I am Thankful...

I realize that I am a little late for a Thanksgiving post, but I just don't know where the time has gone. I can't believe I was only able to update twice in November; and that December is already here.

Thanksgiving was good, except that Jeff had to work. The kids and I went to my sister's in West Liberty and had a nice day with my family. I don't get home as often as I should. My Nephew, Cliff, made it home this year. He is in the Navy and hasn't been back for quite awhile. It was nice to see him again - he looks good! (Any single, young ladies reading?) My Niece, who is in Iraq, was supposed to call, but I left before we heard from her. Hope all is well with you, Ashley!

We then headed back to VW to have Thanksgiving #2 with the Meyers'. Jeff was off of work by then, so we met up there. Once again, it was relaxing. We surfed the internet for Christmas bargains and tried to get the kids to make their lists.

I have started some Christmas shopping. It's not much, but at least I'm ahead of where I was a week ago. I've done most of my shopping online this year, but will have to venture out eventually.

The kids are keeping busy. Whitney had a Christmas band concert this evening. Here is a somewhat poor picture. (You know how the lighting is at these events.)

Cassidy starts basketball this week, and Kaylee has her first dive meet on Thursday. We will try to get pictures of that. Neither Jeff nor I have ever seen her dive - this is the first time she has ever done anything like this. I'm just proud of her for trying something new!

January and February should be interesting. I believe there are several Saturdays where we will have dive meets, basketball games, and gymnastics meets that all overlap. One of us is going to have to clone ourselves!

The kids' uncle recently donated a foosball table to them. It was no sooner in the door than they started assembling it. Here is a shot:


So now I have a half-assembled foosball table in my entrance. I have no idea where we will eventually find a spot for it.

I actually have the perfect spot - in the basement of a house we looked at about a month ago! Oh, wait...the title of this post is about being thankful. And I AM thankful for my home. Many people don't even have that. I'm thankful for my family, my job, and our health. I'm thankful that the election is over and that the school levy passed! I'm thankful for the holiday season, spending time with family, Christmas lights, receiving cards from old friends, and for Jesus - the reason for the season! I'm trying to be more thankful every day, and recognize the many things that make my life complete as it is. I'm trying not to concentrate on the things I THINK I need and be happy with the abundance that I actually have. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

Identity Crisis

Meet "Chris" and "Nick." They came to visit over the weekend. Apparently, they are my new sons. They first made an appearance on Friday night, while Kaylee was spending the night with a friend. They came back for most of the day on Saturday. They appear to be typical boys, and have a very "gangsta" style of dialect....saying things like "'sup" and "true-dat." They even spit and scratch themselves a lot. Just as I was getting concerned, I saw them dragging around and playing with several Build-A-Bears, so I think we'll recover from their visit just fine. Whew - I was starting to miss my girls!

Not much is new other than that. I can't believe November is half over. I usually have some Christmas shopping started by now; but I have to admit - I haven't even started. Not really sure where to begin this year. I did buy a new Christmas tree today! Jeff and I bought our first one the year before we got married - on clearance, of course. I think 18 years is pretty good for a Christmas tree. I wasn't able to get the big one I wanted due to space constraints in our house. Maybe someday...

Kaylee just finished the classroom portion of her Driver's Ed class. Now, she has to take her permit test, and we can schedule some driving time. Scary! I can't believe how fast the past 15 1/2 years have gone. Time is so funny - it seems like the days drag on forever, but when I reflect back, boy has it gone quickly! I suppose I 'm showing my age just a bit. I'm sure I'll have more to post on our driving adventures soon!

Trick Or Treat On My Street

Halloween at our house is always fun. For whatever reason, my street gets crazy-busy with trick-or-treaters. It has always amazed me. It's not like our neighborhood is a ritzy, up and coming kind of neighborhood. But, people tend to flock to our neck of the woods for beggars night. Here is a picture of the commotion from this year.

Actually, I think the crowd was down a bit. Cars usually line the street and it is a constant stream of kids. Maybe it's the economy. However, we did run out of candy.

For many years, we combined Halloween with Cassidy's birthday celebration, so Trick or Treat meant cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We would hit the neighbors up for candy, and then come back for presents and cake and ice cream. We have since separated Cassidy's birthday, so she has her own celebration, but I still like to have people over for Trick or Treat.

Here is a picture of my own beggars:

Cassidy was a pirate, Whitney was an Ohio State football player, and Kaylee stayed home and passed out the candy. I guess 15 is officially too old to dress up and go door to door. Whitney actually went to a friend's party that night, so Cassidy was my only beggar. Now I just have to keep the other two out of her candy!

In other news:

- Here is a picture of the flowers Jeff sent for our anniversary, and for Cassidy's birthday:

- Speaking of Jeff, we picked him up at their airport yesterday! Five weeks is really a long time. He had an opportunity to stay longer, but wisely turned that down. All three kids came with me, and we celebrated being back together as a family by going out to eat. We're glad to be back to "normal."

- However, the kids might have a different opinion. After five weeks of mom carrying most of the weight of household chores, dad cracked the whip and had the kids out doing yard work. Here are their less-than-thrilled reactions:

- And here is a picture of the man, himself:

He is off of work this week. Boy, do I have a "honey-do" list for him!

Welcome home, honey!!

Happy 18th Anniversary, Honey!

Yes, today is our 18th Anniversary, and we can't even be together to celebrate. I've put together the slide show below to commemorate our 18 years together. Forgive the quality of the pictures - I had to scan the majority of them in.

