Goin' crazy!!

There's less than 4 hours until we need to head to the airport and I feel like I still have a million things to do!!!! Why does time always go faster when you're on a tight schedule???

I'm lookin forward to getting to IN. I hope the temps aren't too bad down there. I've located my shorts and am ready!!

I'll be taking pics too! :) So....until then......

Josh's birthday

Photographer Drew

Dave and Josh

Today was a wonderful day! Josh turned 14 and my mind is still boggled over it!

I had an early appt. this morning so we really didn't do anything until lunchtime. Jim and I took Josh to lunch and gave him a couple of cards. One of the cards had a "ticket" in it allowing him to get his ear pierced. He was stoked!!! Right after lunch we had that done and then Jim went back to work. Josh and I picked up his brother, Drew and headed for the house. We goofed around here while I made supper (spaghetti) and baked a cake.
Jim got home and we ate supper, opened gifts, and then scarfed some cake! Josh made out like a bandit!! He got lots of clothes, books, money, etc. Jim and I went ahead and got him a cell phone. He has unlimited texting so needless to say...my phone has been chiming all evening! I think that floored him the most cuz Jim and I had been telling him that 14 was too young to have a cell.

Unfortunately, Dave couldn't join us for supper. He's been feeling really bad. I think he has some kind of chest cold. He was able to stop by this morning after he got off work and gave Josh a card and the much desired greenbacks. We sure missed having you here, Dave!!!

It was really great having Drew over for the day. We had a great time and it was good to see him. Since he's moved out we don't see him all that often.

In the next couple of days we'll be gearing up to head to Indiana. I still have to scare up my shorts from somewhere! I'm looking forward to seeing Jill, Mom, and all the rest of that side of the family at the reunion. This will be Josh's first time there. I think he'll really enjoy it.

Rain

Home for the day!!

Two of my favorite men!!

It's gray and wet today. But that's ok, we need it!!!
I think we are going to be bums today. Jim and Josh are playing video games and I need to do a TON of laundry! I have prioritites though..... blog and myspace first!! LOL

I really enjoy family days like today. No one is stressin' or bummed out and we get to spend time together. Life is so busy that, at times, it seems like a rarity to have everyone around at once.

We got Josh to go to church with us today. I think it was cool he went. He seemed a little bored though. Once he gets to know some kids his age there I think he'll enjoy it more. He was a little reluctant at first and I haven't asked what he thought since then. He had a bad experience when he was in treatment and I think he believes all churches are pushy and demanding.

Well, I guess I need to get in gear and get laundry going. Hope everyone's having a great weekend!!!!

Happy Weekend

Josh in his usual state.....playing video games and talkin on the phone!

Home from Nome!!

Jim made me promise to put a pic up of me! Forgive me!! lol

Today was a great day! Jim and I got all the birthday shopping done for Josh's birthday on Tuesday. I can't believe he's going to be 14 already! My youngest is getting so old!!!
It's so good to have the hubby home! Tomorrow we're going to probably do a little work on the house. Yesterday we spent most of the day at Jenn's. When Jim got in at the airport, we went straight over there and fixed the truck, filed some paperwork (taxes stuff, uck!), trimmed a tree, and Josh finished the yardwork. The skeeters were really starting to get bad though! Thank goodness for bug spray!!!

It's found!

Yesterday was another hot, beautiful, wonderful day!! Josh and I spent most of the day at my girlfriend, Jennifer's, house. Josh was earning money by weed wacking and raking her lawn. It's quite the chore because it's not a small lawn and hasn't been done in about a year!! He's pretty stoked about earning some cash though and was doing a very good job! We go back today sometime to finish it up.
Today is cloudy and windy but I don't mind. It's nice to have a cool day where the house isn't sweltering.
Last night, Jim called me with a brainstorm. The camera charger has been located!!!! YAY! I plan to start carrying my camera around with me so I can take snapshots whenever. I did go out last night right around sunset and got a quick snap of one of the flowers.
There's been a few fires around the state and the smoke is hanging on the horizon so the sunsets have been spectacular! The view above is sunset with McKinley and Foraker. It amazes me that we can see them since they are over 200 miles away!Unfortunately,tonight will be so smokey and cloudy I don't think we'll see much through the haze.
My honey comes home this afternoon!!! I CAN"T WAIT!! He texted earlier and told me the plane was late so... I'm not sure exactly when he'll be here but...it'll be today!!! I'm really excited. The week, thankfully, went by pretty quickly but I still miss him.

