Happy New Year!

My Wish for You in 2009

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words . . .. May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!

Merry Christmas!

This has been a very busy year for all of us and sometimes it's hard to remember to take the time to enjoy the little things in our lives. Megan and I were coming home the other afternoon and it was a really cloudy and cold day. The sun's rays came through the clouds in one of those beautiful sunburst pattern that lit up the woods we were driving by. Suddenly the traffic in front of us slowed down to a crawl. There were three deer crossing the road right by us. They were beautiful. It was just a peaceful moment in a hectic day that reminded us to slow down and enjoy our lives today. May you each find more peace in your days! Merry Christmas to all!

Makes you think....

Play on Words; Logic and Meanings

Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America .....do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America .....do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ...Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?

Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Thanks for your patience!

Still alive and well here. Sorry for such a long time between posts. Life has gotten even crazier than usual around here. I will post details another day (as I'm supposed to be working right now), but I have learned in the last month what a strong, caring and forgiving person Megan has become. There have been roadblocks put up in our path over the last month and it has done several positive things. It has tested and strengthened our faith and brought us even closer as a family. It has been great to see my children rally around and have each other's backs. On a happier note- we hosted my family for Thanksgiving this year and it was a great day. I, being the crazy fool I am, went to work with Katie and Zane Thanksgiving night at 8:30pm. Polo opened at 10pm for the Black Friday. We worked until 6am. I only slept till around 1pm because I didn't want to throw myself too far off schedule. Should have just slept because I wasn't worth poop for the day. It was like being hung over but without the fun of getting drunk! I'm about to hit the end of year stuff for work and feel like I am forgetting something. Of course, I've never done end of year - so I probably AM forgetting something. Trying not to stress about Xmas, but not doing a very good job. I'm usually just about finished shopping by now and just started this weekend. I made the executive decision to only put the small lighted tree on the porch, the snowman and lighted boxes up as decorations outside this year. I usually do lights all over the trees and bushes, too. Decided to scale down and hope that we get something besides the tree up inside. Well, tree is up but nothing else. Maybe one room tonight....wish me luck. Thanks for hanging in there waiting for me to get back to posting. I'll try and do better but then again, I can't do much worse! LOL!

Get out and VOTE!

Whether our political views agree or disagree - GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY! It's your voice - so use it! Even if your candidate doesn't win at least you took the time to voice your opinion. It's a privilege we have that too many people take for granted. Of course, those are usually the people complaining about how things are being run...

WooHoo!!

The biggest congratulations to Lauran and Cory as they are expecting their first child next summer! By then they should be moved back to Columbus to be surrounded by family. I'm so excited!

Fall!

So fall has finally arrived. (Yes, that's one of our trees in the picture). It is my favorite time of year! I love the warm days and cool nights, snuggling up with someone you love! Things have been busy, but I think I'm keeping it under control. We've been lucky to see Katie several times this month. She was just back for a four day weekend. She worked several days, which is great. I think she was a little disappointed because most of us had stuff to do Thursday night when she got home and couldn't hang with her. She was hoping that after the girls all got off to school Friday that she and I could get breakfast and watch some movies. Sounds like heaven - there's just that little thing called work getting in the way. It was a slap of reality that as she says, "Life goes on without me here". Friday night was the fall festival at the elementary school. Diana, as usual, did a great job organizing and running the whole thing. She makes it look effortless! Emily and Tyler (Diana's son) walked around together all night. Diana is starting to think about planning the wedding. How fun would family gatherings be??? Party! Oh, hope David doesn't read this. He doesn't find these topics very funny! Which somehow makes it that much funnier to me!

Costume Party

Emily and some friends had a costume party last night. They went to Brown County to Elisa's grandparents place and did the whole fire pit, roasted hot dogs and smores thing. How fun! Costume was optional - but everybody dressed up! Today I'm being domestic. I've just pulled four loaves of beer bread out of the oven and the whole house smells wonderful. Two loaves are going with us to Ariane and Alex's when we go over to watch the game. I've got the laundry going and have the house relatively under control - of course that can change at ANY second! David has all three girls at the movies right now. I'm glad they have been able to do things on fall break. Normally we try and go to TN or to Windfall, but it just wasn't an option this year. So we've had a lovely, relaxing staycation.

