Welcome home, Tio

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Typical busy Saturday. Shena and I felt "accomplished" after today.

I went and helped a family move first thing this morning. We had about 15 people out there again, so it went very quickly. We packed them up, moved them, then unloaded in an hour and 15 minutes. Not bad at all. And that wasn't even a whole lot of work for the majority of those 15 people.

Mowed the yard and weed eatededed for the first time in several weeks. Pretty sad. We've become the white trash of the neighborhood. It's hard to be motivated to do your front yard when your back yard is as torn up as our is. I then spent a good majority of the afternoon picking rocks out of the backyard. At some point somebody on the property dumped a whole bunch of rocks about six inches deep on the ground around the tree that we left standing. I don't want to leave them there, so I am pulling them up one by one...luckily they are a little bit big (not gravel or anything), so it isn't too hard to find them, but it is time consuming. After my back was tired of crouching for so long, I decided to start clearing the piece of the yard where the storage shed is going to go. Right now there is a bunch of mulch back there, so I'm having to shovel and rake it away down to the dirt. I got about half of that finished when it was time to come inside and help Shena clean the house. She had been painting the whole time I was out in the yard, so we split up the chores.

After cleaning the house, we went grocery shopping. We had been worried about Dede all day because she's had an ear infection for several days that wasn't getting better. Shena called her to check on her and see if she needed anything. Next thing I know we are shopping for their groceries and going over there to eat dinner. It always happens. Shena calls, we wind up going over there. Which is fine with me, it really is. Only problem is I'm afraid they think they HAVE to invites us over when we call, and they don't really want us over. It's ridiculous. It's like dating all over again...but with a couple. You know what I'm talking about (especially if you're married), right? When you are single and you first start seeing somebody, you wonder how much is too much...you like them, you want to see them, but you don't want to smother them. Next thing you know, you do, and you don't talk anymore. There is the akward "you want to do something" stage, where you are nervous to ask them to do something because you are afraid if they say "no" it is because they don't like you or maybe they really did have other plans...or they really do have to wash their hair that night...or they really are afraid that the world is going to end that night and they want to spend it with their roommates (is it weird that I got that one more than once?). Anyway...that's my take. Back to the story...getting the groceries and going to the Plummer's would be fine with me any other night, but Marcos was supposed to be landing at 7:50 and we had told mom and dad they could swing by the house on the way home from the airport. When we left the grocery store to head to the Plummer's it was 6:50 and I felt bad that we were going to show up to eat and run. I knew they wouldn't understand...and they didn't. I took crap all night for it. We wound up calling Marcos and telling him we would come by mom's house to see him before we headed home. Ed and I got a quick game of pool in, then went to see Tio Marcos.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Cade was a good helper today. Kelson slept most of the time while I was outside, and so Cade helped pick rocks for about 20 minutes...then he started seeing worms in the ground and spent the rest of the time while I was playing rocks, playing with the worms. He was picking them up and making them talk to each other and fight and stuff. Pretty funny. He kept telling me how "mommy doesn't like worms...mommy does like snakes either." After I moved to clear the storage shed site, he went inside and got his shovel and rake and came out and helped me with that too. Good kid. Likes to play outside. I can't wait to get the grass grown in our yard so that he and Kelson can play outside all they want.

Arellano Update
When we went to see Marcos at mom and dad's he was outside in the backyard. He came around the side and opened the gate to the fence...when Cade saw him he lit up and said "Tio" and went running towards him...Marcos opened his arms to give Cade a hug...Cade ran right past him into the backyard. He was excited to see Tio, but more interested in getting into the backyard to play. Kelson saw Cade running to the backyard, so he took off after him, Marcos tried again, stood there with his arms open and said "Hi Kelson, give me a love." No dice. Ran right past him into the backyard. Welcome home, tio.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:30 - 7:00

TODAY:
Breakfast: Bacon egg and cheese McGriddle , oj

Lunch: strawberries and whip cream, left over cheese pizza from Village Tavern last night

Dinner: bratwurst with sauerkraut (sp?) and mustard on a bun - my first experience with both the brat and the kraut...not bad at all...I think I actually preferred it to a hot dog, had some ruffles originals and an IBC root beer, too