Christmas Wishes (Take 2!)

Ok folks - you should be able to open and view my stupendous scrapblog now!

Scary Skype

This is a quick warning email to all of those who use Skype. BE SURE TO ENABLE ALL YOUR SECURITY SETTINGS!!!!!!!!! So, here's the story:

It was Tuesday night. The girls and I were watching the election and I was trying to download some pictures from my camera. It wasn't working and I was really distracted when I realized that I was getting a call on Skype. For those of you who don't know, Skype is a free application that allows you to video chat with other Skype members. My family started using it about a year ago to talk with each other as we were all in different locations. It's really neat, because you can actually see each other on your computers. And as mom says, it gives her the "fix" she needs to not miss us all so much.

This summer, my mom got a new laptop and I inherited her old one. I have not used Skype since I got the laptop, so all the settings/logins/profile information was still set to my mom's account. When I saw that I had a call, I thought I should answer it as it was probably one of my mom's friends/contacts. Actually, I didn't even know I was signed in to Skype, but apparently my mom had set it to sign her in when she logs on to her computer. Anyways, I didn't recognize the name (Tom Brady's Brother) although I am sure everyone else would have seen that as a red flag. So, I'm telling the girls to turn the tv volume down and Morgan comes to see who is calling. Yes, we lead very boring lives, so this was sort of exciting!

For some instinctive reason, I turned my computer slightly away from me so that when I opened the application my video would not automatically be shown to this "stranger." I mean, come on, I'm aware of internet safety protocol, right?? Anyways, the guy starts talking, asking if we are home, etc... I told him, I think you have the wrong number, to which he responds Why do you think that? At this point, I click to open the video, and there it is. A full screen of his naked penis, which he promptly begins to fondle, telling me he does not have the wrong number! Remember that Morgan is standing over me, watching, right? So she runs away and gives a little yell. I, too, start freaking out and try to close the window and end the call. Well, you know how computers are... it's not like it immediately went away!!!!!!!!!!!! I was absolutely stunned. And I felt totally violated. This wasn't a random pornographic email. This was much more personal. No, he didn't really know me, and thank God he didn't get to see me (and my 12 year old), but Skype is live - and he was talking to me!!

I immediately went to the Skype website to report him and discovered that there are tons of security settings which allow you to only accept calls from your contacts (which, of course, Tom Brady's Brother is not one!). Apparently, my mom had simply downloaded the application and left all the default settings. So she was accepting calls from anyone, all her profile information was hanging out there, etc... I did take care of changing it all to be secure, but I am still reeling from it. My poor child is probably scarred for life - I know I am and I've seen a real penis before!

So, if you use Skype, please be sure you have set all your securities. So much for my naive "everyone's good, nothing bad will really happen" attitude. Those pervs are out there trolling the net looking for innocent victims. I really wanted to send him a message telling him off and how he was such a perverted freak, but decided that would only enhance his experience... Seriously, can't these people get a job?!?!

I have attached a photo of what Morgan and I saw so you can feel like you were there too. Scroll down to see it:





















What? You didn't think I was a sick perv, too, did you?

And a little movie so you can feel like you were there, too!

The original blog actually starts 3 entries down...

A Few More Pics...

New Kids on the Block - I'll be loving you FOREVER!

It finally arrived, the date I have been looking forward to since last May, the New Kids on the Block concert!

I started officially planning on Monday. I sent the girls to school with the note to excuse them from school on Wednesday and Thursday. Overbrook has a policy that all absences must be "excused" or else all zeros will be given for both in-class and homework given on the days missed. Harsh! Although the girls both made the honor roll the first quarter, I did not want them to rack up a bunch of zeros for two days! So, I simply said we were going out of town for a small reunion with some long-time family friends. Not exactly a lie, but certainly not "I am pulling my kids out of school so they can come to a concert while their mom relives her pre-teen obsession with New Kids on the Block!" At any rate, the principal approved - step one complete!

Step two: gather all the old memorabilia from 1989 and 1990. The girls and I had already gotten the t-shirts, buttons, boxers, nightshirt, suglasses, and hairbows out of my mom's attic. (And don't think it ends there. Items left in storage: telephone, cassette player, too many posters to count, backpack, all five NKOTB "barbie" dolls - complete with stage and props - 3' x 5' glued puzzle poster, trading cards, and framed concert tickets with a piece of Donnie Wahlberg's shirt. What, had you forgotten how much these dudes meant to me?) So we started picking out what we were going to wear to the show. Actually, we brought all the shirts, buttons, bows, sunglasses, and even my really cool 1980's NKOTB jacket!

Step three: arrive late at mom's for departure. I guess it is a personal rule that I cannot make it to my mom's on time for anything. I seriously don't have a problem arriving on time most other places, but I guess it gets mom so worked up that I just can't seem to do it!

Step four: Placate mom and insist on stopping at Starbucks even though we are "late." Ok - some perspective here - we were supposed to leave at 8:00 to meet at Amanda's by 8:30. We decided to leave at 7:45 so we could stop at Starbucks first. Actual departure time: 7:55. Actual arrival time at Amanada's: 8:30. So, we weren't even late.

And we're off! The concert was in Atlanta, 4 hours from Nashville. We all stayed with Malinda and Mindy flew in from New Orleans. We got to Malinda's in enough time to tour her house (very, very beautiful with lots of character) and tour her NKOTB memorabilia proudly displayed on her dining room table. We visited for a short time, and then we "got ready" for the concert. Brief synopsis: Mindy bought the gaudiest NKOTB tshirt she could find off ebay. Yes, it did include every neon color ever worn in the 80's. Mom opted not to wear a tshirt, but proudly displayed two VERY LARGE buttons on her shirt. The girls, me, Analise, and Anna all wore our shirts from the old days. Morgan wore the jacket, I had pins,but the winner was definitely Malinda. She had this shirt with a picture of her (at 12 years old) superimposed to look like she was leaning on Joe's shoulder. It was a riot. I don't even remember that shirt, but clearly she got it when I wasn't around. How do I know that? 1) I certainly would have had to have one, also, and 2) I never would have let her pick Joe, as he was "my" boy! Anyways, it was hysterical - and she had these buttons all around it. She said that's how it was when she pulled it out of the box, so that must have been how she wore it! (See the pictures to truly appreciate this!)

So now we're on our way to the show. We had left super-early since Atlanta's traffic is always such a nightmare, plus we wanted to have time to eat dinner before the concert. Malinda, Analise, Mrs. Potter, and I were in the front car with the rest of the gang following behind in Anna's car. We were only about 20 minutes away when Malinda says, "I don't see them behind us anymore. They were just there. Were did they go?" At which point my phone starts ringing and mom informs me that they have a flat tire and have pulled over on the side of the interstate. The 6 lane Atlanta rush-hour interstate! I was steeming mad when I found out that not one person in our whole caravan (me excluded) knew how to change a tire! Of course, after reviewing the situation, we deemed it wouldn't be prudent for me to change the tire, either, since it was on the side of the car closest to all the interstate traffic. So, a call was placed to AAA and to Atlanta's heroes to help us out. We were good sports, but let me assure you, if it had taken too long, I would have hitchiked to the show!

