A Sad Day

It is a sad day today. We had to put Chester down. It was very hard to make this decision. We talked and talked but we felt it was the right thing to do. He was 15 years old or 74 years in human years. Chester was having problems with his kidneys but that was not the main problem at this time. He lost weight and was dehydrated. The vet was not sure what was going on and wanted to do all kinds of tests and x-rays to see if she could figure it out. One proposal of cost was near $600 just to find out what might be wrong. There was no guarantee they would know for sure. We were being told it could be cancer, or a digestive disease, or who knows what else. He was supposed to have ulcers in his stomach area and dental disease. He was sleeping most of the day and not active.

Dad took him to the vet, this afternoon, for the appointment. I stayed at home. I just couldn't do it again after Cali. It was hard for Dad too.

Chester lead a good life and was a good cat, ornery at times, but a good cat. He was also a big cat weighing as much as 17 pounds. We will miss him but we know he won't have to go through any pain now.

Change in Plans

You didn't think that our plans were going to be cut and dry did you? Of course not! The bid that Dad was going to Denver to work on, has been postponed a week. It is still happening but just causes us to change flight arrangements. The problem that now exists is whether to continue to go to Denver a week ahead of time or cancel that first week and start the trip all over again. Have I confused everyone?

We originally were flying to Denver, December 28-January 6. Dad would then fly again on January 9 to be in Washington DC until January 13. OK, now he doesn't really need to be in Denver until January 4 with the bid going in on January 13. He then flies into Washington DC on January 16 with his presentation on the 21st.

We could continue with our original flight to Denver but it would mean for us to stay there for 2 1/2 weeks. We would be able to visit with Jenn and the kids, plus Uncle Alan and Aunt Bonnie but once Dad goes to work on the bid on January 4, what do I do? Especially for the next week and a half? I could fly back home early by myself. I could just stay there. I also could not go altogether and Dad changes his flight to January 4-13 and then to Washington DC from January 16-21.

So many options. Nothing is ever easy. We will keep you posted.

Did we say we didn't want to travel?

We had every intention to stay around here for quite awhile with out doing any traveling. Well, that has gone by the way side. Dad and I will be flying to Denver on December 28 and be there until January 6. Dad is there for the VA Hospital bid. Most of those days he will be holed up with other estimators working on this bid and try to out due 4 other contractors.

The bid goes in on January 6 but there is also an interview process that Clark will have to go through too. This takes place in Washington DC. So, Dad will be flying to Washington on January 9 and have rehearsal with the team before they present themselves on the 12th. Dad will then leave on the 13th.

He wants to see Jon and Tony plus families on Sunday, January 10, as this will be the only day available to him to visit. He is concerned that this second trip may be too much for me as we would have just returned from Denver. Who know how I would feel? Do I go and visit one day and then spend 3 days in the hotel or stay at home and come and go as I want but miss Dad? I just wish we had more visiting time. Undecided because I want to see everybody. I also understand about not being able to do anything except watch TV or read magazines. It is OK for a while but could get real boring.

What to do, what to do!

Cat or a Dog

OK, Chester always sleeps on top of the chair but now Frankie? Did Chester teach him or did Frankie just learn by himself? I sometimes lose Frankie in the colors of the chair. He blends so well. I have to laugh at these two. At least they aren't fighting with one another.

Children as Adults

I have three grown children who have grown into wonderful adults. They have gone their own separate ways, ways that their parents have been surprised at their decisions. This makes the unique people that they are.

As parents, you still want the best for them. You have that desire to make any problem go away and make any hurt heal as fast as it can. A big hurt has happened over Thanksgiving that up to now is unresolved. We don't know the story except what has been told to us by the parties involved. Of course, each one has their take on the problem. Each one is hurt in some way. How do we help them?

We can't take sides. We know this is something that will get worked out but how long will this take? Has anyone taken the time to talk to one another in person and not by email or a blog? Are you so angry that you can't get past the hurt? Does anyone really know what has caused the hurt? Has it been something of a great crisis that it is unforgivable? Why don't you try and write a letter to each person and express your hurt? This has to be your hurt and not being accusing the other person of anything. For instance, "It hurt me when a decision was made without listening to my input." "I didn't understand why something was done." "Why can't you come to me to discuss something that you disagree with instead of shutting me out/off? I am hurt when this happens and I miss not being in touch."

