and yes, we have good news!

I was feeling doomed, I really was. I was sitting there waiting in the hospital, waiting for the radiologist to read that mammogram...and I was having some gloomy thoughts. So when the technician came in with a big happy smile and said that I was fine, the spots are benign...it was like a little Christmas present. We talked about my risk factors, and when I told her that I do have the fact that I nursed 16 babies on my side, she was like, "16?!"

So I met the radiologist, who was super-nice:) And another lady who works in the dark, screening those x-rays and scans and interpreting things that are potentially life-changing...at least that's what I THINK they do. Anyway, they were so pleasant and nice to talk to. I absolutely love having a small hospital nearby for these things. And I was very thankful for the lady who did the mammo today, she explained so much to me.

And...I walked out of there with a new lease on life! Yay! Mirielle and I went to the grocery store for milk and bananas and green peppers and celery and carrots and apples and chicken and burger and cheese and butter and tortillas and....we were going to get pumpkin ice cream, but there wasn't any, which is probably a good thing. All this pumpkin stuff that I cannot resist.

The cashier was a sweet girl with a big smile who remembered me from a previous visit because she is the fifteenth child out of sixteen, and has never ever met another person who had a family as big as hers. She is a very nice girl, and I walked out of the grocery store feeling pretty happy, it's nice to have friends.

Then I almost got run over, bringing the shopping cart back to the cart corral. Some idiot zipping around the corner way too fast. I had to laugh at the almost-irony of it, getting the good news, then getting run over in a parking lot.

But I did not get run over.

We then stopped at the music store, which is an amazing place. It is like going back in time. We were so nicely picking up Joseph's guitar for him, he works in a different small city, many miles north of this city, and hasn't been able to pick it up after having it fixed.

Then one last stop, DunkinDonuts for a pumpkin coffee. Yeah, it probably has too much sugar. But. It is so darned good. I looked up the calorie count for the pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pie donut, and it has helped me resist them. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but it is like 360 for the donut and 440 for the muffin.

So lots of kids are home from school now, and my homeschooled Kathryn wants to go to the library. She is such a good girl to be so dedicated to her education. Of course Evelyn won't pass up a trip to the library either. I, on the other hand, have a lost book to pay for. I intended to buy a new one on Amazon, but the only time I remember that is when we are going to the library, and the fine is adding up.

Oh joy, Kathryn just gave me a slice of apple dipped in chocolate. I thanked her and told her to NOT give me another one even if I ask for it.

The kids are planning their Halloween costumes.

They are having salsa and chips and talking and laughing and I am distracted...in a good way.