Another look at "our" house

We went to see the house again.  This time, Kevin's mom, Jonathan, my parents, and the girls all went, as well as my Uncle/Realtor, Phil.  I love the house more than the first time we looked.  This time I remembered to check out everything I forgot the first time.  Lots of closets and storage.  Natalie's room has built-in book shelves that I  missed before, and the part of the basement that will become the rec room will need carpet, which I suspected.

This lady has 40 years of accumulated *stuff* piled in there.  I have no idea how she'll get it all out in the next month.  Boxes piled to the ceiling leaving only paths to walk through in the basement.  It's spotless clean, but piled full.  She made me sad when she said, "I hope you take care of it, I'm gonna miss it."  Poor lady.  Everything she knows is in that house.  We'll take care of it, ma'am.  We love it.  Seriously, though, there is so much stuff in that house, I couldn't take pictures inside.  It wouldn't have done any good.  I promise pictures as soon as it's ours.

She has 5 of the seven dwarfs in gnome form in the front.  Gnomes freak me out.  Nightmare material, that's what they are.  I picture them looking in the window at me.  I told Kevin weeks ago that she better take them with her.  Today she told him we could keep them!  ACK!  THEY.HAVE.GOT.TO.GO.  I'm afraid, if I throw them away, they'll find a way back and get me.  This is gonna be a job for Kevin and Dad.  I don't have many irrational fears, but this one is here to stay.

The house is on a hill, and the back porch has a great view of the river bottoms, behind the houses across the highway.  The yard is big, but ends in a steep hill down to the highway.  It's gonna be tough to mow, but we'll figure something out.  Dad wants to bring in a bull dozer and make it more gradual.  Sounds like a lot of work to me, but he may just get hired for it! 

The East end of the house is a great sun room.  I see us in that room most of the time.  Both computers and the TV and Stereo will be in there.  The bedroom will be a bedroom again, instead of the office/rec room/bedroom.  It is bright and sunny and wonderful.  The back porch wasn't quite finished when her husband died, but a couple of light fixtures and some drywall, and it's done!  It overlooks the back yard, and the river bottom view.  Coffee in the quiet of morning will taste much better back there.

The kitchen is small, but I like it.  Lots of cabinets and a seperate dining area.  The rooms are all good sized, and all have decent closets.  The basement bedrooms, where the kids will be, are wood paneling, so they're a bit dark.  I may need to paint them white or something to lighten it up down there.  It's so hard to judge when it so FULL.  You have no idea folks.  Full.

As we were getting ready to leave, Mom said, "if I was a little girl, I'd want to lie on the ground under the water tower and look up at it." (the water tower is across the street)  Natalie said, "will you go do it with me, Grandma?"  Of course she will!  They did, too.  Walked right across the street and sprawled out on the grass.  My mother is such a cool grandma.

I love my house, and can't wait until the keys are in my hands.  I'm excited and nervous.  I've had so many things fall through in my life, and I've never bought a house before, so I'm scared to get too excited, but I'm getting there anyway!

I think I want shutters.  Yup, it needs shutters.

Random, Babbling Thoughts

Well, today sucked at work.  I'm so busy, I can't even catch up, let alone keep up.  That's ok.  If they mention the fact that I'm running behind, I'll calmly suggest allowing overtime.  Something like, "Well DUH!  How about you allow enough friggin' hours to DO the job that you WANT me to do!?!?"  Or something.  It's not just me, the whole department is running behind.  Stupid Mother's Day rush.  Arrrggggg.

Brett got into a fight with his best friend on Monday.  The friend thinks Brett wants his woman, Brett assures me that he does not. (but I'm the mother.  He wouldn't tell me, anyway.)  So they get into a big fight, then Brett gets on the bus to see a new driver.  Apparently, his driver (who he really likes and chats with daily) has been fired for "safety violations".  Brett says it was for letting kids eat and drink on the bus.

So Brett sees the new guy and says "I'm walking home." (we're only 2 blocks away or so) and the driver won't let him.  Once they're on the bus, it's a liability issue.  They can't let them off.  I understand this.  So Brett goes to the back, and proceeds to cut the hell out of the seat in front of him.  With scissors.

When the principal called me, he said he thought it had been done with a knife.  He asked Brett, who denied doing it.  Then he told him about the video from the camera on the bus.  Brett admitted it (duh) and was searched.  No knife, so then Brett told them it was with scissors, and showed them the scissors.  The principal gave him a bill for the repairs.  $110.  When I was called, I said, "how convenient.  He just got paid!"

Brett has to put 1/2 of his check in the bank, to buy a car.  The other half is spending money.  I wouldn't let him get in to his deposit money to pay it back.  He gave all of his spending money for the week ($50) and will pay the other $60 next week.  I'm not paying it.  Heck, he's got a job and made a bad decision.  Let him pay.  *THAT'S* why he couldn't buy his own batteries.

I know teenage emotions and hormones.  I didn't even "punish" him.  Heck, he made a bad choice, and it's hurting his pocket.  So be it.  He told me that it was stupid and he shouldn't have done it.  That's all I needed to hear.  I bet he thinks twice before vandalizing something again.

Kevin leaned over to give Natalie a hug yesterday.  She wrapped her arms around his neck...and then picked her feet up off the floor.  His back is SO screwed.  He took a pain pill and fell asleep.  Poor guy.  Monica inherited his bad joints, though.  She was walking toward the hall earlier, and her hip popped and put her in the floor.  She's had bad joint problems since birth.  I wonder if she inherited his affliction (don't remember the name of it, but he had a leg brace as a kid) or if it's just a popping kind of thing.  I'll get a Dr appt scheduled soon to find out.

Mom looked at a horse today.  Too much horse for us, barely green-broke.  Why can't I just say, "oh no, too much trouble.  Let it go."?  I have to say, "but we could....." and "what if we...."  Like she needs this shit from me.  It's her money.  Why spend it on a horse that we have to work so hard at?  I need to let it go.  Maybe, someday, there will be a deal that we can't pass up on a good, calm horse.  If not, two is enough.

Well, enough rambling.  It's good to have a journal to get it all out.  I feel better!

Brett, Cats, and crap

Well, Brett has decided to stay with us.  He told his dad, who seems disappointed, but is backing off.  After tonight, the boy may change his mind.

Last week, I wanted to take his pic with his first paycheck.  My camera had no batteries.  Brett admitted to taking them for his CD player, and I took them back and laughed it off, saying, "don't do it again."

Then, it was time for the girls' school carnival, and once again, no batteries.  I called him and told him, in no uncertain terms, "don't ever do it again, I'll be PISSED!"  He said, "ok, sorry."

