Saturday, December 11, 2010

Conor's 8th Birthday

http://www.funattheweb.com/






We took Conor and 5 of his friends to The Web for his birthday.  The plan was for us to go there as soon as it opened (11am) and then come home for pizza, cake, and ice cream.  For the most part, the plan worked out. 


The Web has arcade games, bowling, golf, race cars, and of course laser tag.  We did not have any clue what to expect, really.  When we got there, we had to sign up for a time for the laser tag.  Up to 40 people could go at once, so they would be in there with other groups. 









They have credit card like cards for the arcade part - charge it up and slide it through a reader on the game you want to play.  There wasn't a lot of time before the laser tag appointment - so the boys just ran around looking at all the things to do.  Then it was time for laser tag - I was the only one who didn't go, I wanted to try to take pictures but the viewing window is so dark that you can not.  Jeff, Ceara, Conor, Mason, Gage, Grant, Trey, and Shane all went into an instructional room to learn how to play it.  They were all given vests and guns.  There were two teams - Red and Blue and our group was all on the same team.  There are obstacles in the room, and it's dark, and they have glow in the dark stuff.  They say don't run, but I did see a few people running.  The teams are released from different doors and you go around looking for them to shoot.  There is a sheet at the end that has your tag name (everyone is assigned a name based on what vest/gun they got) and it has all the stats.  How many people you shot, how many times you were shot...etc.  Our team won over all. 
After the laser tag, we went to play miniature golf - it was that or bowling and the boys all chose golf. 

The theme was Jurassic Park and it was dark with glow in the dark painted / carpeted golf things (yeah, I don't know what they are called). 
That part of the day was a little hectic and I wish they would have chosen bowling.  They did not take turns, they ran around the room hitting the balls as hard as they could and no scores were kept. 
It was a good thing no one else was there at the same time! 
They finished quickly and moved onto the arcade games. 
Mason got lucky right off the bat and hit a wheel of fortune game for a lot of tickets.  All the other kids were jealous and tried to play the same game to get as many as he did. 
They easily went through their arcade credits, and we even bought extra so they could continue the fun for a little bit. 
Then it was time to cash in.  I have a lot of respect for the patience of the employees who work in this area - they changed their minds so many times, wanting to see this or that, then wanting something else. 
It got so bad that Grant had to be handcuffed and almost hauled away! 
Mason was able to sneak some keys and set him free - thank God for big brothers!  Oh, wait... those were Mason's cuffs and he was the one who put them on Grant.  :)
That poor little girl in the picture had to wait her turn behind 6 boys who weren't about to give up their turn in line for a girl!  Nothing stands between boys and their toys at that age. 
We came back to our house, stopping to get pizza on the way.  The boys ate pizza while we frantically searched for candles.  I knew I had them, just not where they were... I eventually sent Alli to get some at the store. 
Conor blew out his candles, with Gage standing by ready if he needed assistance! 
He opened his gifts from the kids while we all had cake and ice cream. 
He got a remote control car.
And the ever favorite money!
As well as a robe that he had been begging for since he saw it. 
After we managed to get rid of all of the kids (it was harder than you might think!), we took Conor to his restaurant of choice (Golden Corral - yes, it is his favorite) and had his grand parents go there with us to celebrate his birthday. 

He had a few more gifts to open there. 


Barb made him a cute little box with a cutout of him in his Nutcracker uniform. 
One of his favorite gifts inside - money! 
And a bunch of little games that he was so interested in we had to remind him he had other gifts. 
He got an electric snap kit so that he can learn how to make different things - sirens, radios, etc. 
He was very interested in seeing all the things he could do. 
There are a lot of projects in that book - different levels of difficulty. 
And then he got what he has wanted for a very long time.  See his face?  He was so surprised. 
Yes, we got him a cell phone. 
Before you judge, let me explain!  The idea of an 8 year old with a cell phone is not a great idea, I know, I didn't warm to the idea immediately.  BUT!  We do not have a home phone.  And this phone is to act as a home phone - adding it to our plan for $10/ month is a lot cheaper than getting a land line.  As I am writing this post on Jan 15th and back dating it - I can tell you it does act as a home phone.  He is not allowed to leave the house with it, even if he is just going to Mimi's house to spend the night.  Or if he is riding to the store with his dad.  It does not leave this house.  It enables him to have a way to call his friends, or text his dad when he's in the man cave, or text me while I'm at work to tell on his sister for doing something after he gets off the bus.  He keeps all of his friends numbers in it and calls them from it.  He is able to text and keep in touch with his aunt Naomi - whom he adores, but she lives in Indiana so he doesn't get to see her very often.  It encourages him to spell and read when he texts.  Quite honestly, he doesn't even use it that much, the novelty has worn off.  And when I text him, I make sure to spell out all words so that he reads them and learns more words.  So, it really is like a home phone, just has texting capabilities with it.  :) 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Got Milk?