Fall Break

The schools in Columbus are on fall break yesterday and today. David took Em & Sarah to the Children's Museum yesterday. I had to stay home because Doug, the guy that built our house, was back to fix a few things that had never been finished. Yes, we've only been in there three years! But at least he is still willing to fix things with a smile on his face and not fight about it! I'll take that! Today I took the girls and Zane over to Bloomington to visit Katie. It was a beautiful day for a drive! We stopped by her dorm room to get her then took her off campus for lunch - a nice change from campus food. We did a ton of walking around both on and off campus. It was great to have all my girls back together for some fun. Katie was really glad to have all of us there. Poor David could only take one day off since we've been moving the office this week. We only moved across the parking lot but still there was

an unbelievable amount of stuff to move. Everybody pitched in and it is finally all moved. Still having a few issues with phones - but hopefully we'll get that all taken care of on Monday.

I'll be back over to Bloomington on Thursday to pick Katie up for a LONG weekend at home. She'll be working at least two of those days - but I'm thrilled to even have her under the same roof at night. I'm not greedy - I'll take what I can get and be thankful for it! Our thanks to Zane for hanging in there with us today! We can be a bit of a handful in large doses!

Another year....

Picking up on the theme of my last post....another year passing.....Emily is 11 today! Of all the girls Emily has always been the most curious about the things around her. By two years old she could pick the locks on the bedroom doors. Yes, I'm talking about the adorable blonde in these pictures! She just saw an obstacle to getting to what she wanted and reasoned out how to get it. You know how people talk about seeing life in a new way through the eyes of a child? This beautiful girl has asked me questions or even explained things to me that have stopped me in my tracks and made me look at something in a whole new way. No, don't get me wrong and think that I'm saying she's perfect! We've known since an early age that she has 666 on the back of her head! It's there somewhere. As with all our daughters, she has been so much fun to watch growing up. I love her tenacity and spunk. We've always said that although she is the third of four children, she would never get "lost" in a crowd of a million! So look out world! Happy birthday, EC! We love you!

Happy Anniversary!

I can't believe it's been a year already for Lauran and Cory! The years really do seem to accelerate as we get older - but man, that was quick! Last Friday Dad & Gabi celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary. They went out for dinner with the minister that did their original ceremony - and renewed their vows. How sweet! I'm just glad that Gabi decided to say yes again!

Friday night Suzanne and I were subs in Diana's Bunco group. I've never played before - but was ready for a night out. It ended up being a fun night! Bunco, for those of you like me that don't know, is a dice game. It's sort of like Yahtzee but different. It doesn't take much concentration so it was great for socialization and libation! Of course, Diana cornered me into "volunteering" for the fall festival at the elementary school later this month. She sure can be pushy....lol! Sorry the posts have been hit and miss lately. I'll try and keep up a little better!

Awww

Happy Birthday David!

Still a cutie after all these years!

A big happy 18th birthday to Lisa Bennett, too!

Still in Love!

27 years ago today I married my best friend. Yes, that guy with the HAIR and glasses is David. For those of you trying to figure it out David's parents are beside me and my parents are beside David.
I'm so grateful to have these pictures. Our photographer didn't show up at my house that morning as he was supposed to. He actually showed up at the church a few minutes before the ceremony was about to start. He was totally wasted! Most of the pictures we have are from friends and family. One friend, Ray, was a photography buff and took many candid shots for us. Even that little snafu couldn't ruin our day. So 27 years later I still consider him my best friend and the love of my life. That doesn't mean things have always been rosy - but we have always been determined to keep communicating (sometimes better than others or louder than others....). But I'd say we truly beat the odds. Most people that marry as young as we did (he was 20 and I was 18) - anybody need extra fingers and toes to figure out how old we are???? - - most people that young end up growing apart from each other. We are very lucky because we grew together. I think that fact that we lived in different towns for the three years we dated was a big key to our communicating. Seeing each other mostly on weekends was tough - but the hours on the phone talking was a blessing. It really helped us to truly know each other and be best friends. So 27 years later for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health have new meanings - but I would still promise it all over again! David, thank you for all your love and patience over the years! All my love forever..... :)

Sweet 16!

Happy sweet 16 Kelly Bennett!!!!!

Baby you can drive my car - - - but you've got to come back to Indiana to do it......

Love and miss you!

PS ~ are you hungry???

A very happy 13th birthday to Rachel Turner! Hope to see the pictures from your party and newly redecorated room soon. Your mother is such a slacker!! He! He!

