What a great Saturday today was for me!  (even though its after midnight, and now Sunday) I love days that just make me happy all the way around!

All morning long we slaved (ok Hubby slaved and I supervised) over the yard decorations.   We added to our collection, didn’t use a few things we normally use, and decided to think about some other things we just didn’t feel right about.   We also shook it up a bit and are trying something new.   Hint:  A shovel is part of it.  LOL

I took a few pictures today but we might need to add a few more finishing touches tomorrow.  So sadly I’m going to wait to post those.  

As for tonight, it was a blast!  I probably had more fun tonight than I have had in years going out with friends (ok, well maybe not more fun, but different fun—SCARY fun!)    *Our friends need names…I’ll get back to you with those*  We started off with dinner, we went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries!   Yum!   Oh, and the Cajun fries are to die for!

I printed off a handful of different haunted house info sheets, (times/where/cost etc.) and brought them with us to dinner so we could choose what we wanted to do.  We all decided on a Haunted House that you had to sign a waiver to get into.  Too funny!   Of course if you have to sign a waiver; it must be good, right?   It was in a paintball building…and yes it was good.  It was fun!   And when we were done, we realized it was still WAY TO EARLY to go home…so we headed out to the country for more screaming excitement!

I have been learning that sometimes you have to work with what you have.  In this instance, I only had Hubby’s Camera Phone to work with.   Not the most clear, nor the most pretty…but something none-the-less.

Corn Maze + Haunted House = Field of Screams

And that it was.   I am sure that you all heard me screaming at the top of my lungs tonight from so very far away…Canada, California, Colorado, the Moon.   Yes it was me, and I’m already paying dearly for it.   My throat is killing me.   Figures!  Nothing fun comes without a price.

Nothing like having a creepy school bus inside the corn maze, with fog coming out of it, and as you walk by it the door opens, and the bus driver scares the crap right out of you…and then when you are trying to run past the front of the bus he turns on his lights and honks the horn at you…OH. MY. GOSH. DID. I. JUST. WET. MY. PANTS?  LOL

Here is a picture of Hubby and I, just before the regular corn maze (not haunted).  

We learned about pigs…How many toes do pigs have?    Are pigs used for any type of medicines?  Interesting stuff I tell you!

And our sweet friends that were kind enough to hang with us for the evening.   I think next time they’ll want to go somewhere quiet…or they’ll bring ear plugs.  

I need to get myself to bed.  BabyAm is still up studying.  Hubby and Humphrey Bogart are in bed snoring, and me and Tommy Lee are in the recliner (blogging) with a little bit of a headache, tired feet and droopy eyes.  

Thanks everyone for a lovely day!!!

We are fast approaching my favorite holiday…and this weekend will bring so much excitement for me (decorating).   I wish I had a never-ending bank account so that I could just keep adding and adding to my spook-fever fun!

I had my years of “Casper the Friendly Ghost,” smiling pumpkins and black cats in festive hats.  I’m soooo done with that!

Now that BabyAm is grown (aka no more little kids at home) and she doesn’t even hang out on Halloween anymore…I can decorate how I want.   Hubby has been so obligatory and helpful!!!  I think he has just as much fun as I do, he just doesn’t admit it as openly.   I have to admit though, some of my friends and family do not completely understand my fascination with Halloween and all the ghoulish parts of it.   It’s ok though, I hope they still love me no matter.

This weekend the coffin gets dusted off and brought out along with the bones, the skulls, the spiders (a million other fun things)…

…and the newest addition to my freak-show…but you’ll have to wait to see it!  I will post pictures by Sunday I hope!

We are also going to hang out with some friends of ours on Saturday night.  We are going to visit a fun haunted house or two, and a field of screams!   Nothing like a great adult night of terror! 

What is your favorite holiday, and why?

