GOODBYE 2008; HELLO 2009

Well my, it's been a year...I thought I might write a really profound post, but time has gotten away from me today and my brain is fuzzy now. And besides I doubt I have anything really profound to say anyway :) And I am all ready for bed now and will most likely be asleep when 2009 is ushered in. I am alone this evening as MiB is in FL and LilBlue is at the church youth lockin. It was my choice, there were options, but I am not a crowd kind of girl; especially in my temporary single girl status. I prefer the solitude. I have accomplished some tasks around the house today that were on my "to do" list--I am so thrilled! I also used a bunch of coupons before they expired this last day of 2008! How fabulous is that? Tomorrow I hope to be even more productive. I also hope to get a workout in, but I am not even sure the gym is open, hmmm?

So, my friends, I do pray that your 2009 will be GREAT! I hope you will be healthy and happy and enjoy your friends and family everyday of the coming year. And hey, don't wait for special occasions to let those you love know how important they are to you and lastly, try to make everyday an adventure.

As for 2008 I am grateful for it but I look forward to what 2009 will bring. I know we will have many adventures for sure and I am ready so bring it on! Bring on the 2009!

Happy Birthday Gigi :)

Missouri Pictures

In no particular order from our time in MO.

Playing choo choo

Aunt Shari napping

Smilin' Papa Smurf :)

All the grandkids including the littles

Sissy-she really liked my diet pepsi bottle

South of the Border with Papa Smurf

LilBlue with her favorite Take5s

Well 2008 is nearly done...I have many thoughts whirling around in my head about that but I will wait until tomorrow and try to put them in better posting form. Needless to say it is getting late and I am heading off to bed. The day started very early with LilBlue up at 5:00 a.m. to get out the door by 5:30 to go to Topeka, KS for a youth retreat. I am enjoying some quiet time and catching up on house things as well as correspondence and hopefully tomorrow I will get some much needed scrapbook pages completed!

night :)

Back in the Heartland

After an uneventful drive down and back we are back home. Going down we did have a bit of ice and snow to contend with but we sailed on through. PTL! Coming back today we were blessed with a lovely sunny day and no ice on the driveway when we pulled in!

It was a nice trip, lots of visiting, relaxing and way to much eating, ugh, I did go to the gym this afternoon after we got back home. I think, um, no I know I needed it, too much brittle, chocolates, lumpy dip, black olive dip, cheese dip, and the list goes on and on...I have a new favorite, almond m&m's, who knew they were sooooo yummy :)

Oh, and we got a call from our realtor this afternoon and we have a showing in the morning.

A post with pictures will be coming soon!

Still in the deep freeze here...

Well, it was another frigid day in my world. We did not get above 2 degrees and we were at -27 degrees with wind chill for most of the day. According to the weatherman here we have not seen this kind of extreme temperatures at this time of the year since 1990. And believe it or not, I do remember it, I was pregnant with Lil'Blue at the time and it WAS extremely cold and I was trying to get to MO for Christmas...hmmm, there are lots of things that happened 18 years ago that are happening this year in my life as well.

Lil'Blue and I did venture out for church this morning. Roads were icy with snow pack on top and still quite slippery in the subdivision; although the main roads are starting to have "tracks" in them they are not clear and plenty of icy patches remain. The church parking lot was an ice rink! Whoa, talk about slippery, glad I wore sturdy shoes along with my wool pants, wool tights, and wool sweater. It was so cold it took your breath away.

We are trying to be hopeful for warmer weather so we can head south tomorrow. Usually we head out at first light but since it is so cold I think we will wait for mid morning and pray for warmer temps before making our trek. I really do not want to wait any longer, we have snow showers in the forecast for tomorrow afternoon and again on Tuesday, so waiting is really not an option if we want to be there before Christmas Eve day. Interstate road conditions according to the DOT webpages for IA and MO report they are clear. I pray so.

Unless we are delayed again tomorrow this will be my last post before Christmas, so MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! Take time to really enjoy the true meaning of this splendid season and share your blessings with those that you meet : ) While we celebrate the birth of the baby in a manger, please do not forget that the baby grew up and died a horrible death for our sins. He is our redeemer, our saviour!

...He came to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

ICE

Well, today I shoveled more snow, I'd say a couple inches or so maybe more, it was hard to tell since the wind was/is blowing so much. It is COLD, like -15 with windchill, actual temp was 7. The bad thing is the layer of ice underneath the snow.

