Abandoning you already....

Okay, well it's only temporary. :)

The boys and I are leaving for California Christmas night (that is if this lovely snowy weather will permit us too) The Portland airport has been a bit sketchy this week and many many many flights have been cancelled. I'm really hoping it won't be complete chaos when we get there... but even if it is, it'll be worth it to be able to go visit family.

The big occasion? My grandfather is turning 80 and along with that, he and my grandmother will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary! It's all very exciting and there'll be a big party. The only downside (and it's a big one) is that AJ won't be coming with us. :( I hate travelling without him and especially hate leaving him behind. I know Chipper will take good care of him while we're gone though and the Wii will probably get a massive workout.

On the subject of my grandparents anniversary, AJ and I were talking about it the other day and what it would be like at our 60th anniversary. Then we started working the numbers and that was amusing. Conisdering we'll both be close to 90 I expect it to be a pretty low key event. You can probably cross swing dancing off the list. So if you all are around in early October in the year 2060, consider yourselves invited. :)

So, we're off. If you don't hear from me, then we made our flight and we'll be back in town on New Years day. We're so excited to see everyone even if it is just for a couple of days! Are you ready for us??

Merry Christmas to everyone and have a safe and happy New Year!

See you in 2009!! :)

A Sunday drive on Monday

Today we thought we'd venture off up the river a little ways and see what the snow looked like outside of our little town. So we drove for a bit, stopped and let the boys play in the snow for a bit then wandered down a little side road. We came across a pretty waterfall and a little black horse standing under a tree. It's amazing how everything looks better covered in snow, even the McDonalds looked pretty and peaceful and that's saying something.

Another thing, I don't think AJ likes my hat too much. He started singing spice girls songs and mumbled something about me being his little British girl or something like that.... Hmmm, I don't care. I like it, darn it!

So that's about it really, not much more to say today just thought I'd post some photos from our drive (AJ took the horse photo). Though I would like to note that Stalker the snowmen met a rather violent and untimely death yesterday. The boys took much delight in pummeling him and poking him with icicles. Now he's just a big messy pile in the middle of the yard. I guess that's what happens to peeping Tom snowmen. Take heed all you leacherous snowmen out there.

It's Still Snowing

It started Wednesday and guess what, it's still snowing. And, might I add, it's pretty darn cool. I was getting a little stir crazy yesterday since schools been out since it started and both the boys have been hovering around the house. Since I'm not an experienced snow driver and the only car with 4 wheel drive was being used by AJ to get to and from work, the boys and I were stuck around the house. That was fine for the first day, with all the excitement of the new snow and all and it was okay for the second day because it was still nice enough outside to go out and play. But come yesterday, with it snowing most of the day and being pretty darn cold out I decided to keep them inside. 3 days of being entertained by a 6 year old and a 4 year old was reaching my limit.

Then came the weekend and you guessed it, more snow. We decided to bundle up and head up to the mall to visit with Santa and have photos taken. While we were out and about, we saw a car driving backwards, we almost slid into the intersection at a red light and at one point, came pretty close to knocking into a power pole. Ahhhh good times, goooood times. So, back to the mall and Santa.... apparently Santa needs a new IT guy because it turns out his computer wasn't working and they weren't able to take any photos. Bummer. But the boys got to tell him what they wanted, then got a candy cane and we were on our way, off to get mexican food. I may as well let you know now that mexican food is the fourth love of my life, behind the boys and AJ and my family. Needless to say, you'll probably hear a lot about mexican food & margaritas. You've been warned.

So anyways, that was todays exciting adventure. Oh yeah, "N" took a big spill in the parking lot right after we mentioned to him that he might not want to run because it's a bit slippery and then, well.... SPLAT! Face first into the snow and the tears commenced. All was made good by stopping by our second home, Game Stop, to pick up a new game. The boys say, "Thank you, Papa, for the Christmas money!" ;-)

The Cast of Characters

And so it begins... conceptualized and formulated during the very wee hours of a sleepless morning. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. So since this blog is mostly about me and my family, I'll introduce you.

First there's AJ, my husband. A closet 80's metal head wrapped up in a conservative Georgia boy with a military twist. An IT geek by trade, but in his heart I know he'd rather be a rockstar or run an underground fightclub or perhaps a little of both. Don't get him started on politics unless you're in it for the long haul. And lastly, he can make cats sing. I've seen him do it. He's really good.

Then there are the boys "M" and "N". "M" is the oldest and sharper then a tack. I think he's a reincarnated rocket scientist. I'm almost sure of it. "N" is the youngest. He has a head full of long curly hair but insists on not looking like a "goyel" which is "girl" in "N" speak. He's pure randomness anyway you look at it and sometimes requires an interpreter to be understood. By my Father in law, they are lovingly referred to as the Yankee grandbabies and by my Mother, the Rebel grandbabies. This is sure to cause mass confusion and therapy down the road but we'll deal with that bump when we get to it.

The four legged members of the family are as follows: Dr. Bates - yes, he's a bonafide doctor of crazy and the elder of the group. He's a big black cat that hangs out in our backyard because he's too lazy to jump the fence. Frankie - named after Sinatra, a huge grey tabby who pretty much does nothing but sleep all day and will be the first one to jump in any visitors lap and plant himself there for the remainder of their visit. Don't wear black to my house. And he sings. Tucker - You'll never see him if you come to visit since he'll be hiding under the bed and it's a shame to because he's a beautiful long haired tabby. He is our scaredy cat and only ventures out when he knows there are no strangers in the house. Lastly is Chipper - named after Chipper Jones. He was a Christmas present for "M" a couple years ago. A yellow lab, he lives up to the lab breed and is forever in puppy mode. He smiles and farts like there is no tomorrow, the dog can and has cleared a room a time or two. Needless to say, it's easy to "blame it on the dog" in our household.

And now me, I was born and raised in California (mostly southern with a dash of northern thrown in for good measure) I think I'm about as laid back and low maintenance as they come. You may wonder how a California hippy chick and Conservative Southern boy get along when it comes to things political. Well, let's just way we agree to disagree. Other than that, I think we balance eachother out quite nicely. It's worked for the last 10 or so years anyways. I like to take photographs. I'm into all kinds of music (except 80's metal hairbands). I hate to cook. I prefer cooler, milder climates. I love the ocean, not so much the beach. I'm a tall girl, in no way petite. I have freckles and crazy curly hair that I sometimes try to hide by way of my handy, dandy straightening iron. I've been referred to by my father in law as a "good frontier wife". Take from that what you will.

That's us in a nutshell, to be expanded and expounded upon in future posts. Stay if you will, leave if you must but you can't take the M&M's with you.