Saturday, December 04, 2010

November 2010

November 2 my in-laws - Maxine and Charles celebrated 54 years of marriage. Wow!

November 3 - Brad's granddaughter Averie turned 4. We have not had the opportunity to meet Averie or be a part of her life - but we hope she is well and happy.

November 4 - Jason took the PLAN test (pre-ACT). Results to come in December.

November 8 - we attended a memorial service for my Mom's long-time friend Carolyn Price. She was a wonderful person and I know will be missed by many.

November 9 - Brad's mother celebrated a birthday. Happy Birthday Maxine!

November 13 - Jill attended a photo club event with me. The photo club I belong to had Nick Vedros as a guest speaker. It was an interesting talk. He goes to great lengths for the perfect picture! This is his website - http://vedros.com/

November 14 - I went out to lunch and movie with my long-time friends Jennifer and Carla to celebrate Carla's birthday. We saw the movie Morning Glory. Next year Carla will be 50 and we are going on a cruise!

November 17 - Brad became a great uncle for the first time. His niece Mindy had a baby girl - Kinsley Paige.

November 20 - I took 6 month pictures of my cousin's baby Slate. He looked adorable in his Santa Suit! I also got to see another of my cousins on that day and I had lunch with her and her kiddos - Baby Zach and 4 year old Julia.


November 21 - we had an early Thanksgiving dinner at my Mom and Dad's. Mom still can't be on her feet much so she gave directions from the living room while the rest of us fixed dinner. Great team work!

November 23 - I volunteered at the School of Economics with Alec's class. They simulate a small town and learn lots. Some kids run food and craft shops. In addition, there is a Mayor, health inspectors, CPA firm and a bank. Alec was the bank president. They all get paychecks and get to spend their money at all the shops.


November 24 - we drove to Louisiana for Thanksgiving. It took us a little over 12 hours and we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma's house at around 8:00pm.

November 25 was Thanksgiving and a bit of a crazy day. It started first thing in the morning with Alec breaking his arm! He fell backwards off his Ripstik. Or rather off his cousin's Ripstik. He forgot to bring his own - maybe that should have been a sign. It was obviously broken and he was in a lot of pain - so Brad and I took him straight to Rapides Regional Medical Center ER. Coincidentally this is the same hospital that Brad was born in 50 years ago! All the personnel were great. We didn't have to wait long either - which was a relief. They gave Alec some pain medication and splinted his arm. We headed back home around 11:30am just in time for turkey dinner. Brad's grandmother joined us for Thanksgiving day. She is 96 and still gets around quite well.


November 26 - Tami and I braved the Black Friday crowds and went to Shoe Carnival and Best Buy. Shoe Carnival is a tradition for us. We always go and we usually like and buy the same shoes!

November 27 - The 10 of us went out to lunch at CiCi's then to the Alexandria Zoo. It was a gorgeous day and nice to get out and walk around. Alec was still adjusting to his injury and in a bit of pain so he rode in a wheelchair. We forgot his pain meds though and by the time we made it through the whole zoo - he was pretty worn out. I think he enjoyed it though. It gave him something to do since he couldn't be outside running around with his cousins like they usually are.


November 28 - We drove back to Missouri. It took a little less than 12 hours this time and was a pretty good trip.

We had a bit of a crazy Thanksgiving week this year. In addition to the broken arm - we had a few other bits of bad luck throughout the week. The Tahoe ran out gas in the driveway, Seth locked Tami's keys in their car. They did not have an extra set and had to get one made. Ryne's laptop was left on the floor and got 'rocked' on by the recliner. It made a big defect on the screen. Brad almost fainted at the ER when we took Alec. We almost had 2 patients. They gave him a wet rag and he laid down for few minutes and he was okay. He does not like hospitals.
But Shawn pointed out that all of those things could have been much worse. That is a good point. Alec could have broken his right arm instead of his left - or broke his neck or something. The Tahoe could have run out of gas on the freeway somewhere. It might have been much harder to get a key made for Tami's car. The laptop still works and can still be used. Brad did not faint and hit his head or something. So I guess that is a better way to look at things. Thanks Shawn!

November 29 - I took Alec to see his pediatrician for a cast. After the doc looked at the x-rays - he referred us to an orthopedic doctor for the cast. He thought the break was a little more than he could cast.

November 30 - We went to Rockhill Orthopedics and Alec got his cast. It goes from his shoulder to his hand and is red. After the casting - he and I went to 'the soup place' (Panera) for lunch. Then to Grandma and Grandpa's to show them his cast. Grandpa wasn't home but he came by our house later to see it (and us!) We went to the Scout Pack Meeting that night and he went back to school the next day.

And that's November 2010 for us! Coming up in December - I finally have a start date for my contract job at JPM. I start 12/14. and of course much more is happening in December! Until then....

Thursday, November 04, 2010

October 2010

I can't say October was a great month as I was sick for most of it! I had bronchitis and felt lousy. Not fun!

