Fun Stuff Going on!

Just some simple, random things going on right now that are making me happy...giving me a good week!

~ I went last night and got my copy of Twilight (one of the books on my reading challenge list). It looks SO good and I can't wait to read it! (My only worry is that I will be reading it non-stop for the next two days!)

~ Delaney got it in her mind last night that she wanted to play chess. She is great at the game (she and Gary can really get some matches going, while McKenna and I can just kind of play it in a "passable" way, but nothing extraordinary). Anyway, I played Delaney for a little while last night and it was really fun (despite the fact that she checkmated me in under an hour!). One thing I anticipate about wintertime is staying indoors and playing more games.

~ McKenna is taking the PSAT today at school. She just finished taking the first parts of her graduation exam and soon will be taking the ACT. She is already talking about college (she has a small private college nearby in mind) and I can just see it all coming very soon. She's just a sophomore, but do all of you with kids realize how quickly it seemed like they were just heading out to kindergarten? Times goes by SO fast and it's scary, but I'm also so excited for her. The world is out there waiting for her!

~ I love my DVR! I put in "John Cusack" under "record by keyword"and, lo and behold, it found him on "Late Night with Conan" and in "Grosse Point Blank." Again, the problem is...I need to work today and all I want to do is drool over John!

~ I've been invited to speak at another writers conference this next Summer, which I'm really pretty excited about. I am already speaking in July at the Alabama Writers Conclave, and a Mississippi group contacted me yesterday about speaking at their annual conference next August. And it's in Vicksburg, which is a really cool town (thinking it will be a nice weekend getaway for Gary and I).

But the coolest fun news is...

~ We were SO excited by our special mail delivery yesterday. When my great friend Jeff found out that Sydney was dressing up as Kim Possible for Halloween, he emailed me and offered his "Rufus" toy as an accessory to her costume. (Rufus is a "naked mole rat" that is an integral character on the "Kim Possible" show.)

He came in the mail yesterday, with a really sweet note written personally by him and telling about his excitement over his Alabama adventure. Jeff, let me just tell you, that Sydney is already obssessed with our on-loan Rufus.

She told me last night that we have four animals in our family: "Chit Chat, Midnight, Lucy, and Rufus." (The three are actual "real" pets in our family, and now Rufus has apparently joined the list.) She also told me that she is Rufus' mother. And she did a joke last night for all of us. ("Knock knock. Who's there? Rufus? Rufus who? Rufus from Kim Possible.") And she brushed his teeth last night! You have made her day, Jeff! And... we have some really cool plans for his Alabama trip and plan on documenting it all on film (just be ready, everyone, for the "Rufus Does Alabama " blog post sometime before Halloween! ha!!)

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!! You're halfway to the weekend!