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From the looks of things, you would assume I've been ignoring the blog this past week. I promise I haven't. I've written something almost every day, actually, but none of them feel quite right. Too personal, or too impersonal, or too whiney or too humble. I'm not exactly hitting "delete"--they're saved as drafts to work on at some point--but I can't quite bring myself to hit "publish" either. The problem with the weight of words is that I can't ever settle for something too heavy or too light. I want it to be just right, and I'm having an off week, I suppose.

I'm still here. We're still here. I got so very lucky and one of my best friends in the whole world came to Cleveland last week for a special meeting at Progressive and we got to hang out. We drank martinis at Bar Louie and ate cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory and sipped wine and laughed and talked and I got to stay in a hotel with 5 pillows and a giant comforter all to myself and it was a little slice of heaven:) Then the next day Chuck brought the kids out to the hotel and we swam in the heated pool for hours and splashed and played shark and it reminded me of swimming in hotel pools with my sister and brother on family vacations when we were little. And then my amazing friend came out to the house and babysat the kids and Chuck and I went out for Thai food and it was delicious and so very much appreciated. She is the best kind of friend--the one that is always there without you ever needing to ask. She's seen me through the thick and thin of the past 7 years and I don't know what my life would be like without her. Thanks, Rachele, for being so wonderfully you:)

The kids are doing great. We had a campfire last night and Ava was being the sweetest little thing this side of a powdered sugar factory. She is just like her mama and loves making up "Ava Original" songs about everything under the sun, and last night's was so adorable. "Us friends, best friends...us friends, best friends..." She kept telling me how I was her best friend and how we all made her heart so happy and I just wanted to bust mine open and gather up all of the love in my heart and save it for a rainy day when I might need a smile. She truly is my sunshine, which will probably come in handy sometime around January, lol.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today--pounding headache, sore body, etc, it's probably allergy-related but you never know--so Chuck took the kids to a BBQ at his sister's house and I am relishing in the stillness of the house and one very warm, sleeping kitty curled up at my side.

I'll keep writing, I'm sure one of these days it's bound to be just right. ;) Happy Labor Day to all, hope it was wonderful.