It would sure go good with all these cookies!  :)  Conor's birthday is Saturday so I made some cookies for him to take to school to share with his classmates on Friday.  Chocolate Chip Cookies with icing, sugar sprinkles, and a sugar decoration.  I'm sure the teacher will wait until the end of the day so that the kids go home to bounce off the walls. 


I made two trays full so that there would be plenty to share with his classmates as well as other teachers.

This is a first for me - each item has to be individually wrapped, so I had to go out and get some Ziploc bags to put them in.  That wasn't required last year, or if it was no one told me about it.  It actually makes it a bit easier to transport because if they are not in the bags I'd have to put them in Tupperware and not stack them for fear of messing them up. 

Tomorrow I will be working on the cake for his birthday party on Saturday.  LASER TAG!!!  Woot, should be fun.  I'll try to get some good pictures and videos of it.  I've never been so I'm not sure how it works.  :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!  Happy day-before-Conor-turns-8! 

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Public Service Test: Does chocolate milk aid in cleaning?

I had a thought this morning - "Could chocolate milk be used as a cleaner?"

So even though I had just gotten Jeff to agree to go do some Christmas shopping (!), I decided to test the thought and poured some chocolate milk on my kitchen floor.  A half a roll of paper towels later, I came to the conclusion that it does NOT.  Although, if I had bought the "quicker picker upper" maybe it wouldn't have taken so many.  Who needs to make things easier?  Certainly not me. 

Anyway, after getting the mop out and mopping the kitchen floor - including moving the stove because there was some under there, too - I decided that maybe it does aid in cleaning.  It made me clean the entire kitchen floor, plus under the stove, when I really hadn't planned on doing that today. 

So, in conclusion - if you really weren't planning on mopping your floor and moving appliances around to get under them as well, just pour an entire glass of chocolate milk on the floor.  It helps motivate you, even if it doesn't aid in the actual cleaning. 

Now I have to hurry and get ready to go shopping before Jeff changes his mind!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

How do things get in my head?

As I was getting ready to take a shower last night, I realized I had the Gilligan's Island theme song running in my head... and I had not looked at anything that reminded me of it, or heard anything about it.  I have no clue how it got there, but I couldn't make it stop!  So what could have possibly triggered it? 

Ever have that happen?  What goes on in YOUR head? 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Breakfast

Today, my guys made me breakfast... almost in bed, but not quite - their activities woke me up.  Conor served it to me - with a towel hung over his left arm and the plate (or whatever he was bringing me) he carried with his right hand.  First course was bacon, eggs, and toast.  Then he brought me a glass of orange juice.  Next, he brought me a bowl of homemade hash browns.  Still with the towel over his arm.  He went back to the kitchen saying, "Pancakes are coming, ma'am."  He referred to me as "ma'am" the whole time, like he was my waiter.

"I can't eat pancakes too!  It's too much!" I protested.

"Too bad!" was the reply from the kitchen.  (Jeff)

So, Conor was back in just a couple of minutes with a pancake.  I did my best, but couldn't finish it all.  My usual breakfast is coffee... and that's it, so it was a bit of a shock to my system.  It was all WONDERFUL, though. 

Now, I have that "full" feeling and the sudden urge to go back to bed!  Thanks, guys!  What a great start to the day. 

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Audiocave


I have been trying to help Ceara like books more. She is supposed to read a certain amount for school and she doesn't enjoy reading as much as she should for a teenager. In an effort to help her, I have both the book and the audio for Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. She has been enjoying this book with me out in the mancave on weekend when we can hang out.


