Riley 11-10-08

Handsome boy!

First Halloween

Its been ages since I've posted anything....Life seems to be flying by!!! School is going well and so far I think I have all A's in my classes. Math is getting a bit harder and I'm so thankful I have Jill, my sis-in-law, to help with any questions I may have. She's such a goddess!!!!

I get to watch Riley twice a week and am really enjoying it! It's hard to believe he is going to be 3 months old next week!!! WOW!!! He's discovering his voice and is such a happy baby!! I'm constantly taking pictures and videos of him to send down to Grandpa Dave.

Dave will be up here Dec. 7th. Jim and I arranged it because we feel it's very important to see Riley in person. We're all excited he's going to be here....even if it is only for 5 days!

Tonight is snowing like crazy. I know...I know....I live in Alaska and should be used to it but....I really get to disliking this kind of weather! It's just so sloppy!!!

I had my check up on my hips today too. The doc is so pleased with everything that I dont have to go back until 2010 to see him and get xrays!!! I'm so thrilled!! Now....if only I could drop a number of pounds.......

Hope all is well with everyone. Until next time.......

2 days old

I'm such a lucky grandma! I got to watch my beautiful boy for most of the morning and part of the afternoon! He's such a good baby too! Mostly we went to Jim's work, my girlfriend's house, and over to see Uncle Drew. Everyone turns to mush when they see him! It's soooo sweet!

He was awake today for a while and I tried to get some pics of him with his eyes open. He was really good about it for about 5 minutes. Then I think he got mad at seeing spots! LOL

I hope to keep him again really soon!

He's here!!!!

Riley Allen McNeese made his appearance at 6:33 am 8-18-08. He's 8 lbs and 14 oz and healthy as can be!

I'm soo happy and excited that my grandson is finally here! He's so precious and beautiful! I love the smell of new babies. They smell like a little bit of heaven. When he was sleeping, he would sigh and make little noises. It's so cute!

Mom and Dad are both doing fine even though they haven't had any sleep in the last 24 hours or so. They'll be coming home tomorrow and with any luck...I'll be able to babysit so they can get some rest!

Im in love!!! :)

Down to the wire....

Well...there is one more day before we take off to go down south! I'm verry excited to be going and cannot wait to see my family!! It's been waaaay too long since I've seen my sisters!
I've been crazy with cleaning and getting the house into shape before we go. I shampooed the carpets yesterday and overdid it a little bit. I'm taking it a bit easier today and just washing walls and getting all the blankets done. Tonight I'll have Jim and Josh help with the bathrooms and the kitchen. I should be close to being done by then!!!
Then...it's getting everything packed and wait to go to the airport!
It's going to be neat getting my husband together with my sisters. They have never met before and Im very excited. Jim is excited too! He's heard so much about everyone, he's dying to meet them!
I'm looking forward to the time spent with everyone in northern Indiana. My family and Jim's family are both HUGE and I think we'll have a blast! We'll be in the middle of farm country where they grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and mint! It'll be green and luscious! And I know we're going to have a lot of fun with fireworks and swimming!
I have my camera on the charger so it will be raring to go when we get there! =)

Counting down

Only one week to go! Im getting so excited to be heading down to Indiana and seeing a lot of my family! On a sad note, my brother, Mike, and his family won't be able to make it. There has been a lot of hardship in their lives and they are having to deal with a terminally ill family member. My heart hurts for them and my thoughts and prayers are with him and Sara during this tough time. I'm really going to miss them too!!

The weather has been very nice here. Sunny and mostly warm. I got to mow my lawn the other day. Which sounds funny but...it's a small lawn and it's also something I haven't been able to do for a long time. So, I know it wont be exciting to do after about the 10th time of doing it....but right now...I'm loving it!!!!

I'm registered for most of my fall classes now. I'll be taking math (as usual), Intro to Psychology, and, with any luck, Communications 111. I'm not looking forward to Comm 111 but...it is a general education requirement class and I'd like to get it out of the way.

