I love having cupboards and a refridgerator stocked full of new groceries, but man do I hate the stuff that leads up to it. I hate trying to figure out what to put on the menu - it seems like we always have the same things, or variations on the same things. I hate going to grocery store - it always seems to be terribly busy and the aisles are terribly narrow. I hate paying for the groceries - I can never figure out how it could add up to that much (never mind that I'm shopping for four people for two weeks...) Ah, but it's done and now I can relax and bask in the glow of having plenty. As long as I remember to take things out of the freezer to thaw for dinner... Guess there's always something to think about!!

Olivia had one of the pure joys of childhood tonight. When I got home from the grocery store, she was on the deck - blissfully playing in the rain. She had enormous good fun and then came in for a nice warm shower before dinner. I would say that I miss that, but truth be told I still enjoy playing in the rain, although I prefer it to be a BIT warmer than it was tonight.

Life is full of changes. My dear friend Sarah - my "best friend at work" (they say that it's very important to have a best friend at work - it keeps people happy at work - I know that's certainly true for me) has accepted a new job in my home metropolous of Dubuque. She will be the new Human Resources Manager at Area Residential Care. I'm very happy for her! Although a bit sad for me... She is getting married to Stinky (otherwise known as Steve) on August 13th and he's been happily living in Dubuque for a while now. I lobbied to find him a job in the Cedar Valley, but he kept making noise about liking his job there, or something along those lines. Anyway, congratulations Sarah - this is a wonderful opportunity for a wonderful person!!!

Chris is gone working on the bus tonight. I think that they're working on stereo stuff and something else. I pay attention - really I do :)

I am on to bubble bath and book...