Red Jeep Club

Title?

2009-11-28T21:03:00.002-09:00

First, I can't think of a catchy title so there isn't one. It's not as if I'm writing a book or something truly important. Merely posting a long over due update to my blogg. So here goes, sort of......
We're going into December - the Christmas season. I've always loved the holidays - it's such a wonderful time of year. Although the shopping makes everyone crazy and some of the rudeness nearly pushes me over the edge, in general people are nicer. A softness seems to come over them - smiles you don't normally see - sometimes even a cordial greeting. My brother recently posted a comment on Face Book about keeping Christ in Christmas and I couldn't agree with him more. The gifts and the shopping and the decorations, oh how we all love them. But where does the 'niceness' of the season come from? Why do nasty, unhappy, sour people seem to soften for about one month out of the year? Excuse me, it's His birthday - and I think Christ has a way of coming into the hearts of even the toughest people. They seem to realize that it really is a special time - a time to remember - a time to reflect - and a time to love one another. It's Christ's birthday and He wants us to be nice to each other - to love each other as He loves each and everyone of us. We need to hold each other close in or hearts - and we need to hold Him even closer in our hearts and in our souls.

On a side note - I'm changing jobs as of Dec 7. It's been a while coming and I'm excited at the new opportunity. I'm also extremely excited to be eliminating my 2 hour (minimum) round trip daily commute. Yep, I'll be driving over to Palmer every day now. That's about 15 minutes. I won't be traveling the Glenn Hwy - and that makes me so very happy!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was great - very low key and relaxing.

More to come.........love you all!

Sorry if you couldn't read the post below....

2009-07-28T21:47:00.001-08:00

Another apology - I didn't realize the post below was so unreadable so I'm re-posting just in case anyone wants to read it!

Really, I am! I can't believe I have posted anything since March 20. Sure I've been busy and time has a way of slipping by - not enough hours in a day - but still, no excuse.The summer, or at least the first half of summer here in Alaska has been fabulous! Warmth, sunshine - just unbelievable! Well, reality has set in. Rain, wind, chilly temps. Yep, it almost feels like last summer. I'm praying for some of the first half of summer to come back before the snow starts flying again.So what have we been up to? Work, work, and more work. There was the Adak trip and the company BBQ. And then the Seward fishing trip....I made my mark....all over the water! Sooo incredibly sea sick I couldn't stand it. I didn't even get to wet a line, just hanging my head over the side of the boat and praying the day would end. Thankfully the others in the boat took pity and caught my share so we didn't go back to shore short of fish. And now it's way past time for bed, sorry. But at least I wrote something - better than nothing. I will try to do better.Hugs and love to Ohio - we miss you all!

I'm so embarrassed...

2009-07-27T22:57:00.002-08:00

Really, I am! I can't believe I have posted anything since March 20. Sure I've been busy and time has a way of slipping by - not enough hours in a day - but still, no excuse.

The summer, or at least the first half of summer here in Alaska has been fabulous! Warmth, sunshine - just unbelievable! Well, reality has set in. Rain, wind, chilly temps. Yep, it almost feels like last summer. I'm praying for some of the first half of summer to come back before the snow starts flying again.

So what have we been up to? Work, work, and more work. There was the Adak trip and the company BBQ. And then the Seward fishing trip....I made my mark....all over the water! Sooo incredibly sea sick I couldn't stand it. I didn't even get to wet a line, just hanging my head over the side of the boat and praying the day would end. Thankfully the others in the boat took pity and caught my share so we didn't go back to shore short of fish.

And now it's way past time for bed, sorry. But at least I wrote something - better than nothing. I will try to do better.

Hugs and love to Ohio - we miss you all!

2009-03-20T20:03:00.002-08:00

Time flies and so much happens - condolences to my Ohio family at the loss of their Dad. It's times like these that it's so hard being way up here in Alaska - so far away. Can't even lend moral support. We love you all and hope you're doing ok.

Things here are ok. I've been struggling with the laptop. Weird things were happening. "wmv" files, I had audio but no video. I was getting craze error messages on other things. So off to the ole pc dr - corrupt windows files. They had to reformat the hard drive. Luckily most of the pics were saved and other important info. But now it's the process of installing all the programs back on. I did lose all my favorites - do you have idea what that's like? It's like losing speed dial on your cell phone - not pretty!

S, K, D, & R are in Hawaii. I'm so happy they're enjoying the warm weather and hopefully lots and lots of sunshine!

We have their dog Schotzie and she's so sweet. We also have our friends dog, Callie. She's a little lhasa apso. Poor Schotzie is afraid or at the least very cautious of Callie. It's funny to watch Schotzie walk half way around the house to avoid Callie. They're not fighting or being mean - just basically ignoring and avoiding each other. It's so funny!

Not much else happening right now.

Back to the cold

2009-02-01T16:16:00.004-09:00

Well, sad to say we're back in Alaska and it's cold! Sure I know it's supposed to be cold in Alaska in the winter, but negative temps again, come on. To go from the 80's to subzero is just plain not fun.

Yes, Hawaii was great, fabulous, incredible, heavenly! It only rained once and that was at night. Doesn't get much better than that! The warm breezes, the sun, it was a much needed break from the frigid winter we've been having this year. And sharing it with my daughter - that's the best.

I'm sooooo screwed.....

2009-01-13T20:37:00.002-09:00

This is solely for the humor of my family - my brother in particular. He will understand and appreciate my dilemna.

My alarm clock is broken. Well, not the whole alarm but at least the most important part of the alarm clock....the SNOOZE button. Yes, my precious, crucially important snooze button has simply decided to stop working! Now to some this might not be a big deal. But as I mentioned, my family is probably rolling on the floor laughing right about now. Yes, even J is chuckling about the whole situation. He's one of those people that wakes with the first buzz of the alarm and then gets out of bed and starts moving. To me, that's not natural. If we weren't supposed to use snooze buttons God would never have created them. I need to press the snooze at least 3 or 4 times each and every morning. It's my way of ever so slowly facing the morning. I'm not a morning person and need all the help I can get to drag myself awake. My family knows all too well just how much I depend on my snooze alarm each and every morning. I need my snooze button. I can't function without it.

Sympathy anyone?

Where did '08 go?

2009-01-03T21:40:00.011-09:00

Wow, I can't believe it's 2009 already. It's so true about time flying by faster as you get older - not that I'm actually getting older!

It just seems that 2008 went be in a flash. But there were so many good things that happened. the ole' creating memories thing going on. A short trip down memory lane.......

My niece and nephew-in-law (is that a word?) made it to Alaska for vacation. It was L's first time to Alaska and we had so much we wanted him to see. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate for us to go fishing like we planned. That just means they have to come back up again!

S took her first ride on a 4-wheeler and I have to tell you - she's a natural! A bit nervious at first but before we knew it she was zooming around in no time like a crazed woman on a shopping spree.

It only took a few minutes of instructions and she was off and flying!

We had so much fun - laughing 'til we cried. Cried over memories. Laughing some more.

R started 1st grade and D is now in 5th grade. Lord, it seems like only yesterday they were babies.

I took my first fishing charter and it was great. We closed down the office for the day and headed to Seward. The boat I was on caught our limit! Our freezer has some tasty salmon in it. (Yes, that me, second from the left kneeling in front.) It was ate in the season so the weather was a tad wet but that didn't stop us from having a good time.

R and I made our trip to the North Pole to visit Santa. It was a wonderful trip. R knows about the Santa helpers that dress up at the local stores and he told me that this was the "real one". He could tell......

There was the trip in early June to S Carolina to a convention. I had forgotten how good it feels to walk barefoot in the sand!

And then the trip in late June to Texas for an OSHA seminar. And I can't forget the Vegas trip in October! A week of studying like crazy during the day and partying at night! Yes, I was tired when we got home but it was worth it.

Oh, and R joined the boy scouts! He and I spent a fun afternoon selling popcorn at one of the local grocery stores!

SM graduated from college in December! Hoooorayyyyy! Magna cum-laude no less. This is one proud Mom. I knew she could do it and I'm just darned happy for her. Graduation ceramonies will be in June. Ever the one to strive for more, she's already started taking classes for her Master's degree.

I'm sure there's loads more but I'm not sure at what point the blog will say "too much" and just dump me out. I'll close for now and hope this all posts!

Do you see that?

2008-12-27T18:09:00.001-09:00

OMG, I've added a pic to the blog!!!! Ok, so it may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me....this is huge!

Counting down...

2008-12-18T21:34:00.002-09:00

It's getting closer and closer! Pretty much done with all the shopping. Just the wrapping now. Tomorrow night is my Christmas party, Saturday is J's Christmas party, and Sunday is brunch with friends @ Josephine's. That's swanky place that's only open on Sunday's for champagne brunch.

Re-thinking 16 Unusual things...

2008-12-02T12:12:00.002-09:00

In case you missed the post and comments below, my dear daughter reminded me of a few slightly unusual things about myself. Leave it to a daughter to notice every minor little detail.....you gotta love it!

Sooooo, let's try this again:

1. Yes, I am slightly obsessed with odd vs. even #'s. Volume controls have to be set on an even # (2-4-6-8------20-22-24---). Temperature controls are the same. Virtually anything numeric. Don't tell me it's 73 degrees, that won't do.

2. Plastic bags of any kind - and paper too for that matter. I fold them all. Literally everything has to be folded. Used wrapping paper that is being thrown away will get folded flat before it goes in the trash.

3. I guess the pantyhose thing could be included in #2. Pantyhose can be folded neatly into a square, believe me - if you want a lesson come on over to my house. But that also includes ALL underwear. Nothing, and I do mean nothing goes into my drawers without being folded.

4. Ice cream. What's unusual about that? Well, I don't like it real hard, frozen. I scoop out a bowl and put it in the microwave for about 10 - 15 seconds. No, it doesn't melt, it just gets a tiny bit soft on the outside. Reminds me of soft serve back in Ohio.

5. Coffee cups must be clear glass. It is the preferred way to drink in my house. And don't even think about giving me coffee in a Styrofoam cup....that is cause for death or at least a rude no thanks and a nasty "down the nose" look. But really, it does taste funny to me. When not at home I prefer to have my coffee in my travel mug. I'll even take it into a restaurant with me.

6. Travel mugs - yes, I collect them and have one with me all the time. I even have to test purses to see if the travel mug will fit inside. If it doesn't, then don't buy the darn purse! But not just any travel mug. They have to be stylish. Take a walk around Starbucks and chances are I have one of them in my cupboard.

7. Light switches MUST be down when turned off. You know, a room with two or three switches, one on either side of the room. I will go crazy trying to figure out how to have the lights off and both switches down.

