I'm missing yet another Pusateri birthday bash right now. Instead of partying it up in SoCal, I've been cleaning the casa in KC. So a distant happy birthday to you, Michael, and to Heidi as well.

I'll be heading out under cover of darkness tonight for a 400 mile drive across Kansas. Now, if you thought Kansas was boring during the day . . . just imagine 399 miles of I-70 in the dark. We'll be visiting my big sister Melissa and her daughter Erin for a few days. I've not made a drive like this in about seven years -- and certainly not with three children, so, well, cross your fingers for lots of sleeping (on the little ones' part). I checked out several books on tape for the ride and will try to limit my liquid intake to only necessary amounts of caffeine and water. Any who are concerned that I might not get much sleep tonight should remember that I have three young children and never get much sleep. A full octane cup-o-joe in the morning and I should be good to go.

You might remember my complaints about the slow speed internet when I was staying at my parents' house. . .well, where I'm now heading there is NO internet. Not even a little bit! I'll miss you dearly. What I dread the most, however, is the buildup of spam that I will face when I come back to the 21st century.

I'm still trudging along without a spouse. (oddly enough as I tried to type "spouse" I typed "shop." Hmmmm.) Kids are well. Swimming lessons end tomorrow, leaving me no reason to dress myself or the young 'uns. So we're heading to my parents' place for a day then we'll come back here to take my little sis to the airport. I think we'll drive across Kansas on Sunday to visit my big sis in Goodland for a few days. My children are not accustommed to road trips longer than 20 minutes, so this might be a bit much for them. We'll just see!

Martin bought a Benz. Yes, he now is the proud owner of a Mercedes. Of course, it's nearly as old as I am (no, it's none of your business, and yes, i'm exaggerating a bit) but it's a Benz nonetheless. He's gotten kudos from a couple of mechanics on his purchase, including a guy who did a tune-up who specializes in German cars, so he's feeling pretty good. Let's just hope it gets him back to KC.

We've had lovely weather for the last couple of days but I'm still jealous of Martin being in LA. I haven't completely wrapped my head around this move. I desperately need some at-home-mom and homeschooling friends locally. All of my friends from years ago who are still in these parts are working moms. And that's great, except for 11:00 am on Thursday when I want to hang out and they're in client meetings.

If you're looking to move to Joplin, MO, Sam would like to sell his house to you. It's good to see other friends making big changes in their lives. Makes me feel a bit less crazy. Very few things make me feel a bit less crazy.

Sam finally started blogging. Geez, it's about time!

Another week passes with no posts from me. You'll be alright. It's a lot of the same stuff. I unpacked some boxes and I moved some stuff around. The kids did cute things and said funny stuff. I ate some food and I slept a little. Was it worth the wait?

Martin took off for LA today. I'm jealous. He's in the land of no humidity. I'm stunned everyday when I step outside and I'm immediately covered in condensation and sweat. Folks around here say it's hotter and more humid than most Julys. They say the weather took a turn for the worse around 4th of July. Hmmm. . .we arrived July 3rd.

Here's to a more exciting week. Yeah. I need more of those in my life.

Our DirecTV dish was installed yesterday. We were gleeful. Then we realized that they had not changed our local channels to KC, so we're still receiving LA stations. It was a bit of a bummer for primetime shows as well as my morning shows. Then when we got home from dinner with Scott we turned on the set to the glory of a genuine no-holds-barred Los Angeles high speed "felony police pursuit"! We were giddy! (it's still going on as I type, being careful not to miss a crazy left turn or a hop over a median.) Now we find ourselves torn as to whether or not to change our local channels. Quality television, folks. Quality television.

OK! OK! I'm here. I'm in KC. Our internet is set up. All is well. It took a lifetime, or so it seemed. But we arrived safely and soundly here in mere 130% humidity. OH MY! It takes my breath away. And the folks on the news had the nerve to be relieved that we hadn't quite reached 100 degrees yet. Well, aren't we lucky?

Our first night in KC, after unloading about 1/2 the truck (thanks Uncle Arthur, thanks Scott) we went out to dinner before heading to the Scott's house (my dream house, by the way) to stay the night. After leaving Applebee's at about 9:30, Emily exclaimed, "It's still warm! That's so cool! I'm going to remember this night for the rest of my life!" Martin and I didn't have the heart to break it to her that she wouldn't see a cool evening until October. Her excitement for the heat was refreshing after a long hard day. . .week. . .month. . .

Anyway, I should be around a bit more often now. It's been hard to not have the internet for the last 5 days. I'm such a spoiled brat. Well, if I were a spoiled brat I would have someone over here unpacking my worldly posessions. I just really like my high-speed internet.

My husband and my possessions are finally on their way across the United States. Yesterday everything finally came together. It was way more complicated than any real estate transaction I've ever observed. And it really wasn't complicated. Just lazy people waiting for their paychecks. It's no hurry, really. It's just my life. So keep my man in your thoughts over the next 24 hours. He's a braver soul than I.

If all goes well my next entry will be from our new home in Kansas City. I hope I'll be dripping barbecue sauce on the keyboard while I type. Mmmmm. Oh yeah, one small thing before that. . .we've gotta unpack the truck. Details, details.