Washington DC

Playing catch up

Mexico in May! We went on an amazing cruise for our ten year anniversary. After a few hours of sea sickness I had the time of my life. It was like the honeymoon we never really got! The best thing was just getting to spend one-on-one time with Paxton. I can never get enough of that guy!

I've been trying to put my blog into a photo book only to realize how fun my blog used to be and how crappy I've been in my blogging the last year. So, now that things have slowed down a bit, I'm going to play catch up!

How not to buy tickets to the Monster Truck Show at the Idaho Center

5:30 - arrive at TCBY, watch 17 year old girl try to figure out how to use the Idaho Center ticket kiosk

6:00 - TCBY "guy" arrives, freshly showered and looking spiffy with that 3 day scruff - logs in, picks the seats, swipes debit card and prints me the tickets

6:05 - driving home, realize the tickets were for the WRONG DAY - guess TCBY "Guy" and 17 year old girl really were not all that helpful after all

6:15 - back at TCBY, now TCBY "Manager" is there - very apologetic - takes my tickets back, calls 3 people at the Idaho Center, but can't cancel/refund until tomorrow - trys to log on to ticket kiosk to buy tickets for the right day, but the kiosk LOCKS UP.

6:30 - TCBY Manager gets a hold of IC Ticket Lady, who is supposed to get me tickets over the phone. IC Ticket Lady asks "What day and price do you want" - Me: "Saturday, 2:00, Cheap seats" IC Ticket Lady reserves the seats, asks for my credit card and says "That will be $575" Me: "What the !...No, I wanted the CHEAP SEATS!!" Ticket Lady: "Oh, oops."  Trys to log in to reserve the cheap seats and then the COMPUTER FREEZES!  Says she will call back tomorrow morning, refund my tickets for the wrong day and then get me the right day, right time, right section, right price.
 
7:00 - TCBY Manager gives me gift certificate for $10.00.
 
Could not have been more unproductive.  My advice is to buy tickets on line.
 
 
 

Goals

My personal goal for the month of November is to compliment my kids more. It is so easy to get stuck in the rut of telling them all the things they are doing wrong but so much harder to take time out to tell them when they do it right! It seems simple but it isn't. I did OK for most of the first week and then failed miserably for three or four days and am doing better again now. I think with Thanksgiving comming I should step it up again though. Atleast ten strong compliments a day for each of the kids. It should be easy to be grateful when I have to say nice things all day!

While I'm feeling grateful, our friend Mark Halladay "woke up" three days ago and started speaking again after a severe stroke. His four little kids got to go in and see him for the first time in six weeks. Miracles do happen.

Thanks!

This afternoon my son sweetly  unloaded my dirty dishes out of the dishwasher and put them all away. We will just have to be on our guard since I don't know exactly which ones were still dirty. He totally gets credit for trying though!

Bryce explains the anatomical journey of a flatulent

And I thought it was just the refried beans.......

Red-Neck

Growing up in Egypt and Washington DC you would think I have grown up with a respect for firearms, I have never had one in my home until I moved to the rough and tough town of Kuna, Idaho. Go figure. I don't love guns but my policy is that if there are going to be guns in my house, I would be stupid not to know how to use them. So, a few times a year I go shooting with Paxton. He welded up these targets himself and is very proud of them. I don't understand the desire to shoot up something you have worked so hard on but whatever makes my guy happy works for me! We took the kids, who have been taught basic gun safety, but they are confined to the back of the truck. I have found I am pretty good with a 22 and respectable with a shot gun but I am pretty much useless with a hand gun. Paxton however is a wicked shot. That's my Idaho boy! Looks the kids are going to take after their daddy!