A Peach of a Day

 I got up early yesterday and worked til noon or so, when Katie woke up. We had lunch with my mother at Chipotle, which Katie adores, and then went to down to the Plaza, to the Apple store. Mom and Katie both love computers and tech-y stuff, so they both were happy.

I worked for several more hours in the afternoon while Katie watched the Food Network, which she misses terribly (her college-student budget only stretches to basic cable). Then we made pasta for dinner, a recipe we made up together based on a picture she saw in Real Simple magazine. Scrumptious.

After dinner, we picked up Mom again and the three of us went out to a little fruit farm just past the edge of town. We picked a gallon of blackberries and bought two boxes of peaches. It was tremendous fun. Oh, look at this one!     Here's a bunch.    I found a berry bonanza down here!

Later that night, Katie and I canned the peaches. At one point, she was dipping and I was peeling. From time to time, we  sang along with the music blaring from her iPod. Our little dog, Cassie, flopped right in the middle of the kitchen floor, determined not to miss a thing. 

While the cold pack processed, we watched Walk the Line and worked on one of my trash projects, which Katie has adopted for her own. 

It was a magical day, one I want to wrap in soft cotton and keep in the top drawer of my memories. This was the day we started looking for Katie's birth mother. 

In the cold light of day and with normal business hours upon me, my phone practically glowed on the desk. You promised, I thought. Not yet. I can't do it yet. 

I imagined ways to get out of it, ways to avoid the starting the search. It could be kind of expensive, according to the information we found on the web site, and I can't afford that right now. I could just tell her that.

Eventually, I picked up the phone. A promise is a promise. A wonderful woman in the post-adoption department helped me work out a three-fold plan. Katie woke up and came into the room just as I was finishing the call, and the look on her face as she realized we're on our way was priceless. Payment in full for the strength it took to dial those numbers and say those words. 

The rest of the day was precious. We may be on thin ice at the moment, but let me tell you--we are dancing.