Tonight, I wanted to upload some pics, and guess what?  Yup, empty again.  I called him up here and said a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have.  He could have bought his own batteries if he hadn't....well, that's another entry for another time.  Anyway, I took them back.  Kevin wanted to keep the CD player, but I told him to give it back, and let him see how it feels to need batteries.  He thinks Brett will steal them again.  If he does, he's a dead man.  We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, we've captured some cat moments lately, and it's time to share.  Sorry in advance.

The other night, Sasquatch (aka the aloof one) decided he'd be friendly.  He climbed up by Kevin for a while:

Yup, that's Snowbell, cutting in on the action:

This morning, after another early rise time, I was on the computer, and the "girls" could barely wait until we were out of the bed.  Yeah, the bed is unmade in all of these, but I HAVE been making it each morning.  I just hadn't had time yet:

OK, enough cat pics.  We will go see the house again on Saturday.  I'm gonna try to take some pictures, but if she hasn't started moving out yet, it's FULL.  Maybe some shots of the outside will do?  LOL  We'll see.

A better night's sleep

Well, I was awake at 3:45, but it's different this morning.  I slept 3 hours yesterday afternoon, and was in bed by 9:00 last night.  That means I woke early, but rested.  My face is almost the right size now, too! 

Yup, the swelling is down, the pain is practically gone, and I think I'm going to live.  Only one more day to really watch what I eat and drink.  I am sneaking coffee this morning (no hot liquids) but I'm being super careful.  I found that I can drink it without it ever going near that side.  I know that these precautions are to avoid dry socket, so I'm being super careful. 

I will have to watch Survivor without Pringles and beer.  This is, perhaps, the saddest of all.  Somehow, leaving work announcing, "Hey everybody!  Let's go home!  It's Jello and Survivor night!"  just doesn't carry the same punch that my usual announcement carries.  Oh well, there's always next week.

Oh!  Guess what else!?  We get to go look at the house again, with mom and dad, and even Kevin's mom is coming up!  We're gonna parade through there like a conga line.  I have a huge list of things to look at/for.  I'm going to be more organized this time, so the planning in my head can start to come together.

The tooth is gone

I'm going to try to do this with as few typos as possible, but I'm still a bit woozy, so you'll need to forgive me if I stumble.  I was hurting the worst I had yet, when we went to the surgeon this moring.  The lady informed me that we needed to do general anesthesia, or it was gonna hurt pretty bad (not her words, but my interpretation) due to all of the infection.  I guess it's hard to numb it completely when it's infected.  Kevin and I looked at each other like, "oh great, we can't afford it, but there's no backing out now!" and he wrote the check.  Damn.

They took me back and hooked me up to an IV.  The Dr. said, "have a nice nap, and we'll be done in no time." then walked out.  I laid there and laid there, not even feeling weird.  I wondered how long it'd take to fall asleep.  The nurse asked if I hurt and I said, "yeah, real bad" and she said, "we'll get you something for the pain, then get you unhooked and you can go home."  Huh?  Aren't they gonna pull it?  Any other time I've been put under, I've felt myself coming groggily out of it.  This time, I was just 'awake'.  And crying.

Yeah, crying.  He gave me morphine, and the only pain was about like it had been before getting it fixed, so I wasn't crying about the pain.  I was tired, but was tired before I got there.  I didn't know why I was crying, but I couldn't stop.  That was humiliating, although it was just tears, no soap-opera sobbing or anything.  I was so embarrassed that it made me cry more!  When we got in the truck and left, Kevin asked me a few questions, but I could only answer with nodding or shaking my head.  Finally, I told him that I couldn't quit crying, but I didn't hurt or feel sad.  He said, "go ahead and cry!"  I told him I felt stupid for not having a reason to cry, he said, "maybe it's the huge check we just wrote?!"  That made me laugh, and the crying subsided.  Thanks, honey.

Now that I think of it, I cried the last time I had morphine, too.  After my last surgery, 5 years ago or so, I cried a lot and didn't know why.  I guess that's what morphine does for me.  I don't need help crying.  Seriously, show me a chick flick or a Hallmark commercial...I'll cry on my own, thankyouverymuch! 

Anyway, the tooth is gone, I can't smoke or have soda or eat anything that's not cool and soft.  I slept for 3 hours and am now sipping water and I had a bit of ice cream.  I didn't want ice cream, but Kevin's worried about the fact that I haven't eaten since last night, and have had the IV meds, including morphine, 2 hydrocodone, 3 antibiotics, etc etc.  I ate so I could tell him I did.  Maybe food will sound better later.  If not, I'm not sick, so I won't worry about it.  I have an iron stomach.

I'm gonna go make some tea, so I won't miss Diet Coke so much.  I'll probably sneak one tomorrow, although I'm not supposed to until Friday.  I'm not much on following Dr's orders after I start feeling better, but I don't go crazy, either.  I won't go party or run a marathon (ROFLMBO!  Me!  In a marathon!  Yeah right!) but I'll probably sneak a diet coke.  It's a physical NEED, I tell you.

Here we go again

I chose "loopy" for my mood, because it's the closest I could find to "insane".  Here it is, 3:30am....AGAIN, and I've already had my shower, made coffee, taken meds, and started a journal entry.  I woke at 2:15 and was wide awake.  It's not fair!

Now I see how people with insomnia could go crazy.  I spent 30 minutes, lying in bed, thinking insane thoughts about what I would do to be able to fall back to sleep.  I am getting 5 hours of sleep, so it's not like I'm doing without sleep alltogether, but when I'm used to 8 hours, this is making me batty.

I guess, today, it could work in my favor.  I can't have anything to drink after 5:00, so this allows me my chance to have coffee and my morning OJ.  Dang, but I hate being up this early.

The ever-growing Mump

I went to the dentist today.  The nurse was a bit shocked acting about the size of the abcess.  She kept saying, "Bless your heart."  Bless my damn tooth, lady, the hearts fine!  She took an Xray and told me it'd be a few minutes while it developed, or whatever, then offered me a magazine.  I didn't feel like reading, so I didn't grab one.  She shook her head and said, "Bless your heart."

The Dentist came in and said, "I don't think I need to, by the look of the Xray, but can I take a look at your tooth?"  He did, and then looked up at the nurse lady (whatever you call those cleaning people) and said, "I want her in to the surgeon TODAY to get this out."  Then he wrote a prescription for Vicodin and a super-strong antibiotic, telling me to take 2 of the antibiotics as soon as I pick them up, then one tonight, and 4 a day until gone.  Vicodin doesn't mess with me like Darvocet, so I was able to take one as I went back to work, after the appointment.

The office goon lady called the surgeons office to find that he was gone today, would Thursday be OK?  Dentist mumbled a few words, then took the phone from her and told them, "She HAS to get this done now.  Get her in first thing in the morning." and handed the phone back to office goon.  Tomorrow at 9:30, I'll be under the knife.