We arrived to the concert in plenty of time. We ate at a quick food place since we were behind schedule and the sit down places were all packed (with other 30-something women decked out in NKOTB gear!). The girls each bought a tshirt and I bought a program. Mindy and Anna bought beers. Malinda bought nothing, but did make several trips to the bathroom. Finally, she confessed that she was just so nervous! As we were finding our seats (ground level, but pretty far back) the security guard told us we were lucky because for 3 songs the "kids" would be performing on a mini stage RIGHT NEXT TO OUR SEATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point, I am not ashamed to say, Malinda and I elbow butted Mindy, Anna, and the girls to the inner part of our row so we could have the aisle next to the mini stage. The "old ladies" were directly across the way from us.

Skip the opening acts (Natasha Beddingfield and Lady Gaga, both current pop artists. Good, but we were way anxious for the show to start.). And then it starts. I swear I cried as they entered the stage! Words cannot even express how I felt. I was 13 again. Who knew that I still had the passion and obsession for them almost 20 years later?!?! About halfway through the show, tons of people started moving toward the mini stage. I was pissed! I couldn't see the main stage very well with them standing in front of me. And that also meant that I couldn't get to the front of the throng to the mini stage. So I ordered my row to stand on our seats! And they were there. Seriously, less than 20 feet away. And since the stage actually rose up, we were eye-level with them. All of us made eye contact with at least one of the "kids" (and no, Malinda did not cry this time!). We were taking pictures like crazy. It was surreal - having them that close!!! Later, we found out that mom actually had full hand to hand contact with Donnie since the "kids" entered and exited the stage from their side. Although we have determined now which 3 songs they sang from there, at the time, I couldn't have told you even one! It was the most exciting thing (next to our 2nd row, dead center seats for the Step by Step concert in 1990, of course).

The show was amazing. They looked great - even better than back in the day! They danced unbelievably, and sounded incredible. I was impressed. I mean, Malinda and I couldn't even do the Hangin' Tough arm wave the whole time! When we left, I really did want to cry. It felt the way I felt when I was 13: wanting more than anything in the world to meet (ok and marry) one of the boys and knowing I probably never would! Everyone kept talking aobut how awesome it was. Even the girls were super-excited. Mom kept bragging about touching Donnie. A good time was had by all.

I am totally sad to have to return to 32 and responsibilities. As I told my boss, she was lucky I showed up at work on Friday because if I could, I swear I would leave it all and become a NKOTB groupie right now!

Here are some of the pictures - both of us in our gear, and the boys:

Make a Smilebox greeting

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...

Is Jordan's motto for boyfriends (as she told me on the way to school this morning).

Reduce: Reduce the boy to putty in your hand - by stalking them.
She wasn't sure on this one, but I think it would be safe to surmise here, as I have seen her MO in action. Continually approach the potential boyfriend, tell him he is so funny, cute, smart, insert any complimentary adjective here. Tell the potential boyfriend how you and he are best friends. Put yourself constantly in his path. Until he starts to believe you. Hence, you have reduced him to putty in your hands.

Reuse: Reuse an old boyfriend if necessary. If an old flame that you dumped begs you back, say no. Unless it has been a month or longer, and you do not have a new boyfriend. And he promises to do everything right this time. It goes without saying that you should dump him at any moment when a better boy comes along (or he reverts back to his old ways).

Recycle: Recycle boyfriends among your girlfriends. No more 1950's notion that a girl should never date her girlfriend's old boyfriend. Heck, when your school's girl to boy ratio is 3:1, you can never take a boy off the market!

So there it is, straight from the horse's mouth (or in this case, the teenager's mouth).

Moving Pains

So everyone knows by now that the girls and I have moved back to Nashville. I went up to WI 2 weeks ago to be there with the movers as they packed and loaded our stuff. Since our stuff was being divided between two locations, it was a lot of hard work on my part getting everything separated so the movers had no trouble identifying what went where. The plan was to let Bryan's movers pack everything (since they were being paid by the Kohler Co.) on Monday and Tuesday, and then load his stuff for transport to SC on Wednesday. I had another company lined up to load my stuff on Thursday. It was a grand plan...

I chose a company called Nationwide Movers. I chose them because of two reasons: 1) they guaranteed pick-up and delivery dates, and 2) they would store my stuff up to 1 month free. Since I was working on a tight schedule in WI and wouldn't be ready for my stuff in Nashville until 2 weeks after the pick-up, this seemed like the best option. They were reasonably priced, and are accredited by the BBB and some moving association, so I felt good about my choice. How wrong I was!

Everything went off without a hitch Monday through Wednesday. The packers were very nice, very professional, and did an excellent job with both protecting the stuff and inventorying. There were 5 people there to pack the house, and since I had everything separated so well, they were able to pack the whole house in only one day! On Wednesday, Bryan's driver arrived. He and 3 or 4 other guys worked to load his stuff onto the truck. I was in awe! They moved like a well-oiled machine. They made use of the hand trucks to carry up to 5 boxes at a time UP THE STAIRS and onto the truck. One guy's whole job was to stay on the truck and best manipulate the goods for safe transport. I was feeling pretty positive since they were done in about 5 hours. I figured that if my driver was done in that amount of time, I may be able to catch an evening flight home on Thursday instead of having to stay until Friday. Then, my phone rang.

It was my movers saying that I needed to complete an inventory list so they knew what size truck to send. I had already done this over the telephone, but apparently it was not with that specific office, so I had to do it again. About an hour later, they called again to tell me that they would not have a truck here on Thursday as planned, but rather Friday morning as the crew they had available on Thursday was, "not the most professional crew." "Then why did you hire them?" I asked. I explained that I had a noon flight to catch on Friday, so they had to be here on Thursday. I also stated that I had explained all this to the "Moving Specialist" I booked the move through, and that he assured me the pick-up date. The woman said, "I don't know why he guaranteed that date. After all, we are a moving company. It's not like our guys are waiting around in WI to load your stuff!" This flippant, rude attitude set me off. I informed her that I would talk to my original guy and that pick-up on Friday was not acceptable. She said fine, and that I better go ahead and change my flight because they would not be there until Friday. I was livid! I tried calling my guy, but he never got back to me.

Thursday dawned, and I had no movers. I changed my flight to Friday evening to the tune of $246.00. Blood is boiling. Thursday evening, I received a call from the driver of the truck. He said they were finishing a job in Chicago and would be there between 8:00 and 8:30 Friday morning. I explained to him that I had to leave by 3:30, 4:00 at the latest on Friday to catch my flight, so to be sure they arrived on time. He said that would be no problem.

Friday morning, I arrive at the house at 7:40 and proceed to wait for 3 hours for the truck. When they finally did arrive at 10:30, there were only two guys. I asked if others were on their way since I had seen 4 or 5 guys load Bryan's stuff, and thought that this would be a lot of work for just 2. His response: "I will call someone. Can you go to the store and get 2 large coffees and 4 Red Bulls? We have been up for 23 hours." ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? By the time I got back from the store, the driver was still on the phone trying to round up extra help. I had no idea how he would find help. After all, if the truck wasn't waiting around in WI to load my stuff, I had a hard time believing that there were workers waiting around to do just that! Finally, at about 11:45, a woman and a teenage boy walked up to my house. That was the help.

