Repairs

I drove home from work yesterday and when I pulled up to my house I saw two cop cars and two other cars out in front and several people standing around talking to officers, my husband among them.  

So I started to freak out a little, parked jumped out of my car, and walked over.  first words out of hubby's mouth, before I could even ask what happened, were, "Look what some a**hole did to our fence.  

I looked down and saw that the board that runs along the bottom part of the fence right there had been pulled loose from the fenceposts and even broken in one place.  Also our garbage can, which had been standing right in front of the fence, was totally smashed in.  It was obvious someone had hit it with their car, most likely backed into it and then took off.  

Pissed me off, but should be easy to fix.  Now I have to fix this myself, can't call the landlord anymore - welcome to home ownership!!!  

The cops were there because hubby had called them to report the damage.  One of the other cars saw the cops there and stopped to report some totally unrelated incident of I don't know what.  The other car stopped because apparently the occupants of the two cars knew each other.  Whatever.

Happy Spring!

Sorry it's been so long since I posted.  I had wanted to post some pictures from the ski trip, but am having some difficulty with that right now.  So, onto other things.  

My dad did a post about going back and reading old blog posts that you had written.  I started reading thru some of mine and decided this one could use another go-round.  I'll use it to embarrass Trevor when he's older.

It's hard to believe it's the first day of spring.  This year is just flying by.  We have already been to the beach a couple times (though not in the water) and it seems like last week we were wearing coats and bitching about the cold!

Piano Men

Billy Joel and Elton John were awesome.  The show started at 7:45 and went on 'til about 11:oo.  They started out together on two grand pianos facing each other.  They opened the concert with "Your Song", then did 3 more together.  Then Elton took the stage and did a set of about 10 of his own songs.  He is a hugely amazing piano player, and very entertaining.  After that, without a break at all, Billy Joel came on with his band and did about 10 of his songs.  He is a great piano player too, but he also rocked it out with the guitar and twirled and threw the mikestand and stuff like that.  Really fun!  At the end they came on together again and did six more songs, ending with "Piano Man".  Terrific show!!!  

Catching Up

We are basically all moved in to the new house.  There are still shelves and pictures to be hung and boxes to be unpacked, but we are totally out of the old house and into the new!

Next big event - concert next week.  Billy Joel and Elton John.  Together.  Two of my faves on the same stage at the same time - should be awesome!

Trevor is adjusting well to his new school.  He has been a little clingy and whiny when I drop him off, but once I'm gone he does fine.

In this economy I thank God every day that I have a good secure job and a house which I can afford to pay for.  Life is good!

We're Back In One Piece!

Well, we made it back from the ski trip relatively safe and sound.  3 of us on the trip came down with colds, but that was pretty minor.  There were no real illnesses or injuries. 

 I did ski into a wooden sign, like an idiot, but fortunately I did not hurt myself.  

Trevor had a great time learning to ski.  He learned to go fast, but didn't really master stopping.

Pictures will be coming soon!

Now to concentrate on closing on the house and packing and moving...

100th Post

I know I haven't been posting much lately, but have been sooooo busy.  I have been packing for the ski trip, packing to move, working, etc.  

For those of you who don't know, the "Ski Trip" is an annual event in our family.  my mom and dad, sister and brother and law, another couple (friends of the family), hubby, Trevor and I all meet up in Colorado and ski for a week.  We always have a great time.  This year Trevor will be in ski lessons for the first time.  I am excited to see how that will go.  

I have also been packing for the move.  My kitchen is filling up with boxes and my house in general is a mess.  Oh well.

We saw The Eagles in concert last night.  It was an awesome show, they sounded great!  I found out today that my two bosses had also been there and our seats weren't that far from each other.  We didn't see each other though.

I will post again when I get back from Colorado!

What Crack?

The crack in the wall is no big deal.  It's a concrete house and they shift slightly.  Everything is a go-ahead, except our closing date was pushed out to Feb. 8.  Yay!!!!

_________________________________

O.j. Simpson died and went to hell.  The Devil met him at the gate and said, "I don't know what to do here.  You are on my list and you obviously have to stay, but I have no room for you.  OK, here's what we'll do.  I have some people who weren't as bad as you so I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place.  I'll even let you choose which one."

O.J agreed, so the Devil opened the first door.  Inside was Ted Kennedy and a large pool of water.  Ted kept diving in and coming up empty handed.  Over and over he dove and kept surfacing with nothing.  Such was his fate in hell.

"No," said O.J., "I'm not a very good swimmer.  I don't think I could do that all day."

The Devil then opened the second door.  Inside was Al Gore with a sledgehammer and a room full of rocks.  All he did was swing the hammer, over and over and over.

"No good", said O.J. "See, I have this problem with my shoulder.  There's no way I can break rocks all day."

Do the Devil led him to door number three.  Inside was Bill Clinton, naked and tied spread eagle on a bed.  Bent over him was Monica Lewinski doing what she did best.

O.j. stared at Clinton for a moment , then said, "Yeah, OK, I think I can handle this!"

So the Devil says.......

"OK Monica, you can go now."

