First Friday in October...

and it actually feels like an October day.  It's relatively bright outside, but the breeze is cool and there is a definite nip in the air.  I am starting to feel punk again, and I am not sure if my cold, which was getting better (although my voice is still rough) is moving into my chest now, or my sinuses are infected (I have a sinus headache), or I am just being a whiner...  I still have laryngitis and drainage, so I know I am not over the cold completely, and Wednesday when I did some chores I got easily winded and worn out, but I worked my shift yesterday without too much difficulty and I really was feeling better than today.  Today though, my chest is tight, the cough is not necessarily letting up, and my head aches.  Bah!

Brianne had a friend who had been at AIT with her show up on our doorstep on Wednesday from Virginia; he drove here and stayed a few nights.  Today he and Brie drove back to Ft. Leonardwood for the graduation today, and Brie just sent a text saying she was in St. Louis and would take the metro back later, so our guess is he headed back towards home, and Brie is/has met up with others who were headed for the airport and is hanging out with them for a bit.  My understanding is that she is going to be talking to her boss at KK next week to get back on the schedule, but we are going to need to figure out the transportation issues between her, Eric, and I all working and needing transportation.  It will be nice to see her get back into a routine again as she seems sorta lost right now. 

Patrick is getting ready for work and he's kinda bumming because he has to work tonight (he was expected to march at the half-time show).  He did take the band schedule to work with him yesterday so they now have an idea of nights he needs off for school related events, and he and Aurora are in a band competition at McKendree College tomorrow with the marching band.  Aurora is excited because she gets to go to bowling in the morning and this will be her first morning there since the season started.  Eric will also get to be there, his first Saturday off since the league season started for the kids.  It should be fun.  I may stay home as I work 5-10 tomorrow night and I am really trying to get healthy again; I also work Sunday from 1 - 7. 

I am planning a trip to Minneapolis next weekend for the kid's long weekend off from school.  Aurora is planning to stay home with Eric because she has a meet on Saturday morning, and Patrick has to work so he too will be home; Rei and I are the only ones going I guess, but it is important to us to be there because it is Jesse's birthday party celebration and his 4th annual lawn tractor races and party.  It will be Rei's first time home since we were up there for the 4th, and I know the babies will be excited to see him (Alexis adores him).  As much as I dread the drive, I am appreciative of the freedom having the vehicle with me gives me.  I know I was just up there, and I know that Alexis is healing up well, but this will give me the opportunity to visit and see people I missed seeing last time I was there, as well as check up on her. 

Eric and I went out this morning and got haircuts.  I had asked for just a trim and the girl said she felt I should take off about 3 inches.  By the time she was done I was almost back to shoulder length hair (it's just a bit longer than that) and she had  turned "long layers" into a shag style cut.  I am not sure that I like it, but we'll see.  As I have always said, it grows...  We then met up with our new pastor for coffee, and we had such a lovely visit, three hours had passed before we were saying our goodbyes.  She is a lovely young woman, and she has some good ideas about bringing people into the congregation.  I really enjoyed meeting with her, and I look forward to seeing what is to come. 

I have found a new addiction on Facebook.  Liisa, among others, has gotten me playing Farmville, a stupid little game where you create and build a farm lot for yourself, growing and sustaining crops, trees, and animals.  Many members of my family are also on farmville and there is something inherently rewarding about planting, growing, and harvesting things, while watching your coins, acreage, and holdings grow.  Eric laughs at me because I am on it more than I play Everquest these days, and I have to say, what I like most about it is it is primarily solitary, but has interactive components.  And unlike real life, things grow over the course of days rather than months, so there is some immediate gratification involved.

My financial aid package has all come through and been accepted, so I will be officially starting class on Monday.  It is online rather than brick and mortar, but in my opinion, I have learned more through this online program that I did in college, where I attended classes.  I am a self-starter and a motivated learner, so I do well with reading the texts, supplementing knowledge through research, and I really like writing papers/essays, so this is ideal for me.  The class is "Current Theories in Psychotherapy" and I think it will be interesting.  I am looking forward to beginning.  My next hurdle will be finding an internship site.  That may be a bit more challenging.  I just need to take it one step at a time.

I think it is time for me to set my laptop aside for a bit and maybe read, knit or stitch.  My headache isn't letting up much and I need to just let my mind rest a bit (sleep is not really an option this late in the day--or I will never sleep tonight).