My grandmother, let's call her Gram (that *is* what I call her!) and my grandfather were married a long time ago. I don't know the year, but it was like about when she was 19 years old or something. They were not high school sweethearts and he was older than her. So, they get married, they have a bunch of kids (six, to be exact), they moved around the US and whatnot. And then a few years ago, my grandfather passed away. Something with his heart, though we're not exactly sure what. He lived a long, productive life and my grandparents were married about 57 years when he finally passed away.
As you can imagine, this was hard for Gram. And why wouldn't it be? She had spent almost her whole life with him and they raised a family and did their thing and suddenly she was alone. She missed him and was adjusting to life on her own.
Well, sometime this past spring/summer, she was talking to the woman who was the maid of honor from her wedding. Well, that maid (now a matron and a grandmother too!) was telling her about an old friend from high school that Gram knew who had recently lost his wife. Let's call him Jerry (since that's his name!). Anyway, my grandmother, being the sweet, sympathetic, empathetic woman that she is, sent a sympathy card to him. They had not talked in many, many years (like about 63). Well, lo and behold, he wrote her back. And then they exchanged emails and phone calls (email, that's awesome, they're both in their 80's!).
So, then my dad (Gram's eldest son), lets me and my siblings know that Gram has started dating this guy, Jerry. And after the initial suspicions (are his intentions genuine??) were placated, I heard a few more details from my dad and then I spoke to Gram on the phone. Don't you know that this was my Gram's HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART???!!! They dated all through high school and then he broke it off because he was concerned they were getting too serious. Holy smokes! So, he went his way, got married, entered the military, had four sons and then at some point his wife got really sick. She ultimately passed away after a long battle with her illness.
Gram tells me all about him and what he does (retired dentist) and his family and his home. My dad and most (if not all) of his siblings have met him and found him to be a nice guy. I can tell from the pictures that they were all adjusting to things still, but my grandmother was BEAMING!!! She is as giddy as a teenager! She is so excited to reconnect with him and after some discussion, they have decided to get married. They're planning on an April 2010 wedding and she'll be moving to his house at that time.
I am so excited for her and thrilled that she is happy. I look forward to meeting him (not sure if I can go to the wedding yet, but if I do, I'll let you know). *sigh* Isn't that just the cutest story? :)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
So....
It was like 60 on Thursday and it's supposed to snow 2-4 inches tomorrow. Doh! I'm not ready for this weather.
We're getting our Christmas tree tomorrow. I can't wait! I love Christmas!
Okay...I need to clip coupons, work on my grocery list and get some stuff done while PJ and the kids are out....later!
We're getting our Christmas tree tomorrow. I can't wait! I love Christmas!
Okay...I need to clip coupons, work on my grocery list and get some stuff done while PJ and the kids are out....later!
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Since June? Really
My last post was June 15. Holy smokes! Where have I been??!!!
I don't even want to bother to think about it.
Last night, we had groceries delivered by PeaPod. It's sort of like Christmas. I order food and then 3 or 4 days later, it arrives at my door (and the driver carries it to my kitchen <3 ) and then I open all the bags. I usually can't remember everything I ordered, so it's very exciting. Ooo! Granny Smith AND Honeycrisp apples! I don't remember ordering the Granny Smith apples, but no big deal. There are only two.
Anyway, I ordered a Butternut squash. I found that in the bag and found it to be particularly funny looking. I eyed it suspiciously...it looked like a green pumpkin - almost. Butternut squash does not look like a green pumpkin. I was worried I was sent one of those decorative gourds and not something we could eat. And then I read the sticker...ButterCUP squash! I've never had that before. Fortunately for all of us, the sticker listed a website with recipes on it. It turns out that it will probably be pretty similar to Butternut or Acorn squash for cooking and seasoning. Thank goodness!
I think we'll try it this weekend.
Have a great weekend - I hope it's a long one for you! :)
I don't even want to bother to think about it.