Dental insurance will NOT pay for it.  Kevin's employer made a choice (to save money, no doubt) to not cover major procedures.  Surgery is major.  The lady at the insurance company was real sweet, though, and suggested I contact my medical insurance provider, just to check.  I did, and that surgeon *IS* on the network.

BUT (there's always a "but") the cost of this will still be out-of-pocket, since it will be $10 less than our deductible.  Crap.  Oh well, it's gonna be about $140, which beats the heck out of the $500+ that the other surgeon was gonna charge.  Dental insurance will cover the local anasthetic (yeah, local, bleah) and any needed Xrays, but not the procedure.  Medical will pick up the procedure as our deductible, so the rest of the year will be covered for me.

Dang, what a mess.  Kevin has to take me, and drive me home.  Not sure why, since they aren't knocking me out, but he insists on following their orders.  Is he becoming a conformist?  Nah, probably wants some time off work.  ROFL, just kidding.  He's worried about me.  He can bring me home with some Soup-at-Hand (love that stuff) and I'll be fine.

I hope I sleep past 3:30 tomorrow.  6:00 wouldn't be too late for me!  I think what happens is:  I roll over onto that side at night, and the pressure/pain wakes me up.  By the time I get resituated and settled, I'm too awake to nod off.  Oh well, here's to trying!

Another early morning

Hello again, 3:30am.  How ya been?  I met your buddy, 2:45 today.  Jerk.

Well, I found a dentist that could get me in at 1:00 this afternoon.  I made it through yesterday (barely) and will need to make it through until noon today.  The swelling is worse this morning, if possible.  It's really quite ridiculous looking.

I avoided eating all day, to avoid problems.  When I got home, I made a packet of alfredo noodles (these cheap wonderful things from Walmart, "noodles and sauce", I love 'em) and ate them without chewing.  That's gotta be good for the old digestive system! LOL  Then I had a bowl of ice cream.  I wouldn't want to do a mushy diet forever, but for a couple of days, I think I can handle it.

Here's hopin' I got a good dentist.  It was a crap shoot, and I can't afford the time to keep looking right now.  I'm scared shitless about this appointment, and I don't think I could stand it if he wasn't nice, or if he hurts me.  Dang, I hope he doesn't hurt me.

The return of the Mump

Stupid dental issues.  I know the first major issue that I need to deal with is the tooth that broke.  It's completely broken off, so it'll have to be a surgical removal.  I called to make an appointment with an oral surgeon, just to find out that insurance would pay nothing!  NOTHING!  If it were a simple extraction, they would pay 100%. HUH?

Now, plan B.  I have a list of several dentists taking new patients, and I'll see who can get me in first.  It's going to be the long, drawn-out approach, but I gotta start somewhere.  The worst part is, I know the dentist will say, "that needs to be removed."  DUH.  Then what?  Will insurance pay if the dentists says it needs removed?  If so, that means they get to pay an oral surgeon as well as a dentist.

I need a ton of dental work, anyway, so I may as well get started, but I really can't afford over $500 out of pocket, which is what it looks like I'll have to pay at this point.  I'm trying to buy a house, for pity's sake.  I guess I'll just do what I can do, ask to make payments, and get it started.  It'll be nice to eat a meal without discomfort.  It's been a long time.

I haven't taken care of my oral health like I should, and I know that.  We spent a lot of years without dental insurance, and when we DO have it (we do now) I always make sure the kids are taken care of, first.  We all need to go, but I guess I get to be first, since I'm the one with the swollen jaw.  I'm scared to death of this mess, even though I've never had a bad experience at the dentist.  The smell of the office turns my stomach.

Hopefully, by day's end, I'll have an appointment.  I gotta get some relief.  It woke me up at 3:30 this morning, and that's the last straw!  I NEVER want to get up at 3:30, especially on a Monday morning.  You win, Mump, you win.

Gay people are FUN!

I told you guys I was gonna use that line!

Mom and I drove to Overland-friggin'-Park today.  We had the opportunity to meet some online folks, so we ignored all of my dad's fears and hit the road.  Mom and I felt safe, having talked to these folks via AOL journals for quite some time, and besides, we were meeting in a public place.

I'll leave a lot of the tale telling for mom and Toonguy, but I'll hit on the highlights.  Russ is great.  As funny in real life as he is in his journal.  Sim is quiet, but also quite funny.  They were nice enough to make gay jokes, so I didn't have to worry about making an inappropriate remark.  My humor has a way of offending folks, and these guys weren't easy to offend.  Since I don't hang around with many gay people, I figured I'd say something stupid, but a wise man once told me, "Gay people are FUN!"

Anne is fun, too.  She was fashionably late, but I expected no less from a rich girl.  ROFL, just kidding, Anne.  She is bubbly and personable and fun.  She talked too much and didn't talk enough.  I'm not sure how that happened, so you'll have to ask Russ.  We asked the svelte, sexy bartender to take our picture.  Wow, was he hot. (giggle giggle.  ick)  My camera somehow got set on slow shutter speed, so EVERY.STINKING.PICTURE turned out blurry.  I sort of half-saved one group shot, but it's blurry as heck:

That's mom (Mosie), Russ (Toonguy), Sim, Anne and Me.

I was unable to make any other picture work, except for one.  I've often wondered why Russ is so facinated with the paranormal.  It's obvious now.  He's a GHOST!

OK, my camera's shutter speed was too slow, but it's a cool pic, nonetheless.

It was a lot of fun, and I'm glad we went.  On the way home, some motorcycle cops were slowing traffic WAY down, to a crawl, in fact.  I was sure we were getting ready to witness a high-speed chase.  Who could it be?  A bank robber?  A drug dealer?  Nope.  They finally stopped traffic completely.  Why, you ask?  So they could get off their motorcycles and remove some *very dangerous* pieces of sod from the highway.  Thanks officer, those masses of dirt and grass could have KILLED someone!

Sheesh.

"The ongoing Saga" or "tales from the crap"

Well, the saga of the house marches on, and on, and on and on and on.  LOL  The sellers want until Sunday evening to move out (Memorial Day Weekend.)  It was originally supposed to be Saturday by 5.  It's a three-day weekend, but we need every minute of it.  I have to clean this townhouse like it's never been cleaned, then do a walk-through with the landlord.  I really, REALLY need my deposit back.

Then, we have to clean the NEW house, and get all moved in.  1 day is NOT enough.  We are sticking pretty hard on this.  Told them a compromise might be in order.  Clean out ONE of the two floors by Saturday.  That would enable us to get most of it moved, and the rest loaded in the trailer, ready to move in.  This place would be empty, so I could deep-clean it.  I'm waiting to hear the answer.  Dang, but this lady is being a PITA to deal with.

