Update

Everyone came through the hurricane okay. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

yIKEs!

Hurricane Ike is heading to Texas. I have lots of in-laws in the Houston area. Some have evacuated and some have not. Please say a prayer not only for them, but for all of those living in that area.

My brother-in-law sent me an email earlier that he was fine and staying back. I'll let you know if I hear more.

More heat

Today we went to Islands of Adventure. It was another smoking hot day. We spent some time in Seuss Landing. The Lost Continent is pretty tore up since they started building the Harry Potter Ride. We wrapped up with a trip on Popeye's & Bluto's Barges. That ride leaves you soaked from head to toe. Needless to say that even though it was still smoking hot, we came back to the condo soggy.

After a nice shower and a change of clothes it was off to have dinner with a couple of friends. All in all a good day, but hot!

Is it me

or is this year going too fast. I can't believe it is the end of June already. It probably hasn't helped that that weather has been unseasonable. Seems like it should only be April. Oh well . . .

Finally Spring!

Spring finally came to Michigan! It's about time. It's so nice to open the windows and turn off the heat! Hopefully it will stay awhile!

A snowy Good Friday

I was supposed to take the day off today, but it was too busy. I did go in a little later and as I left, it was sunny, but cold. While at work, I heard it was snowing in Minneapolis. No big, right? Well, then I heard we were supposed to get some snow. I only worked half a day and when I left things were fine. However, as I was getting closer to home, I did start to see some snow. No accumulation, but snow.

A little while after being home, I left to run some errands and discovered accumlation! What? By the time I was coming back (not more than 45 minutes), the roads were bad. It's still snowing and that was around 5 p.m. They say an inch an hour. Unbelievable! Happy Snowy Good Friday!

Snow Day!

Well, one benefit for living in Michigan is snow days! We had one today. Elijah was so funny last night because he was concerned about how we would know that he doesn't have school. When I told him we watch on TV he asked what happens if we miss it. These days it is easier to find out than I was young -- Oh God -- I just did the "when I was young . . ." Ugh! But, it is true - now there's internet, Tivo, text messages, blah blah blah.

I'm going to go and be depressed now . . .

March came fast

It seems like 2008 is off to a fast start. January went fast and February even faster. Here we are on March 1st and there's still snow and it's still cold. Spring, please come soon! We miss you!

Cardboard Classic

On this blistery Sunday morning we ventured out to Alpine Ski Lodge to participate in the 14th Annual Cardboard Classic. Gary's Dad built a lovely cardboard sled known as the "Arctic Rat." What is amazing is that he went down the hill with Elijah (did I mention he is 70+). Also they took 10th place out of 113 cars! Nice!

It was fun, but it was cold! Thank goodness for hand and foot warmers!

It's Officially Official!

I am a graduate! Commencement was last night. It was a rough commute thanks to the first major storm of the season, but we made it there and back safely. There were times that I questioned why did I go down there, but it was worth it when I heard how excited Elijah was when I walked across the stage. I was proud that my little man appreciated the significance of going to school and earning a degree. It took forever to get home, but we made it!

Two Days

Two days until Elijah starts school. Part of me is excited and the other part of me is sad. I can't believe how fast the last several years have gone by.

I was finally able to finish my tax class. It feels good to be done. I can't believe I am now in my last class. It seems surreal. That is until I get a letter from the company that has my student loans. They didn't waste any time to let me know that I'll be paying back loans next April.

Thanks to all the rain we had not too long ago, the mosquitoes are running rapid. I don't know if it was a mosquito or a spider, but something bit me and my foot swelled up like a balloon. It's getting better, but not completely back to normal.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Big Choice

Well, I told a dealership to order me a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid yesterday. He said it would take 6-8 weeks. Other dealerships said 8-12 weeks. We'll see when it comes. I'm excited but I'm also a little nervous about having a car payment again. I've had a lot of new cars that I used to lease, but this is the first time that I had the opportunity to actually order exactly what I want.

On another note, happy birthday to my sister-in-law Suzette. I hope you had a great birthday!

I'm officially half way through my tax class. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm over it. I'm so ready to be done. Of course I would like an A in every class, but considering the hours I've been working and my family obligations, I think I'm doing well. Now I have a lot of thinking to do about my future plans. Pressure . . . ugh!

Enjoy your weekend!

Summer Colds - No Fun!

I've got a summer cold. Yuck! I stayed home yesterday because I felt lousy. I couldn't breath or sleep last night so I ended up getting ready for work at 5 a.m. It was nice to leave work earlier than usual, but traffic stinks.

Elijah is trying to learn to ride a bike without training wheels. It's pretty interesting because he doesn't feel confident yet. This would have been up Gary's alley, but alas it's me, the not so outdoor enthusiast. Oh well I suppose.

