It seems years since I have been on here.  Things stay the same even as they change.  Stephi is back in fine form in Stephenville, six periods per day in my classroom — and she eats lunch with me.  My little proletariat has a job now at Comet Cleaners, and she is excited at the prospect of earning some money (as am I for her!!!)  She is doing great.

Rainey sent me a text message today informing me that she saw the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza today “and they were magnificent.”  Her boyfriend’s grandmother bought them tickets to accompany her on a cruise leapfrogging the coast from Houston to Belize, so she took all our Mexican pesos and our best wishes with her last Saturday.  She is slated to return next Sunday.

Lorena is doing well.  Stephie and Rainey have described her new therapy apparatus as similar to a Johnny Jumper (or similar jumper that babies can stand up and jump in.)  They say that she can stiffen her legs so that she can stand with the support of the apparatus.  That alone is wonderful news because it will be working muscles that have been kept limber for the past three years only by the ministrations of Carlos and her other therapists.  She will be slowly strengthening those long- unused muscles, gaining suppleness, and preparing joints and tendons (that have been dormant for far too long) for standing and walking once again.  I believe with all my heart that she will stand and walk again — and I cannot wait for that day.

I have a ton and three quarters of stuff to get on here, but it is late, and I am tired.  Today I had after school tutoring at school, then at a homebound student’s home, then (the absolute highlight of my day!) a 6:30 p.m. meeting to discuss next spring’s prom preparations!!!  I thought I had died and gone to heaven!!!  Shortly after 8:30 p.m. (and FAR too soon, as far as I was concerned!), I (one of only two males awash in a sea of prom-planning-and-decorating-frenzied-estrogen) was dismissed from the meeting and allowed to finally go home and get a bite to eat FINALLY…

It was a good day, though, and I wish with all my heart that Lorena could have been part of it…  Someday she will…  Thank you all..

Hello from Stephenville.  It is late, and I just got home from work.  I just love these 13 hour teaching days.  Yeah!  Right!  Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that we are okay.

Monday was bizarre.  After teaching all day, I raced to DFW (as fast as one can race through bumper-to-bumper multi-lane-parking-lot-on-the-freeway rush hour traffic) where I raced in to find out where Lorraine was since her plane had come in early according to the electronic monitors.  Finally, I found an actual person who I could TALK to — who listened patiently and politely as I frantically (or maybe not) explained that I needed to find my poor little lost darling daughter who was obviously lost in the vast expanses of DFW airport.  After asking me when the plane was to arrive (and having been hysterically [or maybe not]) told), this nice man was able somehow to keep his composure as he told me that the plane would be arriving shortly — since I had arrived an hour early.  [Yes, I had taught all day, and met many appointments — but still I somehow got my time change changed.  I felt very much like Gilda Radner’s old SNL Roseanna Roseanna-Danna (for you old fogeys out there) as I meekly replied, “Oh, never mind…  And thank you.”

A short time later, a radiant Rainey arrived, so we raced to the exit of DFW — where we sat for a few minutes as she searched for the parking stub I had given her for safe keeping.  Finally, she found it where she had stuck it so she wouldn’t lose it so she could find it easily so we could quickly get on the road to Love Field in Dallas.  We laughed “gleefully” (i.e. ruefully) for a moment as I paid, and then raced on into the bumper-to-bumper multi-lane-parking-lot-on-the-freeway rush hour traffic on the way on into Dallas.  Almost to Love Field, the phone rang — with Stephi asking where we were.  She was at the baggage claim READY TO GET ON HOME.  A short time later, we were whooping and hollering together and loading up to go racing back into the bumper-to-bumper multi-lane-parking-lot-on-the-freeway rush hour traffic back to Stephenville.  Spotty rain (with none in Stephenville, of course) made the drive even more exciting, but traffic had cleared out some by the time we reached Weatherford.  The girls were excited and hyperactive at being back in the States.

Lorena is apparently doing great, and we will call her tonight.  I have to go right now to pick up Stephi, and I will try to get back on here some tomorrow.  The world has actually stopped spinning a bit (and that little inner ear experience made the drive even more exciting…)  All is well, though.  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers….