Oh my goodness! I did a little painting, took a nap, woke up and worked, and look at all that is going on with my NT friends!

Vonn - Way to go! What awesome news! I hope your move in this weekend goes smoothly. I am so happy for you!!! I could do the Snoopy Happy Dance right now but DD16 would think I lost my marbles. Oh heck, she already thinks that. LOL

(((Kay))) - Hang in there! I am sure the tension is quite high right now but please know that I am praying for all of you. However, you ate all the chocolate while I was sleeping? *sign* Well, I guess that's OK under the circumstances. I'll forgive you. LOL

I'm with Frank, I'll buy a new chick for Olivia and Auntie Kay's Wok Wok Jungle Farm should you ever decide to come back to the states.

Guatemalans are a tough group. When I was in nursing school I worked at a preschool at the school as part of my work study program. Another lady that worked there was from Guatemala. She told me about her life in Guatemala. and how he escaped. She escaped from a wealthy, very prominent, but abusive husband. She talked about her journey from Guatemala to the US with her daughter. Amazing story! She is lucky her husband didn't catch on and kill her before she escaped as well the guerrillas along the way.

OK - Happy thoughts for our Kay as laughter is the best medicine. So gather round, I made my deluxe cheese and crackers as well as star, moon, and heart shaped sandwiches. (Sorry this is long. Just trying help our Kay out with a silly story from my childhood)

Growing up with 9 brothers and sisters continually presents me, as an adult, with a variety of memories. Today I was thinking about the toys we had. Truly we did not have a lot of toys. We had the outdoors and my mom made us take advantage of it. (Now that I'm a mom, I think my mom took advantage of it. LOL)

As adults it is a good thing that we are all intelligent and my parents really enjoy it as conversations vary from boiler systems and boats (my dad was an engineer) to nutrition (my mom was a nurse) to nature, authors, composers, etc., etc. Both my parents are extremely intelligent as well and growing up we had similar conversations at the dinner table; only we didn't know as much then.

What got me thinking of their true intelligence today was the toys we had or more directly my brother who is a year younger than I had. He was and still is brilliant. So, incredibly intelligent. As kids, he was the one that would get bored in school and got quite "creative" with things around him. Now an smart parent, mind you I am saying smart instead of intelligent, would not buy their extremely bright and brilliant child a chemistry set, electronic set, Bunsen burners, etc. But my intelligent parents did. Yes, the basement almost went on fire a few times.

The oddest "toy", which really wasn't a toy, was some sort of electrical device that was our grandfathers. This thing zapped you and there were different setting on it. Well, my brother got a hold of it and took ownership to it. Whatever, right, NOT! He would go around during the night while we were sleeping and zap us. What were my parents thinking allowing this particular brother to have this device; the one who almost set the basement on fire, the one who blew up batteries because of the chemical reaction; the one who got suspended from school because he wanted to see if alcohol poured on the counter and lit with the Bunsen burner would really burn. (off the top of my head those are only a few incidents.).

I think tomorrow morning I am going to have coffee at my parents and question them about said brother and this "device." Did my parents really know he had it? They must have. Late at night in their room while we were all in bed did they crack up about the things he did? What were they thinking.

Just a little side note here: Said brother is the one that did all that neurological research. I kid him that it was his fault I had MS as he zapped me one too many times with that dang thing. LOL. We laugh about it.

Are you smiling yet Kay? I hope so sweetie.