8. I'm obsessed with time. Not tracking - just knowing what time it is ALL the time. And it's not good enough to have one clock in a room. I'm sitting in my office and besides my watch (always have a watch on) there are four (yes 4) different clocks. If I wake up in the middle of the night I can't go back to sleep until I check the time. The only room in my house that does not have a clock is the guest bathroom and I'm shopping around for one. Just haven't found the right one yet.

9. I can't stand excess 'stuff'' in my car. It drives me crazy to leave something in my car, even just for a few hours or overnight. It's not like it's going to multiply or grow legs and stomp around.

10. Do NOT put your rear end on a table of mine. That includes picnic tables. dining room tables, coffee tables, end tables, etc. That just puts me over the edge to have someone's a-- where my food could potentially be placed. It used to be the same way with my kitchen counters but I've lightened up on that one due to the grandkids. Come on, they need to sit on kitchen counters!

11. Cans, jars, bottles, boxes, etc, must have the label facing out in my pantry and cupboards in my kitchen. OK, same way for in the bathroom. yes, I line them up.....

12. All clothes must face left in my closet. (left sleeve closest to the door)

13. I can't stand to have anyone touch my feet. Safe to say I've never had a pedicure.

14. Covers must be folded a certain way on the bed. I can't explain it - you know, the top of the sheet must be folded over the top edge of the comforter. Does that make sense? I can't go to sleep at night until the covers are just right

15. Numbers in general. I'm constantly counting, adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing random #'s in my head. Not huge numbers - any number that pops into my sorry brain will do. Pass a speed limit sign - I'll start doing math. The sad part - I hate math.

16. This may not seem unusual to some people but, I'm afraid of heights. I mean standing on a chair to reach something on a high shelf - scares me to death. I've done some really dumb things trying to prove I'm not scared only to find myself stuck on of all things - a roof, hugging a chimney, or a ladder plastered against the outside of the house. I freeze and then can't get down - it can take hours!

So there - I guess I'm not so boring after all. But it does look like I'm a tad weird!

16 things....(pass it on)

2008-12-01T21:18:00.002-09:00

So I saw this posted this on SM's blog & suggested that 'everyone' join in so...........here are 16 unusual things about me.................

1.
2.
3.
4.
...........

Ok, so you're really not going to believe this but I can't think of anything unusual about me. Boring that's me.

Sorry folks!

Can socks be fun?

2008-11-16T21:55:00.002-09:00

WT_....you might be asking about the odd title? Well, think about it, they keep our toes toasty, they can be a fashion statement of sorts, AND (drum roll please)............the grandkids think it is so cool to slide around on the floor with 'slick socks'! Yep, leave it to the mind of a child to remind adults of the fun of socks and hard wood (laminate too) floors. So D & R had a sleepover and I couldn't believe the giggling that was going on in my hall. D was shouting at R, "R, we have our acorns on and they are so slick on grandma's floor. Come on!" That was the sign for J and I to stay out of the way and D & R went whizzing by, back and forth and back again. Naturally I found myself sliding across the kitchen floor as I went about making dinner. We adults need to listen a little more closely to the young ones around us. They're sure to remind us of the simple pleasures of life.

Not much going on, work, work, and more work. Oh yes, only 4 more sleeps and R and I will be starting our first road trip - just the 2 of us. Yes, the great trip to the North Pole to visit Santa. Of course R wanted to know if there were any movie theatres in Fairbanks. Seems there's a new movie out he's wanting to see. Madagascar 2 (I think). D saw it early in the week with a group of her friends.

One more thing - I'm going to try to figure out how to update this blog a little more. It's a slow process. Guess I'm going to have to break down and ask SM for some help. I'll wait until this semester is over. I know she's buried in school work right now. (hint-hint SM....pencil me in on your calendar please....I need help). And just one more thing dear sweet daughter.....can you please (pretty please) load some Christmas music on my ipod? You know I'm challenged with that too.

Hope all is well with everyone. Keep warm!

Love you and miss y'all!

Notice anything......?

2008-11-13T21:56:00.002-09:00

You got it...I'm finally breaking out of the mold here. I've been tired of the same background and general theme for some time but yet I had no idea how to change it. I've noticed several other blogs and how cool they look. You know, they just sort of pop! Well, this is step #1. I'll be taking this very slowly so that I don't delete the whole darned thing.

Stop back for more exciting updates! (OK, if you think this is exciting there is definitely something missing in your life!)

Love y'all!

Too long, I know....

2008-10-29T00:49:00.002-08:00

So I check out the family blogs and nothing, nothing, nothing. And I'm wondering what's happened that no one is blogging. (Yes, SM did post recently, but it had been awhile) And then it hits me, yes the light bulb flashed...I'm not blogging either. How can I be disappointed with no news from anyone when I'm not sharing or at least posting something? So here is something.....

Beginning of October - Vegas was great. That goes without saying - Vegas is always great. The 90 degree weather was desperately needed. Especially when Alaska was experiencing the first real winter weather while I was in Vegas. Nope, I didn't empty my wallet in the slots. I only lost about $25 to those monsters! I did shake out my wallet at the local outlet malls. Lord, it was fun shopping in a wide variety of stores. Thankfully there were several of us from Alaska down there shopping so I didn't look like a complete idiot wandering the stores as if I never been shopping before. But really, you have to admit there is something lacking when we up here in the upper one (compared to the lower 48) get giddy/ mark our calendars / count the months, weeks, days / plan our schedules around a Target opening! It's nerve racking at times to go to the same stores and wander around as if something new and exciting is going to miraculously appear on the shelves. It's the same stuff on the same shelves as last week and last month. Have I whined enough about shopping? Ok, I'll move on.

Halloween is coming and that's cool. SM and the grandkids stopped in last Saturday on their way to a Halloween party and I have to tell you, those grandkids were adorable. I can't share a picture right now because the battery is dead (yep, DEAD) on my camera. It's charging so I'll share soon. But I ask you, where did the time go? I started thinking about my first Halloween here in Alaska. D was "Bear in the Big Blue House". As tiny as she was at 2 yrs old the costume was so bulky we had a hard time carrying her around but we couldn't pull her in the wagon cause the snow was so deep it was buried. And little R - he would go to 2 or 3 houses and was done with it all - he was too cold. Perfectly content to come back home and be warm & cozy. And the year the poor little guy was just plain too sick to even leave the house. Memory lane - I do love to travel that road.

The exciting news...............................R and I are going on our first road trip! We're headed to the North Pole! 2 yrs ago D and I made the trip to visit Santa and now R and I are going. He's getting pretty excited and I have to admit I can hardly wait. While he's a bit younger than when I took D, he's hearing rumblings at school that the big guy might not be real. I want him to see it all through the eyes of one who still believes. Now that D is 'so much older' and knows the whole story she thinks it's so cute that R still 'believes'. We leave on 11/20, it's a Thursday evening and we'll return Sunday evening.

In case anyone is interested, winter has officially landed in Alaska. We're in single digit temps at night. Daytime temps manage to make it in the low 20's. No, I'm not complaining, it's Alaska. While we do have snow, don't tell SM - I'm hoping for some more real soon. I'm anxious to take the snowmachines out again!
Well, enough for now. Hugs and kisses to Ohio. Miss you all so much!

HELLO.................

2008-09-23T21:49:00.002-08:00

Ok, where is everyone? I've checked the blogs and nothing. Come on, where are the latest updates on all the exciting things (and not so exciting things) happening?

Me, oh well, not much happening here. Rain, rain, and more rain. The temp is starting to drop into the 30's at night. At this rate snow (I'm sorry SM) is just around the corner. It's half way down the mountains already. We're way past the termination dust phase.

Bunko last weekend, a CAbi party this weekend. And I get to sell popcorn with R's boy scout troop. I'm actually looking forward to that....R is so excited about selling popcorn at the local Three Bears.

I leave for Las Vegas on 10/4 for a week of training. I know, you're thinking..how tough can that be? The training is supposed to be pretty intense. But it is Vegas, right? I may have to try out a slot or 2!

Marching on....

2008-09-14T20:27:00.002-08:00

Just a quick update....
Our Ohio family is back home all safe and sound. It was wonderful to have them with us. We laughed so hard we cried and when Friday night came it was time for them to leave and it was just crying. leaving is always so hard, but the memories will last forever. Pics and more info later.
Love, hugs and kisses to Ohio!

Fish Anyone?

2008-08-24T19:36:00.002-08:00

So I made it back from Seward alive. Didn't get sick, didn't fall over the side of the boat, but boy did we catch the fish! Of the 3 boats we (our company) were on, my boat was the only one that limited out on Salmon and rock fish....SCORE! While the weather could have been better - it wasn't miserable - and we got fish! It was well worth getting up @ 2:00 am and driving the 3-1/2 hours to get there.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

2008-08-16T20:01:00.002-08:00

Boy, did I mess up on this one or what? I had promised that in my most recent post to add pics and I forgot until after I had hit the lovely "Publish Post" button. So I'm trying to get to my pics on my camera and transfer them over to my hard drive.....DO NOT ask what button I hit or clicked or pressed or whatever but I somehow managed to delete the whole %&*)&^&$ page! The entire folder is gone. I can't find it. So now I'm regrouping, grumbling, and cussing trying to see if by some miraculous chance I've saved the majority of them on my flash drive. Oh lord, this is not good!

Updates finally

2008-08-16T19:45:00.001-08:00

Well, where do I start? We’re mid-August and as I’ve whined and complained before, we’ve had no summer. Ok, last week we had a couple of nice days. But even they didn’t last the entire day. Sorry, this year the weather has just been so discouraging. The leaves are already starting to turn on some of the trees and we’ve got leaves falling! This is just plain wrong. I’m afraid this doesn’t bode well for winter this year. I haven’t checked the winter forecast and I’m afraid to.
Work is busy as usual. Nothing exciting going on. Does having our CEO arrested by the FBI count as exciting? Ok, so it was a joke for his birthday. It was pretty funny – he was sooooo serious, scared – and was so professional about the whole thing. He was quiet and reserved – until he caught on to the joke. It was funny and he swore to get each one of us back! He enjoyed it so much he closed the office and let us all go home early, to enjoy his birthday!
J had a rough week. It all started last weekend – well no, it started several months ago when J went to the dentist for a root canal that ended up being some kind of medicated filling. Last Friday he bit down on a peanut (or cashew or walnut or one of them) and I guess it knocked the filling loose. Here comes the pain. It got worse on Saturday and by Sunday morning the side of his face looked like he had been in a boxing match – the losing side. Come Monday morning he was in the dentist office and by Monday afternoon they had pulled two teeth. Ok so he’s on the road to recovery, right? Wrong! Tuesday and Wednesday were worse. His face continued to swell and the pain just got worse. He’s back at the dentist Thursday morning and they do a root canal on a third tooth and more meds. The swelling is starting to go down and the pain isn’t nearly as bad. He has to go back to the dentist on Monday to fill the hole left in the side of his tooth. It’s been rough for him.
We’re supposed to be going fishing this Friday, 8/22. My boss has reserved 3 fish boats in Seward for the day. We’re closing the office (yes, again) and we’re all going down to Seward for the day.
Monday, 8/18, the grandkids are back in school. I can’t believe D is in the 5th grade and R is in the 1st grade. How time flies by. Seems like just yesterday D was going to kindergarten for her first day. They’re both growing up so fast.
The truly exciting news…….some of the Ohio family is coming to Alaska! Oh my goodness we are so pumped! So many things to do, where do we start? We only one week so we need to start some kind of plan but we don’t want to run them ragged. We’d be perfectly happy to sit around for a week and talk and talk and talk. And of course we know they’ll want to go off on their own at times so we don’t want to crowd them. It’s just so darned exciting to see them again. I hope they’re ready for pics and pics and more pics. I wish we could get the rest of the Ohio family up here but I truly do understand. Maybe someday…I’ll keep praying and dreaming!
Love and hugs and kisses to Ohio!