After shoveling the snow, I let what little bit of sun was out do it's thing while I warmed up and then headed back out to chip away at the ice. That my friends is not an easy task, I was using a shovel, not a snow shovel, more of a garden shovel. I was able to get the upper and lower steps done and most of our stoop and part of the landing. It's slow going and very hard on the hands.

Since tomorrow's high is going to be 0 and -30 with windchill not sure I will tackle the driveway. I am still uncertain when or even if we will head to MO this week. I don't really think we need to be out traveling in such bitter temps even if the roads have cleared. I just don't know yet. I don't even know if I am getting out to attend church in the morning.

Well, I am going to get a big bowl of veggie soup and warm up, I have been in for over an hour and am still quite chilled. I am listening to the wind whip violently against the house as I write. Ugh, it is supposed to do that all night long, I never sleep very well when the wind in whipping like this.

Hmmmm, I guess I will do a little future thinking and tell myself, "Lord willing, this time next year you will be in sunny Florida" yeah, that's it, that's what I'll do :)

Friday Flashback

Christmas Morning 2005

Maniago, Italy

Just a nice relaxing morning. We opened gifts in shifts and stretched it out all day, it was so much fun and we did lots of eating throughout!

It's a party with pictures, you can play along! Join the fun over at CandidCarrie's!

SNOW Day

No travel for us today, we had a SNOW DAY...woohoo! We will see how the roads shape up in a day or two. Right now there is only a couple inches of snow but underneath that snow is a good 3/4-1 inch of ICE. So we are staying put for now.

Hillary is doing a PJ day and did not take kindly to being photographed...

She has only moved from the bed twice to take care of necessities and to get the spinach artichoke dip from the kitchen. Other then that she hasn't done much except maybe send a couple hundred text messages since she woke up!

Thursday Thoughts

Well, here we are still hemmed in with brisk weather and more on the way, in fact we are getting our third winter storm this evening and it's NOT even winter yet...go figure, seems to reason it would be this way when I am manless :)

Onto the thoughts...

• I ran 4 miles yesterday
• I seriously need to get wrapping
• I have no use for brussel sprouts
• I am ready to be with the family for Christmas break
• I am sporting 5 extra pounds since Turkey Day and I didn't even eat the turkey :(

I truly envision having a fabulous evening while "the storm" hits and then anticipate the roads being travel worthy tomorrow so we can head on down to MO for Christmas. I think we are ready to go but if the weather is not good we will wait a few days and head out on Monday when the next break in weather is supposed to be. Internet is not so readily available while I am there so updates will be in short supply.

Oh, and the latest on Papa Smurf is that hormone therapy continues, possibly another surgery in January and also radiation should start in January. He will go 5 days a week for 6 weeks. He is feeling good, though still weak and not able to be as active as he was, his strength has just not returned like he would like and he plays out pretty quickly. We are thankful he is doing as well as he is! I know that prayers are sustaining not only him but all of us in his world!

Weather and Barking

Well, I don't really know how to tell you this but it is still COLD here and we now have snow in the forecast, as in when we wake up in the morning it's likely the white stuff will be starting to cover the ground and will continue to fall from the sky until late afternoon. They are calling for 2-3-4 inches, they aren't really certain. Who is "they" anyway?

Do you think I am excited to hear this...um, only if it means a snow day, which at this point is doubtful, but we can still be hopeful. Oh and our temperature got all the way up to 5 today, though it is currently -1. But tomorrow we are going to hit double digits, 13, woohoo!

On the homefront, LilBlue came home from school early today, she doesn't have classes the last two hours of the day anyway so she asked to come home. She did, went straight to bed. She has a barky cough with sore throat, achy body and headache...do ya think it's the flu? I am not positive, but I have a feeling it might be, I think she will be home tomorrow whether there is a snow day or not.

Off to administer the night time meds, goodnight!

WindChill :(

This is the severe weather alert from the National Weather Service...

THE WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM CST MONDAY. STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS COMBINED WITH BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE CHILL INDEXES TO DROP TO AROUND 20 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

Sounds fun, huh? Well, I am not complaining, (yeah, right), just sharing part of my world...at least I have electricity :) for which I am grateful. There is no precipation with this wind chill and I am thrilled to report that as well, so it could be soooo much worse and I am thankful it is not. BUT, it IS COLD!

I'm off to shower as I just got back in from the gym, then I am putting on my flannels and fuzzy socks!

Friday Flashback

Piazza d'Italia

2004 - MiB "marching" with the statue in Trieste, Italy. This picture is just so "him" that's why I like it!

Even though it's late in the day you can still play along with CandidCarrie and the gang...come on, it's fun!