Actually it is…

Time Smoke-Free: 101 days, 21 hours, 3 minutes and 8 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 2038

Lifetime Saved:  15 days, 13 hours

Money Saved: $448.44

I have to tell you that BabyAm is doing a great job at getting the driving issues out of the way quickly!   I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.  But at any rate, she is definitely her mothers daughter.  No doubt about it.

In my many many years of driving, I feel like I’ve had it all happen to me.   From flat tires, speeding tickets, heater cores going out all the way to other things like dropping a drive line in the middle of the road and rear-ending a lady who was on her way to a funeral (she was driving a Cadillac) and we can’t forget locking the keys in a running car, in my driveway, that I was test driving. *sigh*

So, I must give a little grace to the little girl.  Don’t  you think?  OH how hard it is though.  She’s been driving for 7 weeks! 

First, she was in a little fender/bender (literally) in the college parking lot.  couldn’t really tell who’s fault it was…and this guy also had the same insurance we do…which would just slam us…so he and Hubby shook on it, and it was over.  Hubby did what he could for the car, and it doesn’t look too bad.  It could look way way way worse!

Fast forward to yesterday.  She went to breakfast with a Sorority Sister, when she arrived, she locked and shut the doors.   Good girl!!!!!   When she came out after breakfast she saw that she had left her keys in the ignition…and they were locked inside the car…oops!

Then she called me because she didn’t have her AAA card with her…since she wasn’t buying she left her purse in the car.   You see her AAA card was in her wallet, that was in her purse, that was now locked inside her car, along with her keys.   (That reminds me, I need to tell her about BooMama and her purses that have been stolen out of her car…purse S!   Ladies don’t leave your purse in the car, I need to be more mindful of that myself.)

Anyway, last night, I was visiting with Hubby and told him that these things usually come in 3’s and that I was now just waiting for a ticket.   Now I quickly knocked on wood…and giggled because she thankfully drives pretty slow and seems to be careful.   I reminded myself that she is not me.  Thank goodness, poor kid!

Today…I had to go by her old High School because the college never received her final transcript.  I then hand delivered it to the college.  BabyAm was in between classes so I took her to lunch and we discussed “lights on when it’s raining” and I told her that yes you should have them on; BUT that she needs to make sure and turn them off.  She said that she did, but me talking about it made her 2nd guess herself.   I took her back to class.   Do you see where this is going? 

I got the call an hour later.   I couldn’t call AAA again. I just couldn’t do it.  I know that is what we pay for, but…I still have SOME pride.  LOL   Mind you, Hubby is out of town, and won’t be home until midnight tonight…(so the lucky guy missed both little “accidents”).

BabyAm wasted no time in heading to the campus library, she had things to do before her night class (that’s why she was coming home)…so I didn’t want to have her come all the way back down to help me, unless I really needed her. Then it hit me…I had just hung up with Belly Dump (my dad) and realized that he was out and about, so I called and asked him if he wanted to come down and help a “grand-daughter” out this time…he said yes.  

While waiting…I decided to try and jump the car myself.   I seriously could not believe that I was going to do this.  I pulled into the parking lot and luckily there was space on both sides of the car.  

I unlocked the car with the spare key that I found yesterday afternoon (after the AAA locksmith got us outta the jam in the morning), and got out the jumper cables (from the trunk).  

Then I went to work on my project.  I looked like a woman on a mission.  I got some seriously strange looks from students, probably professors and also from people I couldn’t tell which they were.  No one of course offered to help though.  BUT, that’s ok!  I did it myself!!!  All by myself!   *pat, pat*

So, she gets outta class again in less than an hour.  I’m hoping that she doesn’t have to call me to come back.  I let it run for quite awhile, so I think I’m ok.

Please please please don’t think I’m down on BabyAm…I am not.  She makes me laugh.   She’s learning so much about life, in just these past 7 weeks…all of it has really been a blessing in disguise.

I’d love to hear your driving stories!   BabyAm probably would at this point too!

Homecoming…”Decade’s”…

Can you name that decade?

*Small Print:  Due to college tuition, and sorority dues, I am afraid there will be no prize at this time.  LOL  Sorry!