August already?

2008-08-03T18:30:00.005-08:00

Wow, where has the summer gone? Hopefully y'all had a summer. Here in Alaska we've had a total of about 1 week, maybe. This has got the be the worst summer by far. 2 days that hit 70 - even that's bad for Alaska. Most days have been in the 50's with rain, rain, and more rain. Heck, Fairbanks has so much rain they've declared areas a disaster.

Anyway, South Carolina in June was beautiful. Walking the shore and feeling the warm sand and the warm water was wonderful. Yes, it was hot - over 100, and I loved every sweaty minute of it.

Texas was a short trip mid-June. We had the combination of sun, heat, rain, high winds - all in 3 days! Wow, it was something. And the trip back from Texas was a trip all in itself! First, we were an hour late leaving Dallas/Ft Worth, for no known reason. By the time we got to Denver there was a huge storm and we couldn't land. We circled for about an hour and then were told we were diverting to Colorado Springs because we were running low on fuel - oh fun. By the time we got to Colorado Springs the storm had settled in there but we were able to land. We get into the terminal and were told we were being bussed back to Denver - WTF? We get on busses and ride all the way back to Denver and stand around for hours waiting in line to get hotel vouchers, taxi vouchers, meal vouchers, etc. The hotel was over 15 mile away and of course when we get to the hotel we're in the same long line waiting to get our rooms. Remember, this is the entire airplane waiting in line. The taxi ride cost $40 so we pulled our taxi vouchers. I got to my room @ 2:00 am and had to be back down in the lobby by 8:00 am to catch the shuttle back to the airport in time for my flight - not to Anchorage but to San Francisco and then to Anchorage. So rather than getting home Friday night @ midnight I got home about 10:00 pm Saturday night. Oh did I mention my luggage was lost in the ordeal? Thankfully it did show up in Anchorage.

Then there was the "Community Appreciation BBQ" we had in Adak. We closed the offices and flew all the employees to Adak for the BBQ. Quite the adventure. Coordinating the shipment of all the food, grills, necessities to Adak and then pulling it all together once we got there was daunting at times. But the sightseeing was wonderful. The attached photo was taken on Adak - unbelievable, huh? You would think you were on some tropical island at times. The scenery is great.

So, back home in Anchorage and we're back to the rain...LOL!

Ok, enough for now. Glad to hear others had good vacations and have enjoyed their summer!

If summer won't come to me......

2008-06-04T21:38:00.003-08:00

As mentioned in my previous post, summer is finally here. Well, maybe. This week we have a chill in the air, the weather man keeps calling for rain so it's been cloudy all week. Hmmm, it almost feels like fall...please say it isn't so! I need some sun and some warmth. The thought has been lingering that I need to go somewhere, anywhere to have some real summer weather but with the price of airline tickets I'd need to get a second job just to pay for the darned thing which means I wouldn't have the time or the energy to travel. So I'm doing the next best thing, or maybe it's the best thing....get someone else to pay for the crazy airline ticket. Hey even better, don't take vacation time, get paid for traveling. Yep, go to a conference or 2 somewhere warm and sunny. So I leave on the 7th for South Carolina. I'll only be staying until Tuesday evening, but I'm not complaining....it will be warm, maybe even hot, I don't have to pay in fact I'll get paid to go to the conference...SCORE! But heck who wants just a little taste, huh? I'll come back to Alaska on the 12th, spend a week here (hopefully with nice weather) and then head to Texas on the 18th. Now that's going to be hot, I'm going to love it. Double SCORE!

I want to welcome a good friend, ok so it's my daughter's good friend, but I've gotten to know her and think of her as a friend of mine too. We try not to use full names and because we already have several 'J' floating around our family blogs we'll have to refer to her as JD.....welcome JD! Hope you enjoy blogging. I would put a link to your blog here but I don't know how to do that yet. Guess I'll have to get some more 'blog training' from S. She's knows I'm challenged with this stuff and is a great resource. That is, if I can get her on the phone. Is she talking to you again...I've called and she's not calling back...frustrating!

Well, I better head toward the bedroom. I have to be at work at 7 in the morning and this G-ma needs her sleep!

Finally!!!!!!!

2008-05-27T19:33:00.004-08:00

I didn't think summer would ever get here, but finally we're having nice weather. Now keep in mind 50 and 60 degree weather is gorgeous summer up here. The days are getting longer and longer - still have daylight @ 11:00 pm.

Nothing exciting - oh wait, I did get a new car. How could I forget that....going from 25 mpg to 46-48 mpg! I traded in the Kia Amanti - (I did love that car) - for a Toyota Prius and I have to say I'm very pleased. It looks small but has loads of room. J said he even has leg room in the back seat, as if he ever sits back there...LOL. Well he did sit in the back when I took it for a test drive and he said it was fine. But I have to tell ya, doubling my gas mileage is heaven these days. The price of gas up here has gone over $4.00/gal. That really hurts with nearly a 100 per day round trip commute. The Prius drives and handles nice. I was scared to death because the day after I got it we had a horrible snow storm - 15 inches on April 25. It was crazy and I was sure I was going to end up in a ditch or something, but it handled great. The best part is that my dear little Prius has a name...."Zippy". S and the kids say I zip around in my little silver Prius so they now call it Zippy. When they're here and we need to run to the store - "Let's take Zippy!"

I've never named a car before, but I guess it's about time.

Last Thursday we went to a Trace Adkins concert. That was great. Being such a Country Western fan, I was a happy camper. Yes, we were in the nose-bleed section but the music was still good.

And then on Sunday we went to Gary Lewis and The Playboys concert. Ok, so I'm dating myself here - they were really popular in the mid-sixties.

Ok, so I think that's about it for now. There's probably more but I'll save it for later.

Mmmmmm, I need to devote a blog to the grandkids....they're growing so fast and are just so darned much fun.

Love to Ohio.....miss you so much! (Come visit Alaska for goodness sakes!)

Sadness......

2008-04-28T20:18:00.002-08:00

We knew the day would come and we knew it would be tough....this past Saturday we had to put Minnie to sleep. Yes, her health has been detiorating for quite some time and we knew there was no hope of her getting better. That doesn't make it any easier for us. J was in denial for a long time but he finally accepted what was best for Minnie. He just wasn't able to actually take her to the vet. Thankfully my daughter went along with me for support. Our vet was so patient and understanding, explained everything. It was peaceful and painless for Minnie, she just relaxed and went to sleep. Minnie was 18 yrs old and had a good life. She was a good companion and a loyal friend...we'll miss her.

Not much going on....

2008-04-20T13:48:00.003-08:00

So things in Alaska are going pretty much as expected. Snow, snow, snow - and then the warm weather comes to melt it off and give hope to spring, only to snow again and bury springtime hopes under inches and inches of the fluffy white stuff. Just snow and get it over with so we won't have our hopes dashed every other week.
J got a killer deal on two snowmachines (w/trailer) and we've been driving up to Hatcher's Pass on the weekends to enjoy them. They are great! It makes up for the lost springtime hopes. Ok, so I'm sure you're thinking - why buy snowmachines now when we're praying for spring? Like I said, killer deal! That's how it works here and I'm sure it's the same way everywhere. You can get some really great buys on things at the end of the season - clearance sale time. We might get one or two more weekends of fun with them before we'll store them away and get out the four-wheelers and motorcycles. You have to understand, summer is so short up here people have a tendency to soak up every waking minute we possibly can. Thank goodness for the really long days.
Thankfully we've heard the my sis-in-law has recovered from her surgery and she's back on her feet again. That's the tough part of living so far away. As close as we may be it's hard not being physically close at times like these. I'm just glad she has such a great hubby and daughter to be there for her.
Ok, let's see what I can get into today!

Spring anyone?

2008-04-06T13:11:00.002-08:00

Earlier this week we (J & I) were discussing plans for the weekend, you know the usual start to work on spring cleanup in the yard. Get the rakes out and clean the yard, check for bare spots and sprinkle some grass seed, surgery on any trees/shrubs that didn't survive the winter winds and storms. While this may not sound like fun it is sooooo good to get outside and think "Spring". It's April and winter has been long enough here in Alaska - time to refresh and get moving. After all, we don't want to spend all spring/summer (same thing here in Alaska) in the yard - we want to get started so when it does finally warm up enough we can plant some flowers and get the motorcycles on the road.
Well, sadness has set in - in the form of more SNOW! Yep, now the the nasty old snow has melted and we can finally see spring coming our way - it snows again. And not a dusting either. We have a couple of inches and it's still snowing. 2 - 3 inches may not seem like much, but believe me, we've had enough. It is definitely enough to kill our plans of yard work. In fact, it's enough to push us into the duldrums. Cabin fever is at full tilt right now!
Enough...think I'll find my throw, curl up on the sofa and dream of summer!

Grrrrrrr....

2008-03-31T19:30:00.001-08:00

I will never type an entire post using the crazy window that available here. This is like the third time I've typed what I thought was a rather lengthy post only to get booted either by the blog or the internet in general and lose the whole thing! From now on I will type it all in a word document and then copy and paste. Am I a little peeved right now - oh yeah! Ok, so now I will go sulk in a corner or something!

???????

2008-03-09T21:18:00.002-08:00

So my first question - why do I have to title my post? Sure I want to post something but I'm not always creative with titles. The stress level starts mounting just thinking about a catchy title. My solution - no title! How create is that? This way you have to read the blog. If my title isn't intereting enough you just might not bother to read what I have obviously taken so much time to write. Anyway....

