Yes, I fell off the wagon ...

So i'm keeping up with my now quarterly posts .. but I did sort of fall off the wagon. I just read Keltie's post, posting everyones first posts - what a great idea !! We've come a long way since then. It's funny how much life changes in such a short time. Like Keltie said, some of us have become new parents, some of us are moving across the country ! Some of us have older kids, some of us are just getting started. It really is a circle of life !

We've moved again since the last post. We're back into the old neighborhood by Westmount. I love that our townhouse looks out onto the park, watching the jackrabbits frolic in the low-lying fog yesterday was kind of cool. The only thing I don't like about it, is the baseball diamond that is literally right outside the front door. It was ok for the first couple of weeks, but now it's Softball season -- if you're not home from work by 6:30 or so, you have absolutely zero chance of finding a parking spot remotely close to the front door. The other downside is that someone always brings a cooler of beer .. and they have to stay out late until its all gone. Finally I can see the other side of the "we're not making any noise" statement. LOL.

Out back we have a little park for the kids in the neighborhood. I think that's where Anthony has spent the most time since we moved. There's a little less sand out there, because i've swept it up everytime he tracks it in the house. :-) We have a little patio that just fits our barbeque and bikes, I'd like to put up a fence though just to get us some privacy. Maybe next summer.

Lisa just finished her first year of high school. My baby is almost 16, and I don't know how we got here so fast. It's funny when you get talking about the kids and tell someone how old they are, then you have to stop and think about what you just said. She's 15 already ?? Yes, she is. She could be legally driving next year. She might even get herself a job. Boyfriends ?? We won't go there just yet. :-)

Update

I think I'm going to start updating my block in quarters ... we're 3 months into the year and I have been sadly not updating. Even the gentle pokes and notes written in the dust haven't helped. So here it is - an update!

I have some pics to post from Trellia's baby shower .. it was a fun afternoon. Lisa was kind of bored I think, but I got Jack to sleep on my shoulder. I miss having a baby to cuddle !!


Here's the proud Mom !! Jack looks like Robbie - it's amazing !!


Auntie Carrie got to cuddle Jack too !!















On the work side, life goes on. I was going out for my break a couple of weeks ago, and slipped on the ice under the breezeway. I landed on both knees. My right one is ok, but the left one wouldn't bend. I filled out my paperwork and got John to call it in for me, and off I went to the Clinic to have it X-rayed. The Doctor there filled out my WCB paperwork and told me i'd need an MRI done. Nothing was broken, but the MRI revealed 2 tears in ligaments. I get to go see the WCB doctor tomorrow. Hopefully it'll just need rehab, and not surgery.

We're moving at the end of this month. Our lease is up, and they want to raise the rent another $200 above what we're paying now. So we're moving back to the old neighborhood. We found a townhouse by Westmount, that's only $20 more that what we pay now, plus it includes heat and water, so we'll save more money there. Only a few more months to go and the car loans will be paid off, and we can seriously start looking for a house. That will be our last move -- I swear !

That's about it for this update ... I promise to keep this up more !! :-)

Holiday Tidings

It's the last day of the year ... I can't have anyone messaging me and saying "you haven't updated your blog since LAST year ...!". And that would happen .. :-)

Christmas has come and gone in a whirlwind. Everything happened so fast this year ! We went to Auntie Betty's this year -- since we're in our new place, we don't have the room like we used to. I never cooked a Christmas Turkey this year ! Maybe that's why It still feels like Christmas is coming ....

Even all the Christmas cartoons were on Early this year. Around the beginning of the month, the classics first -- Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to town, the Grinch etc. No Christmas movies though until Christmas Eve. Go figure.

It was a nice quiet day, with family all around. I helped with the dishes afterwards, cause that's my thing -- I always help Mark do them and then I have to whip him with the wet dishtowel. Call it a Christmas tradition. LOL. Actually that happens on all the holidays .... hehehe.