Im off to take care of the lawn...it's weed and feed time!!!

Trying again!

I dont know what has been happening with my computer. I've been trying to post something and it wouldnt let me. :(
I guess today my computer likes me cuz.....here I am!!!

Things have been going well up here. Time is closing in for us to go to Indiana. Im SOOOOOO excited! I can't wait to see my family!!! Especially my siblings and neices and nephews!!! It's been way to long!

I've been working hard at my physical therapy. I even walked 1.5 miles the other day. Granted I still had my crutches with me but...I didn't really need them. I'm currently trying to leave them behind all the time. Learning to walk "normally" is hard work! There is so much to remember! I just want to get this all behind me and start to do things I've missed for years such as; hiking, skiing, horseback riding, bowling, etc.

Today I have a wedding to attend. I have no idea what to wear!! So, I guess I should start rooting around in my closet.

Wow.....

Tomorow is the big day. Surgery is scheduled sometime in the morning. Im feeling extremely anxious about the whole thing. A part of me is looking forward to it. Another just wants it all to go away.
I have to run out the door in a minute to do the last minute "sign my life away" papers that all doctors seem to have to do nowadays.
I've been trying to spend some time outside when the sun is shining. I know I'll be a captive audience after today so...
I wish family was closer.....

SNOW!!???!?!?!

That's right. It's snowing (again). This last weekend we got about a foot of snow. Then, thankfully, the weather started warming up again. The roads cleared and things were getting back on a spring schedule.
Then, I woke up this morning. Guess what?? Yep, more snow!!!! It's coming down thick and fast. I've had a few friends call and tell me there are ditch divers and fender benders everywhere. How do people forget how to drive in the white stuff so quickly?? I really wish I didn't have to go anywhere today.
Oh well. That's life for ya!

I just wanted to vent for a second before I head out into the winter wonderland. :)

Spring

Today is a really nice day! It's in the high 40's, low 50's and mostly sunny. I love this kind of weather!! You can actually drive down the road with your windows rolled down and not freeze to death!!! :)
I can't wait for all the snow to be gone. I love the snow but only for a little while. I'm ready for some green (and not spruce green either!!)!
Things have been cruisin along without anything out of the ordinary going on. All is status quo.
I need to get busy and take some pictures. I'm awful about remembering to do that.

Time flies...

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted anything! It seems like just the other day Drew came over to celebrate his 19th birthday!
I don't get to see him much. He's busy with his new "adult" life and I have school and Josh and Jim to keep me busy. He dyed his hair orange! I have no idea why but...it looks really strange! It reminds me of when he was little and used to get spaghetti sauce in his hair. LOL! I wish I had taken a picture of it. Maybe he has one I can have for posterity's sake.

My spring break was nice. I really didn't do much of anything. Played a lot of computer with Josh and Jim. We all have been sucked into World of Warcraft and enjoy meeting new people online. Most of our friends live in Australia. I think it has to do with the fact that everyone in the US are ahead of us timewise. We do have a group of friends that live in Tucson and a few around California. A lot of them are teenagers and Jim and I are the "adopted" parents. They all seem to think it's really cool that parents play the game.

School started again yesterday. Bleh! I can't wait for this semester to be over with! I don't know why but I'm just not into it this time. I really don't like one of my teachers and one of the other ones likes to make the exams really, really hard and confusing. Speaking of which, I have an exam next Tuesday.

The weather is getting a little nicer. We can see the pavement on the main streets now. My rooommate, Bill, chipped all the ice off the driveway and that is soooo nice! I'm ready for spring!!! I can't wait to throw open all the windows and air the house out!!

Well, off to study a bit!

