Vacation ???
May 19th
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Really, I haven’t been on a long extended vacation (don’t I wish). My computer took over 2 weeks to get back and have been playing catch up since then (along with 2 clients having audits, ugg).
Today is election day. I hope everyone votes. It is really important. I was taking my daughter to basketball at 5:40 AM! and there was a line of at least 10 people at my polling place.
Softball is now over for a month. Abby just participated in 2 college exposure tournaments and we have a couple of colleges that are expressing interest. Should be fun (and a learning experience) over the next year or so.
We did a college visit to SIU-Edwardsville on our way to St. Louis. Beautiful campus, lots of creative ideas. Really liked it.
Have a good one everyone, will be back to posting regularly again.
Computer Issues
May 19th
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Well this week has been interesting and a bit frustrating. Monday, I was sitting down to work on my computer about noon to get ready for a Tuesday meeting. Started up the computer, started to download my email, walked away for about 5 minutes, came back and my screen saver was frozen.
Wiggled the mouse, wiggled it again . . . nothing. Ctrl-Alt-Delete . . . nothing. Turned off the computer by pulling the battery. Started it back up, sounded normal, but nothing came back up on the monitor.
Got online with HP (on another computer), tried the suggestions they gave me . . . nothing. Early stages of panic. How do I get the info off my hard drive? Apparently, you can buy a special cable to get your info off your hard drive. Only drawback, the closest place I could find that cable was 25 miles away. So, off for a road trip. Got it, came back home. Took the hard drive out of my computer. Cables didn’t fit (or so I thought), got back online with HP. Discovered a part on the hard drive that pulled out. Found the right slots.
Plugged an external hard drive to my kitchen computer, plugged in my hard drive from my laptop, computer found them both. Copied data from laptop hard drive to external hard drive.
Whew. So fortunately, was able to be up and running by about noon Tuesday. Only lost a day, but have been feeling behind all week. I should have my computer back in about a week. It has already been shipped to the repair place. They should have it turned back around in about 5 business days. Good thing I bought the 3 year warranty, so this little episode at least won’t cost me anything.
1 week to go . . .
May 19th
Monday, August 25, 2008
1 week to go! The kids go back to school! They are getting mopey about it, but I am very excited. We have bought the school supplies, packed them in the backpacks, have the schedules. Caleb has Freshman Orientation on Friday, and we have parent orientation on Thursday night. I am trying to get them up earlier this week to start adjusting their body clocks back toward normal time, not night owl time that they have been on all summer.
Both of them have been re-doing their rooms. Abby has painted hers (raspberry pink and bright orange – I know, doesn’t sound good, but it looks terrific) and Caleb is contemplating lime green and a bright blue. I have had them go through and shovel out their rooms, and they have done a great job of sorting through 7 years of stuff. Cleaned out old clothes that got stuck in the back of the closet, broken toys and games, etc.
The weather has been perfect, really it is hard to believe that it is August in Illinois. Very few days of heat and high humidity. Overall, the summer has been great weatherwise.
Anybody got a great book they have read lately? I am in the middle of one that is making me think. After I finish it, I will post about it.
Air & Water Show
May 19th
Monday, August 18, 2008
Yesterday we went to the Chicago Air and Water Show for the first time ever. Tom really wanted to go, so we convinced the kids that it would be something different and fun to do, and it was.
Since the big crowd thing really isn’t for us, we decided to go to Navy Pier to watch. We got there early, grabbed a bench and sat in the shade of the grand ballroom. It was a perfect day, weather wise.
Being so far from the beach, some of the acts really didn’t visualize well (parachuters, helicopters), but the fighter planes were fantastic. Amazing acrobatics. Daring. Stomach in your throat type of stuff. And the Blue Angels . . . I really don’t know how they fly so close to each other. It looks like they are almost touching, they must have nerves of steel. They fly so fast, so high, that you lose them in the sky and then they appear out of nowhere. Very cool.
If you ever have the opportunity, go see the event. You will not regret it.
Waiting . . .
May 19th
Monday, August 4, 2008
Ever notice that when you are waiting for something, that something never arrives at the time it usually does?
Today, I am waiting for the mail. It is usually here between 10:30 – 11:00, and it is now 12:10 and it is not here yet.
Last week, I was waiting for a package from UPS, they usually deliver before noon, it didn’t make it until 2:00.
So today I am waiting (abeit impatiently) so I can leave at one time and do my errands (trying to be economical with the gas).
Time goes so slowly when you are waiting for something you need to get. And I am not a patient waiter, right now I could just jump out of my skin.
Summer routine . . . or lack of it
May 19th
Monday, July 28, 2008
I do enjoy summer – for all the reasons that I don’t like summer. I enjoy the heat, the kicked-back schedule, grilling out, you know – the lazy days of summer.
But . . . My life runs best when everyone in the house is on a schedule, a routine. The kind that everyone is up and out, doing their job (school or work) on a consistant basis. The thing I hate about summer is not having a schedule. Getting into a slower pace, the kids just hanging out, and underfoot.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the break, but we are 5 weeks away from routine starting again, and I miss it. I need it.
Starting to think about back-to-school, and getting excited about it. It is like a New Years in the middle of the year. Time to re-commit, start new things, and get back into a routine.
5 weeks . . .
Softball
May 19th
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Hard to believe, but after next week my daughter’s travel softball season will be over. It has so far been 7 straight weekends, we get this weekend off(?) because we have to travel to Kansas for a week long World Series. It has been an interesting season, mostly because of some things that happened at the very beginning of the season (1 player quit, another sick, another hurt) so it has been a season of adjustments. They have had to adjust to 5 new players and there was just a bonding and learning curve. It took longer than we expected, but they are finally jelling as a team.
It has been tough on the parents, because we know what this team can do when it is clicking on all cylinders. We are hoping that next week this season pays off for them, that they play to their potential, and they have a successful Nationals trip.
Hot Day
May 19th
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
At least today isn’t humid too, but it is 90 with a hot sun. I accidently left my trail mix and granola bar in the car and the chocolate melted and was hot – yuck. I don’t mind the heat, but I hate getting into a hot car (leather seats, ‘nough said) and waiting for it to cool down – of course, just in time to pull into my next appointment.
When it is this hot out, the kids don’t like to be outside, so they are around underfoot, playing Guitar Hero, or watching TV, or on the computer. They start to get on each others nerves, and then mine.
What do you do on hot days to keep cool? How do you keep your kids entertained?
Start of something new
May 19th
Monday, July 14, 2008
I have been thinking about blogging for a while now, and have decided to take the plunge. I am not sure what this will be about, but I am going to try this so that I try to pay attention more to daily life. I get so busy and tunnel-focused that I miss alot and I want to change that. I am a wife, mom, self-employed, and a child of God. Hopefully this will be a fun ride. Thanks for coming with . . .