After writing what you have to say, SIT down with one another, exchange the letters, read them and then discuss. No fighting! It just might surprise everyone how you feel about each other. Everyone has their own feelings and way of doing things. It is not always easy for people to get along. Just look at the wars we have. I know this is an extreme example but you should get my message. Right now, there is a small war going on between the 4 of you. Who is right, who will give a little, who wants peace, or how many causalities will it cause before it ends.

There is a brother that needs the other, if for no other reason than support. Work this out! It's Christmas... how can you go into this holiday with such a hate?

Local travel and stuff

We are still having functions to attend, just local. One will be down in San Diego. This is an hour and a half away. Not a terrible drive but it will be at night and do we come back or stay overnight so Dad can drink his wine? We have a couple others next week and then we are already having them in December. One will be the Christmas Boat Parade, actually on one of the boats, which should be fun. I guess it is the season but I can't even remember when we had one whole week of being able to stay at home and not have to worry about going out to attend anything.

I shouldn't complain too much as it does get us out of the house doing things but we have been doing quite a bit lately. I have projects for the house that I want to focus on. PROJECTS FOR THE HOUSE - AGAIN! Well, yes and no. It isn't anything major. I just want to rework our second bedroom. Right now it is a "catch-all" and I hate it. I go in there and it is one of those projects where you don't see an end. The more you do, the more things show up. The room isn't a total wreck but I just want it to be more of a useful room. My ideas and Dad's so far aren't mixing well.

I have a new neurologist. He's specialty is MS. The doctor is actually in decent driving distance, as is the places I have to go for tests he orders. I will be having another MRI on Monday just to check on things. This one will be of my spinal column. I have never had an MRI of that area to check on areas of MS so it will interesting to see what it shows. The doctor did say my right leg is weaker than my left. He also said that I have foot drop with the right. What this means is that I don't pick up my foot and I have a tendency to trip, which my sneakers show by the scuff marks in the front of the shoe. So he recommended an AFO, which is a brace to be put into the shoe to help with lifting my foot. No big deal - just a "pain" to have them in my shoes. I have some other appointments for evaluations but that is it. I really like him and I am glad he is around as the area needed a doctor who dealt with MS.

We are so glad we got the tickets for Thanksgiving when we did as the prices for airline tickets now are absolutely ridiculous! The airlines complain that no one is flying but yet they are pricing themselves out of a person's wallet! By the time you buy your ticket, pay for all the extra stuff they add on, pay for the charge of having them take your luggage, then a rental car, hotel room, meals, etc., you can't afford to go anywhere. At least not "In Season". We will have to wait until after the rush to travel again on our "dime".

We are tired of traveling.... almost

We really have had our fill of trips this Fall. Thank goodness for the calendar to keep it all straight. Our vacation to Asheville North Carolina was very nice. Dad really needed to decompress and he did that very well. We didn't do much (Tony you probably would have gone crazy) but that was OK. We weren't there to really sight see but to enjoy the change of color, look at some houses and the area, and just relax.

We did have a couple of sunny days but the rest were either rainy or overcast. We aren't used to seeing rain or hearing thunder. It was enjoyable. California has been in a drought for the last 3 years and continues. We are under water restrictions. We had umbrellas that we used sometimes but it never rained that hard that we couldn't just go to the car. We were not going to melt if we got wet and as Dad said, we could lose a few pounds so melt away. haha

We did find a house in North Carolina that looked promising but we haven't done anything yet. The views are fabulous and the house is fantastic. http://www.pattonpropertygroup.com/real_estate/listings/Leicester/441112/176/83249?lid=203&sid=9786&RedirectURL=/realestate/search/9786%2F10%2F10%2F10%2F%3F

Take a look at that website and you will see better pictures than what I had taken but here the ones we did take.







The pictures were taken from the back of the house. This last picture shows our realtor but we were just taking a picture of the colorful trees.

The problem was the stairs. They were wide enough and easy enough for me to go up and down but just doing it for a few times and my legs started to give me problems. We could install a lift for the stair but Dad is undecided about that one. He is thinking he wants everything on one level. So no house purchase yet.

