Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope this note finds everyone enjoying their Valentine's Day. It is an incredibly beautiful day here - 83 degrees, sunny, and so Spring-like. Makes me feel sad for all of you in the snow! Mark gave me a very sweet and emotional card and See's candy plus Connor wrote me a note. The kids each got a little item rather than candy this year. I still remember so clearly getting a heart-shaped box of candy from my Dad each year - thanks Dad for that sweet memory!

Yesterday was intense. Connor had 3 lacrosse games at all different times at a local high school so we took turns taking him. Kelleigh had her last lacrosse clinic in the morning. Ryan was allowed to participate in a huge Alcoholics Anonymous convention that the program felt the kids would all benefit from. Speakers from all over California were there, bands, graduates of residential programs, etc. to speak with kids about the benefits of being sober/clean and to let them see you don't have to drink or do drugs to have fun. While another mom and I were hesitant about it, we let them go as one of the staff members was chaperoning the kids all day. The boys reeked of smoke when we picked them up but felt the day was "amazing". They both start the drug program tomorrow and it's been helpful to have another mom with the same lifestyle and views to start it with. Now if we can keep him from screwing up in school again we'll be getting somewhere.

Did I mention that Shadow also got to have an emergency visit to the vet again? Yes, I walked in from the grocery store and he was crying and crying, limped over and wouldn't put his leg down again, etc. The relief vet was called back to the clinic and he now has a very high dose of steroids in an attempt to get the inflamation in his back joints down. All total I give him six meds twice a day for the next 10 days. He has finally eaten and will walk around. He has lost five pounds since last Sunday so has some ground to make up.

Mark is off tomorow and the kids all week. Other than Ryan's new weekly routine, I hope to have a little free time.