Thursday Thoughts

Besides having scattered thoughts for today I finally made a grocery run. I have been holding off, trying to use up what's in the pantry. The grocery run was mostly "cold stuff" like milk, creamer, yogurt, cheese. I think we are set again for awhile.

This morning we warmed up to 36o but the temps are falling again already and they say next week we are going into the deep freeze...I hope they are wrong, it's been known to happen before, just see my last post.

Random scattered Thursday Thoughts for today:

I really like salt, a lot!
Is Christmas really just two weeks away? OH MY...
I am really not sure if I am going to MO for Christmas or not.
I am thinking of buying LilBlue a newer vehicle with less miles...
Living geographically separated in cold weather is not my idea of fun.

BRRRRRRR.....

Well, that big storm that they predicted missed us (PTL) but it is still frigid, and the wind is just down right bone chilling. Tonight we are supposed to dip down in the single digits, which surely calls for an extra quilt on the bed.

I am waiting for LilBlue to get home so we can have dinner. She stayed after school today. It is chicken tonight and hot tea with our meal since it is so cold, I know she is also going to want mashed potatoes so I should go get them peeled.

Stay warm, I am trying :)

Friday Flashback

Happy Holidays!

Today we go waaaaay back to baby days for MiB...

(FYI:MiB is on the left :)

Play along with us over at Carrie's place in Friday Foto Fiesta!!!

Thursday Thoughts

hmmmm...it's Thursday....so here are my thoughts!

• I am cold...the weather is definitely feeling like winter today.
• I do not like cold...especially with wind.
• I like hot tea...especially on cold days.
• I love soup...especially homemade ones.
• I need to do laundry.

Hope you are having a swell day, I have been to the gym and tackled mountains of paperwork. Paperwork that I have neglected since MiB returned in October. I still have some organizing to do, but the bulk has been sorted, shredded and now just a small stack to take action with and some to still be filed! It has been a very productive day!

1220 Reef Court

This is my new home and I am excited about getting to live there...

eventually.

It makes me feel warmer just looking at it. But first I must plod through another winter in the heartland in which an inch of snow is predicted for tomorrow's morning communte :) Until then my MiB will be baching it in this lovely abode without me!

belated HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Well, I would be remiss if I did not make a Thanksgiving post...so Happy Thanksgiving!

I for one have much to be thankful for and due to the line of work my MiB is in I for one am so very thankful for freedom. I am also thankful for a risen Savior who cares about every detail of my life. I am thankful for family and friends who are scattered all over the world as well. I hope you took the time to be thankful and to tell at least one person if not more that you are thankful for them and why.

We had a great dinner with 18 around the table this year. The food was plentiful and the naps, football watching, guitar hero, dominos that followed along with snacking on leftovers and eating the pies throughout the afternoon was awesome. I am going to need to be back in the gym after the eating frenzy that took place!

I am thankful I have a place to live even though I prefer to no longer be a homeowner...yes, the house is still for sale and hopefully there is a buyer in our near future.

Lunch in Beverly Hills LA

For lunch today we walked from our hotel to Rodeo Drive and surrounding area, it was a beautiful day! We also went into Neiman-Marcus, incredible sight to see the shopping going on there.
Oh my, we found the neatest little cafe with food that was just super YUMMY! The choices were vast but we ate light because we knew we wanted to indulge in cupcakes and yogurt later. MiB ordered the caprese and I the #2 brushchetta. Both wonderful and we shared!

Then we indulged in the cupcakes. MiB had the coconut and thought it was heavy in a good way and very good! I had the seasonal pumpkin and it did not disappoint! I was a bit leary since they were $3.25 each; however as a treat it was worth it but not something we would indulge in very often due to the price! We are too cheap :)

And last but not least we tracked down the yogurt. I had the pomegranate with toppings of fresh pomegranate, fresh blueberries that were just huge and coconut, it was so good, MiB tried the pinkberry smoothie. It was good, but I think he would choose the yogurt cup with toppings if he went again. This was very, very yummy stuff and I want to go again!

Psst....there are two more cupcakes in the box for a late night treat, one dark chocolate and one milk chocolate. :)

Dinner with "the bird"

In our line of work it is very often that you meet people who have a huge impact on your life or the life of your spouse which then makes an impression on you as well. Then you never see these folks again, not so in this particular case. "The bird" has managed to let us fly in and out of her life through the years, I like to think we have become part of her flock...she may not think that is so cool as we can be the type to pull out our feathers at the most inopportune time...but she still likes us for the most part!

