found

I bet you were expecting me to post this morning about how we found the key and all is well. Notsomuch.

But we did go to the Cleveland Post Office (because although there is a Sautee Post Office, our mail is delivered from Cleveland... you figure it out, I haven't)... and left word for our mail carrier that we need a new key. They said that at worst, they would have to replace the lock and there would be a charge and a delay in having that done. But they suspect that our carrier has an extra key for it. Stay tuned.

Yesterday was insane at work. I was only there for five and a half hours since I had to leave for Austin's IEP meeting at school, which turned out to not be a formal IEP, just a discussion about what he will have to do to graduate. I saved a half dozen projects from yesterday that I have to work on today... and we're officially now down to a team of four - D and three - which leaves relatively little room for error and will crank up the stress level (which I carry in my back) and make me work a lot harder but at least I'm feeling tons better than I was earlier this month when I had those crazy dizzy spells.

Austin's meeting went well. He can definitely graduate with his class as long as he doesn't get another case of the "idontcares" which plagued him so severely last year. We decided that he doesn't respond to any "encouragement" from me so the school will call his Uncle Bubba if he starts slacking off. Not to put it on Jim but typically he can correct a behavior with a few words and I seem to have lost my power. If I ever had it.

Austin is staying awake this morning so we can run to the store before work. Not my ideal shopping time but we need cat food, cat litter and cokes and I can't carry any of them. Once I get off work and it's a thousand degrees outside (slight exaggeration) I don't want to do anything but go in and cool off.

I pray every day for the people who have to work outside or work in spaces that are not air conditioned. I don't understand why we have to start school so early in Georgia and transport kids in unairconditioned buses. It's just too blame hot.

The washing machine was installed yesterday evening, which was, again, a community event. Handy Man Morrie installed it... next-door neighbors James and Maribel came over with their kids, Alex and Sophie. I was in the nest, in my bedroom, trying to rest my aching spine... so everyone ended up in my room. It was kinda funny. Little Sophie is so precious and shy... she found my cross-dressing Hop on Pop doll and was cuddling him. (I have one of my own baby dresses on Pop... it just fit and looked cute) I told Sophie that Pop could spend the night with her and then should could bring him back the next day. She was so excited. About the time they left, Morrie's wife came down and we chatted for a bit. I suppose this kind of neighborly interaction is common for most people but it's out of the ordinary for me, which is why it made the blog.

I had a moment of emotional melt down yesterday morning as I thought about the fact that in a week my last baby will start his last year of school. Since 1992 I've had at least one baby in public school... and I know how fast these school years go by. Austin will have to pass most of his classes this year and will have very little room for error... but he does have time in his schedule to take the Catalyst Bible class which would be awesome for him. He really loves Catalyst.

We had planned to go out to dinner to celebrate his upcoming year but he asked if we could instead just drive thru McDonalds. So we did.

It's Thankful Thursday and since I'm going to have to leave here crazy early in order to take Austin and myself to the store before work... I need to wrap this up.

1. I'm thankful that Austin is still in school. He may not be student of the month, he won't be valedictorian but there were a few years there that I thought there was no way he would make it in school past age 16 and yet, here he is, still plugging away.

2. I'm thankful for my new washing machine! Bring on the dryer, God, we're ready to do some laundry!

3. The men in the neighborhood say that I got a great washing machine with some kind of incredible agitating power. I am grateful that I was able to make a great deal at a price I could afford.

4. I'm so grateful for our neighborhood. Making split second decisions in the way that I had to for us to relocate after the fire is not my favorite way to approach things however... HOWEVER... I had been praying for over a year at that point that God would have us in the place He wanted for us. No place is perfect... but this place is good for us.

5. Remember my old laptop, the one I got while we were in Jacksonville... which I barely got to use because I wasn't allowed to have internet... which broke not long after I moved here? Our neighbor was able to retrieve all the photos and documents off the hard drive. He brought me a cd last night with them on it. Can't wait to check it out.

I guess I better take care of the farm so that I can be ready to head out at first light for our early morning shopping trip.

Hope you have an awesome day and find lots and lots to be thankful for...

*hugs*