I'm going to apologize right away if my writings tonight don't make any sense! I have had a very busy week and my brain officially shut down about eight o'clock this morning. I worked a regular eight hour shift Monday and Tuesday. (For me, that shift starts at 2:30 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m., in case your wondering.) By the time I get home, unwind, and visit with my husband, I don't get to sleep til about 1-1:30 a.m. I then worked a double shift on Wednesday, punching in at 6:15a and punching out at 11p. This morning, I again had to get up early (at 7 a.m.) to go to the Shriner's Circus with my three nephews and my sister. Tomorrow, it's alarm clock time yet again so that I will be awake when my friend Rhea drops her little girl, Sylvia, off at 8:30 a.m. for me to watch until around 3:30 p.m. Just typing all of this makes me tired!

For anyone that knows me, they know I LOVE SLEEP!!! I can easily sleep 10 to 12 hours a day and be perfectly fine with that. I'm one of those people that dreams a lot. There is not a night that goes by that I don't have at least one dream, but more like three or four! And I usually remember them well. My dreams are amazingly vivid, and can seem so real that I wake up mad at Kenny for doing something in my dream! (Sorry Kenny) So these past few nights, when my shut eye only averaged 4 hours a night, were very difficult for me. I wake up looking forward to going back to sleep!

I had a blast at the circus today with Nick, Alex, Chirs, and Jen. I have never been to the circus before and I don't really care for clowns. Pennywise, from Steven King's "IT", ruined it for me! It wasn't about the show, though, that made the day. It was the realization of how lucky I am to be able to take part in these activities with my nephews. I was able to go to "Disney on Ice" and "Thomas the Tank Engine: Under the Big Tent" with them this past year. I know there is a reason Kenny and I haven't been blessed with children yet, and this is it. I get to spend time with, spoil, and dote on the children in my life right now. If I had one or two of my own, I wouldn't have the flexibility to do this stuff. God truly does have perfect timing. Anyway- back to the circus! I've seen the bears that ride bikes and motorcycles in the movies, but I never thought they actually would at a circus! It was so cute... especially the girl bear's outfit:) The elephants looked worse for the wear and it made me wonder if the animal activist's were right to boycott them in captivity. It was amazing watching the acrobats and gymnasts. There was a guy that did the closing show that incredible. He rode in a wheel (think- hamster wheel) connected to a pendulum. There were a couple of close calls when he almost fell off, but I choose to believe they were a part of the act to make us think he was doing "death defying" acts! I really hope he was for his sake, anyway!

Tomorrow, I get to babysit one of my favorite little girls and someone I regard as family. Sylvia is, for all intents and purposes, my niece. She is a very special little 9 month old beauty. Sylvia was adopted at 3 months by two very good friends of mine, Rhea and Mike. However, I was blessed to know her as Friday when she was only a few days old. Mike and Rhea adopted Sylvia from my (half) sister's half sister. Confusing? I know. I come from a very blended family! Reba became pregnant at 15 and made one of the most mature and hardest decision of her life. I honestly cannot say I would have been able to do what she did, and for that, she has my utmost respect. She decided that Sylvia would have a more thriving environment with someone else. As I said before, God has perfect timing. Rhea and Mike were just starting to consider adoption as an alternative to starting their family when Reba started thinking about "giving Friday up." ( I really don't like that term. She didn't "give her up". She did the most loving thing a mother can do... she did what was best for her baby regardless of her wants!) Kenny and I approached Mike and Rhea one evening with the intent of bring this subject up and of this very special girl that needed a loving home. The road was not and still is not smooth for this all to happen. The adoption is in it's final stages and, hopefully, by Sylvia's first birthday, will be official. Prayers on the matter are deeply appreciated! We love the time we get to spend with her. Kenny is infatuated with her and every time we see her or are able to babysit her, Kenny is in his glory. There are many reasons I'm madly in love with my husband. This is one of them. He is astounding with children. Especially our many nephew's and nieces!

When I got home from today's activities, I planned on taking a nap. The day was to perfect to warrant such a thing. My Jeep needed a good cleaning after the long winter and Chowzer needed a walk. I dusted, washed windows, and vacuumed out my vehicle. I was only able to go around the terrace with Chowzer. Tomorrow, I may need to break out the pressure washer. I might cave and go to the car wash, though! It's a lot easier:)

My days have seemed like 36 hour days. I give big kudos to all of you who have children, work, school, etc. to fill your days. I don't know how you do it without being exhausted every night when you go to sleep. I pray that you have restful nights, alert days, energy to conquer what you need to, and the wisdom to know what can be put off or cancelled all together!