energy from being with people. This time has been so full of people contact that by the end of the day, I feel like I have nothing left to give and am completely unable to pour anything out, even if they're simply black and white characters on a computer screen. I only want to crawl into a cave, be it my bed or some totally mindless activity. I'm not complaining...obviously, it's been wonderful to have all this people contact and I wouldn't have it any other way...but my realization last night did help me understand what had been a puzzling issue for me: why didn't I want to blog? Not that I feel obligated in any way to blog, but I usually enjoy it so much that when, suddenly, I didn't even want to do it, it was perplexing to me.

In any case, here I am again, ready to record the bits and pieces of this and that which make up this grand thing we call life.

I guess, to start, I'll mention some of the fun things we've been doing during Jeff's mom's visit...

~ today, we spent the morning at our Children's Museum, then met Jeff for lunch at the Indian Cafe downtown...later this afternoon, we'll go to Josiah's SVCC class...Jeff has his Perspectives class at the seminary tonight, so we won't see him until late...but my mom and Jeff's mom are planning to go this evening, after a light supper of cannellini bean and Italian sausage soup, to the Mennonite Relief Center (I'm not sure what the real name is) just over the hill from us to help with the apple drying project that they're doing there...the goal is 500 bushels of apples to be cut and dried, then shipped all over the world to wherever they're needed to feed the hungry

~ yesterday, we took Josiah to the swimming pool in the morning to be tested and registered for swimming lessons, which start next week...after that, we went to the farm store to get some chicken food and dog food...then we stopped by the barbershop to see Jeff, just for fun...after we got home, I cleaned off half of our side porch while Josiah and David ran around outside and Jeff's mom worked in our front flowerbed: weeding, digging out some lilies of the valley that I want to move to another place, and planting some pansies that she bought for us from our neighbor's wagon at the end of their lane...those same neighbors came over for supper last evening, and Jeff's mom got to experience food and conversation with real horse-and-buggy Mennonites :)

~ Grandma Fisher got lots of "help"...what are you doing, David? planting a ski pole? :)

~ I love pansies' cheerful faces!

~ on Sunday, we participated in our church service in the morning, followed by a meal together in Shady Oak, then a business meeting for the members...I was glad to leave Jeff at the meeting to represent us, then come home with the boys and Grandma Fisher for a nap :)...that evening, Jeff took everyone but me to the park, and I stayed home alone--really alone, for the first time in a long time--a time of refreshment for me (and Jeff brought home Kline's chocolate ice cream for me, so I was doubly spoiled!)

~ Saturday was a rainy day, but we did make a stop at Walmart before going on to Josiah's soccer game...his team didn't do as well as they had done previously, and Josiah said afterwards that he was "disappointed" (his exact word)...so disappointed, in fact, that as soon as the game was over, he came and hugged me around the neck and fought back tears, swallowing them enough to go back on the field to do the "good game" ritual at the end...that evening, we, along with my parents, went to Golden Corral for dinner, and what a feast!...then we all--and this is very exciting--went to Home Depot and made a major purchase of--are you ready?--a toilet...the previous one was, according to my dad, probably the original one; and the house is 36 years old...the toilet leaked; and Jeff had tried several times to fix it but with no success...the leaky sound of the toilet really bothered Jeff and actually kept him awake at night--something that practically nothing else ever does--so it was obviously time to take action...it cracked me up to have Jeff and I, our three sons, and the three grandparents all standing around in Home Depot pondering the merits of various toilets...we finally reached a decision, and Jeff installed the new one that very night...and then he slept well :)

So much more to write, but I need to awake sleeping boys, then soon head out the door to Josiah's choir class. It is a start, however, and hopefully will help me break out of this blogging slump.