Welcome 2011! I think this will be a wonderful year for our family.
Clay and Jenn are happily, if not tiredly, raising two beautiful sweet little girls, my two little hearts, Laina and Addison, so adorable! I think Laina is already accepting the new addition. She is such a smart girl. How can she not be with Clay and Jenn for parents.
Niki and Josh are expecting our little Belly Bean this summer. Poor heart, Niki is experiencing the wonderfulness of pregnancy. She is suffering from nausea and needing to nap all the time. She hopes the 2nd trimester will be easier. Josh is so supportive. He is a pretty amazing young man. I think we'll keep him!
I now have a way to see my babies, big and small, on X-Box! I got us all Kinect for Christmas and now I can video chat with them and see Miss Laina running around and Addison sleeping. Laina isn't too sure where I am, but she knows Grandma is SOMEWHERE. Not that it holds her attention for too long. There are many things that can keep a one year old busy and Grandma via video feed isn't too big on the list! But it is HUGE on mine.
I have decided to continue working until at least 65. Retirement at 62 sounded so wonderful until I found out Medicare insurance doesn't kick in until 65. So, I will be a working stiff for another 3 1/2 years. I will keep busy with my volunteer work no matter how old I get for that is very fulfilling and helping others makes me feel good.
My new house is coming along well. I am still waiting for the couch to arrive. Should be here some time this month, most likely towards the end as it had to be built. I bought it from LazBoy. I hope it will be as comfy and beautiful as imagined when I planned and ordered it.
I bought a beautiful console for the living room for the TV. I got it from World Market. It was like a clown car scene getting that huge box into either Niki's Genesis (didn't come close) and then my 500. It worked but it took some engineering on Josh and my parts. I have decided that Josh is a saint, granted one that cusses, but a saint nonetheless. He put together the console. The holes were misaligned so we had to go to Wally World on New Year's day to buy a drill and bits. He made it work. I told Niki she needed to keep him around. He is handy as well as a nice guy. (Oops I may have just ruined his rep!)
Josh also put together my tv/xbox/kinect and gave me a tutorial on how to work it. I have discovered a few things on my own too, like sending my pictures from my computer to my xbox and how to view them. I also added a music station and have been chilling to some Cold Play and Evanescence. Coffee is counteracting the depressive side of their music! And every now and then last.fm throws in some Stones so I'm good!
After Josh and Niki left last night, I put together a cabinet I bought for the bedroom TV. I have decided "Some Assembly Required" must be on the top ten list of most hated phrases in the English language. I did a little cussing of my own, Josh, so I didn't speak out of turn when I mentioned your colorful use of words!
I am beginning to get things together and my new place is shaping up. Still need to get things out of the POD in my backyard. That will take time as that is where the big pieces of what is left of my old furniture is stored. Those will need more than my measly muscles. My wonderful friend, Nina Blanchard, helped me empty out the climate controlled storage on New Year's Eve. We were a sight, two women beginning their 60's loading stuff on dollies and carting it in and out our vehicles. We may have had to rest more often then we would have had we been in our younger years, but we did accomplish our goal. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Nina is such a great person. She is one of my dearest friends and I would do anything for her as she does for me. Really true friends are such a treasure.
New Year's Eve, one of my bestest friends of 40+ years, Lynn and I continued our tradition of getting together to have a feast to start our new year. We order steamed lobster and cook steak, and do some tasty veggies. This year we had grilled asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, a lovely colorful salad, strawberry cheesecake with strawberry topping, wine and champagne. We buy champagne glasses that have the new year numbers..have for several years. It is a good way to open the new year, with a friend, more like a sister.
Niki and Josh are expecting our little Belly Bean this summer. Poor heart, Niki is experiencing the wonderfulness of pregnancy. She is suffering from nausea and needing to nap all the time. She hopes the 2nd trimester will be easier. Josh is so supportive. He is a pretty amazing young man. I think we'll keep him!
I now have a way to see my babies, big and small, on X-Box! I got us all Kinect for Christmas and now I can video chat with them and see Miss Laina running around and Addison sleeping. Laina isn't too sure where I am, but she knows Grandma is SOMEWHERE. Not that it holds her attention for too long. There are many things that can keep a one year old busy and Grandma via video feed isn't too big on the list! But it is HUGE on mine.
I have decided to continue working until at least 65. Retirement at 62 sounded so wonderful until I found out Medicare insurance doesn't kick in until 65. So, I will be a working stiff for another 3 1/2 years. I will keep busy with my volunteer work no matter how old I get for that is very fulfilling and helping others makes me feel good.
My new house is coming along well. I am still waiting for the couch to arrive. Should be here some time this month, most likely towards the end as it had to be built. I bought it from LazBoy. I hope it will be as comfy and beautiful as imagined when I planned and ordered it.