Secret is out

Well that secret didn't last long as Katie was home last night and part of today. She didn't seem too upset about the amazing cleaning job I did on her room. It worked out well as far as the sleeping arrangements as Sarah spent the night at a friend's. Emily had a friend spend the night here and it was really nice having the extra bed in her room. It was a quick trip for Katie - long enough to get laundry done and see Zane. You know - all the important stuff! She'll be home again next weekend to work so we'll get to see her a little longer. It's almost like she's been away at camp - long enough to miss her - but not enough to feel like she doesn't live here anymore. She felt like she wasn't really making too many new friends but got texts from five different people at school wanting to see if she wanted to hang out last night. Guess she might be rethinking that friend thing. I think the freshmen are just now starting to get settled into a routine and venturing out a little more. I know on the tv shows people meet their new BFF the day they move in. . . welcome to the real world! Megan and some of her new friends had a surprise birthday party for their friend, Bill today. They went out to eat, to Mill Race Park and then hit the mall. Hours of clean teenage fun. I'm thrilled she's venturing out again. I knew we needed to do something drastic to help her get back on track, but was really nervous that having her switch schools (especially to the "Jesus School" as her East friends call it) might make her totally shut herself off from all of us. She is getting involved at the school, too. She'll be doing basketball cheerleading and is already involved with Yearbook, too. I have no idea about their basketball teams. Didn't even know they had them until this summer. I guess with the cheerleading it's such a small school that you either cheer or are on cheerblock. But I'm thrilled to see her making an effort so quickly into the school year. It seems as if she may have realized that she needed a clean start, too. It is wonderful to see not only Megan - but a smiling, laughing Megan again. Another reason for her smile lately has been thanks to Cody, her boyfriend of three months. He seems to be a good sounding board for her (and she for him). But whatever the reason(s), we are thrilled to watch her enjoying life again!!!

Shhh...don't tell Katie....

Tuesday Emily had a sick day due to pink eye. Yuck! So I got to stay home with her. Not exactly a day off, though. I know Katie will hate to hear this - but I took all the stuff from her bureau and desk and shoved (I mean gently placed) it in boxes that are now either shoved (oops, gently placed) under the bed or on shelves in the closet. The bathroom has been totally disinfected. Not an easy feat, mind you! Teenage girls have so much "product" it's mind boggling! Shampoo, condition, comb out and blow dry. Maybe the occasional curl. At least now that I'm working I do. Before that it was wash and go! I can't imagine doing all that other stuff

day after day. I guess I'm just not one for primping. I've got too many other things to do. Like clean a teenager's room so her youngest sister can use it while she's not home. Sarah hasn't "officially" moved in yet. She can't as the drawers and closet are still filled with Katie's stuff. But she's thrilled to be able to hang out, do homework and sleep in "their" room as she calls it. It looks so bare without all of Katie's things in it that I'm going to have to help her put her own stuff out. Katie will be home the weekend of the 12th so I'm SURE she'll get a box or two put down the basement - perhaps between rounds of switching laundry? I have to admit I almost feel like a teenager with a crush everytime I get a text from Katie. Remember that feeling - butterflies of anticipation? Then the exhilaration when you were acknowledged by the "crush". I just don't know of any other way to put it. She started classes yesterday and was excited at the end of the day. I'm glad my girls are settling in and happy where they are!

Olympians RULE, dogs drool!

What was that about an orange bubble, Diana?? Rain, what rain??? A little rain couldn't put out our Olympic Flame! I LOVE FOOTBALL!!! (I even love North football every week but one each year) To all our North friends - thanks for being such good sports about the cross town rivalry! In your defense your team is very young and shows great promise for the future. But for now..................

WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!!

May the best (EAST) team win...

Can't believe it's been a year already but it's time for the big cross town rivalry football game again! To all my misguided friends that have children attending North, I'm sorry for your loss tonight! Seriously though I hope everybody has a great time and cool head prevail. Wouldn't it be cool if they would let us use Lucas Oil Stadium one of these years for this game? Maybe then it wouldn't be so hard to walk through the crowd to get to the bathroom or concessions.

A big Happy Birthday shout out today to Katie's boyfriend, Zane, who turns 18 today! I texted him at exactly midnight last night to wish him just that. Then told him to go to bed it's late. :) Always the mom, I guess!

Welcome Home, Katie!

