Viola!

It is for the benefit of all, but especially you, that I have not been letting you in on every little emotional disaster in the last few weeks. Not the worst weeks I've been through, but nothing I needed to drag you all along for, either.

And here we are. We have arrived at the last night. THE night. I just put my kids to bed for the last time as the career mommy that I have been for just over 7 years. So far, I am still focusing on the excitement of it all, and less on the fact that it is the end of everything I have been and have done for most of a decade, and now I will drift like an anchorless raft until I can regain some sort of purpose. See how confident I am that such a thing will occur? Okay, so it's mostly a bluff, but pretending that it's true certainly does cheer me up!

And it IS exciting.

Abbie is going to ride the bus for the first time tomorrow! And be a great, big Kindergartner! And Grant is ridiculously excited about the first grade. Tomorrow is going to be great, and I don't have to miss it! Helena gave me permission to stay home from practice. I owe her one.

I almost didn't get the babysitter I chose, but she has decided to accept the position! Happiness!

The plan for the week is that I will try to get the dogs' rabies shots and renew my driver's license, and maybe call a few temp places. We're also going to have lunch with Molly on Friday. (Yay!) This weekend is Zoi's birthday party, and more taiko. Monday is when I start putting full days into my job search. I'm going to submit my info to every temp/staffing place I can find. We'll see how that ends. I'm also going to conduct my own independent job search. Um...that's the plan.

I've been reading! Jenn recommended The Magicians. I don't like the main character. He's a pain. But I still liked it...I think. I also read The Hunger Games. Very well written! Lovable. Exciting. In all, pretty good stuff! And now I'm out of books again. I should take a break for some Jane Austin or something, after all that intensity.

Josh nearly got all his flying classes done before the plane went "down" for maintenance. Sadly, he has to rent a different plane to finish up, and the new one costs more.

We made cookies today. They were the pre-made kind that have pictures on them. School buses. Happy First Day of School! To celebrate our last weekend before the beginning of the school year, we saw Cars 2 at the theater. 1. I could not believe how much it cost to see a matinee. Incredible, in a not good way. Why don't they turn off a few of those ridiculous neon lights and lower the utility bill a little so people can actually afford to go see a movie? 2. Um...cars die in that movie. How did it get a G rating? Of course, Bambi is rated G, too. See? This just makes me more angry about people who plop their children in front of PG stuff or worse without finding out what's in it, first. Cars 2 got a G, just because there is no swearing or sex. What does that mean for those other movies out there? After watching Cars 2, Josh and I wondered what they did to the Smurfs, that their movie was rated older than the movie with the cute, talking cars getting killed. I think my kids were the right age, by the way, to see Cars 2, but I do worry about younger ones who have only seen the first movie where everyone survives in excellent condition.

Grant needs a tooth re-filled, too. Not a great month, financially.

But we are all fine. Things are going to work out. The Japanese Festival is going to be great, and our performance is going to be especially awesome. In fact, you REALLY should come and see it. Missouri Botanical Gardens. Labor Day Weekend. St. Louis Osuwa Taiko. Come and watch. It will be fun.

Wishing you the best, on this exciting, balmy and pivotal night. Take care.