sorely missed

Today, I have woken up sore again from the "bed" we are sleeping on. It amounts to a platform with a piece of plywood on top of it, topped off with a piece of low-density foam about 3 inches thick. This doesn't do our hips and backs any favors. Our memory foam matress will feel wonderful when we return. I can only dream of what it will feel like :) On top of the sore back, my head is achey as well. I can't tell if it is sinus pressure alone or if I have been clenching my teeth in addition to being congested or what, but my temples are sore and all across my forehead feels like a tight band. My back is very sore as well and I need desperately to see Dr. Kim - our chiropractor. Okay, enough complaining . . .
Yesterday we went to get Marina and Olga's teacher said she could come with us as well. We left the school around 3ish and had to have Olga back by 5 and Marina by 6pm. We didn't want to make the trek up the hill twice within that hour, so we took them both back at 4:30, so they would be back in time. The girls didn't want us to have to walk them all the way back, they wanted to run ahead, so Marina told us we didn't need to come with them, that they would be fine to go on ahead without us. We said okay, and after they dissapeared over the hill be kept walking on and eventually could see them making their way up the big hill to the top. They turned around at the top and waved to us. There is actually two hills we have to walk up and down to get to the school. Anyway, once they reached the top of the big hill, we turned back because their school is at the top up there. We felt comfortable that they had made it back safely. Earlier while they were here, I got out my fingernail polish and let them paint their nails together and when they were done with that they came downstairs to watch tv. Constantine found a couple of "kid" shows - one being spiderman. Then they wanted to watch "music tv" so Constantine found Mtv for them, but every video they showed, has nothing but drinking and sexual content in them, which made me uncomfortable letting them watch. So, we found a "fashion" channel and we watched that for a bit and made fun of the outfits the models were wearing and commented on how sickly the girls looked on the runway. Then it was time for them to go back to school. I told Marina to bring something with her today to do - I hope she understood. She asked if Olga could come again and we said that was fine. I hope they bring something to occupy their time today, because there isn't much on tv for them and I am afraid to change the channels because there is a lot of XXX rated shows on and I don't want to stumble upon those programs with them sitting here. Maybe today we'll keep the tv off. Marina is suppossed to bring her book of pictures along to show Olga (who lives here), so maybe she can spend some time doing that. I also brought the English/Russian textbook and workbook with me, so maybe Marina and I will start working on a page a day out of that.
Last night for dinner we ate chicken and mushrooms (of course), buckwheat, and for the first time here - cooked veggies, which Olga called "hot salad". Everything was delicious again as usual and after dinner she brought out a cake like Angel Food Cake with homemade plum jam to spoon over it. Again . . . very yummy. Before she made dinner she asked me if we ate buckwheat and I said yes, that was fine. Then I went to get my Eng/Russ book to find the word "liver" to tell her we don't like it and before I could even look it up, she asked me if we ate liver. I told her no . . . I had to draw the line there. I'll eat most anything else, and we know where James stands . . . "I'm willing to try anything", but even he was glad I told her no liver.
After dinner James went to take a nap and I read for about an hour then I had to go to bed. The problem is that I am tired at 7p.m. here and then only sleep about 6 -7 hours, when I wake up in the middle of the night. So, when that happened last night I listened to a CD by Nichole Nordeman which I love, ate a granola bar, because I was hungry again, and then went back to sleep an hour or so later. Then I woke again around 4:30 and again aroud 6:00. We both woke up then and now it's 11:23a.m. and I feel ready for a nap. Maybe I'll take one today and be able to stay awake longer at night and then actually be able to sleep all night. I just can't sleep 10 - 12 hours. When I do wake up, I get transfixed on James' snorring, which just stresses me out. Every now and then, I poke him and wake him up for a brief minute until he starts it again - aarrrggg! Well, maybe I'll make another entry later today. Right now, I'm going to try to take a nap.

To Mary and Kern's - I will pass your messages on to the kids.
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