House Update

Well, the house is coming along.  We had home inspections done on Tuesday, and I have been running around like crazy trying to get paperwork together for the mortgage broker.  The bank (seller) wants to close on Jan. 26.  Apparently that is really fast.

Anyway, the inspections went well, except for one potential problem.  They found a crack in one of the outer walls of the garage.  It may not be a big deal, but it possibly could indicate a major problem.  So we have to have someone else look at that, which we are doing tomorrow.

This would all be a lot easier if I didn't have to work!!!

Good News

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was thinking about buying a house for the first time.  Well, I'm not thinking about it any more, I'm doing it.  We found a house we like and have been negotiating with the bank (it's a foreclosure).  They finally accepted our offer, so we are ready to go!  We are very excited about the new potential purchase.  The new house is in a different town, 11 miles from where we live now.  It will still be nicely centrally located for my job.  The only downside is that Trevor will have to change schools, but he's only in preschool so it shouldn't be too traumatic.

I also finally got an email issue resolved that has been plaguing me for weeks now.

I have been given the Honest Scrap award by both Linda at Psyche Connections and Rhi at Peanut Butter Bound.  The rules are: I have to list 10 honest things about myself, and I have to pass the award along to 7 other bloggers.  Well here goes:

1) I am deathly afraid of spiders.  It's hard for me to even look at a picture of one without a shudder.

2) I like red wine.

3) I have a college degree which I am not using in my current career.

4) I have one child and sometimes I want another one and sometimes I am glad I only have one.

5) My relationship with my mother is strained at times.

6) I am a very active dreamer, I dream every night.

7) I am thinking about buying a house for the first time.

8) I have a green and blue lava lamp next to my computer.

9) I voted for Barack Obama.

10) I am a total chocoholic.

I will pass this award on to:

1) Lora at Suburbia Las Vegas

2) My dad at Romantic Ramblings

3) Merle

4) Liquid

5) Jack K.

6) Peter at Holtie's House

7) Fred at Fred's World

I tried to post this last night, got almost all the way thru it and lost everything I had typed.  So I had to start all over this morning.  I hate it when that happens!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Awards and Bonuses

I have been awarded the Butterfly Award by Merle. (thanks, Merle!)

I now have to pass it on to 10 others.  I choose:

Fred's World

Holtie's House

I'm Going Slightly Mad

It Occurred to Me

Jack K

Liquid Illuzion

Peanut Butter Bound

Psyche Connections

Romantic Ramblings

Suburbia Las Vegas

These are all unique and interesting blogs (plus it's most of my blogroll!)

________________________________

I had to go to my office Christmas party (oops, "holiday party" - the boss is Jewish) on Sunday.  They do a brunch at a country club every year.  It was pretty nice, the food was great, and Trevor actually behaved himself!  The best part though, is that's when we get our year end bonus checks - cha-ching!

_________________________________

I hope everyone has a great week and Merry Christmas to all!

Priorities

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class with several items in front of him.  When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the class if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  Again they agreed that it was.

He then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course the sand filled the space between the pebbles.  He asked once more if the jar was full.  The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced 2 glasses of wine and poured them into the jar.  The students laughed.

"Now", said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.    The golf balls are the truly important things: your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions; things that if everything else were lost and only these things remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.    The sand is everything else - the small stuff.  If you put the sand in the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have time for the things that are important to you and critical to your happiness."

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the wine represented.

"I'm glad you asked," said the professor.  "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem there is always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend.

Cheers!!!

Misunderstanding

We have been telling Trevor (my 3 year old) about Santa Claus.  We have been practicing with him what to do when he gets to see Santa and sit on Santa's lap.  He is supposed to tell Santa that he has been a good boy, and that he wants a fishing rod and a guitar.  

Tonight in our town they are having a festival downtown and one of the things they have is a Santa for the kids.  So we took Trevor down there to sit on Santa's lap.  He was very excited about the prospect and practiced saying "I've been a good boy" and "I want a fishing rod" all the way there.

He stood in line really well, went right up to Santa, sat on his lap and dutifully reported that he had been a good boy.  When asked what he wanted for Christmas, he replied "a fishing rod and a guitar."  He got his candy cane and we headed for home.  

The whole way home, Trevor talked about nothing but getting his fishing rod.  When we got home, he started screaming "want my fishing rod" and threw himself on the ground kicking and screaming.  

It finally dawned on me that he had no concept of when Christmas is, and he thought that if he sat on Santa's lap he would get his presents right away.   Oops.

We tried to explain it to him, but he is 3.  He wants his fishing rod.

Poor thing.  I didnt know whether to laugh or cry or get frustrated.  Fortunately he seems to be getting over it.  We'll see how he is tomorrow!

A Safe Return

Well, we made it safely back from Key Largo.  We had a great time while we were there.  I took today off work to recuperate.  I have lots of laundry and shopping to do.  I did get my Christmas tree up!

My New Computer

This is my first post from the new Mac.  So far I really like it.  I'm still getting used to it, it's a little different from a PC but close enough that it's not hard to work it.  