I hear from the Ohio family that they actually have more snow than we do in Alaska! From the pics sent Ohio really got dumped on. Alaska is going thru a warm spell right now and we have lots of melted snow (i.e. water), lots of flooding, and some high winds - but the temperature is in the 40's. Normally that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing except I just got home from a week on Adak Island. And I brought with me a horrible cold. I've been dragging around the house all weekend - sleeping on the sofa, sleeping in the recliner, coughing, sneezing, sweating, freezing - and Jim isn't much better. He has a bad cold too.

Adak is really an interesting place, so to speak. The weather changes constantly - I'll try to attach a picture that shows a weather front moving in on us as we're driving down the road.

Hope J had a good birthday on the 4th. J (my J) had a miserable birthday on the 7th due to the previously mentioned colds in our house. His birthday dinner consisted of beef barley soup. It's about the best we could do considering we both feel so pitiful.

Hope all else is ok with everyone.

Love & hugs - we miss you all!

Nothing new - just winter!

2008-01-24T21:43:00.000-09:00

So it's January and it's Alaska. So naturally, it's snowing like crazy. I can live with that. But what's the deal with the temperature jumping around like it's in a hot skillet? Subzero for days on end and then we wake up to 50 degrees. That lasts a couple of days and now it's back down in the single digits. I'm sorry, but we need to get that fixed.
Not much exciting happening these days but I feel guilty for not posting more often.
Oh, our office flooded - some pipes froze and everything backed up in the toilet....YUCK! Thank goodness it wasn't close to my office. But with the CEO and CFO out of town all of it is my responsibility. I can handle this...sure!
Ok, enough for now. Just wanted to drop in and say Hi!

2008....?

2008-01-02T21:19:00.000-09:00

Already? Where did the year go? Oh right...out the window, thru the sands of time and all that! Too tired to post so I'll keep it short and sweet.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Random update

2007-12-01T09:35:00.000-09:00

Wow, time is sure flying these days. I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. As I've mentioned before, although this was originally a joint blog, I seem to be the only one posting so I'm unofficially designating this my blog. Like how I just take control? It's what is commonly known as an executive decision - no one is here so there is no need for a vote at this time. Comments, rebuttals and dissenting remarks are welcome (though not encouraged)....LOL!
Update, the new job is going well - no major problems or issues which is a good thing. With creating the job (or the department) from the ground up I've been pretty busy. Policies/procedures are relatively non-existent. We have a generic employee manual but there's a lot of work to modify and update as needed. With the approaching holiday season I'm finding out that there a lot of little things that now have been designated as the responsibility of HR Director. Christmas gifts for vendors, employees, employees families...what fun. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm officially in charge of coordinating the company Christmas party. Yikes, that's going to be a challenge. Our CEO is out of town and hasn't made a decision on a date yet, so I can't really reserve a place and at this late date there aren't many places left in town. He wants employee fa miles invited - that means kids too. While I love kids, trying to plan some type of party that includes at least 15 little ones between the ages of 4 months and 15 yrs - now there's a challenge. He wants gifts of some sort for everyone. Can we have dancing too.....my thought is not with this group. You see, we only have a total of 15 employees, 3 of which will not be attending because they live in Adak - in the Aleutian Islands. OK, so that takes us down to 12 employees, plus spouse or guest. Approximately 24 adults and about 15 pint size people. Hmmmm, I'm thinking dancing may not be a good idea. And what to serve to this group? Let's not go there this morning. It's Saturday I need to be focusing on home decorations and possibly a little bit of Christmas shopping today. Can I do the shopping online - I'm sure gonna try!
Well, enough for now - I better get moving here or nothing will get done and I'll be even more pressed for time and, and, and....well, OK.....the brain has stopped so my fingers will too.
Love everyone - miss you bunches Ohio!

Back to the grind

2007-11-08T12:21:00.000-09:00

The long commute, wondering what to wear each day, 8 to 5 schedule, weekends off, high gas prices, making the coffee in the morning, rushing out the door wondering what I forgot, praying the traffic won't be bad in the evenings....yep, back to normal, I guess. Every morning I open my closet and my shoes and boots start screaming....pick me, pick me! It's great to be missed. I started my new job on Monday and it's good, so far. Am I a little gun shy, you bet. But everyone seems really nice and it's pretty laid back. There was no HR department, so I'm starting from ground zero here. It's kind of fun. But that also means there's a lot of work to be done here.

3 more sleeps

2007-11-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Thursday morning here and it's cold, cold, cold. And snowing - the wind isn't too bad but is supposed to pick up throughout the day. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? 9:45 am and not daylight, yet. Before you know it there will be no daylight up here on the slope. Thankfully I'll be gone by then.
Hope everyone had a great Halloween and got plenty of candy or little ones knocking on doors asking for candy. I'm really bummed that I missed it all, especially seeing D & R in their favorite costumes of the season.
Fighting a cold and praying I don't get sick. My new job starts on Monday and I sure don't want to walk in feeling miserable and potentially passing around germs to new co-workers. That would not be a good first impression.
Waiting for an update on F & peanut. F, how's you new job going? Are you loving it yet - have they realized you're the princess or are you still hiding that card? Just think, next year you'll can take peanut trick-or-treating! Wooohooo, the fun starts!
Love and hugs & kisses to everyone.

Fire alarm, OH NO!!!

2007-10-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

Who would believe you actually have fire alarms on the North Slope. Well, last night about 10:30 pm, as I was sound asleep, all snuggled in my bed the damned alarm goes off. And believe me, it will wake the dead. With the weather up here you can't just go running outside - not a good idea in single digit temps. Luckily I sleep in a t-shirt and long pajama pants. I keep my slip on shoes close to the door and my winter coat hangs on the back of the door. Jump out of bed, slip into my shoes, grab my coat and make a run for it. Out into the freezing weather that will wake anyone up. So we're outside for about 5 minutes and we get the word that it's all clear. I stumble back upstairs and crawl back into bed. Oh wait, I did make a slight detour to the restroom - cold weather does that to me. Anyway, back in my room I crawl back into bed and then......wide awake. Yep, I'm staring at the dark ceiling listening to the wind howling outside...until about 2:00 am. Toss and turn, read for a bit, toss and turn some more. And then the crazy alarm goes off at 4:00 am. Ok, so I hit the snooze a couple of times and then dragged my sorry self out of bed, hit the shower and got to work. I get to my office and sure enough the network is down...something about a bad switch. It's been replaced and we're up and running. But I'm tired, so tired. It's gonna be a long, long day!

Counting down....

2007-10-29T09:50:00.001-08:00

Six (6) more sleeps and I'll be home for good, thanks for the reminder SA. I have most of my stuff packed so I'll be ready Sunday - am I getting anxious, only slightly. I'll get home sometime Sunday evening and start my new job first thing Monday morning. That means it will officially be 27 straight days of work before I get a day off. Believe me, I'm sleeping in on Saturday 11/10. Just in case anyone gets the sick idea to call on that particular morning I'm moving the phone to the other end of the house and J will be in charge of answering it. But then it will be my first day off in 27 days and I don't want to waste it by sleeping the whole day away and I'm sure there's going to be loads of stuff to do. Housecleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and all that fun stuff. And I'll want to visit the family in Palmer....lord too much to do. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.
My big problem, what to wear for my first day on my new job. I know that sounds silly, but I'm not the type of person that can just go in and pull something out of my closet, throw it on and go. I have to think about it, you know, stand there with the closet doors open and just stare..... I usually start doing this the night before. Yes, it's a sickness of some sort. And I try to rotate my clothes so I'm not wearing the same thing too often. I do the same with my shoes - can't wear those because I just wore them yesterday so that means I can't wear the dress or pants I wanted to wear today because I wore those shoes with that so I have to pick somethng else, but those shoes aren't my favorite or the sweater is in the laundry, so pick something else, but what shoes to wear with that....you get the picture. So anyway, not having my closet here to stare at - I'm in a funk. Yes, of course I know what's in my closet but I have to be able to see it to really get an idea of what is there. I do have it narrowed down to 3 or 4 things at this point. I don want to make a good impression on my first day and I do want to be comfortable. I know, I know, stop whining! It's my world and I'll whine if I want to......Oh, isn't there a song about that, an oldie but a goodie. It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To...am I dating myself here?

Too early to think

2007-10-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

Now I'm a firm believer in sleeping in on Saturday mornings - so why am I sitting at a computer at the ungodly hour of 7:00 am? Even worse, why did my alarm bother me at 4:00 am? Oh, that's right, work - my job. Damn, that means I have to stay awake until at least 6:00 pm tonight. Actually, later because this is laundry day for me. Damn again. I'll rush out of here at 6:00 pm and pray that a washing machine is open.
F - I don't know when I'm coming back to Ohio now that my work life is changing again. We have plenty of extra rooms between SM and me - when is someone from Ohio going to drop in for a visit? We would love to have one or two or ALL of you come at one time. Wouldn't that be a hoot! Come on, you know you want to visit us - you're dying for some snow. Too bad you can't get up here to the North Slope before I leave - now this is extreme weather.
Anyway, it's just another day - things are starting to wind down for some reason. I have work to do, but I also have a feeling that my boss may be holding on to a bunch and not passing it on to me. Do I care - don't think so. And if they think they can wait until the last day or so and expect me to bust my butt to get it done before I leave - again, don't think so.
Back later......

Another day in paradise...

2007-10-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

The title of this post....well you hear it all the time up here on the North Slope. It's the constant phrase of nearly everyone. Pass someone in the hall and say "Hi, how's it going?" or just "Hey!" or "good morning" - the majority of the time the response will be, "Just another day in paradise." And if you've been up here for more than 30 seconds, you can definitely hear the ring of sarcasm in the statement. It's said in jest, of course, but it's also a way of keeping the spirits up around here. And in some ways and to some degree, it is true. Where else can you work and get approx 50% of the year off? Where else can you work and not have to pay for one single thing - food is provided - housing is provided - transportation is provided. Yep, while you're up here you pay for nothing. You just work and earn money.
So, you ask, why would anyone leave a dream job that pays extremely well, and allows you half the year off to do as you please? There's also another saying, "You go to work for a company because of the money, but you usually leave a company because of the people (or person). Well, I'm hear to tell you, in my case it is soooooo true. One person has literally turned me sour on the whole slope work experience. As my grandkids like to say, "Nine more sleeps and I'll be home." Before they could tell time and read a calendar it was (and still his for little R) their way of knowing when an event would happen, by the number of 'sleeps'. Well, G-ma will be going home in nine more sleeps.
Am I venting here, you bet! Ok, back to work here or I'll be going home a lot sooner!

Happy dance time...