Sick :(

I've been sick for the past week. I had to miss all my classes this week and am really bummed about it. I hate missing school!!! I feel like I'm sooo behind because I haven't been there.
I'm really lucky to have such great professors! I missed my exam in biology and normally there are no make ups. But, my professor is going to let me take it on Monday. Whew! I'm so grateful for him! It's worth 100 points.
I'm not sure what else I've missed. I'm waiting to hear back from my math and asl teachers.
What did we do before email?
The weather here has been really strange. It's been verrry windy and warm. A lot of snow has melted and at night, the water freezes. It makes for a lovely skating rink. (Can you hear the sarcasm??) I wonder if we're actually going to have an early spring! (I WISH!)
Time to head off for physical therapy......

...

Ok. So I haven't gotten back into the groove of blogging. Life just seems busier of late.

I went to the doc's on the 31st and have gotten the next surgery scheduled. On May 9th I'll be getting the left hip replaced. Hopefully, by this summer...I'll be a new person! My husband keeps calling me either "borg" (cuz I have so much metal in me now) or "R2D2" (cuz I still have to charge my spinal cord stimulator by plugging into the wall). Who knows? Maybe I'll be bionic!! LOL

School is going well. I took my first math test (got a 93/100) and have my first sign language test tomorrow. I'm going to be doing a lot of studying today just to make sure I have all the signs down!

I got an invitation to see my neice's blog today! YAY! I really miss being a part of her life. I miss all of my family a LOT! I really enjoyed catching up on what's going on in her busy, busy days. She's is so beautiful and full of energy and charisma!

I guess I'd better hit the books......

Wow!

I can't believe it's been over two months since I've last posted anything!!! Time sure flies!

A lot has happened in that short span of time. I passed my fall semester with flying colors (all A's), Jim adopted Josh, I had my right hip replaced, my mom came up to Anchorage to help out and visit for the first time in 20 years, and I started my spring semester at college. And that's just the major points!!!

In December, we were starting to wonder if we were going to get any kind of snow. You could still see grass until about a week before Christmas! That's VERY unusual! We had some snow before then but the chinook winds blew and it rained and melted everything in sight! Since the beginning of the new year it's snowed A LOT!!!

This is our back porch and the view we have now. I think it took less than a week to get this snow.

Things are going really well for us. My physical therapy is going great and I'm looking forward to the day I can get rid of my crutches. I'll be going thru this again in the spring for my left hip. After that....I should be able to get my life back to "normal" and be able to vaccuum, ski, climb, etc.

One of my resolutions is to be better about my blogging. (okay, so I got a late start) I know my family appreciates it and they are able to keep up with the daily goings on around here.

So.... until next time!!!!

It's been a while since I've posted anything....



Things have been pretty busy around here. Winter is pretty much upon us and we've been trying to get the house winterized, snow tires on the car, etc. It's snowed twice so far. It hasn't stuck but I'm predicting it will be here to stay by the end of the month!



School has been very busy for me. Especially that darn English class!!! I've spent the last few weeks working on a big paper. I turned it in on Saturday and now I get to wait on pins and needles to find out how well I did!



Josh is doing better in his schoolwork. He still has a lot of catching up to do but...he's working at it slowly and steadily. He may gripe a lot from time to time but...if that's what it takes to get things done, then I'll turn a deaf ear!! lol

I have been horrible about taking pictures! My battery always seems to be dead when I think about actually snapping a quick shot. (Like the big bull moose behind our house!) I want to get some pictures of the mountains while they still have only half a blanket of snow on them! I'm going to plug the darn thing in tonight and keep my fingers crossed for a clear day tomorrow. If I'm lucky, the moose will visit with his cow and calves!

Jim flew out this morning to Prudoe Bay. I miss him already!! He's scheduled to be there all week working on the clinics. He called earlier today and said that he made it safely. I'm hoping to hear from him tonight to hear what it's like up there! He's been to so many places up here! Sometimes I'm jealous!

Hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Winter's coming!!