Anywho, last evening after negotiating some pretty rough LA traffic which is way worse then DC we made our way to dinner at her place where as always she treated us and provided us with much humor from her daily life. I can say I don't think there is ever a dull moment with the bird, she is constantly meeting the need, challenging the masses and taking care of those in blue, she is truly a rare breed. We have known this all along and that is why Man In Blue takes any and every opportunity to sit in her presence...he says he tries to take in as much as he can as she is still one of the sane ones out there. One who knows what we should be doing, and more importantly how we should be doing it! She is so no nonsense!

Since MiB didn't cook dinner we had him cleanup!!! :)

He needed supervision and she was certainly the one for the job!

Another enjoyable evening as our time in LA draws to a close. We have the big fancy smancy shindig tonight, then back to the heartland.

Thursday Thoughts

WOW, what a week!

• I like the California weather.

But would it get old?

• Cheesecake Factory is yummy!

I am gaining weight this week, no doubt.

• The military has been pretty darn good to us!

Some have moved way more then we have

• I don't really like meeting new people..

Though...I have made some new friends this week!

• I enjoy sleeping in my own bed...

It is nice to have someone else make your bed once in awhile

LA Activities!

We went to the Griffith Observatory for a special military event where Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr sang Up, Up and Away.

The lights of Hollywood behind us...you could clearly see the Hollywood sign but it was too dark to show in the picture.

The lights of the city below were a spectacular site! It was a neat evening we were treated to a planitarium show and also several local celebs attended like Rick Schroder, Ernie Hudson and Pamela Hayden are the ones I remember, not the A list but celebs nonetheless!

Getting to Los Angeles

Our flight to LA...we had to be up at o'dark 30 and then off to LA via Denver...

Finally made it to LA...got the shuttle to pick up the rental car and we are off on our adventure! Met up with an old friend to have lunch and then off to do a little exploring.

In California!

Slow to update but we are in California and having a blast...I hope to get some pictures up soon, but the internet is slow and hard to get at.

It's lovely and sunny and we are definitely being wined and dined and feeling like pampered special VIPs. We even saw Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr sing Up, Up and Away and also saw Rick Schroder from NYPD Blue and Silver Spoons at this shindig last night.

Gotta run!

Friday Flashback

CROSSPOINT Christian Sports Camp - Judson College, Marion, AL - 2003

Surprising LilBlue at the dining hall...a big hug for mom!

Smiles all around, we missed her, she missed us!

We drove out mid-week to check on our camper; she was doing great but it was still good to get our hands on her for some hugs!

Play along on Friday Foto Fiesta with Carrie and the gang! It's FREE!

Thursday Thoughts

The weather is dreary today, but...

I WON!!!! I am a winner over at CandidCarrie's!
I finally found black pumps for our California trip.
My hubby cut his own hair today so I did not have to.
I still need brown casual shoes but not for the trip, so it's okay.
Christmas shopping for nieces/nephews will be done tomorrow.

THE shoes that will do...

Today...

• I did laundry
• Went to Mom's in Touch
• Did more laundry
• Made a pumpkin spice cake
• Did more laundry
• Made an Aldi run
• Did more laundry
• Made chili

Today is cold and rainy...I did not want to do much, still have dinner to serve and then off to our LifeGroup meeting, I do not enjoy getting out in the cold but it will be good to fellowship with others. We are wrapping up our study of Daniel. Not sure where we will venture next. No matter it's all good!

Missouri Weekend

Happy Birthday Dad!

We road tripped to MO this weekend to celebrate my dad's 78th birthday! We enjoyed one of his favorite meals of steak fingers, mashed potatoes w/milk gravy, corn and yeast rolls, then we dug into a fabulous selection of birthday treats ranging from German chocolate cake to brownies to angel food cake with or without ice cream! It was a another great family gathering!

After the partying the girls bluetoothed with the help of Bryan...

And without the help of Bryan!

On our way home today we were able to stop in Kansas to visit with a dear family friend who will be celebrating his 95th birthday on Wednesday; it was a most precious visit in which we laughed and cried throughout the afternoon.

Friday Flashback

On Mission in Croatia-2004

At the battered women's shelter delivering goodies of clothes, shoes, toys and the most popular goodies, gum and candy. The children were also awestruck by the digital camera with the option to "see" the picture as on the screen as soon as it was taken.

A great memory to help keep us in check on how good we have it.

Playing with Carrie again; so can you follow the link!