Yesterday we moved Katie and Jaime into their new room at IU. This is a day they have dreamed about for a long time. They actually have a decent space. It is up about a half flight of stairs (which meant easier for unloading!). That makes it look like a second story room from the outside so nobody walking by can see into their window. They also have a huge tree in front that affords them tons of privacy. I think the girls did a GREAT job of planning out how to do a room. They took a very bland and boring room and turned it into a cozy home. It was controlled chaos for the first few hours with six of us in there trying to unpack and organize stuff. It was funny to see what they thought was so important that they had to take with them. Typical girls - shoes, clothes and purses. I think you only need three pairs of shoes. One for the shower, one to go to class in and one if you want to dress up a little. I think Jaime has about fifteen pairs just on top of her wardrobe closet that she couldn't fit in the drawer. Katie had enough tops to not wear the same one for at least a month, I'm guessing.

They printed out tons of pictures and posted them all over their room to add to the color and homey feeling. They used the bookshelf to hold purses and accesories instead of it's intended purpose. Too funny!

This is the final product of a long day's work. No, they didn't call each other to plan what to wear (or coordinate it to their room on purpose, either!) How long do you think that rug will stay white??? I guess they'll learn that lesson the hard way....maybe it will get dyed over the Christmas break. But they're all moved in and loving it so I guess that's mission accomplished. David was banned from the room for a little while because he was hungry and trying to rush us. He was sitting outside when this woman and her child walked passed. She kind of laughed and said, "Hang in there, Dad!" I guess he wasn't the only one banned. David was really happy to find out that their dorm building is all girl. There are guys in the complex - but they have their own buildings. No running into that cute guy in the hallway when you aren't looking your finest. So we hadn't even gotten out of Bloomington before we got our first call from her. She's having problems with her computer accessing the internet. Something to do with her still being linked to the domain here at the house. It's all geek to me! So she's a bit frustrated having to sit around and wait for the IT help people to get to her. Sometimes it sucks to be the "adult" and be at someone else's mercy. With an incoming freshman class of 7500 moving in yesterday - it may take them a few days to get to her. No internet of her own for days????!!!! What's a girl to do??? Um, borrow Jaime's computer to post your pictures on myspace???? MOM! You just don't get it! Yeah, I guess not. Not the first time and I bet it's not the last time, either. The house is already quieter (and not in a good way)! It's like she's sleeping over at someone else's house - but I know in my heart this is a lot more permanent. She's having fun....she's flying alone....she's having fun....this is what we raised her to do - go out on her own (could someone help me pick up the pieces of my heart, please?) Good luck at IU girls and have a GREAT year! Text occaisionally for something other than money....

We love you both and miss you already!

College Luggage

So tomorrow is the day we move Katie into her dorm. The bags (trash ones, of course) are mostly packed. Time for the last goodnights to her sisters. I was truly pleased to see that everyone was in a playful mood. It was like when they were younger and all got along so well. Shades of the women they will become, I hope. Just a little time left yet tonight to spend with Zane. How hard this must be for them! I am surprisingly doing well with it all. Maybe it will hit me tomorrow when we drive away without her.

Shades of leaving her at the daycare when she was seven weeks old??? I was at least smart enough that morning to not put any makeup on until after I'd dropped her off. I figured I would just cry it all off and make a mess. I really am excited for her though. I know she is a smart young woman and will make good choices. I hope these are some of the best years of her life! But I also want her to remember the way home....

Stuff to make you laugh

When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive... So, I took her to a gas station...

And then the fight started... ************************************************************************

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later. The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt.' So, I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application. When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office. She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too.'

And then the fight started... ***********************************************************************

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, 'Do you know her?' 'Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years a go and I hear she hasn't been sober since.'
'My God!' says my wife , 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'

And then the fight started... ***********************************************************************

I rear-ended a car this morning. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car. You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny? Yeah well, I couldn't believe it... He was a DWARF!!! He stormed over to my car, looked up at me and shouted, 'I AM NOT HAPPY!!!' So, I looked down at him and said, 'Well then, which one are you?'

And then the fight started...

*******************************************************************

HOPE EVERYBODY HAS A GREAT WEEKEND!!

A talk all parents should have...

And you thought I was going to get serious about something.....Bahahahaha! Just thought I'd pass along something that made me smile.

