And then?

Howdy, folks!! It is 11:32 on Saturday morning. Jessie is coloring at the table, Zoe is upstairs with William playing Game Cube, and Zach is oot and aboot with his buddy. Chris had to go in to work. We will have some friends over tonight for dessert and what have you. Chris suggested pecan pies, so that's what I'll make. I'm waking up pretty slow, cuz I got home at 3:00!!

Wow, fall!! Like, overnight, it's not capri pants and flip flops weather, anymore. Just when my summer wardrobe seems adequate, I need to start buying for fall!

I've been going to the chiropractor frequently. It turns out I have a protruding disc in my lower back which is pressing the nerve. I probably mentioned that I have pain down the back of my right leg which causes me to hobble and wince and feel old. It just wasn't going away. I had an MRI, which showed it clearly. He says it could take quite a few weeks for the disc to go back in. He's into the latest effective treatments--not surgery--and is treating me with laser, adjustments, exercises, stretches, and his DEVASTATING good looks. (Did I say that out loud?) Think of that chap in the Jane Eyre movie, is it Timothy Dalton? ANYWAY!!!! I am walking the dog and icing and stretching and taking 4 Advils in the evening, and just started improving a few days ago, thank God!!

Zach has exceeded my expectations so far for going to a new public middle school after being home schooled. He had been nervous, and I had, too. I forced him to sign up for intramural track, cuz he's just absolutely built for it. He was NOT happy about it. But 3 days into track, the soreness from new exercise is going away, his team creamed the other team in the baton relay, and he was bummed there was no practice on Friday!! He said the teachers and kids are nice to him, and he's getting some good respect, thanks be to God. He is full of confidence, and I don't miss the strain we had doing home school together. Maybe there's something to this honoring your husband's wishes thing. They haven't really gotten into the books much yet. Probably I'll wring my hands in 2 months over something to do with him, but for now, yay!!

Last Saturday, Chris surprised my socks off by planning, by himself, to take me to Seattle, and even arranging babysitting with the fam!! He suggested Pike's Place Market. He is pretty familiar with the city cuz of jobs he's had up there, and he showed me some of them. We didn't have an agenda, and that turned out to be really cool, cuz you don't have expectations, you can just do what sounds good. So we went to this pizza place, Pagliachi's, where I had scalding hot sausage and onion pizza and free pop for knowing the trivia question of what the four children's names were in Narnia (Really had to strain my brain there--not). Then we wandered out, and there was a record store 2 doors down. I'd been thinking how fun it would be as a date to go to a record store with my honey and spend hours browsing. I recently bought a record player for 10.00 at Goodwill and some records, also. I thought Chris would look down his nose at this retro, low-tech interest of mine, but not so. He loves new technology, but also music, and we did go in the record store and spent quite a bit of time browsing. We got like 6 records for 15.00!! That was fun!! Then we went to Pike's Place Market, which was wonderful. There were so many enticing smells---a bakery, fresh seafood, incense, produce, flowers. Seattle has an amazing energy. I pretty much dig it. And on top of this cool date, he surprised me with an Mp3 player later that night!! (We're still trying to get it loaded, WITH titles.) Talk about brownie points gained!! As opposed to cool points lost, as the record player clerk joked to me as I tripped tremendously and embarrassingly cuz I forgot/didn't see this 12 inch step up I needed to take!!! It scared me really bad, and I was so stunningly clutzy it's really surprising I didn't land on my face. I tried to hide the fact that it didn't do too much for my disc situation, either.