Last night, we had groceries delivered by PeaPod. It's sort of like Christmas. I order food and then 3 or 4 days later, it arrives at my door (and the driver carries it to my kitchen <3 ) and then I open all the bags. I usually can't remember everything I ordered, so it's very exciting. Ooo! Granny Smith AND Honeycrisp apples! I don't remember ordering the Granny Smith apples, but no big deal. There are only two.
Anyway, I ordered a Butternut squash. I found that in the bag and found it to be particularly funny looking. I eyed it suspiciously...it looked like a green pumpkin - almost. Butternut squash does not look like a green pumpkin. I was worried I was sent one of those decorative gourds and not something we could eat. And then I read the sticker...ButterCUP squash! I've never had that before. Fortunately for all of us, the sticker listed a website with recipes on it. It turns out that it will probably be pretty similar to Butternut or Acorn squash for cooking and seasoning. Thank goodness!
I think we'll try it this weekend.
Have a great weekend - I hope it's a long one for you! :)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Fifty-Six Cents
This past Saturday, the phone rang while I was taking care of some household chores. I screen our calls and checking the caller ID, I saw it was Geico, our auto insurance company. I decided I had better answer, just in case there was some problem.
Well, the customer service rep was very friendly. She launched into her scripted monologue about how there had recently been clarification regarding insurance policies for custom auto work (both PJ and I have some after market work on our vehicles). Anyway, the CSR ended by letting me know that the refund applied to our account was not indicating any reduction in coverage (basically they are not allowed to charge extra for covering not too extensive vehicle customization). She asked if I had any questions. "Nope, no accidents and all the cars are in the driveway. We're good."
We got the refund check in the mail today. $.56. Really? It cost more to print and mail it than to keep it. Sheesh! Or hey, we pay our bill as a direct debit, so just apply it to our next bill?!
As it turns out, we switched back to USAA and saved ourself about $100.
**rolls eyes**
Well, the customer service rep was very friendly. She launched into her scripted monologue about how there had recently been clarification regarding insurance policies for custom auto work (both PJ and I have some after market work on our vehicles). Anyway, the CSR ended by letting me know that the refund applied to our account was not indicating any reduction in coverage (basically they are not allowed to charge extra for covering not too extensive vehicle customization). She asked if I had any questions. "Nope, no accidents and all the cars are in the driveway. We're good."
We got the refund check in the mail today. $.56. Really? It cost more to print and mail it than to keep it. Sheesh! Or hey, we pay our bill as a direct debit, so just apply it to our next bill?!
As it turns out, we switched back to USAA and saved ourself about $100.
**rolls eyes**
Monday, June 01, 2009
We survived camping
Yes, we did. It was, more or less, a good time. The kids had fun and we had a nice time catching up with friends. Some of us got a little too much sun, unfortunately.
This past weekend, our excitement was all about the dogs escaping from the backyard. It started on Thursday. Polo escaped and ultimately ended up at the pound. He spent a night in "jail" for his troubles. Then on Saturday, a certain DH left the gate unlatched and both dogs escaped! Holy smokes! We were called about Polo and picked him up that same night, about midnight, but Echo doesn't come easy to people, so she just kept running. Someone found her early this morning and took her to our vet. She's a little beat up, but she's okay. Polo also managed to get out again today... we don't know how he's getting out, but we hope we've found the little hole... We'll see tomorrow.
This past weekend, our excitement was all about the dogs escaping from the backyard. It started on Thursday. Polo escaped and ultimately ended up at the pound. He spent a night in "jail" for his troubles. Then on Saturday, a certain DH left the gate unlatched and both dogs escaped! Holy smokes! We were called about Polo and picked him up that same night, about midnight, but Echo doesn't come easy to people, so she just kept running. Someone found her early this morning and took her to our vet. She's a little beat up, but she's okay. Polo also managed to get out again today... we don't know how he's getting out, but we hope we've found the little hole... We'll see tomorrow.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Dumb Dog
So, Echo has a little UTI. She's been on antibiotics for just over a week and before they're done, I'm supposed to bring her into the vet for another urinalysis. Actually, I just need to bring in the urine, not the dog. Anyway, it was my plan to do that this afternoon, but then it started pouring. It was raining SO hard. I wasn't sure my plan and was going to wait it out based on the actual rain when I got home.
