Creamslush. Yum.

Any day that ends in a strawberry Creamslush and a hot shower should be deemed good, right? I think so. Justin was sans fever today, so off to school he went. After coming home from school with a 102.5 fever on Monday and then two subsequent days home from school, it was time for him to be on his merry way back to school today. Which worked out nicely. The REST of us had plans today. Today was Spencer's preschool class field trip to the zoo. Apparently it was also field trip day for a bazillion other kids in town. It was a busy day at the zoo. The Omaha zoo is GIANT and is rated one of the best zoos in the U.S. One could easily spend an entire day there (if they wanted to be downright completely exhausted!), but we usually only spend an hour or two at most, visiting our favorite exhibits. Today's expedition was a 4 1/2 hour jaunt through the zoo. And with Carson in tow, I was a little nervous. But it ended up being a lovely day. Only one meltdown from Spencer, and it was at the end of our trip. Whew. We saw the newly remodeled aquarium (LOVE the new jellyfish area. So much better than what it once was!), and saw the Madagascar exhibit that opened a year ago...that somehow we've missed. The zoo is just that big that I didn't realize we missed that one. Spencer has a VERY busy class and I was relieved to see that many parents showed up to help. It's a really good thing. We enjoyed a picnic outside and it's always fun to watch how a bunch of 4 year olds interact with the world. Saw one of my old nursing school friends at the zoo with her now-toddler twins. It's amazing what a few years will do to change life. I didn't get a chance to really chat as we were separated by a million kids. But it brought me back that I had gotten a note from her when the boys were in the hospital after the crash. She was an ICU nurse there. I remember Adam used to come home, telling me that she said to tell me hi. I think one of my highlights of the day was the phone call from an old friend that I worked with on my old oncology floor. There's something so great about hearing from old friends. I miss that girl! I wish she didn't live so far away. But there's something about her life now, living in a small town, that appeals to me. Our lettuce that we planted last week is sprouting. That's exciting. The strawberries that we also planted...not so much. I bought that strawberry planter before Adam died so I was suspecting that they wouldn't work. I'll give them a few more weeks before I buy big strawberry plants to plant in it. I BBQ'd a tritip yesterday, so we had leftovers that we made into tritip sandwiches. It made me feel like I was at Brad's. It's funny that those are the things I miss about California. I do so miss the beach. It's that deep-rooted California blood of mine. I mowed the lawn today. Again--I did it Monday. And since I think I've broken my weedwhacker (), I got out the hedge trimmers to clip (yes, by hand) all the stuff that needed a good clipping...the stuff by the side of the yard was over a foot tall, yikes. I've determined that I either need someone to commit to coming and weed whacking monthly or I need to buy a tool that is more simple to use. There must be such a tool. I found myself very grateful for the men that so diligently helped keep our yard looking nice after Adam died. It is a pain to do lawn/yard care. I think of their kindness every time I mow. Justin had football practice tonight. And this was the one big heartbreaker for the day. On the drive over, Justin told me that he's never going to learn how to throw a football because he doesn't have a dad. You know, I'm a fairly capable woman (so I've determined). I may not be an Olympic athlete, but I know how to play most sports. BUT. I have tried my whole life to properly throw a spiraling football. I just can't do it! ARGH! So...I'm on a mission to find some male friends to teach me how to throw a football--it MUST be possible for me to learn! I'm realistic in knowing that having someone consistently helping Justin with this task just won't happen...so I need to be able to throw one in order to help teach Justin. I'm adding this task to my must-do list. Spencer fell asleep at 6pm. He probably would've slept through the night had we not been in our van, taking Justin to football practice. I got everyone a treat at Sonic tonight (How I've missed Sonic! Probably good that the Sonic that Adam and I frequented by our home was demolished!), so Spencer woke up for that when we got home. I put Carson to bed and told the big boys to finish their treats while I took a shower. I told them to be in bed, ready for me to tuck them in and kiss them goodnight when I got out of the shower. I didn' expect much by my request (just being real) and was SHOCKED to find that Spencer was asleep in his bed when I got out of the shower. I guess he needs a 4 1/2 hour trip to the zoo everyday. All in all, a good day.