So now it's the last day of the year. Alot happened this year, I'm not sorry to see it go. Lisa will be 15 on Wednesday, and yesterday she was as big as Lily and Evan !! They say time goes fast when you get older, this year went at lightning speed !! I watch the faces of my kids and see just how fast it goes. My mom will be 78 at the end of January .. and that makes me realize that she won't be around much longer either. But i'm not going THERE until I have to.

Happy New Year one and all .... I can't wait to get started on 2008 !!!

The dust is off !!

*Cough* *Cough*


--Can't see for cloud of dust .... --

Hi Blog ! I remembered where you were! Since I saw you last, I had a birthday, I went to Toronto, and I have been working. Alot!

I went to Toronto for an ASM forum. It was all week, and I got to go with Christina fro Skyview and Liz from Whitemud. We had a BLAST !! When we weren't in the classroom learning how to do our jobs, we were at Niagara Falls, and the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Shopping on Yonge Street .. it was amazing! When the say Torontonians think of themselves at the center of the universe - I can see why. At the top of the Tower looking down on the City all light up -- I was amazed at how big it really is !! I think the best part of it was flying over the Great Lakes. Funny how actually seeing something in person totally revises your perspective.

What else is going on ??

Trellia has a new baby ! Jack Sterling Loveless was born early last week. I can't wait to meet him ! Work is still that: work. 'Nuff said there. The kids are doing ok in school, and there's only 19 shopping days left until Christmas. I think that kind of covers it for now - just something short and sweet for 2 awesome girlfriends (who hinted None to gently!) to dust off and read.

:-)

It's the End of September ...

Where did the last year go ?

Friends have new babies. Friends have new babies that are a year old. I'm looking at being another year older in a week. Time is just flying by.

These are just a few of the things the last year has brought me:
- I have met some wonderful new friends. I have reconnected with some wonderful OLD friends.
- I have said goodbye to some dear friends.
- I have grown both personally and professionally.
- My daughter started high school this year.
- Friends have new babies. Friends are expecting new babies. Friends have babies that have just turned a year old.
- We are in a new home.
- I am a week away from entering a new decade in my life, and I can't wait to get there !
If ever there was an optimist in the family, it is me. It's something I have always been. There is always a silver lining, no matter how bad something may be. I find I do it at work too. I've been challenged to do that lately, but I'm getting back into my old groove.
The new decade in my life is my 40's. I will be 40 years old. I remember this assignment we had to write in grade 6, about what life would be like in the year 2010. What would everyday life be like? Would be flying around in jet cars like the Jetsons? How old would we be? What did we think we'd be doing? I figured out I would be 42 years old. (Hard to imagine when you're 11.) I would be married and would be a teacher. I can't remember if I said I would have kids or not.
The funny thing is it's almost all true. (Except for the jet cars.) What I never imagined was the fun of being 20, and the realization of being 30. I was married at 21. A mom at 25, and again at 31. Started a new career in my 30's, that's taking me into my 40's. I am sort of a teacher .. not in the sense I imagined, but in the sense that I teach people stuff at work, and I teach my kids stuff everyday.

I wonder what 50 will be like ???

Dang Facebook !

It's taken all my time.


When i'm not working (which is a big chunk of my day), I am at home. On facebook. When they say it's the fastest growing phenomenon on the internet, I can see why. I have hooked up with friends I haven't seen since elementary school. My Mom used to babysit the neighbor kids with us when we were small. We all had the mumps together, and the chickenpox together, and now we're all older and on facebook together! I have a lot of work friends. I have facebook friends. I have sports figures, and regular people. I love that you can update your status anytime and tell everyone what you're doing. They also have some cool applications, like pirates. You can play poker. You can do trivia. It's amazing!

Since my last blog update (which was a LONG time ago -- sorry everyone), we have done some celebrating. We had our 18th wedding anniversary on the 9th, and Anthony turned 9 on the 17th.

The kids are back at school, and school fees are out-friggin-rageous! Lisa started high school this year, and I think for her supplies/fees alone, it was almost $500. Anthony's was just over $250. How do parents that have 4 and 5 kids do it ?? Lisa's at band camp already, just until tuesday. I always thought band camp was in the spring, I guess you need to practice sooner when you're in high school. (I always want to tease her and say ... "... this one time at band camp ...")

