"MISSING YOU ALREADY" - note to girlfriend, left in hanging letters, wet rope, and a flag off the back of the car

I miss Vicki this morning. She's travelling up to Asheville, NC to visit with her grandmother and dad. Nan was hospitalized last week with heart complications - a flutter in her heart, if I remember right - and she's home now, but very weak. And stubborn. Vicki needed to go up, assess the situation as the "only" grand-daughter, and deal with stuff with her dad and the others over what's happening next. Whew. Anyway, I "made" her go up last night - spent the night in a whirlpool suite, getting a good night's sleep and a little relaxation before dealing with the stresses of family.

So I'm here, Mr. Mom, with two rugrats who've increased the tension in my headache about tenfold over the last couple of hours. It's not their fault, I'm sure. Part of it is the weather - turning to rain when it was supposed to be rather dry. Can't go to the park when it's raining like this. So we went out to run some DVDs back to Blockbuster, to make copies of tomorrow's bulletin at church, stopped at Sonic for Kids' Meals and a Coney, and then to Krispy Kreme for some afternoon glazed. Meanwhile, my headache's been growing, and Cameron's arguing with everything I say, and then Tracer's getting annoyed with Cam, and then I'm getting annoyed with both of them, and then... it's a cruel cycle, isn't it?

Vicki will be home this evening, and all will be well with the world. You really don't realize how much you rely on someone until you have the do the job alone. It's not that it's that difficult - but when you're used to working together, it's a definite change in dynamic. While I usually have a tougher time with Cameron (everything I say is wrong, and she's only five - nipping this now so we don't have it magnified at fifteen!), but it's a little more stressful when Mommy's gone. I usually have a huff-n-puff session with Trace when I ask him ot get off the PC, but it's a little more pronounced when the other authority figure is unavailable. Stuff like that is wearing on me right now, I guess. Tylenol, take me away.
- posted by Rick @ 13:40