I bought a beautiful console for the living room for the TV. I got it from World Market. It was like a clown car scene getting that huge box into either Niki's Genesis (didn't come close) and then my 500. It worked but it took some engineering on Josh and my parts. I have decided that Josh is a saint, granted one that cusses, but a saint nonetheless. He put together the console. The holes were misaligned so we had to go to Wally World on New Year's day to buy a drill and bits. He made it work. I told Niki she needed to keep him around. He is handy as well as a nice guy. (Oops I may have just ruined his rep!)
Josh also put together my tv/xbox/kinect and gave me a tutorial on how to work it. I have discovered a few things on my own too, like sending my pictures from my computer to my xbox and how to view them. I also added a music station and have been chilling to some Cold Play and Evanescence. Coffee is counteracting the depressive side of their music! And every now and then last.fm throws in some Stones so I'm good!
After Josh and Niki left last night, I put together a cabinet I bought for the bedroom TV. I have decided "Some Assembly Required" must be on the top ten list of most hated phrases in the English language. I did a little cussing of my own, Josh, so I didn't speak out of turn when I mentioned your colorful use of words!
I am beginning to get things together and my new place is shaping up. Still need to get things out of the POD in my backyard. That will take time as that is where the big pieces of what is left of my old furniture is stored. Those will need more than my measly muscles. My wonderful friend, Nina Blanchard, helped me empty out the climate controlled storage on New Year's Eve. We were a sight, two women beginning their 60's loading stuff on dollies and carting it in and out our vehicles. We may have had to rest more often then we would have had we been in our younger years, but we did accomplish our goal. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Nina is such a great person. She is one of my dearest friends and I would do anything for her as she does for me. Really true friends are such a treasure.
New Year's Eve, one of my bestest friends of 40+ years, Lynn and I continued our tradition of getting together to have a feast to start our new year. We order steamed lobster and cook steak, and do some tasty veggies. This year we had grilled asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, a lovely colorful salad, strawberry cheesecake with strawberry topping, wine and champagne. We buy champagne glasses that have the new year numbers..have for several years. It is a good way to open the new year, with a friend, more like a sister.
So, even though, this is only the 2nd day of the new year, I have a feeling that it will be one of those that is remembered for wonderful things. There have been years that hard things happened, but as the years progressed, God sent blessings as well.
1994, being a single mom and leaving League City was tough, but we moved here and my parents were so supportive and wonderful to Niki, Clay and I. They were the best of the best. We made a great life for ourselves and it has worked out because Niki and Clay have grown into such amazing young adults. I know that the divorce was hard on them, but again we managed and our life was pretty darn good here.
2005 we lost mom to pancreatic cancer. That was so frigging hard! I never thought I would survive that, but she did give me her strength and I triumphed over my grief, tho I still miss her like crazy. 2005 also gave us Clay's graduation from high school with honors, just as Niki did in 2003. My so very smart kids! My grandkids are and will be so darn intelligent as they take after their parents! (I throw Jenn and Josh in that mix because they are both smarty-patooties!)
Then in 2010 we lost dad in an accident when someone was being inattentive while driving, but we added Addison to our family and Laina became a big sister.
We may have had our trials and tribulations, but we had our joy and wonder which overshadowed the bad.
I raise my glass (or cup of coffee as it is 10am on a Sunday no less--could be mimosas, thought, wouldn't that be appropriate?) to all that awaits us in 2011. I know it will be a great year!
Happy New Year!
1994, being a single mom and leaving League City was tough, but we moved here and my parents were so supportive and wonderful to Niki, Clay and I. They were the best of the best. We made a great life for ourselves and it has worked out because Niki and Clay have grown into such amazing young adults. I know that the divorce was hard on them, but again we managed and our life was pretty darn good here.
2005 we lost mom to pancreatic cancer. That was so frigging hard! I never thought I would survive that, but she did give me her strength and I triumphed over my grief, tho I still miss her like crazy. 2005 also gave us Clay's graduation from high school with honors, just as Niki did in 2003. My so very smart kids! My grandkids are and will be so darn intelligent as they take after their parents! (I throw Jenn and Josh in that mix because they are both smarty-patooties!)
Then in 2010 we lost dad in an accident when someone was being inattentive while driving, but we added Addison to our family and Laina became a big sister.
We may have had our trials and tribulations, but we had our joy and wonder which overshadowed the bad.
I raise my glass (or cup of coffee as it is 10am on a Sunday no less--could be mimosas, thought, wouldn't that be appropriate?) to all that awaits us in 2011. I know it will be a great year!
Happy New Year!
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