There's some good concerts coming to town -- that I have tickets to. I'm going with my sister-in-law to see Def Leppard/Styx next Monday, and then 3 weeks after that we are going to see Ozzy/Rob Zombie. As a family. That should be fun!

That's the last 4 weeks or so in a nutshell. I've starting thinking forward .. I have some christmas presents purchased already, and we're already talking Christmas Party at work. Ho Ho Ho!

I feel Guilty

FYI: This was a draft that I never posted .. so I'm doing it now. D'oh !




I'm happy and yet I feel horribly guilty at the same time. Why you ask? Because Carrie's coming back to work! And because Carrie's coming back to work.

Let me explain.

I just read Carrie's post and while I am happy she's coming back for a couple of evenings a week, I'm sad that she's going to be absolutely miserable being away from Miss Lily. It's hard to take those steps back into the workforce when you've been everything to a child for the last year. Chief cook, bottle-washer, diaper-changer, snuggler, cuddler, teacher, companion, in other words; Mom. She is going to miss some of the moments that will define Miss Lily going forward: maybe her first step, maybe a tender moment with Dad that she will hear about when she gets home.

She'll have to put up with a hot building, grumpy shoppers, and a boss like me .. but the one thing that makes me smile, and I know will make her smile -- is the big hug she'll get when she gets home.

The best steak marinade recipe EVER !

While picking up some groceries last week, I purchased a package of the best looking steak ever. Sirloin tip steaks, in a family pack, on sale! Roughly 8 cuts for just under $9. They looked like they had just been cut and wrapped, so I picked them up.

When I got home I figured I would marinade them and then pop them on the barbeque for dinner, and I found the best marinade recipe in a cookbook that I've had forever. I don't know why I never looked for a marinade recipe before, but this one caught my eye. And I happened to have all of the ingredients in my kitchen. Serendipity I tell you !

This is the recipe:

Soy Marinade
1/2 tsp ginger 1 green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced 3/4 cup oil (I used virgin olive oil)
1/4 cup soy sauce 3 tbsp honey or sugar (I used honey)
2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice (I used lemon juice)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. It makes roughly 1 1/3 cups.
I put the steaks in to the container and popped them in the fridge for the afternoon. Every so often, go and flip the container over to coat the steaks really well. They take no time at all to grill (depending on the size of the pieces) and they were sooooooo tender, I could cut the meat with my FORK!

This with some twice baked potatoes, and broccolini (blanched so it was still firm), was dinner. Yummy !

Eloquence is Bliss

I am not eloquent. Not at all.

I have read some fantastic blogs, written by people who are smart, funny, whimsical and most of all - eloquent. It's the love of the written word; spoken, read, thought of -- and it's the way its put together. Carrie discovered a blog titled Hello Josephine. It's written by a lady named Marla, and those were the first words she spoke to her daughter, Josephine, when she was born. I read her blog and am amazed at how she can turn a phrase, and it's like you are right there with her, experiencing what she sees first hand.

From Marla's blog, I discovered Andrea's. Another lady with a talent for writing. (And 2 beautiful daughters that are the subject of many a blog entry.) I like to think that I too, have this gift ... but I am still aspiring to be like these ladies. I spend more time reading lately, than writing anything. I am always on the lookout for a new book, and sometimes that new book is actually an old, much-loved tome from Value Village, who's title caught my eye and first page didn't make me close it and put it down. (If i'm not hooked by the first page or at least the first chapter -- it's over!). Does that make me a bad person ? That I don't give books a chance ? I don't think so. I'll put it down today, and pick it up again next week and discover something wonderful.

Like blogs.

I like to look at new blogs. Every so often you come across one that's been recently updated, and I like to peek at them. Sometimes they're worth reading .. sometimes not. It's like having thousands of books at your fingertips. Some waiting to be discovered .. some put down for another day.

