The breakfast yesterday was okay. Not as much money as in previous years. I don't know where the gap came from. They are going to analyze it a little bit. I think some big donors didn't help us this time. I don't know why. Saw many of my favorites from previous events and a few that sort of bug me. Like the blind guy. Very nice, but so clingy and so in love with me that it is embarassing. And he spits on me when he talks. But I'm nice. I only see him a few times a year, so I can be nice.

My weatherman did most of the on-mic stuff and that was a big relief. I enjoy meeting people and visiting, but the pressure of finding people to talk with and not being able to hear, etc. is hard. I stepped in at 9 when he had to leave and it seemed better this year. Partly because Cotton wasn't constantly in our ear talking like last time. The new producer just asked the pertinent questions and did what needed to be done.

The chiropractor was nice, as always, yesterday. I was glad to see him. He did lots of readjustments that felt very good. He wants me to come back next week, but I'm too broke to do that. I am going to watch every penny the rest of the month . . . and spend them on wine tonight instead of health care.

I am having my friend M&M over for dinner tonight. She's never been to the house, so I would love to have it spotless and decorated and charming and welcoming. Well, one out of four would be nice. I hope it is welcoming. Mark bought new gas logs yesterday and will fix up the fireplace and that will go a long way. I'm just ordering good pizza and salad from Austin Pizza for the occasion and that will be enough without me having to put forth effort when I'm just exhausted. It will be good.

Dad has a speech therapist working with him, which I think is very good. She's not working on his speech right now, he's learning how to swallow with the trach tube in. He's been aspirating liquids when he tries any so he can't have them until he learns. Yesterday they swabbed his mouth with an apple juice filled Q-tip and he loved that. My sister is making him a photo album of current pictures of the house and family so he will be able to keep us top-of-mind and remember where he lives and stay in the present.

I worked a lot yesteray and felt a great sense of satisfaction from it. The cute silver-headed co-worker (she needs a name) and I are working on the gospel show and making it better. We discovered (finally, after lots of looking) that Cotton had added a lot of songs into the scheduling program, but they weren't set up right and they weren't scheduling. Sounded like a simple fix so I changed their codes and got them scheduling right, but then a lot of those songs are no longer in the computer, so they were missing. Took me quite a while to find three hours of songs that were even there. But I did. Now I need to start working on next weeks sooner! But I like poring over those little details and fixing a problem. Sometimes that makes me think I would be a good IT person. But, on the other hand, I often throw up my hands and say "Don't know. Don't care." and that wouldn't be good if you were in charge of the computers and software completely.

I meant to write about a sweet incident with Mark Tuesday night that I don't want to forget. Not because it was a big deal, just because it is one of the many things he does to make my like better and I want to remember these things when he is going out to a club when I'd rather stay home... Tuesday a drum friend was over. That friend ALWAYS parks in the drive and takes my spot. It really really bugs me to come home from work and find my slot taken and I have to park on the street. He is the frequent visitor, why doesn't he park in the street? He's been told and told and he still does it. So I came home from work, tired and worn out, Tuesday night and I find my space taken in the driveway, but Mark's car was parked in the street. Odd. So I park in Mark's spot. I come in the house and the friend says "Oh, did I take your parking spot? I'm sorry." I said, Well, you did, but I took Mark's spot. I asked Mark why he was parked in the street. He said, I knew he'd do that and I didn't want you to have to park in the street. How sweet is that?

Speaking of sweet. Today is our anniversary. Fourteen years since we officially became engaged with the ring and all. Of course, we'd known for months that we were getting married, it just took some time to find the rings and then to pay for them. Tonight was when he gave me my beautiful ring and (sort of) asked me to marry him.