Our last week has been rainy, cloudy, and downright chilly!! Brrrrr! The snow is making tracks down the mountainside rather quickly! I love looking at the snowcapped mountains but I would like it to stay there for a while! I'm not quite ready for all the slippery, wet, white stuff!!!
The trees are all pretty much in their full fall colors! This is one of my favorite seasons! I'm hoping for a clear day so we can go out and get some pictures!!
Today, Jim and I ran all of our grocery errands!! WOW!! I can't believe the amount of food we go through in a week!! Josh is pretty much at the age of being a "bottomless pit"!! He's ALWAYS hungry! I'm glad the shopping is over and the cupboards are stocked again. I also managed to get ALL my laundry done today as well! I feel like I'm on a roll!
Tomorrow, we are going to Jennifer's house. She and I are going to make cookies, rice crispy treats, brownies, and fudge to send over to Iraq. While we're doing that....Jim is going to get some of the "man chores" done around her house. He's been such a sweetheart to do that while her husband is overseas. On the good news front.....Phillip (Jenn's husband) is supposed to be home sometime around Thanksgiving. That's much earlier than expected and I'm sooo happy for her! We're all excited! J.R. is supposed to be home around then too. So is Heather's husband. We're hoping to have a big homecoming thing to celebrate. They've all been gone a year and it's been a looooong year at that!
Dave moved to Tennessee this week. We miss him a lot! We got to talk to him for a bit tonight and it sounds like things are going smoothly for him. He's still trying to adjust to the heat and it will take a bit. He says he's going thru fall all over again since things happen later Outside compared to here.
I'm still struggling with my English paper. I've written my professor and hope to hear from her before class on Monday. (That's when the rough draft is due) The whole "pop culture" thing still escapes me. Am I just getting old?
I've had family on my mind a lot. I miss everyone so much!!! We would like to travel this holiday season but I don't know if we'll be able to pull it off. I hope we can!
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Busy!

I haven't posted a blog in a while. School has been keeping me pretty busy!!
So far, I think my hardest class is English. We've had to write 3 papers so far and I really struggle with it! My first paper was graded and I got 25/25 points! My second paper hasn't been graded yet and it's worth 100 points! Wow!! Now I have a third paper I'm working on and trying not to stress over. One of the things I have to do for this class is bring in a 'pop culture artifact'. I'm not really sure what that means! My thoughts are leaning toward bringing my cell phone. I take it anyway and keep it muted and in my pocket during classes so...it's not something I'd be likely to forget! Do you have any ideas of something I could take that would be considered pop culture?

I still absolutely LOVE my ASL class!! (American Sign Language) My instructor is awesome!!! We had our first quiz this week and I got 20/20 points. Our next quiz is next week and I'm really looking forward to it!

Well, time to hit the books!

I've been pretty busy with school so far this week. LOTS of homework in both math and English! We have another written assignment. It's a narrative on pop culture. I get really confused about the whole popular culture thing. I mean...I don't go out often, don't really go to movies all that much, I wear what's comfortable and not necessarily in style, and I don't follow the whole "star gossip" thing.
I had to think of something to write and decided on "Internet chat lingo and how it affects kids' schoolwork". You think that's an ok topic?? Josh had a writing assignment and asked me to read it over. It was grammatically atrocious!! Plus there were a lot of misspellings. (jus instead of just, ppl instead of people, u instead of you, etc) Even our commercials today play on the internet shorthand!! So, now I just have to think of what I want to say.
In math we're working on integers. Positive and negative. And absolute value. It's still pretty easy (thank goodness!!). I'm going to try to get ahead in this chapter too and get my test done early. The chapter one test was graded and I got 102 pts. out of 100. YAY!!!
Tonight is my sign language class. The test is either today or Thursday. Either way I'm ready!! Both Jim and Josh have been testing me. A girlfriend sent me a link to a really cool site. You look up the word you need and there is a little clip showing how it's signed. How awesome is that!!?! I've been playing around with it and trying to learn signs that I feel I need but don't know yet so I can communicate with my instructor.
I've had family on my mind a lot lately. I miss everyone so much!!! I guess the gray, wet weather has me feeling a little melancholy. Thank goodness I'm keeping a lot busier now or I'd really be a sad sack!!
Hope everyone has a great week this week!!!!

