What Did You Do Today?

[DianaB]

Lindsey, I love to be home when it snows......all safe, sound, and warm!! I guess that we had a few flurries yesterday but that was all. The temperature sure dropped while we were at church. It was so nice that we didn't have evening church so Glen and I were just home in our pj's.....all nice and warm. It was such a relaxing day.

Saturday was our last hayrack ride. It was the youth group from our church and the one that is the hardest to do. Whenever we have the hayrack rides we let everyone come up and use the bathroom. I always stay in the house with this group because they are so bad. I had kids beating on the bathroom door......like 3 year olds yelling that they had to "pee"! I had hay EVERYWHERE......none of the other groups left hardly any hay. The toilet overflowed and nobody bothered to tell me.....until the man in charge came up to let me know. He saw the hay everywhere and sent a girl up to clean it up. She didn't do a very good job but it was better than it was. He also had them pick up their trash before they left.....which they don't usually do. Personally I hope that we don't have this group back again......and that's sad to say when it the kids from your own church.

I watched Dean all day on Saturday because Karlie and Dae Lynn had a JBQ meet. JBQ stands for Junior Bible Quiz. It's where the kids memorize questions about the Bible and are quizzed on them against other teams. Karlie and Madelyn, another little girl from our church, tied for first place in points....and with another little boy, they won first place!! I practiced with Karlie a little bit and, MAN....she is really good!! If they interrupt a question then they have to finish the question AND answer it too.

I just found out that Thanksgiving is NEXT week!! I didn't realize that it was THAT soon!! I guess I should look at a calendar more often!!

[Janet]

Diana...you're so funny!!! I knew it was coming up fast. We've been invited to Rick's cousin's house for Thanksgiving, but we are declining. I'm going to go ahead and fix a turkey, small ham, potatoes, crock pot stuffing, rolls, veggie tray and noodes.....oh...and let's not forget dessert! I'm not fixing a lot of anything since it will just be the three of us, but we've decided we would enjoy it more at home. That way the guys can get up and go hunting, come back to eat and rest and go back out again.

The both get Thanksgiving off, but then Rick is taking Friday and the whole next week off for vacation. SUCKS for me. I usually had the holidays to myself (and Ricky when he was in school) and now it's going to be totally different! I don't sound nice do I? He has more days to take before the end of the year or he'll lose them....it just better not screw up my Christmas time off. I'm trying to talk him to to going and seeing his brother in Kentucky, but I don't think it's working.

[DianaB]

Well.....I guess that we're celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday evening......THIS Friday evening. Jaci and Nate......and Dae Lynn and Damon were going to be gone so the kids decided that we wanted to have everyone together so Amy talked to all of them and got everything all worked out.

We're going to have chili.....either as soup or with baked potatoes so nothing will be traditional as far as the food. I have to bake the potatoes and make a dessert so that will be easy enough.......So I guess that Glen and I will be alone on Thanksgiving day. There's a restaurant in town that serves a traditional dinner so we may go and do that. We'll see.

I have a cousin, Ruth Ann, that I've invited with her son, Brandon. Our dad's were brothers. She's like me in the sense of only having one brother......and he's on drugs and in an institution. Her mother was an only child so she really doesn't have any family now besides us. We always have room at the table for a few more so I hope she comes.

Dean's been so cute today!! He watches Doc McStuffin on TV. She is a doctor for toys. Anyway we have some toy doctor things and he's been diagnosing me......I have "doc-osis"!! He checks my heart and says "Thump....thump!!" He even checked Glen over this morning!! He's really starting to use his imagination and it's so cute!!

[gja1000]

Mom and I are going to Houston to be with the kids for Thanksgiving. I hope mom does OK, she sometimes gets confused in a strange environment. Because she broke her leg last year, I didn't take her to Houston very much. I may sleep on the couch in her room just to be sure she doesn't get up and fall.

i've been really tired this week. The time change always bothers me, but it seems like it is worse this time, or something is causing me to be really tired.

Austin will be CRAZY this weekend. We are having a Formula One auto race here on Saturday or Sunday (I'm not sure which day. LOL!). They usually have Formula One races in Europe, and I think this is the first race in the U.S. in a long long time. So, we will have LOTS of Europeans here - they've already begun to arrive. There are lots of streets downtown that are blocked off, there are festivals and all sorts of things. Myself. I'm staying as far away from all the hoopla as possible!!!

