crazy week
This week has just been off the hook, so to speak... Monday we took Ri to the Drs because she hurt her wrist ice skating on Saturday and it doesn't feel any better... Tuesday - mommy works from home and Ri get's xrays and a cast. Wednesday Dan's parents are in town - we clean house like mad because my parents are coming Thursday night... small dent made in mess. Thursday we go to Johnny's house for dinner with Dan's folks and dash home to wait for my folks. Pack stuff for kids - abandon idea that kids will take their stuff with them Friday with my folks. Work Friday - kids with my folks and dash home after work to CLEAN house! Beth had stayed behind and cleaned our house and our car!! Thank you Beth we LOVE you!!! Frantically pack everything - dash out door - bad experience with Oxford Burger King - 1.35 min later we arrive at Family Reunion!
This morning... wake up make breakfast for entire group, go to get in van to go to playground... flat tire. Donut installed... off to get Tim - but in Mom and Dad's car.
PHEW - it's not over yet!
weekend brief
seems like I never have time to blog over the weekend... I guess that's fine with me!
Saturday we did our normal ice skating lessons. Marshall actually went across the ice, one of the teachers gave him a little xtra attention and that really helped. Rianne was doing fine till she fell and hurt her wrist. She's at the Dr's right now getting it checked out. Nothing was swollen, but this is day 3 of pain and sensitivity to touch so we figured we should get it checked out. I'm hoping it's just a sprain and not a fracture.
Dan picked up some Roller Blades for Marshall at Walmart - we're hoping they help him skate better since they helped Ri so much.
I have a new wheelie bag for my work stuff. It's really nice, I'll try and post a picture later. I'm hoping to avoid the headaches and stiff necks the other bag was giving me. Marshall got a new mattress and is enjoying being a foot higher off the ground.
Sunday I did Junior Church - we had a full house - 10 kids - much better turn out than the last time with 3 (2 my own). It was a fun time, and we even did SWORD drills at the end - I remember loving those! Rianne said her favorite part was the word jumble we did at the beginning. She just about knocked everyone's socks off at the SWORD drills cause she does those at school. Marshall just talked through the whole thing.
Sunday was a laundry fest and the rest of the week we'll be cleaning for Dan's folks and my folk's visits Wednesday and Thursday... Friday we're off to Maryland. I don't think I'll have much time for posting this week so don't plan on hearing much from this end.... though it's not like I know who reads this!
false alarm
ok - I'm not disgruntled anymore. I got a hard copy of the schedule and evidently there was a miscommunication because the 4:35 train, which will be a 4:45 train will indeed stop in Parkesburg. I've un-alerted the media and am standing down...
Just glad I didn't make too big of a deal of it... hahahahaha ha ha. cough
Its another lovely cool day and I'm riding the rails!
Unreasonable Anger... ?
I'm not entirely sure I'm angry... I could just be really upset. Some of you know I ride Amtrak on a daily basis, I've come to love it and have even started a separate blog under a not so cleverly disguised alias where I talk about train related things.
Today, for the first time I feel really disgruntled with Amtrak. One of the gentlemen that rides the train with me in the morning got an advanced copy of the new "Keystone" high speed *cough*cough* schedule. According to that schedule there will no longer be a train stopping in Parkesburg between the 7:28am train and the 10:30-ish train... which I wasn't too bothered about, but means that if I'm late and miss the 7:28 I'm going to have to drive somewhere and get on a
SEPTA train. It takes me 30 min. to get a SEPTA station + at least an hour on the noisy-uncomfortable-stopping-at-every-stop train - so all together at least 2 hours late for work. Oh well, I'll just have to make sure I'm not late...
Next thing I know they're talking about how the 4:35pm train, the train that allows me to get home at a decent hour, the one that allows me to make and eat dinner with my family, will not be stopping in Parkesburg anymore... it won't even stop in Downingtown. This is where the anger comes in... I've been working with my boss to work out a flexible work arrangement where by I'll be allowed to leave at 4:25pm, specifically to catch this train, specifically to get home to make/eat dinner, go to my children's events and gosh actually do some things myself!
I know it will all work out some how but right now I'm just mad... I'll probably just write a quick note to Amtrak to let them know that they're creating problems for faithful commuters that have bumped up their sales in the past quarter or two. If they keep the schedule like that I won't be buy a monthly ticket from them anymore, I'll have to figure something else out.
In my opinion touting "high speed" that isn't' high speed unless you skip stops... not cool Amtrak, not cool!
Weekend in Brief
1. Sold Futon for $340
2. Bought new Couch - Pottery Barn Outlet 40% OFF - out of pocket - $188
Super comfy... need a cover though!
I finally got my new glasses today - short movie of my new look won't post.... Still working on the whole bangs thing... but I'm lovin' my new Vera Wang glasses :) So nice to have an up to date prescription and to be able to see!