I think i'll go discover another one right now ....

Google

Have you ever googled your own name?

You always hear about people that do it and the results they get, so I did mine and here's what I found:

Two Peas in a Pod

A lady by the name of Tracy Gagnon (although she thinks of herself as Tracy Pepper). She lives in New Zealand, and she is a massuese. She's a canadian girl, who's been transplanted to a sunny shore. She has 2 daughters, and a husband named Brian, and she's very friendly. How do I know this ? Because I sent her a message on her blog!

I've never done anything quite like that before, but I'm glad I did -- her and I are slowly becoming aquainted through email and such. She's been through a Cancer scare, and while she has emerged not quite unscathed, she has emerged ! They have been lucky to find the perfect home, and there's even a room they've converted around back to be her practice. She's home in Canada for a wedding, (she's from Ontario), and I'm so glad I sent her a note. She's become an internet 'pen pal' if you will.

Google your names -- see what you get back !! Maybe you'll meet someone new like I did !!

One more sleep ...... !

Holidays!

I am soooooooooo looking forward to having a break. It's been a long time coming. I had actually asked for the last week of July, first week of August off but there was a conflict with another ASM. I called Andy at work to see what he wanted to do and he had a conflict at his work too, so we just pushed our holidays back a week and everything worked out great.

I'm looking forward to finishing unpacking the last of my boxes from our move in April (there's some boxes upstairs, some down), and Andy's Uncle is coming up to see from from High River. I still need to hang some pictures (namely the ones all lining the landing of my staircase) and I have a couple of knickknack shelves that need a home.

We've also been invited to spend some time at a friend's cabin on Pigeon Lake. They're going out this weekend for a couple of days, and then going back out next weekend before going to BC to meet up with friends. Judy works with me at the store, and her husband Greg is an RCMP member. They actually helped us do some moving; Greg came over with his utility trailer and helped us move our appliances. I don't know how I would have done that without him, he was a big help!

We also want to get down around Drumheller, and go back to the Royal Tyrell Museum where they have a few new exhibits and things. We've always wanted to do a dig as well and if we visit Dinosaur Provincial Park we'll be able to do that.

We were last down this way when Anthony was small, and when we were here we had gone to see Writing on Stone Provincial Park. They have guided tours available and they take you out on the Hoodoos to see them first hand. The sign at the tour office said that you needed to ensure you had a hat, sturdy walking shoes, and water available because the rocks absorb the heat of the sun all day and the temperatures could be as high as 50c. They also said that Seniors, children under the age of 5, and people easily affected by heat should not go. We weren't going to split up to go and leave someone in the car with Anthony, so we turned around and headed back to Milk river.

I was so disappointed, but we had said when the kids were older we would come back. They also have rattlesnake warnings out -- apparently the critters like to sun themselves on the rocks, and because they blend in so well, you'd never see it until you stepped on it (or heard it rattling its tail at you!)

What else do we have planned? We promised the kids a day at the water park, since we didn't go to "Capital Ex" this year. (I don't care how much they change it -- it's still the Exhibition to me!) We had gone to the parade, and it was a big disappointment. And for the money we would spend -- I'd rather pay for a night at a motel, and take the kids to see something they really want to see.

Whatever we do, I'm just looking forward to doing it with the family. I've missed them lately -- it seems like everyone is off doing their own thing. Holidays here we come !!

New Blog

I've started another blog -- basically to vent about customers and how much fun they've been lately. Check it out at: http://myadventuresinretail.blogspot.com/ Comments are welcome !!

At Carrie's Request ...

She asked quite nicely for someone to blog so she could do something other than laundry. So here I go.

I usually talk about work, but I don't think I want to do that this time. It's taking over my life, and not in a good way, and that's all I have to say about that!

I just enjoyed a great weekend with my family. We were all going to go to the movies, but we couldn't decide on what we all wanted to see. Transformers, Fantastic Four, Ratatooie (I know I spelled that wrong!), Pirates 3 -- So many choices! There seems to be a lot more kid-friendly movies out lately, which I don't mind in the slightest.