The driver didn't really do very much, but the other guy he brought was furiously wrapping every piece of furniture in the moving blankets, then winding yards of tape around the entire bundle to hold it in place. I had never seen anything like it, but whatever, they are the "experts" and I figured that at least my stuff wouldn't get all scratched up. At one point, I noticed that the driver was unpacking something and repacking it in his own way. I questioned him on this and he basically said the other packers had not properly secured the item. Now, who would I trust to properly pack stuff at this point? The highly professional team that originally packed it, or this guy who had been awake for 23 hours? Skip ahead to where they actually started moving stuff out of the house. They looked about like what Bryan and I must have looked like when we loaded the U-Haul ourselves in Fieldstone Farms. They carried the boxes one at a time - even though they had hand trucks! It was taking forever! I proceeded to remind him that I needed to leave in a short amount of time, and he proceeded to assure me they would be finished.

At 2:00, the house was less than 1/2 empty and I knew I was not going to make my deadline. Upon speaking with him, he got mad saying, "Do not rush us. We are protecting your stuff!" I guess he finally decided that I was right - there was no way they would be finished in time - so he came up with an alternative plan: load all the crap on the front lawn. Then, he says, you can lock up and leave and we will finish loading it onto the truck. Was he serious? Now my yard looked like the Clampett's, and there was no way that I was going to leave my stuff unloaded with these jokers! So I started moving stuff out. I have no idea why I did this. I knew I was not going to make my flight. I was paying these people thousands of dollars so I would not have to do the moving, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And did I mention that while all my crap was on the lawn the sprinklers went off? I think you can begin to see why I am upset.

At 3:00, Bryan came by. He knew that I was to be leaving in a short while, and was attempting to assess the situation and see if there was anything he could do. (I am not ashamed to admit at this point that I did cry to him on the phone about how awful this all was and I was going to have to stay the night again, etc...) I called and changed my flight to Saturday morning. Thank goodness it was only a $22.00 fee this time. I made plans to get a hotel in Milwaukee near the airport so that I could go ahead and turn in my rental car. And then I waited for them to finish. At one point the driver informed me that I had a full truckload - about 14,000 pounds, and that I should pay the flat rate rather than the 60 cents per pound (I reminded him that my contract was for 50 cents per pound) that I agreed to. His "deal" - $8000.00. Let it be known that the professional company from earlier in the week estimated the entire house contents would weigh about 14 to 18 thousand pounds and that the entire move would cost about $12,000.00. Bryan took more than 1/2 the contents of the house, so you can see where this doesn't add up. I politely declined his offer of such a great deal.

At 4:30 they finally did. [Quick aside: if you do the math, and they had shown up at 8:00 am like they said, they would have been done by 2:00 - a full hour before I had to leave to catch my flight!] Now came the paperwork. For starters, the inventory list was ridiculous. He had simply written "Boxes" and drawn an arrow down the page. So there is no way to know how many boxes from each room he actually loaded. I also noticed that every single piece of furniture that he listed had been marked as "scratched." Now, I know that some of my furniture is a bit old, but most was brand new to this house, so there is no way that every single piece was scratched! Just a way to cover their asses if you ask me. Next came the packing materials and labor fees to the tune of over $600.00! Packing materials? Every bit of my stuff was already packed. He had me listed as using over 10 boxes (ranging from $25 to $30 dollars a piece) and 36 rolls of tape (at $5.00 a roll), with an additional fee of $15 to $18 per box for labor. Wasn't I already paying thousands of dollars for their labor? I lost it!!!! I demanded to know what the H he packed - EVERYTHING I OWNED HAD ALREADY BEEN PACKED BY THE PROFESSIONAL CREW EARLIER IN THE WEEK! He said he couldn't remember, but he was certain there was a dollhouse and couch cushions. Then I asked about the tape, as I had 15 rolls left over from the first crew that I had instructed him to use up before opening any new. He said he wasn't going to use tape that wasn't his. At the amount of tape they were securing around each piece of furniture, I am sure this was simply a scam to incur additional charges. He had also charged me for 2 flights of stairs ($150). Now, I do have 2 flights, but in my contract it clearly states that the first flight is free and each additional flight is $75.00. And then the kicker - he had me paying Florida state tax! I informed him that I was in WI and would be happy to pay WI tax (5 1/4), but that he could not legally charge me FL tax (8 1/4) since we were doing business in WI. I even went so far as to say that I wasn't even sure he could charge me tax period since we were crossing state lines. (I have no idea if this is true, but it sounded good and I was on a roll!) He said that the business was based out of FL and he had to pay FL, so the company needed to recoup that loss - I told him where he could shove it and did not agree to sign the packing materials and labor fees sheet - that I would take it up with the company later. Oh, and I forgot the 3% convenience fee he wanted to charge me for using a credit card - apparently the fee the company was charging him and he said he needed to recoup that "loss" - when there was no mention of that in any of my paperwork or else I would have paid with check or cash!

I made it home Saturday morning and immediately was on the phone with my original "Moving Specialist." He stated that some of what the driver was doing was "idiotic" and told me he would have the Regional Manager call me Monday morning. Fast forward to Monday morning - no call. OK, so they were having a hurricane, but still! I never did connect with him, but finally on Thursday I spoke with the co-owner. [Another aside: apparently Nationwide has several "franchises" that are individually owned and operated, so I was not dealing with the accredited, reputable company, but some branch based out of Miami.] The co-owner [of the franchise] was exactly like all the other representatives from the company. That is to say, he was rude, made excuses, defended his actions, did not put me, the customer, first, and was MIddle Eastern (as they all were). I am not racist, but as the conversation went along, I could tell this man was not used to American business practices and customer service standards. I explained to him that I was not trying to get out of paying for legitimate fees, but that the packing/labor fees was ridiculous, and that I expected to be reimbursed for the flight changes and extra night at the hotel. He never specifically agreed to this...But he did start explaining how this was a business and they needed to make money, after all. He also said they would not be guaranteeing the delivery of my stuff since they have families and certainly I could find it in my heart to understand that they would want the weekend off. Fine, don't work weekends, BUT THEN DON'T TELL ME YOU DO WORK WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS AND WILL GUARANTEE MY DELIVERY DATE!!! I told him all the items that I felt were adding up to one big scam. He said - you don't know what a scam is. A scam is when no one returns your calls and you never see your stuff again! He then went on to say that Bryan had hurt the driver's feelings and that he felt threatened by him, and what was I going to do about that? He said he understood that this is America and we have freedom of speech, but the driver was hurt. I say again, WAS HE KIDDING? What do you want me to do? I asked. He said, well, you have a nice long weekend to think about it! I told him this was the strangest conversation I had ever had with a business owner as it was so unprofessional. I really didn't know how to respond or handle our talk - it was so bizarre! I can just imagine my dad telling some unhappy customer that his parking attendant's feelings were hurt! Get real! I did say well you are a business owner, what do you do if your driver feels threatened? He said they called the police. I said, well he didn't so sorry! So bizarre...

