Tuesday am. -

a real quick post before i run off to the church to look at children all day.

yesterday i met up with Meredith and her kids & also my mom to go visit my grandmother and her brother. they both live in Blanco, each on their separate little "ranches". my grandmother raises all sorts of animals and it's really more like a zoo out there. you'd never know the woman is nearly 82. she's as cute as a button and sharp as a tack. she's also an artist and, when she's not caring for her gazillion animals, does portraits and restores paintings in the fashion of the old masters. she has been married several times (twice to my grandfather), but has been single for some 20+ years now. her brother, Roger, who we've always called Rootie, lives a few miles from her and raises buffalo. he'll turn 80 this year. he has never been married, and is one of those simple, guileless people you meet only once in a blue moon. he lives in a little one room cabin, heated by a wood burning stove. he has no indoor plumbing, and no hot water. he does have his tv and microwave and telephone though. he's as happy as he can be out there, just him and his buffalo on 55 acres.

Wednesday am. -

I've been working on this blog post a bit at a time over the past day and a half. it feels kind of like eating on leftovers. i keep warming it back up. maybe i'll actually publish it this morning before i take the kids to school.

we just found out that John's best friend, Jose's brother Ricky was diagnosed with Leukemia. Ricky is in 2nd grade at Maplewood. this is just heartbreaking! the Zamora family is a poor, working class family that lives in a run-down apartment complex near the day-labor site. the boys' mom, Gracie, is so sweet and devoted to her kids. please keep this family in prayer.

i worked at the church yesterday. things are going better, and all the mom's were very gracious to me. the one in charge of childcare assured me that they wanted me to stay. i think she must have talked to the other moms, because they all went out of their way to be friendly, even the ones that are usually snobby. so i guess i'm there for the semester, because it doesn't look like the have any plans for looking for a replacement for me.

i've been having a lot of intestinal problems for the past couple of months. actually all my life, but the intensity fluctuates. i had colitis when i was a kid, but it cleared up through prayer and care. anyways, i was talking to a mom yesterday who had similar issues, and she went to a GI doctor who tested her for gluten intolerance. she tested positive and has had great results from going GF. i've always been wary of all the hype about gluten, as it has seemed like just the latest fad diet to cure all ailments. but after listening to Carly talk about her GI problems, i am at least interested in trying a GF diet to see if i can clear up some of my problems. i'm also going to cut out dairy for awhile and see if i notice a change in my innards. =) one symptom that most gluten intolerant folks have is fatigue. that is a symptom i am blessed not to have. and i don't seem to struggle with a weakened immune system either. it's just the danged pipes down there that are always having trouble.

i've been exercising at the Y on the days i don't get out to run. last night i took Margaret to basketball practice and got in about 45 minutes or cardio and 15 minutes of toning. i've found a new friend in the StairMaster. i climbed 113 floors in about 13 minutes. i was soaking wet when i finished. it felt great, like i was getting rid of all the yuckies in my body. i'm trying to strike that balance of getting strong without bulking up. i do not want to look like a body builder! and i don't want to build up so much muscle that it hampers my ability to run.

cookie sales start today! we ordered twice as many cases to sell as last year.

Margaret decided on her own that she did not want to go on the field trip with her class to the places of worship, so she'll go to work with Brian this morning. we didn't want to force her against her conscience. that will give her a chance to work on her applications for middle schools.

i have a ten miler to do after i drop the others off at school, and Meals on Wheels after that, and recess monitoring after that. but the rest of the day is open. yay! our one free evening of the week!

i still haven't found a good read, so i've found myself filling my  empty time with Scripture. i suppose that's better than any other book anyways. yesterday i had a chunk of somewhat free time while the babies were napping, so i was able to get in some reading and meditation in I Timothy. so much good stuff there!

well, that's all i have time for this morning. adios, amigos!