Just SO funny!

Winter Wonderland

Well, not only did it snow most of yesterday, it snowed most of today as well. This pictures is the scene from this morning-around 11 am. Bear in mind, that it continued to snow until after 5 pm.

As you can see, no plow has been through. As I sit here writing, still now plow has been through. Now I understand why everyone here has snow or studded tires. It's because they don't keep up with the roads! The only place that looked well plowed was the highway. All the other roads were packed snow with sand and gravel thrown on top for traction. Let me tell you, it was really fun driving today! Middle son took the money he is allowed to spend and bought himself a Nintendo Wii today. It was alot of money to spend but he's still saving half of everything he earns for a car. On the way back from the store we saw a Jeep had gone off the road and rolled over. He appeared to be okay and police were on the scene. It was a good reminder to remain vigilant on the road. I'm very cautious because of my mishaps last year but it a visual aid never hurts! The gravel does seem to help, I only slid a little bit once, when turning out of a store. The rest of the time I just rumbled along on the gravely ice. On the way home from grocery shopping earlier in the afternoon, middle son and I saw a family of moose grazing along the side of the road. They are alot easier to spot with the white background! They blend it so well to the normal greenery. Now that winter is here, we should see them more easily.

I guess that's about all I have to say today. Sgt Dad will be back sometime next weekend- Lord willing and weather permitting!

Let it Snow!

Well, this morning I awoke to a light covering of snow, finally. After weeks of snow on the forecast and only getting freezing rain mixed with snow, I'm glad it's arrived. I prefer to have it cold and snowy or warm and rainy- NOT the in between stuff! This appears to be the fine kind of snow that lasts all day and accumulates but not to any great amount of snow. My little Lexi just bounces around the snow as if that will make a difference. Blackie seems fairly indifferent to it, other than he hates to walk up the stairs when they are wet. I think Sgt Dad is going to have to build a ramp for Blackie with a non-skid surface. Sometimes the boys have to go out and carry him back into the house. Poor old man.
I just found the COOLEST thing! Kodak has a wireless digital picture frame and it's wi-fi enabled. So, if you have one and your friends use kodakgallery.com they can email those pictures directly to your frame!!! Sometimes technology just blows me away! How cool would that be to come home from a shopping trip and see your frame displaying new photos of your friends or brand new niece or whatever?!!? Of course this is only good for people who have a wireless network in their home (which I do). I suppose it won't be long before everybody does. I think there are a great deal who do already. I put this frame on my wish list and told my boys to tell their father. It's very Harry Potter I think to have a picture frame that displays changing photos and can update wirelessly. This one can even play MP3s if you wish. I think it's a great grandparent gift. That is, if they have a wireless home network. Youngest son saw me get so excited about this (it is totally cool though) and says, "How are we related?" Seriously though, a wi-fi enabled picture frame- awesome!

The Random Thoughts in My Head

I drove into work this morning in the dark- at 8 am! It was a scary ride. It had rained overnight and froze. I drove across the black pavement that glittered like it was full of diamonds and I was scared to death! I knew that sparkle wasn't diamonds but the very dangerous black ice! The first thing I heard on the radio was a traffic report telling of a rollover accident near UAA drive (the last intersection that I pass through on my way to work). I drove slowly and cautiously and carefully observed the roads and was sure to slow down in the worst of the icy sections. As I was approaching the gate and driving past the concrete barriers a great gust of wind blew hundreds of dry leaves from the forest and they danced across the road bringing with them a flood of childhood memories. It reminded me of dark fall nights while I was growing up and the many Halloweens and raking the leaves into huge piles then jumping in and spreading them all right back out again. The pleasure of a crisp fall morning and the crunch of the dry leaves under my school shoes. I've always loved fall! I guess partly because it brings with it the promise of the coming holidays and snow and winter break.
This afternoon on my way home, in the dark, my thoughts wandered in a totally different direction. I observed a few vanity plates in the following order:
HI QT, NVRKWT, AWSMAK Vanity plates are pretty fun I think. After seeing Evan Almighty I thought I would like to get ARK (Act of Random Kindness) but it's already taken. I also thought of KENJEN but decided it was too cheesy. Honestly, I guess there isn't any one thing in particular that I want to say to the world. I would probably change my mind daily based on my mood.
I had to take an hour lunch today because my teenage boys forgot their house key. They had only a half day today and neither boy remembered the house key. I wasn't any too happy to have to drive all the way home to let them in the house. Frankly, quite often one or more doors are left unlocked, of course the day they don't have a key is the day they are all locked! Hopefully they'll remember to lock the doors more frequently and remember their key!
Sgt Dad isn't having much luck with getting online in Japan. Apparently the base isn't very up to date with their tech services. I haven't spoken to him much. He did send a short email stating that he went to the zoo this week. I guess he's doing okay. He's only worried about watching his team play!
I had another thought but it's left me. One of these days I'll keep a little notebook handy so I can jot down things to blog about.