Busy weekend

I've been pretty busy this weekend! It's been rainy and gray for the last 3 days or so and I've been going a little stir crazy.

On Friday, I went out to Humpies with Jim and Heather. We were helping her with her homework assignment. She had to go out and meet (and talk to) someone she didn't know. It's for her counselling class. (She's going for her masters degree.) We chose Humpies because 1) It's a fun place to be! and 2) there was a band there we wanted to check out (Bullets 4 Daisies). We didn't stay more than an hour and a half or so but it was enjoyable!! The band was pretty good too!! Plus we met 2 ladies from Australia! They were loads of fun to talk to! I love their accents!!!

On Saturday, Jim, Josh, and I went and saw 'Rush Hour 3'. Funny movie!!! Then we went out to Romano's for supper. YUMMY!!! I always get the seafood linguini when I go there. I can't seem to get away from it!! It's SUPER YUMMY!!!

Today, I've been studying my signs and reading for English class. I took a break and went to the movies with Jim and saw 'War'. It was really good too. The ending wasn't what I expected but I think it made it better! Now, I'm taking a break and will go back to studying in a few minutes.

These days..

School has been going really well for me. (I LOVE my sign language class!!!) I ended up switching instructors and got a class in town so...now I have school 4 days a week instead of 3.

I turned in my first reading response today (on blackboard) for English. I am so nervous about doing well!! I guess I'm a little retarded when it comes to school these days but..I'm sure I'll come around when some of the "newness" wears off! I think I did 3 or 4 rough drafts before I took it to class...then in class, we had to revise it! Ugh! I just can't seem to leave well enough alone!!

My math class is going really well. I'm probably 2 weeks ahead of everyone and already took my chapter 1 test. I'm pretty sure I aced it. In a few more chapters I'm going to need all the help I can get!!!

And sign language! What a great class!!! We're doing the basics and have a quiz next week. My instructor is deaf and I think I'm going to learn a lot more from him because of it. I'm going to teach Jim what I'm learning so I have someone to practice with. I'm about a chapter behind due to switching classes but...I'll make it up!

Josh isn't doing so hot in school. We had open house last night. Jim and I met all his teachers (he's got some awesome ones this year!) and had only a few minutes to chat one on one with them. I'm going to arrange a meeting this next week with all of them. Josh just doesn't seem to care and we have been struggling with getting him to be responsible and do what he's supposed to!!! We're almost to our wits end!!

Next week, Jim starts a lot of travelling around the state. He's looking forward to going a few places he hasn't been! I think Red Dog Mine is the first place he takes off for. Then it's Nome, Prudoe Bay (twice), and Shishimea. It'll do a lot for what I call his 'Mighty Mouse Syndrome'. (He flies in...saves the day...flies out)

Other than that....fall is definitely on its way. The nights have been pretty chilly and the leaves are changing color so quickly!!! I love the fall colors but wish we still had a little more sunny, warm weather to enjoy.

Family and school

I had my first classes yesterday!! I was sooooo nervous the night before!!! I ended up with a really bad case of the jitters! Both classes were really cool though. I even had a little homework from the dreaded math class!!! Thankfully, all we're doing is review and it's really easy!! The theme for my English class is "popular culture". I think it's going to be fun and really interesting! I have both those classes again tomorrow and then Thurs. night is my first sign language class. Currently, I'm trying to transfer my sign language class to on campus. Right now, it's about an hour ride (in rush hour) to get there. I may end up going Tues. and Thurs. evenings but...I can do it if it saves me a bunch of time and gas!!!


A few days ago, I got to spend a little time with my step dad and 2 of my brothers. It was so much fun!! We all went out to supper and had a great time! They even came by the house for a little while! I got to show off the view from my back porch and visited for a bit more. Unfortunately, they were on a tight schedule and had to leave the next morning. :( I hope they have fun fishing with the bears!!!

Day surgery

I really hate day surgery. I have to leave here in about 30 mins. to go be a "human pin cushion". I know it should help with my pain levels in the long run but....I get nervous every time I have to do it!