I took my new Mac and old PC into the Genius Bar at the local apple retail store.  For those of you who don't know (I didn't), the Genius Bar is Apple's version of the Geek Squad.  Anyway, for $99 they transferred all my files on the old computer to my new one.  It was well worth it.

Do any of you out there have a Mac?  How do you like it and do you have many problems with it?

_________________________

We are preparing for our annual Thanksgiving weekend trip to Key Largo.  I will be thankful that the weather is warmer there than here!  We are having Thanksgiving dinner with some of our best friends, and have plans to see many others while we're there.

__________________________

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!!

Mac Attack

I just got a brand new computer. No, I am not posting this from it. It is a Mac, which I have never had before. I am still figuring it out. My next post will be from the new Mac!!!
_____________________________________

A group of country friends from the Cottonwood Baptist Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, socialize, and play games. The lady of the house was to prepare the meal.

When it came time for Al and Janet to be the hosts, Janet wanted to outdo all the others. So Janet decided to have mushroom-smothered steak.

However,knowing that mushrooms are expensive, her husband said, 'Don't buy mushrooms -- they cost too much.' He said, 'Why don't you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms? There are plenty in the creek bed.'

She said, 'No, some wild mushrooms are poison.'

He said, 'Well, I see varmints eating them and they're OK.'

So Janet decided to give it a try. She picked a bunch, washed, sliced, and diced them for her smothered steak. Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol' Spot (the yard dog) a double handful.

Ol' Spot ate every bite. All morning long, Janet watched Ol' Spot and the wild mushrooms didn't seem to affect him, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success and Janet even hired a lady from town to help her serve it. She had on a white apron and a fancy little cap on her head.

After everyone had finished eating, they relaxed, socialized, and started singing and playing some music.

About then, the helper lady from town came in and whispered in Janet's ear. She said, 'Mrs. Williams, Ol' Spot just died.' Janet went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, > she called the doctor and told him what had happened.

The doctor said , 'That's bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and I will be there as quick as possible. I'll give everyone enemas and I will pump out everyone's stomach. Everything will be fine. Just keep them calm..'

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs and the doctor had their suitcases, syringes and a stomach pump. One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema, and pumped out their stomach.

After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and said, 'Done, everything will be fine now', and he left. They were all looking pretty weak sitting around the living room and about this time, the helper lady came in and said, 'You know, I't's just terrible...that fellow that ran over Ol' Spot never even stopped.'

Life Is Uncertain ........ Eat Dessert First !

Rumor Has It

I heard a rumor yesterday. It was told to me by someone who claimed it came directly from the office manager (and I believe her).

The rumor was that we may not be getting Christmas bonuses this year because the practice may not have enough money.

It was also said that there was sometimes a question as to whether there was enough in the bank to make payroll.

I personally do not believe either.

The thing that blows my mind is WHY on earth would the OFIICE MANAGER spread this kind of stuff!

If it's true, it certainly isn't something all the employees need to be aware of. And if it isn't true, why say it to begin with? Just to stir up problems with people? To see how many people spread it and/or believed it?

How petty and juvenile, not to mention unprofessional to the nth degree! I sometimes can't believe that there are people like that in positions like that and they manage to keep their jobs.

Rock The Vote

Everybody please go out and vote, if you haven't already. Don't take this right for granted. I don't care who you vote for or which party - just vote what you believe to be right.

_____________________________

A police officer pulls over a speeding car.The officer says, "I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir."

The driver says, "Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.

"Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: "Now don't be silly dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, "Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once?"

The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did."

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, "Darn it, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?"

The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine."

The driver says, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket."

The wife says, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP?"

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?"

I love this part....

"Only when he's been drinking."

Take Two

We all got dressed up last night to go trick or treating. I took lots of pictures. This morning when I went to download them to my computer, they were gone. I could not access them at all. It is a total mystery to me.

Anyway, we all got dressed up again today and I took more pictures. I had promised my loyal readers (not to mention Grammy and Grandpa) pictures of Halloween and I could not disappoint!

Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat:

Hippie Mom:

Enjoying the Spoils:

Fall Back

Update on my ankle: it was a mild sprain. The side of my foot turned purple but the swelling was minimal. with an Ace ankle support and my Nike's I can walk around comfortably. This is fortunate since I'm on my feet all day at work!
___________________________

Well, it's definitely not summer anymore. We got down to 41 degrees last night which is record-setting for down here. High today was only 65, which is unheard of at this time of year. And Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend. I hate it when it's dark when I get home from work.
___________________________

During one of her daily classes, a teacher, trying to teach good manners, asked her students the following question: 'If you were on a date having dinner with a nice young lady,how would you tell her that you have to go to the bathroom? Yes, Michael?'

Michael said, 'Just a minute I have to go pee.'

The teacher responded by saying, 'That would be rude and impolite.What about you Sherman, how would you say it?'

Sherman said,'I am sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back.'

'That's better, but it's still not very nice to say the word "bathroom" at the dinner table. And you, little Johnny, how would you say you explain it?'

Little Johnny answered, 'I would say: "Darling , may I please be excusedfor a moment? I have to shake hands with a very dear friend of mine, to whom I hope to introduce you after dinner."'

The teacher fainted...