We are set to close on Thursday, May 26.  I am 30% excited, 70% nervous wreck. Brett is planning to stay with us.  Of course, he planned that, then went to his dad's and changed his mind.  Now he's back, and changed his mind again.  I told him to get with his dad and decide soon.  We can't wait until moving day for his decision.  I suggested, if he's gonna live with us, that he spend the summer with his dad.  His dad has never had him for more than 2 weeks straight.  We've been divorced for 14 years. 

It's not that he didn't WANT him for the 6 weeks straight (which is spelled out in the divorce decree), but who would watch him? (when he was little) What will he do all summer? (now)  Welcome to parenting, dude.  We face that decision every year.  He DID make 300 mile round-trips to watch little league ball games.  He does buy school clothes.  He does take B on vacations.  He does a lot.  I'm not bashing him, just stating facts.  He's a great dad, but the time hasn't been invested yet.

I hope B stays with us.  I think he will.  He is talking about how he'll decorate his room.  He's talking about getting to work on time.  He's talking about how things will be there.  Those things lead me to believe that he's staying.  I plan to make him decide by the end of next week, when he goes to his dad's again.  We've gotta know. 

I need some sheet rock and some white paint.  Know of any sales?  LOL  I also need some deck materials.  OK, K can get the materials pretty cheap, anyone want to do hard manual labor for beer and pizza?  Let me know!

The storms, and my day

Most of these pictures are from our stormy night (short-lived), but a few are thrown in as an additional insight into my day.  The storm didn't hit us as hard as I'd hoped.  We had some great warnings, and some great "green" skies, but rain was all we got.  Oh well, it's all good.  The adrenalin was still there.  Life is good.

Brett cashed his first paycheck today.  He was so happy.  He put half of it back to deposit, for his car.  He's gonna get there real soon, now that he's working.  I wanted a pic of him in front of the restaurant where he works, but he was mortified at the thought because they were open at the time.  I had to settle of pics in the van at the bank drive-thru.

Work sucked today.  I love my job and I love what I do, but if this crap keeps up, I can do this elsewhere.

I love storms.

Bring on the Storms!

Here it comes!  Finally, after all of the false alarms.  We've got severe weather here!  Are ya ready Russ?  Outside my window, there is horizontal rain, greenish color, and a wonderful booming sound.  All local stations are non-stop weather reporting.  Tornado Warnings, Severe Weather Warnings, Tornado Watches.  WooooHooooo!  Come on angry spring, show us what you've got! 

I'm not totally insane.  If there is a tornado warning for my town, I will take my children to the basement.  There are sirens and announcement speakers right across the street, so I'll know immediately.  Until then, I'll be watching with a big, stupid grin on my face.

The only buzz-kill to this situation will be if Survivor is preempted by this stuff.  That'll make me sad.  I've got someone in Chicago that tapes it, though, so I can always beg a copy!

nothin' but crap, don't bother reading further

Why are you still reading?  I mean, the subject should have warned you.

You're still here?  OK, fine.  Enjoy the boring entry.  No complaints if you don't like it, promise?

Kevin deleted his journal.  Yeah, it's better than letting it sit there idle forever.  He doesn't like to type, or he probably would have done more with it.  I would spell that saying that sounds like "say la vee" but I don't know how!  ROFL

I talked to Brett's dad.  Crap reasoning. Yes, he will have to pay out-of-district tuition.  Yes, he will have to buy Brett a car.  Yes, it was mentioned (to B, not to me) that they make a more comfortable living that us.  Big Whoopty Do!  Bite my butt, jerk.

If Brett still decides to go, I'll still support him.  I just wish Jerry had the same attitude.  I'm not pointing out the negatives to moving there, why does *he* have to do that to *me*?  Oh well.

I hate my neighbors.  The kids run the neighborhood, screaming with NOBODY supervising.  There is trash in my yard that did NOT come from here.  Tires burning off, arguing matches out front.  Good Lord above, Jerry Springer could recruit guests here.  I want to move!

I hate Boulevard Bully! Porter.

I wish I had some popcorn from the movie theater.

My socks are dirty.  What does that say about my carpets?

Stupid cat.  Do you like me, or not?  Who cares?

Tomorrow is Survivor night.  Something to look forward to.  Then Saturday is "The Big Day!"  I get to meet a few more online buds.  Dad's worried.  I tell ya what...Please, don't any of you turn out to be serial killers, ok?  Thanks

See, I told you it was gonna be a boring entry.  You were warned.

Well, there seems to be a new development in the saga that is my life. 

When we moved up here, Brett said something about having moved so many times in his life.  Three of the moves were to better homes in the same school district, but I can see where he's coming from.  I told him that we wouldn't change school again until he graduates.  That's 2 years away.  I didn't think we'd get  a chance to buy this quickly.

I talked to him, told him that I rememebered telling him that, and that I didn't want to go back on my word, but home-ownership was important to me.  I also told him what it would mean for him.  I told him that he said he'd move in with his dad if we ever moved out of district again, and that I wouldn't be upset if he did so.  I would be devestated, but not mad at him.  Jerry is a great dad, and Brett would do great there...but I want my boy with me.  It was less than 3 hours later that Brett said, "I'm kind of excited thinking about moving!"  I was relieved.

Last weekend, he went to his dad's and told him about the plans.  Sheesh.  His dad has made it clear that, if Brett lives there, he can still go to this school (I'm pretty sure this will mean paying tuition) but will have to drive each day.  Now Brett says he's unsure.  I refuse to fight him on this decision, but I almost feel like his dad is playing dirty pool.  I can't afford tuition.  I am also unwilling to buy the boy.  I want him with me, and he knows it.  He'll not be bribed by me.  The decision is his, and I'll support it, whatever it is.

I feel like his dad is getting nasty again (we've gotten along wonderfully for 7 years) and I don't like it.  I haven't spoken to him, because I want to do it in person.  I need to get the chip off my shoulder before that conversation happens.  I need to talk to Brett more.  I will not pressure him.  It's his call, all the way.  He's 16 1/2, and knows he always has a home with me.  I've never been without him for more than a couple of weeks, though, and although he pisses me off sometimes (he's a teen, it's his job) I love him dearly and want him with us.

I'm babbling.  Let him decide. 

Morning thoughts

My dear, sweet husband offered to let me fall asleep at an insane early hour last night.  I was tired from the trip (yeah, like he wasnt?) and hadn't slept much Sunday night due to some dental issues.  Those are better now, and he said, "go ahead and go to bed.  I'll tuck the girls in."  WooooHoooo! 

That caused me to wake up when his alarm went off at 4:30 and I offered to take the first shower.  I felt him sink deeper into bed as he mumbled, "thanks!"  Small repayment, but it bought him an extra 1/2 hour of sleep.  It also gave me all this free time this morning.  I like it a lot, but not enough to sacrifice any of my sleeping hours on a regular basis.  I love sleep.