I called PJ from the car...he was home already. He asked me if I knew where Polo was. Well, I had been at work all day. No idea where Polo was. Apparently Polo was nowhere to be found. PJ and I got off the phone so he could make some other phone calls and change clothes and I called our home voicemail.
And yes, Polo had gotten out (this is a surprise to me because much like parents have to childproof a house, I have dogproofed the backyard. Echo is a little escape artist, so I've had to put rocks around the base of our fenceline and we had a 6' fence installed. The dogs can't jump the fence and I couldn't find anywhere he could get under...I'm stumped.) and a neighbor found him on a nearby street and took him to a local vet. She left the vet's number, but I couldn't do anything about that while I was driving, so I just drove straight to the vet. At this point, I have no idea if Polo's okay or not.
The vet informs me that Polo is okay and that Animal Control has come to pick him up. Okay, I live on the east side of the county. And it's 5:15pm when I call the shelter. The shelter is like 45 or so minutes away on a good day. It's raining and rush hour - it's not a good day. So, they confirm that Polo is there and that he's just chillin' in the cage and that I have until 6pm to get him and it's going to be $35. I told the nice lady that there was no way I could get him by 6pm and she said if I got him by noon tomorrow, the charge was still $35 (he was picked up sometime after noon today). After noon it was the $35, plus a $15 boarding fee, so $50. Hmm... $15 a day is a GREAT price for boarding. I'm tempted to leave him for a week.
Instead, I hope I can leave work early tomorrow and I'll swing by the vet's with a sample from Echo and then drive to the middle of nowhere and get Polo and then I'll come home and dagnabbit if I don't need to get my nails done and grocery shop too tomorrow. *sigh*
On another note, I do believe this has to be the wettest May on record. I'm ready for a break!
I called PJ from the car...he was home already. He asked me if I knew where Polo was. Well, I had been at work all day. No idea where Polo was. Apparently Polo was nowhere to be found. PJ and I got off the phone so he could make some other phone calls and change clothes and I called our home voicemail.
And yes, Polo had gotten out (this is a surprise to me because much like parents have to childproof a house, I have dogproofed the backyard. Echo is a little escape artist, so I've had to put rocks around the base of our fenceline and we had a 6' fence installed. The dogs can't jump the fence and I couldn't find anywhere he could get under...I'm stumped.) and a neighbor found him on a nearby street and took him to a local vet. She left the vet's number, but I couldn't do anything about that while I was driving, so I just drove straight to the vet. At this point, I have no idea if Polo's okay or not.
The vet informs me that Polo is okay and that Animal Control has come to pick him up. Okay, I live on the east side of the county. And it's 5:15pm when I call the shelter. The shelter is like 45 or so minutes away on a good day. It's raining and rush hour - it's not a good day. So, they confirm that Polo is there and that he's just chillin' in the cage and that I have until 6pm to get him and it's going to be $35. I told the nice lady that there was no way I could get him by 6pm and she said if I got him by noon tomorrow, the charge was still $35 (he was picked up sometime after noon today). After noon it was the $35, plus a $15 boarding fee, so $50. Hmm... $15 a day is a GREAT price for boarding. I'm tempted to leave him for a week.
Instead, I hope I can leave work early tomorrow and I'll swing by the vet's with a sample from Echo and then drive to the middle of nowhere and get Polo and then I'll come home and dagnabbit if I don't need to get my nails done and grocery shop too tomorrow. *sigh*
On another note, I do believe this has to be the wettest May on record. I'm ready for a break!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Compound
The Infamous Compound. I have yet to come up with a fabulous name for our future residence, but I'm working on it. :D
So, let me tell you a little about this Compound. In case you were wondering how it got started, here's the scoop...
PJ and I don't want to live in our current area forever. Actually, he'd probably be happy to stay here forever, but *I* don't want to stay here, so we decided that after the kids graduated from high school (June 2014 for the youngest, if you're keeping track at home) we'd move somewhere. Preferably somewhere cheaper where I can build my dream home and he can play his music as loud as he wants without pissing off the neighbors. As it turns out, my dad plans to retire to NC, so after some consideration, PJ and I decided that NC sounded like a good place to go.
