Weekend Wrapup

I was very productive this weekend which is somewhat unusual. Saturday I started off on a massive cleaning spree. We had bought some wood cleaner while at the Home and Garden show to try and clean off the 18+ years of gunky buildup on the kitchen cabinets. I decided to go ahead and start cleaning them this weekend. This stuff works the best of anything we've tried. I probably need to go over some of the stubborn places again but you can definitely see the difference. The cabinets look so much lighter. That was a two day project to get everything done in the kitchen. I also finally did the touch up paint in our bathroom. Somehow our painter missed this huge spot on a little wall and I didn't notice it until six months after he painted. What does that say about me? Anyway I got it painted.

The big purchase was a new ipad. I'm not sure if I like it though. I really wanted something that I could zoom in enough so I could read it without glasses. If I'm on the regular internet I can zoom all I want. But I've found that apps like facebook can't be blown up. So what good is that if I can't read them. I tried to do facetime with Whitney last night but we couldn't connect. Neither of us can figure it out either.

So I need to decide to either keep the ipad or return it and get a laptop. I know I can zoom everything on it.

I've joined the modern day

I bought an iPad today. I've got so much to learn. Writing this from it. Watch out world!

Blazer ceremony

Several months ago I talked about Whitney's blazer for her scholarship. Yesterday they had the official ceremony to give the freshman class their blazers. It was very nice. There are about 13 kids and quite a few parents came. The president of the university was their along with the business dean. Three people from Chesapeake Energy were also there. They asked the parents to talk about what the scholarship and OCU meant to them and one thing was consistent...we all love both. I'm sure that Chesapeake knows that we are grateful but it certainly is nice to hear it.

Whitney with the Dean and President

Proud Parents

The students with their mentors

The official uniform is the blazer, white blouse, gray slacks or skirt. The boys are supposed to wear a tie and were even given the official "Chesapeake" tie at an earlier meeting.

Truth is Thursday

One of my favorite bloggers hosts Truth is Thursday. Love you Julianna. Go over to her blog Surviving Boys and check her out.

Truth is I got confused on days and wondered why her post was today when I thought it was Friday. Then I wondered why I didn't see any Friday Fragments posts. I soon realized that it was Thursday and not Friday. Big disappointment here.

Truth is I want it to rain like it did the other night every night for about a month. I don't care if that means mud everywhere, I just want rain.

Truth is I need to find some new luggage to buy so we can take two big suitcases on the cruise instead of lots of small ones. I haven't bought luggage in probably 20 years so there is all sorts of choice out there and I have no clue what to do.

Truth is we have cooked a couple of times this week and now have so many leftovers that my attempt to clean out the freezer has been thwarted by different containers of food. I did enjoy a $55 walmart bill last week though so I guess it has its benefits.

Truth is I want someone to invent room in a bag because I stink at decorating. If someone would just put it all together I would buy the big package and look like I know what I am doing.

Rain Glorious Rain

This is a map of the rain in the last 24 hours for the state of Oklahoma. We got 1 1/2 inches!!!!! And it was the best kind...the slow non-stormy rain. All night long it rained. Lots of puddles on the ground but no street flooding. The kind of rain that will soak the ground not runoff into the storm drains.

Can you tell I'm a little excited. It had been so long since we had a good rain. We were in a drought last year and it never recovered. So we need the normal amount of rain plus extra to catch up. I would take this once a week for six months.

Blank

That's what my brain is right now.  Blank. I realize I don't have to blog every day but right now I can't even come up with a story or funny thing to tell.

So instead you get this...BLANK!

Monday's Weird Thing

Since I couldn't come up with anything clever today, I figured I would give you my weird thing for today.

As I was driving to work I noticed a child's shoe in the road. I thought nothing of it. You know how kids and parents are. It could have been on the top of a car for all I know and the car just drove off. But then on the same road I saw another shoe and then another one. None of them matched. Some were boys and some were girls. There were tennis shoes and dressy shoes. But all for kids.

And so I wondered, what is going on in this town? Does this road have a shoe curse? Or maybe there is an unwritten dare at school that every child needs to throw a shoe out the window as they drive down this road for good luck?

When I drove home today, I saw a different shoe. A school bus was running it over. Karma?

