Yippeeeee!

MY DAD IS O.K.!!!!! He's going to have to make some lifestyle adjustments (but frankly, we ALL need to do so...) like diet and exercise, but he's GREAT!

Whew!

I don't know how you guys handle these situations, but I actually seem to become more calm after the doctor takes over and the procedure begins. I told my mom that it's like I don't have to be in charge any more. Perhaps the lesson in this is that we should be able to turn stuff over to The Big Guy in the same way that I turn it over to the doctors. That's what he wants us to do... why am I so convinced that I have more control than he does?

Outside With My Girls

Today was too pretty not to play outside. Especially since it will soon be too hot to play outside in the afternoons!

We started out wandering over to the springs at the Diocesan Center. We soon found that we had too much stuff. We did not need things like shoes... or pants... or a leash...


Lily Ruth LOVED getting her fingers and toes wet!


Then we moved down to the larger pools. The springs are so high that the ground by the bridge is boggy - always a good sign!


Then we moseyed over to some shade over soft grass. This led to eating grass...


and rolling on grass then smiling a lot.


Not a bad way to spend an afternoon - damp and pants-less while eating nature. We should all be so lucky :-P

Clearing the Cobwebs

Lily Ruth, Keely Dog & I took a really great walk today. We needed it. Well, Keely & I needed it, and Lily Ruth didn't have a choice.

Today's walk was not just for exercise or to get out of the house. It was a much needed brain-clearing excursion. Do you ever feel like your head is going to come off of your neck and spin off into space because it is so full of crap? No? Just me? Fine. Well, that's how I felt this morning. I was cranky, and had a serious case of the funk - not the good kind, either. I seem to get into this same sort of loop every year around my birthday (maybe that's why my Mama calls more often, and sounds so concerned...). It's as though I've taken stock, and am flabbergasted by what I found. Ridiculous, but there is is - I'm surprised by my own life. And here I was - thinking that I was paying attention...

At any rate, we walked from Starbuck's to the Episcopal Diocese. Now, this is a reader alert - I am going to talk about spirituality. Just mine though, not yours. If you don't care for that sort of thing, then get your own blog and write about whatever you want. There are places in this world where the divine feels more present to me than others. My God dwells all around me, but feels tangible to me in some places - this is one of them. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg question though - was the Diocese built on a holy-feeling site, or does the site feel holy in part because of the Diocese? Either way, this is a place that quiets the soul, and I was in dire need of some quiet. Plus, my Mama called yesterday with some great news:



The springs are running! Though my crappy cell phone photo cannot do it justice, these springs are the headwaters of the San Antonio river. When the rain comes, the water table rises, and this area becomes boggy with springs. It's amazing.

Since the property is fenced, I will occasionally let Keely-Kee play off-leash - after a look around for loose dogs and rogue squirrels. Here she is drinking from the springs and getting her toes damp:



Here I am letting the breeze clean out my skull:



And here is Lily Ruth chewing on what USED to be my wallet, but is NOW her favorite teething toy. I had to get a new 'wallet' (if we're splitting hairs, it's technically a coin purse, isn't it...) It is now washed daily, and contains Daddy's old driver's license so he can go everywhere with us :-P It kept her not just occupied, but happy for quite a while today:



All in all, it was a very successful outing. I gained a little much-needed clarity. Keely got her exercise - and the treat of being briefly off-leash (but it TOTALLY went to her head, and we had a small power struggle all the way back to the car). Lily Ruth got her first look at the springs in action, and spent some quality time with her wallet.

Oh, I also went to 'At the Barre' class again today. It was just as hard as last week, but I loathed the tiny instructor a bit less. So maybe it was easier? Either way, I went and let it kick my (hopefully shrinking and lifting) ass. Maybe I'll keep the damn gym membership...

Also, because I type so slowly, it's now a new day... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!