The bottom line - if I see my stuff at all again I will be lucky. It definitely won't be when they promised as they will all be at home with their families. I may see it later in the week, but I am thinking they will hold it for as long as possible just to stick it to me! I plan to file a complaint with the BBB and to make a call to the National (or regional?) Nationwide company to let them know exactly how this branch is operating. We have not come to an agreement yet on the total cost, or it they will deduct the amount of change in flight / hotel fees. I have a feeling I will pay the full amount - after they have my stuff! I will keep you posted...

**Oh yeah, they said my contents weighed 14,000 pounds (there is no way!). But even so, the total cost of the move (not even considering the reimbursements) was less than the "deal" the driver was offering me of $8000.00! Any way you look at it, I am being scammed!

Steph's 'Stache

Anyone who has seen me this summer knows it's true - I have a mustache!
Not literally, of course, but you can't tell it's not a full lip of hair unless you inspect my mouth at an uncomfortably close range.

As is true with most of my stories, you have to go back quite some way to get to the beginning... Last summer, my family vacationed at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Since Mindy is past college, and therefore past the point of coming home each summer, it had been a little while since I had seen her. After the initial hugging and "How are you's" I noticed that Mindy had a five o'clock shadow on her upper lip. Being the nice, supportive sister I am, I politely waited until the next day to question her about her unlovely lady lip. Mindy immediately went into defensive "I'm the baby of the family and therefore very sensitive" mode. She said that there was no hair on her lip as she is a religious waxer, but that for some unexplainable reason, her upper lip seemed to be tanning at a rate much faster than the rest of her face, therefore giving her the look of a mustache. (It is important to note here that Mindy is a sun worshipper, so having a much tanner upper lip is hard to imagine since the rest of her face is already so dark, but it was.) She went on to say that she had no idea what to do about it, how to hide it, how to get rid of it, and best yet, how to make sure it never came back. I did the sisterly thing and lamented with her plight while also offering makeup tips on how to possibly blend the color of her face more naturally with her lip. Later that week, I was having a facial at the hotel spa and decided to ask the aesthetician if she had ever heard of Mindy's condition. Her first question was, "Does she wax her upper lip?" I replied in the affirmative and she went on to explain that the waxing changes the composition of the skin (or something along those lines) therefore making it more susceptible to sun exposure. It was really way longer and much more scientific than that, but come on, it was over a year ago, and not all that important to me at the time! I dutifully reported to MIndy what I had discovered. Since then, she regularly applies sunscreen to her upper lip (while carefully making sure none of it touches any other part of her body). And voila! No more mustache.

Fast forward to this summer and our family vacation in Mexico. Since I had moved to Wisconsin, it had been a little while since everyone had seen me. After the initial hugging and "How are you's" everyone noticed that I had a five o'clock shadow on my upper lip. Being the nice, supportive sisters/mother they are, they politely waited until the next day to question me about my unlovely lady lip. I immediately went into defensive "I'm the middle child and why does everyone pick on me" mode. I said that there was no hair on my lip as I am a religious waxer, but that for some unexplainable reason, my upper lip seemed to be tanning at a rate much faster than the rest of my face, therefore giving me the look of a mustache. And it's all Mindy's fault! I have never had this trouble before, and I have been a lip waxer for over a decade! I didn't have this trouble last summer when Mindy did, in fact I had never even heard of such a thing before!!! (It should be noted that I am a huge hypochondriac and often think I have several inflictions after first hearing of them. Just ask dad about my brain tumor, my shin hernia, or the time I contracted malaria.) But this time it was true! I heard about the condition, and then I get it.

So that's it. I am stuck with the stache until the skin sloughs off or my tan fades. I have taken Mindy's advice and apply 30 or higher SPF sunblock to my upper lip while applying only 15 or so to the rest of my face. So far, no change has taken place. It is very embarrassing, and no amount of cover-up or foundation can mask my stache. My family thinks it is quite funny, but I'm not laughing. The silver lining: Maybe now my family will take my medical complaints more seriously!

Caught with my pants down!

I took the girls out to eat on Saturday. We went to their favorite restaurant (that we don't have in WI, so haven't been to in forever) - O'Charley's. Our meal was uneventful, until dessert. We ordered the caramel pie to split.

I have already told you all about my bathroom issues in a previous blog entry. I am still off the medication, and doing ok, but sometimes the attacks come on quick - you can't always rush home to go in peace...and this was one of those times. I left the credit card with the girls and told them to give it to the server - I was going to the bathroom.

As is my custom when I have to do a big job in public, I chose the last stall in the bathroom. As is usually the case, this happens to be the handicapped stall. No biggie, I think. I was even pleasantly surprised (don't be too grossed out here) to find that a woman and her toddler were leaving the stall after changing a nasty diaper, so no one would even attribute any foul odor to me.

All is progressing well until I hear the door open and the obvious sounds of a lady shuffling along using a walker. What?! I have never actually seen someone who truly needed the handicapped stall in a bathroom before (or at least can't readily recall any such situation). The lady tries my door and I have to give the nice reply, "Someone's in hear" while feeling totally guilty for taking up this stall and making this poor lady wait! Plus now, I am interrupted, so I am also a little perturbed at how I would finish with an audience!! (I told you that I have serious issues with public pooing!)

As if this interruption isn't bad enough, I hear a voice call, "Mom?" It is unmistakeably Morgan's. "Yes," I answer. At this point she proceeds to go into the stall next to mine and says, "Here," and hands to me, under the stall, the bill and pen to sign it with! I could have died! What on earth made her bring this into the restroom?! So as not to cause any disturbance with the handicapped lady who is patiently waiting for my stall, I just take the darn thing and start to seethe.

Now, I don't know about you, but I do not want any person seeing me exit the bathroom with the bill and the pen. I mean, who does that? So I do the only logical (to me) thing, I stick it in my waist-band and hide it under my shirt! So I quickly get up from my job (which I am obviously going to have to finish at home) and exit the stall. I wash my hands and return to the table. Where I promptly begin to berate the girls for sending me the bill in the bathroom! Morgan said Jordan told her to do it [as a side note, this is always how it goes down, Jordan thinks of the ideas, and Morgan carries them out!] and that they didn't want to wait for me to come out of the bathroom! Morgan said she thought I would sign it (where, on my knee?) and give it back to her. I nicely pointed out that even if they had a signed bill, I had the car keys and drivers' license, so where exactly did they think they were going??

The moral of the story: Never use the pen offered by the server - you never know how many trips to the ladies' room it has made!

Steph is out-of-practice!

Ok - so I know it's been a while (7 years to be exact) since my girls were 5, but I had no idea how rusty I was in dealing with that age group!

Brantley came up to WI on June 8 - just a short two weeks ago. Since then, I have been a cocker spaniel, the beatuy parlor lady, and Joe, Brantley's prom date. I have been to a Disney Princess party at the Y, craft day at the library, and have watched the world premier of Camp Rock on Disney Channel. Come to think of it, I have now seen every show on Disney Channel - twice - as it is permanently playing on my T.V. And the cooking!! I forgot how nice it was that my girls can not only fix their own breakfast and snacks, but Morgan actually cooks dinner, too. Gone are those days! I am back to being in the kitchen almost full-time. No sooner have I cleaned up from one meal/snack than Brantley is ready to eat again! And we no longer can have "fend for yourself" nights for dinner. And can you believe that Brantley actually needs help in the bath? I haven't had to do that in a while!

