July 4, 2008...new memory! The day the realtor called us and said, THEY TOOK THE OFFER!

OH...MY...GOSH!!!! I am getting MY HOUSE!!! Can you believe it?!?!?

The 5 bedroom house with the Florida Room...a block away from my daughter's school! In the cute little section of the neighborhood! Unbelievable!!! YAY!!! (I think I'm gonna have a coronary!)

And now...more fun begins. We won't be able to move until the end of August if all goes according the the time table on the paperwork. Lots of inspections...but DAYUM! The last time I was this excited was Sept. 16, 1995 (the day my daughter was born). That just isn't right is it?

LAGirl (The Secret of Sweet Tea) was asking about 4th of July memories. Of course, that sent my mind a thinkin' (and I now have a headache )

I grew up in a town on the edge of Lake Erie. In the summers our town was overrun with vacationers. We had a great stretch of beach...great boating and fishing...campgrounds and lake cottages. We had a big ol' public dock.

On the 4th we ALWAYS had some sort of big ol' family picnic. When it was with my mom's family, we gathered at the picnic area on my grandparents farm by the Creek (or, as we pronounced it...'crick').
Us kids used to wade and swim while waiting for the tables to be set. We stayed the better part of the day. We would all go home to get cleaned up and wander down to the PD (public dock...not police dept.). The local volunteer fire departments would put on a great fireworks display. Sometimes we sat on the tailgate of the stationwagon and watched and sometimes mom brought a blanket and we would sit on the bluffs and watch.

There was always some festival going on by the bluffs. I never really liked it cuz it was lame.

When I was much younger, my dad had a boat. We would get in the boat and go out to just beyond the breakwall to watch the fireworks. This also happened when I was much older and had friends that could borrow their parents' boat...or a bf that had a boat.
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When I was older, married with kids...there was a spot between the PD and the bluffs where Troy's family used to meet to watch the fireworks...it was called the Mudhole (tho, I'm not sure why...there was no mud) and they would eat, drink and fish. TJ loved to fish.

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This year we will be at home...from our yard we can see fireworks in 3 different directions. Our town sets them off at the park about a mile and a half down the road from us. Then there is the town to the west of us and the town to the south of us. They all go off on the same night at the same time.

Happy 4th everyone!

Even though the weather was a disappointment today (cool and gray and drippy) the rest of the day was a good one.

I slept in until 9 a.m. I intended on being up at 8...since I fell asleep around midnight. I don't want to fall into some slump where I lay in bed too long. I got up and wanted to watch a show I had on TiVo but other family members were up and I had to quit pausing it (you remember 'pa U se'...French for 'stop') and waiting until someone was done talking to me so I could actually listen to and watch the show. (I don't like to carry on much conversation first thing after I wake up...coffee or not) Hubby was banging around in the kitchen and offered to make breakfast burritos for everyone. I had a quick check with my body and decided against it.

I have been reading this book called 'Body Intelligence' and it makes sense. It teaches you how to really 'listen' to your body...pay attention to cues and know when you are eating becuz it is hungry or becuz of something else. I listened and it told me it wasn't hungry. It also told me that MAYBE later it would ingest some oatmeal if I was so kind as to offer it. (I find it odd that my body could have some intelligence when I don't have much of a mind...as I told Ice...can't lose something you never had.)

Then the phone rang and it was my friend Jackie...who lives on the other side of the state. She was an hour away visiting with someone in a Columbus hospital. She wanted to have lunch with me. So, I moved myself...while I was waiting for her I did something with some bills. She made it and I took her to lunch. It turned out to be breakfast/lunch/dinner becuz when I was done my body told me, "not exactly oatmeal. At least you quit when I told you to...but don't be shoving anything ELSE down your gullet for the rest of the day...or I will give it back!" WELL! We went to a bar-b-q thing that she liked. I STILL do NOT understand how ppl eat ALL of that! I ate half of the sandwich...no fries...and an ice tea. That was 4 hours ago and I'm STILL feeling it!

ANYWHYS...I also got an email from a class mate of mine that I haven't seen or heard from since February. Also a surprise...checking to see what classes I'm in...if she and I will be sharing it again. And general just catching up.

Hubby had a little 'discussion' with Verizon and he got me another phone...for the price of insurance. Okey-dokey! Shall we all lay bets as to how long it will take me to ruin this one?