Our last business trip was to Indio California which is near Palm Springs. Dad is no longer with the State AGC so we won't have to be making the twice yearly trips, so at least we can cross off two business trips, I hope.

Our next big trip is back east to see all of you. We are so looking forward to Thanksgiving and having everyone together for the first time in such a long time. What a special time this will be for Dad and I!

Pet's aren't children, are they?

We just went out this afternoon and bought 4 outfits for Frankie. I guess you would call them tops. One is a sweater, one is a heavier coat/shirt with a hood, one has a cross on the back that makes it look like he is a knight, and the other one has his sign of Aquarius. They are warm we hope. Now I need to tell you that I did not do the picking of these outfits. Dad did! It is his dog after all. We knew we needed to get something for him when we go back east when it is a little cooler. It can be a little cool here, where we live, sometimes. Frankie has felt the cold already even though it hasn't been that cold. I can't even think what he is going to be like when we travel in November. The problem with Frankie is that he doesn't have an undercoat like most dogs. If we decide to move back east when Dad retires, I guess he will be indoors a lot.

Frankie felt his first rain drops today. He just wasn't sure what was happening to him or why. Dad said it was pretty funny watching him because he was trying to bite the raindrop. The problem we had with him later was with him being so cautious about going outside again. He didn't want to be attacked again by those "raindrops."

I am more of the 'pack' leader than Dad. Dad just doesn't like to discipline Frankie. I try teaching him during the day and then Dad does the opposite at night. Dad will wrestle with him and then wonder why he doesn't stop the biting. I just told Dad to tell Frankie to stop. I do and Frankie listens -- at least most of the time. There are times when I feel like I have children around me all the time again. Chester, Frankie, and Dad. At least it keeps things interesting, maybe frustrating at times, but interesting.

Our new member to the family

We have a new member to the family. No we have not gotten a dog, though we would like too. I am just not in the dog walking position right now. No, we have something different. We have a full size card board cutout of John Wayne.

I know you have to be asking, "Why?" We just say, "Why not!". It was being sold at the community garage sale we did the end of May and no one bought him. We were putting items, that were not purchased, into boxes and bags to give to Goodwill, when Dad came upon John Wayne. He just couldn't part with it. So we brought it home and it now sits in our foyer.



He will remain there forever I guess. I know he has been asked for for an upcoming bar-be-que in the fall. I guess we could sell "Have your Picture Taken With The Star" or we will just have him standing in our foyer keeping watch. He does startle you if you are not aware that he is there. Yes, we do live in California.

I have a new "toy"

We went out yesterday to take a look at a SEGWAY. I have been having trouble walking any distance and instead of using a wheelchair, we wanted to find something else. The SEGWAY has been used by a couple of people here who have MS and they say it is the greatest thing to have. In fact, they have been trying to get it to be recognized as another device to be used for the disabled. Well, Dad was having one of those "work" days (he played golf) and was home early so we went to see them and to take a ride.

Now this adventure was for me and to see if I could handle it. I was a little nervous but Jim (the owner of the store) put me at ease. He was very helpful and watched out for everything. I also wasn't doing any dare devil stuff either. I have to say I was very impressed. It is so easy to maneuver. I have to still get use to getting on and off but it is coming along. I will be using it for the MS Walk next week. I was hoping to actually walk the route but we had gone for a short walk this past weekend and my legs just gave out on me. When my legs start going, my right foot will start catching the pavement. I can't seem to pick the foot up. When I really focus on doing that, picking my foot up, then I am putting the foot down almost like a slap. This also causes me to walk slower and slower. It isn't caused so much by heat as fatigue. You might be thinking, "well walk more and you will get stronger". It doesn't work that way. This is a different fatigue than just being tired. I can rest my legs for about an hour and then I can walk again with very little problem. There might be still a little but not as much as there was when I had to stop. Soooooo we bought a new SEGWAY yesterday and have already brought it home.




We are keeping it in our second bedroom. This bedroom right now has become our "catch all" for things. We have many ideas but haven't followed through on anything yet for this room. Back to the SEGWAY - we have ramps for the SUV so we can put it into the back of the truck. If we wanted to put an attachment to the back of the truck we can and then put the SEGWAY on that way. Right now, it fits just fine in the back. It is Sage in color. It moves by your movement. It is different than the older ones. It has two speeds - turtle and regular. I am in turtle right now to learn it. Even in turtle it goes 6 mph. Regular goes 12.5 mph. The slower speed is fast enough.

