Wow.

A whole day with nothing (really) on my plate.

Nothing pressing.

A whole day.

Okay. I do have stuff to do. Like organize the Annual Flamingo Migration. And get the mildew out of the shower. And start baking for this weekend. And laundry. Always the laundry.

But today is unscheduled. No rush.

Wow.

I needed this.

This morning, the girls and I got up (earlier than planned -- thanks, Biggsy!) and rode our bikes over to Central Park. They kicked around the soccer ball awhile. I offered suggestions. Then, we rode around the lakes at the back to the see the ducks. And back home.

About 3.5 miles total. In an hour and a half.

Not exactly a big calorie burn, but how precious was that time spent with the girls. I am loving this time we have right now. It's still cool to hang out with Mom. And they're big enough to ride their bikes without riding into the lakes.

I needed this. Just like I need a quick trip to the Outlet Mall. If I thought buying myself a swimsuit was hard.... It's nothing like buying one for Abbie.

We found a couple, as well as shorts for Camp.

I needed this time.

I have to admit, the last couple of months have been a beating. And this blog, where I used to love to hang out, hasn't seemed all that fun.

That KFC Campaign about did me in.

Some of those people were way too angry and way too personal. And frankly, the fact that they could make ugly comments like that, and do it anonymously, just ticked me off.

I'm pretty freaking non-confrontational. And feeling attacked by those Ya-Hoos for trying to make a difference kinda took me down a notch.

But the campaign is over, and school is out, and I'm getting this time I needed to recharge.

And pray. A Lot.

For Milton -- who's still in Rehab and has a long road to travel.

For Skyler -- who's now fighting pneumonia in addition to the meningitis.

For Mimi -- who didn't get any magic answers at her appointment on Monday. This is the one that hurts me most of all -- the one where I'm most desperately needing God to intervene.

And for so much more....