Recently, I just got a nice little space heater for the mancave for these chilly November days. It was hard to get Ceara to come out here because she hates to be cold. I thought with the extra incentive of heat - I could get her to come out to listen to more about Frankie. We couldn't just leave him in the middle of the Atlantic on his way to Ireland! Anyway, as it turns out, maybe the mancave is a little too cozy. Well have to learn more about the McCourt's adventures after a little nap.

Halloween Weekend

The soccer tournament was last Saturday (Oct 30th), and Conor's team lost the first game so there were no more after that.  The game itself was hardly a tournament by any standards.  Not that I didn't enjoy cheering for my son, and watching his team try so hard - I did and they did.  However, if they are going to have tournaments and go through the motion, they could at least supply referees who know a little bit more about the game than the 6 and 7 year olds playing.  A little consistency would be nice.  I won't go off on a rant, although I really could, but two things stick out for me.  First - the opposing team got the kick off at the start of the game and also at the start of the second quarter.  I specifically noticed this because when they kicked off at the start of the game I commented on how well they handled the ball.  When they lined up for the second quarter and kicked off again, I questioned whether anyone was paying attention.  Second - in soccer, you are supposed to switch sides for every quarter, which has irked me the entire season that our particular league does not enforce it.  Anyway, at the tournaments, they initially started out switching sides.  First and second quarter were played on the correct sides of the field, however the third and forth they did not switch and the refs did nothing.  They barely watched the game from what I saw. 

I did not make a scene, I didn't expect much from the tournament and I got what I expected.  Anyway, soccer season is now over.  Conor's team did an excellent job and did not lose any games all season.  They did tie one, but the others they won. 

Trick or treat was Saturday night in our parts, and since we moved to the middle of nowhere where no one trick or treats, I made arrangements to go to a friend's house. Conor was a Knight of sorts.  He used the sword, shield, and helmet we bought him at the Renaissance Festival along with a Knight shirt from a costume in a bag we got him.  I had originally thought I would make something, but time is passing so quickly and it all snuck up on me, so we went to the store THAT DAY and found one costume that would do the job.  Unfortunately, it was not his size, but I was able to do a little creative ripping to make it look just fine. 

What's that?  You'd like to see a picture?  Yeah, me too.  I didn't take any, though.  I think Jeff may have taken one on his phone, so we'll have to check on that later. 

Amanda lives in a cul-de-sac and had set up a table with chairs in the road and had a fire pit set up behind it.  The neighbors all came out as well and we had several candy giving people all right there for the kids go trick or treat.  The men took the kids house to house, while the women stayed behind to pass out candy.  Amanda had made White Chicken Chili (sooooo good!) to share with everyone, and various people brought sides and desserts.  I made Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping and cut them into bite size servings.  They were a huge hit. 

After trick or treat was over, the kids went in the house and watched movies and played Rock Band on their game console, while the adults gathered around the fire to talk.  As the fire died down, we move into the house where we found the kids with their candy dumped out on the couch and several empty wrappers.  We left around 10 and Conor complained of a stomach ache on the way home.  So of course I blamed the candy - "That's what happens when you eat too much candy..." - which, really, he hadn't.  His empty wrappers equated to that of a regular sized candy bar, so I hadn't been too upset with him.  However, I did think that maybe the sugar was to blame for his stomach problems. 

He was on the couch and feeling queasy when we got home, so I put a trash can there - just in case.  And boy was it ever needed - but the aim didn't work out and it wasn't used.  So, after round 1 clean-up involving shampooing my carpet at midnight on a Saturday night, I put down towels around the trashcan.  Those would have helped had he been able to even move for round 2 - he was asleep and woke up vomiting on the couch / blanket / pillow.  Leather couch, so at least it was something I could wipe off rather than have to shampoo it out.  Everything cleaned up, laundry started, exhausted, I went to bed around 2am.  He is a little boy, his stomach had to be empty by now, right?  Wishful thinking.  I was woken at 3:30am by Conor who had climbed into my bed to tell me he had other problems - the other end kind of problem - and he ended his sentence with vomiting on my bed.  I jumped up and said "GET TO THE BATHROOM!" and he was on his way... leaving a trail of vomit on the floor as well.  So, I stripped the bed - it did not soak through to the mattress, thank goodness - and got the carpet shampooer back out.  Jeff was in his Man Cave and I texted him and said something to the effect of "GET IN HERE NOW!"