How is it that a pharmacy can charge you $47 for a RX, but another only $6.   Can you say scam?   And the first one has the WORST customer service possible.   Yes, I transferred my RX.

How can I do so much during the day, and still not get anything actually cleaned?   I’ve accomplished tons the past couple days…but have nothing to show for it.  How does that work?

Do you wonder if Organizational Professionals…you know the ones that come to your house and get you organized…do you wonder if their houses are organized or if they are so sick of organization that their house is a pit-hole?  

Why do I feel the urge to start Christmas Shopping?  It is not my favorite holiday and our Halloween Decorations are not even out yet (which IS my favorite holiday)…maybe it’s that so many stores have both Halloween and Christmas stuff out already.   I don’t understand.

Both my mom’s read here…so they’ll probably wonder (and the rest of the family too) why I’m saying this next random thought.  (I however don’t really have a reason, but I think about it a lot when making choices/decisions)  Why is it, that no matter how old we are, we find ourselves trying to please our parents…or wondering what will they think about this/that decision of mine, will they hate me, will they not talk to me again, will they be proud of me, will they approve, what will they say?   I’m almost 40 (oh dear heaven) so why do I need to worry?  I don’t know, but I do.  Do you?

Some Secrets are sooooo Hard to Keep – Part 1

Impatiently Waiting – Part 2

Now it’s party time!    We made it into the counseling office just in time.   The Dark Knight had been called out of his class by both the counseling office and the attendance office.   And when he walked in he was completely in shock (happy shock though) and the only words he could say were “Um, does my mom know you’re here?” and he gave big hugs to all of us.    Way cool!!!!

What a cutie huh?   Hard to believe he turned 18 on last Sunday.   He’s a great young man, we are so proud of him.

We took him for a quick lunch then back for a meeting he had, and when he finally was done with school stuff we loaded him and Sailor Girl in the car and headed off to see her horse, Beauty.  (I have tons more pictures from the stables but I know I need to save space for the party!)

We stopped at the store, grabbed some much needed supplies for the b-day dinner, several containers of ice-cream!  YUM!

Their home is beautiful and nested down in sort of a gorge type area.  Lots of trees surrounding it.

     Ah…berries, I’m thinking blackberries…don’t they look yummy???  I had been complaining about wanting to stop to pick some, all the way from the store to the house, because the bushes were everywhere…and they kept telling me that there weren’t any…LIARS!   These however were JUST BARELY out of my reach in the back yard! *sigh*

Time to head in.   Time for Hubby to see The Dark Knight’s Mom for the first time in 7 years.  Not just see her, but spend the evening with her and a bunch of people from their years together.    A little un-nerving, to say the least, for all of us.

We were warmly welcomed in and got the teenager tour (quick).  This room we were particularly interested in, because it was nothing like we’d ever seen.  WOW!   BabyAm will get a bit more grace I’m sure from now on from Dad.  LOL – Can you imagine?  And the rest of the house looked just the opposite! 

Scary!  Be careful, you could get lost (or eaten alive) in there!

I’m just going to post some party pictures, it’s so hard for me to tell you who all these people are and how they fit in to The Dark Knight’s life.   Everyone was very nice, very accommodating and fun to visit with.

I know he’s sittin here thinkin…let’s just ease into this evening.   My parents are all here, friends and family are starting to arrive and I need to just “chill” for a bit.  Colorful pens and paper set out to write “words of wisdom” on for The Dark Knight.

Does she look like she’s got some serious words of wisdom, or what?

Yep, The Dark Knight thinks “Or what”!  LOL

 

Happy 18th Birthday Dark Knight!!!!!

I kinda look like I have the “bossy cow” look goin on.
I wonder what I was talkin about… I can however say, that when someone cooks for me,
my instinct (Thanks Mom) is to help clean up!

  Guess this next one could be considered helping clean up too?
In her defense…those were the best mashed baked potatoes I’ve ever had!