And the toys...since Brantley is afraid of being in the basement by herself, that means that all the toys from down there are now up here - cluttering my family room. I have been forced to place two baskets in an out-of-the-way spot behind my couch to be the catchall for all the junk. I swear I pick up all day long, and even though the house is perfect when I go to bed, it is already a complete wreck after breakfast! Brantley does like to play in her room, and since that is upstairs where I don't have to see it, we only pick that up about every other day...I have learned that I am completely anal about the cleanliness/straightness of my house. I feel like I spend way too much time asking her to "put that away," or "pick that up," or "please flush the toilet," and "turn the lights off when you are done." I sound worse than my own mother! (Sorry, mom!)

I am exhausted! Either I am getting too old for little ones, or else I am just really rusty! I know that my girls were just like her - worse in fact, because there were two of them - but I don't remember all the work. I guess it's like childbirth: you soon forget just how painful it was. I have forgotten just how much work kids are! (The only difference this time around - at least Bryan can take over with all the "playing" once he gets home from work. He isn't nearly as much fun as me, but he will have to do!)

All that being said, we (or at least Brantely) are having lots of fun. This week: The Bee Movie, a juggler, a My Little Pony party, and whatever "unscheduled" make-believe play she concocts. Hats off to Sandy and Mom for their dedication to full-time motherhood!!!

**A slight disclaimer: All this being said, let me assure you that my girls are still just as hard, only in a different way. I still have their junk strewn all over the house, but they are much better at picking it up when I go nuts than Brantley is. They are still dominating the T.V. it's just with other channels I have no interest in, like E! and MTV. And maybe I don't have to do a ton of meal preparation for them, but the amount of driving to and from activities/friends' houses takes up just as much of my day!

Gotta' love them - and I do!

Nothing Exciting Ever Happens in WI!

Or at least, that's how we feel. Seriously, nothing is going on!

Mom and Dad and Mr. and Mrs. Black came up last weekend so the guys could play golf at the Kohler courses. They made it through one full round at Whistling Straits, and didn't get but to the 4th hole or so on Blackwolf Run before the rain/storms came. They weren't too upset, though, as they received their "raincheck" in the form of in-store credit to use at the pro shop!

Mom, Mrs. Black, Morgan and I went to Appleton to shop at some scrapbook stores and to hit the mall. We had a great time. We were all very proud to have limited our spending to "just the essentials." Mrs. Black gave Morgan a gift card to Abercrombie for being such a good hostess, and mom gave her some money to spend at the mall (since she knew Morgan was saving up for this really expensive camera and didn't have any money to spend) so she was in hog heaven. We enjoyed the long trek (1 hour and 15 minutes one way) and getting to catch up on all the latest gossip.

Saturday night, we went to Kohler's nicest dining facility - The Immigrant Room at the American Club. It was really good. Bryan and I don't eat like that very often!! Thanks Mom, Dad, and Mr. and Mrs. Black! (Morgan even tried caviar!)

Jordan had spent the weekend with her "best" friend here in WI shopping in Chicago for a graduation dress. The girl's step-grandmother (who is really quite young and hip, apparently) even gave Jordan some money to spend! So needless to say, she too, was in hog heaven!!

Bryan had to leave very early Sunday morning to go to SC to pick up Brantley. As usual, his plane was delayed on the way home, and they didn't get home until after 1:00 in the morning!

The girls' last day of school was Wednesday. Neither seems too sad at the thought that it would be the last time either would see the school or those kids...although I think Jordan will definitely be sad to leave some of her friends.

Bryan and I celebrated our 1-year anniversary last night. We ate at this really nice restaurant on one of the other well-known golf courses. It really wasn't all that great. We also spent the night at this historic bed and breakfast. That was really fun.

Which brings us to today and our fun time of running errands.

So truly, nothing exciting ever happens in WI! I can understand why the girls are anxious to get to camp!

Sell This House!

Ok, I have tried really hard not to get too stressed about it, but we are getting down to the wire now - we need to sell this house!!

We have only had a handful of people come and look at the house (outside of open houses, which, as we all know, aren't populated by people who necessarily want to buy a house, but rather the curious and those that just tour open houses for fun). Each time, I had hope. To no avail. Some of the most promising lookers ended up "settling" (their words, not mine) for other houses. One decided to buy the house down the street - it was cheaper. And one decided to buy a house 30 minutes away, in Port Washington, after stating to my realtor that they wanted to be in Howards Grove only! They found their "dream house" which is half the size of mine, with half the amenities. So I ask, how can that be their dream house?! One family decided not to buy the house because we were on such a main street. Ok - that's ridiculous - this is Howards Grove, with a population of just over 2,000. And we live in a neighborhood! The latest looker came through on Thursday. She told the realtor that she just "wasn't feeling it" - whatever that means. She said the whole house would need to be repainted as the colors were hideous (I take serious offense to that!) which I think is stupid since everyone has to repaint when they move. And the two things she didn't like were my kitchen sink and master bathroom sinks. Let me tell you that those were two of the hefty upgrades we made. The kitchen sink happens to be my favorite - it is a beautiful sunlight yellow that matches the countertops and cabinets beautifully. The master bathroom sinks are a little more understandable since they are a funky light blue, but they are really cool shaped, and one of Kohler's hottest items right now. Not to mention that all three sinks are cast iron...

So I guess it's time to call in the big dogs. I am going to bury a St. Joseph statue in my yard upside-down, like a good Catholic. (It is St. Joseph, right?) Other than that, I don't know much else we can do (other than dramatically lower the price). The realtor said we are at a slight disadvantage because we almost certainly need a family who is relocating to buy since anyone in town who is ready to move up in the world has no buyers for their starter homes. (That, apparently is where our market is suffering the most - at the lower end homes for sale.)

Please pray for us!! I start work part-time in two weeks, which means half the paycheck. And we close on our new house at the end of August - which means two mortgages - and that we definitely can't afford!!

I would say that I need to contact HGTV to come and do a special on us, like "Designed to Sell," or "My House is Worth What?" but I think it already is designed to sell. Maybe not priced to sell, but doggone it, we paid a lot for this sucker and would like to at least come out even!

We have another open house this Sunday, so maybe something will happen there...

Computer Troubles

It's official - the Dell mom bought for me for Christmas a couple of years ago is officially dead!

I have had so much trouble with that computer. About 6 months after I got it, it started acting up. The first problem I encountered was that I could not log in. I could turn it on, but the screen would immediately go blank. I called customer service where I was helped by some man in India. I really do not know what all he said, but there was one point where I did a little test, and I did understand his response - the hard drive was shot. I was livid!! I lost everything (the most devastating loss being all my photos!!). I had to send in the bad hard drive to Dell and they sent me a new one. It was a huge hassel, and although it was a free replacement (still under warranty), it's not like I knew what the heck the hard drive even was! I had to call Troy (mom's trusty computer guy) to help me take out the old one and put in the new one. He then installed a back up hard drive that would automatically back up my files every night at 3:00 am. Problem solved. For a few months, anyways!