Back to School

Today is the first day back to school for all the girls. Yahoo! Megan had a half day yesterday at the new school and it seemed to go ok. A small issue with her schedule and limited classes but we've worked it all out to all our satisfaction.

It was strange last night at the elementary open house. I usually sign up for a ton of stuff on the volunteer lists but I'm not exactly sure about committing to things during the day now that I'm working. It felt really bad not to sign up for everything. Emily's teacher this year is Mrs. Baker - or as she's known around here - Aunt Heather. She's our niece, Lauran's, wicked step mother. Yesterday afternoon Heather called me just to quack since we hadn't seen each other all summer. I told her about going back to work. She jokingly asked if I was doing it so I wouldn't have to volunteer in her classroom. Darn! She's on to me! Sarah has Mrs. Osman. She's an unknown entity to me - very unusual for me not to know one of the teachers! Sarah is bummed because she only has one "friend" in the classroom - and it's not Mary Aliza or Sara (the camping buddy). She's not too sure about this teacher, either. Since I don't know her I can't really say anything about her teaching style. I guess this will just have to be one of those "learn to deal with all kinds of people" years for Sarah. Wish us all luck!

Katie is home this morning and enjoying the peace and quiet. I think some of reality will hit her today - as Zane is coming over during his lunch mod. I think it will really drive it home that she is out of high school when he has to go back to class and she doesn't. Poor guys, how stressful a time for them as a couple. Katie & I have talked about how communication will be key for them while they adjust to their new lives. If there is one thing I know about it is a long distance relationship and communication. David & I dated for three years while he was here in Indiana and I was in Cincinnati. And look how well that turned out!

I'm waiting for a maintenance guy to get here so I'm working from home today. Probably should actually be doing something other than blogging....

Sister Megan

Megan is starting a new school this week. East just wasn't a good fit for her. Too big and too much freedom with a dash of not enough maturity to handle it thrown in! She'll be attending Columbus Christian School. Thursday she got her locker assignment and took a quick look around the school. We also received the student/parent handbook. They don't make them where uniforms (yet) but in her words - she has to dress like a nun! Shorts & skirts must be at the knee. All tops must have sleeves. Pants & tops are not to be tight fitting or fit the shape of one's body. (are potatoe sacks acceptable?) If you see lines from underclothes--it is too tight for school - move up a size or two if necessary. No revealing neckline, back or midriff shirts. Shirts must be long enough to be tucked in and must cover the waistline at all times. If you bend over and skin is showing - select a longer shirt. If you raise your hand & your belly shows - select a longer shirt. No tatoos or ink or marker on skin of any kind. Only natural color hair colors are allowed. No rips, tears holes or frays on any clothing. Pants must not drag on the floor. Even if you are doing an extracurricluar activity - no spaghetti strap or tank tops and shorts must STILL be to the knees! Boy was it fun shopping for clothes for school today! We actually did ok - capris are ok so she got two pairs and a khaki skirt. The shirts are mostly polo style or button front. I think she can still be a little stylish - just a lot more modest - and that works for me (and her dad especially!).

They're Baaack!

I picked up Emily & Sarah from camp today.

They didn't seem any worse for the wear after three days in the woods!

This was the first time for Sarah & her friend, Sara. Look at the happy, shiny face Sarah had on the day we dropped her off! Still smiling on day three - and ready go sign up for next year!

Emily & her friend, Ella, are "old hats" at this camp thing. They went together last summer, too. The drop off day picture looks like they are planning on giving their counselor some trouble!

Emily was talking about maybe going for a week next summer....but we'll have to see about that. I'm not sure Ella will be up for that.

Looking a little worn out on day three!

This guy is Steve. He has been at this camp FOREVER! Katie and Megan both remember him from their excursions to CYO camp - - That was about eleven years ago! He must be a fun guy though because both Katie & Megan grinned and laughed when I asked them if they remembered Steve. Can you say Peter Pan Syndrome? Anyway, the house was much too quiet without the "Littles" around! The phone didn't ring off the hook as it usually does. Nobody fighting over the computer....strange how just a few days without each other and all our batteries are recharged. I really did miss them - that's good to know! Makes me start thinking about how quiet it will be around here without Katie home. No - - don't want to go there yet.....(picture me humming, eyes closed and sticking my fingers in my ears).......

Hope my kids don't read this...