The other exciting thing we had happened. Dad won a 19" LCD HDTV at one of his golf outings. We have it now in our bedroom and will be getting rid of our other TV. We wanted to do this anyway and get a LCD Flat Screen and this just happened to fall in our laps. It is small but we don't watch TV a lot in the bedroom so it is just fine.



So that is our exciting news. I wish everyone was around to see the SEGWAY but I will post pictures. Now I just have to figure everything out...

It's Spring

It's spring and the weather is wonderful around here. The birds are out singing and the wild flowers are in bloom. The sail boats are out on the water. It's just a wonderful day to be in Southern California.

Do you remember a while back when I had mentioned we had termites? We had thought we had taken care of them but they came back. We saw signs of them in the house this time and I called a couple of companies to give me an estimate on what could be done to get rid of them. Well, I got all kinds of answers. One wanted to drill in the stucco many tiny holes all over the outside walls and shoot in a foam that would kill the termites. The company would fill in the hole but we would be responsible to repaint.

The second company came and said No that is not the way to go. If you have insulation in your walls then the foam will be blocked and it won't work in killing the termites. We really don't have insulation but onto what they wanted to do. It was suggested that we had two options. The first we could tent the house but that would be hard as we have a duplex. We would have to get the other owner to also agree to tent their house and be out for three days and two nights. Tenting would also cause plant damage. Anything up against the house has to be pulled away from the wall before they could tent. We would either have to find a place that took pets where we could stay for the three days or board Chester. So now we are not only paying for the tenting but having to pay for a hotel and/or boarding of Chester. Even with this being done, we can't get a guarantee as termites could come right back and infest all over again as soon as everything was done..

The second option from this company was to drill and put in a different chemical and fix some of the termite damage by filling in the wood damage. They can't guarantee they are going to kill all the termites we may have but just the ones that the chemical touches. It is guaranteed for a year. We are going with this one as it is cheaper than the tenting and we don't have to leave.

Dad did not get the big job he had been working so hard on for several weeks. He has moved onto another project. It does take its toll on a person to be under so much stress and then not to have a positive outcome. It is the times we are living in now. Competition is harder as companies are looking for work to keep their employees working.

At the end of the month, I will be starting to train for Emergency Preparedness for the City of Laguna Niguel. I would be considered a First Responder if we should have a disaster. I am not sure what it will all involve but I will be certified in First Aid and CPR, use of Fire Extinguisher, and evacuation. No, I am not to yell "Everybody out" like from the Kindergarten Cop...
It should be interesting and maybe then I can convince Dad to prepare for an earthquake. We have had quite a few earthquakes going on around us and the "powers to be" are concerned that they all might be leading up a major quake. I have already been told to make sure I have enough water for us. One gallon per person per day for 7 days equals to 14 gallons of just water! Then I need to get food set aside along with my medications. Of course, we also need to make sure Chester is taken care of too with his needs. Dad doesn't think we will need these preparations. His point being that we haven't had a quake the whole time we have been here; we did have one a few months ago that I felt that had happened around Los Angles. This just makes life interesting.

The ring has been found

The wedding ring has been found. It was at the bottom of my purse. What makes this so weird is that it was a purse I wasn't even using the night the ring went missing. I came across the ring when I was looking for something else in my regular purse today. It was one of those moments that you wonder - how in the world? - but it was there.

I did feel relief that it was found. I just wonder how did it get into a purse I didn't even use. What a mystery!

I don't think I told you but I received diamond earrings for Valentine's day. It was a surprise to say the least. I worry every time I wear them that I don't loose them; that the backing doesn't come off. I constantly am checking to make sure they are on tight. My ears are sore after wearing them as I have pushed the backing and earring together constantly. At least I know they are there.

A cold has finally gotten one of us. It isn't me. Dad has been dealing with one for the last few days. He isn't doing too bad. He is tired, congested, appetite is off, and just wanting the cold to be done. Basically the same things everyone else has dealt with for some time. We have done pretty well to have gone this far without getting sick. We didn't even get sick when we visited at Christmas. We think it was from all the hand shaking that Dad does.