Not 10 months later, it happened again. I am not even sure what "it" was, just that our computer was all fouled up. I opted not to call my good friends in India, but instead went straight to Troy. He said my hard drive was shot and needed to be replaced - again! My computer was no longer under warranty, but somehow he finageled Dell for a free replacement. I was really bummed, though. At this point, I really didn't feel that I could trust this computer. And what a hassel! It's not like Troy dropped everything to come and work on my pc, so everytime I had an issue, my computer was out of commission for over a week. No email, no internet, and since my phone was through my computer as well, I had troubles with it, too!! Plus, even though I got the hard drive for free both times, Troy was not! But whatever, it was back up and working.

Fast forward another few months. Problems again. This time, we would be working on the computer and it would suddenly kick you off line, or shut down. Very wierd. But, I was in the process of getting married and moving, so I decided to just move the whole messed-up thing and deal with it here in WI. Of course, I don't have a Troy here, so I had to turn to the trusty phone book. Ok - we are in Sheboygan, WI - literally one of the smallest towns I have ever seen, and not close to anything large, so my options were like, nothing. I decided to wait until we were gong into Appleton or Milwaukee, and then I would try to bring it along and find a geek squad or something. But then I saw this ad in our work newsletter. It was a private guy, he worked out of his house, and would come to mine to make a diagnosis for free. So I called him.

He comes to the house and immediately I am worried. Not that I judge everyone by appearances, but he is kind of dirty and really needs to shave. But, still, he is taking a look at my pc (along with some of the laptops - which I will brief you on at the end). He took it home with him, and the long and short of it is that (over $300.00 later) he replaced the hard drive - again! But no files were lost, so I guess I am still in good shape, right? WRONG!!

Apparently when he installed the new hard drive, he did not put any security software on my computer! That brings us to the most recent problem. We kept getting a message when we were working on the computer. Something like "Malware has been detected on your PC. Warning!" Of course, I have no idea what this is, so we just ignore it and keep using it. Then one day, the creepiest thing happened. I was on it and suddenly the screen went blotchy bright blue, and hundreds of small, black cockroaches starting crawling all over the screen. Morgan and I were working together, and when it happened, we both jumped and even let out a little scream. I shut down the machine and then fired it back up. I was able to get to the log in screem but when I actually tried to log in, it flashed this huge warning "WARNING - Your computer has a Virus!!" It was like nothing I had ever seen. And that was it, you couldn't do anything.

This time, I called my new computer guy (similar to mom's Troy). It is the boyfriend of someone I work with, and as you will see below I had already worked with him, he is good, thorough, and fair. He takes it home and tells me shortly that he had never seen anything like this, that it would take many hours to fix - and the fix might not even bring the machine up to full working capacity. Of course, there is always the option to install a new hard drive! (For those of you who are counting, that would be number 4 on a machine that is only like 3 years old!) I opted for the sane solution - dump that piece of crap and I will get a new computer! The problem with this: I haven't sold my house, I am about to stop working, and we will soon be adding a new home to our list of bills. Purchasing a new computer right now seems a little foolish. But what else am I to do?? The other problem - since I had the back up hard drive set to update automatically every night, it probably updated the virus as well, meaning, you guessed it, all my stuff is lost. We are not sure that is actually the case yet, but if it is, I will die. I have EVERY ONE of my photos on the computer. I will be able to download my ITunes onto a new pc, so that is good, but my pictures!! I will die if they are gone.

So the breakdown of where my family sits right now as far as computers go:
1. No desktop - unsure if any files/pictures will be salvageable, and no Itunes until I get a new PC to download my account to (This is particularly devastating for the girls as they use ITunes every day)

2. I am currently using Mindy's old laptop she got when she graduated from high school - It works fine, but must be plugged in at all times since it has no battery. (This pc was given to me by my dad who was calling it a lost cause because the cord was faulty, so it kept shutting down. I paid the first WI guy to fix the cord so it would be usable.)

3. Bryan and I both have laptops from work. I am about to lose mine since I will no longer be working.

4. We have two old Mac laptops mom gave to the girls a few Christmases ago. Both are too old to really be of any use. They are too slow to go on the internet. Brantley is about the only one that uses them - to type!

5. We have Bryan's personal laptop. It, too is broken. It has somehting to do with the screen - again the first WI computer guy looked at it for me. It was going to be pricey to fix, so it is just sitting here, collecting dust. [Maybe I should pay to fix the screen and let that be my main computer. Beats buying a new desktop - but I really like a desktop for all my work!]

6. The girls each have a laptop that Bryan and I bought them for Christmas. They are refurbished Compaqs - although everything appeared brand new when they arrived. I have already had my good WI computer guy work on them both. When we got them they were really slow and should have been top notch. He got them all up and working perfectly. But now, Morgan's screen works on and off, and her wireless card is shot! So we are having that repaired.

I serously want to scream with all the problems we have with computers. It's just not like you can buy the darn thing - hook it up - and use it without any complications. I have sunk so much money into pc repair and maintenance - thnk of all the shoes I could have bought with that money!! So, this blog is long enough, let's end it by saying I am technologically challenged and should probably give up computers all together!

*On a side note, Sandy got the same Dell from mom the same Christmas. Hers lasted an even shorter amount of time before they had to replace theirs. All I have to say is I will never buy another Dell!

In the 30's at night time. In the low 50's in the day. Wind is unbelievable. Hit almost 60 today, but with wind, was still cold. Our heat has yet to be turned off - and it is the middle of May!!

Poor Jason!

I hate to admit it, but I think Jason is definitely going to get kicked off tomorrow. I think he is so cute and has such a different style than everyone else, but the boy's dumber than a pile of rocks!! I actually can't believe he lasted this long.

As for the rest - Syesha is definitely getting better, but why does she always have to pick the "big songs" by the "big blacks". Ok - that is totally my wording, but seriously - she did Whitney, Tina, Sam Cooke (and others earlier on that I just can't remember). I think she did the best on the Broadway night - that is her niche, the stage thing.

David Archuleta is still so cute, but come on, he only sings those ballads. Anyone remember the Wham! disaster? And that was about his only attempt at a more upbeat pop song. I do like him, though, and think he will get offers after AI no matter if he wins or not so...

That leaves David Cook - my favorite! I love him. To me, he is the one who already seems like a star. He is creative (and really cute himself). I was blown away to hear him during the Broadway week - who knew he could sing like that? I think I like him best because he really is a rocker with a personality. Plus he is reminiscent of the grunge bands from my highschool years.

Only two more weeks until the finish - then on with the tour (which I would totally go to if it were to come my way!)

I know you thought I was done blogging about the weather

but I had to lament one last time. Apparently WI doesn't get Spring weather until summertime. We have had temperatures in the 50's a small handful of times. We have made it to the low 60's twice. But Monday, we had snow. And today it is back to the 40's. I mean seriously, I didn't think the weather was like this unless you were in Alaska! I am so tired of being cold. We have not been able to turn the heat off yet this year. And there are still no buds on trees, nor any flowers blooming. When will it end????????

