Snails see the benefits, the beauty in every inch.

Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone! Lent starts tomorrow, and I'm so very excited! I think I'm more excited this year than ever before... not for the coming weeks, so much, as for the celebration at the end. It's usually one of my favorite services of the year. I am actually excited about the forty days to come, though. For those of you who don't know, the weeks before Easter are spent in self-sacrifice and abstinence. I didn't understand why that was important until a few years ago. Now I enjoy the opportunityto do without. I think it's important to step away from some of the superfluous things for a little bit. I don't think we should live like that all the time; I certainly have no intentions of joining a nunnery any time soon. ;) BUT, I do think it's cleansing to "put to rout all that [is] not life," if you will.

That aside, let me tell you about this past week. Thursday night I spent with the Tomlinson's, and it was fantastic, even though I stayed up much later than I should have. It was a pretty normal night with the kids, and they both went to sleep before 8. I talked to Britni for a while, which (obviously) made me feel special. Then Jessica came over and we played around online and watched some much needed Homestarrunner and ate dinner. I experimented with the jacuzzi, and it was somewhat disastrous, but it eventually filled and I had a nice warm bath in a huge tub. When I finally got out I got online and talked to Karen, and I think I slept better because of it. ;)

Friday morning the kids were great... I was worried that they'd be all a-panic with their parents gone, but they were absolutely fine, and we had French toast, and then Vanessa and Susanna showed up at 9 and I went on home to do laundry and clean and shower and the, onto the Marriott, where I found Lynn and Andrew and various other folks that I didn't even know I'd see (like Andrew Cotton and Virginia and Kee and Jeanie). Oh, and Graham was there, which was great, and the booth was wonderful, and it was all very grand, and then Jen and Lauren got there, improving an already sterling group. :-D

I had to go sub at Kid Safari from four to six, which was also fun. We played outside the whole time I was there, and the kids all ran up and hugged me and loved on me and overall: wonderful. Then I met Lynn and Andrew and Jen and Lauren and Lindsey at my grandmother's, where we had gumbo-- very appropriate for a group of Special Session counselors. :) Then everyone but Lynn and Grandmomma came to the apartment and we hung out there for a bit before returning to my grandmother's for coffee and liquor and desert. Huzzah! Then Andrew and Lindsey spent the night with me, and that, too, was great great fun.

There's only so much step by step posting I can do at one time, so, even though I ache to tell you all about Saturday and Sunday, it will have to wait, because I need to look up lyrics or storypeople or something less blasé . Also! We must must must get internet soon, because there is many-a-band that I need to download, including the Format and Something Corporate.