Where to start?  It’s been an immersive (for me) couple of days.  But first: last but definitely not least, my latest weigh-in after all the action (and eating actual food) is somehow a record-breaking 124.8!!  I can now round it off to the nearest 120!  Never did I ever expect that.  I credit Avdi, for involving me in family activities.

I feel like I’ve turned a corner in that regard.  The kids seem to be trusting me and opening up more.  I think I’m finally achieving “fixture” status.  We had a lot of fun the last two days, to where I didn’t feel as anxious to get back to my quiet apartment retreat.  I feel more at home with the family.

It was warmer than it’s been, so that helped.  I did erev preps as usual, while Avdi and Jess worked.  I got to share lunch takeout with them.  Avdi and I were even able to have drinks together out on the patio.  (Manhattans, my latest specialty.)  We all had a pleasant Shabbat meal together.

Later, Jess and I stayed with the kids while Avdi got to go out.  I hung out with Y while they painted an impressive acrylic masterpiece; I can’t show or tell more yet, as it’s a surprise gift.  S had one of his episodes, but J managed to calm him down and get him to bed.

Yesterday, it was so warm out that we did some pool cleanup, covered it for the winter, and deflated floats for storage.  S and I played outside.

Later on, A, J, Y, S, and I drove to Emmenegger National Park along the Meramec River.  They were going to go easy and hang back on my (leg) account, but with all the ankle supports I’m employing, I felt confident to forge ahead.  S and I took off to explore the banks along the wide river.  The others caught up to us, and then we all skipped rocks.  I can now add the Meramec River to my MO river collection.

The culmination to our day was A,Y, S, and I eating burgers and fries at the historic Courtesy Diner, down the road from my apartment.  It was between the lunch and dinner crowds, so it was pleasantly quiet.  Then they dropped me off.  I was so tired (in a good way), I just went to bed and caught up on sleep.

Even with the stupid time change, I slept in half the day!  I guess I needed it.