Mama Ball Says

The meeting went well. I had a very good visit with everyone over there, and I think we are all reasonably on the same page. Time to start shopping -- for library chairs and tables and desks. Carm and I are supposed to to get a wish list together of the furniture we want (prioritized) so they can spend this year's money first, and then look to spend some of next year's maybe a little later. Weeding is going to be an intensive job, but there is money to pay both of us some days over the summer to get a jumpstart on that(hopefully we can get Janet to come help delete as we weed), and Ralph says we can start putting orders together for next year's money as soon as May. He is putting extra money toward books next year and the year after to help us get the collection in order, which is great. Other than during testing time in March, they are very willing to work the schedule around all of our little guys, so I told Steve tonight he doesn't have a choice -- he has to step up to the plate during testing time next March so I can make it to work early when they rearrange the schedule. If I have to manage the rest of the year, he can goddamn well pitch in then. On the very up side of things, I had a lot of people come up to me while I was there and tell me that they were very happy that I would be returning to EMS. Some of those folks were people whose opinions I value highly, so that meant a lot to me.
Tomorrow Jake and I are headed to a birthday party for his friend Chris, and then off to the Toys R Us to go blow his birthday money. He has a Thomas toy picked out, so hopefully they have it. Should be fun! Depending on the weather we may make a stop at the park to paly for a while. It's been cold and windy for the last week and a half -- the kind of north wind that blows right through you. If it's that kind of day, we'll avoid the park like the plague. I like him to be outside to play every day, but not when it's miserable.
We have to bake for Steve's birthday (gotta make the white trash "yellow box cake with canned frosting" that he always wants .... oooohhh, maybe that'll be breakfast so we don't screw up whatever cake Lucille wants to bring) and figure out something fun to do on Sunday .... maybe we'll head up to the zoo if he wants to do something with the kids. We haven't talked much about our birthdays this year. I think we are both kind of saving things up for the big anniversary trip in July.
Speaking of, Steve made reservations for Jet Blue and the MGM, and got tickets for us to see Elton John. I found a couple other fun looking shows and dinner places, and found a whitewater rafting trip and a ballooning trip. The ballooning thing is VERY early -- as in they pick you up at 4am at the hotel and give you champagne brunch. It did sound really cool, though. I would love to go rafting again, but the drawback is that it's an all-day thing. Maybe we could pull that off Wednesday. I think we're seeing Elton John Monday or Tuesday. I told Steve I really want to spend parts of a couple days at the spa --