And now...I must have coffee. Secret's blog post spoke to my body about it and it paid attention to HER!

I am coming clean and admitting that I cheated. I said that I was going to have a computer free weekend...but I didn't. My cell phone decided to quit on me again. So, hubby brought his laptop with him anyway. I started with just checking my emails. I found some rather interesting things.

First, our realtor emailed me to let me know that the house that I have been pining over has dropped $10,000 in price. Still more than I want to pay for it but I REALLY would like to have that house. Perhaps we will write up another offer with what I am WILLING to pay for it and see if they want to turn it down.

Second, I found out that with the home digital phone service, when someone leaves a voice mail...a copy of it gets sent to my email! Along with the phone number of the caller! There was a blue smoke filled message left on our phone. I may not have had MY phone, but hubby left his cell phone with me. Needless to say, I called the number of the curse filled phone message leaver.

"Hello?" "HELLLLLOOOOOO Steven. This is TJ's mom!" "Yes, ma'am?" "I need to remind you of something....when you leave a message in the voicemail for the HOME PHONE, EVERYONE and ANYONE could hear it." "oh, yes, ma'am." "AND a copy of it gets sent to my email." "oh, I did not know that ma'am." "I suggest you clean up your langugage." "yes, ma'am...are you home?" "nope...AND I also have the dad's cell phone...that picture and joke you just sent my husband...?" "yes, ma'am. Sorry ma'am. I thought TJ was home alone." "He's not...besides, my daughter is there and she uses the phone, too, ya know." "It won't happen again." "You are right...it won't." He sent me two LONG txt msg.s after that apologizing.

We tried out something new last night...new for us cuz it is new to Ohio...Cold Stone Creamery. We laughed about it becuz John Pinnette jokes about ppl asking, "how small is your small?" And he yells, "It's SMALL!" cuz he doesn't like waiting. Well, a small is NOT small! At least not to me! I ate about half of my ice cream and had to throw it away. Just like the Hunting Lodge restaurant we went to the night before. I wasn't all that hungry so I ordered a bar-b-q burger. My husband says, "You did notice when you ordered that that it says it is a 10 oz. burger, right?" "NO!" Dang! I ate 1/4 of that and it killed me! Not to mention I was pulling half the stuff off of it! Who the heck can eat such a thing?!?!?!

Well, things are packed and breakfast is over...time to head for home and make sure things are all still in place. Bethany escaped the testerone laiden abode for the night. Steven and Mark stayed the night...they were having a Rock Band/Guitar Hero/Halo marathon again.

See ya next week!

Today is hot and humid...and my stomach has been warring with me since last night. I am beginning to feel better for it though. Since Sunday I have been dragging. I wasn't even aware of physical problems until yesterday when I was feeling exceptionally tired...for no good reason. Then my stomach attacked. After a day of this, I am tired but beginning to feel myself perking up. I evidently had something in my system I just needed to get rid of. Needless to say, I missed my time at the gym.

Hubby has a golf tournament to play in this weekend...away from home. Nice hotel to stay in, too! We made arrangements for the kids (even though my oldest is 17...sometimes that is the worst age...he has a gf you know!) and I get to go too! Jacuzzi, workout room, pool, take a good book, some movies...just me. No computer, though. Hubby offered to take his laptop but I turned it down. Computer free weekend. However, I am taking one of my fave bottles of wine and my favorite bubble bath.

We take off tomorrow afternoon. I will have to make sure the wildlife has their food. Oh...and the squirrels and rabbits too.

And, yes, writing about the 'stalker' thing got it out of my system. The reason he was able to get into the files so easily...it was a third rate private school I worked at then. Security was zero. I broke up more fights...!! Yes, little 5 foot nuttin me. One of the 8th grade boys once said to me, "I'll bet you were a real tough one in high school, huh?" I just laughed and said, "You have no idea!" I didn't lie! I just didn't want to burst his bubble and ruin my rep!

AND WHILE I'M MIA for the weekend...here is some Toad the Wet Sprocket AND a little challenge. My daughter is compiling a list of some of the weirdest names for bands. See if you can come up with some to add. Here are the ones I gave her:
1. Toad the Wet Sprocket
2. Barenaked Ladies
3. Electric Prunes
4. Huey Lewis and THE NEWS