Bryan says he doesn't like that he is the butt of all my blog jokes...

So today I figured I would play that role myself.

For those who know me well, it is no big surprise that I have gained a lot of weight (60 pounds to be exact) in the last 3 or 4 years. You may recall how hot I was at Malinda's wedding - I know I do! I had worked hard and had reached my ideal weight. I was determined to wear a bikini that summer (something I hadn't done since high school). Alas, although my weight was great, apparently having two kids moved too much stuff around and I never quite found a two-piece that really showed off my new figure. I did however find a really beautiful white suit in Italy. You never saw that one? Did you miss the "white suit in Italy" part? I know that Italians bare it all at the beach, but the store owner assured me it was doublelined - anyhow that's another blog entirely!! At any rate, I was looking and feeling great.

Skip to January after that summer. Again, for those who know me well, you also know that I have had bathroom issues since I was a child (3rd grade to be exact). So after suffering in silence for many years (while not understanding how others never felt like they wanted to strip naked and lay on the cold bathroom floor and die while going #2) I finally decided to tell my doctor about it. She was very understanding, telling me I had irritable bowel syndrome (which I now highly doubt was an accurate diagnosis). She put me on some medicine and I was cured!! Literally - within 2 weeks I was a normal pooper. So, the doctor gives you a diagnosis, puts you on medication, you feel better. The end, right? Not quite...

Skip to March of this year. I am lamenting to my family doctor (my new one here in Sheboygan) that I cannot get my weight under control. I explain how I have put on over 60 pounds in less than 4 years and that I had not changed my lifestyle in any great way - I still don't exercise and I still eat just about anything I want. I explained that I had tried so many diets at this point, and that my body just wasn't responding well to any of them. He really didn't do much but say the same old doctor fall-back response of "eat less and healthier, and exercise." But by the third time I was complaining to him (and with 6 months of weight data since he had been seeing me showing that I had gained yet another 5 or so pounds) he started to listen. Then he started reviewing my chart. Which is when he let me in on the A-ha moment. "Stephanie," he says, "the medication you are taking [and have been for the past few years] for IBS has side effects. One of which is weight gain (25 pounds per year for the average user)." I was stunned into total silence. Was he serious? My doctor never told me anything about weight gain. And I liked my medicine - I could finally poop right!! But, like any good patient, I went home and googled. And what did I find - you guessed it. He was totally right. Patients gained an average of 25 punds per year while taking this medication. At this point you may be thinking - problem solved, story over. But not quite.

I began discussing with Bryan what the doctor had told me. I admit that I was really pissed off that my "cure" had done this to me, but I was scared about not having it anymore - I remember "before" very well. I also talked some with my mom, who of course touted the same old, "You are way too young to be on a lifelong medication. Quit being such a hypochondriac and drink a glass of prune juice a day. You'll be fine." (Anyone who knows my mom well need not be reminded that she thinks all things are cureable by sheer willpower...) Eventually I decided that she was probably right. Even the doctor said he would help put me on a natural food program that should do the trick without any medication. Funny how my first doctor never mentioned this option!! So that is what I chose to do - go off the medication and begin to get my figure back. [As an aside, something else my first doctor never told me - coming off the medication would be pure hell. I have not nearly enough room here to list all the side effects. Suffice it to say that I am still suffering from some 3 weeks after the last dose!]

Ther is a lesson to this post: Always do your research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am happy to report that I have lost 7 pounds in the three weeks that I have stopped the medicine. I am pooping almost fine - at least fine enough not to want the old drug again. And I hope that this [see picture below] is a thing of the past. So there, Bryan, now I am the butt of the joke, literally!!



[Yes, it did happen in public. Yes, I was mortified. Yes, I lost all sense of pride in my body. But, it has also helped me to stay the course, withdrawal symptoms and all.]So, wish me luck!

You know you're Stephanie Eads if...

Every friend you have spoken to within the last 5 years and all your family members (including your new husband) is tearing up your email to "See if you've heard", or to "Let you know" the New Kids on the Block are reuniting for a new album and tour!

I am so there!! I cannot wait. I feel 12 again - seriously that giddy. Today at work, all the ladies around my age were literally tittering with excitement. Meanwhile, all the ladies around my mom's age were reminiscing about their own daughter's fanatical behavior for the Fab 5 from Beantown.

Do you think it is inappropriate to drag your two pre-teens along to the show with you while waving an "I Love Joe" sign?

P.S. Mom, when I am there this weekend, I so have to get my NKOTB memorabilia out of your attic!!!!!!

Spring is Here!

Sort of...

Today we hit 36 degrees and it was sunny. The thaw out is in full swing! We have actually uncovered the limbs that we cut off our Christmas tree to put it in the stand (the night we set them out for the trash guys to pick them up it snowed something like 10" and they have been frozen solid ever since)! Hopefully the trash guys will get them this week. We have also uncovered tons of trash in our yard. The wind here is unbelievable, so you never know what will come blowing onto your property. Then, the snow entombs it for the season. I spent a good hour picking all the junk up out of our yard. The only problem is that we still don't have a yard yet, so I was completely covered in mud. I am not sure my shoes are salvagable!!

Bryan's main "spring" task was to replace the mailbox. You may remember that the plow finally took it out. For a while we were able to prop the mailbox in the snow and that worked ok. But, now that we are thawing out, there isn't a tall enough pile of snow to prop it in. The mailman hasn't left us our mail in about 3 days now, so we couldn't put it off any further. You would think this would be a simple project, but trust me, it wasn't! First we had to get the old post out. Since the ground is still frozen solid, we had to use several gallons of hot water around the base to thaw the dirt enough that we could scoop it away from the post. It took a LONG time! Then, Bryan had to use his many tools to [basically unscrew] remove the post from the base in the concrete. At any rate, the removal process was a tedious one. Enter new mailbox - I let Bryan have his way and get one of those Rubbermaid, hideous beasts of a mailbox (what do I care, I'm moving)! He did the install completely on his own, but it did include pouring more concrete...why, I don't know. I think he just wanted to play with concrete. I didn't want to point this out, but I think he just concreted over the tons of bulbs we planted there in the fall!! So much for the beautiful flowers around the mailbox this spring.The sucker is in and not going anywhere. And since it is that plasticy material, I think it will be able to withstand both the snow and the plow. Only one downfall - it is completely crooked. Bryan had the level out and was driving by trying to make sure it was the perfect height for getting the mail from your car, but apparently he forgot to make sure it was square to the curb. When I did point that out (come on, I can't hold everything in) he said he did it on purpose because the road curved a little and the mailman would appreciate it! Was he serious?!?!?! But again, who cares - I'm moving!!

Ah, the spring outdoor projects begin!

You think you have problems??

Mom can't decide whether to stay or move. Aunt Jeanne has TV troubles. Mindy has no idea how to care for an orchid. Well, I have bigger problems...


