Mexico

Hola!

My poor wife! I know, many of you say this because she is married to me (and me not knowing why-LOL), but I just returned home from a week long visit in Mexico, and I've already had a hard time communicating because my feeble mind wants to continue speaking to her in Spanish! It's just too funny that I have to stop and start speaking English with her cause my mind wants to go a million miles an hour in Spanish. Poor thing!

I was with several co-workers in Mexico this time and we had quite the experience driving around the Mexican countryside. The van we rented from budget, halfway up a mountainside, it's brakes failed! We still had to go down the other side! Then work all day, and then find a way back to the city with the airport! Budget would not send another car, so we left it in the little town and they were going to have it towed. Ahhh, the joys of travel! Makes my life so interesting I can't stand it!

While I was slaving away in 102F weather in Mexico, Princess only had to work three days this week. The one Dr. was out on Thursday, so Princess has a four day weekend, while I only get two days before heading out to the Dominican Republic. I know, isn't that the same island as Haiti? Why Yes it is! Even with all the earthquakes, aftershocks, etc, I'm still going there for work. It's going to be a very long day on Monday, and a very long week.

When I return from the D.R. as we call it at work, I'm heading to NJ for the weekend and the week. I've got some business in NJ & NY on Monday and I didn't want to travel all day Friday and then again all day Sunday, so this is a two-weeker trip.

We watched a new movie last night called Gamer with Gerard Butler. It was kinda Sci-Fi/action/shooter type movie - pretty bloody, but interesting. Plans call for a cooler weekend and we're hanging at the house, gonna do some errands, some cleaning, and maybe see a movie - oh and I'll be catching up on a last week's work! HA!

Jim

Birthday Weekend

We had the Hugginses over the weekend, well until this afternoon. It was Devin's birthday on Friday, so they drove down on Thursday night, and we ripped and skipped all weekend.

We ate at Chuy's, and then at Rosatti's pizza, then they ditched us while we did errands (just kidding) and went to Leal's for lunch on Saturday. On Saturday night, the Jacobsens came over and we had pulled pork, stuffed potato skins, green salad, jello salad, two different kinds of rolls, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and sweet potato souffle. It was almost better than Thanksgiving.

Sadly, after Church, Devin, Jana, Elliott, Curtis and baby Azure loaded up and headed home to Longview! It was good to see them, have fun with them, veg and watch some movies together, and just plain have a great time. Here's looking to the next visit, either us in Longview, or them back to our humble abode.

P.S. I did pull out five dying bushes on Saturday, so hopefully the neighbors won't kick us out of the neighborhood. Any suggestions on what type to plant? These were flowering Hawthorne's and they got some kind of spotted leaf virus and so they had to go. Let me know people. the front looks a little bare without them.

Jim

Good Intentions.

Quote from Linda - "good intentions are like crying children, they should both be carried out"!

So, yesterday, we went and saw Avatar - if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! It is Sci-Fi and I love Sci-Fi, but the movie has a really good story line. We opted to see it in 3D, although I had reservations cause usually 3D makes me queasy. I would see it again in 3D cause it was cool, not like the 3D of my childhood.

On our way home, we stopped to get Princesses car washed. BIG MISTAKE! $21.00, 2 hour wait, and a bad wash job to boot! I won't be going there again.

By the time we made it home, all my good intentions around cleaning the kitchen and home office were blown out of the water. We did do some straightening up, vacuum, a little dusting, but not the good elbows in the air cleaning like Mom made me do in as a kid. Sooo, I'll be doing a little bit of cleaning each night after work, so the house is presentable on Friday when The Hugginses come for a visit.

BTW, It's still cold here, this morning it was 13F and now it's hovering around 39F. We'll see if the forecasters get it right and the temp gets up to 48F today and then down into the 20's tonight.

Jim

BRRRRR!

Baby it's COLD Outside! I mean Cold!

Last night Princess and I went out for date night with the Mocks. The car was reading 24F and then add the windchill...BRRRRRR! The temp outside right now is 10F!!!! We live in the south for cryin out loud! Seriously.

Usually in the winter, Princess sets the thermostat at 60F, just so the girls don't freeze while we're at work. So far, she's kept it at 63! I'm looking forward to next weekend when we have the Hugginses come visit us, the heater is gonna be on overtime! Of course, the ten day forecast says that we'll be in the mid 50's next week during the day and 30's for nighttime lows. Still, I'm thinking it's going to be the warmest this house has seen since August.

Today is a lazy day cause we did laundry and some cleaning. I'm going to work on my desk and the "office" and Princess is going to work on the Kitchen! I'll post before and after pictures I promise!

We're going to go see AVATAR today, wish me luck, 3D movies make me a bit nauseous. What are your plans for this fine Saturday?

Jim

Twenty Ten

Get it, 2010!

It's a brand new year, Lot's of opportunities, activities, wants, desires, wishes and yes of course there'll be challenges. Can't have life without challenges.

We had a quiet New Year's Eve celebration. Fun games and great food with the Lackmeyers and the Mocks, of course I party pooped out and we were home in bed by 10:30. I just can't make it to midnight anymore, I'm getting too old (of course, having a nap and not busting my behind all day would've been very nice too).

We're having a cold snap here, the temperature is a cold 28F with wind chills down into the 16 to 17F range. Feels like Chicago weather to me. That didn't stop Todd and I from walking around the building in a 24F wind chill during lunch time! We bundled up, gloves scarf, ear warmers, heavy coats, and hoodies. Then we walked very briskly, and boy do I mean briskly!

There was some debate in my cubicle today about how to refer to this decade. Is it "0 ten" or just "ten"? I said twenty ten or two thousand ten. What's your preference for this new decade? One thing I'm looking forward to is my birthday. The date will be 10/10/10! I'm stoked! This is going to be a great year!

Be safe and Warm out there this weekend.

Jim