New Year's Eve

Ushering a brand-spanking new year is so fun. A colossal do-over just in case you blew it last year. Please be safe everyone. We are off to be festive. "See" ya next year!!

The Signs

Okay, astrological signs always make me laugh...sometimes at how true they ring-to anyone. But more often I laugh at how far off they are.

Today I got these descriptions in a forward. Those of you that know Erik and me will really appreciate this. I'll include them all so you can laugh at yours too!!

CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter (Dec 22 - Jan 19) Patient and wise. Practical and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be Good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be unfriendly at times. Hold grudges. Like competition.

(This is mine.)AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Optimistic and honest. Sweet personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal. Can seem unemotional(anyone ever thought that about me??). Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but original and unique.Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric personality.

PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Doesn't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21- April 19)Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun.Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly -easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 -May 20) Charming but aggressive. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard -passionate. Express themselves emotionally. Prone to ferocious temper-tantrums.Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous.

(This is Erik)(This is also Lilly and it fits her!)GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20) Smart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express themselves. Argumentative and outspoken. Likes change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips.May seem superficial or inconsistent. Beautiful physically and mentally. (HAHAHAHAAAA- THIS IS SOOOOOOO NOT MY HUSBAND!!! Well, except for the beautiful physically and mentally.)

CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22)Moody,emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome. Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic.

(This is both Erika and Kayla-definitely full of themselves, heehee)LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything.Bossy. Like to help Others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous,warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos.

VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22)Dominant in relationships.Conservative. Always wants the last word. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart.Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to.Hard to please. Harsh. Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic.

LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - Oct 22)Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative,energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.

SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21)Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser.Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long Relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times.Passionate and Emotional.

SAGITTARIUS -The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling.Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes.. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

Customer Service

I'll admit it, I am hardened when it comes to customer service. I am already prepared for the worst case scenario before it ever starts. The work ethic in America has reached an all-time low. However, sometimes I am so delightfully surprised by wonderful customer service and it gives me a glimmer of hope. I will first share my wonderful experiences and then two jaw-dropping examples that back up my low expectations.

• We refinanced our house recently. I know we shouldn't have because as we all know the market is in terrible shape and banks have no money to lend. Yet, refinance we did because hubby went to Quicken loans and got a 15 year fixed loan at 4.99%. WOW!! AND IT WAS SOOOOOOOO easy. They have local people to do the appraisal, notarize the close, and their customer service was top-notch. Everything was done after hubby's work hours and I just smile everytime I think of how easy it all was. After all was said and done, we had a refund check which was overnighted to us via UPS(signature required for delivery).
• This leads me to excellent customer service #2. UPS called me this morning at 8:30 AM with a recorded message to let me know it would be delivered later in the morning and to please call if I missed the delivery and needed to make other arrangements. WOW. My friendly UPS guy showed up about and hour and a half later and the transaction was complete. These two companies use technology to help them create services and then back it up with friendly REAL people. I love it.

Not the two jaw-dropping bad examples. Prepare yourself to be amazed at just how low the average places of business have sunk.

• We got a Subway gift card for Christmas. Saturday, since I was still in the midst of feeling like crap, my wonderful hubby called to check and see if I had plans for supper. When I bristled (oh yes I did, bristled when he was being all considerate...I'm sorry again, honey!!), he simply stated that he would be glad to run by Subway and get some subs for supper. Then I was all sweet sweet...trying to make up for the bristle. So he did. Then he told me about the sub experience after he got home. One girl was alone working the after work rush which was crazy. He said she was a good worker who was doing her best to handle all of the people waiting in line as expediently as possible. Then, when it came time to pay, he handed her the gift card. "Those don't work. We can't accept them." WHAT!!??? Now my husband is far kinder than I. He simply pulled out some cash, paid and was on his way. BUT I AM LIVID. How does a company not take their gift cards?????????????? She said this had been a problem since before Christmas and it STILL wasn't fixed. I'll bet they didn't tell people that when they bought the cards. LIVID, LIVID. Now, as you digest that and maybe even make some excuses in your head for such a bad business practice-brace yourself.
• Sam's club sells tires. The tire department closes at 7PM. We arrive last night at 6PM to find only one car ahead of us. YEAH. We made it and there won't be a time crunch for them. Win/Win, right? We purchase 2 tires and then head to the deli to eat pizza and then we shop while hubby listens for his name to be called. Around 7, hubby decides to walk back and check in with them because his name was never called. The garage bays are dark and all is locked up for the night, including....you will never believe it....not in a million years....they couldn't possibly....yes, they did. Our van keys and paperwork are locked up in the tire center for the night. They just LEFT at CLOSING TIME. Erik then had to hunt down the Sam's manager who was mortified they had done such a thing. He went into the garage and looked around for a bit and finally found our keys and paperwork in a desk drawer-not even left out in plain view for him to find. Did they think we would just walk home and come back tomorrow???

I really feel like phone calls are in order to both places to address the lack of customer care involved. ESPECIALLY SAM'S. What would you do??