Josh starts school tomorrow. I think he's looking forward to it even though you can't get him to admit it. He's excited that I will be starting on Monday and we can study together. I still have to run around this week and get some last minute supplies. Like a day planner, a voice recorder, highlighters, and bigger 3 ring binders!

Last night was a lot of fun! While I was doing my blogging, Jim, Josh, and Heather had a rubber band fight! It was hilarious! After the movie...the battle was on again except this time it was darker and they turned off the lights!! I had the role of "armorer" and would run around and collect 'spent ammo' and resupply all the troops. It was cool but I wish I could run around and join in too.

Books!!!

It's been a few days since I've posted anything. This weekend was busy with the second round of having our garage sale. We did pretty well but still have a TON of stuff!! It rained on Sunday so we didn't have a chance to set things out. I think we're going to bag all the stuff left and take it down to the give and take. After the garage sale....Josh and Heather had another one on one game of basketball. I think the final score was 52 to 56. Heather won that one! They would have kept playing but the next door neighbor started sealing his driveway and we didn't want the ball to bounce on the newly done pavement! I took a video of them but couldn't figure out how to put it on here!


I GOT MY BOOKS TODAY!!!! I'm getting soooo excited!! And....nervous!



















Jim tried to fix Josh's phone but, alas, it didn't work. :( At least he can still take and receive phone calls but the texting is kaput. His screen has stayed a lovely shade of white! He working on earning money to buy a new one. So far, he's about a third of the way there through earning garage sale money.













Tonight we are going to watch "Wild Hogs". It's such a funny movie! Jim and I saw it in the theater but Josh hasn't seen it yet. We're going to pop a bunch of popcorn and have a good time!!!

Today was extremely rainy! We had a virtual downpour almost all day long!
Josh and I ran some errands today and got a few things done. Mostly, I've been playing with the printer and checking out all the features. :)

Earlier....Josh dropped his phone in the toilet. He was soooo mad!! When Jim came home, he brought all his tools, and started working on getting all the circuits dried out. I have my fingers crossed that Jim is a miracle worker and everything will be fine! Josh has been totally lost without that thing glued to his ear or beeping with texts. What did we ever do without cell phones??? Or email?? Or blogs???

New printer!

I finally got a new printer!! YAY!! It's been driving me crazy not to be able to print things and I finally found a good one on sale! It has more functions that I know what to do with but I'm sure I'll learn them all and put them to good use!

Today was a cloudy day and I've been getting stuff done around the house. I STILL have boxes to go through! (I think they multiply in the middle of the night!) With any luck, I'll get them all done before the end of the year! LOL

Josh is going to spend the night at Drew's house. (I think) He's really looking forward to it. They have so much fun together! I plan on taking it easy the rest of the evening. I've been overdoing it the last few days and now I'm paying for it with my pain levels. A girlfriend told me of a doctor up here that specializes in hips. I'm going to call him this week and see if I can get in and see him. They say you gain 15 years back when you get the hips replaced. I sure could go for that!!!

The eternal question has popped up... "What's for supper?" I have no ideas today!!! I guess I should go see what's in the kitchen that I can throw together. Maybe a goulash or something.....

Busy weekend!

My roommate, Bill, at work building the table

Our dining room table (which is 39 years old) finally gave up the ghost! It lost a leg and we weren't sure what we were going to do. Bill, being the handyman, had built a table two years ago. We refer to it as the boomerang table because he had gotten rid of it but it ended up back with us. Can the timing be any better???

Garage sale actually set up!!!

Garage sale IN the garage

This weekend was very busy with the garage sale going on!! Somehow, we managed to get most of the stuff together and outside in a timely fashion! Saturday was a HOT, sunny day and we had lots of people come by. Sunday was overcast but we persevered anyway. We didn't get as many people as we'd hoped but..we did get a few! Believe it or not....we're going to do it again next weekend!!
A few friends came by and added to our stuff and we all had a good time! Unfortunately, all the running up and down the stairs and sitting has put my pain levels at a new high. :( It's going to be a little bit before I recover and have to use my crutches (YUK!).