  This is the shield that The Dark Knight asked for on his birthday list that we got him.  It is  custom made funky thing.   It’s strange to us…BUT he was jacked!   We made him promise to show us his progress on it.  It’s basically a blank canvas (obviously) and he has already designed his crests.  

This last one is one for the scrapbook! 
None of us ever thought we would see this picture! 
It really is a great one!

Wish we could have gotten a picture of the 6 of us!
Maybe at Graduation!

Just so you know, I have one more post left of this trip…its on our way home.   We made a special stop and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.  Don’t forget to come back.

Some Secrets Are Sooooo Hard to Keep – Part 1

Welcome to Part 2!

We got into Seattle very late (ok 1:30am) and dropped into bed.   We made plans to have breakfast with Hubby’s Sis at the restaurant on-site.   We met in the lobby of the the Hotel, and headed off.   Here is where I asked Hubby to write about our experience (so I could focus on getting this post done – or maybe it’s because I’m lazy I’m not sure which)

Positively the WORST breakfast ever.

The morning of the 23^rd of September, 2009 we were staying at the Red Lion Bellevue and decided to meet my sister for breakfast.  Since we all were going to be in a bit of a hurry that morning, we decided to meet in the hotel’s attached “restaurant”.  Jonah’s has to be positively the worst breakfast I have had in a hotel in years.  Though we don’t travel extensively, I have traveled 5 or 10 times in the last couple of years for business and have had breakfast at everything from a Super 8 to a Marriott and most in between.

Upon entering Jonah’s, we were greeted from across the room with “do you want the buffet or something from the menu”, we decided to go with the buffet because it would be something easy and quick.  The buffet food was luke warm at best, oatmeal was lumpy, fruit was not really cold, eggs were runny, meat was, well…questionable.  It was just that, a typical LOW END breakfast buffet that, even though it was only 7 AM, could have been sitting there for hours.  Someone does not know how to run a chafing dish or ice bucket.  Every single “Free” breakfast buffet that we have come across in hotels we have stayed at as been head and shoulders above this one.

Our only interaction with the “waiter” was that he brought a coffee pot to the table and dropped it off, then he brought our check.  This guy does pretty well for himself because he gets to add a mandatory 20 percent gratuity to everyone’s bill….  With that said, for four of us, the terrible breakfast buffet was $74.00.  NEVER NEVER AGAIN. 

And now as I do a little bit of researching, here is someone else’s observation.  Wish we would have know before we went there!

I don’t know why I’m posting these pictures, but for some reason I just was a little unsettled about seeing these two things as we were pulling out of the parking lot.

 

Next we headed off to Battery Acid Park, I for some reason can’t remember it’s real name which is actually Gas Works Park.  LOL

The changing colors of the trees are just amazing!  I could have spent hours there just trying to capture the colors perfectly.  Pretty place.  Very quick stop.  We had some other fun places to visit.

What would a trip to Seattle be without a trip down “Memory Lane”?   You know, Hubby grew up in the area…he took us to his old Apartment (Duplex) on Capital Hill!   It’s cute huh?

The outside pictures help us to understand these inside pictures we were so kindly given by one of Hubby’s roommates!   I love these pictures!

Sorry, couldn’t help myself with the blast from the past!  Let’s head back to present day.

The next site on our list before heading to surprise the B-day Boy, was we had to go by the University of Washington.   BabyAm plans to go to medical school and this one is the closest to home!     School doesn’t start until THIS Monday, so we had it all to ourselves…almost.   What a beautiful campus.   Here see for yourself. 

This picture below cracks me up.   Dad and Daughter “gotta support the team”…
but WRONG college.  I’m surprised they didn’t get beat up! 

 

You think we would miss the chance to drive up and down (several times) Greek Row ?  

NICE!   Oh man…this is scary!

Since BabyAm was invited to be (and accepted) a sister of Alpha Xi Delta, a picture of the sorority house was a MUST… 

 

…plus a few others, I wonder why!?

