Kudos to Ryan

Ryan came over last night and helped me hang lights on the outside of the house. It wasn't a huge undertaking but it made a big difference to me -- and to my kids. Rowan had been asking me for days to put up the lights. Last night he ran to the other side of the street and yelled with a big smile, "It looks great!" Liana came outside, saw the lights, and exclaimed, "It's so pretty!" Then she did a little dance. It made me feel good to do something to make them so happy.

Things are coming together but tonight will probably be the most difficult of the preparation and cleaning for the party. Of course, it's stuff I would only subject a best friend to -- decluttering and dusting. So thank you, Jenna, in advance, for everything. I'll make sure Bob does all the heavy lifting so we can concentrate on making things look nice and pretty.