The carpet is clean and the house smells good again. Gus is getting back to his friskiness. Mike is being pleasant this morning, and I'm feeling more relaxed than I have been since returning home on Friday. The transition from vacation to normal routine has always been harder for me than normalcy to vacation. I had a headache for the first three days back at home. I just don't do well with a lot of stress and chaos.

It felt good to get back in the warm pool of saltwater yesterday. Too much Halloween candy and no exercise while away added up to 2 extra pounds, so I've got to get serious about losing some of this weight. The winter months with their feasting holidays are fast approaching. Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! We're planning to go to Benji and Karen's where the food is always "to-die-for" delicious. They're going through a rough patch again over child custody issues with her ex, so please remember them in your prayers. Based on my personal observation, Karen and Benji are excellent parents and are raising smart, sweet, well-adjusted children. I know what it's like to have parenting capability challenged, one of the deepest cuts I've ever suffered to my emotional well-being, and damaging to the children involved also. Using children as ammunition to hurt an ex-spouse should be considered a felony, but it's so hard to prove. Let's hope they get through this without a major meltdown.