BLOG CHALLENGE: extra hour

I had so much to do today.

• Church, lunch, Bible class - all at Fortress. I'm committed to that, and had to be there. (Besides, I WANT to be there. My week is never quite right when I skip the Fortress part of it.)
• Work. I have two jobs due Tuesday. Meeting that deadline (and I must meet both of them) meant putting my nose to the grindstone today.

I got off to a good start by arriving at Fortress on time.
Before lunch, Kristi and I went and picked up some of my favorite little kids and brought them back for JaM (Fortress's youth-focused worship time). After JaM, we took the Fortress kids (including my three) to the park. I really only intended to spend 20-30 minutes there, but before I knew it, I didn't care about my deadline anymore. I was loving being there with the kids. I threw a frisbee, kicked a soccer ball, watched two of my very favorite people on EARTH flirt with each other, and wrestled 3 teenage girls to the ground over a cell phone. (What text messages on that cell phone were so private that they were willing to wrestle me, Cara and Nikki - three grown women - unabashedly? Oh, what FUN memories those are... grass stains and all!)

When we finally left the park at 3:30, Cara and I drove some of the kids home and then spent 90 minutes sitting on my front stoop - brainstorming my landscaping, analyzing weird dreams, and gabbing about our weekends. We talked about tattoos and piercings, weight lost and found, and getting back on the wagon tomorrow. As soon as Cara drove away, several neighborhood kids showed up, my own kids came outside, and I supervised foot races and who-can-make-the-loudest-fart-sound-on-your-forearm-contests. Darren and I wandered over to the neighbor's house and checked out her newly-planted flower beds, making mental notes about which species and varieties would work in our yard. We chatted with various neighbors as they meandered out of their own yards and into ours. We took note of the baby green buds on the azalea bushes and the new growth in the herb garden.

The birds dipped and darted around the pecan tree branches.
The pear trees, awash with white blossoms, swayed in the breeze.
The spring-blue Texas skies began to darken.
A neighbor quipped, "Looks like the rain's finally rolling in."
A drop hit my arm, and another plopped on my head.
The sun hovered low in the sky, finally melting into the horizon.
The neighbors called their kids in.
I looked at the clock.

A whole afternoon of work hours? History.

The extra hour of daylight? Spent.

Regrets? None.

Spring Break begins tomorrow.
There is much to do, many days to fill, many memories to make.

And there is still that Tuesday deadline.
I'm off to Sonic now, to acquire 44 ounces of Diet Coke with vanilla. I'll nurse it all night long, as I crop and cut and paste and play in my scraproom. For I've got promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.

the challenge:
We had an "extra hour" of daylight today. How'd you spend it? Any regrets? If so, describe how you'd spend it differently, given the chance. ('Cause you have another chance tomorrow!)