Tuesday, November 29, 2011

finally

After some computer troubles that I thought were internet troubles which led to getting a different (much better) internet carrier then fixing the problem with my computer, I'm back on line, baby!

Saturday morning we dropped Angel #1 off at the airport. We won't seem him again until June, when he gets back from Afghanistan. I did real good and didn't cry until we were driving away from the airport. I'm going to miss my boy so much and will worry about him a lot, but I'm going to try not to think about it and tell myself he's just gone somewhere on an extended vacation or something.

After spending the last week or two avoiding it, I finally took WE out driving today. He did really well, but refused to drive on the highway. We stuck to back roads, which is really easy to do around here since 90% of the roads ARE back roads. He kept going to extremes though, either driving too slow or too fast, which is all part of the learning curve. Besides the time we took a corner on 2 wheels, my nerves were pretty steady. He kept up a constant monologue on potential hazards such as: oncoming car, make sure I'm on the far right side of the road and there goes a gas truck, potential explosion. Yeah, it was fun.

Diesel, the doofus dog, loves chasing a laser light. Angel #4 was having way too much fun today with his laser obsession. She tied a rope around his collar, sat in a rolling chair and would put the laser ahead of the dog so he ran and chased it, pulling her around the room in the chair. This made making supper a bit difficult since she insisted on lasering her way through the middle of the kitchen, but Diesel is a very tired dog tonight, I think he'll sleep well.

Monday, November 14, 2011

and we've got another one on the road

WE got his temporary driver's license today. We actually went over a week ago to get them only to find out that after standing 45 minutes in line at the DMV that WE couldn't pass the eye test. He couldn't even read the top line. He had his eyes tested a year ago and had a slight prescription, but I guess things got considerably worse as the year went on. So I hauled all the kids to the eye dr's, got WE some glasses, Angel #2 a new prescription for her contacts and was told that Angel #4 is good for now, but may need glasses in the next year or so.

After the eye doctor, we headed to the mall, a place I hate, but my kids love. We had an hour or so to kill before the big event of the day. We went to the airport to pick up Angel #1. Yay!! He's home for a 2 week leave and will be going back after Thanksgiving. Also meeting him at the airport were a couple of his friends and my sister and her family. We all went to Perkins for some celebration pie, where we were met by my brother and his little girl. All the little kids were glad to see their cousin, #1 is the oldest of all the grandkids on my side of the family and his little cousins (especially the boys) think he's just the coolest thing ever. His coolness quotient is going to go up incredibly on Friday when he takes my sisters kids to Wild Air for the evening. Wild Air is a big bouncy house place where even adults can go on the equipment. #1 thought it sounded like fun, so he's bringing his cousins there for camouflage.

I picked my van up at the fix-it shop today. It's so nice to have my vehicle back and all ready to face the upcoming winter. It had better face the winter after what it cost to have it fixed. But, sometimes you've got to fork over a little money if you want to drive without worry.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

More Letters for WE

We were at the fall sports award program for the high school tonight. WE got a letter in cross country, that makes 2 letters now, he'll have the whole alphabet before you know it! He's been working out in the weight room after school now that the cross country season is over, he's also been goofing around with the wrestlers. He managed to take down a couple guys that were quite a bit bigger than him and is gaining a bit of a reputation, but he's still not interested in joining the school wrestling team. Tonight, he was talking to a kid who decided that WE's new nickname is the Flyin' Hawaiian. WE's planning on wrestling that kid tomorrow and was wondering if that's what the guy was planning on doing to him but the kid said he meant it in a good way. I dunno though, I remember seeing that particular kid on the football field this fall and looking him up in the program because he was so much bigger than the rest of the kids. He tops WE by about 5 or 6 inches and over 100 pounds. I hope there's something left of my little boy when he's done with him.

Tomorrow my van going to the shop. It's been sitting in the driveway for about a week now while we debated if we wanted to spend the approximately $2000 it's going to take to rebuild the transmission. The decision was made for us this afternoon when Angel #2 brought the car into the shop to get an estimate on getting the brakes done. The car fixer place said that the car isn't long for this world and it doesn't even pay to get the brakes done unless we want to spend $1100 to get everything fixed. Since we only paid $450 for the car itself, we really can't justify paying over a grand to get it road worthy, so we'll run it til it's dead and get on with life. But, in the meantime, we're going to need a reliable, not going to fall apart, kind of vehicle, which means we've got to fork over the big moolah to get the van running again. It's always something, isn't it? But, once we get that fixed, we should be good vehicle-wise for awhile. *fingers crossed*

Hubs is on his way to Hawaii again tomorrow, but he's taking a side trip to Aspen on the way, the lucky skunk. Some of our best friends from Hawaii now live in Colorado and he's going to spend a couple days with them before hitting the sandy shores of Hawaii. He's cutting his trip fairly short (only 9 days) so he can be home to spend time with Angel #1, who'll be here for 2 weeks on leave. YAY!! We've all missed #1 and can't wait to see him again. I'm planning on moving all the breakables out of the living room, since that seems to be my boys favorite place to wrestle around. When both boys are home, it's like the testosterone kingdom around here.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The ROUS is still running free

We haven't had any luck getting our silverware drawer eating ROUS trapped, though I have't had any more drawers eaten, so we're at a rodent impasse at the moment. I know there still at least one roaming the house because I heard it scrabbling in the wall over our bed last night. Why, oh why, do those stupid things choose MY room to scrabble in? It's like they know my rodent phobia and just like messing with me. More proof that rodents are evil. Tanya, I'm glad I can give you a laugh, I know you can use one right now. Living with a diet restricted husband has got to be a major pain in the butt, especially since you're used to having him on the road and now he's stuck at home. I'm sure he's NOT a happy camper.

Angel #2 and I went to the REstore today and had way too much fun. I needed some lights to put in the kitchen and I really wanted some that keeps the 1950's feel to the place. I figured the best place to do that is the REstore. I was right, I found 2 great ones for the kitchen and one for the dining room that'll probably have to be rewired, but it's so cool looking it'll be worth it. We also found a turquoise toilet seat which #2 wouldn't leave the store without, so now our downstairs bathroom is going to go turquoise. We decided that the REstore is as much fun as St. Vincent DePaul and we're planning on hitting the one in Green Bay some day as well. We've become REstore addicts.