Our "offer" on the house was accepted yesterday.  Actually, it was their counter-offer.  Kevin asked what we do next, and Phil (my uncle and realtor) said, "nothing, just sit back and relax."  Yeah right.  There are millions of things running through my mind now, and I won't rest until the keys are in my hand.  That is supposed to happen by 5pm on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  Sheesh, that's not much time, and it's forever.

He's gonna set up a time that we can go look at it again.  This time, I want to take mom and dad with me.  I have a hundred things that I keep wishing I'd taken notice of, or that I've forgotton.  Is the big part of the basement carpeted, or just the bedrooms?  Is there a medicine cabinet in the bathroom upstairs? How many outlets are in the side room where the computers are going?  Is there a coat closet?  A linen closet?  How about a......well, you get the point.  I'm going to start a list, and take it with me when we go back.

Now I have to start collecting boxes.  I hate collecting boxes.  I feel like a homeless person, walking around the warehouse at work saying, "Can I have that box?  Are you gonna use that box for anything?"  Oh well, my girls will have their own rooms!  No more complaints from Monica when the radio is on country at night.  No more complaints from Natalie when it's on hip-hop or punk. 

We also don't have enough furniture for this house.  A lady at work has an 8-foot couch that I might buy.  The fabric is outdated (remember the big flowery couches?) but it's perfect for the basement.  The girls are on bunk beds right now, but we have enough beds for the kids to let the bunk beds become extra.  I just need to get a bed for the guest room.  Guest room.  I'M GONNA HAVE A GUEST ROOM!

There are hundreds of changes that we want to make, but those will happen gradually as we have the fundage.  The small "deck" outside the side door...not even really a deck, it's so small.  We want to put a big deck there.  Big enough for my swing and grill and patio furniture.  The back porch?  It needs drywall and a light fixture, then it will be finished.  It'll be perfect for morning coffee.

Yeah, I have a lot to plan and to think about.  I have enough to worry myself sick over.  I have enough to excite the heck out of me.  I think I'll stay occupied until Memorial Day weekend.  Not a problem.

The weekend

Well, I'm going to post the few notes that I took on the way home.  The party was awesome...absolutely awesome.  Maybe, after tonight, I won't feel so strung out.  I'm very glad we went, but it's tough to get home and not have any time to recover before "real life" hits you in the face:

"The trip home always lacks the excitement that is a big part of a road trip.  I can't wait to get home, and it's gonna be a long day of driving.  We went back to Dan and Sue's today for breakfast.  She made a french toast casserole and some kind of casserole with eggs and hashbrowns and cheese and other goodness.  There was fresh fruit, bagels, bacon, sausage....sheesh, she really put out a spread.  After visiting for about an hour and a half, we said our goodbye's and hit the road, my changing into sweats in the truck, going down I-80.  You can't take the hick out of the girl.

Last night was an absolute blast.  My lasagna was a big hit, and it survived the trip quite nicely.  We had lots of good food, and there was beer from a lot of areas of the country.  I didn't have any of it, though.  It's kinda wasted on me.  I don't care much for heavy beers, or dark beers, or specialty beers, so why waste it?  We spent many many hours visiting and laughing and telling tales.  Everyone wants us to go to the TN gathering (it's the one that's been going on the longest with this group, and we've never been.)  We tried our best to let them know that it probably wouldn't happen.  I mean, that's a heck of a haul, and too expensive with kids.  I guess, if Linda is able to keep them for a 3-day weekend, we'll consider it.  Depends on the fundage available at the time.

I am amazed that you can get together in a huge group of people that you only know from message boards, and the conversation is as easy as if you were life-long neighbors.  Everyone knows what to expect of each other, even though nobody *looks* like you picture them.  I think several of them were truly sad to see us leave this morning.  I don't mean just the normal, "thanks for coming, drive safely" stuff.  I mean a real tight hug and a, "please please consider the TN trip?  It'll be awesome if you're there!"  I never expected to have good friends from across the country, but I do.  How cool is that?

I'm really glad we made this trip, and I think Kevin is, too.  It was so out-of-the-norm for us.  We don't do stuff like this.  But we did, and it was good.  Now, as we head home, we know that it's time to get back to life as normal.  The girls will need showers, laundry will need to be started, and we'll all be exhuasted from the weekend.  I can't wait to get a hard 8 hours of sleep...in my own bed...in my own home." 

Our Road Trip

5:10-We left the house, loaded to the gills with our loot.  We had to load three coolers, since we had two huge pans of lasagna, three flavors of Boulevard (a Kansas City micro-brew,) soda, a big suitcase, a card table, my laptop, and all of the other little things that a long road trip demands.  Not long into the trip, Brett's dad called, saying that he got Brett's report card in the mail.  Yippee.  Let him yell at the boy, I'm done.  I've been riding his butt for the past 5 years about this, and if he wants to get by on D's, let it be.  Peace.  Breath in, Breath out.  (music= Classic Rock 101.1 the Fox)

6:00-We stop in Kearney.  I can't help it that I didn't have time for dinner before we left.  I was hungry!  Mom can tell you that the women in our family don't leave the house without stopping for food.  The drive thru was crazy crowded, so Kevin said, "screw this!" and pulled out of line, parked, and went in for my dinner.  What a man.  I get to sit in the truck with my shoes off, and he goes in for my food. (music=Elton John)

7:20-You know what those big drinks from McDonalds are good for? Yup, I had to stop.  We found a gas station at Eagleville (home of some of mom's side of the family,) and pulled in.  Set up at the side of the road was an Amish lady and her two small daughters, selling hand made baskets.  Their horse was tied across the road, patiently standing there.  (Buddy would have long since broken the rope and bolted! LOL  I kept looking wistfully over there, so Kevin offered to take me over.  They were packing up for the night, but we were able to buy a small basket for Sue, the hostess of the gathering in Chicago. (music=Kenny Chesney)

8:40-Des Moines, IA.  I had no idea that Des Moines was such a big town! After a quick stop to debug the windshield, it was back on the road.  My friends husband stopped by to spy, errr, I mean *check* on Brett for me.  Since he and his dad both have to work tomorrow morning, his dad thought it best if he just picked Brett up after work.  Brett's never been home alone all night before.  Heck, the kid's pushing 17, but he's a teenage boy, so ya gotta worry.  When Greg called, he said thatBrett was home alone, with the door locked.  Good boy, son. After dark, the trip is starting to get boring, so I called my chat buddy, Shack.  He's all checked in at the hotel, and the more we talked about this gathering, the more excited I got.  Found out a chat buddy that wasn't gonna make it showed up as a last-minute surprise guest!  WooooHoooo!  I can't wait to get there.  Bought two IA scratcher tickets, I lost, Kevin won $2...we broke even. (music=Kid Rock)

10:10-I don't need to tell you what we're listening to after this entry, because this entry is about how weird Kevin and I get on a road trip.  We were doing a radio station scan, trying to find something that was in range, and we could both agree on...no small feat. I hit on a classic country station, and we both busted out singing at the top of our lungs, "Friend, don't take 'er she's all I got...."  I have no idea who sings that, but we both knew every word.  Then we found The Yardbirds (David Crosby) and started singing again, "To everything turn, turn, turn..."  All we need, to round out this musical journey, is Meatloaf, singing "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights."  Neither of us can carry a tune to save ourselves, but we're belting them out anyway!

