work, running, friends, reads.

just got home from picking up the kids at school and dropping Keegan off at his house. i worked at the church all day. now it's time to chill out a little, bake some cookies, and do a little tidying up.

yesterday morning (Monday) i went down to Lady Bird Lake and ran a 4 and a half mile loop. my mom called while i was down there, and we decided to have lunch together and do some shopping. i ran home and showered before she got here, and then we went to Jason's for some salads. we went in together on a bike for Brian for his birthday (next week), and she bought some bed linens for us and some shirts for William. she's always so generous. you'd think she was a millionaire the way she spends on everyone!

all the kids had some sort of after-school activity they were participating in until 4, but i went by at my regular time and made sure they all got situated, Margaret in her student council meeting, Samuel and William in their robotics class, and John and Keegan in their classroom for individual benchmark testing. while the kids were thus occupied, Mama and i went grocery shopping at HEB.

William and Samuel both had basketball practice last night, so Mama and i took them over to the Y for that. i worked out, doing the elliptical and some weights. i'm feeling better toned and strong than i have in awhile. that bulkiness that i had when i started running hard and doing weights is gone and my beloved 00 Gap jeans don't feel snug anymore. *(funny note about those jeans. they are probably the measurements of what used to be a 1, but Gap seems to have upsized everything and added another smaller size. i know it isn't because i have shrunk. when i was about 14 and weighed 90 pounds i wore a size 3. now i weigh between 15 and 20 pounds more and wear a 00. makes no sense.)

Mama ended up spending the night last night. thankfully she stayed up with Margaret while she finished up her science project. Brian and i were so worn out from too many late nights and couldn't handle another. we got to bed at a decent hour, and then were up in time to run our 5 and a quarter miles at 6 am. this morning. it always feels good to get that in first thing.

i worked at the church all day. Classical Conversations was having an open house, so we had more kiddos than usual. the last few weeks have been so pleasant. all the moms have made a point of chatting with me and asking about my kids, etc.

Brian's parents are coming in to town on Friday to see the kids' basketball games and to send Brian and i away for a night. they booked us a night at a hotel on Lady Bird Lake, using Brian's dad's frequent stay miles, or whatever they're called. this will be the third year in a row that they've done that for us for his birthday. have i mentioned that they are the best inlaws ever?

we'll be getting another date weekend the next weekend because the kids are going to Burnet to spend time with my mom. i got tickets for Brian and i to go hear Pat Green at Coupland Dance Hall that Saturday night. =)

when i went to pick up the kids this afternoon, John, Keegan and Jose ran up to the car, and with great enthusiasm, Jose informed me that John had punched his tooth out. granted, Jose asked him to, but still....Jose thought it was the coolest thing ever! oh boy.

Wednesday morning -

i took Margaret and Marissa to basketball last night and worked out in the gym for about 45 minutes while we were up there. Marissa has become a sweet friend to Margaret. it's so cute to watch them out there on the court since they're both very girlie-girls. they both play real aggressive and take their playing very serious.

i checked out The Time Traveler's Wife at the library last night i was there. i read about 75% but it just didn't appeal to me at all. for one, i don't like unrealistic reads. i guess i'm too black and white for fantasy and sci-fi. another is the crudeness. if i take the time to read a novel, i hope that it will be beautifully written, not crass and junior high-ish. but the most disturbing thing is the way casual sex is the M O. i want to read something about women (and men) respecting themselves, and not casually passing their bodies around to be used by each other. but maybe there are no books out there these days that don't glorify casual sex, unless you go get the cheesy Christian romance novels at Lifeway. so i throw that into the pile that includes Eat, Pray, Love, and move on.

i started The Christian's Secret to A Happy Life by Hannah Whithall Smith, a book my mom gave to me a long time ago. 

yesterday i saw Ricky, Jose's brother, you know, the one with leukemia. so sweet, so young. i thought a lot yesterday about what it must feel like to know that you are very sick. to wonder if you'll grow up. it's almost too much to bear if i think about it long enough. it's been so neat how the school community has rallied around the Zamora family, providing things like meals and transportation as needed. i think the family is a bit overwhelmed by all the offers to help. suddenly they have hundreds of new friends.

well, time to call it a wrap for today. gotta get the kids up and ready for school.