I got tagged by a new blogging friend 2 kids....3 martinis (wish I knew how to make that a link....ooh, Suzannne.....) and the idea is to "tell you all seven things that maybe you don't know about me or just some weird, personal shit". My first thought was "oh cool, my new friend likes me...." so second grade of me... then I thought "Yikes! I'm so boring I've got nothing I can write". I checked into some of the stuff her friends had written just to get some ideas. That got me to laughing because I realize I've got "stuff" I'm just not sure how much of it I can share when I know my kids will sometimes check in on my blog, blog, blog, blog, blog (to be sung to the tune of the thong song...) They love to tease me about having one - a blog not a thong although they'd tease me about a thong if they knew - that is once they stopped puking. So fair warning my lovelies...proceed at your own caution! (Then again, maybe not). Oh, Wait! Wait! I think I just figured out how to make that a link!!! I'm so proud of me! ok - back to the list....(boy am I going to look even more like an idiot if that stupid link doesn't work...)



1. I am addicted to computer Mahjongg and Spider Solitaire. I love Bookworm Deluxe, too. I'm a closet geek.....



2. I would love to be able to dance - not just slow dancing. When I picture myself dancing I think I must look like Elaine on Seinfeld. Not many of you have ever seen me dance - cause the only time I have the nerve is when there's too much alcohol involved. I figure if I'm not going to remember this tomorrow - - whomever I'm out with probably won't either :)



3. I had a severe head injury in 1994. No, seriously! Ok, STOP laughing now.....I know you've all pretty well guessed there is something wrong with me...but I was weird even before that.




4. I devour fiction books. Mystery, romance you name it. Just as long as there aren't groping couples on the front cover! Hoping to still find the time now that I've gone back to work.



5. I've been officially kicked out of the state of Indiana by the police. Well now, there's a doozy! I was at David sister Terri's wedding. The champagne was flowing so quickly that Terri asked me to put a bottle in the back of David's car to make sure they would have one at the send-off breakfast the next morning. At the end of the evening everyone was leaving and before I knew it everyone had left the parking lot. David was in no condition to even tell me how to get back out to his house. This was before we were married and I still lived in Cinci so I didn't know my way around - especially at night. I had been on good behavior as this was one of the first "official" family events that I had attended. This was back before cell phones so I was waiting until his parents got home to ask how to get there. Before that could happen this cop pulled up and shined a flashlight in the car and saw the bottle of champagne. He took a lot of flack from the cops at the booking desk when he brought us in but he wouldn't back down. He tried to tell them that he wanted to book me for underage drinking (as I was still a teenager) and DUI. Um...the keys weren't even in the ignition! They put me in a cell with an adult female - I can't remember now what she was in for - but it scared me to death! My future father-in-law got me out in a hour or so but it seemed FOREVER. The charges were dropped - but I had to be - and I quote here - "out of the State of Indiana by sun down the next day". Is this a small town or what?! My parents didn't found out until about 15 years later when my father-in-law said something to my dad about it - thinking my dad already knew. Oops!



6. I'm scared of my family's history of Alzheimers. Especially since head injuries are supposed to add to the chances of getting it (see #3). I don't want my children to feel like they've been forgotten - even if they are adults at the time. I don't ever want to hurt them like that or be a burden to them.



7. I literally sang through contractions while giving birth to my girls. It was like being on a natural high - at one with mother nature (and my epidurals!). I loved being pregnant and snuggling a baby. I know - not PC and all equal rights - but it's true. Some people get angry and surly during labor (the opposite of their natural disposition) - I got happy and sang - wonder what that means my natural disposition is.....



And there you have it! Seven things you may not have known about me (or ever have wanted to have known!)



I don't have too many blogging friends that haven't already been tagged but here are a few
that I'm hoping will play along:

Kelly - Turner House Party

Laura - My Life

Kids can make you feel OLD!

