Yum - Yum - Yum

Anyone not get enough to eat ... those people on Pine St. were stuffed. I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed the food and family. Wild Mom worked on getting the Christmas Tree up and the house cleaned up for company that is coming down for the weekend. Lady succumbed to the the turkey and dressing and took a nap after the meal. Well, I guess we all did that at different times yesterday. AJ sampled all the food but mashed potatoes remains his favorite. #1 squeezed a short nap in before he headed off to work last night. He just loves packing the boxes for Amazon.Com. So everyone order more off the Internet. #2 and Peanut went in early Friday to support all the Black Friday shoppers. Lady had the day off and stayed home with AJ. Of course, I went to work as if there was anything to do. There was a little bit but for the most part I just made work to stay busy. I figure Star ate so much she was overstuffed and fell asleep and missed calling me. Lew and Lil Princess spent the day with their other Grandparents. We missed them but understand.

There is a lot to be thankful for and though I may never say it right ... I am thinking it. There is lady as we head for our 36th anniversary next month. What would I and even we do with out her. #1, #2, and Peanut have a special place in my heart. Yes, we don't see eye-to-eye all the time but I wouldn't trade a moment. If anything, those stressful times give us a good laugh down the road. AJ, what can you say, he is a charmer that melts even the hardest hearts. he has filled this year with something new almost every day. For those that have chosen to move outside the family circle, I hope their choice is the right one. I do miss them and feel unfulfilled.

Then there is my mom ... she makes you laugh, smile, think, and love. Though we are almost 1000 miles apart, I can feel her in my heart. Even as we ate our Thanksgiving Day meal here, I remembered a few meals I had with her as I grew up. I can never eat corn bread dressing without thinking of her, especially when there are oysters in it. Apple nut salad is another memory jogger. If I had grown up not knowing her, I know I would not be the same and yes, better for it. Mom's are special and to see a child push their mom away is a painful thought. I for one, never want to spend a day without her.

Gobble Gobble - The Turkey isn't in the Oven

Well, the holiday season is about to start. Yesterday, we had a remote at Central Union Mission in Washington, DC. I was impressed. I can't imagine being in that situation but I can understand the circumstances. I am not too much on the homeless I see walking the streets but these men were sharp. I shows me that if you want to improve yourself there is a way ... and it goes right through Jesus Christ.

Wild Mom is fine and getting ready for the holidays. Lady is already thinking of the end of the year tax stuff at work. But she smiles as her two vacation requests have been accepted. #1 starts work tonight. It took a while but he is back on track. I don't have all the particulars but it sounds like a good job with decent pay. Peanut has a few days off for the holiday and that should prove a lot of fun. AJ is pulling himself up a lot right now. Seems he has figured out that standing up allows him to see a lot more.

Work is the same. The hardware is almost ready but the operators are no where near ready. Corporate is still being a bonehead on other projects and I just have to laugh at their cluelessness. The people that make informed decisions that effect my life are lost and in many ways have no clue. It makes you want to crawl into the corner and cover your head in fear.

I hope everyone has a great day Thursday and enjoys their time together with family. Yes, I wish there was more but I am thankful for what I have. Sometimes it is fun to think of what would it be like if I made a different decision somewhere in my life. But I always come back to dwell on what I would have lost and realize I prefer it this way.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and love those around you.

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I find it interesting that the Wizards get their head coach fired because of their poor play (1-10). Then they win the next game impressively for the new coach ... all the while spouting off how they loved the old coach. Well, someone is lying. These Prima Donna's could care less for anyone unless they can get money from them. They got the coach fired because of their inconsiderate actions and slow play. It is like they were holding back ... and for what? More money? In my mind these men are sad examples of a professional athlete. Or perhaps, they are representative of the sad state pro sports have reached as the dollar controls everything. maybe they should change their name to ... Washington Leeches.

Bailout CitiGroup? That is right let the citizen who is struggling to make a living give foot the bill for the Citigroup to pay $400 Million for the naming rights to the NY Mets Baseball Team.

I thought the Citizens of America were to choose their own representative to Congress? Not have a senate seat saved until the prior senator's son returns home from Iraq. have we turned into a Monarchy where birth determines who rules or leads? If this is the case, then lets just let the highest bidder buy the seat and then the money can help offset the bailout of companies that are fundamentally broke. The American Economy has been based on the survival of the fittest up until now. Now we bailout the broken and bankrupt companies ... allowing them to squander more money on their business plan that hasn't changed in 50 years.

Chuckles

Last night I saw a great T-Shirt ...

I love cats, but I can't eat a whole one by myself.