Josh was really bored for awhile and found that playing in the trunk of the car was great fun and got him some really strange looks from the neighbors!!









This is our friend, Heather. She is LOTS of fun!! We played card games (Rummy and Euchre) and Pass the Pigs to help the time go a little faster. After we gave up for the day, she and Josh played a little one on one with the basketball. (Josh won 132 to 112.)

:)

Say "cheese!!!"

Josh and Taylor

I'm getting really excited about school starting! Tonight all my textbooks got ordered!!!(THANKS DAD!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!) I get to pick them up on the 20th. I can't wait!! What is it about new school stuff?? I love it!
Josh isn't quite as excited as I am though. Tomorrow morning we go down and pick up his course schedule. I hope he gets the electives he wanted. He can be such a picky kid! We still have to put in the zone exemption form to see if he can go to the high school he wants to, but we were told there are no guarantees. Thankfully, he's accepted that and is prepared to go to one or the other school when the time comes.
This week, I've been pretty much "kid free" and have actually started doing some boxes!! I need to get some kind of shelving in this place! There's stuff I don't want to get rid of but I have no place to put it right now.
The garage sale is definitely on this weekend. Our forecast is for continued sunny skies and I'm really glad for that!
Well, back to the boxes.....

Sunshine!!!

I took this picture this afternoon. It's Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali, which translates to "the big one"). It amazes me that it's 220 miles away and 20,320 ft. high and it looks so BIG from my back porch!!! I'm not sure which is my favorite mountain around here but I think it's a tie between McKinley and Susitna.





Mt. Susitna at sunset_____ sunkissed Chugach mountains _____ Fireweed

Last night, we took the boys back to their respective houses and the evening was beautiful!!! Thank goodness I've gotten in the habit of carrying my camera around!! The mountains were gorgeous with the evening sun shining on them. Jim took a picture of the fireweed for me. They say when the blooms on the top of the stem open, summer is over. You can't really tell from the pic but we are really close to the top!!!!









Yesterday was my birthday and the sun decided to make an appearance!! YAY!! I had a wonderful day! I got to be a bum in the morning cuz Josh was staying the night at his friend's house (my "adopted" son's, Taylor). Then, Jenn came over and took me shopping. I LOVE SHOPPING!!!
Jim was being sneaky and got off work early and picked up a cake and pizza for supper. He had Josh, Taylor, Drew, Mike (my other "adopted" son), Jenn, Ashlyn, and Justin over. It was wonderful!! I'm such a lucky lady!! I don't know where he found the time to do everything since he's always either at work or at home but.....somehow he pulled it off!
THANK YOU, HONEY!!! I LOVED MY "SPECIAL" DAY!!!


New wolf shirt

Itrip...plays my iPod over the car speakers!!

Rainy Days

Dave stopped by this morning right before breakfast. He had to pull a bunch of overtime from last night and was in the area during a slow spell. It's really good to see him! We tried to get him to stay and eat with us but he couldn't. Maybe next time, huh Dave??
Breakfast was YUMMY!! I was sooooo hungry by the time it was ready, I forgot I planned on taking a picture!! lol!!


Yesterday we spent most of the day paying bills. Oh what fun!!! Jim has a bad habit of not keeping up with his check register and having to catch up a months worth or so!! I told him I would keep track from now on if he would give me the receipts. That way we can save an hour or so on this lovely chore!!! :)




We went and saw Bourne Ultimatum. Gooooood movie!! I still think I like the books better (as usual) but all the Bourne movies are good too. We had Drew with us for most of yesterday and had a "family day". It was really nice! I'm hoping we can see him more often.
Most of us are feeling kind of "blah" due to the gray weather we've been having so going to the movies was a nice change of pace. With any luck, the clouds should clear this week and we'll have some sunny days ahead!!