We're pretty much packed, but I intend to do some more this weekend and try to get us down to just the stuff we'll need for the next 11 days. The house is supposed to be move-in ready when we get the keys on the 31st. Scott swears we're showing up for the closing with the fully packed moving van! I'm delighted that I can't take any time off work - he'll be doing most of the move himself ;)

I'm a little worried about how the birds are going to take this - moving them could cause some issues like more night-frights (which Ozzie gets more frequently than I like) and it could also cause some feather plucking. Nobody does that now and I hope they're secure enough about us that the move doesn't make them start!

So yeah, a little stressed, but nothing that 10 mg of Valium couldn't help! ;)

On October 13, at 10:00 a.m., my newest grandchild, Kathryn Lynn was born. She weighed in at 8 lbs., 10 oz. and was 21 inches long. My daughter was in labor for only 7 hours, and only pushed for 12 minutes, and after only 3 good pushes, presented our little beauty.

After packing to come home yesterday, I sat holding Kathryn. As I gazed at her, I realized I wanted to live long enough to see the young woman she is destined to become.

My nickname for my grandmother was the "Ice Queen". She was a very hard woman who, upon being told by my mother "I love you", responded with "God bless you". Love wasn't apparently part of her make-up. Needless to say, being raised by the Ice Queen, my mother wasn't exactly the most loving parent around, and she did try, but unconditional love was not something I experienced.

I know the mistakes I've made with my children, but thankfully, they received enough good from me that they have become very loving and generous adults. I can't wait to see Kathryn (and her big brother Alex, and their cousin Alyssa) grow into adults who were loved unconditionally. My daughters are such better mothers than I was, so I apparently did something right!

I doubt seriously that I'll live long enough to see Kathryn become a mother, but I was totally in awe as I sat looking at that sweet baby face, and realized that at some time in the distant future, she will tell her children stories about her grandmother (me). I pray that the stories Kathryn shares with her children about me will include lots of humor and tons of love!

I stumbled across a blogger today that has kept me giggling for hours. It's called The Food Whore. The author is a chef and caterer, and the blogger details her "tricks" (jobs). It's a great read, but don't visit for the first time when you're short on time...you'll want to stay for hours!

I must warn you that she's fond of expletives, so if that bothers you, I guess you'll need to miss this one.

Friday Night: My step-daughter Jennifer had her wedding rehearsal. It was a long evening, but a lot of fun. It was great to see old friends and family.

Saturday: The wedding was absolutely beautiful, although most of the people there had been there the night before! My son-in-law's family is very nice, and we had a great time.

Scott's holds my family up as a beacon of how a divorced family should be. In attendance was my ex-husband's first wife and her current boyfriend, me and Scott, my ex and his Significant Other, my ex's father and step-mother, and mother and step-father...you almost needed a scorecard to keep up! We all get along well and we even took the first wife and her boyfriend to the bus station and airport (they came separately). It's pretty cool that we all managed to make this work...I think it's very good for the kids, even though they're grown. I think it teaches them a valuable lesson for "just in case" their own marriages fail, and what they need to do to make it good for their own kids.

So, a happy weekend all around!