Empty Nest

I heard Steve leave this morning, but barely.  I'd been up and awake until 2 a.m. and he left somewhere close to 4 a.m., so I couldn't wake up very well.  He called around 8:30 pm or so, having finally made it to Sheridan, Wyoming to start the next leg on the Twin Beech and Aerostar adventure. 

Kaylee tried out a new church youth group tonight.  It always kind of surprises me how brave she is.  I'm a 42 year old woman and I don't enjoy walking into groups, especially new ones.  She didn't need me to come in with her and help her find her way, she just wanted me to wait outside in case there was an unexpected issue like it was canceled for the night or something, but right away she sent me a text and said "I'm good, see you later".  She jumped in, she said the counselors there were really nice, and that the kids there were really friendly, and she wants to go back.  They do an opening game time, chat time, hang out time (I'd be out right there!), then they have a service.  After that they break into small groups and get deeper into the topic on a more individual level.  It's about two hours in total, and it's Sunday evening, which is easier than Sunday morning for us.  She even found one girl there she knew from school already, and that helped a little too.  All in all it seems like a really good thing for her, and I'm glad she was willing to give it a try.  She'll be going back and starting to attend it on a regular basis, and she's getting into it prior to High School, so she'll hopefully already have a good group of kids to grow into High School church activities with.

This afternoon I went to Chuck and Judy's house with the Glenndale Ladies and we had a Wildtree foods afternoon with Gina.  Healthy meals, recipes, sauces, organic, low sodium, low sugar but still very flavorful.  I'm always looking for better ways to feed the family, but they need to be easy and doable, so we will see if some of this will take away even a few more McDonalds runs during the week.  :)

Speaking of healthy, I'm jumping the gun by 1/2 of a pound, which I'm sure I'll hit in the next few days, but as soon as I do, I'll be down 20 pounds myself.  I feel like I have a better balance on things, like I'm not on a diet that I'm going to go off of, but just have a better way of eating all around.  I have steel cut oatmeal in the mornings to get started, and just basically...pay attention.  To what I'm eating, how much, when, how much water I'm drinking, how much I'm walking or not, and what the scale says, because if I don't pay attention, it all slides to the background.  It seems like making the decision to care enough is most of the battle, for me anyway.  Once I care enough to pay attention, it's all easier, and it doesn't matter if I take a meal or even a day and do something big now and then.  It seems to be working pretty well thus far.  There's still a ways to go, and things will probably start slowing down some here, but I can tell my stamina, strength, and energy are all already better.

Today I took a bag and was putting all the pants in it that don't fit me any more.  Kaylee asked what I was doing, and I said I was giving away clothes that don't fit me any more, and she said something about how she was afraid I was going to say I'd gained weight.  I said no, I've lost weight. She has no idea.  I think it's kind of sweet that she only sees me as the mom she loves, and she doesn't really see the size of my waist.  :)

This evening I went to take Kaylee to the church group, and as we walked out to the Jeep, a very large spider had built a very large web in the corner of the overhang, and it ran up the web which went all the way practically to the center of the overhang.  It was nasty.  I run under him to get in the Jeep because there was no big strong man around to save me, and then after I dropped her off I parked outside the thing and found a can of Raid Spider killer.  Getting close enough to spray the web because I couldn't see the spider, without being so close it could drop on me was difficult.  Finally something got on him and he spazzed out and I could see where he was hiding, and then he was toast.  I think a most horrible thing to watch is a spider dying from the neurotoxin.  It spazzes, jumps, twitches, runs, it's disgusting and horrid and gives me a serious case of the willies. They need to go live in the abandoned yard next door and stay out of my overhang, and they won't scare me and I won't destroy them.  Win/Win.  Ugh.

I told Steve this story tonight, and the only question he had was whether or not I got overspray of the Raid on either of the vehicles, because if I did, enough of it can eat through paint.  Did not know that.  Don't think I got much overspray on the cars, but just in case I hosed them down anyway.  That wasn't the point of my story, you understand.  The point was...THERE I WAS, Alone, Scared, Facing down a Giant Crazed Spider with only Half a can of Raid left...it was an EMERGENCY, people!!  ;)

Well, gotta go to bed early, (oops, too late), to rise early for a 7 a.m. wheels-up departure.  I'm not going to get enough sleep tonight, I'm not tired at all and it's midnight and I need to be up at 5:30.  *sigh*  At least the weather is supposed to be fine...