Missing wedding ring

Dad came home from work on Friday and asked if I wanted to go out to dinner. I said sure but I had to change first. Off I went to the bedroom and changed clothes and put on my jewelry. If you have ever noticed me, I wear a diamond ring on my ring finger and my wedding band on my little finger. I do this because the wedding band sometimes fits my finger until it gets too warm and my fingers swell.

So I was dressed and off we went to the restaurant. We had a nice meal and then returned home. We didn't go anywhere else. So between the house and restaurant, I lost the ring. I have searched all over the place and can't find it anywhere.

I do have the other one but we can't figure out how the wedding ring came off my finger. I am upset that it has happened. This is my second band. Dad lost his original one when we were planting bushes in front of our house in Darnestown. Somewhere in that ground is a man's white gold wedding band! After much discussion, we picked out new wedding bands. I still have my original one but it won't even come close to the gold band we had the second time.

I keep hearing, "Don't worry, it will turn up" but it still bothers me that I don't have a ring on my finger. I feel naked without one. The search continues. Maybe we should think about getting another wedding band so Murphy's law will kick in. Once you buy something, the other one will show up.

What a bummer of a day this has turned out to be!

It's Raining It's Snowing

It's raining where we are but it's snowing big time in the mountains. We can see the mountains and they are beautiful. So white and very covered. It has been raining for us for the last 2 days. This makes day 3. It is very unusual for California but we need the rain. We are very dry.

The problem with all the rain is that it causes mud slides in the burn areas. We are fine and don't have to deal with it but you see the pictures on the news of the people trying to get out of their neighborhoods because they are blocked because of the mud. Very sad but they don't want to live anywhere else.

The rain should be ending by tomorrow. At least it is making things a little green again.

We are thinking about a dog again. We actually found one that is very cute (most are), he is 3 months, potty trained, and is a cross between a poodle and ? This is the unknown and we can't get the owners of the dog to give us any information. I have asked if the dog is current on shots and no response. He looks like a cross of a golden retriever and a poodle, if indeed he is a cross of a poodle. We haven't actually seen it in person yet. We are questioning whether we should pursue it. The questions we have is why are they not giving us the answers to our questions. If they don't know about the cross then they can just say we aren't sure. The shots they should be aware of unless they are helping someone to get rid of the dog, in which case they can just state that too. Our other issue is, is this the right time for us to be getting a dog. We are busy and can be gone for several hours sometimes. We also travel. We know about the traveling and we are prepared to put the dog in a kennel to be watched but I guess the big decision is mine. Am I up for the work involved? This is the quandary that I have been thinking about for the last few days.

What to do, what to do?????

AGC Function

Dad had an AGC (Associated General Contractors) function this week that was local. It was in Newport Beach. Newport is about 20-30 minutes from where we live. He is on the Executive Committee of the State AGC. He is the Chairman of the Building Division. Now because he is on the Executive Committee, we now go to these functions a little more as he has a meeting before the main meeting the next day. This is what took place this past week. He went to the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday and they then met for dinner that night. Dad was able to come home to pick me up and then we drove to the restaurant to meet up with the rest of the group. We arrived before they did as the group was coming by shuttle bus from the hotel.

The restaurant was one we never had gone before. They had live music playing as we were waiting and it was nice to listen too. Because of the size of the group, we had a separate room. We also had one waitress that took care of us and she did an excellent job. Dad and I had lamb for the first time based on the waitress' recommendation. She told us that the chef was a 5 star chef and he was very consistent in his dishes. His lamb was from New Zealand and he had a way of making it very tender and did not have any gamy taste to it at all. The table we were sitting at pretty much all ordered lamb too. This was based on her recommendation and she was not wrong. It was so tender and so delicious. The meal was 4 courses. We started with a salad, then we were given a crab cake. I don't usually eat crab as it usually disagrees with me but I tried it and it was very good. No problems. We then had our choice of the lamb, fillet Mignon, or swordfish for the main dish. After this, we had dessert. A lot of food. We didn't have to pay for it as it was part of the AGC function.