11:30-<Kevin's turn to make an entry>We're in Illinois! About 70 miles to go. Rachel is now driving, I don't usually stay up this late. (music=Dire Straits, Sultans of Swing)<end Kevin's turn>

1:30-We got to the hotel at 12:55, and there was nobody at the desk.  Kevin yelled "hello?" and a maid went to get someone.  This young flunky came to the desk, and fumbled his way through our check-in.  He fought a calculator for a while, hitting the "clear" button several times and starting over, then said, "$71.20 with tax."  That's probably not far off, but I'll bet you $71.20 that it's wrong.  Kevin asked for a receipt, and he said he'd put it under the door later.  We'll check with the manager tomorrow.

Well, time for bed.  It's been a great road-trip, and it's nice to be here in Rochelle, IL...on the other side of the Mississippi River!  Tomorrow's the party, and I can't wait!

Counter offer

Well, the seller made a counter offer.  They pay half the closing cost (about $1500) and we pay the rest.  We told our realtor to counter with them paying $2000 and us paying $1000, but made it clear to him that it's not a deal-breaker.  I don't want to lose this house over 500 stinking dollars.  I am not good at bargaining, and this is my future.  I'm so nervous. 

I mean, I agree with mom.  If it's meant to be, it shall be.  If it's not meant to be, there are other houses.  In fact, there's the other one that I liked, less than a mile away!  It will be ok, it is all good.  Breath in.  Breath out.  I shall not rest easy until keys are in my hand.  Even if we sign papers and are told that it's a done deal....keys in my hand, baby, keys in my hand.

In other news, Kevin and I leave for Chicago tomorrow evening.  ROAD TRIP!  I am looking forward to meeting some awesome online friends, and I just made a batch of about 15 lbs of lasagna for our dinner.  PHEW!  That's done.  Now to watch Survivor and then pack for the trip.  Chicago here we come!

My uncertain future

Well, I told mom and Kevin that I wasn't going to "blog" or go "internet public" with this yet, but I can't hold out.  Besides, Kevin talked about it on the JokeADay message boards, so it's ok, right?  (heck, I can justify anything!)

We put in a bid on a house today.  I'm hopeful, but not TOO hopeful.  You see, it's not like most people putting a bid on a house.  It's new to us.  We entered this marriage 10 years ago, both with questionable credit.  After marriage, we blew it even more.  We have spent almost 2 years doing everything in our power to make things right.  About 2 weeks ago, we were pre-approved for a home loan.

We looked at 6 or 7 houses on Saturday, and 2 of them fit the bill.  The one that we placed an offer on is perfect (in our eyes.) It's not only in our budget, but it's above our expectations.  I wanted 4 bedrooms, needed 3... it has 5.  This means a guest room for Kevin's mom, or our friends from out of town.  We wanted a place for the kids to play, this has a finished rec room in the basement.  We wanted a decent sized yard for a dog, this has a huge yard.

It is in our price range, although the top end of our price range.  Our offer was what she was asking for it, if she'll pay closing costs.  The hold-up is the fact that this is an old grandma, who wanted reimbursed for propane left in the tank.  She might be too tight to pay the closing costs, or she might take it...who knows?  If she doesn't accept, it's ok.  Our hopes and dreams aren't tied up in this house.  We want it.  Heck, I'll say it, we want it BAD.  But if it doesn't happen, it's ok.  We've rented our whole lives...we can last another year or so if necessary.

If she doesn't accept, there is another house that is worth a second look.  Only 3 bedrooms (enough) and not as big, but some real nice advantages.  Built in cabinets, armoirs and buffets (sp?).  A loft over the kitchen with a built in desk and storage and bookshelves for the girls' stuff.  It's cool.  Not quite as good a neighborhood (can a town of 790 have neighborhoods?) but a cool house and less expensive.  This is plan "B".

Heck, it may get to plan "G" before all is said and done, but we've taken the first couple of steps.  Daddy's little girl is growing up.  At the age of 36, as the mother of three, as a wife of 10 years, I'm growing up.  Renting is a dead-end place to be, and it sucks, and I'm finally trying to step away from it.

Here's hoping, praying, dreaming that I get a house.  I'm ready.  More to come!

A wonderful Sunday afternoon

It was a great day today.  We went to mom's and had some great dinner (see mom?  I didn't call it lunch!) of brisket, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn.  It was awesome.  As we were having dessert (oreo dessert, yum) Arick and Michelle showed up.  I asked mom to go for a ride, and I headed out to get the boys.

We rode on the neighbor's place a bit, then on mom and dad's.  It was wonderful.  The wind was blowing everything around, so Buddy's ears were perked up quite a bit.  Everything is so exciting to him.  We let them stop to visit the colt down the street for a few minutes.  Buddy only had a few minutes of nonsense, but is doing better every time we ride.

When I was done, Arick rode Blue, and I gave Buddy a bath.  He loved it!  He even drank from the hose a bit.  He is getting so pretty, losing that dirty looking winter coat.  I kept him on the halter and let him graze in front of the barn while he dried off...I was hoping he wouldn't immediately roll in the dirt.  When he was dry, I brushed him off and turned him out.  After they ate and went out to graze, I walked out there with my camera.

I took too many shots of my baby, so I tried to edit most of them out.  As we headed home, the clouds started to build, and you can feel a change in the air this evening.  I hope we have some great storms overnight.  I'm also thankful that it held off until I got a ride in!  Tomorrow, it's back to the grind, but I can think about today all week!

*edit* I forgot to explain "the only good pic from our ride."  I had the camera settings all jacked up from taking pics inside, close range, dim light.  In the bright sun, they all came out like a polar bear in a snowstorm...DANGIT!

Weekend update

It's been a pretty full weekend, and we still have half to go!  I always enjoy it when I do something on the weekends, other than sitting around playing on the computer.  I enjoy my "down time" on the computer just fine, but if it's all I do, I feel like I cheated myself.  I guess there's some part of my brain that wants to fight my lazy nature.

Yesterday, we looked at 6 houses.  Wow, that'll wear you out.  Some of them got an instant "no way!", while a couple of others were definate possibilities.  We're not gonna get a new, $200k home on our budget, but I want enough bedrooms.  I don't mind doing some "fixing up", but I don't want to work for 2 months to make it livable.  There is one that we agreed is what we're looking for.  Now the big decision.  Neither of us has ever owned a home, so it's overwhelming, and scary, and nerve-wracking, and wonderful.  We'll see how it goes.

