Christmas 2009

Sleeping in until 8:00am on Christmas Morning? Yes, that's right, not a creature was stirring, not even a 4-year-old until the morning was waxed old. It's funny that every morning for two weeks the kids have been rising between 5:50 and 6:30 and on the most exciting day of the year, they forgot. This year we have what qualifies for us as a giant Christmas tree. We have been using a 5.5 ft. decorator tree that you might see in a small grouping. Our new tree is taller, wider and brighter, but I admit I love that little tree. I am not sentimental about a whole lot, but there are some good memories of that spindly tree that always made it seem homey and Christmasy in our apartments. We set up our big tree in the family room and basked in all 1500 lights. The kids would rather have had colored lights, so I bought some for the old apartment tree and we set it up in our small living room (the piano room without the piano). The kids decorated the whole thing with all their favorite ornaments and all their projects concocted this year in school. When we were all admiring the decor, Ben looked at the tree and said that it seemed bigger before and then wondered if we were poor back then. Yeah, we were pretty poor.... but really what is wrong with the tree? I love that little thing, it will take a long time for me to give it up.

When the kids woke up, they ran to the big tree and found that Santa had not come. They were all worried. Finally we remembered the small tree. Santa was so used to putting the presents there that he put them there again. It was fun to start out with a laugh. Everyone got something to love, my favorite was my new cookbook.... watch out kiddies mommy's going to get experimental with dinner.

We visited Jeff's family and jumped every time the phone rang, wondering if his little brother had gotten engaged yet. That guy... this is three years in a row of waiting for him to call on Christmas. We really enjoyed seeing our cousins and talking to Jeff's parents.

In Christmases past, we spent the day driving from one grandma to the next and then on to the greats, but this year was a lot quieter. What kid doesn't just want to stay home and play with their new toys? Ours really appreciated the down time. My parents came for dinner and were in no rush to go home. We enjoyed them so much. Grandpa was a great sport to play marbles, build legos and engage in dart tag with the kids.

GrammySitting

Last week marked my first turn "grammysitting." My sweet grammy is suffering from Parkinson's and her three amazing kids and husband consented to letting the grand-daughters in on the action of helping care for her. My first round seemed more like the old social visits, just a little slower and quieter. Some would rather not have to see the decline of someone they love, but having loved and lost my paternal grandmother less than six months ago, I feel different. I am relishing all the time I can have with my grammy because it might not be long before she doesn't want me to read to her or rub her hands or try to make her laugh with all my antics, all of which I can still do for her. On top of all that bonding, I got to sit with my grandfather after she went to bed and hear firsthand the stories I love about him. I love that he still loves grammy and remembers her strength even when she is weak. I don't know if I could conquer her brand of adversity with so much grace, but I appreciate the legacy already.

My WillPower is Shattering

After much resistance, I finally crumbled and gave in. Not to the lure of all the Halloween candy, but something more additive-- facebook. It really took the idea of Debi moving to Sao Paulo with only 45 minutes of cell phone time. I mean really, I am so long-winded, she could only afford to leave a message on our voicemail. So facebook it is. I hope J doesn't think I love him any less because I wouldn't make the switch for his sake, but really there is something weird about he and I chatting online across the room.... I am sure that there is some sort of therapy for that-- so I would rather skip it.

I am sure that I will enjoy seeing every documentable thought, idea and moment that my friends will come up with, but I guess for now I prefer the soapbox mentality of this forum.

IV--pics coming soon

Installment Four... now you know why people lined up to buy the latest chapter of a Dickens novel, the suspense was killing them!

And on with the vacation.

Day Three: San Diego Zoo

What to say about the zoo... First there is the deal. Bramwells all have season tickets and therefore free entrance passes to go with it. We paid for Caitlyn to get in and a little more for the premium rides and that is it. I guess the Bramwells must really like us. Second, there is the buckets, arial buckets because the SD Zoo is soooo big that little legs need a little easier way to get there. Third, thei,elephants of many varieties in different enclosures. We spent at least an hour on elephants alone. Jeff's curiosity paid off because we got the full private discussion of elephant foot therapy from a couple zoo keepers that were starting an elephantine pedicure process. Just one minute later the whole zoo seemed to get the vibe that zookeepers were interacting with us and that they were invited. Lucky for us, just as the throng mobbed the area we were safely snacking in the distance.

From there we went to polar bears, who were nestled in their private den, but we lingered to take advantage of the shade. By the time we made it to the hippos I was tired. No one else seemed to be dragging, so I kept hiking up one flight of stairs after another until finally I wished I could settle in for a nap like the gorillas. While we watched them sleep, it occurred to me that the dramamine was still mellowing me out from the day before. This my friends is why I will deeply consider being sick instead of lathargic next time. It took nearly an entire frozen lemonade to perk up my energy... I see now why it is a great idea to have a season pass to this zoo--no kid, not even Bindy, the jungle girl, could really see the whole thing in one day-- unless you made use of the bus tours. Our kids saw all their priority animals and we went home for a nap and a swim.

Day Four

All our three generations of Bramwells live in a suburb of SD. We spent the morning exploring their hometown, visiting their childhood neighborhoods, seeing the tree Kyle hit with the Jeep, and casing the scene of their Prom pictures. Their town has a lot of great history and a great old train that goes around the park. We rode the train, which Jordan and the other kids loved. I guess a slow old train is more their speed. By this day, it was REALLY hot! Apparently we towed a heat wave in town with us.

Day Five

Sunday... ahhh. I will admit, I worried about Primary for a minute, but I got to bounce Baby Bramwell all through Relief Society and I enjoyed every second of it! We got to meet some of Kyle and Juli's friends and their bishop. Our vacation was seeming to wind down with just one more day of fun and then a long drive. Little did we know that the Bramwells had other plans. Dick and Jennifer played our kids against us and held an unianimous vote that we should stay a few extra days. We gave in... because we weren't ready to leave yet either. (That is where you gasp and wonder how many installments this can possibly take).

That night we paid a visit to Juli's parents. They were very gracious. Traditionally, they would send a cheesecake to Kyle and Juli for their birthdays from the Cheesecake Factory. Since they both worked during the day, my apartment number was always on the delivery. I usually held said cheesecake ransom until such time as they decided to share it with us. While we were in California, we decided to return the favor and brought a cheesecake to celebrate Jeff's birthday with them. They were awesome. They had gotten us a Julian apple pie to take home (a big must do in SD area) and some authentic Slovac kolache (pastry with nuts rolled inside). That was really generous. We got to see Juli's mom's art studio and some of her paintings. Noah was totally unnerved by the skull she uses to get faces right, but Benjamin ate it all up. Jeff was mesmorized by Juli's dad. He is a physicist and an amateur astronomer, so you can imagine the awesome conversation that they had in the backyard amongst various giant binoculars and telescopes. One by one the rest of us managed to wander off until Jeff and Joe were the only ones outside discussing the heavens. Around 10:30, we persuaded them that the kids should be in bed and that our next trip Jeff could bring a sleeping bag and camp out in the yard.

Summer Vacation Three

Day Two... Jeff's Birthday

After a whirlwind day at Legoland, who could ask for anything more. We joked about a new family car. This was about all we could afford...

Then again a Volvo made entirely of Legos might not be a whole lot less than the real thing.

If you didn't notice so far, our trip has a theme color: Orange. While we couldn't wear orange

every day, the kids all had orange hats so we could easily keep track of them.

Back to the birthday, when we got home, the Bramwell's garage was decorated with toilet paper, a sure sign of love, with a trail leading into the house. This is the first thing we saw.

Yes, Kyle completely mummified in TP. Jennifer & Juli had decorated with giant candies, balloons, and a decadent chocolate cake. We had a great day... Happy Birthday Jeff!

Summer Vacation part 2

Yes, there will be photos and more details-- more than you want, but we don't want to forget how much fun we had together somewhere around October.

ARRIVAL

After safely navigating our way, we made it to a warm welcome from our Bramwells and some new ones too. I couldn't believe how much we had missed them. We took a quick tour that ended with the swimming pool. Caitlyn started with a simple toe dip and recklessly got in over-her-head in a matter of a minute. We slipped some swimming muscles on her and she was content to swim in her clothes. Benjamin was more sly. He went slowly deeper and deeper until his mother sighed and said he too could finish soaking his clothes. Noah demanded proper swimming attire and a life jacket before happily splashing with the rest of them. Our kids had no idea you could actually swim at night.

Day ONE: Meet the Ocean

Our first day in California we headed to Mission Beach. We toted all the kids and enough snacks to stay a couple days at least. We did all the usual beach things: bury an impressionable kid, chase kids with nasty seaweed, dig for those little crab-like guys that go in and out in the surf, swallow seawater. I felt like a pasty plump pastry in my beach wear until I realized that I had NOTHING to worry about. Its good to get some real perspective in life. There were a lot of large bodies and very little fabric to go around roasting on that sand... hmm, as I put on another dose of 50+ sunscreen. I will try lily-white and modest on for size.

Our Favorite Bionicle Toas

Day TWO: Legoland

Cue angelic harmonies. Need I elaborate? Well just a little. This is a lego fiends' dream. The kids drove their in their own Lego cars, rode a Lego dragon coaster, and shot lasers at all of Indiana Jones' foes. Caitlyn got girl legos for her birthday, which came with a lego horse. Consequently, all she wanted to do at Legoland was ride one of those Lego horses. She was brave until two seconds after saddling up. As the horses gently rocked along a track various lego knights challenged the riders to joust. Talking Lego knights were not IN the brochure and Caitlyn was terrified. She sobbed the whole way. Meanwhile Noah was getting sick on the dragon roller coaster and Benjamin was feeling like he was going to meet his death on the same ride.

Highlights: Buying Legos in bulk.... lowlight $32/pound. STEEP! I guess I have never actually weighed a Lego set before, but wow spendy.

Jeff and I were prepared for a day of wild rides with our fearless children (we both took dramamine). When our kids and the rides didn't require fearlessness, the real benefit came in. Long after other parents were grappling with their kids and losing patience, Jeff and I were so calm that we were happy to wait in lines, or not or wait or whatever our kids wanted to do. Dramamine secured us in the happy family group of Legoland officionatos. Did we get more souveniers? Don't worry they also sell every lego set, accessory and kitsche available and we made our way home with a lot of it. The fruits of our rock-picking labors finally came to bear. If anyone needs a Lego brick cupcake pan, I might have one...

Legoland exclusive:Granny Smith Apple Fries with Cinnamon Vanilla dipping Creme. Good, but not as good as good old french fries.

I guess not all princesses live in Disneyland after all. Caitlyn, a princess officianto, spotted this one 200 yards away. After permission from the parentals, she ran to meet the princess and bring her to "my mommy to get a picture of me with you."

Toward the middle of June we received a funny bit of mail from our Bramwells. Inside was two tri-fold brochures advertising vacation spots.... Backstory-- we made them similar ads for all the random day hikes and adventures we went on with them while they lived here. The first ad was for Park City. Inside "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!" Well that describes us just fine. We are generally content to vacation vicariously, hearing the tales and seeing the footage of others. Our kids think that a hotel in Park City is the best vacation on the earth, until... cue second brochure. It featured an unlimited stay in the Bramwell Hotel and various Southern California attractions.

When our boys saw Legoland featured, well there was no turning back. There is simply nothing that gets Noah's heart a flutter like Legos. Caitlyn picked out Disneyland because she's on to the fact that all the "princesses actually really live there mom." It wasn't too hard to turn her attention to whales and dolphins and SeaWorld went into the agenda instead of Disneyland.

Don't be too shocked when we didn't politely say no thank you as our past behaviors would indicate. I guess we got a little excited too. Before you know it we have shocked Kyle and Julie by calling to plan dates. Once the kids got wind of the plans we had to enforce a new family rule: No talking about the vacation except at lunch or dinner. I am positive that Noah dreamed Legoland because I haven't seen him so quiet-- he had nothing to say that didn't relate to the vacation.

Here are a few stats on the drive:

3 kids, 2 adults, one 5 person sedan

10 1/2 hours

3 Stops

692 miles

26.6 gallons of unleaded gas

1 GPS named Molly who navigated, but reminded us "to remain on the current road" a little too often.

ZERO whining, complaining, fighting or even asking when we'd be there.

WHO are these children? They fight just driving 15 minutes. I guess they know us too well. Can't act up and risk getting Legoland stricken from the record.

one mom, raised on the grid system, driving in the spaghetti mess of the California highway system; white-knuckled.

one dad who turned right back into a California driver, managing with the greatest of ease.

Conversations in a Cemetary

During our Memorial Day decorating Noah was freaking out that Caitlyn stepped on a headstone, worried that something catastrophic was going to occur. I tried to explain that we don't step on the headstones out of respect for the people whose bodies are resting there waiting for the resurrection.

Noah: But mom, some of those bodies are not right.

Mom: Like how?

Noah: Well, from car crashes and guns and also broken bones.

Mom : But Heavenly Father has power to fix all those bodies. The Atonement is so powerful that it can make all the bodies right.

Noah: Well that's good Mom, since grandma is such a good person, she won't have to have braces at the resurrection, right?

Mom: That's right, good idea bud.

Grandma's response: I was actually hoping to get rid of the braces before then.

And the Drama Continues...

We have had a whirlwind week of family togetherness, the plan of salvation and another funeral. My paternal grandmother found out she had cancer three weeks after my grandfather's death. Within another three weeks of oncology consults, she ended up with a 14 inch incision and without two very large tumors. During the last three weeks she struggled with incessant nausea and six of eight fatal maladies. Her remaining sons took her home to be in peace. I got to spend a couple hours with her. She tried her best to tell me all sorts of things, but I am no lip reader, so the secrets from beyond the veil will remain a mystery to me. I swabbed her mouth, talked, applied lip gloss, talked, and talked. I can be incessant you know. I told her how beautiful the cemetary was at Memorial Day and how we finally found her grandparents and sweet Aunt Gladys. And won't it be great to see Gladys without the infirmities of her handicaps. I read her mail (TO HER-silly). I joked about the cards that said things like 'get well soon' and ' you can beat cancer' saying that these people had no idea how soon she would feel better and beat the cancer to the finish line. While I talked she was calm and everyone left me to it. In a quiet moment she opened her eyes, said my name and told me that she loved me. Although we had a great visit in the hospital a week earlier, I really will treasure the time I spent with her because it quelled my grief. I am actually mostly content and only a little sad because it was only two months and a few days and she got to be back with her sweetheart. Death gets harder the closer to me it gets. I hope it is a long time before my own parents go.

All Broken Up

Part of my offline life has incorporated a short nursing stint... the RN type if you're wondering.  Two weeks ago, my parents were ATVing in Moab on a trail called Metal Masher.  Yes, that is the foreshadowing part of the post.  My mom was on a very steep part of the trail when her machine started back and rolled over her chest and face.  After a blessing and some ibuprofen, she rode back two hours with two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a mouth full of twisted teeth.  After a crazy night in Moab's hospital, she finally started her rounds to all the specialists to fix everything up.  The ironical part was that I got to take her to get braces put on her loose teeth... reminds me that she had the same honor on my behalf when my teeth were knocked out. My dad had scheduled surgery for his torn medial meniscus on Braces day, so Cait and I found had a sleepover.  They wore me out.  Everytime Cait would say she needed a drink or anything, one of them would jump up and beat me to the punch.  Finally at midnight, I turned down their beds, posted their pill schedules and left them to their own devices-- exhausted.  The good news is that the knee only took 12 minutes, which means a quicker recovery and the teeth are all back to where they should be.  They are both off pain meds and hopefully they don't bounce back too soon or they will never get a rest.  With all the medical drama in my family for the past couple years it was kind of nice to feel like I could actually do something to help out.  Generally, everyone is closer so they get first dibs on the service opportunities.  

The Primary Colors Are...

Well I can barely remember, but they don't even sing that song anymore... do they?  I guess I will find out with my great new assignment in Primary.  I am really excited and maybe the sheer adrenaline will keep me rolling until I really figure out what I am doing.  

I have had a great couple of weeks focusing on some revelation and getting ready to do what needs to be done in our ward.  I have amazing counselors who are patient and loving and that's what the kids really need.

Lapse

It appears that a lapse has occured.  I must of blocked the need to blog about moving again because let's be honest-- I love moving.  We moved into our new house in the middle of March and it was a lot less work than previous moves.  Hopefully we have pefected it well enough to never do it again. Even though we were excited about our new garage, we couldn't use it for nearly a week because all the boxes were stacked there.  While the move was easier, the unpacking has presented a huge challenge because we didn't think to differentiate between what we packed in December from what we packed in March.... so it's a mixed bag.  We couldn't find the essential things, but found plenty of randomness.  Our car has now made the transition to the garage and we have only about 30 remaining boxes to worry about.  I uncovered a whole wall in our family room just last weekend.  I also got brave enough to crack some of the "decorations" boxes open and frustrate my brain.  The inside is starting to come together and we have managed to haul a few hundred rocks from the yard, find some lingering mulberry tree roots, discover our own earthworm hideout and have Jeff's TAs over for some harmless FearFactor fun.  I thought that not having a set of stairs to climb was going to make me lazy, but rest assured that I hit the pillow snoring at around 9:30 most nights -- completely worn out. The yardwork alone could turn out to be a great workout program.  Don't worry, when I get a room done, I will take a picture... but until then, you'll just have to live with the suspense.

Girls Night Out

WICKEDgood

I spent Thursday night with my mom, sister and sister-in-law in the Capitol Theater in SLC.  Wicked was fabulous.  It was amazing how they did so many effects with just the lighting/shadows.  I would gladly pay the outrageous price to see it again.  The actresses that played Galinda and Elphaba were incredible.  The audience was crazy with cheering and loud  applause after every number.  By the end I was waxing philosophical, political and emotional which boils down to me looking like a leaking faucet.  Aside from the show, I enjoyed the people watching.  Ordinarly, I am entertaining the group with my craziness, but due to a rather raucous cold, I could barely speak above a whisper-- so I watched from my aisle seat.  Luckily, my SOL notices people too, so I barely had to turn her direction and we were thinking the same things.  Best dressed, the brunette in the sassy white short dress--minus the snakeskin gladitor heels.  Worst-- 75% of the audience, but especially the woman who managed to pair Birkenstocks with Sequins....here comes the rant.  I was shocked at how casual people were.  I realize that people wear everything from sequins to jeans, but some people looked as if they made no effort to de-frumpify themselves in the least... and let's be honest, this is not NYC where people have traveled to town and get last minute tickets.   Wicked sold out in something like 4 minutes-- last fall.  People have been waiting over 4 months to see this and they wear whatever frumpy poly thing they would wear to the grocery store.   CRAZY... at least comb your hair and act like you paid out the nose to be there..... RANT finished.   To end on a high note, I thought that finally seeing the show would cure me of the need to listen to the soundtrack relentlessly, but I still want to hear it-- almost as much as Miss Caitlyn.  

I Love To See the Temple

We spent a Saturday touring the new Draper Temple.  A couple buses broke down and we ended up waiting for about 90 minutes for a bus-- which is hot and not fun with three kids(especially with fully charged batteries).  Once we got to the temple, all the annoyances melted-- just as you would expect at the temple.  I loved walking through the temple and explaining things like the paintings in a room and how they help us remember that Heavenly Father created the whole earth or that the twelve oxen represent the twelve tribes-- you know Jacob's 12 sons from the song...  and so on.  Ben's favorite part was the celestial room, Noah-- the oxen, Caitlyn-- the room with all the mirrors, Jeff-- looking in the sealing room mirrors with our whole family, Mine-- the paintings in the chapel: Christ and the Rich Young Man, The Pool of Bethesda by Bloch and a ressurection picture I didn't recognize with Christ and Mary.  It really symbolized the things we leave behind when we go the temple-- our worldliness and our weaknesses.  The temple is really the only place where we can be sanctified of those things and it all is due to Christ and his mission to be a Savior for us.  

I remember attending the Jordan River Temple open house when I was very young.  There are so many details from the blue hospital shoe covers to the stained glass windows along the staircase that I can still remember.  I hope my kids remember the way the temple makes them feel and they will desire to go back and learn more.  I am grateful for the unifying experience that doing spiritual things is for our family.

Lest I forget, whoa-- that was some church gym... It was better than any wedding I've ever seen. The cookies were fabulous and the hospitality was great.

DERBYLICIOUS

 Just two weeks into Benja's new Scout Troop, we had major derby stress. Both leaders assured me that they would get us a copy of the rules because there was a Pinewood Derby coming up...... Jeff and Ben spent some time drawing renderings of the car ideas they had.  One fateful Tuesday, I picked Jeff up from work early due to a cranking headache.  From the backseat, Benja informs us that the Derby is tonight because so-and-so (another kid in the Wolf pack) told him at church on Sunday.  WHAT???  After a quick call to the mightly chagrined den mother, Benjamin got to work with Jeff maintaining his stance that a boy should do the work on his own.  50 minutes later, we arrived at Pack Meeting in time to weigh in before the big race.  We didn't realize that a little graphite lubricant on the wheels was allowed, so Ben's car finished dead last in every heat.  Poor guy.  When the races were over, he was acting brave but glum until he realized that his prize for "Most fuel efficient car" was the same king-sized Hershey's bar as the fastest car award.  Another dad offered some graphite grease and Ben's car raced down the speedway during the fun runs.  

Benjamin with the Fuel Efficient "Black Shadow Stealer, #98.

Our very own cheerleader-- too bad she doesn't read yet!

January Randomness

House.

OK S L O W down already.  All the subcontractors are in a hurry to get done with this house. Maybe its the economy and they'd like to get paid. I personally need them to stay on schedule so I can succeed in my last ditch efforts to put as many pennies in the bank as I can.  In the last week, the house has been roofed, wired, windowed, insulated and drywalled.  I don't know if Ben was giving us a hint, but when he asked if we had been in lately-- we did just that to find that the drywall guys were planning to work into the night and all day Saturday.  That started the mad dash to Home Depot for insulation.  Jeff was up before the sun and spent about three hours insulating the bathroom walls- "all the better not to hear you my dear!"  Things are moving along so fast that I wonder if they will move our close date up again.  

My Friday Night Date.

Lisa, Lisa, Lisa-- my brave friend.  Carrie and I went to cheer Lisa on in her racquetball tournement.  She is so tough to compete and not get totally rattled mentally.  I have resolved not to go near tourney play for a very long time-- at least until Lisa is firmly settled as a C Level player.  I will honestly say that Lisa played the best I have ever seen.  Maybe Jeff's old racquetball comment to me is really true... "I only play as hard as I have to, to beat you." (and I am not that hard to beat).  We had a great time cheering, hearing Coach Paul's advice and asking all our deep rball questions, and sipping the sweet nectars that Jamba whipped up.  However, we did not enjoy the sweaty stench eminating from one really ripe Superman.  Enough said.

Inauguration.

Good thing that the whole elementary school watched the ceremony live so Noah didn't have to tell his teacher all about in-auger- ation.  Benjamin and Noah were both so pleased because they voted for Obama and feel invested in his win.  Of course, Ben did vote SuperDell for governor, so I can't really say he's politically savvy yet.  

I listened to the radio beforehand and loved the different things that the people interviewed wanted Obama to say or address in his speech.  It reminds me that there are as many opinions and passions out there as there were people on the mall.  It's a heavy responsiblity to make sense of all the choices and direct a country's actions.  Obama seemed humble and burdened on Tuesday...  I'm glad to know that he feels the weight of his responsibility.  I also enjoyed all the random factoids that the commentators added between the entrances of various American "nobility."  Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was sworn in by the man that authored the Dred Scot Decision (to keep slavery)?  I probablly will have that filed in the land of randomness section of my brain forever!

Highlights:    Aretha Franklin can still really belt it out.   John Williams' arrangement was phenomenal and really what an all-star quartet.  I loved Yo Yo Ma's face.  He was completely exultant and I couldn't wipe the smile or the tears off my face.   The speech was great.  It really covered a lot of ground without being too alienating to any group.  I even heard traces of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech interspersed through it.  (It helps that FHE last week was watching the footage of the whole thing).  Here are a few more of my favorites:

Hilarious Moment:  Diane Feinstein presenting John Roberts to administer the "oaf of office." Ouch.  While I think that it was funny, Jay Leno must have missed it because there was NO late night comedy on this issue.  

Come On Now Moment:  Maybe this very televised and official ceremony should be practiced or memorized.  The presidental oaf of office was like dominoes, one topple taking down the next in line until the oath was well, "oaf-ish."  

UMmmmmm, next time moment-- National Anthem-- MOTAB all the way.  The choir was a little weak for a moment that really demanded a cresendo.  Let the MOTABS get in there and do it right.

What a Great Job.

Although I sometimes sigh heavily when Jeff spends extra time helping students, listening to their problems and generally handing out life advice; I will admit that it has its benefits.  Every experience is a new challenge which he shares with me.  I love to laugh riotously at the various antics, gasp audibly at the audacity and even cry over their losses.  Its really an easy catharsis because like characters in a book, I don't really know them but I know their stories.  There are a lot of idiots, know-it-alls and spoiled brats, but more often amazing heros and heroines that give me something to think about and blog about for that matter.

Basement Updates

One month later and I wish I could say that there are no more boxes, but let's be honest-- the boxes are keeping me from finishing the last 6 months of my yearly calendar project and the monumental slipcovering endeavor that I hope to plan to do.  We are having a great time in the basement these days.  I tell everyone who asks that it is great.  The Mickey Doodles (as Caitlyn calls them) are so laid back and generous that it seems a bit unreal.  

In other basement news, we have our own-- complete with 2 inches of solid ice.  Which I am told is ok, since it will help the concrete cure.  In addition to a basement we have framed walls, cut-out windows, trusses, a plywood roof, and exterior doors.  Wow.  If you are thinking that went fast, you are right, it hasn't even been a whole month and they have shaved our close date by three weeks already.  I will admit that until they finally cut out the plywood covering the windows, I couldn't really get excited, but now I drive past at least twice a day.  Jeff, on the other hand, has been like a kid on Christmas morning over even the hole in the ground.  He must have a better imagination than I do.

In other news, Congrats to Jim and Nance on their new daughter-- a girl changes everything.  Really.