Thanks

There's a hymn that my mom used to sing sometimes when she cleaned and I'm going to take it entirely out of context because it's in my head right now and it applies. 

"Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks..." 

and it goes on from there, but even taking it out of context the rest of it isn't applicable, but that part is right on the money. 

I am so bleepin' thankful right now. 

Be patient with me regarding the profanity for awhile, we pretty much all let loose all weekend, but now I'm trying to reinstall my own "There Is A Child Present Filter". Because it would absolutely happen to me that the only time my children ever choose to listen to me would be when I let the f-bomb slip.

So I am back from Orlando. Mercy was it good. Really really. There were a LOT of us there, 65 I think, plus a few day-trippers so there were a few brains that I want to pick that I wasn't able to and some people I just wanted to bask in their presence or you know touch the hem of their robe because I'm pretty sure that could heal my parenting so I could heal my daughter. (Yes, Corey and Christine, I'm talking about you!) I did kiss Corey and she did grab my butt a few times and I got a picture with Christine so I'm pretty sure I'm famous now.) 

Oh, and speaking of "fame"...I feel like I need to apologize to a few people. There were people who wanted to meet me! I have no idea why. I thought it was pretty clear on my blog that I don't have a 'clucking fue' what I'm doing. Hopefully, it was just like blogger rubbernecking..."oh my gosh, look at what happened to her! I walked right past that psycho". So yeah, I'm apparently going to have to be a little more open about my claim to insanity and making crap up as I go along because frankly, it's better if no one expects anything from me!

I shared a beautiful, classy villa with a pool (yes, that's bragging) with 7 other women by day and 6 other women by night. One of them actually still has my favorite pair of lounge pants so there's a good chance I'm gonna be walking around naked until I get them back so feel free to not stop by. These are my girls:

Strong In the Broken Places, Recovering Noah, Mommy Needs Therapy, Abnormal Herd, and Adopting Special Needs. The others are too cool for blogging. I also meet a bunch of other women who write amazing blogs and have tremendous stories. 

It was a very uplifting weekend. I made connections. I was reminded that I am not alone. And that these women who write the blogs that I stalk read are real, flesh and blood, dirty dishes, yell at their kids, flip off their husband when he isn't looking--what? that's just me? Fine. Sometimes they we are struck by brilliance and we pull out exactly the response our kids needs and sometimes we totally screw it up, Anyway, we are all so human and so different and still so much the same and it is so so good.

I am giving thanks tonight for Corey who put this together, for all her minions that she got to drive us around, pick us up, shop for us, and do all the behind the scenes work, for the moms who trusted me with their stories and their children's stories, for those who listened to mine, and just the whole damn weekend. 

I haven't felt so free, so understood, so myself for ten months and it has given me a grateful heart. 

I don't know what tomorrow will bring with my kiddos (or you know, life), but if nothing else I am one day closer to Orlando 2012!!