Hey, if he's going to stay up all night, he can do it in the house to keep an eye on Conor.  We cleaned everything up, started another load in the laundry, and I went back to bed and left Conor and Jeff watching a movie in the living room.  I don't remember what time I got up, but I spent Sunday doing laundry and cleaning the majority of the day while Conor slept.  Jeff and I both ended up catching the same bug later in the week - but he was in Atlanta when his hit.  Not a pleasant experience!

So, that was our Halloween weekend.  How was yours?

Thursday, October 28, 2010

If Brad can I can!

This is what Jeff looks like answering the door to get the pizza.















"Hey Buddy! Keep the change!"

Monday, October 25, 2010

Let's be frank and honest

I'll be honest, you can be Frank, OK? 

Jeff ordered pizza last week.  It was around 1am and cold.  He was in his man cave and came into the house to put on a fuzzy pink bathrobe to get warm.  The pizza guy knocked on the door and he insisted on answering the door - with the pink robe on.  Even though Ceara offered to get it.  The pizza guy was like "Do you have the card you paid with?"  Jeff didn't - he had left it in the man cave - and the pizza guy was like, "Oh, that's OK...here's your pizza, have a good night."  All said while backing down the porch steps.  I think he wanted to get far away from the strange man in the pink fuzzy bathrobe in the middle of the night...

Conor's soccer team won league champs, so they are going to the playoffs!  He got a trophy today after his last game for the regular season.  I was thinking that soccer was done for the season - not that I don't love it, but I will love it much more when he is a little older and they all know what they are doing on the field other than bunching up in a group and blocking each other from doing anything with the ball.  Yes, I love that he plays, I enjoy watching them play, but really?  Tournaments for 6-7 year olds who get confused by which end of the field they are supposed to be on so they don't switch sides like they are supposed to?  I think they are a little young for tournaments, but... we'll do it anyway.  So, next weekend we get to go to soccer games on both Saturday and Sunday, possibly 2 games on each day depending on how they do.  Plus we will have Trick-or treat, and he was invited to a Halloween party at a friend's house.  So, it will be a busy weekend!

There is a caterpillar taking up space above my eyes and I HAVE to find the time to wax.  In addition to that, I have other hair removal problems going on with the fact that I haven't shaved my legs in I don't know how long.  It's so bad that it doesn't even tickle anymore when I wear pants.  I think I need to make it a point to stop on my way home and get some Nair so the hairs will stay gone for a few days... besides, one razor may not be enough to complete the job!

This month is just the beginning of the busy season, the holiday season I adore, so I will have to make sure to find more time to actually write posts here! 

I'll be sure to update you when I get the unwanted hair growth under control.  Be reassured that there is NOT a situation going on under my arms, though.  I have kept up with that!  ;)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and we celebrated by going out to dinner at Lonestar.

Since we have moved to a house just 4 doors away from Mom, I see her a lot more than I used to, and it has been wonderful.  She rides up on the 4 wheeler through the woods to have dinner with us a couple of nights a week, or just to sit out on the deck and talk.  I love it.  Especially with Jeff in another state, Alli at work most week nights, and Conor playing with Tray, it's nice to have someone to sit back with and talk. 

Thank you, Mom, for everything you are and everything I am.  I love you!  Hope you had a great birthday!!  :)

Ohio Renaissance Festival 2010


Dances from Terpsichore - Bransles de Villages New London Consort From the Album Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval & Renaissance Music Collection

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Check her out...

The Daily Rant is in Italy.  I'm so jealous.  She just got there, but I'm sure there will be a ton of awesome pictures up soon.  Or maybe after her trip - I don't know that I would take the time to blog if I were in Italy! 

Monday, October 11, 2010

It's Monday...

I had a great start to the week because I went to bed at 9:30 last night and got up a lot earlier than usual this morning.  I had EXTRA time before I had to wake Conor up, and before I had to leave for work.  It was quite nice, I must say. 

