Some Welcome Down Time

I'm happy to report that I really have nothing to report the last few days. Mark has not been well, but he hasn't had to go to the hospital since ... when was that? Monday? Kaitlyn's dramas at school seem to have hit a mellow phase. Alex's personal bully seems to have laid off. Even Brendan seems more agreeable (probably due to the fact that he is able to be outside for hours on end now). I have gotten to write quite a bit this week. (I've been working mostly on cinquains and tanka this week. Fun!) I've even had time to sit down and read! Which is, I think, what I'm going to go do now ... just for a little bit. And then I think I'll go to sleep early. Sounds wonderful! (I'm tempted to skip the reading part and go straight to the sleeping part ... Boy, am I a bundle of energy tonight!)

Oh, oh, oh! I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you this! I have a partner for our HFA/AS game night that I've been dreaming of starting for years! I didn't want to go ahead with this until I had someone lined up to help me if things around here were on the fritz, but I didn't know where to find such a person. Well, I put it on our prayer chain (and prayed about it myself, as I have done many times). A woman named Amy emailed me and said that she is interested in such a thing herself, and since there isn't any such group available reasonably close, she will help me start it! I am so excited! My children's pastor gave me the go ahead to pursue it, months ago. Now I have to go through the paperwork to get authorization to use our church. Then, one Friday evening each month, we'll open the downstairs. We'll have video games. (The church has plenty of televisions. We, personally, have plenty [i.e. too many!] game systems and games.) We'll have a room with board games (of which we also have many), a movie room (where the NT siblings tended to hang out at the game night I attended in Gresham, once upon a time), a snack room (where the adults tended to congregate), and most likely an open gym. There's not going to be anything structured. At least not yet. And every parent will be responsible for his/her own child(ren). Mostly it'll just be a place for our kids to hang out with like minded peers and hopefully make a friend or two. Also, it gives parents and siblings a group of people who share common experiences, who can understand the joys and challenges of this life in a personal way. Stay tuned for updates!