I want to build a house and have a horse or two. I sorta like the idea of horses without the cleaning part (mucking out stalls...) and so I was trying to talk my sister into going in on the idea with us. She actually likes mucking out stalls. Anyway, she and I joked about she and her husband and me and PJ all living somewhere and we'd call it a The Robins-Haas-Powers Compound. Of course, at the current moment, her husband wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a country home, so it didn't really flourish into much, but we'd still joke about it on occasion. Of course, I shared this with PJ and the idea to get more than just a house in the NC suburbs (pick one...Raleigh, Cary, Charlotte, Wilmington) might not be a bad idea.
And then the idea grew...we could buy a big parcel of land (like 20 acres!) and build our house and a barn and a few more smaller homes (bungalows) for when the kids/family visit...closer than staying in a hotel, but not quite comfortable enough to stay forever. And then we thought about all our friends who we'd miss if we left this area and they stayed and decided we should just invite them along with us. They can live in our bungalows and make motorcross/dirtbike/ATV tracks and race and generally act like rednecks in the back 15 acres.
And guess what! Some of our friends actually want to go! And we've even managed to convince some family (though I think we'll have to strong arm PJ's parents - hi Judy!).
So, now this Compound has turned into a Monster. It's probably going to cost like $2mil to make this happen and we have a lot of friends/family who want to live there with us. I'm not sure the NC economy can support the massive influx of able-bodied people we'd bring and I'm pretty sure PJ and I won't make enough money to support them all. UNLESS THEY START GROWING ALL OUR FOOD... like raising cows and vegetables and stuff. And now we're getting into cult territory... :-O
Please pass the Kool-Aid.
So, let me tell you a little about this Compound. In case you were wondering how it got started, here's the scoop...
PJ and I don't want to live in our current area forever. Actually, he'd probably be happy to stay here forever, but *I* don't want to stay here, so we decided that after the kids graduated from high school (June 2014 for the youngest, if you're keeping track at home) we'd move somewhere. Preferably somewhere cheaper where I can build my dream home and he can play his music as loud as he wants without pissing off the neighbors. As it turns out, my dad plans to retire to NC, so after some consideration, PJ and I decided that NC sounded like a good place to go.
I want to build a house and have a horse or two. I sorta like the idea of horses without the cleaning part (mucking out stalls...) and so I was trying to talk my sister into going in on the idea with us. She actually likes mucking out stalls. Anyway, she and I joked about she and her husband and me and PJ all living somewhere and we'd call it a The Robins-Haas-Powers Compound. Of course, at the current moment, her husband wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a country home, so it didn't really flourish into much, but we'd still joke about it on occasion. Of course, I shared this with PJ and the idea to get more than just a house in the NC suburbs (pick one...Raleigh, Cary, Charlotte, Wilmington) might not be a bad idea.
And then the idea grew...we could buy a big parcel of land (like 20 acres!) and build our house and a barn and a few more smaller homes (bungalows) for when the kids/family visit...closer than staying in a hotel, but not quite comfortable enough to stay forever. And then we thought about all our friends who we'd miss if we left this area and they stayed and decided we should just invite them along with us. They can live in our bungalows and make motorcross/dirtbike/ATV tracks and race and generally act like rednecks in the back 15 acres.
And guess what! Some of our friends actually want to go! And we've even managed to convince some family (though I think we'll have to strong arm PJ's parents - hi Judy!).
So, now this Compound has turned into a Monster. It's probably going to cost like $2mil to make this happen and we have a lot of friends/family who want to live there with us. I'm not sure the NC economy can support the massive influx of able-bodied people we'd bring and I'm pretty sure PJ and I won't make enough money to support them all. UNLESS THEY START GROWING ALL OUR FOOD... like raising cows and vegetables and stuff. And now we're getting into cult territory... :-O
Please pass the Kool-Aid.
Back from the dead...