Weird Thing of the Day

We were at Bass Pro Shop today looking at raingear for the upcoming cruise and I spotted something in the women's section that was just too funny. Unfortunately the battery in my camera died again so I couldn't take a picture. It was camo lingerie with black lace. Does this mean that a woman needs camo to cover up imperfections or does she need camo to get her man to notice her instead of hunting? Either way I just had to laugh at it.

I can't get the photo from Bass Pros website to copy so you'll just have to see it here.

Friday Blog Hop

You are lucky today. Not one but TWO blog hops.




Mrs. 4444 hosts Friday Fragments.

***Dan and I went out to eat last night at Red Lobster. This in itself is quite a feat because we just don't eat out. When you cook as well as we do, it is hard to eat underseasoned cooked for the masses food. But I had a gift card. We did bring home leftovers and I am pleased to say that I got the broccoli as a side rather than potatoes.

***This weekend we are going to the Home and Garden Show at the fairgrounds. We've never been. Living Social had a buy one get one free admission so I couldn't pass that up. Hoping to get ideas on how to finish renovating the kitchen and some landscaping help.

***I spent 40 minutes on the phone last night with Whitney trying to help her with her Excel homework for her computer class. To me it seems so easy but I guess if you have never used it, it probably doesn't. Here's hoping that the click button will go off in her head. Because when they get to Access I'll be of no use.

***Next week is the big conference where half the building is empty because they are all gone. This year not as many people are going but still I'll be in charge of the office. Unfortunately that does not mean a party every day.

***The price of admission to my house if you want to come to dinner is a bottle of wine. I'm just saying.




Really good questions this week for Five Question Friday so I decided to participate.

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks?

I have a drawer at work that I keep my snacks in. But since they are the same snacks as I have at home I wouldn't consider that hiding them. I have really cut back on buying anything that is "mine" so I don't have to hide anything.

2. Do u keep your vehicle clean or am I the only one who has things falling out of their van?

My car is pretty clean inside. Of course when you only drive back and forth to work and it takes 10 minutes it is pretty easy to keep clean. If I have a straw wrapper in there it drives me nuts.

3. Have you ever been to Vegas?

I've been three times. First time was for a work conference. Pretty fun. Second time was with Dan. I had fun...Dan probably not as much. Third trip was with another couple. Once again I had fun. Dan did not. In fact he said "I hate this *&^%((*^& town!" and said he would never return. I do plan on taking Whitney there when she turns 21.

4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket?

Cold room with layered blankets. The room isn't as cold as it used to be. Dan used to keep the window open when we first got married...with a fan blowing on him. No wonder I had an electric blanket then. Now as he has gotten older and lost a lot of weight he gets cold easier. So he is more likely to have more blankets on than me.

5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had?

There was quite a run of bad work flying trips but the absolute worst was when I was coming back from a conference in Quebec City. It was really foggy at the airport so our flight was delayed. There were only two direct connecting flights out of Newark to OKC so I was going to miss mine because we were delayed about 3 hours. The airport was small in Quebec and once you went through security, you couldn't go back out because the security was only open when they were expecting flights going out. And there was one little shop at the gate. The fog lifted and flights were landing. But they were the later flights so the people who had been scheduled to leave on those got to go on and we were still sitting there. They got me rebooked on a flight to Houston and then another flight to OKC. So we finally get to Newark and of course we are too late to catch that flight to Houston. So they rebook me on a flight to Atlanta and then to OKC. Only Atlanta has bad weather and I probably won't catch my connection there. So I go standby on the earlier flight to Atlanta. We all get on the plane and then we hear a thunk. The conveyer belt that loads luggage hit the side of the plane and damaged it. So we all have to get off and get a different plane. Meanwhile the first plane to Atlanta I could have taken has filled up and taken off. There is absolutely no way I can make my OKC connection. So I'm stuck in Newark with absolutely nothing except my laptop. I lucked out and had a gate person feel sorry for me and gave me a room voucher. I couldn't find the hotel bus. By the time I got to the hotel it was midnight. The flight out of Newark left at 8am. I got about six hours of sleep in my clothes with my contacts in and went back to the airport. I doublechecked and I was still on that flight. We got on and then proceeded to sit in line to take off for an hour. By the time I got home it had been more than 24 hours since I had left the hotel in Quebec. 