I struggled to find many pictures of us together after we were married. (Note to self: Take more pictures of all of us together.) So, I focused on pictures of Jeff. He'll be thrilled with that decision!

I just wanted him to know how much the past 18 years have meant to me. It hasn't always been easy - nothing worthwhile ever is. However, I wouldn't change any of it.

I even loaded the song we danced to at our wedding. He had to remind me of this a couple of months ago. I could have sworn it was "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins. Yes, we really were that dorky.

Happy Anniversay Sweetie! I love you and miss you.

My Baby is 9!

Today is Cassidy's 9th birthday. She has never really had a "friends" party before. She suffers from third-child syndrome in that way. Out of guilt from that, and the fact that Daddy is out of town and missing her big day, I booked a party for a few friends at Chuck E. Cheese's. She invited a total of four girls, but one could not make it. Whitney wanted to go along, and I pretty much coerced Kaylee into joining us, so altogether, there were only seven at the party. A perfect number - we all fit in my van! They really enjoyed it, and I have to say, it makes for a really EASY birthday party. Pizza, cake, and entertainment all courtesy of the Chuckster (with the help of my credit card).

A few photos of the event:

She added to her Webkin*z collection, and her big gift from us was a Storm Trooper helmet that transforms your voice. She's in a "Star Wars" phase right now. I've always said she is the closest thing Jeff will get to a boy.

Happy 9th Birthday Sweet Girl!

Random Thoughts/Updates

Well, Jeff has been gone for 2 1/2 weeks. Which means 2 1/2 to go. We are half way through with this adventure, and not too much worse for the wear. The first couple of weeks actually went quite smoothly. This week it seems to be catching up to me. Maybe the novelty is wearing off. Some updates:

* Whitney brought home a note from religion class a couple of weeks ago about their annual cake sale. Each child is supposed to bake and decorate a cake to bring in to be sold after mass. There was a reminder hanging in the hallway when I picked her up last week, and I thought "Oooh, can't forget that." So, we buy a cake mix, she bakes it, and decorates it with some sprinkles and icing. She was excited and it turned out pretty cute. We get up Sunday and leave early for church so I can get it turned in for the sale. We go back toward the gym and there is no table set up. I go in the gym, and there are no cakes to be found. Turns out - we had the wrong weekend! In my anxiety to make sure I get everything done and don't forget anything, I guess I got a little ahead of myself. It is supposed to be this weekend. We ate the cake. My only comfort is that there was another mother in the hall wandering around with her cake also. We went and checked the sign together and felt really stupid - together. My excuse is my fried single-mother brain. Not sure what her excuse is.

*Whitney wrapped up her running program last week. Her coach said she did really well and told her she should run cross-country next year. Kaylee is trying to talk her into cheering. Whit is still undecided. Oh, to have those options. I was not talented enough for ANY extra curriculars when I was in school.

*My niece, Ashley, called me earlier this week to let me know she was leaving for Iraq that day! She is in the Air Force, and this is her second trip over there. I knew she was going back, but it kind of snuck up on me. Be careful and take care of yourself, Ash! Love ya!

*We have all had a small cold. Just sniffles, sneezing, slight sore throat and cough. No big.

*How about this beautiful weather? (Told you these were random.)

*I'm off next week, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Cassidy is on "fall break" and I need to recharge my batteries. I've concluded that our kids are involved in way too many activities. Like I said, Whit's running is over, and football is wrapping up, but those have just been replaced. Kaylee is "maybe" going to be on the dive team, and Cassidy's basketball is about to start.

*The next two weekends look crazy. This weekend is football, Apple Festival, K & W have a mandatory "master's" dance class, and Cassidy's birthday is Sunday (stay tuned for party updates). Next weekend is trick or treat, Whitney is invited to a party, and Cassidy has basketball evaluation. Lord only knows what Kaylee's social calendar includes.

*Which brings me to my next conclusion - I believe all teenagers should be banned to live on an island somewhere until they are 20. I think that God created the teenage years so we wouldn't be so sad when our kids move out. Don't get me started...

*I'm definitely ready for a beer when Jeff gets back. I made sure there were none in the house when he left. Don't get me wrong - it's not like I'm an alcoholic. It's just that I recognize that I potentially could be, given the right circumstances. Let's call this single-parent stint the "Perfect Storm" of circumstances. No need to tempt fate.

*Jeff seems to be doing well. He sounds a little bored and lonely when I talk to him. Awwww.... we miss him too!

Sorry this is so long and all over the place. Kind of gives you a glimpse into how my brain is functioning at this point. I'm hanging in there.

For those still reading - check back early next week for another update!

On Our Own

The girls and I are "on our own" for the next five weeks. Jeff left for Massachusetts on Saturday for work. The lab out there needed extra help, so him and three other guys he works with volunteered to go. We debated about it for awhile, but in the end decided it was a good opportunity for him. Plus, there is some extra pay involved - always a bonus. We left for the Columbus airport Saturday at 3:00 a.m. for his 7:00 flight. I was back home and in bed by 7:30 a.m. (Yikes!)

He will be back November 1. I think he was a little hesitant to go because it means he will miss our anniversary and Cassidy's 9th birthday. I'm going to have to do something extra for her this year to try to make up for it.

Needless to say, we've never been apart this long. The girls are handling it well. I think they were a little concerned at first, but they talk to him every night. So far, so good.

So, if I'm absent for awhile it's because I'm a little busy. No news is good news - right?

Sorry, no photos. Not much has happened around here, and who has time to take pictures right now?

Until next time...