The weekend was good. We celebrated Paul's 28th birthday Friday night and we all managed to eat too much. Saturday was quiet but Lew and Lil Princess came over an livened things up. Sunday was the same as usual. The kids went 7-0 and stayed in the race to win the league while the Sunday Night team went 5-2 to move into 6th place. I was satisfied with my scores in both leagues. The evening ended by working on a friends laptop that was loaded with trojans. This week is Thanksgiving and should be fun and a chance to really over eat but a bit sad because I doubt everyone will be here. Star is excused since she is in Georgia but our hearts will be there with her. Besides, she probably burned another house and the turkey just to get practice.With a little luck, this week all the kids will be gainfully employed. Has the planets aligned in some freakish alignment? AJ is all over the place as his crawling skills increase. Now he is developing speed and he does have a high gear though nose dives are an occupational hazard. Peanut was going to PA for the holiday but this changed and we will get to have her here instead ... I like that arrangement better. Not that I am biased but she will have a better time here.

Looks like the next cruise will be in the fall of 2010 and we will go north to see the leaves change.

Time to run ... or rather time to go to work.

Sweet Dreams

Oh boy, winter is coming and the weather is getting cooler. Most of our leaves were knocked down this weekend. The combination of heavy rain and strong winds was too much. It was a busy weekend as everyone seemed to have something to do. Work remains pretty much the same and no relief in sight. Friday night was a "boys" night out as the women in our lives were on a retreat. Pastor Jim joined us and we did our best to eat all the steaks and cheese fries at Logan's Roadhouse.

Wild Mom is doing well and anxiously waiting for the crusie to get here. Still no buyer on the motor home. Lady went on a retreat, had a great time and returned with a sore throat. #1 hung around the house and grieved the Jaguars loss to a better team on Sunday. #2 went to PA to help someone move stuff. Work is very erratic for him. Peanut worked, rested and paid bills. Now come the problem of where to spend the left over. AJ is all over the place. His crawling skill increases daily and now he is even pulling up on low items. He had some trouble Sunday with an animal cracker but nothing that wasn't easily cleaned up. Tubs work wonders. Bowling was a mixed bag as two kids weren't there and bowling with 2 blind scores is a sure path to a loss. We continue to roll good on Sunday night and continued our slow ascent tothe top. Star is working and learning what it means to be a "rookie". Who knows, maybe one day she will be a runway model for Victoria's Secret. With everything going on this weekend, we didn't get to spend any time with Lil Princess and Lew. Is it possible to miss them so much in so little time. Saturday was spent driving down to a healing service at NewTown UMC near Williamsburg. Carl, Paul and I went. The highlight was the stop at Pierce's BBQ. That is some good eating and quite filling. The drive down and back was uneventful except for a broken windsheild wiper blade and one burned out headlamp. We even managed to fine gas for $1.80. Sunday ended with the "Mighty Redskins" kneeling in defeat to the "Desperate Cowboys." Yeah right. The announcers will say anything including reversing their spin when the games momentum changes. Life is almost perfect.

Yum - Yum

Time to update this thing before someone comes after me. Star's burn went well and we enjoyed the time spent together. The drive down was great as the leaves were just starting to turn. AJ and #2 went with us, so we had a car full. The jury is out on who (AJ or #2) travelled the best. After spending Friday Night and Saturday with Star we headed for Florida and a few days with Wild Mom. A few items were knocked off the sonny-do list and we saw our friends that mattered the most. The trip home included dinner at the Old Mill in Pidgeon Forge, TN. That is always a great meal. Oh, don't forget the stop at the Candy Factory next door. We returned with 2 lbs of chocolate covered raisins and 2 lbs of maple fudge with nuts. Returning home we got back into the work cycle. Saturday (Nov 1) was the Church's Fall Festival and that was great. Lil Princess, AJ and Lew looked great in their costumes for Trunk-or-Treat and we had a blast. Sure wish the other kids had spent the day with us but it seems more and more that they have no time for us. So we will love the GrandKids to death and make do with what we have.

Work is the same. The new project is coming along rather well. Tuesday the mail server crashed and caused me quite a few lost hours of sleep. Ever wonder what happens when you email a 180 Mb attachment to someone in the same office? Then send it again when it fails?

Lady is catching up on her missed work and trying to set aside some time to take Wild Mom to Pidgeon Forge in the near future.

#1 is doing well and keeping AJ occupied while Peanut works. She loves the manual work. Now I have to show her how to park the truck safely at work. Someone backed into it and crunched it. Luckily, someone saw it and wrote down the tag number and description. Monday, I am supposed to take it over and get it fixed at their expense.

#2 started his job at GameStop. Do I hear a small cheer! or gasp of surprise?

I guess we will see what the lowest rated Congress (lower than Bush) will do now that Obama is elected. They tanked the economy under Bush ... so what will they do with a bigger majority under Obama. Sell us out?