Update

I can't really say "weekly" update at this point, so we'll just say "update." I had a great week with Tracy and Steve and the kids in Council Bluffs. I got back on the 9th. Olivia and Elora are just the best things since sliced bread. I just couldn't get enough of them. This was the first time in Olivia's 4 years that she has REALLY warmed up to me. She was my little buddy this trip, and we had so much fun. One of the highlights was the new butterfly garden at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. We also saw the great fireworks put on by Harrah's. Olivia thought we should be able to move much closer to them though. :) Tracy and I had so much fun. I hope I was able to help her out a little with the girls. She's such a good mom. I'm so proud of her. I don't know where she gets her energy. We got away one day and had sushi for lunch and then a relaxing, centering walk through the labyrinth at Knowles Mercy Spirituality Center. And of course, during my visit, I got Christy Creme almost every day. Their soft serve sherbet is one of my favorite things on the entire planet.

In Council Bluffs, I also went to the wedding of a baby that I used to babysit. Sarah is 21 now and perfectly old enough to get married, but she and her sister Amy will always be the baby girls that I loved so much. They lived across the street from us, and I started babysitting them when Sarah was 1 1/2, and Amy was 9 months. That was the summer of 1988... 20 years ago!!!! It doesn't seem possible. I was having a hard time dealing with Sarah being old enough to get married, and then Amy walks down the aisle totally pregnant! I was shocked, that's for sure! She's due in a week or so. Though I left the even feeling totally OLD, I was so glad to see the girls, their older brother Chris, and their parents Bob & Diane. I wouldn't have missed their special day.

Something amazing also happened during my trip. I somehow made the decision to de-clutter my house. It is not a secret that I am both a pack rat and a slob. I don't know why I decided I should do something about it, but I did. I read the book It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh, and I came back home with a major attitude adjustment. Now, it's going to take much longer than I had blocked out in my mind, but a person doesn't collect crap for 36 years and just get rid of it in a day. I started last Thursday. I put 10 bags of trash out on the curb Monday morning, and I kept plugging away. I have 12 more bags ready to go out on the curb this week. And, I only have 4 rooms done! The office, living room (excluding the front closet which is first on my list when I get back from camp), my bedroom, and the upstairs bathroom are clutter free, even down to drawers and closets. It feels really good to purge. My new goal is to have the house de-cluttered by the time school starts. Then, hopefully, I can tackle the garage and be able to park there for the winter. I have no idea why I got this bug up my ass, but I hope it lasts long enough for me to get done!

OH MY GOD, I SAW MAMMA MIA LAST NIGHT. IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOD, I COULDN'T EVEN STAND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. MERYL STREEP IS A GODDESS AMONG MERE MORTALS, AND I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH COLIN FIRTH. I just had to get that out. ;)

I leave tomorrow for a week at the Wabash Arts Camp in Shenandoah. It's always a fun, relaxing week. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll have fun stories to blog about when I get back.