Nick

Yesterday was Nick's 20th birthday. This was the first year I was unable to see him or be able to give him a hug and say face to face, " happy birthday". I'm sure many are saying, "and it won't be the last". I miss Nick, but it's nice to hear from him when he calls.

He called on Monday so I could "wish him a happy early birthday"! LOL He called again today tell me how he'd spent his birthday. Apparently it was an interesting day for him. He did tell me that they guys said to tell me that his birthday cake was good. He stressed the guys as he only got a small piece of cake. I'd made him a cake, put it in the freezer then vacuum sealed it and sent it out immediately. I'd also put in a container of frosting so he could frost it. The only thing missing were candles, and I'd forgotten to pack those!

I'd also sent him a little 2 foot tall Christmas tree, along with lights and decorations and a Santa hat. I wanted Nick to have a Christmas tree by his bunk so he had a visual reminder that his family loves him.

Keep Nick in your thoughts and prayers, he's 6 months into his deployment and has another 9 to go.

Nick

Bowling the Modern Way

Last month Mom and Dad came over for dinner and games. I bought Daniel and myself a wii gaming system when we moved in. (I did this knowing that our money would be tight after the first of the year and we wouldn't have much money for entertainment.) So we played Mario Cart, and bowling. This is a look at modern bowling, you don't even have to leave your house!!!








We had a really good time. Daniel kept getting gutter balls! Just like at a brick and mortar bowling alley!



Daniel couldn't stay out of the gutters and thus came in 4th.... : ( Better luck next time Dan.....he wants a rematch! Daniel spent alot of time trying to learn how to spin the ball like Mom; and he did, he just spun them into the gutter.











Dad is a good bowler. We really cracked up when he dropped the ball behind him and all the little wii people jumped getting out of the way.


Dad came in 3rd!













Turns out Mom is an excellent bowler!! She can put a mean spin on the ball. I'll bet she could kick our butts at a brick and mortar bowling alley! Mom says that when she was in school (you know back when the dinosours roamed the earth!) for gym class they bowled. How fun would that be?!?!

Mom came in second !
















Daniel and I had played a few games several days before Mom and Dad came over. I really enjoyed it. I like the games we have as they are easier for me to play than the first person shooter games we have for the X-box and the x-box 360.

I came in 1st place! Yeah me!






I also have the wii fitness board. I love it. I've been using it 3-4 times a week and I've noticed more flexibility, though I have to keep the flexibility up to keep my knee moving. So essentially I'm using it as physical therapy.

If you don't have one of these, a wii, you should get it. It's lots of fun and the games that come with it are suitable for small kids. I was very pleased to see that my friends could let their kids play it....I couldn't let them play the xbox as we don't have any games that are suitable for them.

All in all it was a fun night with Mom and Dad, we had a lot of laughs. Thanks Mom and Dad for being there for me durig this hard time in my life!

Hobo Kitty

Petey was laying on the couch and helping me read the Sunday paper last month. All he needs is a park bench. Though he would LOVE a park bench as that would mean he would be outside, where he really wants to be, instead of being forced to watch the birds and squirrels from inside on the dining room table!

HANKS FINE FURNITURE

Warning!!!! Do NOT shop at any Hanks Fine Furniture stores!!! I purchased beds for Daniel and myself from there. The first clue should have been that the salesman didn't call me back as promised to tell me when the matteress would be in for the full size bed. After finally getting ahold of him I was told that, that particular matteress was a special order from the manufacturer for a full size. So I chose a different one. The store manager delivered the frame for my bed and both matteresses for me. I wrote a check out to him, not the store for the delivery.

It has been over a month now and the bedframe for Daniel hasn't arrived yet. It was supposed to be delivered last Wednesday. When I called the store to find out how far on the delivery list we were, at 5pm Korneluis, the assistant manager, informed me that it wasn't scheduled for delivery. Turns out he changed the delivery date, after recieving information from the ware house here in Little Rock, that the said piece isn't due in until later in the month.

I called the store manager the following day and he said that he'd sent an email to the manufacture to find out when it would be in & that he'd call me by the close of business the following day, a Friday by the way. I called him Monday morning approx. 30 minutes after the store opened to give him time to call me. When I told him that he should have at least called me to tell me that he'd not forgotten he began yelling at me. I hung up and then called the customer service line. I told the lady what happened and she said she'd send the information to his supervisor and I'd hear back as to when we'd get the bed. Well, it's Wednesday and I still haven't heard back.

The company has my money and they don't care when it comes in. I have since heard from several people that I know of simular problems. One had a bed delivered and one of the legs was split in two and they still don't have a replacement. Many of the complaints are of just plain slow delivery.

All Moved In

Daniel and I are all moved in. We got moved in on the 8th but it took a few days to get everything unpacked and setup. We had a lot of help from my parents and some friends, Debbie and Brad & their kids.

Here are a few pictures of our new place.

This is the front of the house.


A view from the front door.


My room, it's small but I like it that way. It's a cozy retreat, I love it. I bought really comfortable beds for Dan and I. I won't show you his room as it's a total mess! LOL

This is a view into the kitchen from the living room. There are lots of cabinets, I even have empty shelves! And an empty drawer LOL


This is the dining area. The double windows look out over the back yard. We have several trees, I'm putting up bird feeders so Petey (the cat) has something to keep him occupied. Joy scared off the squirrels in a pretty short period of time. They must be smarter than the ones in Jacksonville! LOL

These next pictures are of my craft area. I knew I had lots of stuff but I didn't realize I had so much until I went to put it away!

The area off to the right of the picture below is what I call the "alcove" and it has the buffet that now houses a computer, routers, wireless printer and telephone. The drawers and doors have all my desk supplies, computer CD's, ect. Across from there is the back door, the rabbit cage.

The door you see in the picture below goes to the laundry room. And as you can see to the left is the guinea pig cage. The craft area is a bit messy but I had cards I finally finished for a card swap, the box you see is for packing up Nick a Christmas box. I'll put the little Christmas tree that can be seen in the pictures above, along with the decorations, lights, tree skirt, and candy canes. I want to get that out to him tomorrow so he can have a Christmas tree in his bunk area.

The back yard. It's really big, has a shed that's wired with electricity.

Joy is enjoying the back yard, though she's yawning in the picture. I'll bet it's really pretty when everything is green.


We are thoroughly enjoying the new house. We will be having an open house next month.

Election Day

Here in the United States it is election day. I do hope that everyone who is eligible to vote has/will exercise their right today. Or they early voted. Daniel and I voted early last Tuesday.

I consider it a huge privilege to be able to vote for the leader of our country. I pray that everyone looks into their heart and really considers the issues and has carefully researched each and every candidate. I know that I had originally decided to vote for one but after doing my own research, I changed my mind. After looking at their voting records, their associations, their track records in not just their public life but their personal lives.

Who ever is elected will need to have great leadership and wisdom to lead our great country the next four years, leaving it in a better place.