I hope that I never have a day like that again.

TV Time

I haven't reviewed tv shows for awhile, so I figure I'll catch you up on what I'm watching. It's probably best to break them down as reality tv and scripted tv.

Reality TV

Top Chef - My money is on Paul right now to win it. He seems to be the most consistent chef. I really like Grayson but I'm afraid she is going to be soon departing.

Project Runway All Stars - So this just started and can I tell you I still have a Mondo crush. He is just so good. And can Rami have gained any more muscles. Why is it that men seem to be better designers for women than women do? The men are definitely stronger overall in this competition. I think women will be dropping like flies for a few weeks.

Script TV

Revenge - OK do I really have to wait until mid-February to continue this story. This is such a guilty pleasure show. Who doesn't love rich people getting it? They have more drama in this show than a daytime soap opera and at least it seems more feasible. Maybe not feasible but at least we don't spend three weeks having the same conversation.

Person of Interest - It is losing a little momentum probably because it has been off the air for a bit. It is definitely a show that makes you think. It is starting to go into the predictable stuff though. I'll know more after tonight's show.

Alcatraz - Did anybody watch this on Monday night? I'm hooked. I stayed up until 11:30 watching it on the dvr because I just couldn't turn it off. I never watched Lost but I've read it has a lot of similarities to it. And the number of stories could be endless since there were 300+ people who disappeared. Way to make it so you can be on the air for a few years.

Glee - It is about to "jump the shark" I'm afraid. And just when Dan started to follow the stories. It is becoming more and more unbelievable. I think I'm just watching for the musical numbers.

So what's coming up in the spring for tv? The Voice will be back. I may skip it though because once they got out of the blind auditions I didn't like it. How about Smash? That could give me my musical numbers with a more believable story. GCB has Kristen Chenowith in it and could be funny or it could bomb. And a title that they had to shorten to initials because it was "offensive" (not my word).

I'm open to other ideas if you have them. As you can see I tend more towards dramas that make you think and reality shows that people actually are on because they have some kind of talent.

Hodgepodge - What Do You Mean I'm NOT Miss America?

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

Whitney and her friend were home Saturday night and taped it. So when they got back from their movie they started watching. I got sucked in watched the first hour and made it through most of the talent. Then I went online and saw who won and went to bed. The reason Miss Oklahoma didn't win is because she isn't from OCU, the college that produces the most Miss Americas.

I almost forgot my talent. I would do 10 key and typing. I do those very fast and accurately.

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

I have one real plant. It is a huge peace lily that we got a couple of year's ago from a funeral. It is the best plant because it tells you when to water it (it droops) and then perks up when there is water. I have one in my office too and it can get really down over a weekend. So when it revives I'll hear the leaves move (really they can move several inches all at once and brush the wall). I also have several fake plants in the kitchen. Dan takes care of those for me by taking them outside and rinsing them with the house. Gets all the dust off.

Peace Lily at work - the one at home is twice the size

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

Oh I was a know it all in school and a geeky nerd. I freely admit that. So I knew all the answers. Probably could even be described as a suck up. But teachers loved me.

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year...what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

I like a lot of Chinese food. I actually prefer Thai or sushi though. Give me a good pad thai and I'm very happy.

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

I think a miracle is anything that is outside the normal conventions of knowledge. I don't know if I have ever seen one personally but I know they exist.

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here.

Under the Sea. It is just so cute.

7. I should have _____________ yesterday.

Slept. That night was bad insomnia. Lucky me last night I did sleep so no zombie here.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

For all the vacation questions, here's the answers. We booked a Princess cruise from Vancouver to Alaska (northbound route) so we can then spend a week in Alaska. Dan thought that would be better because Denali is going to be the crown jewel of the trip and we would rather do that last because otherwise the rest of the trip is a letdown. We got a balcony. In fact it was the last balcony available on the right side of the ship (which will face the land). This is a different experience for us because we normally have cruised on the lowest level but now we are actually going to be second highest near the back. I really want to ride on a dog sled.

Alaska Facts

So when I get to planning a vacation that is going to be incredible, I go a little overboard on information gathering. So what better way to write my blog post for the day is to share the stuff I've learned.