Thursday Thoughts

You can be full of joy or not...
There are two or more sides to each story!
Time can pass extremely quickly or drag by very slowly.
Happiest and saddest of times can happen in the airport.

And did you know, I really, really like things made with pumpkin...muffins, soup, cookies, bread, cheescake, etc!

Over, but is it really?

I think not...now more then ever we should pray for our new President and his family. Call upon the Lord to work in this man's life to see the need for God to be intertwined in the leadership of our country. We are a nation at war, we are a nation that relishes in freedom, we are a nation of wealth, we are a great nation, however, we are a nation that needs God.

I think the following verse says it much better then I can...

My desire is, first of all, that you will make requests and prayers and give praise for all men; For kings and all those in authority; so that we may have a calm and quiet life in all fear of God and serious behaviour. This is good and pleasing in the eyes of God our Saviour; Whose desire is that all men may have salvation and come to the knowledge of what is true. I Timothy 2:1-4

I am glad I know who holds my future, for I know not what my earthly future holds...

MY day :)

My Man in Blue spent the day with ME!!! We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then did some shopping and got drinks at QT and did more shopping and hanging out.

Then we went to Olive Garden for dinner...

The food was really pretty good and the dessert was AWESOME good, chocolato gelato and pumpkin cheesecake.

I did not eat the gelato, only tasted it, but I did eat the cheesecake....YUMMMY! And I have chicken scampi leftover from my dinner for lunch tomorrow. It was a great day, with great weather, spent with a great man! Thank you MiB! 143...and LilBlue, thanks for joining us for dinner!

Candid Carrie: Velveeta-Licious Giveaway

Oh, Carrie, I did it!

I love velveeta, I love blue dishes and I think you are the bomb!!!!

GO VOTE

Your vote DOES count so I certainly hope you have voted or are voting today!!!!

Tomorrow's "to DO" list...

If you are like me I start to think of those things I need to do tomorrow as today comes to a close...it is still mid-afternoon here, but I am thinking of my "to do" list for tomorrow. And while I have already voted maybe you have not, so please put it on your "to do" list for tomorrow and follow through.

The lines may be long, the workers may or may not smile, the parking could be horrendous, the weather may or may not be pleasant but please, please, please make it a point to vote. You vote will count, it does count and it does matter so again, I ask you to make it a point to vote.

Thank you! Enjoy your evening!

She was framed!

Kohl's had a big sale today...I like Kohl's...we went to the sale and found frames for all of Lil'Blues senior pictures. It was a very productive day at Kohl's.

Did I happen to mention it took three trips to make this a successful productive day? Well, it did, but it is completed now so no worries! Now they just need to be wrapped and delivered, which will be another day!

10.30.2008 Daytrip

The Man in Blue and I took a daytrip yesterday to a little town in Iowa so we could visit a real Danish windmill, it is the only working Danish windmill in the U.S. This little town is also the largest rural settlement of Danish immigrants in the U.S. It was really neat!

There were a lot of stairs to climb to go all the way to the top, it reminded me of visiting lighthouses when we lived on the East Coast.

We also drove on up to Kimballton, Iowa to see the replica of "the little mermaid" When we were in Italy I had wanted to make it to Copehagen, Denmark to see it in person but since our time there was cut short we didn't make it.

My Man in Blue and me!

Friday Flashback

Another one of my all time favorites from the toddler files and she is still a horse lover today!

I am playing along with Carrie and the gang again this week with Friday Foto Fiesta and it is such fun, come out of lurkderville, start you own blog and join me! I know you are out there reading :)

Thursday Thoughts

I am glad we have insurance.
I am praying for a buyer for our house.
I am thankful for 70 degree weather in late October.
I am thinking I should be doing something way more productive!
And I think I should not be starting every thought with "I"

:)

Papa Smurf update

My dad went back to the doctor yesterday and while they removed the catheter and that was good, what ended up happening was he learned to cath himself. This will be the drill for a while until hopefully things will clear up and work on their own. This is a forward movement in that he is no longer cathed 24/7. He will only cath himself four or so times a day for short periods...again, hopefully, things will progress to work on their own and he will be able to wean off the cathing to void on his own in a short time.

Regarding the treatment for the cancer it has not been nailed down and personally I find this is frustrating...but I am trying to not be, and remind myself we are taking this one day at a time. And right now, for today, he needs to void on his own and that is what we are working on.

Thanks for your continued prayers, emails and words of encouragement!

Friday Flashback

Daddy's little Airman! Just love the look and such an easy time for her to be happy!

I forgot I am playing with the gang over at Candid Carrie this week...it's really fun!!