Don't worry, I still blog.

*Sighs long and hard because of all the catching up that needs to be done. Checks battery power on laptop. Slaps forehead because there's only 12% charge and guess who forgot to bring a charger and won't have one for the rest of the afternoon. Decides to stop moaning- ah down to 11% -just gonna start writing...*

What day is it even? Oh yeah! *Flips back to Friday and...*

Friday I had the day off! The two year old I watch, who I've been watching for *checks calendar* almost two months, actually turned two on Friday, so I didn't have to watch them that day. (I guess I technically shouldn't have been calling her two for the past two months, but...)

I haven't gotten to see many of my friends since I started working (aside from the few friends I see almost every week for work, or the play, or church) so I was really excited to get to spend the morning with a friend at Starbucks. (Where else when we both love coffee?!)

It was so wonderful to get to catch up with her and encourage each other. Plus my coffee was free! (I've actually gotten a lot of free coffee. For some reason the guys working at Starbucks like to give me extra or just a free cup. Then they get in trouble with Grandfather. Sort of. *Smile*) This time though, it was just a free for all(?). Before I went up to order one of the guys called out, "First come, first served, free vanilla something something at the bar." No one got it, so after a bit I decided "If I don't like it, it was free!" Of course, it turned out to be really, really good, and I have no idea what it was.

Mom and the littles swam at Gramma's that morning and where finishing when I arrived about noon. Gramma invited us to spend Friday and Saturday with her so Mom and Dad could have some time to themselves. *9% battery power* For there Mom went to Town Talk and then home to enjoy the quiet house.

Meanwhile, we ate lunch and after rest time Gramma pulled out all manner of amazing Pipe-Cleaner craft supplies. The animal creations the kids made were way cooler than the little fuzzy glasses Chloe, Christian, and I used to twist together at their age.

In the evening we got to go visit a park that Dad used to play in as a child. It was in the shade and there was a breeze, so it wasn't overly warm.

Saturday morning the kids went to another park and when my laptop is charged again I'll get one of them to tell me about it so you can hear about it in their own words. And also about how they didn't get to swim...

In the words of Ava...

Okay, so we got up, ate breakfast, got ready to go and when we got there we went down a ginormous- er no- big slide. Then Gabe climbed to the top of the jungle gym first. He got there first because I didn't get to it before he did. And Mia got scared so she only went up some. It was really hot so I sat on the swings for a long time. And then we left!

What I only got knee deep? So Mom and Dad said we weren't supposed to swim without them there. We could only get on the steps. (No, they weren't supposed to get in the water at all.) Really? I don't think so. Mia got all the way in though. (No, she stayed on the steps.) I saw her get all the way in, at least once. (Ava is speaking, but reading everything I type, hence the reason she is responding the the content of the parentheses.) Gabe stayed only on the second step, but still got soaked. I didn't but I was still on the same step.

We met Mom and Dad at church that night. *Remembers I really need to write about our church*

Even though we weren't planning to go eat out that night, when the service ended we were all hungry, Dad especially, since he forgot to eat most of the day. (That's where I get it from.) The time eating a visiting at Rosa's was very sweet.

As I have been out of the house more for work, I enjoy more and more the times I get to talk with my parents about anything and everything. When we are all together, we don't have to work as hard to keep a good relationship because we are never apart and always know what each other is doing. If anything, being away some has only made me love the time at home even more and has deepened the relationships because I have to be purposeful and work for them even more. Relationships are messing, and hard, and take work. But if they weren't they wouldn't be worth anything. All that's to say, I enjoyed driving home with Dad that night and getting to just talk.

*3% battery power. Decides to finish later.*

And we are charged again! Only 24 hours later...

I don't think I ever really woke up on Sunday. Everyone else did though!

Grandfather joined us for the pancakes I amazingly was able to make just fine, while half asleep, even though it was half a recipe. He was able to eat the extra egg that I made for myself even though I only meant to make one. Can't do the simple stuff here, like make eggs and speak words in the order that is more correct for out loud times when you speak.

We went swimming that afternoon, "we" being all of us except Mom. Me and the littles enjoyed playing "Sharks and Minos" and then making up our own special jumps off the diving board. I think our favorite was the "Karate Jump." Dad slam-dunked a perfect "Jack-Knife" and then died when I jumped next trying to imitate it. What killed him was when I told him I was trying to imitate him. It was that bad.

Sun-kissed

And water-logged

Chloe and Christian arrived in Montana several days ago and still are managing to keep me up late through texts and phone calls at 11:00pm. (Its only 10:00pm at that point where they are.) Saturday and Sunday night I told them I was about to go to bed when they first started. They told me it was their goal to keep me up until midnight. Both times they succeeded. Why is it so easy to loose track of time when you are having fun? Now I just don't answer if I'm going to bed when they contact me.

As far as I know they are having a great time! Someone thinks they have a boyfriend picked for Chloe, but she's not having any of it. Neither is Christian. Or Grandpa. Hopefully.