Juneau is the only state capital that has no roads leading to it. You can only get there by boat or plane.

There are no penguins in Alaska.

There are few rental car places in Alaska. Of course when you don't have a lot of roads, you don't need a lot of rental cars.

There are only a limited number of ships that are allowed to go into Glacier Bay National Park. We chose one of those cruise lines! :)

The Iditarod Dog Race was initially done to bring vaccinations for children to prevent a diphtheria outbreak.

When a glacier breaks apart and falls into the water, that is called calving.

And so there is today's knowledge about Alaska.

Part One is Complete

Part one of summer vacation is now complete. I booked our Alaska cruise today. We got a balcony room on the right side of the ship so we can see the glaciers from our room. We still need to decide how many days we are staying in Alaska afterwords so I can book the plane tickets and car rental but we should know that in the next couple of days. We get to spend our anniversary in the beautiful Alaska wilderness.

OK, now I'm really getting excited. Too bad I have to wait six months now to go.

Friday Fragments - Thank Goodness I Can Empty My Brain

Time for my weekly brain dump of trivial things that can clog the meaningful stuff. Thanks Mrs. 4444 for hosting once again this week.

My car is in the shop again for the stupid key not locking/unlocking remotely. This time they better not just replace the battery or say it some stupid thing. They need to just redo the whole system. And I made them give me a loaner which is way too space age for me. Do I really need color changing lines next to the speed to tell me how fast I'm going? (Blue for slower and it gets darker green the faster I go)

Post-op visits to doctors were interesting. Nose doctor did sum suctioning and got "crud" out. What we didn't know is he sucked the knot off the tube that was holding the tear duct open and was supposed to be there for six weeks. It came out after losing the knot. Luckily the visit to the eye doctor was right after that and he thinks it will be ok. He actually laughed. Everything is draining ok. Crossing fingers that we are done with this.

We are going to see a travel agent to get more information for Alaska cruises. We have it narrowed down and after looking at prices I think we can do the land tour ourselves and save money and do it at our own pace. I just want to confirm that.

Whitney is coming home tomorrow with a friend. They want to go to the movie theater near us and go to the stores that sell sorority stuff. So they will spend the night Saturday and go back Sunday. Someone still needs to tell me if I'm feeding them however.

She also has hit the first hard course of college...Microeconomics. It wouldn't be so bad but 2/3 of the class has had macroeconomics. They switched the order to take them this semester so you are supposed to do micro first. But the teacher is moving along mostly like everyone has had macro. Good thing Whitney's big sis is in the class and tutors her after class. I'm sure she'll catch on since she does have a math background and that's what usually gets you in that class.

Changes in my church made me send an email to the pastor. I haven't heard anything back yet so we'll see if I get a response. If I don't, I think that says a lot (and not in a good way).

It is mid-January and we still haven't had any ice or snow. The temperature is supposed to be in the 50's for most of the week. After the last two years this is welcome.

Hodgepodge - Please Get Rid of these Words!

Time for our weekly roundup of questions from Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.


1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

I think baby bump is so obnoxious. It sounds so degrading to women and babies. Whatever happened to pregnancy glow?

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

I don't think so.

3. What is your go-to snack?

Granola bars. They are 90-100 calories and can curb hunger pretty well.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction?

I've been there so many times. I have to go there at least once a year for work. Plus I had visited there before I had gotten this job. There are so many good places to go and I love that most of them are free. A little visited place is Ford's Theater. They have a great museum in the basement and if you are lucky you can go across the street to the house where Lincoln died.

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least?

What are these? HAHA. Of course you would have to exercise to like or dislike any of these and I absolutely refuse to do that.

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten?

I really don't know. Does that mean I don't notice them or maybe that I just expect kindness so it doesn't seem unusual?

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

I donated blood once and was told don't come back. I passed out when the needle went in. I would like to think that I am more mature now and could do it if needed to.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
My new dishwasher is so awesome. I used the delay function last night and it started right when it was supposed to. Dan seems to think that it is a little space age with all the lights and it may be trying to outsmart him. The only problem is it takes me forever to fill it up now. I should have gotten a new one years ago when we went through dishes faster.

