today is my daddy's birthday

He's 72, and not terribly infused with the birthday spirit. :) I guess when you've had that many, you don't care much anymore. Heck, the past few years, even I haven't cared much, and I'm only 34! :)

We just got back from a long weekend in Springfield. On Saturday, I went to JCPenney (where fashion comes to life) and scored my usual coup by combining sales and coupons. I got a pair of jean shorts, two pairs of PJ shorts, and 2 nice bras for just over $40. Wow! In the end, it was worth it, though shortly after arriving at the mall, I wondered why I was crazy enough to be there. It was so crowded and stuffy, and there were just people everywhere, with the racks all messy and picked over. When it's like that, it's just a total turn-off for me, and it usually completely kills my mood to shop. My mood was certainly dampened, but since I had those coupons which were about to expire, I soldiered on.

I got back to Dad's in time for the big familial celebration - we were celebrating not only Fathers' Day, but also my Dad's and brother's birthdays. We had pizza and cake, and much hilarity and loudness ensued. :) Tim even stopped by, which only added to the fabulosity. I got to see all of my nieces, which I always love; it doesn't happen nearly often enough. We gave my Dad a charcoal grill and grilling tools, which we made use of yesterday evening. After the party, I went to Target with my older nieces and my sister-in-law, and we combed through the clearance clothing racks and then went into a family dressing room together to try everything on. We laughed so much that the people in the other dressing rooms must have hated us! I ended up buying a cute t-shirt for $5 and a knit polo shirt-dress for $10! Tim met us there, and after we were kicked out at closing time :), Tim, the nieces, and I went to Applebee's for some chips and salsa. I didn't get to bed until 12:30, which is insanely late for me!

Sunday morning, we went to the zoo with my Dad, and it was fun, but so hot and humid. We spent about 2.5 hours there, and by the time we were done, we were hot, hungry, and completely exhausted. I got some great pics, which I'll share at some point. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant, and I gave in to temptation and had a peanut butter hot fudge sundae - it was SO good! That afternoon, Dad and I went to WalMart to get stuff for dinner, and we grilled chicken breasts and corn on the cob. For dessert, I made double-berry shortcakes. It was a really good dinner! Later in the evening, I finally got my much-anticipated haircut, and I'm thrilled! It feels so good to have all of that scraggly hair gone from my neck, and it looks really cute. Last night after Army Wives, it was early to bed, but I'm still exhausted today, because Brian and I were awakened at 4 a.m. by a weird sound that we never did identify. Go figure.

I know that I should work out today, but I might not. I'm just beat. I don't want to do anything but sit around and maybe read a magazine. I'd really love to sleep, but if I took a nap now, I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow, it's back to the usual, with fitness class and various domestic chores!