In the last year or so, I have been given extra work at a steadily increasing rate and it has not yet stopped.  So I feel like I'm always forgetting about something and having the weekend to not even think about work doesn't help my Mondays.  Because while I used to not stop thinking about work, I've learned to just leave it there now.  Just when I think I'm feeling comfortable with the work I'm doing, they throw a wrench in it.  I'd really like to find another job, not because I want to leave this one so badly, but so I could possibly negotiate a raise.  I have so much work I do for so many different branches in our company - I don't know that anyone else would even know how to do my job if I left.  With their current "be happy you have a job and don't even think you are going to get a raise" attitude, it doesn't make for happy employees when they lay people off and then just pile work on the employees left behind with no additional compensation.  In addition to that, my boss - who used to appreciate me and tell me how much he appreciated me - was promoted to be over another branch and he's so caught up in that, he barely notices me anymore.  He's only in the office one or two times a month, if that.  Today was very busy... very, very busy.  My early start helped, but I ended up working late, too. 

Onto more cheery topics... errr more Monday stuff. 

I wrote last week how I was reading The 39 Clues to Conor, and I wanted to get more of the books because I, uh, finished the two I have and I want to read more.  I actually finished the second one the day after reading the first.  Since they are kids books, they are fairly easy for me to read on my own. 

I went to Amazon and also Barnes and Noble (because I have a gift certificate there) and then decided it would take too long to get them, so I didn't order any.  I then proceeded to go to my local Walmart over the weekend and they had EVERY book except for #3 - the one I'm on.  I then decided I really don't need to buy them (lack of space and all) and I went to our local library at lunch today.  They don't have ANY of the books, but the neighboring town (which partners with our town's library) has 1 of each volume.  I didn't have time to go there though.  I also looked for some other books that I had listed on my phone's memo feature that I wanted to read.  Not one single book was available that I wanted.  Which made me sad.  I don't know if they are having funding issues or not, but now I want to go buy the books and donate them after I'm done reading them.  If I ever find them in stock anywhere that is. 

So, if I would have just ordered them from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, they would probably already be here. 

I then went to a local chocolate factory - because I had time, and because I was craving one of their specialties - and I was the only person in the shop.  I had time to spare (I was on my lunch break) so I looked around a little bit before picking up my favorite.  I went to check out and there was an issue with the receipt paper - it wasn't turned on, so she wasn't sure if my card went through or not.  It took a good 25 minutes to figure it out and get the paper to reprint and that made me late back to work after lunch. Not too bad, just about 10 minutes. 

So, that was my Monday.  My work Monday anyway.  Everything was surprisingly calm when I came home.  The kids had already fed themselves - Alli ordered Chinese food - so I didn't have to cook.  Conor had a friend over, so they were playing outside and I just vegged. 

Now I'm going to go watch some TV with Conor and do some more relaxing... this post may be all over the place, but... I don't really want to correct it right now.  It fits in with the rest of my day.

Hope everyone had a good Monday!  Mine was hectic, but I'm oddly relaxed now.  :)

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

The 39 Clues

A few months ago, OK more than a few... March to be exact, I won some books from Jenn at Juggling Life that I thought Conor might be interested in.  They were shipped to me in a very timely manner and I received them... then started the whole moving process so the books got packed away and it took us years, err I mean months to move. 

The books I won are the first 2 books in a series called The 39 Clues:



Conor and I started reading the first one Monday night and boy am I hooked.  They are aimed towards a bit older of an age group than Conor, but he is enjoying them too.  They are definitely books that will appeal to boys, and also girls! 

The first night I read it to Conor right before bed time and I didn't want to stop after he fell asleep.  I read on a chapter or two telling myself that it would make reading it to him easier if I knew what was happening.  I made myself put it down before I got too far ahead. 

The second night I read it was last night.  I kept reading LONG after Conor fell asleep.  Until, ummm 2am actually, when I finished the book. 

It has mystery, it has adventure, it has characters you love and characters you hate, and characters you are suspicious of... everything a book / story needs to keep a reader hooked.  I had never heard of these books prior to Jenn posting about them, and when I finished the first book I immediately went to look to see how many were in the series and if they were all available yet.  There are 10 on Amazon, and they have a nifty little box set of all 10 - which I would totally buy if I didn't already have 1 and 2.


The main characters are a brother and sister duo (Dan 11 and Amy 14) who lost their parents and although they come from a huge, rich family, they have only each other to count on. 

So, if you have any kids and want to get them into reading - this is a good series to start them with!  Conor is only 7, and I think he is a little on the young side for this book, but he is enjoying it. 

