Dear Readers (All three of you)...

I'm ok, we're ok, sorry I haven't written. On top of having the added responsibilities that my new title (Assistant Director, did I mention that?) brought to my full time job, I am working 20+ hours a week at my part time job at a department store of Thanksgiving Parade fame, and in my spare 15 minutes a week I'm trying to keep up with cleaning my house, paying bills, grocery shopping, getting a Christmas tree and shopping for gifts. Needless to say, mentally and emotionally I am a basket case and my 52-1/2 year old body is coming apart at the seams (well, more so now).

My sons: My Marine is ok, he has been able to call us a few times in the last month. He is homesick, he is tired of sand (that's what he said to me during his last call), and he asked me again to pray for him for his upcoming missions. That call was responsible for me not sleeping for two nights. On the third night I managed to sleep because I was exhausted. I would have slept even if Bigfoot came into my bedroom and started chewing on my leg. Honestly.

My younger son: "Big D," the one that is driving-challenged as you may recall, is doing well. His finals are next week and he has "everything under control" as he likes to tell me. I hope he has more control of his studying than of his car while driving. To his credit, it has been a whole month since he crashed anything, had any accidents or got a traffic ticket. Anyway, last night we went to get a Christmas tree and a car passed us doing 75 mph in a 40mph zone. My boy actually "tsk tsked" and said "People like that are the ones that cause accidents." I started laughing (still laughing about it as I type) and he said "Yeah, I guess I shouldn't talk." Maybe he's been in traffic school and seen those gory accident movies way too many times. I guess they do work in the long run.

Proof that men have strange DNA-related behavior patterns: Last night when we had finished picking out our Christmas tree (which by the way, involved picking up each and every blue spruce pine tree and analyzing it in detail from every angle, we spent way too much time there), we dragged it to the cash register, I plunked down the appropriate cash for it, then we dragged it to where the guy cuts it with a power saw. We sat there watching the guy work on the four trees before us and then he did ours. My son had brought the car to the front of the store to pick up the tree and had then gotten down and was watching the Power Saw Guy next to me. I had to drag him away from watching the guy lobbing off the bottom branches of the next 10 trees! He was mesmerized! When I pulled him away, saying "Hey D, we gotta go, we're in everyone's way," he giggled self-consciously and said "Thanks, Mom, I was kinda hypnotized." Sheeesh, men.

Anyway, I miss you all, I miss catching up on what's going on in your lives. I'll be back for good probably in January since this month is just bonkers. I give up trying to have a normal life in December. Love yous all!!!