Ode to Mt Dew

this is my kind of christmas tree!

The long awaited Homecoming 2008 pics

These are the infamous Homecoming Mums.

Notice how Madison's goes all the way to the floor? It has obnoxious bells on it too.
The boys are wearing the mum garters.

And their new Rugby Jerseys.

Stony Point won their Friday night homecoming game over Cedar Park!

Then it was on to the dance Saturday night.
Except for Jared... "Mom... Homecoming's for underclassmen. Geesh."

Not really, but that's the way his friends all thought this year.

Madison & Josh with Kelsey

Dillon & Carli

Macey is chilling out

The weather has been so nice! The highs over the weekend were in the low 80's with a great breeze. The humidity was low so it made for a good time to open the house up.

Macey certainly enjoys just kicking back & relaxing this weekend. Ain't she cute?

this is what they call a "homecoming mum"??

Dillon is proudly displaying the Homecoming Mum he made his date to Stony Point Homecoming this year. As you can tell, the school colors are navy blue & yellow. We were educated that the girl's mum should have as many ribbons & unique trinkets as possible. The gilr who will be wearing this mum (Carli) better wear extra support straps to be able to hold this thing upright. Hope she doesn't fall forward from the weight of it all!

Madison made a garter mum for the boy she is going to Homecoming with. Tomorrow we'll get pictures of the actual "mum exchange" when we go from house to house to deliver these things. What an interesting tradition!

tomorrow will be better. it has to be.

• Car accidents that aren't your fault, but you have to pay a deductible.
• Banks that want equipment returned via shipment at our expense.
• Rent is due in Houston.
• Kids that are failing a class, "but mom, it's only by a couple of points".
• "I need money for Homecoming." "I need a ride for Homecoming." "Can we pick everyone up or does their mom need to take them?"
• Practices that mean Dillon & Madison don't have a ride to school. Who'll take them?
• Cell phones that night after night don't get turned in at 10:30pm. So I have to chase them down. Just what I want to do when I'm so tired I can't see straight.
• An unexpected guest who arrives on a school night. And needs to stay.
• School lunch money again, and again, and again.
• Dishes that set so long that bugs have began multiplying on the floating scum.
• Co-workers who are unhealthy & who need EMS every once in a while.
• Bosses that have bad attitudes & share them with everyone in the office.
• Investors who need 4 months to 'review' financials to decide if an investment is good.
• Daughters who stomp their feet when you point out a problem.
• Air conditioner that finally gets fixed, now that it's cooler temps.
  

ARRRUUUGHHH!!! Calgon take me away!!! These are some of the things that allllllllmmoooooost brought Scott home tonight.

Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing.

wasp nest outside Madison's window

It became a neighborhood effort to get this wasp nest sprayed.

You say it's your birthday?? YES IT IS!! Happy birthday to our cousin & nephew in Iowa City!! Love you lots & lots!

better than we thought

When you're 3 hours away your mind starts to wander that a TERRIBLE accident has occured and Scott is in intensive care.... but he's NOT. Looks like Scott will be okay. He's just bumped up & sore from the jolt.
Luckily the lady who ran the stop light was SITTING at the stop light then when Scott started to go she went too - - This means the impact was not at a full speed. Shwew!

This picture is from the driver's side to show you how far the bumper was pushed over from the passenger's side. We're hoping that the drive gears & such are not beyond repair. The truck will get inspected next Tuesday... so I'll have more info then.

No ticket was issued to the driver of either car. The cop said that it would be his word against hers that their lights were green, even though Scott had a witness in his car. Whatever. That means our insurance has to fork over part of the bill.

I'm just thankful Scott's okay. :)
We'll have to work on trasportation issues now. Any suggestions??

bad news... again

Well, does it seem like our luck is on a downhill slide... like ALL THE TIME?!?!

Scott just called from Houston. Apparently him & the landlord guy decided to go grab a burger tonight & on the way to the restaurant a lady ran a red light and plowed into Scott. Yes, the suburban. He said the front end is totalled. The tire is blown, the front side is smashed. I'm sitting here waiting for him to call me back. The police hadn't made it to the scene when he hung up. He says he's physically fine, but he'll be sore from the impact. This BETTER not have screwed up his back.

This is on top of the news we got yesterday that the seller in Houston has received another offer on the business. The new buyer (not us) has the cash & is ready to make a deal. We've been waiting for so long on our investors and to get the news that someone else has stepped up makes it feel like the last 6 months to 1 year was wasted effort.
The worst news is that the buy-out puts Scott out of a job. Sooner than we thought since we now have only one working vehicle.

I've planned to go to Houston in the morning to bring Scott home.

Sometimes life sucks.

RAIN!!!

It has been so long since it rained here, we just don't know what to do!

friday night football

Okay, I know I've inundated you with Stony Point Choir video clips, but this one is really good! Dillon is in the front left when I pan that direction, Jared is directly behind him about 2 people back so all you can see is his blue bandana-head. Madison is off to the right & stands tall near the rear.
Make sure your sound is on....