At mom's, we had lunch of tenderloin sandwiches.  Yummy!  It was great.  Then mom and I went for a short ride back to the bottoms.  Buddy wasn't able to run all the way up "the hill" without stopping, but after a short rest, he ran the rest of the way.  Poor little fella doesn't know what to do with all that energy.  Today, if the rain holds off, I'd like to get a longer ride in.

We came home in time to drop Brett of for work...yeah, I said work.  Brett got his first job offer, and started last night.  It looks like it's probably gonna be Saturday evenings only, for now, but that's OK.  He washed dishes non-stop for 5 hours, and it kicked his butt, but he was happy when he got home.  I remember my first day of my first job, so I remember that feeling.  The early stages of freedom!  His friend Robert spent the night last night.  They played cards and game cube and listened to music.  I like Robert.  A lot of teen agers get on my nerves, but Robert could stick around all the time, and I wouldn't mind.

I love having the windows open 'round the clock.  I love the sunshine.  I love the dogwoods and redbuds "doing their thing" and I love wearing short sleeves without needing a jacket for the first half of the day.  I love Spring.  I'll take my camera today and try to get some good pictures of the day.

Someday

Some day, I'll be lonely for a conversation about a problem in a relationship between two fickle girls.

Some day, I'll wish I could fix breakfast for some hungry kids, even though I'm late for work.

Some day, I'll want to spend a Friday night talking to my kids, but they'll be out with friends and too busy.

Some day, I'll have the bathroom all to myself in the morning, but I'll wish I had a little girl around who needs her hair fixed.

Some day, I'll go out after work with friends, and not be called 10 minutes later by a crying child, who has been slighted by her brother. 

I get so frustrated that I can't be gone for ONE hour without problems.  I get so mad that every little thing is a big issue to them.  I get upset that nothing is good enough to keep them happy when I'm not here.  I need to understand that they are only happy when I'm home with them.  That's a blessing, right?  There'll come a day that I will just wish for an hour with them, instead of an hour without them.  I love my kids, and those folks who invite me out (who keep getting turned down by me) will just have to understand that it's Saturday, or nothing.  It's ok, though.  It's cheaper to stay home, anyway.

New Glasses

Well, Monica's new glasses finally came in today.  It's a completely different look and style, and I love them.  Kevin helped her pick them out over a week ago, and I hadn't seen them yet.  It's so drastically different, it took a bit to get used to them, but I really like them, and so does she...that's the important part.

Oh yeah, and I'm off work tomorrow...YEAH!

Too wired from the trip to sleep, so here are the pics!

Well, I'm too wired from the trip to go to bed yet, so I decided to do the picture thing.  I'll try to fill in any blanks here, but may miss some, due to the late hour and my brain-dead state.

I loved my room.  I usually hate hotel beds, but this one has my own bed beat...hands down.  I wanted to bring it back.  The bathroom floor is marble, and the little details are great.  Henry Ford wanted a place for his guests to stay, when he flew them in...thus the Dearborn Inn, the first hotel associated with an airport.  It's been updated, while still keeping it's historic feel. (why do all hotels use green and burgandy for carpeting?  I mean EVERY hotel I've ever seen has some variation of this color scheme...weird.)

I had the "work" station all set up.  I didn't want to surf on the work computer, since it's personal stuff that I didn't want to show up in the history, so I used it to play my CD's, and used my poor slow computer to surf and play.  It was a great arrangement, and we got along just fine, thank you very much!

When you are in a hotel, there are two doors.  One leads to a room with a tub and a toilet, the other has hangers and an ironing board.  I can usually figure out what these rooms are on my own, but the sweet folks at the Dearborn Inn decided to lable the closet for me.  I laughed out loud about this one.  All alone, in my room, laughing like a redneck idiot.  To humble me, though, they got revenge.  At bedtime, I couldn't figure out how to turn the closet light off.  I spent close to 5 minutes trying to figure it out.  I finally decided I'd just shut the door...guess what happened?  Yup.  Light went out.  DUH!

If you look out of the front of the building, and look left or right or dead ahead...you see Ford Motor Company.  It's gotta be close to a mile-long stretch.  Ford everywhere.  We took in the Automotive Hall of Fame, but dummy here forgot her camera.  Museum pics never turn out very good, anyhow...right?  Yeah, let's go with that.

The hotel is the fanciest I've ever stayed at (that's not saying much, folks, but nonetheless...) and there is a lot of history here, that I'd love to take in some day, when I'm not working.  I was sick of sitting with Terry and his old cronies, talking final four basketball, so I went to my room early Saturday, and found out that they'd bring a cold beer to my room, in a bucket of ice, with a bottle opener...SWEET!  If I was rich, I'd live like this!

Monday morning brought my first ever room service meal.  It was sooo cool.  I was such a hick.  I just sat and looked at it for a while, admiring the setup...even taking a picture before I started eating.  I gotta get out more!  The food was pretty good, but the fact that it was ROOM SERVICE made it absolutely perfect....best breakfast I've ever had!  I almost put cream in my coffee (blech) just to use the tiny creamer pitcher!  But I didn't.

I set up the booth this morning, arranging it how *I* wanted to (if he wasn't gonna help, he wasn't gonna get any say in the matter) then set out to take pictures.  I went out back to the courtyard, then to the replica houses.  There are 5 or 6 of them, and you can reserve them for rooms.  I didn't get a shot of Poe's, 'cause mom says he creeps her out.  I did get Whitman, and another that I was sure she would think was cool.  Then, since I didn't write it down (I was sure I'd remember) I forgot who it belonged to!  What an idiot.  I'll just have to take her there some day.

The trade show started today at 10:00, and Terry waltzed in at 9:59, with his paper and coffee.  To be fair, he only read the paper until people started entering (20 minutes or so later) but I thought it captured his role in this trip.  Butt head!

We got home this evening, safe and sound.  The weather is beautiful here, and will be again tomorrow.  Then it's gonna cool down and rain, just in time for my day off on Wednesday.  Yippee.

 

Home at last

I'm home, and I'm exhausted.  A real post with Detroit pictures will come tomorrow...I promise.

A new day

Well, after last night's depressing post, I thought I'd put something happy on here.  The sun is up, and bright, and this day is starting on a much better note than yesterday.

I decided not to let Terry hang me out to dry for breakfast again, like he did yesterday, so last night I pre-ordered breakfast.  ROOM SERVICE!  I've never had room service in my life, so I was kinda excited.  I had it marked to be delivered between 6:30 and 6:45, and they were here at 6:31.  Big ol' tray with the shiny dome lid like they show on T.V.  Boy, life is exciting when you're a sheltered hick like me.  They had juice, coffee, water, fruit, muffins, plus my plate of eggs, hashbrowns and a piece of ham!  It looked so pretty that I took a picture of it!  Teeny Tiny salt and pepper shakers were my favorite items on that tray.