And I'm uhhhh, well much older than Conor and I enjoyed the first book enough to sacrifice sleep to finish it.  I must say that I am looking forward to the remaining books and finding out what the treasure is at the end of the clues! 

Jenn does a book review / giveaway almost every Monday.  You should check her out and see if there are any books you are interested in.  Since I hadn't even started the books that I won from her, I didn't feel I should enter any more until I did so.  I would feel so bad if I won another one and hadn't finished the ones I won before!  There are quite a few she has reviewed that I have noted for future reference, though.  You know, when I have more time to read.  Like in the winter months coming up!  :) 

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Friday, October 01, 2010

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Back

So much that I could have / should have / wanted to tell you over the past couple of months.  Who knows how much I will remember now? 

Like the time I went to get the check engine light on the truck checked out, and I had been listening to the BeeGees on some random station.  I went in and the guy came out to hook up the device to read the error and he turned the car on and Celine Dion was blaring out of the speakers.  HOW EMBARRASSING!  The truck's radio has some issue with the volume knob - it has so low that you can't hear it, and really loud so that you can't hear anything else.  It was on the really loud setting. 

We are all moved now, except for 2 large items that I have yet to get from the garage of the old house.  That's not to say we are unpacked because we have so many boxes - but no where to put the stuff we have yet.  We will eventually.  That's the breaks moving to a smaller house.  However, I gladly give up the extra space for all the happiness of being here.  We have trees, and a back yard.  A deck with a grill and patio furniture to hang out on, eat, talk, enjoy the weather.  A place for Teddy to run.  Woods for Conor to play in and get dirty - like all little boys should.  A fire pit to have bonfires. 

Conor is doing well in soccer - they have won all but 1 game, and that one was a tie.  He likes being a defender - was very proud of the fact that no goals were scored against them for the first 3 or 4 games. 

Ceara is doing pretty well in school - she has started reading a bit more than she used to and that makes both Jeff and me happy.  She hasn't enjoyed reading in the past and I'm hoping she starts to love it as much as I do. 

Alli has begun her senior year in High School, she is still working, and she has a pretty steady boyfriend - Jon - who we all love (should that be whom? I never get who/whom right!).  I am also trying to select a photographer to get her senior pictures taken.  Nothing like last minute, right?  Procrastinator who?  Anyone have any suggestions / recommendations?

I'm not taking many pictures - mostly because I don't have my camera set up to charge at the new house yet.  I do take some with my phone.  Like this one:


I woke up one morning to find this on my refrigerator. Yes, that is the kind of humor that goes on here!  Although it wasn't any of us, we tease Conor that he is the one who did it.  So that causes him to insist that it wasn't him, and Jeff to try to reason that it was him.  It's a funny conversation.

Mostly I have been taking pictures of stuff to sell on Craig's list.  Most of it has sold, but I still had to put a little bit in storage.  Not the storage you pay for, but a shed at my grandma's house until it does get sold.  I had 2 garage sales, then gave everything that remained to charity.  I needed it gone for my own peace of mind. 

I got a "new to me" car, of course, after Alli totaled mine.  It's a Kia Sedona.  I like it, and I don't like it.  I like how roomy it is.  I don't like the gas mileage.  I don't like how it has already broken down and had to be towed to the dealer for service - bumper to bumper warranty my arse.  Wiring problems apparently aren't inbetween the bumpers.  I got that covered because I had just bought it, but now I just don't like them.  The first and last car I buy from Matt Castrucci Automall.  I know "honest car sales people" is an oxymoron, but I really hate being lied to.  "It will cover anything that isn't normal maintenance/wear and tear like break pads, batteries, etc" was a total lie.  Wiring for the cooling system is not what I would consider normal wear and tear. 

Jeff is working out of state again, so he's only here on the weekends - if then.  Sometimes he is gone for 2 weeks at a time.  He has been in Georgia for most of September, and he will be moving onto Tennessee and Alabama in October.  He forwarded me an email today from his employer offering permanent jobs in a list of cities where they have brick and mortar.  He asked which city I would be interested in moving to.  The thought of going through another move - to another state - is not a happy one.  Heck it took us 2-3 months to move 5 miles!  Needless to say, we aren't interested, but I did daydream a little about giving my notice at work.  :) 

OK, I have to get to bed now.  Hopefully I will be back to writing semi-regularly again now that things are calming down. 

Hope all is well with you all!