Wrapped up

Well, I've made it through all the performances of Savior of the World (Act 2). I've also made it through most of the kids' Spring Break. I'm tired. And we're about to go visit family soon. So I should finish doing all the laundry.

Also, one of the local librarians is retiring. Today is his last day.
And I'm so very, totally bummed.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that he's able to retire ... but we are going to miss him.
He's such a great person -- so fun and funny and able to make everyone feel welcome ... and I don't know that the libraries will be the same place without him.
Yeah, I don't take change all that well. I'm aware of that fact.

So ... let's get all caught up ...

Lots of people asked how Michael and I made it through our performances and who took care of the kids.
It was a community effort, really ...
Tues: Mom and Dad C (They got to come see the performance)
Wed: My mom
Thurs: Nichole (a wonderful babysitter we know from church choir)
Fri: Joy (another wonderful babysitter from church. I've known her for a few years, since I was the ward YW Camp Director)
Saturday: The kids went up to spend the evening with Mom and Dad C (and cousins)

How did Michael and I get through it? Well, Michael'd leave work a half-hour early and drive straight to the church to get in makeup and costume. He didn't really get to see the kids much at all, until Friday, since he gets home early that day.
I would work to get dinner done and the house clean, then race over to the church around 5 to get makeup done and into my costume ... USUALLY before we had a prayer, devotional, and warm-ups.
(Yeah, what with character makeup -- Michael needed his beard a little darker and more eyebrows; I needed to have aging makeup done -- I was not always successful in getting into my costume before 6:30. There were a LOT of people who needed makeup. Last time [Act 1] was easier, since we usually did everything ourselves -- except for blush. We had someone to do our blush. ... The only thing I did myself this time was mascara. And ONLY on the top lashes, which is different for me.)

I did have a MEDICINAL Cherry Coke Saturday. And it was SO GOOD.

Besides that, we were just really tired.

And, after everything was over, we jetted home and gave Michael a haircut and shaved off EPICBEARD and the Mustache of DOOM.
It's so nice to have the man I married back again. So very nice.

Monday, I had high aspirations to get some spring cleaning done.
Which were dashed because the kids didn't want to listen to a dratted word that I said.
So I was irritated and ready to go on strike.

Tuesday morning, I lumbered out of bed to find that Michael left me a cinnamon roll (Awww).
And that the kids ate the top two-thirds (Booo).
So I ended up bursting into tears and pretty much going on strike.
The kids had to endure swishing some soap in their mouths for lying about it ("I don't know [what happened]." "I didn't do it!" followed by "Bruise did it first!!" ... Yeah. *sigh*)

Mom came up Tuesday night (their water pump is out on the well, so they're ROUGHING it). Michael got me ice cream and a Cherry Coke. (Good man. I wish everyone could have such a good spouse. He's thoughtful and funny ... I'll stop before I disgust you all.)

Yesterday, I donated blood. For the first time in how many years of doing this, my vein didn't want to stop. So the nurse/phlebotomist/whatever and I had to spend a few minutes applying pressure, then checking, then HURRIEDLY applying pressure again, repeating all that a few times. We were cracking jokes about it ... it was a lot more comfortable than the time that I had to KEEP lying down so I didn't pass out back in, what, 2003 or so.

After I stopped bleeding, I was fine. My elbow pit was pretty sore from having bandages on it for so long ... but overall, it was pretty great.

Mom and I took the kids to McDonald's and then to pick up stuff for dinner ... and I wrapped up my Visiting Teaching (before the last day of the month, what?!?).

Mom headed back home this morning. I took the kids to help me use up some coupons (Got an Essie nail polish for $2.29, since I had a 15% off coupon AND a $5 rewards coupon. ... This is right up there with how Bruise, Bubbles, and I scored me a $10 pair of pants Saturday) ... and a Plesco (algae-eater) for Bucket's fish tank.
(Cue: Fish Watch 2013 ... Let's hope that this one, Jasmine, breaks our bad luck. Emmy, the catfish, is having a ball darting around like a ferret on a Pixie-stick bender.)

And we've just gotten back from the open house for the librarian I mentioned above.
We had some cake and said hello/goodbye and dropped off some cards that we made for him.

I should close this up and finish laundry/make dinner/snuggle with Bubbles .... Yeah.