Tuesday Already?

Yesterday we went to Islands of Adventure. We bought the overpriced Express Passes and managed to ride everything that you can ride on it. For the first time we did Poseidon's Fury. It was cool, but the wait was way understated! We then spent the majority of the day on the water rides. Getting wet on a hot day is a good thing!

After it was back to the resort and off to miniature golf . . . for everyone except me. I got to stay back and do homework. I love learning accounting, but it is definitely more time consuming since I don't have much experience.

Today we did Disney MGM. Elijah was back in daredevil form and dragged Kevin on the Tower of Terror! It's pretty bad when you are psyched out by a 5 year old! Elijah didn't scream, but Kevin did. In case I forgot to mention, my dad bought my dear old friend Kevin a ticket to come down as a surprise for me! After ToT, I took him over to Aerosmith Rockin Roller Coaster. He enjoyed it. The rest of the day was spent beating the heat and visiting the usual attractions. Followed by time at the pool. What a day! Not sure what is planned for tomorrow!

Some Assembly Required

Well, I spent the day (that I took off work), assembling everything I bought at Ikea last week! Needless to say my hands hurt from all the assembly. I still have a bookshelf to do and finish the 'loft' in Elijah's room.

Not much else is going on. It's cold here and that stinks, but starting next week I'll be doing some traveling - business and pleasure, so hopefully I can get some sunshine somewhere!

What's with the weather?

I'm so tired of this crazy weather that I should pack up and go to Florida for a week! Wait, I am -- in THREE weeks!

This weather is driving me crazy. I can't believe that I actually drove home today and it was snowing!

I Want My Hour Back!

I don't know about you, but I'm missing that hour that was taken away from me on Sunday! I can't seem to get the right amount of sleep and as the week goes on, I'm getting more and more crabby!

This last weekend was busy with parties - Sunday we started with a bowling party and ended with a swimming party!

Yesterday was a beautiful day and got me excited about Spring. I cannot wait for the warm weather to stay! Bring it on!

Less than two weeks left of Econ. Thank goodness! I have not enjoyed the class as much as I hoped I would. I got my book today for the next class. It's the hernia edition (big, thick, heavy book that will probably give me a hernia), so I can't wait to see the syllabus!

I was going through some stuff and found a song that Gary wrote for me on our last vacation. He never shared it with me, so I had no idea that it even existed until after he was gone. I haven't read it in awhile, so of course I was sobbing as I read it today. I still can't believe how long he has been gone, and how much I still miss him.

Not much else is going on. Busy at work. I feel like it's January based on the volume. The only way I can describe it to you is to compare it to drinking water out of a fire hose! Crazy stuff!

I've been working on improving this site. Scroll to the bottom for a surprise!

Bring on Spring!

This week was interrupted with a cold/flu/sinus thing. I was miserable the last few days. I'm starting to feel better, but I still have the cough. We all know that can linger on for awhile. All I know is that I'm ready for some Spring weather and some sunshine!

The weekend will be busy - Elijah is belt testing tomorrow and he has two birthday parties Sunday. We were also supposed to go see a Disney show at the Fischer Theatre, but it was canceled. They were nice enough to credit me for the tickets, but I lost the $4.25 per ticket service fee that Ticketmaster charges. Nice! They could have at least offered me a credit on my next purchase, but no. Remember that whenever you are buying tickets from Ticketmaster.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday the 14th

I don't know if any of you remember this spoof a movie back in the 80's. It was part comedy, part mild scary movie that made fun of the day after Friday the 13th. Each time the 14th falls on a Saturday, I think of it.

Anyway, not much is going on. Finishing up finance, getting adjusted to having another dog in the house, etc.

Elijah has been learning about the President this week. Yesterday he asked me if I knew that the president lives in a white house? I asked him if it's really big, he said yeah and it's all white! He's also learned about muscles and he told me that our hearts are not shaped like a heart you write on paper.

Today in karate he helped out the teacher and earned another paper star. That was the last on he needed to get another blue star for is Gi. He was very excited!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Stay warm!

Ernesto

Well, we made it through Ernesto! There were what they call rain squals, but other than that it wasn't too bad until around 6 p.m. Then the downpour began and did not want to stop!

Last night we went to a Pirate Adventure dinner theatre. It was great, but of course we got caught in the downpour! Everyone but Elijah was pretty soggy. It was a great show and the food was good. Elijah was too shy to participate on stage, but he did participate from his seat!

Don't know what the day holds for today, but it is sunny again! We did make it to Islands of Adventure the other day and there is a new ride at Seuss Landing. It's a train ride in the sky. We rode it twice and it takes you around Seuss Landing and you can see other parks within the park. Once again it is HOT here! When we left on Tuesday at around 4 p.m. it was 99 degrees!