I know you thought I had really dropped off the face of the earth and was never coming back. Close, but not the case. Just REALLY busy at work and then I'm so exhausted when I get home that I don't post. lol
Anyway, in the exciting news front, my brother and his wife had their second child on Monday, May 11. This is very exciting. He's very cute and looks just like his big brother did when he was born! I can't wait to meet him. We're going for a visit in June.
We're going camping this coming weekend (questionable whether or not that's exciting). It's Memorial Day and in the tradition of lots of other people (since it's not our tradition), we're going tent camping. Yes, tent camping...not camping trailer camping, not RV camping, but tent camping. It SHOULD be a good time, but we'll see. We're going to Granite Hill Camping Resort. (hahahahaha, Resort?! ahahahahahahah). Very funny. I'll have to report back.
I mentioned that we're going to visit my brother & his family in June. There's an ulterior motive there. We're not just going to visit him and meet the little one, etc., but we're also going to check out some properties in NC! Woohoo! Family compound, here we come! I still need to write about the compound...
ok...later gators!
Anyway, in the exciting news front, my brother and his wife had their second child on Monday, May 11. This is very exciting. He's very cute and looks just like his big brother did when he was born! I can't wait to meet him. We're going for a visit in June.
We're going camping this coming weekend (questionable whether or not that's exciting). It's Memorial Day and in the tradition of lots of other people (since it's not our tradition), we're going tent camping. Yes, tent camping...not camping trailer camping, not RV camping, but tent camping. It SHOULD be a good time, but we'll see. We're going to Granite Hill Camping Resort. (hahahahaha, Resort?! ahahahahahahah). Very funny. I'll have to report back.
I mentioned that we're going to visit my brother & his family in June. There's an ulterior motive there. We're not just going to visit him and meet the little one, etc., but we're also going to check out some properties in NC! Woohoo! Family compound, here we come! I still need to write about the compound...
ok...later gators!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!
That's my head exploding!
I am trying to maintain this blog and have done a horrible job as of late. At least my busy friends can keep up when I don't update daily (like my sister does! lol).
I wish I could recap, but I have no idea where to begin. So, I'll just start with where I am now.
Megan's 13th birthday is in 8 days (as she informed Ethan's dad tonight). Her party is next Friday. I have like 20 hours to get ready and 30 hours worth of stuff to do! AGH!
And then we're having a family get together on that Sunday at PJ's Mom's. If you are on the subscriber list for this blog (as in this gets emailed to you), you're welcome to come. There will be food, cake and a few gifts. It'll be laid back...which is good. Judy, I promise to contact you soon to go over the menu! :)
Ethan found out that he's going to have a little sister (not me, I'm not having one, his stepmom is!). I think I might be more excited about that than he is. LOL
PJ turns one less than 40 on March 9 and we're having a few friends over on the 7th. Did I mention I'm still trying to plan Megan's party? holy smokes!
Kim's bridal shower and bachelorette party are this Saturday. It should be a good time...must get an outfit to wear out though.
Okay, I gotta get going. I'll try to update weekly or something again.
I am trying to maintain this blog and have done a horrible job as of late. At least my busy friends can keep up when I don't update daily (like my sister does! lol).
I wish I could recap, but I have no idea where to begin. So, I'll just start with where I am now.
Megan's 13th birthday is in 8 days (as she informed Ethan's dad tonight). Her party is next Friday. I have like 20 hours to get ready and 30 hours worth of stuff to do! AGH!
And then we're having a family get together on that Sunday at PJ's Mom's. If you are on the subscriber list for this blog (as in this gets emailed to you), you're welcome to come. There will be food, cake and a few gifts. It'll be laid back...which is good. Judy, I promise to contact you soon to go over the menu! :)
Ethan found out that he's going to have a little sister (not me, I'm not having one, his stepmom is!). I think I might be more excited about that than he is. LOL
PJ turns one less than 40 on March 9 and we're having a few friends over on the 7th. Did I mention I'm still trying to plan Megan's party? holy smokes!
Kim's bridal shower and bachelorette party are this Saturday. It should be a good time...must get an outfit to wear out though.
Okay, I gotta get going. I'll try to update weekly or something again.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
It's been forever and really, I don't have time to say more. Just wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!
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