Almost Awesome!!

The girls and I are enjoying some time away from home a bit today. Always a nice thing. We took Toby to the vet earlier and he got his staples out. He is only going to lose a tiny bit of his paw pad and that is a miracle considering how severely injured it was. He is so good for the vet. I realize just what a good dog he is every time we go for a dressing change. He doesn't lose his cool a bit and he always seem glad to be there, like he knows it is a good place to be.

We had a great time last night at the NYEEEP at my church. My husband played his drums in the sanctuary of a Church of Christ. History in the making. In the past, it has been in the annex and it was also secular songs. Last night it was 2 Christian songs in the pulpit. (Of course, it was not during a church service-I don't think that would go over as well...heehee) The guys only had two practices and they were so great. I hope they can have other occasions to play together. Our whole family was very excited about it. The other talent acts were enjoyable as well. Our church is definitely not lacking in the talent department!!

I still haven't been to the grocery and I really don't have any desire to make that big haul. I'm crossing my fingers that Erik will want to make a family trip to Sam's and that will get us through for a while. I stocked up on pet food/supplies and then bought food and drink for last night. That was it. We do have plenty of bread, peanut butter and tuna fish. What else do you REALLY need?

We are taking the full holiday break that I swore we wouldn't. This does mean that our four day weeks are over. We have to make up for our Christmas break somehow. I don't wanna still be schooling in June!! We will start back next Monday when the kids are good and tired of their Christmas gifts and I miss school. HEEHEE. I actually miss it a little all ready. We have some cool new science kits to try out. I love science. And math. And grammar-even though you can't always tell it in these blog entries.

Have a great Monday!!

Pacing Myself

Since I don't feel 100% yet, I am still trying to stay rested. I did not go to church this morning because I just didn't wake up. Erik went on with the kids assuming I felt bad and soooo, I slept a long time. This works out good though, I hated to miss church but I have to grocery shop this afternoon and we have a NYEEEP at church. So, maybe I will feel like partying tonight.

I've given up the notion that I may be dying. I did quiz Erik and request he tell me how much he would miss me. I have also concluded it probably isn't a heart attack. I'm guessing it is either stress related or a possible problem with my gallbladder. I've done a bit of websearch and have decided something must be going on but don't know just what. I plan to see my family doc when she gets back to her office after the holidays.

For now, life goes on and I am off to the grocery. It is so hard to take a finger food to a NYEEEP when you don't have any food to make it with. ( :

Faking It

I still feel like crap. Woke up this morning and all the discomfort that has been settled in my tummy for three days has moved up into my shoulders and back. I am going to the doc on Monday if I am not feeling much better!!

So I got up early, walked around a bit, decided I needed a nap. I made up my bed and curled up like a pig in a blanket in my new cat throw on my made-up bed. After some not so good sleepy time, I decided to get up and martyr through the day. I took down the tree and all holiday decor. Kayla was kind enough to haul the tree to the bonfire pile for me. All ornaments are now boxed in their little boxes within the big box. Baby Jesus rested briefly in his manger while Lilly sang a few songs in his honor and then that was all put away. It looks like Christmas never happened. The floor is clean (no ornaments batted down by a cat) and most of the new things we got for Christmas are put away. Praise the Lord! A cool thing I have noticed, as my kids get older, presents get smaller. We have no huge boxes to break down into the trash.

Good news-I will finally have an MP3 player. Kayla got a new Zen 4G MP3, so I was blessed with a cool pink Limited Too one. It will have Meatloaf on it. Probably the whole album of Paradise by the Dashboard Light.

In true martyr fashion, I am taking the girls shopping. I'll just keep telling myself how good I feel and think of my nice clean house.

Merry Christmas!

I have spent the last three days fighting some kind of intestinal funk. I have not been truly "sick", just really nauseous and preferring to eat very little, sit as still as possible, and take naps during all down time. The only exception was Christmas Eve night when, after a total POWER nap, I felt great and was able to eat in the manner of holiday consumption expected. I thought I was all better so I was quite surprised to wake up Christmas morn with sickness again. It has made the whole Christmas experience different to say the least. Our advent tradition wasn't. Our 13 year tradition of opening Baby Jesus first and gently placing Him in the manger did not happen. I witnessed gifts being opened and went back to bed hoping for a nap to cure me once again. My house is a wreck and I have done about all I feel like doing. The tree is totally coming down tonight or tomorrow. The cats and the dogs are driving me crazy with the ornaments. Since I have blown the rest of Advent, celebrating the 12 days of Christmas and Epiphany seems a bit wrong.

Thank you God for loving me even when I blow it!!

We have had a very good Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with our relatives. I love our families and our Christmas schedule. I also love that I was not the only one toughing it out through being a bit under the weather!!

Merry Christmas to all of you-I hope it was wonderful!!

Housecleaning Day Is Declared

Today, I will first clean my own house and then help to clean another. Today and tomorrow are "breathers" before true holiday craziness commences. Gotta be ready and on my toes. Instead of not ready and on my buttocks.