Lisa had a birthday party to go to on Saturday, and it was a sleepover, so we made an early trip to Wal-Mart to get a gift and then dropped her off. Around that time my Mom called and asked is she could have Anthony overnight, since we haven't seen a lot of them since we moved. We popped back home and got Anthony's stuff together, and hit the road again. We stayed to visit with Mom for a bit, and then we had to get home, Andy's sugar levels have been all out of whack lately and he had to eat.

It was so quiet at home -- no kids, no noisy neighbors (on either side!), and we were able to just talk and relax. It was like the days before the kids came along. We haven't had any time to ourselves like that for awhile, and I really missed it. It's nice to just 'be'.

Ahh well .. back to life on our regularly scheduled network .. !

One month later ....

It's a month to the day from my last post. And it went pretty quick.

I lied when I said things couldn't get any worse.

The last week in particular was pretty fun. My only fulltime person left in Flooring went to Vegas for a week. On the Friday before she left, my part time person that basically opened the department for me every day, went into our HR office halfway through her shift and said she was quitting and she was leaving right now. Nice. I had the day off (in fact the weekend off ... first one in 8 weeks ..), and someone else covered the department.

Fast forward to Saturday. One of the girls in the department who works part time had asked for an extra shift on the Saturday to make up some time she had lost at the beginning of the week. I put her in for a 9-6 shift, and that gave us some extra coverage when we really needed it. Or so I thought. She didn't show up. Didn't call, didn't do anything! Again, someone came over and helped out. Sundays are always bad, because I never have enough people. She didn't show up on Sunday. Again someone covered. Are you seeing the pattern yet ??

Monday when I get back from my weekend off, because of my person quitting on Friday, I had NO ONE in the dept. I started at 2, and someone had come over to cover until I got there. I always have lots of people in on Monday evenings so it worked out ok. Tuesday and Wednesday I knew I didn't have anyone and had planned to cover those myself. I opened both days at 5am, and covered the department until coverage came in at 5pm. Thursday was when my young part time person was back after her exams, scheduled 9-6. She wasn't there at 9, so I called her at home. She answered the phone. Bad Sign. When I asked her if she was coming in, she said she was "really tired" and she didn't think she would make it. She didn't even have the decency to call me! This would be day 3 with no call/no show, and I brought that to her attention and told her that she had basically voluntarily terminated herself -- her response? (You'll never believe this!) "Oh ..... OK." (Say WHAT ?!?!)

So again, another day until 6pm, by myself. At least I know how good of a salesperson I am now .. LOL. Friday was my day off. I came in to work 5-2, because there was no one else. Sigh. Are you keeping track? This is 5 days now. I was scheduled to close 2-11 on Saturday, but because there was only Trent and myself, I came in early to give him some coverage. And guess what? There was no Trent. They'd been called down to Calgary on a family emergency, so it was John, Curtis and myself on Saturday. In flooring. With the free underpad event. And decor. With 10% off all special orders. Sigh. One 57 hour work week finally over.

Sunday I didn't even have John and Curtis to call on, and ended up working 8am-9pm, because I was also closing keyholder.

So here we are back to Monday. Breanne is back from Vegas, we've managed to Hire a couple of new people that are now shadowing with us in the department, and life goes on. I still get to work 6 days this week, because the coverage is still not the greatest. There's one good thing though; with no lunches -- because really who has time to eat? -- I'm a couple of pounds lighter. More than that actually. My family still knows who I am when I come home (amazing!). And I can finally sit down for 5 minutes and update my blog.

Sigh.

Adventures in Retail ..

Hey that would be an awesome title for a new blog !! All about the people I see everyday at work. Hmmmm ...

It's interesting going in every day. You can never tell what the day will bring. People are complaining about how hot the store is (horribly freakin' hot!), how there's no one to help them in departments (somebody or 2 quit like EVERYDAY), and why does the other store have it and you don't (sorry .. no witty comment there).