2007-10-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting up here on the North slope in the bitter cold, a whopping 4.9 degrees, with the wind chill factor and yes it's snowing. As some of you know, I dearly love the snow. I don't even mind the cold. But what I can't stand, absolutely hate is the wind. The kind that just goes clear to your bones and about knocks you over when you step outside the door. Now, I'm not the smallest person in the world - I have my extra pounds, but this stuff is making it hard for me to stand up. And having to wear safety glasses when you go outside just to keep the snow and wind and dirt from blinding you - literally - now this I hate.
So with that in mind, I have a spring in my step today knowing this will be my last hitch up here. Yep, I've found another job - back in Anchorage. I've turned in my notice and my last day will be November 4. That is if they want me to stay that long....lol! Seriously, it's not unusual up here that once you give notice of intent to resign they buy you a ticket home and kiss your sorry ass good-bye, which of course, I won't mind. I've already started packing, just in case. I'll miss so many of the people up here that I've gotten to know and I'll miss the dinners with K - it's really been nice just chatting with him in the evenings when we're both up here. But, because of "conflicts with management styles" (how does that one sound) I have decided I would rather not work under these conditions - and I'm not talking about the weather. Family knows the problems I've been having and I know they understand what I'm referring to. Besides, I miss wearing my 3" heels to work everyday and I miss my business suits! Family can also tell you how I love my clothes!
Really though, the last couple of months have been tough. I've bitten my tongue more than I care to admit. I'm not the type of person to walk out on a job so I've done my best to remain professional, keep quiet, and feverishly search for another job. Well, thank the lord ( and believe me, I'm doing a lot of that) I've found another job.
More later - I better get some work done, just in case they tell me to leave today....LOL!!!!!!

Don't let SM read this!!

2007-10-18T16:30:00.001-08:00

If you are SM please don't read this...please! I'm certainly not trying to ruin your day but.......IT'S SNOWING! Yes, I know I'm on the north slope and we're supposed to get tons of snow. But it's those gorgeous flakes that are coming down in bunches and bunches...the ones I so love. And yes, I know I'll be complaining about the cold and the ice....but IT'S SNOWING!! At this rate we're going to get quite a bit by morning. Thank goodness I'm not close to SM right now or she'd smack me. I won't be doing the happy dance outside - my luck, I'd fall on my kiester!

Passing wave!

2007-10-16T12:42:00.001-08:00

Not much happening these days, but i thought I'd pop in and wave Hi to everyone. It's getting just a tad cold up here on the slope - a whopping 16 degrees right now - and it's the middle of the day. That tells me it's just going to get colder and colder. The snow is not bad, but that's because the crazy wind keeps blowing it so much. Yes, horrible winds. I literally could not get the door open to get in the truck yesterday. I finally gave up and walked (or let myself be blown) around to the passenger side and got in. What can I say....this is really an advanture!

Looking for the time.....

2007-10-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, there are two clocks, no three clocks that I can easily see - oh wait, four clocks counting the one in the lower corner of my monitor, so I'm not looking for the exact time right now. I'm looking for the two and one-half weeks that flew by since I got home from the slope. I'm scheduled to fly back up this Sunday and I don't know where the time has gone. Oh sure, I've gotten all kinds of things accomplished, but at the same time it seems like I haven't gotten enough done and there is still so much I'd like to do before Sunday rolls around.
On the upside I've spent some badly needed snippets of time with the family; lunches, dinners, sitting around talking and a couple of shopping trips. I've also done a bit of re-organizing here at home - nothing major, just little stuff. Visited with friends and still have a couple of lunches scheduled to visit with more friends before leaving on Sunday.
Oh, and my brother would enjoy dinner tonight at my house - you see SM has class tonight so Keith and the kiddos are coming over for liver & onions. SM detests liver and onions - she cringes at the thought of even smelling it, but Jim, Keith and I love it so this is the prime time to have it. Of course I'll fix something else for the grandkids as they haven't developed the taste for it yet. I can still remember growing up and hearing Mom say she was making liver & onions for supper. I was in heaven! So dear brother, hop a flight and I'll have it ready when you get here. Yes, I know, your wife will fix it for you, but think of the fun conversations we could have about the old days.
I've started back to weight watchers. It's so true what they say about the food on the North Slope - it's dangerously delicious. I have a few extra pounds that I had lost that have mysteriously re-appeared since starting my job up north. Well, it's time to get rid of them and get back on track. It's just so darned tempting with nothing else to do up there - work, eat, sleep.
Did I mention the chill in the air? It's about 22 degrees right now...I think that's slightly more than a chill. The lovely weatherman is calling for snow by the end of the week. Nothing major yet, but we're about ready for it. My one wish would be for the grandkids to have one warm Halloween. One time of not having to wear so many layers of clothing under and over the Halloween costumes. D does fine with it cause she's our warm baby (baby? lord, she's 9), but R has a tough time with it. He's not the winter child that D is. His idea of trick or treat is to wear his costume around the house all day, go to a few (very few) houses close in the neighborhood and then head back to their nice warm cozy home and help hand out candy to the other kids. Of course, there's his rational thinking of just dumping the candy that Mom bought for the other kids into his trick or treat bag. After all, he's her favorite trick or treater, right?
OK, so sitting here isn't getting anything accomplished, or maybe it is. I'm kind of, more-or-less, catching you up on my life. How exciting, huh?
Better get moving or I'll get nothing done today.

AK update......

2007-09-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

So, I'm finally taking the time to sit down and post something. Yes, it's been way too long since my last post and there is simply no excuse.
Pressing news....HAPPY BIRTHDAY F!!!!! I can't believe it's that time again. Wow, the time is just flying by. Another whole year. I still think of F as that little girl teetering around in the back yard with her wispy hair blowing in the wind, trying to keep up with SM. Why does that image come to mind so often when I think of F?
Things have been busy as usual, but at the same time nothing much has been going on. If you read SM's post you can see that life in her house is flying by with not nearly enough time to squeeze in everything.
We're busy getting ready for the rapidly approaching winter here in Alaska. Fall is here and won't be around much longer. The 'termination dust' in on the mountains. That's the verbiage we use when you see the snow on the mountains slowly (or rapidly) making its way down to us. It's a huge topic on the radio and everywhere you go. "Did you see the termination dust this morning? - - There's a lot more termination dust today." You kind of look at people like, have you never seen snow on the mountains before? WT_? This is Alaska for heavens sake. It snows in Alaska a LOT and for a LONG time. It just means you better get yourself in gear and get ready for it. Today we're going to winterize the camper and put the lawn chairs and in the storage shed and store the riding mower and move the 4-wheelers and position the snow blower in the garage for easy access, things like that. I had my studded tires mounted on the car yesterday and will get the oil changed one day this coming week. I've rounded up my gloves and snow pants and hats and boots, all the necessities for winter life. J is busy complaining about the chill in the air...it's Alaska for heavens sake. He keeps saying he loves living in Alaska, but then he hates the cold. I know, makes no sense. Nearly everyone does the same thing, but continue to live here. Me, I so love the snow. It's gorgeous. D and I have this thing about the snow and it makes SM a little crazy. SM doesn't want to hear about it. I can understand because she has to drive in it so much for the kids. Running them around everywhere with the nasty roads and the stupid drivers. The STUPID Alaska drivers - now that's what makes me absolutely crazy. You would think that people have never driven in snow and ice before. They act like maniacs. The need to slow down is completely foreign to some. Accidents abound and that just makes it harder to drive.
Without going into detail, things are very strained at work. Yes, I'm looking for a job, but it's not all that easy. We'll just wait and see what happens.
I'm so excited about becoming a great-aunt in May, 2008. This is incredible news and we're all so happy! An addition to our family is such a wonderful thing for all of us. We may not live close, but we're still a close family and share in each others good times (and bad). The time will fly by and before you know it our little F will be a Mom...how cool is that. She's going got make such a good Mom and L will be a good Dad, I'm sure.
OK, so I'm rambling. J just got off the phone, talking to his sister in GA so he wants to talk now. I'll post more later.
Love everyone and miss the Ohio family!

Ok, back to work...

2007-08-31T07:10:00.000-08:00

Good morning all:
Yes, I know for most of you it's mid-to-late morning, but for some of us (Alaska) it 7:00 am. I'm up, have started pouring coffee in me, taken my shower and getting ready to pack. The limo service will be here at 11:30 for the drive into Anchorage to catch the plane. Thanks for the words of encouragement...I'll keep the "stiff upper lip" and keep on trudging along. Yes F, I know you know all too well the emotions I'm feeling right now and it ain't fun! Life goes on and we can only do so much. I know I'm right and that does help my own integrity and professionalism...hopefully it will help me keep my job....LOL! I'll keep you posted. Ok, time to turn this thing off so I cac pack it up! Hugs, kisses........
Love everyone.

Time to head up north again

2007-08-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's Thursday morning and I have loads of stuff to do today because I'm scheduled to go back to the slope tomorrow. So what am I doing...sitting here browsing the blogs. I'm in a funk. I'm not looking forward to returning to the slope. Ok family, go ahead, "I told you so!" No, I do like my job up north, but without going into detail (another story for another day) my boss and I are not seeing eye to eye and I have this fear (not fright as in afraid, just a foreboding) that if I don't end up quitting I'm going to get fired. Yes, it's serious and I've never been in a situation like this before. Again, without going into detail - I'm the new person so someone is going to take the blame - take the fall - and it looks like it's going to be me, not her. Needless to say, I'm dreading the whole confrontation, but not much I can do about it. Yep, I'm seeking other employment but we all know that it's not easy to just miraculously find another job in 2 weeks. To compound my funk, I was watching the grankids last evening while SM was at class and sure enough D was crying - for a couple of reasons. But when she came over and curled up in my arms and said she didn't want me to go back to the slope for three weeks, that it was too long for me to be away and she would miss me so much...yep, that did it! The poor girl has no idea of anything else going on with my job right now, but that just did me in.
Oh well, I'll keep you all posted. Love everyone!

Hiya peeps....

2007-08-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

Just poppin in to say "Hiya" and to let you know I am really going to try to do bettter posting on my blog... really I am. With pics of the kiddos & all :)
Love ya!

See, I told you so....

2007-08-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm back already! I mentioned in my previous post that I'd be on a posting bing and here I am.