[Lindsey]

Yesterday we hit a deer on our way to work. I knew it would happen sometime. There are sooooo many deer on our highway. Every morning there is at least one dead deer on the side of the road. Anyways, we are lucky it was just a small one. I was looking at my phone, reading the news, and Scott swore and hit the brakes and it was just a weird feeling. I looked up and just saw it bounce off the front of the car. I felt so bad for the deer I wanted to cry. We needed to make sure it was dead but I didn't want to get too close. I called the RCMP in the city and they said at our location, we'll have to call the local RCMP. So Scott called there and there was no answer - he left a message. I found out later the local RCMP is only staffed on Tuesday and Thursday from 1-4 pm. Great hours for the police!!! So Wednesday at 7:30 am wasn't going to do much good. The deer had gone across the highway and skidded into the ditch. It was laying there still and didn't look like it was breathing.... I really hope it died on impact and wasn't in pain. It was just an awful feeling. Normally we are supposed to call the RCMP and they come check it out or get a conservation officer out to kill the animal if it is not dead. It's illegal to let an animal suffer.

Anyways, so that was the unfortunate highlight of my day

On another topic, Scott and I might be taking on another job. We have been talking for months with a company that works with exchange students. A few months ago our local newsletter said they needed host famlies for some exchange students, and by the time we talked to them, they already had homes. It was okay with me, because I don't think we're ready to raise teenagers yet! Anyways, yesterday they contacted Scott and asked if we'd like to be the Area Reps for our town. Basically we conduct in-home interviews with potential host families, write reports about the people, their living conditions, take pictures of the home etc. and send it to the company for review. They make all the decisions, we are just the middle man. We would also meet new students at the airport, and do orientations with the students and their host families. We'd be required to follow up monthly and write and submit a progress report to the company. We also have to be available to the students and the host families to talk to about any concerns. Also, if there are local students interested in an exchange, we'd meet with them and interview them and their families and do an orientation if they go through with it. The pay is very little but I think it would be a cool thing to do, and we'd meet more people, and help out a lot of kids! It might be more fulfilling than my day job, without having to actually change careers! It really would only end up being maybe 2-3 hours of our time per month, per student.

We haven't answered yes or no yet, but we are meeting tonight with local families and three German exchange students that are attending the local high school. We are already basically signed up to be an "extra" - we're around to help out if needed and if an emergency comes up we are able to take a student for a few days if the host family is unable to. So it's just a good chance to meet everyone!

I'm kind of excited about it all I was really nervous when Scott wanted to BE a host family, but now that we are able to be in a different role I think it could be a good fit for us!

[DianaB]

That sounds like alot of fun. International students can be so interesting to visit with. It will be good for them because you'll be close to their age and be easy to talk to. Cool!! I would love to be able to do that!!

We have exchange students that come to high school in our community. Jaci was friends with a couple of them. They were really sweet kids!!

I don't have Dean today. Last night after The Alley, when I took Karlie home, she complained that her stomach hurt and she didn't fell good. I guess that she really didn't feel sick since they kept her home today. I hope that it's a short lived thing because tomorrow night is when the family is all coming over and I'd hate for her to miss out.

I finally stopped at Feyn's last night and held Baby Jed!! He is sooooo cute!!! He's finally starting to pick up a little weight. I guess the doctor was concerned about that. He makes so many faces while he sleeps and little noises too......just like I remember Feyn doing. I was able to hold him to my hearts content so I'm a happy grandma!!!

[Lindsey]

I'm so glad you got to spend some time with baby Jed!!! And I hope Karlie is feeling better soon!

We had a few exchange students when I grew up too, and I am still friends with one on Facebook I knew her when I was about 15. I actually was supposed to be an exchange student when I was in high school as well. I had the forms filled out and the medical done and everything. I just had to submit it and have a host family found in Scotland, where I hoped to go. HOWEVER, my boyfriend at the time basically said he would be so depressed and would stay in bed all day every day until I came home and he could talk to me again. We had been together for about two years. His mom also said she didn't know how a kid could go away for that long and be away from family. I decided not to go, to keep him happy. I didn't tell my parents it was because of him or his family though, I made up some other excuse. A year later, he broke up with me and I found out he had been cheating on me for a year! THEN who was depressed? That was my biggest regret from my teenage years. I am glad I finally got to see Scotland with Scott! If I had not gotten another opportunity I'd be kicking myself for the rest of my life!

[DianaB]

Instead of kicking yourself.....it sounds like you should be kicking the boyfriend!!! LOL

Today I'm trying to get cleaning done and some cooking. The girls pretty much have everything taken care of so I don't have a lot to cook. We're having chili....and a potato bar. I need to go to the grocery store too. Wish ya'll could be here.....it will be a fun evening!!

[Lindsey]

Oh Diana I wish I could be there too! Sounds delicious!!!!