Slow Week

I guess my life is pretty boring as I've had nothing about which to post! Eagle has found a job delivering pizza. I guess it's a pretty common first job. I'm not in love with it though. Sgt Dad and I told him he can take the job but he's got to keep looking for something else. We don't like him being on the road so much. Middle Son got a $50 award at Burger King. I guess every six months they have awards and despite having only been employed there about a month, he has made a good enough impression that they chose him for this award! It makes me feel good that I've raised a hardworking, reliable young man! Sgt Dad has hired Youngest Son to clean up around the house for us for $25 a week. He's loving the cash and I'm loving that I have a clean house every night!
Sgt Dad left for Japan this morning. He'll be gone for 3 weeks. That should be enough time to get the cigarette smell out of the house and hopefully when he returns he'll really quit this time.
That's about it. I had a thought earlier this week that I meant to blog but it slipped away and I cannot retrieve it. I remember it being a pretty good one too!
I'm quickly approaching my 100th posting. I've started working on a post of 100 things about me. It's alot harder than I thought. Hopefully you all will find it fun and interesting!

Happy Surprises

Well, as you know Sgt Dad's and my 17th anniversary was this week. We had a nice dinner at Lone Star and both overate and were too full to do anything else. So, we came home and vegetated in front of the TV. Boy are we getting old! I imagine you are all wondering how Sgt Dad did for our anniversary as he had forgotten my birthday. Well, those of you who know Sgt Dad well, also know that sometimes he really come through and does something really special. This year was one of those times. Earlier this week Sgt Dad told me that he would need our van to move his office. I knew that he was going to be moving soon, so I thought nothing of it (in fact his office really did relocate this week). He told me he would need it Thursday and Friday. So, I said OK. Well, Wednesday I drove to work in the van as usual. I went into a meeting (didn't take my cell phone) and when the meeting was over I had more than a dozen missed calls between my cell and office phone- all from Sgt Dad. At first I thought something had happened to Eagle but then realized Sgt Dad was just trying to reach me to find where I park. He was pretty frustrated that he couldn't reach me. I felt bad but what could I do? Even if I had taken my cell phone to the meeting I wouldn't have interrupted the meeting to answer. So, I tried to call Sgt Dad back but his phone was off. I figured he was pretty mad. I didn't go down to the parking lot to see if my van was still there but I figured he probably found it as the parking lot is big but not THAT big and I know he knows which building mine. About and hour later I got a couple calls from people looking for Sgt Dad. I was like, why are they calling my phone? (He had given them my number since his phone died) Then a car company called and said he had dropped of his car for service and forgot the keys. I said, "I didn't know he needed service, what is he having done?" When they told me it was a remote start I thought, "that bugger! he is having a remote start installed in his car when I had said I wanted one". Then I asked if it was his car or van. They told me it was the van. Then I realized the reason for his frustration over not being able to reach me and that he had indeed found the van. He had gone to all this effort and planning so that he could surprise me by installing a remote start in my van for an anniversary gift! I was so excited! It was so thoughtful and really classic Sgt Dad. So, his surprise was spoiled by his uncharged cell phone and forgetfulness. When it comes down to it, I was still surprised, just not when he wanted me to be. I love it! It has a 2,000 foot range, so I can start up the van from my office and by the time I shut down my computer, put on my coat, and walk down to the parking lot, my van will be warmed up for me! It was a great way for him to take care of me all winter long!
In a side note, all of the sudden I understand why last Monday night Sgt Dad was asking me how many feet are in a mile!

Present Collides with Past

This Friday is Sgt. Dad's and my 17Th Anniversary! We've officially smashed all the statistics and those critics who whispered behind our backs that it wouldn't last! I'm not sure what we'll do to celebrate- perhaps buy shiny, new, studded tires for my van! Yippie- the pleasure of being an adult!
Anyway, that's not the real purpose of this post. In thinking about my anniversary, I remembered another 17Th anniversary- my parents. Since this is an odd number and not one of the "big anniversaries", you may wonder why this one stands out in my memory. The reason is this: on the occasion of my parents 17Th anniversary I was 12 years old. It was one of the first, if not THE first, times I got to babysit my younger brother and sister. I remember "baby sister" and myself staying up late and watching our first RATED R movie- on TV- it was Rambo. I actually thought it was a pretty good movie. We also made a really big sign to hang on the wall wishing our parents "Happy Anniversary". This was in our old house on Campus Drive. I still remember standing on that old ORANGE couch to tape up the sign. (That couch is hideous in my memory. I even had a nightmare once while sleeping on it when I was sick. It had some kind of black/white/orange stripe pattern and in my nightmare it came to life and was like some kind of crazed jack-o-lantern trying to eat me!!) I don't know how late Mom and Dad were out; my memories of that night are sketchy. I wonder how much the rest of my family remembers of that night? I wonder if my boys will have a memory of my 17Th anniversary?
NOTE: Before I hurt Mom's feelings; I'm sure that the couch wasn't hideous. I'm sure you realize how things change in your memories. I imagine that next time I visit, I'll look at a picture from the past and find the couch to be quite nice.