General Update

So. Skillet was Thursday night in Albany, NY. We loaded up two cars with Katie and her friends, and Ed, Becky, and I. Allison got to have a sleep over at her friend's house. We were at the concert by 5:00 in order to get our VIP wristbands which entitled us to a free Skillet CD! And a meet and greet time with the band! After standing out in the cold for what seemed like forever! - we made our way in. The band was very sweet and genuine. They each (John, Korey, Jen, and Ben) shook hands, high fived, and signed LOTS of autographs. It was super fun! Katie was able to give free tickets to a few of her friends including a girl from school whose family couldn't afford the ticket. This girl was probably the biggest Skillet fan of all the girls (except Katie!) and she was BESIDE HERSELF over being there! She didn't know about the VIP seating or the meet and greet and she about flipped when we told her!! That was the best part for me. This is a girl who you'd look at and make some snappy judgments about her based on her appearance. I'm glad I didn't do that because this girl was about as sweet as they come. She wrote Ed and I a thank you note for bringing her to the show and everything. I really enjoyed getting to know her. Becky and I hung out together and Ed stayed in the background but close by Katie and her friends. And every now and then Becky and I would join them all. There's ALOT of standing and Becky and I opted for some comfy seats in the back of the auditorium and a bowl of ice cream for some of the show :) It was a GREAT time but a super late night! Becky and I rolled into bed around 12:30 a.m. and Ed and Katie were about an hour behind us after dropping kids off and stuff. We all got up and went to school the next morning - ugh! This morning we all slept in until about 9:00! That's pretty late for us.

We've decided to cancel our curbside trash pickup and instead make the weekly trip to the local transfer station. Trash pick up is us VERY expensive and our guys don't recycle anything! I've seen my neighbors put out their separated recyclable items along with regular trash and I've watched the trash guys dump everything together onto the truck. Why bother separating! So anyway in the name of being more environmentally responsible and saving a few bucks we've taking care of our own trash. Since I started separating trash I've noticed how much LESS trash bags we're filling up. We used to fill at least one bag a day for a total of at least 7 bags a week for pick up. Since Tuesday of this week (it's now Saturday) we've only barely filled ONE bag!!! That's less than one full bag in four full days! Talk about a difference! Ed is on his way to the transfer station to get a sticker for the car and bring our first load of trash. I'm so proud of us!!

Allison has been having meltdowns like she hasn't had in quite awhile. Not sure how to handle them. She gives me bits and pieces of what might be bothering her but I haven't quite put it all together yet. Yesterday was tough because I had to be at work and she was very upset. I didn't like that at all. Thankfully I was able to check on her and others let me know that she was fine. What a hard thing. Some of her troubles may have to do with things at school I think, and some may have to do with a certain friend she has. My radar is up and I'll be keeping my eye on things. Along with some regular dialogue with Allison about her day and goings on in her class hopefully I can figure this out. Not sure if it's time to involve the teacher yet. Maybe. The friend isn't in her class but is someone she plays with. I may have to keep that friendship reigned in a little bit until this is figured out. Perhaps that's why I like to know my kids' friends. It really does clue me in about my children, and who they are and what's going on outside our home.

Katie continues to do well at cross country. She shaved a full two minutes off her 5K time at this last meet. It was at a repeat location so there was a direct comparison to the last time she raced there. She looks good and strong when she's running and I love to watch her!! This last meet Becky, Allison, and I only stayed for the girls race. We usually stay for the whole thing but it was COLD! I'm determined to be at EVERY meet Katie runs in - that's my goal. Even if I don't stay for the whole thing I'll be there to see my girl run. I'm going to have to get me a really WARM PARKA for when she skis cross country!!!