Happy Easter!

Well, unbelievable once again . . . There is a guardian angel on my shoulder, and whoever it is, wants us to live in Colorado Springs.

Friday morning I talked to my best friend, Cherrie and my goddaughter Shelby. Shelby’s going to art school, but on a break and won’t go back until mid-July. She’s come to visit us since she was about eleven, criss-crossing the country all on her own. She was scheduled to come and visit the week I fell and broke my ribs, so we postponed and she still has a ticket.

SO-O-O, I asked Cherrie what Shelby was doing, and she’s working double-shifts as a waitress trying to earn some money. I suggested she get on a plane and come and spend six weeks with me. I told her I’d pay her what I’m paying CJ, which is a veritable fortune to her, she’s FANTASTIC with kids, super babysitter, taught swim lessons for bunch of summers (actually started her own swim lesson business, takes after her godmother), and on top of it all . . . According to her the best part is she gets to come and spend time with people she loves. Ah, how sweet, and my sentiments exactly. I do adore her and cannot wait to have her here, she is one of my all-time favorite people. She’s got a GREAT sense of humor, very dry, is positive, a great helper, adventurous, artistic, got beautiful blue eyes and a smile that lights up the room. She and I have always been close, even if we don’t talk for a year, the very next time we do it’s as if no time has passed. Kind of like her mother and I. Although I think of Cherrie’s two kids, her second daughter Emily is far more like Cherrie and Shelby is actually far more like me (and her father of course!)

So. One fell swoop, nanny problem solved. Shelby’s thrilled. I’m thrilled. Doug’s thrilled. Frank’s thrilled and I’m sure Beck will be too, they’ll get along great. She can only stay until June 15, and no matter what, I’m going to need some help through mid-July-ish and I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. BUT, I’m leaving it to a higher power because so far, everything seems to have worked itself out.

So I’ll throw it out into the universe and see what comes back to me. I’ve got to go to Chicago June 21st through 23rd, and to our niece Ally’s wedding in early July, and will need help in order to do both, and then there’s the whole moving thing, which I actually think will be pretty easy, it’ll just be the transition time and when our house sells in relation to when school gets out, and in relation to the Chicago trip and the wedding. BUT, again, I’m sure it will all work out.

Uncle Jeff and Quentin were here yesterday to help Doug with the patio cover. The handyman and his helper got the fence done (beautiful job), two other projects, and helped Doug and Jeff with the patio cover, and were only here until about 2:00pm. They’ll be back either Thursday or Friday to do the upstairs painting. They are great guys and would highly recommend them to anyone.

I got a lot of packing done yesterday, I’m making excellent progress upstairs. Again, it’s not really packing, it’s getting rid of stuff. The garage/moving sale pile is enormous, and I hope we can sell the majority of it. Uncle Jeff is interested in our lawn mower, and grandma wants one of our chairs which is really hers anyway.

Doug will be packing today for their Yosemite trip and they’ll leave in the morning. Both are so excited and Doug did admit yesterday that they may come home early given a trip of that length and level of adventure might be hard on Frank, but also didn’t seem to have a problem, just an acceptance. He said they were going to completely wing it and was sure that no matter what they did, no matter how little, they’d have a blast. He’s so happy these days.

We had a nice talk with Jeff yesterday, and Quentin and Frank had a ball. We’ll plan to get them together when I come back to CA and bring Frank with me. And Jeff asked us to be sure to invite them to visit us and said he really wants to come. I think Doug has been disappointed by the turn his relationship with Jeff has taken, but there are ebbs and flows with every relationship and it isn’t to say that they won’t be close again. Sometimes proximity doesn’t equal closeness because you get lazy about getting together with people. My friend Chris says she’ll probably spend more time with me when I’m in town for meetings because we’ll actually plan something instead of procrastinating. I totally agree.

The Easter bunny (me) is ready for the kids to wake up and play, although I also so enjoy my morning quiet time, I don’t mind the extra sleep time for them.

Even though it’s Easter, I’m going to tackle my office today and get it off the list. It seems like it’ll be huge job, and I’m hoping it goes easier than I expect.

The garage is a WRECK, but Doug will have a couple of weeks after Yosemite and pretty much only the garage to worry about. I’m going to schedule a dumpster to be here when he gets back so we can get RID of junk, and get this place on the market. Two houses on the street right behind here just listed for a ridiculous amount of money and they are DEFINITELY comps for our house. Should be INTERESTING to see what happens with them. Doug and I both think if we come in a little lower our house will sell VERY fast.

Okay, Daddy’s up, Beck’s up, time to wake Frankie up before Beck finds all the Easter eggs.