Did you see it? My big problem?? Here is a close-up in case you missed it:


He can understand compensation problems all over the world, yet not grasp the concept that thick, white athletic socks are not to be worn with loafers!!

Ok - so I know I am obsessed with the weather,

but, really that is all that I have! I mean come on, no malls or other noteworthy stores, one theater (that is totally overpriced, so we go rarely), no good chain restaurants, and no friends. So really, all we have to break the monotony is the weather. And boy is it crazy.

Today, our high was -6, with a windchill of cold as shit. There was an advisory today for "blowing snow" - I had no idea what that meant. Now I do. Apparently, since this is such a flat, barren landscape, there is nothing to break the wind when it blows. And boy does it blow! Since there is so much snow on the ground and the wind is so strong, the visibility was like, 0, and then the snow was sticking and immediately freezing on the finally almost back to normal roads. What a mess!!

Tonight they are calling for much the same, with a few flurries. But tomorrow afternoon to evening, another snow advisory! They are calling for another 4-8 inches!! Can you believe it? I have never seen anything like this in my life! We may even get to squeak another snow day out of this...

Everyone keeps saying this is the worst winter they have had in years. Is it just our bad luck? I am telling you, my southern blood can barely take this cold! But I do love the snow!!

Snow Day Number 2!!

Well, we got another snow day today. We knew we were in for a big storm - it was far reaching all the way from Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas on up. It began at 6:00 Tuesday evening and is due to end tonight (Wednesday) at midnight. The snowfall total is not in yet, but I have heard 14-18". The reason we actually got off of school is because the snow was coming so fast (and blowing around so hard) that the plows could not keep up with it. I imagine they will get the roads cleared tonight and all will return to normal tomorrow.

Casualties of snow storms at the Bennett/Jackson's:

The trash has not been taken out in three weeks - our pickup day has happened to fall on the blizzard days each time!

The mailbox is completely buried after today's storm. Since Bryan is out of the country, I guess I will have to dig it out tomorrow morning before work. :(

The driveway is piled high and our snow plower we hired has not come by. Since Bryan is out of the country, I guess I will have to shovel it myself tomorrow - NOT! I guess I will have to drive up and down the driveway several times to pack it down to a driveable surface. Let me warn you, however, that this is not a Wisconsin advisable tactic as then the packed slush will turn to ice which will then cause a huge mess and can only be plowed by a professional.

My patio furniture (new this fall - too late in the season to actually use it, but at a great bargain!) is now completely covered by the snow drifts (for the 3 time this season). One chair has actually blown somewhere into the yard, so once the snow melts some, I guess I will have to brave the frozen tundra to retrieve it.


On another note, I suppose my family in Michigan probably had a snow day today due to the same storm. Not sure how much snow they got, but...

My family in St. Louis is probably also digging themselves out.

I saw where my family in Nashville had to battle Tornadoes.

All I can say is what a storm!!!

Bragging Blogger

My family had such a good week, I just had to share:

Jordan and Morgan got their report cards this week. Both made the gold honor roll - the highest honor roll at school!

Brantley made it a whole week with all smiley faces. This is quite an accomplishment as the last month she has had several straight faces and even a couple of frowny faces!

Bryan was rated "Above Expectations" on his performance review. They are putting him on the fast track. They are creating a position below him so that he can have a direct report. He needs this in order to be promoted to the next tier - which we hope will be this summer or fall.

And I lost 2 pounds last week and have done amazing on my diet this week, so hope to add another 2 to that!

Go Bennett-Jackson's!!

Finally a Snow Day!!

But let me tell you how bad things have to be to actually get this day off:

A blizzard came in last night
-11 temperature with a windchill of -35
Freezing rain that coated all the streets and then 2" of snow on top of that (Apparently the plows are defenseless against the ice- HAH!)
Wind speeds of 65 mph with gusts up to 80 mph

So I ask you, is it even worth it to have to deal with this crap just for a day off school?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are scheduled to have another winter storm system this evening and more snow for the rest of the week. Maybe we can milk this one day off into the rest of the week!

The only downside - I have a laptop and access to work stuff, so technically should be working from home. Oh, yeah, and we are out of milk.

Home Alone!

For the first time in 7 months I am absolutely, positively by myself!! The girls are in Nashville and Bryan has gone to Asia. So that leaves me home alone for 36 hours. I never realized how much I enjoyed the time I had to myself before. Now, I am married and have the kids on a full time basis (a novelty for a divorced woman)! It's not that I don't like my family - I love them. But I like me time too! So what did I do today and will I do tomorrow with all that time you may ask?

The sad reality is that I did exactly what I would do if they were here! I did laundry, straightened up the house, paid the bills, etc... The difference is that I also squeezed in the nap of the century, I finally got to see "Hairspray", I lingered in bed with coffee and my book, and I got to play as long as I wanted in my crop room! Life is good.

Although I must mention that when I dropped the girls off at the airport on Thursday, I cried! I haven't been without them in so long. And I never even got out of bed when Bryan left. Just a kiss and a nod back to sweet sleep!

Why don't people in WI use trash cans?

This was a question that I studiously pondered when we moved here. No one uses trash cans. All trash is placed on the street in clear bags. That's it - no cans at all. Well, being civilized from the big city and all, I was having none of that. I went to Walmart and bought a huge trash can. Trash is collected once a week. So, we keep the can in the garage, fill it up (no messy bags littering my garage floor), and dutifully wheel it out to the curb on pick-up day.

The first week we did this, I could tell the trash persons were not happy about it. I came home to find the can thrown haphazardly on the driveway, and the lid was gone. I guess they were too lazy to remove the lid, dump the trash, then replace the lid. My guess was that they just tossed the lid in with the load. No biggie, the can is the important part anyways, right? (I did later that week find the lid about 1/2 a mile from our house on the side of the road, flat as a pancake. I was too embarrassed to admit it was mine, so I just left it there!)

So this goes on for a couple of weeks - can is always thrown somewhere on our property. Now, as the snow begins to pick up, it is not always a fun job to retrieve the can, but still, I am not giving in to them!

I have also realized that the wind in our neck of the woods is close to hurricane proportions, which means that sometimes the can is blown halfway down the block by the time I get home to put it away. I am sure the neighbors are not happy, but none have yet to return it to our drive (and since we are the only ones with a can, they have to know it is ours!) But this week we hit a new "high".

The morning of trash day we set out the can along with several boxes from the Christmas holidays. When we got home, the can was nowhere in sight. I figured that the trash persons had finally had it and had just chucked the can along with the boxes. So they win, I guess. But not quite.

Two days later, I spotted our trash can several houses down in an empty lot, half full of trash, half full of snow. This time, I stopped the car, dumped the contents on the lot, and took the can home. I will not give in!! Civilized cultures use trash cans! Note, however, that in my diligence to stay clean and civilized I have now littered twice!

I have, however uncovered the mystery of why no one in WI uses trash cans -
1. The trash persons have no respect for the receptacle
and
2. Between the wind and the snow, it will not stay in place anyways!!

Just between you and I, if I "lose" it again, I will not search for it and I will not claim it from the neighbors. I will leave my trash can where it lays. I will simply do as the romans and drag my trash to the curb sans can!!!