The next day, Dad did not have to go to the hotel for his next meeting until 1:00. We decided to spend the night at the hotel so after I got back from my physical therapy, we packed up and left. Chester was going to be fine for one night as we would be back the next day. We checked into the room and it was very nice. The hotel was located across the street from Fashion Island. Fashion Island is a large area that has many high end shops of all types. As we had time for lunch before his meeting we went down to the restaurant of the hotel. We each had a cup of soup and a half of a Caesar salad. Cost $50 It is a good thing it was a business expense. We definitely would not be eating there!

Dinner that night was very simple compared to the night before. Dad and the rest of the Executive Committee was recognized twice. Dad was not expecting this part to happen but it was nice that it did. If he wants to continue to be President of the AGC for a year, he would need to be the Treasurer next year and then V.P. and then President. So it will be at least 3 years down the road.

We stayed overnight instead of going home as we had another function to go to on Saturday. So with Saturday morning, we needed to get breakfast. Down we went to the restaurant. I ordered oatmeal, cranberry juice, and hot tea. Dad ordered a ham and cheese sandwich with a poached egg on top, and orange juice. Drum roll please - cost $50. We could not believe it. It was a good thing that Clark was paying his business expenses.

Going Out to Dinner

We went out to dinner last night. We had 2 gift cards to Ruth Chris, a steak restaurant. It is on the higher end as far as price goes. We had made reservations for 5:45. We arrived and was taken to our table. Our waitress took very good care of us. She would leave us alone if we needed to be or was there to answer any questions we may have had. We each had an appetizer (mine was onion soup, his scallops). We each ordered a glass of wine. We both ordered a petite filet (mine was 6 oz, his was 8 oz with a blue cheese crust), a lobster tail, sautéed spinach. and mashed sweet potato with pecan topping (this was very yummy. It was almost like a dessert). We also had bread. The two side items were large enough to share.

So have I made you hungry? It was a great meal. We weren't rushed and had all the time we needed. We didn't order dessert as we were both very full. Now we asked for the check. Can you guess how much the dinner cost? I can tell you that the dinner for two people in California, at a high end restaurant, cost more than when we took everyone out to eat. Thank goodness for a gift card or in this case gift cards. This fabulous dinner cost us $200. Yes, you saw it right. Just for two people! We don't usually go to this restaurant unless we have a gift card. The food is good, the place is nice, but we can't afford it all the time. As Dad said to me, "it's not Middletown, Maryland".

The second box is ready to go out. We tried the post office today but it was so packed with people. Why? We don't know. I will take it during the week when it is less crowded. It will take a week anyway to get across and there is not urgent need.

We are having the Santa Ana Winds this weekend. It is bringing in the warm air and high winds. Winds in some areas can go as high as 80 mph. Not around us but around the mountains and canyons. We think the winds are about the 50 mph range at times around us. We just have to watch that we don't loose anything outside.

Our last bit of news is this: We are officially finished with the remodeling! We purchased the mirrors for our bathroom today and hung them up. They look good. We put up a tension rod and a sheer curtain over the kitchen window. Everything looks good and we are quite pleased. We will send you a picture, when we can, to show you how it looks. It is nice to be able to enjoy it finally.

One box has left the building

One box has been mailed. It is a large one as that was all we had available. When I took it to the post office, I was asked if I had a box smaller as they charge for the size, weight, and destination. I told him no, that this was it. The post office also has a limit on size but I made it. It seemed like he was doing everything possible not to send this box. The questions he asked me when he was getting around to the postage - "you don't want to send it 2 or 3 day delivery!?" You want to send it the longest so it is cheaper.

I think he was trying to help me out with the cost but I can make up my own mind about how much I want to spend. Just tell me the possibilities and let me tell you what I want to do. The box was sent today. Michelle and Jon, you should get it. in about a week. I didn't think there was a big hurry. It will give you something to look forward too.

Now the second box... I have not finished it yet. I am getting the pictures together. I have only found ones of the cub scouts, flag football, and a play when we was Abe Lincoln. I can't find a single picture of Tony doing wrestling. I have his award for it but no picture. I am going to continue to look as you will be gone for a little while. Of course, I have others of Tony but that will be later. He was so cute as a baby - I will also get a picture of your grandfather (Dad's dad) to send to you. If anyone else is interested in having a picture, let us know.

GO GATORS!!