The only not so great thing besides that is that Chloe has the seriously annoying cough that she gets wherever she has to sleep in rooms with other people she commonly develops while traveling. Grandpa offered to take her to the doctor in the middle of one night even though they are in the middle of nowhere, have no wifi, and are an hour away from a semi large ish not really town, but she said she could wait until morning. It's just everyone else who isn't okay because she doesn't have a problem coughing for hours on end at night. I know the cough is annoying, but Chloe is a real trooper, and Grandpa has got it covered.

Monday afternoon's episode of "Lydia Fails at Getting Gas" had me praising the Lord. Monday morning I had planned to leave with enough time to get gas on my way to work. But that didn't happen. Of course. I knew I'd have enough to get there and then back to a gas station, so I didn't worry about it.

That afternoon I stopped at Bev's to fill up my basically empty car...and there was no gas. I didn't realize that until after I had put in my debit card though, so I canceled the payment and left. A few miles from home I decided if I went all the way home I probably wouldn't have enough to get to a station, so I turned around and prayed the whole way to Justin that I'd have enough to get to another gas station. Because everyone loves to be stranded on a lonely country highway when it's 97 degrees outside.

I made it to one of the stations in Justin! Thanking the Lord, I climbed out and put in my card. It was declined. I tried again thinking I'd pressed the wrong buttons. (I had.) But it still didn't work. I tried again and it told me to go inside. I told the slightly scary looking guy what my problem was and prayed that I could trust him when he told me to go fill my empty tank while he kept my debit card.

I'm thinking I just don't know how those clicker thingys that hold the handle for you work because I always pull into the pump that has the broken one. So I held the handle for myself and filled my car. Back inside I slid my card. Declined. Again, declined. The man turned his screen so I could see "no funds." "What? I just filled this card last week and I have only used it for one purchase since then." I told him. He shrugged and asked if I had another card. I didn't. I pulled out all the cash I had and I was still $3.00 at least short. I asked, "I don't know what to do. What do you want me to do?" And he said, "I've got you covered, you can go." I thanked him trembling (and the Lord) and went to the car to call Dad.

Blessing on top of blessing, Dad was literally ONE block away on his way home from a meeting! He was able to go back in with me to finish paying. Then we headed to the bank.

I was concerned someone had drained my account, but it turns out gas stations can remove a sum of money from your debit card and hold it for up to three days, just by you sliding your card in their machine. So when I tried to fill up at Bev's they withdrew $75 meaning they emptied my account. If you didn't know that, you're welcome. Glad I could take that experience for you.

Back at home Monday afternoon I had cleaning and laundry to catch up on and I was planning to blog, but obviously that didn't happen. While taking care of everything else I joined the club that Chloe started several years ago and that at least Christian and Nana had joined since- the scorpion-stung club. I had been hoping I'd avoid membership there.

I barely saw the 3 inch creature, but had fast enough reflexes to trap it after I realized what had stung my leg. Dad walked in the room just then and was able to kill it while I hopped (literally) down the stairs to slather Thieves, Lavender, and Purification oils all over my leg. The sting was pretty painful, not enough to make me cry though. I was amazed, between prayer and oils, within a few minutes the sting was almost completely gone!

Thankfully the rest of the evening was mostly normal, which I was very grateful of since I was babysitting 2 and 3 year olds for small group. Snuggles and a movie suited me just fine.

Tuesday I did not have Kate again and so I got to head-up a huge project for Mom and Dad which will need it's own post to explain and will likely appear late next week.

That night we hosted our small group. What do you think? Is a trip more about the destination or the journey of getting there? A lot of the moms agree that its best to drive somewhere as fast as possible with as few stops as possible, whereas several of the dads are firm in their belief that "it's all about the journey" and "you have to check up every rest stop, the first one is always different from the next."

Wednesday Mom and the littles stayed home. I worked and then we all worked on the project. That night we met all the Linns and Floyds  at On the Border for a dinner celebration for Gramma's birthday.

Thursday was much the same other than Mom taking dinner to a family in our church.

And  Friday was also consistent with the last few, days only Dad went by way of a plane to Montana to join Chloe and Christian.

Now we are finally current! And it's only taken me four afternoons to get here...

The Herd: Quoted

"We aren't going to do stuff for people who are perfectly capable of doing their own work." -Dad

"Thank you! Wait... That actually doesn't sound so nice to me..." -Me 

"I never actually knew what a Jungle Gym was. All I knew was that Uncle Adam was not a Jungle Gym." -Me

"Gabe, what are you doing?" -Me in bed at 11:30pm. (I had been asleep, don't worry.) 

"I have to get oils. We always get oils." -Gabe

"Are you awake?" -Me

"Yes." -Gabe

"I don't think you are..." -Me mostly to myself. 

"Gabe, I think you have a little, dark storm cloud kind of hanging over your head. And there are rain drops falling. And you have a sack of rocks tied to your shoulders, sort of dragging you down. Oh and there are two beetles pulling the corners of your mouth down..." -Me starting to laugh because of Gabe's comical, very melancholy stance.

"Ah, she got you to smile!" -Mom to Gabe