Today was another beautiful, sunny Alaskan summer day!! We didn't do too much today except sit out in the sunshine.

My roommate bought a boat today (a little one man float thing) and assembled it in the garage. He's chomping at the bit to go fishin' now!!!

Got some good news today.... Jim's lawyer called him and told him we are sending an Interrogatory to his ex. It's totally cool and unexpected! In the past, he's not had good representation and none of the previous attorneys did much of anything. The totally wild thing is that Jim, his mom and sister, and I all came up with questions that we were going to submit to his lawyer and ask if he could send them on. About 80% of our questions were the same as his!! I'm hoping that having the ex have to answer the same kind of personal questions about her life and family will let her know what it feels like and make her realize that a lot of them don't have anything to do with visitation. (Fat chance but I can hope it'll help her be more human!!)

Jim's still in Nome and will be there until Friday afternoon. I can't wait for him to get home!!! I miss him TONS!! I talked to him earlier and he said the weather up there has been windy and on the cool side. Bummer deal for him!!

I still haven't uncovered the charger for my camera so I haven't been able to take any pics of the spectacular view off the back porch or my flowers. (I got to play in the dirt this last weekend and got 4 of my flower boxes done!! YAY!!) But, I'm still looking and will run across it eventually.

Frustration

Today is an absolutely beautiful day! It's over 70 degrees, sunny, and warm! The mountains are snow capped in the distance and Denali can been seen (215 miles from where we are).
It started out as a great day until the mail came. In it was more BS from Jim's ex-wife. She has a ton of questions that we are required to answer. I have no problem with that. It's just that I don't understand the relevance of some of them and how it pertains to allowing his 3 sons to visit. Why does it matter if he has a driver's licence? What does it matter what church we attend? Why does it matter if we have firearms (locked in a gun safe)? Why does it matter if someone in the household was in a fender bender or had a ticket 6 YEARS AGO?
I just don't understand this woman. She has worked hard to get all of his boys to not want to see Jim and to be rude and terse on the phone. What is she trying to accomplish and why? I don't understand the poisonous attitude and the desire to try to hurt my husband. And I especially don't understand how she can feel good about herself and love her children by using them as pawns in some kind of sick, twisted game.
I'm so frustrated!!! A part of me just wants to wash my hands of this whole thing. A part of me wants to try and fight this and rescue those boys.
Anytime this kind of junk crops up, my stomach ties itself in knots.
I don't know if we can ask the ex to answer questions too. I would like to know if she's been to a psychiatrist and diagnosed with any mental illness.(During the divorce, both Jim and his ex were court ordered to have a psych eval. Jim turned his in. She never did.) And if so, has she been treated for such? I would like to know if anyone consumes alcohol or illegal drugs and if so, how often and how much? I would like to know if anyone in her household has any tickets or accidents in the last 6 years. I would like to know how she and her husband handle disagreements between the boys. I would like to know what church they attend.
(sigh) I just don't understand people like that. How do you deal with someone like her?

Following my sister...

For the last 6 months, I've been keeping up with the Arizona branch of the family (through my sister, Michelle) by way of blog. I decided to try my hand at this too. Being in Alaska is so far away from everyone and it's hard to keep up with daily life when you can't see family except every few years (or more!). I guess I'll have to get better at taking pics and allowing pics to be taken of me too! So.... here we go! I'll try to round up some pics and catch everyone up with the Northern Branch of the family!!!