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Since I'll be bringing home a new little boy kitty in a little over a week I've been trying to spend as much time as possible cuddling with my girls. Last night I spent the whole night curled up with Suki sleeping on my chest while I watched TV.

When it was bedtime I picked Suki up and set her on the other end of the couch so I could go wash my face and get ready for bed. Of course she followed me into the bathroom. Just as I turned on the water Suki jumped up on the counter, slid and landed in the sink. I laughed so hard I cried.

I have a feeling that as soon as I bring Logan home all of Hadies is going to come crashing down on my head. I better enjoy the fun while it lasts!

Stepping Away

I start the new members class at Journey tonight. Even though Joe and I are no longer together, I still feel like I belong at Journey far more than I ever really did at BCRC. For one, I was the only singleton at BCRC. For two, I was never going to be treated as an adult there, only Frank and Linda's daughter. For three, Solid Ground was really starting to wear on me. It was feeling less and less like a blessing and more and more like an obligation. In 10 years I got to sit and enjoy only one Christmas service. Don't get me wrong, I love to play, but when it starts to feel like a chore it's time to leave.

So now I'm starting over at Journey. It's a much larger church and will be a bit more difficult to cultivate my place at but I'm looking forward to it.

Only in Bozeman

I was driving down Mendenhall on my way home for lunch today, just driving along minding my own business when out of the corner of my eye I see this guy on the sidewalk. He was standing aobut 30 feet away. He makes eye contact...and then lifts his shirt, shows me his beer gut and then puts his shirt back down, turns and walks away. Wow.

Today I feel...

...like a high school drama teacher. My outfit has no shape and it makes me feel like Mrs. Sullivan. Although Janene says I look like Dirrty Tink. As in Dirrty Tinkerbell. Maybe if I had pompoms on my toes?

That is all. Carry on.

Just a thought...

When you repeatedly tell your employees that the company can't afford to give them a raise, it's never a good idea to show up to work with a brand spanking new 40K "company" vehicle.

I'm just sayin'.

Changes

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to find out why my fingers were going numb in both hands. I'd been dealing with it since April and the progression from just occasionally in my pinkie fingers to now constantly in my pinkie and ring fingers and occasionally in my middle fingers had me a little irked. Enter chiropractor extraordinaire Dr. Lundgren. Within minutes he had figured out that my C8 nerve is being crushed. Good news: It's not permanent. Bad news: I can't play my instruments for the next 3 months to a year while I do physical therapy. Sucker fish!

That same day I went to see my regular doctor because I've been having horrible pains in my hips and knees as well as my right wrist. After checking out my mobility he decided that I most likely had rheumatoid arthritis. Apparently it goes hand in hand with Crohn's disease. After some blood tests it was determined that I don't in fact have RA and the joint pain is just a side effect of my Crohn's. I'm starting on an anti inflammatory tomorrow as well as pain meds for the days I have a hard time walking. Whoopee!

None of this health stuff is really new for me, I'm mean I'm a hospital's favorite kind of patient: You won't kill me, but you'll sure have fun charging me for it while you try! The issue with my back though has had a pretty major impact on my life.

Since Joe and I started dating I've been going to church with him at Journey on Saturday nights and BCRC on Sundays. This was because we wanted to attend church together and we both had commitments at our respective churches on Sunday morning. After much discussion and prayer we decided that I would make a slow transition from BCRC and Solid Ground to Journey. Well, the back injury sort of sped things up a bit. Since I can no longer play with Solid Ground we decided that I would make my departure now rather than at the end of the calendar year as we had originally planned. Sadly, that night when Solid Ground practiced I had intended to tell everyone I was leaving at the end of the year, instead I told them that the following Sunday would be my last. Tears were shed, prayers were said, but in the end it's a huge burden off my shoulders.

This last Sunday morning Joe and I attended church together for the first time at a regular Sunday service. For the first time in months I didn't feel torn as I headed out the door to church. I'm going to miss BCRC, but Journey is definitely my new home.

Chalk that one up as Epic Fail

I'm a pretty good cook. I say this because my mom's a great cook and when I recreate her recipes they usually end up spot on. With this in mind I decided on Sunday night that I was going to make one of my favorite meals for Joe and the kids...Chicken and Dumplings.

I can usually churn out a pot of Chicken and Dumplings in about an hour, it's good and hearty, the gravy is thick and full of veggies, the dumplings are light and fluffy and the chicken is juicy and delicious. Sunday would've been just like that if only I'd remembered to bring the recipe with me. Oops! I tried to recreate the spices from memory. Judging from how it smelled simmering on the stove I thought I had them right. SO TOTALLY DID NOT HAVE THEM RIGHT!

The gravy didn't develop; it was a water, yucky mess. The dumplings didn't steam properly and ended up being thick lumps of goo on the inside and a soggy mess on the outside. The veggies were the only part that turned out right. Wouldn't you know it, the kids wouldn't eat them. They ended up whining their way away from the table only to have ice cream an hour later. Ice cream for supper - I'm totally kicking hiner at this step mom thing!

Tonight I'm going to try to redeem myself. I'm making turkey loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and green bean casserole. Hopefully it all works out!