We're having so much trouble finding good people. The same as every other retailer in Alberta right now. The ones we do manage to hire set a record with us if they last through training, and don't get me wrong -- we have found some good people. We need another 75 good people though. Longer term associates are leaving as well. One of our pc's left to go work with one of our install companies, and Wanda -- who has been there with us since the store opened -- worked her last day with us on Thursday. She hasn't been happy there for a long time, and since Brad's been gone she just hasn't had the heart (literally) to come in. She's got a great new job with Alberta Health Care though, and gets to work downtown.

One of our ex-department supervisors is hiring away associates to work with him in his new job, and others are all going to work in Ft. Mac. or they just decide, and I quote: "I don't think I really like this job ... sorry."

Things have GOT to get better .... they sure can't get any worse !!

Video

I was on the Avril Lavigne site yesterday, and it said you could download the code for her new video to put it on your page. So I'm trying it. Here goes:

Job Available: Parent

POSITION TITLE:
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Mumma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

PROMOTED !!

I have a new job ....

Actually I don't. I have the title and pay of the job I have been doing for a while .. LOL. I am now officially an Assistant Store Manager !! YAY !!

I went in to Jim's office a few days ago, and came right to the point: "You have an ASM position open, and I want it." Quote unquote. He didn't even bat an eye, but pulled out a chair and said "Let's talk about it."

And here we are 2 weeks later, and the job is done. Jim told me he couldn't think of anyone he wanted to take over from Brad more, and because there was another RMA coming up (Regional Manager Assesment for all of you non-Depot people), he got my name on the list and off I went. I had a very nice chat with Peter V. who is our Acting District Manager, on the 21st, and he said he would make his decision by the 27th, or sooner. It was actually sooner. I had the good news the following Monday.

I went into Jim's office and jokingly asked him if he had heard anything yet, and he motioned me in and closed the door, and said that while it wasn't official yet, I had passed my interview and they were going to offer me the job. I just about fell off my chair! The offer came through from head office on Friday, and I had it signed off and back on Saturday.

So now its official - I am an ASM now. And as I write this, I am now looking for a Flooring DS ... and a Kitchens DS, and associates .. and ...

What does your birthday mean ??

Your Birthdate: October 6

You tend to be the rock in relationships - people depend on you. Thoughtful and caring, you often put other's needs first. You aren't content to help those you know... you want to give to the world. An idealist, you strive for positive change and dream about how much better things could be. Your strength: Your intuition Your weakness: You put yourself last Your power color: Rose Your power symbol: Cloud Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

I had to re-read this after I did it .. It's extremely true !! Scary!!

Likes and Dislikes of Living in a New Place

I LIKE that I have a front and back door. Also that my back door opens into a little yard that I can plant flowers in.

I DISLIKE the thin walls seperating me from my neighbor to the East.

I LIKE having a basement to store stuff in.

I DISLIKE my neighbor waking me up at 9am on a Sunday morning with music blaring through the above mentioned thin walls. If it was a good song it might have been tolerable ....

I LIKE that Anthony has friends already. They've been out on their scooters in the parking lot almost since we got here on Friday night.

I DISLIKE that my neighbors yell at their children. Alot. They have 3 kids under 5, and when the baby is crying you need to get up and go look at her, instead of yelling at your wife to go look at her, and then your wife yelling at her for crying.

I LIKE my neighbors to the west. They are an egyptian couple, and the sweetest people you would ever have a chance to meet. I know this from one conversation, but already I know that we will be good friends.

I LIKE my big windows in the kitchen. They face south, and the light that comes in those windows is amazing!

I LIKE that I can go to sleep like I've been here forever, and I don't hear the trains rolling by at 3:30am. Andy apparently has heard them the last 2 nights ... He can't believe I haven't.

I LIKE that we are still close enough to go back to the old place to visit. We're going to drop the kids there in the morning, my Mom will make sure they get off to school ok, and then we'll pick them up on the way home from work.

So far my likes outweigh my dislikes ... I hope that continues !!