I enjoyed my breakfast in my PJ's, then showered and surfed the 'net for a bit.  It's amazing how much a good night's sleep and a bright sunrise can do for your attitude.  Yes, I still have to spend 5 hours in that booth with Mr. Advice, but then I get to go HOME!  HOME, I tell you!  Our flight lands in KC at 7:40, so I'll set my watch to Central time again, and get home to see my family.  My own bed sounds so good, although this is a very nice bed.  King size with a pillow top mattress...wonder if it'll fit in my suitcase?

Anyway, I'm gonna go explore the gift shop, and maybe take some pictures outside this morning before I meet up with the long portion of the day.  See ya later, from HOME!

Detroit, day 2

I chose "sad" as my mood, because it was closest to how I feel.  I am so friggin' lonely here.  The trade show is slow, and I doubt that the business we bring back will be worth the cost of the trip.  I have doubts that we'll be back in Michigan next year.  Terry forgot to set his clock forward, and overslept, so I had to eat breakfast alone.  I HATE to eat at a public place alone.  I lack the confidence to pull it off.

After the show, we found a Chili's for dinner.  It was pretty good.  Then back to the hotel, where I promptly removed the contacts and put on PJ's.  I have never been good at being alone.  At least when I travel with another female, I have a roommate to talk to.  I have the work laptop beside me, playing music, and mine here to play around online.  I chatted with Monica, called Kevin, and the kids will call me later, but I'm so lonely I could go to bed...and it's not dark yet!

I hate that I'm this way.  Mom loves her alone time.  Kevin loves his alone time.  I just don't know what to do with myself.  The laptop is too slow to play good games on, so surfing is about it.  There's not much on TV tonight, other than Extreme Makeover, Home Edition (which is currently filming in Raytown, where I work...yeah, I went and gawked at Ty on my lunch break the other day.  They say that it's the biggest audience ever.  It'll be on TV in mid-May.)

I'm depressed, and starting to hate how depressing this post sounds, so I'll sign off.  Maybe I'll eek out another entry after I get home tomorrow...and I won't be so ridiculously full of self-pity.

Detroit, blech!

Here I am in Dearborn, Michigan.  Rain, cold, wind, blech.  At home, my kids played outside without jackets.  Blech. OK, enough of the sob story, on to the day:

I flew out of KC at 9:45 this morning, after arriving at the airport after 9.  Sure, Terry, no problem.  Some folks are used to being late, I'm not.  By the time we got through security, the plane was halfway loaded.  I guess it worked out fine, and there was no down time, but I am used to getting there earlier.  When you ride with someone else, you're at their mercy, and I didn't want to pay parking. 

Toward the end of the flight, we hit the icky weather, and it got a bit rough.  Not horrible, but the pilot was obviously ducking and dodging the worst of it, so it was interesting.  All in all, it wasn't too bad, other than Terry's conversation.  That man has an opinion and advice about EVERYTHING.  I SWEAR he would tell me what tampon to use, if it came up in conversation.  Sheesh, just sit quietly for a minute, would ya?

When we landed, we took a shuttle out to the rental car place, and picked up our car.  They had reserved a "small car" for us, and Terry said, "nope, that won't work, upgrade us to that Impala over there...the white one."  They did it.  I hope, if I ever get a company credit card, I am that bold with it.  We were both starving, so on the way to Dearborn, we looked for somewhere to eat.

Most folks from my work, especially the women, want only the best when travelling.  Terry came upon this little joint in D.O.W.N. T.O.W.N. and said, "wanna eat here?"  I think he meant it as a joke.  I said, "sure!" and we went in.  It wasn't very clean, and my dad would have left, but we stayed.  Best Philly Cheese Steak sandwhich I've ever had.  In my life.  Seriously.  Dang, but it was good.  He was amazed that I agreed to eat there, and I said, "these places are often diamonds in the rough."

We got to the Dearborn Inn, and checked in.  After a quick drop-off of the bags, we went to the ballroom, or whatever the big place is, and set up our booth for the trade show.  That took less than a half-hour, and we decided to head across the street to check out the automotive hall of fame.  It's pretty darn cool.  I got a little something for the girls and my mom there.  All I have left is Kevin, Dad, and Brett...I'm halfway done with the gifts!

When we got back, we hit the hotel pub for a beer.  I was wishing for a way to get away from Mr. Advice/Mr. Knowledge/Mr...well, never mind.  At last, a couple of guys he knows from the industry showed up, and they sat down with us.  The final four game started, and they settled in to watch.  That was my chance.  I excused myself to go to my room and "call the family and get ready for tomorrow" which translates into, "boredom is better than this" and I came up to the room.

I have the work laptop running, playing CD's, and my laptop connected to play online.  The kids have been called, Kevin has been called, and I'm bored and lonely, but I'm not getting advice or watching college basketball, so life is just fine, thank you very much.

I know this was a long post, but I've got nothing but time.  I forgot my cable to pull images off my camera, so all pictures will have to wait until I get home, and after a late Monday arrival, and work Tuesday, it'll be Tuesday night before I post pictures, but I hope to have some good ones. 

More to come tomorrow!

Leaving, on a jet plane....

Well, in a few hours, I'll be in the air, headed to Detroit.  It's a two-hour flight, and I'm losing an hour due to time zones.  Then tonight, I lose another hour, due to daylight savings.  Sheesh, I'm gonna be older when I get back, if this keeps up!  We'll have the booth set up by 2, then we're done until tomorrow morning at 11.  The guy I'm travelling with is nice enough, but I'm not sure I want to spend the whole afternoon with him.  He got us a rental car, but I might beg out of any sight-seeing and stay in my room.  Heck, I've got the laptop, right?  LOL

Flying doesn't scare me, although my first flight was barely more than a year ago.  I've flown 5 or 6 times since then, and am comfortable with it, but there's always that thought, deep down, that "things happen."  I was tucking the girls in last night, and Natalie was crying, saying she didn't want me to go.  This is normal for her, and I was prepared for it.  Then Monica said, "You're not coming back, are you?"  WHAT?  I promised them that I'd be back Monday evening, then kissed them goodnight.  It made me uneasy for her to say that.  Weird. 

I told them that we'd "chat" (instant message) this evening, and that made them feel a bit better.  Heck, they'll be having fun at Grandma's house for the majority of the time I'm gone.  It's just the leaving that gets them.  They're always happy enough when I call them, but so sad when I'm leaving.  That's why I avoid having them take me to the airport.  It's too hard for them (especially Natalie) to watch me walking away.  I'm just glad that I don't travel real often for work.  2 trade shows a year, that's it. 

Well, I'll check in later from Michigan.  Enjoy the sunshine if you've got it, 'cause I don't think I'll be seeing it until I get home!