Being Thankful

Of all the Thanksgivings I've celebrated, this one seems the most poignant. So...I'm going to list some things I'm thankful for, in no particular order, just as they pop in my head. And I'm not going to list the obvious things like God, my husband, family and friends! There, got those out of the way, now here it is:

my doggies (thank you God for making them!!)
a paying job
kids that still believe in the Magic of Christmas
wireless internet
my red fluffy robe (thanks Becky!)
online shopping
light in the laundry area (thanks Bart!)
the ability to buy plane tix/hotel room for a week in Cali for Christmas
Evanescence (a new release would be nice people)
Twilight (times like these you really appreciate a good escape)
my iPod (which I found when I cleaned out my car!)
the KBM's (I know, I said no friends on the list, but these girls...well....)
Aggie Football (yes, even this year)
beer (see above)
35 feet of warm, cozy home
Keurig coffee makers
digital photos
coconut cream pie
nail salons
satellite radio
KBM reunion trips (I *need* one in 2009!)
my blackberry (see references to KBMs)
cleaning wipes (sprays are so last decade)

It's possible that I'll edit this post and add to the list, but you have to cut it off somewhere. Happy Thanksgiving and you might try making your own list!

They're Coming to Take Me Away....Haha!

Tomorrow is the 10 week anniversary of our good buddy Ike, so I decided it's time to blog it up again! I've been absent for a bit because 1. my sister was in town from California over the weekend and 2.my *new* lappy had to be shipped to Dell to replace the CDRom drive and 3. nothing new to report :-(

Yes, we are still here, in the RV, waiting. We DID have some activity this week, though. The windstorm adjuster came out with a roofer to get an estimate on our roof (he first came 4 wks ago and we've heard nothing since). Who knows when we'll hear the results of the roofer's exam. Then, our Public Adjuster had his Estimater come out and inspect the house from top to bottom. He's supposed to have his estimate to us the week after T-giving. At that time, WE will be the holdup if we don't have our inventory of lost items ready, so I'm busy working on that.

The best part of everything is.....CHRISTMAS! The kids and I are in the Spirit and already listening to Cmas music, etc. I'm getting daily deliveries at work, thanks to online shopping, which is super fun as well. I've taken over a closet in Bart's house for my "official stash". And all of this will yield some great entertainment here on the old blog, because with the beginning of Christmas comes......THE ELVES!!

What are the elves? Funny you should ask....you'll love this. You see, Santa has this fabulous Foster Elf program, where he will actually allow his elves to spend the Holiday Season with you! Yep, the *real* elves from the North Pole! They arrive at our house sometime the weekend after T-giving (we get 2, one for each child) and they stay until Christmas Eve, when they sit by the fireplace and wait for Santa to pick them up and take them home! But that's not all...oh no. They may LOOK like little dolls, but at night, when no one is watching, they come.to.life. You heard me! The little freak shows get up in the night and commit all sorts of mischievous acts, and the kids get up every day to see what the elves have done. Every day. For 24 days. No, I'm not kidding.

One time, they actually stole my car to go on a Candy Cane run. (the little suckers are sugar freaks). When the kids woke up for school, the alarm was going off in my car. We looked out the window and my car was backed into the flower bed, with the headlights on, the wipers on full blast, and Christmas music blaring as loud as possible. One elf was on the steering wheel and the other was on the gas pedal. My purse was even dumped out in the house where they had searched for my keys!!

So....we are all very very excited about the annual arrival of the elves. And on that note, I'll leave you with some parting shots of elf antics past:

Parents of the Year!

Yes, Big L and T-bug are nominating ourselves as POTY! Remember Jackalope's Birthday? Well you know, as parents, we have that disease that motivates us to choose The Birthday Gift that will trump all birthday gifts past adn will cause our little angels to be overcome with joy. And as usual, we succeeded once again this year:


The Gift of all gifts!!!


The thrill of the First Ride!!

And we were all living the dream, I tell ya! Big L and I are looking at each other like "Man, how DO we do it?", etc.

And then the next day, Halloween, happens. After school, just before costumes and T or T'ing, Jackalope wants to squeeze in a ride....of course! And there I am, watering my little container garden when I hear a mysterious POP and then silence where there used to be a little electric motor hum. I say "That doesn't sound good" and I look around the palm tree trunk and see a sobbing 7 year old running towards me with blood running down from his forehead and in the distance, a little go-cart rammed into a curb. I run to him, pick him up cradle style in my arms and he says between sobs "Will..*sob*...I...*sob*...get to....*sob*...ride it....*sob*...again?!?!"

I race to the RV and wash his face under the water to reveal a small, but laid open cut above his right eye that will obviously need stitches. And so, we trek to West Isle Urgent Care where the dr's assistant says "What are you gonna give him next year....a hand grenade?" and Jackalope declares stitches an awesome addition to his vampire costume!

We make it home in time to get costumed all up (at least 3 of us, anyway, all vampires!) and go T or T-ing after all the drama. So here's Jackalope in all his costumed glory on Halloween, one day after his birthday...


Fake Blood + Real Blood = AWESOME!!

State of the Island....8 weeks Post Ike

Any time I try to write about how I'm feeling about Ike, or to update those off-island about what's going on here, I simply get overwhelmed. The words just jumble up in my head and I can't get out what I want to communicate. Today, my friend Lauren summed it up so eloquently, I'm just gonna let you read it straight from her.

What she said!

A Historical Day

No matter who you voted for, as an American you have to admit this is a huge day in American history. The fact that a race of people who were once slaves in this very country now have a President of the same country less than 150 years later is extraordinary. I can completely empathize with what an emotional event this must be for them. Admittedly, I do not agree with his positions, and therefore did not vote for him, but I don't regret having the first black man in this office. I'll also feel ecstatic when we have the first woman...assuming it's the right first woman for the job.

The next 2 years will be quite interesting. I don't think there's been a Congress and Whitehouse both controlled by Democrats since Clinton was in office. That time it only lasted 2 years and then Newt Gingrich had his coup to re-take the Congress, which turned out to be a bust as well. At any rate, there will be no question who is reponsible for the policies coming out of Washington over the next 2 years. The economy has hit rock bottom, so of course it will rebound during this President's term, and would have no matter who was elected.

Overall, I think the high-powered Democrats will force a more centrist government than Obama had planned because of their desire to maintain control and not experience the coup of 1994 all over again. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain....it will be an interesting ride!

Election Day!

I voted early, but today is the day I'm glued to the tv. I've had so much fun with the kids, too, because this year they want to know *all* about it....how it works, what their positions are, etc. So fun!!

So I'm anxious to see how it turns out, of course. I'll tell ya this...if my taxes go up, I'm likely to become a stay-home-mom. Right now, after taxes, childcare in the summer, work clothes, etc. I only bring home 30% of my salary. If the number goes down so that I'm bringing home less than $10K, I will declare it officially not worth the stress! Hmmmm....maybe I should've voted differently....I like sleeping in....