We met the exchange students last night and they were great! They are three girls, and with the exception of one, you wouldn't even know they aren't from here. One has a slight accent, but the other two sound just like us and they all have great English skills! The host mothers are great as well, and it was a good gathering. Scott and I are going to fill out the papers this weekend to be reps. I guess the reasoning for it is that one of the girls had issues with her host family, so after an agreement, the area rep took her in to her own family. That's a conflict of interest, so this one girl needs a new area rep. But the woman who does it now told us that we are welcome to take over repping all three if we want to, because she is busy enough with hosting the student now, and working, and having two of her own little kids at home. So we'll have to decide on that!

We have a busy weekend ahead! Scott has a doctor appointment tomorrow about his heart, and we have to take the car in for the insurance stuff for hitting the deer. I also want to get Christmas decorations up outside our house because the weather is supposed to be nice - you know, Canada-nice lol! Below freezing, but not too much below freezing On top of that we have lots of shopping to do and I have a full weekend of job-work to do for a project I need to have done by Wednesday. I am so glad I set up a real home office last weekend so I don't have to take over the dining room table anymore!

Even though my office closes for a week and a half over Christmas, I am going to work through that break too if I am given permission from my boss. I need to save my banked and holiday time for our Africa trip. So basically I won't get a chance to rest until March! I'm sure it will be worth it though. I guess I have turned into a workaholic!

[Janet]

Hope your Thanksgiving was nice Diana. This morning I went to the grocery store to get what I'll be making for Thanksgiving Day. Pretty much the usual, just not as much. Not sure what else I'll do today.

[gja1000]

I went to the local craft show this morning. It's so fun to look at all the pretty things. I only bought things for Christmas gifts. Before the craft show, I took mom out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. That's her favorite breakfast spot.

Like Janet, I need to go to the grocery store for some thanksgiving things. Brooke got almost everything already but Abi asked if I would make noodles so I need to get the things for that.

[DianaB]

I love Cracker Barrel!! Yummm.......

We had a nice Thanksgiving. It ended up that Dean was sick and Dae Lynn felt like he needed his Mom so they all ended up staying home.....except for Karlie. It ended up that they were all sick the next day so it was for the best that they didn't come. We've got something really contagious going around.

I got to hold little Jed for quite a while.....he's so adorable!! And my Mom got to hold him for a long time too. She really loves it when the kids are little and cuddly.

Feyn and Tammy got here late because they went and had pictures taken. I can't wait to see them. Since they got here late everyone was pretty tired and we mostly sat and visited.

Before we ate Glen said the prayer.......and during the prayer I was pestering Amy and we ended up in a pushing match by the time the prayer was over.....and was laughing at the end! We looked up and everyone was looking at us......and someone said "Did you catch that?".........and Amy was able to remember the last few words said......something about July. We were able to finally figure out that Jaci is expecting!! I was so excited!! I felt really bad that I wasn't listening to the prayer and spoiled it!! But I think that I recovered pretty good!! She's 7 weeks along and the sonogram shows a strong heartbeat so everything looks good!!! She's due July 3rd!! Yay!!!

I ended up keeping Karlie overnight and we went to an auction the next morning. I never had to worry about where Karlie was at.......because she was right beside the auctioneer handling everything that was being auctioned off!!! That child loves to be the center of attention!! If they were selling chairs......she was sitting on them!!! She loved going!! I bought a few things but not what I intended to buy. I bought a lawn mower, a diamond ring, an antique beaded purse, some antique jewelry, and an old drying rack. It was fun and a beautiful day out!

[gja1000]

Congratulations on being a new grandma! Your baby is having a baby! We will have our thanksgiving on Thursday. I finally got my grocery shopping done. I made noodles tonight and they are drying on the dining room table.

[Janet]

I already told you how happy I am for Jaci!!! Such wonderful news!!!

Today I'm getting things made for tomorrow. Have bread drying for the dressing since yesterday, eggs are boiled, veggies needed in recipes are cut, diced, etc., so all I have to do is ad them. Here in a bit I'll make the deviled eggs and I think I'm going to go ahead and fix the stuffed mushrooms today. We all love them heated up just as much so it will be one less thing to cook tomorrow. I may even make the noodles today. I will peel potatoes and put them in water in the fridge so I just won't have much to do tomorrow at all.

I'm feeling better about the holiday....I miss Mom terribly and try to stay busy so I can fight off depression. I know you understand Gayle, I'm sure it will be so sad for you to go through your first holiday without Gary. You're in my thoughts and prayers.

[gja1000]

Hi Janet. Yes, it's really hard without Gary but we talk about him a lot and talk about what he would be saying or doing or eating if he were here and that really helps. His birthday is next Thursday and I will be in Austin alone and I know that is going to be hard.