 

Alright we need to head to the other side of the lake, on the floating bridge so we can make our 12:30pm surprise happen…(Picking up The Dark Knight from school)

 

We still had a couple more minutes before  arriving at the school, so we decided on one more stop, Marsh Park.

You’re dying for B-day party pictures aren’t you?   
Well…here’s a sneak preview just for shoe!

 

I’m writing this on Tuesday afternoon.  I won’t however be publishing it until after Wednesday evening.   (Ok, I’m slow it’s Friday now and some of this reads in the past, and some of it reads like it’s just now happening.   sorry, I don’t have it in me to make sure it’s all one way or the other.  LOL – Lazy!)

A few weeks ago we were all so very excited to receive an email from The Dark Knight’s mom, inviting us to dinner at their house on the night of the 23rd (in Seattle) to celebrate his, dare I say, 18th birthday dinner with them and several other special guests that have been a part of his life; that he is not expecting either.   We couldn’t wait to get our plans in order! 

I must tell you that, we originally didn’t want to tell anyone we were coming…my husbands side of the family because this is such a whirlwind trip (and was it ever!) that we didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not being able to stop and see them.   However, we knew we needed to tell them (it would be rude if we didn’t)…and we sure are going to do what we can to at least have a cup of coffee while we’re there. (Remind me to tell you about the $70 buffet breakfast we had while there with Hubby’s Sis)

If BabyAm didn’t have college classes we were working around, it wouldn’t be so bad, but there is just no way to make this work during the week without her missing some classes and other activities (Reminder number two—where we went while in Seattle that relates to school and activities).   College just stinks all the way around.   It’s getting in the way of lots of fun with the family…LOL.  Just kidding.

So here we are on the road to Seattle.   Oregon farm country at this moment, which is like being no-where to be honest.   Just sagebrush, little foothills and hay fields.   Ooooh, so much fun.

Quick stop at the scenic overlook!

 

I told you they had a bunch of hayfields-then I saw this!  I wasn’t lying!

Hubby’s such a cutie! 

Oh my gosh you would not believe the black cows!   Millions of them!  I wish I could have gotten a picture of them…  I didn’t have any idea that cows could be so racist.   There are only a VERY FEW brown cows in the mix.  And it was so sad, we just past a fence with about 9 black ones just standing next to each other staring out like they wanted/needed to be adopted.  Heartbreaking.

Here’s an interesting piece of information; we just past the 45th parallel – halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.  Just outside of North Powder Oregon, on I84. – (However in my research for a nice little link about it, some say it is actually not 1/2 way between them…and it does make sense, I’m not sure who explains it better though.)

Listening to SIRIUS Radio – “80’s on 8” – lots of one hit wonders!   ‘Til Tuesday (Voices Carry)…oh and now we are blessed with Rick Springfield…sing it with me! 

I’ve.done.everything.for.you!…You’ve.done.nothing.for.me!  I’ve.done.everything.for.you!…You’ve.done.nothing.for.me!

Only 45 more miles until we stop for dinner, then we’ll be about 1/2 way.   We are going to eat at a favorite of my Penguin In-Laws called something like Miss Patti’s.  

Guess they make their own potato chips and they come out nice and hot with your meal.   Sounds yummy huh?   (we didn’t see anything on the menu about chips, maybe it was because it was dinner time?)

It must have been an off night for them…because my personal favorite out of everything (service, salad-bar, presentation, taste etc.) was the coffee.  Seriously, I got a to-go cup it was that.good.

We also took a quick stop for a photo-op of another favorite of my Penguin Mom-In-Law…MOST every time they come to see us they stop here to see if she can find any wonderful bargains.  The Pendleton Woolen Mill.

 

And BabyAm captured a beautiful picture of the sun setting as we were leaving.

