Merry Christmas!

What a lovely Christmas. Everyone home after two years of missing the eldest. We did our traditional pizza by candlelight on Christmas Eve, as we have done for the past 16 years. As they get older, it gets harder to get a nice picture of all of them. But look who's the worst culprit
















I finally got a picture that looked like a nice normal family. Sort of.
















Today the famiy enjoyed Eric's new "Guitar Hero World Tour" video game. It comes with a guitar, drums, and a mike. In this family of hams, there was no shortage of people willing to warble the vocals to the likes of "Welcome to the Hotel California" and "American Woman". You really haven't lived until you've heard Anisa belting out the Michael Jackson song "Beat It". "Just beat it...."















Doug's gift of the Seinfield "Scene It" was fun too. Men against women probably wasn't the smartest way for us to play the game. Between Doug, Craig and Eric, they had a vast pool of knowledge to contribute. Galen and Carol joined us today also, as their family has been delayed coming home due to all the snow of the past week. Hopefully they will make it tomorrow.

I foolishly requested the boys to let me take a group photo at the end of the day. Mine all immediately morphed into poses. I cut Craig out because he just looked too sinister. I hope Anisa got a good one of the four boys because I didn't. Why can't they all be cute and smile like Duane?






















Doesn't Duane's leg look good? He's getting around very well on crutches. He's had an interesting week. Monday he took a dive off a sled and ended up in the hospital with a broken leg. He had to go to the Sacred Heart in Springfield Monday evening and had surgery to place a rod from his knee to his ankle on Tuesday morning. I visited the family there and was amazed at the beauty of this lovely new facility. The pediatric ward where he spent two nights was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and the whole place was just gorgeous. Beautiful or not, he was more than ready to come home!

Craig took a fall during a snowball fight last week and broke his ankle. I believe that's the third time in his life. He's wearing a boot similar to Duane's but can walk without crutches.

So we have much to be thankful for, most of all that Jesus loves us all, "normal" or not.

Another Snow Day!

Monday, Tuesday, and now Friday this week have been snow days. In my nine years of working for the school district, we have never had snow days the week before "Winter Break", especially three in one week. Yesterday it was raining and the roads were clear, but we still had lots of calls from parents asking if there was school. Even had a call from a parent saying she was keeping her child out for the next two days just in case. She got mad and hung up on me when I kindly advised her that would not be an excused absence. Then there was a prank call from a staff member in the staff room with all the people at lunch listening in, trying not to laugh too loud. It was snowing at the time, and he plugged his nose and pretended to be a very stupid parent, insisting that a teacher drive his children home because we really should close early. I thought it sounded somewhat like this staff member, but couldn't take a chance of calling him out so I was very polite and convinced him that his children would be safe to ride the bus home two hours later at the usual time. Quite possibly this call was the great idea of my nice new friend Cindy, who happened to be on her lunch break at the time.

Much to the joy of Nick and many other students, it started snowing last night and continued enough to cancel school again today. Here is what it looks like out our window this morning. I know you northerners are laughing, but hey, there's at least two inches out there!

The weather has prevented Will from taking the camping trip he had planned in celebration of his vacation pending retirement, but he has made good use of his time. He installed a bird feeder and has the birding books out. Retired people have time for such things!

The birds are all over it!

A dove came and stared at us for awhile. I'm sure it was thanking Will for its food. Let it snow!

Fifty is Nifty

My 50th birthday came and went last Friday, and life goes on. I wasn't too sure for awhile on Saturday. The morning seemed to be a horrible, no-good, very bad day, and I wondered if this is just how it would be now that I'm middle aged, but fortunately things stopped going wrong.

I received some funny cards, but my favorite was from Will. I learned many years ago that his method of picking out a card was to go to the rack and grab the first one he saw that looked appropriate on the front. So a card that he makes is much more meaningful! When I came home from work Friday, this was laid out on the kitchen counter, along with my invitation from the AARP and various 50 gag gifts. He wrote directly on the pictures but I can't get them to upload when I add text.

"I wonder if people will still be nice to me when I'm 50."
















Left side: "Deep inside I am smiling, yes I am."
















Right side: "I am so glad I have a mature wife."


"I am 50 now. Any questions?"
"No ma'am."

"Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!"

Those are some flattering pictures. Will had way too much fun with the camera at softball games.
A belated birthday gift today really topped it off. A snow day to stay home from work, wear my cozy new fleece jammies all morning, drink coffee and tea and address Christmas cards. I'm even making homemade chili for dinner. Who ever has time for that? Can't remember the last time. Nick can hardly wait or dinner, it smells so good. I have go to make cornbread now.

It was Unbelievable!

A few days ago, I was privileged to have an appointment at the lovely new medical facility in North Albany to get the annual painful pictures taken that may save my life some day. This was my first visit to this place, and I was very impressed with the landscaping and decor as I walked in. I was greeted with the smell of fresh coffee and noticed a sign that said "Starbucks coffee proudly served here." I marveled at the gorgeous large waiting room with its lovely comfortable furniture, beautiful carpet, and even a fireplace. After I checked in, the receptionist invited me to help myself to coffee and advised me that they were running a little late.