The Saga Continues

I've posted multiple times about my problems with my local hospital not honoring their contract with my insurance company for an ambulance ride in April 2010. We've gone round and round about it. I thought it was cleared up in November when the hospital agreed to write it off. I even have the name of the person at the hospital who said (as does the insurance company). And yet on Christmas Eve (Merry Christmas) the hospital called "as a courtesy" to let me know they were turning it over to a collection agency. They don't have any record of Stacy in the Insurance Office agreeing to the write off.

So back to my insurance company I called. You know Christmas is always a good time to try and resolve this stuff. My insurance company has been great. They tried to call the hospital. Of course they never answer their phones and it goes to voicemail after about 2 minutes. Insurance leaves a message. Hospital never calls back.

So yesterday in the mail I got a notice from a collection agency saying I have 30 days. I will be sending them a letter to say the debt is invalid. I called the insurance company this morning and they tried calling the hospital again. Gee...no answer and got voicemail. Another message has been left.

Dan thinks we should go sit in the business office until someone there talks to the insurance company and gets this taken care of. I had originally said no but I am afraid this is the only way it will get done. I wonder if I get to charge the hospital for all the time I have spent on this.

Because this is absolutely ridiculous.


UPDATE

It looks like it has all been cleared up. Now waiting for my copies to show zero balance and also making sure collection company knows this too. I need a vacation from all this crap.

Pasta with Tomato and Onion

This is what we made Sunday night. I'm so glad I looked through this recipe book and found the note. It was soooo worth it. We of course had to make changes since we live in the middle of Oklahoma and really can't find what the recipe called for.

Spaghetti with Tomato and Purple Onions
adapted from Sicilian American Pasta

Note this is half the recipe and had enough for leftovers for the two of us

1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 lb bacon, thickly sliced then diced 1/4 inch (being in Oklahoma we used bacon instead of pancetta like the recipe called for)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 lb purple onion, chopped
1 can italian herbed diced tomatoes, somewhat drained
1/2 lb spaghetti (originally calls for bucatini but once again we are in Oklahoma)

Use 1/2 T oil to cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Add 1 1/2 T oil, pepper and onion. Saute until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and saute for one more minute. Then lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking (we used a non-stick skillet so this wasn't a problem).

Cook pasta, drain and add to sauce. Stir around and let sit for a few minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

So easy. It was sweet and had a kick at the same time. The sauce was really thick with the tomatoes turning almost to a paste.

A nice change of pace recipe for us. I'm going to have to write it out and put in my recipe box because I never think to look at my recipe books (I only have a few so never look).

YUMMY!

Rambling Time

My mind just is in a rambling mood today. Can't focus on one thing at all. Got news at church that upset me and I don't know what to do. Guess I'll give it a few weeks and then make a decision.

When I was grocery shopping all I wanted to find was chicken sausage. How hard was that? Went to two stores and nothing. Then I wanted grated parmesan cheese. The store I buy that at was out and when I asked do they even make it anymore the girl at the cheese counter looked at me like I was crazy. Please, if you have a cheese counter, make sure the people working there know cheese.

Tonight we'll be trying a new recipe. Well a recipe we tried in 1996 and wrote that we loved it and haven't made it since. Yes, we are bad about that. I'm sure we'll love it this time and hope to not wait 16 years to make it again.

Being home for a week made me look at all the walls closely and notice all the little spots that didn't get painted. Guess we'll be having a paint party where we bring out all our paint cans and go around dotting the walls.

My new dishwasher is so much quieter than the old one. We didn't even have to change the volume on the tv when it was washing. We do have to get used to opening it however. It doesn't really have a latch so you sort of yank on it in one place.

Cooler weather today means that I want to cook. Oh how I've missed saying that. We are talking about trying new things so I hope we can really do that. Last time we found out we liked fennel.

Back to a Couple

Whitney went back to school today. I know she really wanted to go back so yesterday I told her I better see her eating food and showing me she was capable of taking care of herself. Her throat is hurting way more than her nose so eating is not fun. Surprisingly she found out she likes jello. Well she did everything I asked so she drove back today. I drove up too (Dan was running a fever so he had to stay home) to help unload the car since she isn't supposed to be lifting anything heavy. And boy does that girl have some clothes.