Megan and I were at Goodwill the other day killing time while the "Littles" were at a party (jeez - my kids are at a party and I'm at Goodwill? Ain't I the lucky one?) I was looking for fun "retro" stuff for Katie's dorm room. I found a cool desk lamp but needed her ok before buying it (what I think is cool isn't always cool in her eyes - imagine that....but lately I've done very well). While hanging out, Megan picks up a cassette tape and asks me what it is. I explained and she called me old and I thought that would be the end of it. Oh, no....it's like the drive in movie earlier this summer....she picks up an 8-track and asks what it is. I told her it was like the grandfather to a CD. At this point there's an older woman beside me giggling as I try to make it sound like I'm not as old as the hills. Megan looks down on the shelf and there's an old 45 (a single not a gun). Please don't ask, please don't ask...Well, honey, it's like when you download only one song instead of the entire CD. Only this actually gives you two songs cause you can flip it over and play the other side. And yes some dinosaurs were meat eaters and some were vegetarians....the lady next to me looks like she's going to wet her pants trying not to laugh. She finally gave up and just busted out laughing. She ended up thanking me for such a good laugh. She'd been having a bad day and she said that she needed a good laugh. Glad we could help! And just so you know...I scored with the lamp, too! You gotta love the line under the vinyl photo I'm using ... Ole farts vinyl....yep, that's appropriate!

Animals in the "wild"

This trip to Windfall seemed to be our animals in the wild trip.
We saw several blue herons every day.



We found a nest right off the side deck that had at least four baby birds in it. We're not exactly sure what they are - but they have long, long legs like the herons.



One night while David & I were sitting out at the firepit we had a heron land in the trees right above us. Those things are huge! I wonder if this was the mom or dad for the nest.








As usual, there were tiny lizards running around on the dock all week. We found a snake skin on the beach, too. Kinda cool but kinda ew, too!






The racoons enjoyed the trashbag we put outside one night. The chipmunks weren't thrilled when we cleaned up the mess before they could get their breakfast.





Sarah was a total "back to nature" girl this trip. She brought a jar from home determined to catch one of the minnow sized fish that hang out at the beach. I'm sure she was planning on talking us into keeping it if she caught one. Well - she caught one the first day we were there. Sammy. She made sure he had plants, sand, air and cracker crumbs for food in his jar. The funeral was late Thursday. She was sad but we told her that his last days were like a vacation because he didn't have to worry about being eaten by the big fish.

Another adventure!

Windfall...just saying it puts me in a relaxed mood. Windfall is the "cabin" that Gabi and her sons own in Park County, Indiana (west of Indy). Windfall sits on a peninsula in at about the middle part of the lake so you have a lake view on three sides.






The picture on the far left is from the deck around the house looking out by the dock. The one on the right shows the tip of the peninsula on the left and the view across to the other end of the lake (taken from the boat). So you have open views but we can swim in a very large inlet






so it's very safe. Emily & Sarah were able to venture out into the "deep". This is usually Katie & Megan's area - but my "littles" aren't so little anymore! We took Gabi's boat out every day while there. You'll notice (maybe) that I'm missing from these boat pictures. That's because












I'm waiting for the AC repair guy to get there. It wasn't working when we got there the 1st day. No big deal - except it got really, really humid later that evening. But there are three ceiling fans and we were catching a small cross breeze. That was ok until a little after midnight ....when the rain




started...and then the wind started... and then the electricity went out (no more fans!). . .and when we heard rain and debris hitting all four sides of the house we headed for the basement!!! We found out the next day when Papa & Gabi (she looks good, doesn't she??) came for a surprise visit that we had been having 85 mph winds through our area. Trees were down around the lake - but we were fine. Except that electricity thing....no water because no pump. Can't open the fridge to get a drink cause you don't know when the electricity will be back on out there....the liquor cabinet wasn't a good idea that early in the day or for the kids...so we played in the lake to keep cool and bucketed water to the bathrooms so as to be a little civilized still. Luckily the electricity was back on by Tues. evening and the phones by Wednesday. Wednesday evening David headed back to Indy for the Foo Fighters concert with some friends. He actually got back at a reasonable time considering it was a concert. The girls and I had a blast playing Catch Phrase (Sarah was a RIOT with her hints) and watching movies. We made great use of the firepit several nights - yes I'm a still a controlled pyromaniac - no starter logs for me! We cheated on the smores and did them in the microwave because there weren't any good sticks to roast the marshmallows with. Except for Monday night - we had perfect weather for a lake vacation. Nobody got sunburnt - and we all really, really got to relax. There was a little trouble our last day with the plumbing and the washer - but Gabi graciously said to leave that load for her to do. The plumber was going to come during Gabi & Papa's stay this week. I'm just so glad that most of the "issues" we had happened while we were there and not Papa & Gabi! I even got Gabi to let me do a few chores around the place to help me feel like I'm earning my keep. As always - a big thank you to Gabi and her boys for sharing their little slice of heaven with us!