Closer to the mail

I have wrapped everything finally. I even have found boxes - yeah! The next step will be to address them and then take them to the post office. Michelle and Jon, your box is large but only because that is what I had and a couple of the gifts required some room. Hmmm, I wonder what it could be....

Tony and Abby, your box is not large. I just have to find some paper to wrap it and out it goes.

I am trying to remember everything that needs to go in it as well as anything I might want to send while I have the chance. I am sure I will remember I forgot something when that last bit of tape has been applied.

Oh, I just remembered! I was going to send pictures of Tony's cub scouts pinewood derby! I have to find those... good thing I haven't sealed the box.

Changes Around the House

We have had some luck in locating a gift card that we had thought was taken. It was worth $500 so it was one that was very much wanted. It was located under some papers on our dresser. I just happened to sort through things and there it was - the gift card that caused such upset. It was a relief. It is still a shame that we could not find the other gift cards or the gifts. It is on that person's conscience. They must have really needed the gifts for their Christmas.

We cancelled the cleaning service, as I told you before, but we decided to change the house locks. I am waiting for the locksmith to arrive today to do just that for us. It is not a big deal to do it but it does take time away from your day because you have to wait for someone to show up.

We have been successful in replacing Jennifer's missing gifts. They aren't exactly like the ones she choose but we have taken pictures and sent them to her for her approval. They will be on their way to everyone as soon as we wrap and box them up.

We are enjoying our remodeling now that we are staying put for a while. We still have things to put away in the kitchen but it is looking pretty good. We have been trying to figure out what to do with our bedroom and the second bedroom. Our bedroom has been feeling crowded so we may get rid of or move the unit that has our TV on it at the present time. Dad has been wanting to get a flat screen TV for our room and this will give him a reason to do so. He will also be building one of his bookcases in the second bedroom. We will take the whole wall that the chest of drawers and bookcase are on now.

Tony and Abby have been talking about visiting us sometime in the summer if they are able. We have a queen size air mattress right now and thought we could get bunk beds for Gabe and Sophia. This will work for the space we think. We will work it out if the trip should occur.

It is chilly for California. We were in the 40's this morning with a high of about 60. It will be that way for most of the week until about Sunday when it should be about 75. That is more like it!

We are getting back into routine. I have started back with the physical therapy for the achilles tendon. I am starting on strengthening the tendon. Did I tell you that I fell in the hotel when we were checking out? Dad was putting the bags in the car and told me to wait and stay warm inside. I went to sit down and I stumbled and fell. I hit the coffee table with my stomach and landed on my knees, so I didn't hurt anything. I was afraid that I might have hurt the tendon but everything is OK. My stomach muscles hurt for a few days but I was glad that I did not damage the foot. This whole process has been going on since April 2008. I hope it will be over soon.

As far as the fall, it was a toe drag. The foot did not pick up completely. I just joked with Dad and said there was a bump in the carpet that made me stumble. It also was the cold. My legs don't do well with it. They get a heavy feeling and I start walking slower. It is one of those things I have to deal with from time to time. The heat can do the same thing to me. There isn't a perfect condition for me.

Well, I guess it is back to the house and finding new homes for our stuff.

Happy New Year!

It is January 2, 2009 and we have already a problem. Do you remember how we had forgotten the gifts from Jennifer and the Christmas cards? Do you also remember how we said we would send them as soon as we got back? Well, it is going to take a little longer to mail as the gifts are not here.

We had a cleaning service come in while we were gone to do a construction cleaning on the house as well as have the carpets cleaned. Whether it was the crew that cleaned or the person that did the carpets, things left the house. The bag of gifts and the ornaments, along with the cards, disappeared. We are also missing a couple of gift cards that Dad had received from subcontractors for Christmas. All in total a few hundred dollars.

We called the cleaning service and of course they said their crew did not do anything. The problem with that statement is that they were the only ones in the house while we were gone. We did have the cat sitter but we have used this person a lot longer than this service. We didn't even think she did anything. We will have the locks changed on Monday. We have cancelled the service. We are so disappointed that someone would do this.

We have already told Jennifer about the problem and promised her that her gifts will be replaced by us. So bear with us while we find what she had picked out, wrap it, and get it into the mail. You will just have Christmas Part II at a some date to come.