There was hardly anyone there so we got a good parking place and were able to leave things in the lobby as we took the suitcases up the elevator. I helped her unpack and brought the suitcases home. Of course if she forgot anything I would be seeing her twice next week for doctor followup appointments.

When I got home, the house was so quiet. Her bathroom was clean and the bedroom looked somewhat presentable. It's back to cooking for two and having lots of leftovers.

I love my child but I know that she is happy to go back to school and be with her friends. Even though we've lived here her whole life, she really likes her college friends better. So it is good that she gets to be with people she can talk to (other than us of course).

Friday Fragments - 2012 Edition

So it is the first Friday of 2012 (well Thursday as I type but you get the point). And it is time to gather all the bits from my brain (because really that's all I have its bits) and put them together in one blog. Thank you Mrs. 4444 for hosting this.



Why are short work weeks so rough? Granted I had an extra day off and I've not worked a full day yet but this is the pits. I couldn't believe how many emails I had on Tuesday. Guess everyone saved up questions until then and didn't just send them when they thought of them (like I do).

I hope this unseasonably warm weather continues through the weekend. We need to move Whitney back to her dorm and I really don't want to do it in 40 degrees. 60 is so much nicer. Even if it is windy.

I am constantly amazed at how many improvements there are in the medical field. I'm sure if Whitney had this surgery years ago she would have been swollen and had gauze packed in her nose. She looks perfectly normal and she has a couple tiny stitches that you can only see if you are looking up her nose. And really how many people do that? Especially when you are shorter than all of them.

While I was up at 3 am on Wednesday morning I did not go look for the meteor shower. Even if I had I wouldn't have seen it. I am a terrible space gazer.

I hate how a cold affects your taste buds. I got a really nice bottle of sparkling wine for Christmas and I still haven't been able to open it up because it won't taste right. Boo taste buds.

Now that I have my new dishwasher (yippee!) I need to move on and pick out new countertops and maybe a new stove. Then we may be done except for some painting in the house.

We are looking at taking an Alaska cruise/tour this summer. I love cruising and I figure it is the best way to see as much as possible in Alaska. I only plan on going there once so need to pack as much in as I can.

We are Home

It was really three surgeries in one. First fix her deviated septum. Two reduce the turbinates on her right side to reduce pressure on tear duct. Third was put in a tube to expand tear duct for six weeks (we have had this done before). Two doctors, two hours of surgery.

Surgery went well. Started late but finished faster than planned. The doctor says she should be breathe right now that her nose is straightened. Also that should fix the pressure on her tear duct. Both doctors were very happy.

So fingers crossed this worked.

Surgery Day

Surgery is at 1pm. We have to be there at 11 am. Why I have no idea? We've already filled out paperwork about three times. Then I don't understand why you can't have anything to eat or drink after midnight for an afternoon surgery when they say the same thing if your surgery is at 8 am. This is the stupid part about generalizations. They make no sense.

I've got my book to read while waiting (they said 3 1/2 hour surgery which I think it can't be that long).

Hopefully we'll be done and home in time for dinner and Whitney will feel like eating something. Of course we have ice cream because you can't have surgery without ice cream.

New Year - Day Two

Yesterday just didn't feel like New Year's Day because of the lack of the Rose Bowl Parade. That is always a highlight for us. So today was new year for us.

It has always been a tradition in our house (even when I was young) to have snack day for the first day of the year. Over the years it has been scaled down to be just pizza rolls and cheese/sausage and crackers. In fact I was told that we had to have pizza rolls. So that's what we did. It's probably a good thing that this day only happens once a year because it isn't the healthiest day.

You can see why I never make a resolution about eating healthy/losing weight. I would blow it the first day.

Things that make you think

Why does everyone make a big deal about the year changing? Isn't this the first of the month just like any other first of a month? The only thing to remember is to change the year on the infrequent checks I write.

Why do people call for a new beginning? Isn't that the very definition of the word beginning? Is there such a thing as old beginnings?

Why do people make resolutions when they know they are going to break them? Why are they always the same ones?

As you can see today is a day of questions. It also was a day of taking all the Christmas stuff down and rearranging the furniture. I also realize that I am a terrible decorator. Thank goodness I can leave my snowmen out for another month or so otherwise the house would be bare.