To Maple Valley and back!!!

That's how far I went today!!!! But we sure had fun doing it!!!

This morning it was just me and SamSam!!! And she didn't get up til 9!!! GLORIOUS!!!!!!! I got up before her, got ready for the day and then she came out of her room....she was up shortly after me, but was busy playing in her room. Usually she doesn't get to do that as DJ goes in to "get" her when she wakes.

After breakfast we hightailed it outta here! Knowing how much I had to do, I wanted to get a good start on the day....and I would have been doing good if I hadn't forgotten my knitted items to enter into the State Fair. URGH!!!! Since we were only 5 miles from home, I turned around and came back for them. Today was the last day for entries.

We finally made it to the Fairgrounds after some stop and go traffic in town (a sign of what's to come I'm sure!) only to find no one who actually worked there...and the Administration building was closed! URGH!!!!! So I left there with a sigh, and a promise to make a phone call first thing Monday morning. I tried calling while I was in the parking lot, and got the machine that doesn't let you leave a message.

When we finally got under way, we headed to Lynnwood first for deliveries....the first 4 weren't home!! So, it was going much quicker than expected!! Next stop was my District Manager's house....you see, recently there was a fire in the an apartment building and 30 people lost everything!! Karen's 9 year old daughter, Chloe, wanted to do something for the people who lost everything, and so they started the Chloe Broussard Fire Victim Relief....and started taking donations. The news caught wind of this little girl's idea, and it's spiraled!!! HUGELY!!! When I got there, they had bags on top of bags, on top of boxes!!!  While I was there, someone dropped off a tv and a table...and more people were pulling up! It was a never ending stream of people and bags and boxes!!  SO very awesome for this little girl to learn that a community CAN pull together to help others!!

After leaving there we finished off the local deliveries and  by 2 we were on the road south for Maple Valley. I have a dear friend, Nikki, who just moved into their new home this past Spring, and she was throwing a "We Miss Our Friends, Come Hang With Us" party...so she'd get all the unpacking done!!! HA! It worked tho!! I didn't see any boxes in the living area!!! She also had an Avon order, so two birds...one drive....worked out well! Plus, Samantha had an absolute blast playing in their back yard on their very own "park" and with all the other kids present! We left there at 5:05 and she was out like a light at 5:11!! Not my ideal time for her to take a nap, but at least I wasn't stuck in the perpetual game of Mad Gab while I'm driving and she's talking. I swear, that's what it's like!! She says something, and I rack my brain to figure what it sounds like and what she's trying to say...just like Mad Gab!!! (Great game btw!)

We finally made it home shortly after 6 and it was none too soon! After only a 40 minute snooze, Samantha was not pleased to still be in her car seat!!! Thankfully Howie was already on top of the whole dinner thing, I unloaded and got started on the noodles to go with dinner and we sat down to eat. DJ was still outside enjoying the cool water of the pool (it hit 95 here today! Hottest day of the year so far!) next door. When he did finally come in, he ate and pretty much went right to bed. He snuggled with Howie for a few minutes and they were quietly talking while I was doing dishes...the conversation ended with DJ wanting to go to bed!!!! I was shocked!!! But he'd had a full day of fishing, playing and swimming!

Samantha on the other hand, didn't go to bed til 9 thanks to her late napscapade!! Howie wasn't too far behind her schedule either!! So, I watched a movie I've had in DVR for a while...Coach Carter. Now, I don't even like basketball, but this was a GOOD movie!!!!! And, its based on a true story...so that makes it even more watchable! The only bad part for me was that it was one of those "let's talk about what you just saw" kind of movies...so all the commentary made it 3 and a half hours long!! Thank goodness for fast forward!!! Skipped right thru all that crap!

Til next time...pray for safety for all troops!