Ok, gotta tell ya all something kind of funny.   Hubby insisted we get a new bug deflector for the car before our trip.  I can tell you right now that though I am sure it is working…it’s not working perfectly because, the biggest baddest full of gushy goo bugs have hit our windshield…more than once.  GROSS!

Example 1 

Example 2

…and all my instincts they return, the grand facade so soon will burn, without a noise without my pride I reach out from the inside…in your eyes, the light the heat, (your eyes) I am complete… Peter Gabriel (In Your Eyes)

While I’m busy typing away, Hubby is driving, and BabyAm…she’s nesting in the backseat with her Romance Novel…trying to ignore the “name that tune” game that is going on in the front seat.   She’s precious isn’t she?

Elevation 4193 Blue Mountain Summit!!!  Pretty!  Too bad the mountains really don’t look blue.  But it’s so beautiful.

I must confess, though this is going to be a wonderful (but quick trip) one of the of the hardest things about is…I had to leave my darling little 4-legged boys.  They needed a short trip to see if they could handle being away from all of us (yah, right…more like us away from them, but seriously they haven’t been without all of us EVER, in 3 years) so we asked around and found somewhere where we think they’ll be happy.   They can have their own bedding, their own toys, personal playtime (one on one)…a thing called a bizzie bone that is a special mixture of treats frozen inside a kong…and it’s about an 8 x 8 room, with a little toddler bed in the room…well you can just see for yourself.  It’s called the BSU Suite!

Spoiled huh?  OMGosh I know.  Please don’t hate me because I’m an over the top momma.  I can’t help myself.  I know I’ll be bawling by nights end.  But I’m not going to tell anyone about that. 

Now that you’ve gotten the first part of the trip…I’ll get the second half finished up for you.  It’s the best part!   Please come back!

…A rant from a wife and mom on the edge…

Alright my friends, we have a first here.  An anonymous post.  Sometimes we need to vent and get things off our chest so that we can help to heal.   I know I have felt the need to vent, and even some of the things that our fellow blogger buddy below has felt.   This is an older post for her, she just wasn’t ready to share it until now.   Please feel free to leave her comments, and lots of encouragement too.

I’ve had it so far that I’m writing and posting about this.  It’s not often that I rant about my life but I’m done. Today? I’m done.

I am so tired of doing this parenting-taking care of the house-cleaning-chores-paying the bills-stuff by myself. I have been at the school 3 of 4 days this week, planned all of the meals (save for one because WE WERE GONE FROM 3:45 UNTIL 8PM, dammit), done laundry, bathed the children, done homework with them, and gotten them to bed all by myself. You? On the couch. Going golfing? Oh, and call me with a phone number that I need?

No. No to all of it. I’m done this week.

I’m tired of budgeting. I’m tired of sweating when the bills are coming due and wondering where the money is coming from. I’m tired of doing all of the things that we used to share that now fall on my plate. You sit on the damn couch, watching the flipping golf channel or watching some stupid reality show. You leave trash all over the counters and argue with me why I put things away ‘where they don’t belong’. Um, doesn’t trash belong in the trash? Pot, meet kettle.

I’m tired of being the bad guy when it comes to chores and homework and food. The holiday weekend? A movie and 36 holes of golf for you and the boys. Me? Laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping. You asked what I was doing? Yea, taking care of all the stuff that HAS to be done but never getting to the stuff I want to do.

I know you work hard. But so do I and there is a ton of stuff around here that needs attention that I can’t do by myself. Changing out plugs and light switches? I’d electrocute myself. Ask you to do it and I’m still waiting-6 years later.

The new chore lists for the kids are a help to some degree but most of it I either have to tell them to do (yes including the 18yo. that I’m certain knows how to read) or teach them, which, if you haven’t noticed, takes more time than doing it myself. I think that this is why the oldest is getting on my last nerve-we’ve never required anything of her and she’s getting really good at delivering up to those expectations.

As our son is so fond of saying "I’m tired of it."

Just so tired of it.

Friends if you need to get something off your chest anonymously please let me know – I’m happy to let you vent here.