With great pleasure I filled a cup with coffee, carefully chose the most interesting magazine, and donned my lovely new reading glasses. I settled in to enjoy some quiet reading time. As I reached for the fragrant cup of coffee, somehow it fell sideways. Coffee flowed across the table, which ran the full length of the sofa directly behind it. Coffee pooled in a line against the back of the sofa, the poured down the back of it. It covered the magazines on the table and flowed off the other side, making puddles on the carpet. I immediately called for assistance and the receptionist brought a few paper towels, calling for someone else to bring towels. The other girl carelessly carried off the magazines, dripping coffee all over the carpet and couch. We wiped and blotted until things looked presentable. They said to leave the dirty towels under the table so that the cleaning crew would look for spots.

Receptionist offered me another cup of coffee with a lid. I declined, then snuck a cup after she went away, standing out of sight in a corner to drink it. It was delicious!

Then today at work, things were very hectic. I took a call where I had to hold the receiver away from my ear as a man yelled at me because our library should be open 7 to 4 like the school is but it's always closed and his daughter can never check out books. He pays taxes and he expects that someone will be in our library at all times so that students can check out books. He is not going to put up with this. It is absolutely ridiculous. Is that understood? I tried to explain to him that our librarian has recently been needed to supervise state testing in a computer lab but he wouldn't stop talking. "There is no excuse for the librarian to ever be out of the library. This needs to change. Do you understand? There will be someone in the library during all school hours from now on at all times. Is that clear?" Finally I spoke over him and said I would be happy to help arrange for his daughter to check out a book if he would let me talk, but right now I was done listening to him and was going to hang up. If you want to calm down and work it out, call back. Goodbye. Fortunately he didn't call back. The sad thing is, I know exactly who it is because he has called before with unreasonable anger. (Our library is always open before school and at lunch, just for the record.)

I also had a few personal calls about our new insurance and a dental appointment for a son. I heard my cell phone make the missed call sound, then soon it rang. I wasn't able to answer it, but I checked and saw two missed calls from the same number. I called and a voice message from Samaritan Health Services answered. I figured it had something to do with the insurance, then saw that I had a voice mail. I listened to it with growing disbelief.

"Hello, this is Ryan from the billing department at Samaritan Health Services. I'm calling to confirm that we have the correct address for you to send a bill for cleaning charges due to the coffee spill in our waiting room when you were here earlier this week. Please call us at (number) and ask to speak to Cindy Mills. Thank you."

Now, my co-worker's name is Cindy Mills. I thought I must have heard wrong, so I listened again. Then with great annoyance, I said, "Cindy, have you ever heard of anyone else in town with the same name as you?" She said, "Yes, I believe someone who works at Calapooia has my name." Outraged, I said, "I can't believe it! She must work for Samaritan Health Services now. They are going to bill me for cleanup of my coffee spill from the other day. Can you believe it?!!!"
I was shocked when she nearly fell off her chair laughing. Turns out her daughter works for Samaritan and they hatched this little plan after she told her of my mishap. She immediately called her daughter to let her know how well their plan worked. Her daughter told her that the first time Ryan dialed, he hung up before I answered. He said, "I can't do this to her! She has Christian music playing on her phone!" But she convinced him to do it anyway, that as a Christian I would certainly react appropriately. Thank goodness he went to voice mail, because I'm not so sure how Christian my response would have been!

Remember my glowing evaluation of Cindy awhile back, how she seemed too good to be true? Indeed. But Will says this little episode ratcheted her up a few notches in his estimation! And I can guarantee you that if I let her read this blog, she will find at least three typos!

Not for those with delicate sensibilities

My most recent texting miscommunication was quite amusing to me though quite disgusting as well.

I was working late one night last week and Will and I decided it would be a good night to go out to eat before heading home. He was doing some shopping and sent me a text when he left Fred Meyer. I texted back, "I am finishing a po". I was mystified by his return text. "OMG!" I checked my Sent text and it said exactly what I wanted it to. So we met at Pings and eventually he mentioned to Nick that he just wouldn't believe the text I sent him. "She told me she was finishing a poo!" No, I said I was finishing a PO, that's a purchase order. I don't know how to capitalize! I laughed loud and heartily, and Nick asked his father to please not ever make mom laugh in public again!

My new favorite quote: "Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused." Indeed.

Insulted but not Offended

Tonight I was looking at the sad condition of our family room carpet and kitchen linoleum and I suggested to Will that it would probably look really good if we replaced the flooring with tile in both rooms and just had an area rug for the family room. Will looked at me from his comfortable lounging position on the couch, then looked over at Nick lounging on the other end of the couch and said, "Nick, could you step outside the room for a minute?" I said, "If you don't like the idea, that's fine." "I just don't want to embarrass you," he said. "Speak," said I. "I'm not too likely to be embarrassed in front of Nick."

"I don't like the area rugs you buy," he said. (I have had a succession of inexpensive rugs in the family room over the last several years due to extensive carpet staining due to boys constantly spilling soda on the floor for the past 12 years.)

"I'll buy a nice one, instead of a cheap one," I said.

"You have to take someone with you to pick it out," he said. (The nerve!!) I declared he would need to come pick it out to make sure it met his high standards of good taste.

That settled, I felt a blogging attack coming on. As I sat down, I heard him say, "That last rug was a real beaut. I wouldn't use that in my dog house!"

It is a good thing that I am not a sensitive female who weeps at the slightest hint of insult.