trick or treat

What a busy day this will be! Gotta rush home from school as soon as criminology is over and get the kids fed and dressed, drive out to Lordstown for trick or treating at Tom & Lynda's (we go there 'cause the neighborhood is nicer and the kids get more candy), walk around for 2 hours, then home and get them bathed and off to bed, hopefully by 8:30...whew! Ed & I will probably be ready for bed by then too...oh, wait, the Steelers are on Monday night football, so Ed will be propped in front of the TV even if he's half asleep. It's gonna be so much fun though! Holidays are much more fun with kids, I think you either have to be one or have them, for holidays to live up to their full potential.
Last night I dreamed about Clint trying to get TJ back again. It was awful. I wish I could quit having those dreams. They're different every time; this time his parents were in on it too, sometimes it's just him, sometimes it's him and a girlfriend or his buddies or something. I know Ed wants to officially adopt her, but we also have to contact him and I'm afraid to even see him or talk to him, much less let him see TJ. It's always been an awkward situation, and being a Christian now (as opposed to back when he and I were together and I wasn't) makes it even worse because I know how harmful it could be for her if he were a part of her life. Sometimes I wish he would just disappear...I guess I think really childish thoughts sometimes, but seriously, I really can't think of any "good" solution to any of this. I don't want him to go to prison or anything like that because then if TJ asks someday I'll have to tell her that, and it can't possibly be a good thing for a child to know their father is a criminal. I certainly don't want to wish he'd die or anything either because that's terrible (and plus I'm pretty sure he isn't saved). I don't hate him, I have even forgiven him, I just don't want him bothering us. And every time I have one of these dreams it makes me very uneasy.
Yesterday evening we were a little low on gas (and Ed doesn't get paid till Wednesday) so we couldn't really go to evening services. I felt really bad. Later, I got out that schedule Pastor Jim gave us last year to read through the New Testament in 30 days and I decided to do it again. I have totally fallen out of the habit of trying to read every day and I think that's the best way to start back up again. I think part of it was that he posed an interesting question during the sermon yesterday: how can we say we believe everything in the Bible if we haven't read all of it? That really hit me! I can say that I have read most of it, but not all, and it's been a while since I read some parts. So I realized that I really do need to read it all. No more excuses!