Highlight of the National Anthem....


Jared surprised us this game because we thought he was the 'S' in TIGERS, but actually he's the 'I' this week.
He got a good workout running with that flag since Stony Point beat the Georgetown Eagles 34-23.

Isn't this little girl cute? She was doing all sorts of dance moves with the band, but quit when she saw the camera come out. Enjoy this little wiggle. heehee

Just a busy week?

Monday night I met with a new tax accountant. I know, I know, you're thinking that we're a bit 'past due' getting the 2007 taxes filed. You're right. Back on April 15 Scott & I were a bit pre-occupied with Scott's back surgery recovery, how we were going to pay astronomical COBRA health insurance, my new job.... um... taxes were far from thought.

Tuseday our friends Gary & Mim stopped by to visit. I LOVE visitors! Especially close friends who love to visit too!
I spent the evening searching for 'lost' documentation that the accountant needs. I've always felt like moving is a good time to purge stuff you don't need, so I'm hoping that I simply put those things in a different box. Hmmm, still working on that. I also got a chance to talk to my Mom & see what she'd up to. Those conversations don't happen nearly as frequently as they should!

Wednesday night I decided to check out the church Dillon has been attending each Wed. with his friends. There is a strong teen program and a service for grown-ups (basically it's like Sunday morning re-created on Wed. night). The music will take some getting used to but the teaching was RIGHT ON. Exactly what I needed to hear. God is good!
Jared, Dillon & Madison went to the teen program. They didn't talk about their sermon too much because it's about "Sexual Morality". Ewww.... who wants to talk about that with their parents?!

I have joined a 'Community Group' from the church I was telling you about. Although I don't go to that church, our friends host the goup in their home. Last night we had a potluck dinner! I got to eat things I don't normally eat.... acorn squash, salad with broccoli slaw & dried cranberries.... it was actually very good. Great fellowship. I'm glad I've met some new friends, I only wish Scott were here on Thursdays too.
I went to a friend's house after the potluck to talk to her about Stony Point Choir. She is the Booster Club president & I'm the treasurer. We didn't talk much about our roles with the Booster Club, but visited for over 1-1/2 hours. Before I knew it, it was 10:30!
When I got home Dillon was the only one home. We spent the next 2 hours discussing illegal activities vs. immoral activities. Good talk! Great time to share opinions. I'm glad we got that opportunity. It was a late night, but worth it.

Tonight Scott will be home & it's a home football game. All 3 kids will be singing the National Anthem so I'll try to get a good video of them. Also Dillon will be 'escorting' the Tiger Dancers and Jared will be 'escorting' the Tiger Cheerleaders (and running with the spirit flags). It's supposed to be a beautiful evening (70's) so should be a good night.

I hope I get to sleep in tomorrow. :)

Scott's tribute to Mr Clean - LOVE THE PIC!!

Mr. Clean actor House Peters Jr. dead at 92
By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON – Oct 1, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AP) — House Peters Jr., a TV actor who became the original Mr. Clean in Proctor & Gamble's commercials for household cleaners, died Wednesday. He was 92.
Peters died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Los Angeles, said his son, Jon Peters.
The elder Peters' most memorable role came as Mr. Clean — a muscular man with a bald head, a hoop earring and a no-nonsense attitude toward dirt and grime. From the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, Peters Jr. helped advertise the famous household cleaner with the trademark jingle, "Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean."
Peters Jr. played many supporting roles through his career, including working with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry on their television shows. He also appeared in "Perry Mason," "Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone" and "Lassie."
"He always played the heavy," Jon Peters said, referring to his father's customary roles as a villain or brawny character. "Even though he wasn't happy about being cast in those roles, he worked really hard at it."
His father's acting career spanned 1935-1967, according to his Web site. He also wrote an autobiography, "Another Side of Hollywood," in which he describes growing up the son of an actress and silent film actor in Beverly Hills. His father, Robert House Peters Sr., has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Peters Jr. was never a leading man, but played many character parts in cowboy movies and won a Golden Boot Award in 2000 for his lifetime contributions to the western genre, his son said.
Peters Jr. was born Jan. 12, 1916, in New Rochelle, N.Y., as Robert House Peters Jr. His son said Peters Jr. studied drama in high school and became inspired to pursue an acting career.
He also is survived by his wife, Lucy Pickett, a daughter, another son and four grandchildren

quote of the day... from work

A man came in to get his birth certificate. I instructed him to fill out the form which asks the baby's name, date of birth, mother's name & father's name.

The man started filling it out and asks "Is mother & father the same as mom & dad?"

Happy B-Day HOWIE!!!

Quote of the day

The evening news reported the local jail inmates are training seeing-eye dogs.
Madison says "How'd they get blind dogs in the jail?"