I forgot to mention my latest obsession, thanks to SM and D. I'm into the whole Harry Potter thing. I'm on book 3 and loving it. When the Harry Potter craze started I had no interest at all. It was just another kids series. But then when the final book came out and SM and D were so excited I thought, what the heck, try to read a little of it. And that did me in. I need to do some housecleaning and start my algebra and do some grocery shopping - but no, I can here "The Prisoner of Azkaban" calling me. Hide the book, hide the book....don't look at the book, don't think about Harry Potter! Oh, and SM loaned me book 1 and 2 on VHS. Hmmmm, maybe I need to see if our old VHS still works in the grandkids room. I mean, that would be a form of housecleaning, right? If the old VHS machine doesn't work anymore I could toss it out and there you have it...housecleaning. But then I would have to hop in the car and run over to SM's house and use her VHS so I could watch the movies. Oh wow, more housecleaning because that would mean I would be getting those movies out of my house. So maybe, in a strange way, watching Harry Potter is a form of housecleaning. I knew I could make it work to my advantage. (Yes, the grandkids have "their room" at our house.)

Another day up north

2007-08-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Wooohooo, someone besides me posted to the blog! I was sooooo excited - until I read SA's other blog noting that this post was supposed to go over there. Doesn't matter, I was just excited to know that someone - anyone - still looks at this thing! Ok, so now I'm going to be on a posting spree.

Life is life - nothing really exciting. I'm mid-way thru my first official 2 week R&R. The time is flying by and before you know it next Friday will be here and I'll be up at the butt-crack of dawn (2:30 am) to get ready for the limo ride to the airport to I can make my flight back up to the slope. My flight leaves at 7:00 am, barring weather problems, so I have to be there 2 hours early - ok, that's 5:00 am - and it's a 1 hour trip to the airport so the limo arrives in my driveway at 4:00 am. For anyone who may not know me too well - I am NOT a morning person so I have to get up early to drag my sorry butt around the house trying to get ready. I can't stand the rushing around at the last minute - it just makes me tired and wanting to go back to bed.

The grandkids started school this week. For D is was not too big of a deal as she's in 4th grade now, but R has just started kindergarten. Huge deal for both R and Mom. He is so excited to be going to school. Day 2 and he was already telling SM that she didn't have to walk him to his room. Wonderful, but once he gets to his classroom there a things that need to be done before he starts socializing with his new friends. He's such a boy - why worry about hanging up your backpack or putting your lunch away or even taking off your coat? But the teachers say he's doing well. And having them both in school all day will hopefully give SM some precious time to work on her studies - sure, right! She's such a Mom - help out whenever the school needs last minute help - pick up her friends kids when a last minute emergency pops up - if things don't change she's not going to get any studying done when her peeps are busy at school.

On another note - there is a definite chill in the air in Alaska. Summer is winding down fast. The leaves haven't started turning colors yet, but give it another week or two and they'll be falling off the trees in bushels and then the snow won't be far behind. The State Fair started so we'll be heading over there this weekend to indulge in all the healthy food we can handle. The big difference is that at our fair we need to take jackets/sweaters/ and even some gloves if we're going to be staying late into the evening. It gets darn chilly. Back in Ohio we'd be sweating our armpits off!

Ok, enough for now. I have to dig into my fun new project for this fall - College Albegra. Class starts on Thursday and I want to try to get a headstart now - lord knows I'm going to need it. It's an online class which is a plus because with my job I can't attend classes when I'm on the slope. Wish me luck with this one - I'm sure going to need it. (Oh, did I mention how much I hate algebra - and algebra hates me right back!)

Lost in time.....

2007-08-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

Okay so it's been awhile since the last post. So much has happened in that time that I don't know where to begin. SO.......let's start new.

I am now officially a mother-in-law. Our daughter got married this May. It was a beautiful wedding if I do say so myself. The weather was perfect, the dresses and tuxs were stunning (oh, that was the people in them), everything arrived on time the way it was supposed to be, the hall was beautiful, the food was good, we had great music, the photographer took great pictures, and fun was had by all. It was a very fast wedding week that's for sure. You almost wish you had a slow down button so you could enjoy that week longer. Or maybe even a replay button to do it all again. We did so many fun things and all of our family came home. I know that my husband & I will treasure the memories of that week forever. It was such a great week that I am having trouble coming up with the words that could even begin to explain it. I could go on and on.......but I won't. J & I are very happy to have L as part of our family. Even though he is a zucchini addict. :)

S& L added to their family within a couple of weeks after the wedding. NO.....not a baby........a puppy. Gracie is a very cute goldendoodle. They say she's pretty dumb but she's SO cute. She loves attention. You could pet her all night and it wouldn't be too much for her.

I got a new boss in February. He is a very laid back talker. No, I'm not kidding and S & L can verify this fact. He could possibly talk more than some people in our family. I said possibly. It's nice to work for someone that doesn't push or demand. However, he is very S...L...O...W....at making decisions which does rush me at the end of every week. I am a church secretary so there are bulletins for 3 services (all different) that need to be typed, printed and folded for Sunday morning. Not to mention his 2 bulletins. I'm actually getting used to not having the info before Thursday morning but it still makes me panic alittle. Other than this little kink, work is going pretty good.

So many other normal, day-to-day things have happened that I'm not going to write about them. Let's just say that life is good and I try to enjoy every day. Some days are better than others.....but there is at least one blessing in every day. Find that blessing and thank God for it. Tell your family how much you love them every day. (Yes, I try to talk to my daughter every day. L too.) I have found life easier to deal with by doing these things. Enjoy life, thank God for your blessings, and tell your friends and family you love them. It doesn't necessarily change the trials of life but it makes them alittle easier to handle. So to my family and friends.......I LOVE YOU and I'm off to enjoy another day!

Back at it in Alaska

2007-05-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

So we've made it back to Alaska in one piece....too many tears to count, but we're in one piece. The trip was great and the wedding was beautiful. My brother and sister (in-law) did an incredible job (way too much work for two people) and everything was just perfect for Miss F's special day. As the saying goes, the bride was radient. The groom had stars ( and a tear or two) in his eyes as he saw her walking down the aisle. My brother (Father of the bride) held up much better than I expected. After all, this is his baby he is giving to another man....as much as he loves L (the groom), I know how hard it was for him and I can only love him more. He's such a good brother, great Dad, loving husband, and just all around fantastic man. His wife and daughter are blessed to have him in their lives. SA (mother of the bride) was gorgeous and you could see the love between the two of them as they watched their baby girl become a married woman. The happy couple is on honeymooning in Vegas and "Mom and Dad" are busy picking up the pieces - returning tuxes, returning wedding cake parts, returning tables and chairs, etc, etc, etc.
Amid the joyous moments we had to leave Ohio once again. Let me tell you..it doesn't get any easier. Good byes at the airport were the hardest, of course.
Well, the tears are starting again and I need to get busy with the laundry I've brought back with me and all the other real life stuff again. Vacations can only last so long.......
Love, hugs, and kisses to the Ohio family. I'll start saving my pennies again and make the trip back ASAP.

March 17,2007

2007-03-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything here....and so much has happened. The family is in Hawaii, I'm going to be starting a new job soon, Miss Femmie is getting married, etc., etc. Oh, and of course the famous WW update...I've officially hit my goal weight! Am I excited, you bet!
Ok, so I need to write more, but I've got to get to the tanning bed before they close for the evening.
More later...I promise. I just wish someone besides me would start posting again...hint, hint, hint!

Love everyone!

Ok, so what's up ....

2006-12-08T22:32:00.000-09:00

Dang, the Red Jeep Club is started to feel like "my" blog! No one posts and no one bothers to read my posts. Am I really that boring? Am I just typing to practice typing? Is this a strike of some kind against the lovely, gorgeous, magnificent me? You're crushing my ego here. But does that dampen my urge to type some more....heck no!!!
Well, Miss D and I took our road trip (so we flew...big deal, it's still a road trip) to Fairbanks. And did we have a great time! North Pole, shopping, Santa's house, shopping, Chena Hot Springs, shopping, North Lights watching, shopping! Did I mention we did a little shopping? The girl has got it down. Boy, can she search for a bargain. 8 yrs old and she's a pro. Her Mama has taught her well. And laugh, we giggled about the silliest things until I thought we would cry. D was totally in awe of Santa's house. We had to go back a second time, she enjoyed it so much. Even got to see two of Santa's reindeer. the others were resting up for the big day later this month. Naturally, we did the girlie thing and were up late every night talking and talking about nothing in particular - just enjoying our time together. So anyway, we're back home and we're planning our next big adventure. Any ideas?
Weather update: the horrible winds died down and it was freezing cold, well below zero for several days, then it warmed up and the snow came. Ok, then it warmed up some more and the snow is melting and freezing at night and guess what..the damned wind is back again! Do you see a pattern here? I know, I know, it's Alaska.
Christmas shopping is almost done and will be in the mail soon. Just a couple more things to get for the kiddo's and then the wrapping begins.
Hope L is doing better. S, take care of the guy....he's only man and we all know they are big babies at heart.
Lates update: it's official; I've now lost 10.4#!!!!! I'm so excited. This ww thing really, truly does work.
Hope all is well with everyone in Ohio. Take care, be happy and keep in touch!
Love you all!

Counting down...

2006-11-09T21:41:00.000-09:00

By this time tomorrow night D and I will be settling down in our hotel room in Fairbanks! Yep, she and I are going on our first (of many) road trips! Just us two girls.

Hello....?

2006-10-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

I know how busy everyone must be, but no postings but me? Come on, just a short hello or something!
Anyway, not too much happening around here. Got the new cell phone working fine now. Went wireless with the internet network...that was fun (just a hint of sarcasm). It was a struggle but it's fine now, more or less. It is nice to be able to set up the laptop at the breakfast bar or snuggled up on the sofa.
WW is going well. I've lost a total of 6.6# so far! Hooray for me! Slowly but surely!
Winter is getting closer, the snow is inching its way down the mountains and we're expecting to see it covering the lawns any day. Please don't say anything S....she's not exactly excited about it. D and I talk about it all the time and we're excited...waiting and waiting. She so loves when it snows! R likes the snow but isn't at all happy about the cold.
Registration for next semester starts on Monday (10/23). Oh joy (another hint of sarcasm).
Guess that's about it for now. Miss the Ohio family. I haven't seen any messages about your flight plans to Alaska? I know....you holding out and going to surprise us, right?
Love ya!!!!

What's my sign?