Figuring out pictures on Flickr.com... I'll put a link up very soon.
LINK HEREh
confectioners sugar on my mountain of joy that is my day
ugh
I need a day with some sun in it... please?!
I'm ok, really I am
I've been thinking very very hard about whether or not I will EVER EVER wax my upper lip again. The ripping of the hairs was so painful that when it was over and my eyes stopped watering I gasped. Megan, the nicest waxing lady I have ever had, made sympathic noises and then tweezed the buggers she missed! OHHHHH! That smarts soooo bad. I swear my lip was a swollen red for hours after. Luckily it has calmed down, but I swear just thinking about it is causing a tingling along my upper lip.
Basically waxed my whole face... baby soft today. New glasses are suppose to get here Friday. I'll post the picture then. Back to liking my hair, color, bangs and all :)
cell phone-less
going on day two... not liking this.
Dan forgot me at the train station... cause I didn't call him.
weekends are way too short!
Friday night was hilarious - first a note from Marsh's teacher... he fell of his chair in library and got rug burn on the entire right side of his face. What kid just randomly falls out of a chair like that?!
Then we drove over to
Refton to pick up the Audi, paid the bill took my cell phone and prepared to drive home - car started, but the wipers and the blinkers didn't work. So, I wrote a note to the garage, locked the car (cell phone still inside) and tossed the keys - the only keys we had - in the drop slot. There's no chance I'm getting it back till Monday night... so don't bother even trying.
Saturday morning Dan dropped me off at Sue's for a haircut/color along with my bike... yes I said bike. Anyway 1 hour later I remember that I've left my house keys in the van - with Dan in Lancaster w/the kids at skating lessons - wonderful! Another hour later I have bangs and hair that is too dark... I look like a fat Joan Jet... so not good. (Have tried to give it a chance, but have since called to ask for my
hight lights back.)
Then I (mostly) rode my bike 3-4 miles back to home- stopping briefly for a break, just past the old covered bridge, just long enough to be
creeped out by a slow moving van - and Dan found me peddling my way up bridge street, only 3 blocks from home. A shower and a fresh set of clothes later and we were at
wal-mart purchasing some fun soaps and face washes...
Ri got her first real pimple so we've introduced a bubbly face wash just for her!
Next Dan cleaned out the garage and I cleaned the office - we now have a garage gym complete with TV and cable connection and one less desk in the living room. Moved some things around in our bedroom and I am currently typing this blog from the desk newly relocated in our bedroom! Very nice... I could spend the rest of my life in our bedroom! Mostly because I hate the living room... something has got to be done about that room, but I just can't come up with anything and it's driving me NUTS!
Hey and when am I going to get any of those dark chocolate m&m's! Mar says they are the best ever... I believe her but I think I'd like some empirical evidence :)
Good news - Marshall's face has healed and he only has a small scab on his nose now. Who knew falling out of a chair onto a rug could be so dangerous!
-h
WARNING: time sucking device
http://www.107.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot.swf
I dare not reveal my source!
BEWARE: It's addictive AND if you loose you have to start completely over from the BEGINNING!!
super fly!
Another make over in progress. Getting new glasses sometime next week, very cool glasses. I've been wearing 5 year old glasses since I broke my year old glasses almost 5 months ago, so it's about time for a new pair.
I'm also getting my hair done this weekend. Gonna try something new - maybe I'll actually post a picture of the new me when I'm done ;)
Seriously wish the train station had a nail place in it... my feet would look 10x's better.. and maybe my eye brows would look human! i've been down in PA going on 3 years and haven't had an eye brow wax in that long... I know, I'm not human anymore.
cya soon!
80 miles an hour
ok, so maybe not quite 80 miles per hour, but we're going close. With the speed limit set at 70 you almost have to go 80 to keep up with traffic. okay... there's not really any traffic we just want to get back so we can go to sleep.
The kids and Mary Ruth and Richard are in the back.. all pretty much asleep from a full day of doin' stuff. We got up around 7am got dressed, ate a nice full breakfast - pancakes, eggs, sausage, oj, and coffee. We left the NC house at about 9am and started on our way to Hartford, TN for our white water rafting adventure in the Smoky Mountains.
The Pidgeon river was high, fast and super fun! We have some pictures I'll post later - mostly because I don't know where they are right this moment. It took us a little over an hour to go down and our guide Alison, who is also an elementary school art teacher, was a delight. Mary Ruth, Rianne and Richard all jumped in the river to float/swim. Marshall would have but I was just a little too nervous about him so we let him splash around in the water when we landed at the end of the trip.
After changing and hoping back in the car we drove the scenic route over to Gatlinburg, TN - walked the main drag, played putt-putt on the side of hill, at dinner and walked some more. We bought the obligatory tourist taffy and enjoyed some ice cream/slushies while relaxing in rocking chairs on a balcony above the main drag.
A very satisfactory day trip!
