a little ketchup

First and foremost I offer my deepest apologies for falling off the face of the earth.
Esme and I went to the cities for a week and it was really hard in ways I didn't expect.
One of those ways was that I could not bring myself to blog on someone else's computer. I didn't take my laptop because it's old and clunky, has to be plugged in when you use it, and we had to take the shuttle to get to Mpls from Duluth so it just didn't seem worth trying to lug it on.
Normally  I have no problem just hopping on my in-laws home computer at the end of the day when everyone is in bed, but this trip it was either impossible to find a time someone else wasn't on the computer or impossible to find the motivation at just the right moment.

So in any case, I was a bit like Skippyjon Jones in the new book we've been reading...Lost in Spice.

We had a really great time in the cities. Went to a couple different pools, Esme had a great time on the big girl slides (at the pool) and was so proud of herself for going down the ones she wasn't ready for last summer.We had a couple great trips to The Mall of America, rode some rides, visited legoland, met up with some marvelous friends we don't see nearly often enough. I got to celebrate my sister-in-laws 30th birthday with dinner out and karaoke at the VFW (I mean really does it get any better than that?).
So it was an action packed awesome trip.
We even got to go to the two hour long Aquatennial Parade in Minneapolis with tons of princesses, Esme dubbed it "a really long parade" about 15 minutes in and we had a good laugh.
In the midst of it all I got my car situation mostly wrapped up with the news that my car is totaled and I will have to buy a new one (ick).
By the end of the week I am walking 90% normally on my foot, Esme and I even went for a walk into town and back this evening after I got her stroller all set up and back in working order.

So I guess this is the catch-up blog where I get myself ready to go back to sharing things. Llike, you know, why this last week was so hard. I think I have another day of processing before I know exactly what to say about that. I feel like it was something of a milestone week though. As we arrived back in Grand Marais I had a feeling that things are starting new this time. The bad stuff feels behind (I know there are plenty of challenges ahead) but I think I made a resolution this week to stop feeling so helpless about things.

It really feels like so many things lately  have just happened to me without me being able to control them at all, pretty hard if you're a strategist and controller like me. But I'm done with that. This IS my life, I've been blessed by so much help, care and aid of late. But I have to move forward. I need to be whole and I think that starts by getting back on my own two feet (literally and metaphorically).

So that's where we're headed.
See you tomorrow!