2006-10-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so most of you know I'm remote control challenged. I readily admit this piece of information. But beyond that I can figure out most of the technology thrown at us these days. Well, I came up against a good one yesterday. Here's what happened:
Yesterday I purchased a new cell phone - Nokia 6103 - very nice and it's Bluetooth compatible. The Bluetooth issue is what started the whole thing. K had given me a Bluetooth wireless headset. Hey, it was free so there shouldn't be a problem purchasing a new phone. We're going to have to go with the whole GSM thing in the near future anyway.
$180 later (not counting the $50 rebate I'll be getting in the mail) I walk out of the CellOne store a happy little camper with extra chargers and a case and everything. Not at all excited at the prospect of having to manually enter my entire address book (now known as contacts). But still, kind of upbeat about the whole camera phone and all that.
I spend the next 4 (yes....4) hours trying to set up this crazy phone. New settings, new sounds, new functions and all those blasted phone numbers...4 hours!
Anyway, I get to the final step of setting the passwords (pin codes) to lock the keys and whatnot. I'm going thru the process and somehow (lord only knows) I've managed to lock the entire thing. The exact message is "SIM Card Rejected". What the hell does that mean? I've called CellOne and although they were very nice about it, the only option I have at this point is to go back to the CellOne store today. Hopefully they will take pity on me and just give me a new SIM card since it's brand new. But they may get nasty and say that I've fried the damned thing and will have to purchase a new SIM card. I was only trying to lock the keypad so in case it was stolen or something noone else could use it. But no, I've managed to screw the whole thing up.
Today I'll be at the CellOne store when the doors open at noon. And what am I doing the rest of the day....entering phone numbers all over again.
Ok, so I don't see any pity coming from anyone...oh well!

Still losing.....slowly

2006-10-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

WW update...... o.2# tonight. So that's not quite one stick of butter. Yuck, the thought...glad it's gone! I didn't gain it all in one week so I can't expect to lose it all in one week. Coming off slowly but surely.

Femmie's Day!

2006-09-29T06:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Femmie! We love you and miss you! Enjoy your special day.....I'll be thinking of you stinker!

Is the suspense killin' ya?

2006-09-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

I know you're all just dying to know so here's a Weight Watcher's update....
Week 1 - 1.8# loss
Week 2 - 1.2# loss
Week 3 - .4# loss
Ok, so it looks like I'm slowing down ( or losing ground?). But when you add it up that's a total of 3.4# in 3 weeks. Not too bad! I'm sticking to it and going to stay on the plan! Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.....

How happy can a pound be?

2006-09-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this may not be exciting to some, but I went to WW tonight and 1.8 # lighter!!!!!! Wooohoooo! I know, I know, it doesn't sound like much but it is a beginning!

Hello...is this my blog now?

2006-09-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one using this blog now? That's ok, I'll post and hopefully someone will read...hate to type for nothing! Quick update...as most of you know I've been doing the job search thing for quite some time. Not flooding the market with resumes, but looking and sending out resumes if something looks good, really good. Well, finally a good one came along and I had the interviews and WOW...they offered me the job (on 8/25). It was a good offer and I was excited.
On Saturday, (8/26) we go car shopping. I've been having trouble with my PT Cruiser not starting. I've had it to the repair shop and they can't find anything wrong with it. Their advise...next time it happens, don't jumpstart it, don't do anything, just have it towed in. If I bring it in AFTER we get it started then they can't find out what's wrong with it. Now that makes sense...wait until I'm stranded and then we'll help. I live a flippin' hour from town! So once I start for home or for work or for anywhere I can't stop and turn my car off..it might not start again. Not my idea of fun when living in Alaska. So anyway, I traded it in on a Kia Amante. GREAT car. I love it. And I got a great deal on the Cruiser.
So I go in to work on the following Monday (8/28) and turn in my letter of resignation. My last day will be 9/8. My boss, who most of you know, I love dearly, just told me congratulations. Without going into all the boring details, the credit union made me a really great counter-offer and I've accepted. So I'm staying after all. More money, a good promotion...I'll stay.
And my motorcycle (ok, scooter)...I love it. After an incredible amount of frustration and anger, it finally arrived the early part of August. Of course that's about the time the rain really hit up here. Major rain, major flooding! So we brought it home and it sat nice and dry in the garage for a couple of weeks. But now....oh yeah...I'm riding it and loving it! No shifting on this baby! Just turn the throttle and pick up your feet! Tell my baby brother he needs to get his butt up here just so he can ride this one. 600 cc's and boy does it move! It'll cruise at 65 with no problem. I know, I know, it's not a Harley....but it sure is fun.
I bit the bullet and have officially started weight watchers (WW). I can't stand the excess weight any longer. J and I are starting to eat better...make better choices. Pray this weight comes off. My closet is bursting with clothes that don't fit.
Saving the best for last....the grandkids! I'm giving D lessons on driving my 4-wheeler. I'm on the back with her, but she's doing the driving. She's doing such a good job. But when did she get big enough to handle this stuff? R rides in front of me when it's his turn, but that's getting a bit difficult. He's gotten so big that I'm struggling to reach around him to the handlebars. And he just keeps saying, " Go faster Grandma!". Gotta love that boy...the need for speed! Yep, he's my grandson alright. (Don't tell anyone...they all think I'm a slow driver, right?)
Fall is here and J is busy getting things ready for winter. Remember, fall in Alaska is maybe a week....2 weeks if we get lucky. I won't type the "s" word, but it's just around the corner. We have a little termination dust on the peak of some of the mountains. Don't tell S.....she will cry. But it's ok to tell D...she loves it!
Ok, enough for now. It's 2:25 am and I need to get some sleep. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep. This is one of those nights...tired but can't fall asleep.
I'll try to post some pics. S is telling me to click the symbol of the picture...I have no picture symbol. I promise to get some in the snail mail too. Now, if I could just find the darned picture symbol....before S has to point it out and remind my how old I'm getting...LOL.
Love to Ohio...we miss you!

Prayers please

2006-09-02T02:16:00.000-08:00

If everyone could please just take a moment to include my boss (F remembers him) in your prayers. He's in the hospital again. They are activating his pacemaker, but things aren't looking too good for him right now. More is wrong than just his heart and he can sure use all our help. Thanks!

3-day weekend

2006-09-02T01:43:00.000-08:00

Finally, 3 full days off...all in a row. This is a major treat. And to start off the fun, I'm going to have a sleepover with D & R. S & K are going on a "date" and I'm taking care of the kiddos. Pray for some sunshine this weekend in Alaska!

Rain, rain, rain..

2006-08-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

So, I just spent five minutes typing and ranting and raving about this rain. I hit the ole 'publish post' button and it just vanishes! Not bad enough this rain sucks (no, I'm not going to re-type the post I lost...) but I can't even whine about it. Apparently the blog gods thought it was either tasteless or not important enough to post! That's my luck these days. And nope, not going to bore everyone with the bad luck I've been having. The blog gods probably wouldn't let me post that either. Sorry ya'll, this is all you get from me today.

Love everyone!

Back to normal...rigth!

2006-08-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

If you can call the craziness of everyday life normal, then we are there. Everything is busy as usual and the weather is absolutely ugly...more rain than I want to think about. And even more in the forecast. Thank goodness we have a boat. At this rate we're going to need it soon just to get to work. The state fair will be starting in a couple of weeks and D will be heading back to school next week. (Wait a minute....so will I...oh damn.) I finally have my film developed and was going to post a couple of them, but I'm challenged in that area...I have no flipping idea how to do it! Where in heavens name is the attach button? So I'll take my sorry self over to S and she'll give me a lesson in "picture attaching 101". Sad to say, I had to call her and ask how to get the pics off the memory chip in my digital camera and onto paper! Yes, I'm getting old and logical thinking is going out the window...floating away in all this rain!
Love everyone...huge hugs and kisses from Alaska!

THE Infamous Red Jeep

2006-08-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

Somehow we managed to forget to get a photo with all of us in the Jeep. I'm not sure how that happened...heck we didn't even ride in it. But the kids did with Uncle Bud & had a blast..... I guess that's all that matters. If I really stop & think about it, it's what she would've wanted...the kids to enjoy her Jeep..she'd have gotten a real kick out that.....hmmm, something to think about :)

Red Jeep Attitude....

2006-08-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

Back Online

2006-07-30T19:59:00.000-08:00

S, I don't know what you did to get the site back up but...THANK YOU! So, everyone is back in Alaska and I'm a totally happy G-ma. Yes, K & R leave tomorrow for Georgia, but only for a week. Thank you everyone for a fabulous summer vacation. Love you all lots!

One more sleep...

2006-06-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

By Robert's clock we have one more sleep til we board the plane. Suitcase is packed and I'm heading to bed. Going to be a long day tomorrow! Love ya'll and see ya soon!

Just one week....

2006-06-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

in addition to all of the fabulous things we've already covered below.......I have some very important & very personal 'charity' work to do..........

Bringing Starbucks to the unemployed! *snort* Lub you Femmers!!!!

One week

2006-06-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

Well, as I'm typing this it is thundering. (thought of you SM) We are to get some thunderstorms today...some maybe severe. Anyways......just one more week until we PARTY!!!!! Just one more week until we sit around talking like a bunch of old hens, just one more week until a DQ cake isn't impossible, just one more week until we see those adorable kids (chicken anyone?), just one more week until we can hang out and laugh until we pee, just one more week....and this is the important one....until you are in the same state as L. You might not get to meet him right away (his work schedule) but let me tell you that it will be worth the wait. I can't tell you enough what a great guy he is. He is perfect for Fem. They are so cute together and we love to spend time with them. He has a wicked sense of humor and a very infectious laugh. Those are very important things in this family. The kids will love him. He has Ernie wrapped around his little finger...it's probably cause he spoils him with rubbins & treats.

Can't wait to see you all!!!! I better get back to work now. :)

11 Days and counting...

2006-06-17T22:01:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one watching this blog these days? One last time...Alaska meets L!

16 Days?

2006-06-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

2-1/2 weeks! I don't care what we do. I don't care if we don't do anything. I'm in such need of a vacation and I just want to see everyone and see Ohio again. Get the lawn chairs out and have icey colds drinks ready (hot coffee in the morning) and I'll be happy! Heck I'll even mow the lawn...and don't worry I won't run into the side of the house or mow down any flowers!

20 Days!!!!

2006-06-08T01:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, so now it's officially 20 days.....(checking my math, today is the 8th, we arrive on the 28th....yep). Wow, I better start packing just in case I run out of time. Starting to get excited here. How close is the nearest Starbuck's to the airport? We all know how awful the coffee is on planes. At least SM can get her yummy diet coke...they can't mess that up. And D can get her water and R will want his juice...or some of Mom's diet coke. He so loves to sneak sips of her soda. So I guess you better watch out for him. One sip and one more and one more and before you know it he's downed the whole crazy can. And believe me, he does NOT need the added caffiene!

Coffee IV?

2006-06-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

Excuse me, but could I reserve one of those too please? Keith can't match me (or even come close) to be addicted to caffiene. I think B and I run close in the coffee arena. Ok, ok, so B doesn't go for flavored, but I do both...and in large quantities!

Yep, it's June....

2006-06-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Of course you can have a picture of SM & Fem. And you can tell them I said so. I probably have the same one you do so I'll need a new one too. And a new picture of you and Fem and B...and one of Fem & L and one of....kwim! Anyway, the 28th can't get here fast enough. Oh, I'm renting a car at A/C Airport. I'll email details. Love y'all

Day????

2006-06-07T03:54:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have no idea what day we are on - - don't care because I just want you to get here already!!!! Is it June 28 or July 1 yet??????? At least we're in the right month now.

I do have one request - - I need a new SM & Fem picture. Please??????? I could use other pictures updated also but I'll settle for this one. It is pretty old. I plan on taking many pictures so get ready - practice those cheese faces!

I can't wait for you to get here. Love you!!!

A little help please....

2006-05-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, a suggestion or two or three from the Ohio side would help. I'm thinking of the famous Miss "F". Come on girl. And we'll even let you mention the famous (and mysterious to us) Mr "L".

Getting closer...

2006-05-24T00:35:00.000-08:00

34. Watching Bud rolling with laughter with Robert...the little guy will make Bud burst! (Watch out for the twinkle in his eyes)
35. Watching the Ohio family fall in love with Robert & Desi all over again
36. Relaxing with family
37. More food?
38. Fireworks on the July 4th (not too close...Desi hates the noise)

The countdown continues.....

2006-05-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Now we are at 39 days & counting.......

39. L. gets to see Femmie & I cut up in person!!!

40. Meeting L.

41. L. meets Alaska

42. Did I mention meeting L.

43. Food fight with L. *snort*

44. Laughing hysterically over abso-stinkin-lutley nothing with Femmie (like we did yesterday on the phone)

So how's that sounds ladies (& L. Boy)????

Day 45 - L meets Alaska

2006-05-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Femmie, at least L is humble, so he's fitting right in with the rest of us. No, don't draw attention to yourself....stay in the background and don't get noticed...NOT! So, here it is again, we're so excited to meet L. Or should we say...we're so excited that L gets to meet us...that sounds better. We're the special ones and he's the lucky one to get the chance to meet the rest of the family. L, ya better be on your toes Mister. Wipe that grin off your face and take this seriously....you better pass muster with SM and I. We're tuff, very tuff...beware and be prepared. (Lord, don't ya just love messing with people...it's a family thing...and we do it so well!)

Okay somehow we got off track....

2006-05-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

we are still @ 46 days. I think it was when we were all playing 'catch up!

So I will do an official Day 46 & then we can pick up from there.....

Day 46: Did anyone mention "Meet L."?? Well even if we did, it wasn't nearly enough. I mean we could put "Meet L." or "Hang out with L." for every single day from now until June 28th & it still wouldn't be enough! ;)

***L.~ is that better??? We don't want you to think for a moment that we have forgotten you! ;)

Day 42

2006-05-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

42. Take the kiddos to the Rolling Ridge Ranch...I think they'd get a kick out of the animals coming up to the car...

Day 43

2006-05-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

43. A girl's outing - like card stamping or painting pottery and then lunch of course maybe even manicures or something else girlie.

44. Breakfast out

2006-05-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

Breakfast - out or in....slow relaxing breakfast, just sitting around talking over coffee (ok, SM, diet coke for you). Guess it will have to be breakfast in and I'll cook. D & R will get bored with the adults sitting around talking so they can run around in the huge backyard. They'll love that.

46 & 45

2006-05-08T04:21:00.000-08:00

I knew you were there. Thanks for catching us up. SM, I totally agree with number 51. I say if she doesn't post soon you have no other alternative but to post some blackmail pictures. No more mister nice guy! (plus I'm dying to see these pictures) On to the list.....

45. Movie night with lots of buttered popcorn (just in case it rains one night - just one though)

46. Ice cream and lots of it!!!!!! Milk 'n Honey, Heggy's, Cold Stone, Handel's.....I don't care where!

50. 49. 48. 47....

2006-05-06T00:07:00.000-08:00

Do I have the numbers right? I'm losing track, but getting so excited....
47. Sit, talk, more catch up...
48. Laugh, giggle, catch up...
49. Eat, talk, catch up...
50. Just enjoy doing doing...

Days 54, 53, 52, 51

2006-05-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

51. Kickin Femmie's butt for being Bloggin' MIA for over a month now **snort**
52. The heat & lots of it!!!!
53. Going to Belden (or whatever it is called now) :)
54. I hope my kids get to see the Ice Cream Truck~ they think that is so cool, but we don't have it here

:(

2006-05-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

HELLO?
HELLO?
HELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO??????
IS ANYONE OUT THERE??????

Day 58,57,56,55

2006-05-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

We're slacking girls! Don't give up now ....it's almost here.

55. Ernie showing off his new bone (had to get Ernie in there...he will love the kids)

56. Jackie's spaghetti

57. Some kind of family outing....amusement park, festival, fair, etc.

58. Sit outside & soak up the sun

Okay so I caught us up, now it's all yours. I can't believe that there is less than 2 months until we see each other. :) :) :) (this is me being very happy)

Day 59

2006-04-27T23:51:00.000-08:00

59. Meeting "L"....I know he's dying to see if we'll post it again...so here it is L...all for you! Oh, by the way, is Femmie lost or something? Is she grounded, time out away from the keyboard, or just ignoring her Alaska family here?

Day 60

2006-04-27T03:22:00.000-08:00

60. Strawberries (minus the glaze, right SM *snort, snort*)

61. lightning bugs....I can't wait to teach my kids how to catch lightning bugs :)
62.Seeing how many fools (that would be us) can share one bathroom ;)
63. 4th of July cookout complete with fireworks (no officer I am not using these in the state of Ohio)
64.Watermelon
65.Sitting outside in the evening...just relaxing & talking
66. Combos....a big bag of combos *snort*
67. Laughing (so hard we just about pee our pants) with Femmie into the wee hours of then night, then starting again at the crack of dawn...like in Seattle
68.A kick-ass thunderstorm! For this I am putting in a special request.....
69. Keith finally getting to really know the family (Keith, be afraid...very afraid)
70. Slop (another special request from someone I love dearly)
71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight

61 days

2006-04-26T18:59:00.001-08:00

61. lightning bugs....I can't wait to teach my kids how to catch lightning bugs :)
62.Seeing how many fools (that would be us) can share one bathroom ;)
63. 4th of July cookout complete with fireworks (no officer I am not using these in the state of Ohio)
64.Watermelon
65.Sitting outside in the evening...just relaxing & talking
66. Combos....a big bag of combos *snort*
67. Laughing (so hard we just about pee our pants) with Femmie into the wee hours of then night, then starting again at the crack of dawn...like in Seattle
68.A kick-ass thunderstorm! For this I am putting in a special request.....
69. Keith finally getting to really know the family (Keith, be afraid...very afraid)
70. Slop (another special request from someone I love dearly)
71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight"

oops...63 is already taken...so 62 days

2006-04-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

62.Seeing how many fools (that would be us) can share one bathroom ;)
63. 4th of July cookout complete with fireworks (no officer I am not using these in the state of Ohio)
64.Watermelon
65.Sitting outside in the evening...just relaxing & talking
66. Combos....a big bag of combos *snort*
67. Laughing (so hard we just about pee our pants) with Femmie into the wee hours of then night, then starting again at the crack of dawn...like in Seattle
68.A kick-ass thunderstorm! For this I am putting in a special request.....
69. Keith finally getting to really know the family (Keith, be afraid...very afraid)
70. Slop (another special request from someone I love dearly)
71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight"

Day 63

2006-04-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Well, Well. Looky there....you are all still alive and well. I'm glad you're okay and there was no need for me to get really nasty (hahahahahaha). I miss you guys and can't wait to see you! I tried to copy the list but it won't let me post so I'm just adding a day. Sorry :(

63. 4th of July cookout complete with fireworks (no officer I am not using these in the state of Ohio)

64. Watermelon..it only tastes good when it's really hot outside...something that doesn't happen in Alaska

2006-04-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Oh damn, so the whole thing did post and I just didn't see it. No, it's not old age and the eyes going bad. I swear I couldn't get it to post! And no, I didn't fall alseep at the keyboard....no nasty jokes ladies....you'll all be this age someday and I'll still be around to remind you!
And as I mentioned on another blog...."leaving on a jet plane"...I hear it playing and I'm going to have the best looking dude holding my hand when we get off that plane, Robert! Yep, he's mine, all mine. SM might as well stand back and watch.....he's all G-ma's!

65. Sitting outside in the evening..just relaxing and talking

2006-04-23T22:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I think maybe the list has finally gotten too long to repost....I tried for about 5 minutes and it woudn't post so I just posted #65. If any of you can get it to post the whole list, go for it!

65. Sitting outside in the evening...just relaxing in the warm summer breeze

2006-04-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

Red Jeep Club:
"66. Combos....a big bag of combos *snort*

67. Laughing (so hard we just about pee our pants) with Femmie into the wee hours of then night, then starting again at the crack of dawn...like in Seattle

68.A kick-ass thunderstorm! For this I am putting in a special request.....

69. Keith finally getting to really know the family (Keith, be afraid...very afraid)

70. Slop (another special request from someone I love dearly)
71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight"

Catchin' up....

2006-04-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Okay....I hear ya...I 'll get this sucker caught up

66. Combos....a big bag of combos *snort*

67. Laughing (so hard we just about pee our pants) with Femmie into the wee hours of then night, then starting again at the crack of dawn...like in Seattle

68.A kick-ass thunderstorm! For this I am putting in a special request.....

69. Keith finally getting to really know the family (Keith, be afraid...very afraid)

70. Slop (another special request from someone I love dearly)
71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight

Hello????????

2006-04-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

Where the heck is everyone? Did I miss the rapture? I wish I had some blackmail but I don't so I'll just have to be forceful. Somebody better be posting some updates, new news, adding to the list, something real soon or else!!!!! (said with a mean look, hands on hips and very stern voice) I know you are all scared as hell now aren't you? Really, where is everyone?

Day 70

2006-04-17T03:36:00.000-08:00

70. Slop (another special request from someone I love dearly)

71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill7
9. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight

2006-04-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Day 71

71. Aunt Jack's eggs must make an appearance...but only on my plate...sorry....i'm just not sharin'
72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight

Day 72...

2006-04-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

72. Kitchen Table conversation....with yummie coffee, in our jammies (ok maybe not the jammies)
73. Green Bean Soup - Ok, so I know the only person that will appreciate this is Bud.
74. get matching tattoos (I just wanna see what kind of reactions I get to this one *snort*)
75. Hide & Go Seek!
76. Alaska meets L (bet you wish you'd thought of that huh????)
77. Trip to Target (just for you TR)
78. Hamburgs on the grill
79. RJC picture
80. Pizza Oven
81. Dairy Queen Cake
82. Food Fight