There were definitely good things that happened though!
At Alec's parent/teacher conference I learned that he got a perfect score on his Communication Arts MAP test. His teacher was very impressed and they are trying to see if anyone else in the district achieved this. The MAP test is the elementary standardized test, given in the state of Missouri, each year and stands for Missouri Assessment Program. In high school they take similar tests but they are called Missouri End-of-Course Assessment. Well guess what! Jason achieved a perfect score on his geometry EOC! I am soooo proud of my boys!! Jason also took the PSAT (pre-SAT) test in October and is taking the PLAN (pre-ACT) test this morning. He will be going off to college before we know it! I am not ready for that!

More things to celebrate from October:
Hunter turned 20 on 10/11. We now have kids that are 10, 15, 20 and 25 (and 27) - cool!

My Dad turned 74 on 10/13

Brad's Grandma Willis turned 96 on 10/17

Autumn Rayne turned 9 on 10/26


Mom and Dad's neighbors have season tickets to the Royals game. They had a couple of extra tickets to the last game of the season and gave them to Mom and Dad. Mom is having lots of trouble with her right foot so she didn't want to go. The boys didn't want to go either, Trent had to work, etc - so anyway - I ended up going with my Dad. It was a really nice day and it was nice to spend one-on-one time with my dad. Too bad the Royals lost in extra innings.


Still no job - but I did have an 'interview' for a part-time contract position. We will see if anything comes of it.

Not much else to report. The boys were out of school on 10/28, 10/29 and 11/1. We all enjoyed the 5 day 'weekend'. Oh yes - I guess we did have Halloween in there too! I almost forgot about it. The boys went all out on their costumes this year - NOT! They wore disguise glasses with a fake nose and mustache. They went trick or treating with the neighbors on their hay wagon and Brad and I stayed home and passed out candy. Or I guess - I passed out candy and Brad didn't move from his chair where he was reading a book. :) Here is a picture of my silly boys.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

September and part of October 2010

Well the updating more frequently did not happen - but that's okay.

I am not yet back to work but I am currently in discussions for a part-time contract job. Yeah!
I need a job to help pay for our new carpet and tile. :)


September celebrations:
nephew Seth turned 12
brother-in-law Shawn had a birthday
Taryn and Brady celebrated their 3rd wedding anniversary and
found out they are expecting a baby!!!

The Santa Cali Gon was Labor Day weekend as usual. Normally Mom, Nan and I go and browse the craft tents. Unfortunately, this year, Mom is having more trouble than usual with her feet and is currently in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs and very crowded, narrow tents do not mix. I actually ended up going with Lucia for a couple of hours on Saturday. Next year hopefully Mom will be able to walk and she, Nan, Lucia and I can all go!

Vanessa and I attempted to go to the Plaza Art Fair this year too but got rained out. We drove down there on Saturday night but never found a parking place and then it started raining pretty hard and didn't look like it would clear up. We decided to go get mani/pedis instead.

Mom, Nan and I decided to go out to lunch and shopping since we missed SantaCaliGon. We went to Olive Garden and then shopping at Kohl's and Bed,Bath and Beyond. It was much easier to push a wheelchair around those places than it would have been at SCG.

I had to get new rear brakes on my Honda even though it only has 23,000 miles on it. Apparently Honda had a design flaw with the 2008 Accords. They did at least send me a settlement for $125 to help cover the cost. They were pretty quick about sending it too. I was very surprised.

The annual Baker Reunion was the second Sunday in September. The boys and I went with Mom, Dad and Vanessa. Or I guess I should say they went with me - because I drove.



Alec missed 4 days of school during September. I never did understand if he had bronchitis or not but I know he did not have pneumonia as the chest x-ray was clear. The final 'cure' was an inhaler to clear his bronchial passages.

Grandparent's Day at Alec's school was October 1st. Mom and Dad came. I worked with Lucia selling sportswear. I guess this is our last one since they don't have Grandparent's day at the middle school.


I am sure I am forgetting a few things but I wanted to get at least this much updated. Until next time......

Saturday, September 04, 2010

August 2010

I think I need to start updating more frequently. Seems like by the time the month is over I forget a lot of things and seems like a big 'job' to update. I like keeping this blog and don't want it to be a 'job'.

Speaking of jobs - I checked on a couple this month. I looked into working part-time at JPM doing conversions like I did 5 years ago. I suggested that I could job share with another part-timer - but they said that can't hire anyone in at part-time. I did not apply for the full-time position. I know I am spoiled - but I just couldn't stand the thought of going to the office 5 days a week.
The other job I looked at is with the last company I worked for. When/if they have an opening - I may go back as a contingent worker. It would be full-time too - but would be from home. The office they have here is full. Full-time from home would be good! Besides - I need to drive Alec to and from school this year - so I need to be here.

School started on August 18 for both the boys. Jason is a sophomore and Alec is in 5th grade. I take Jason to school in the mornings but he rides the bus home. The morning bus comes at 6:30am but school does not start until 7:25am. I just couldn't see making him (and me) wake up that early to go sit at the school for 45 minutes. I know they have to be that early because the freshman center and the high school share the buses - but that is just crazy.
Alec can't ride the bus this year. They changed the boundaries and he is actually supposed to go to a different school now. But since this was his last year of elementary school, I decided to let him stay at his old school and drive him. It is kind of a pain - but at least my neighbor is doing the same for her daughter - so we take turns.


There was something very sad that happened this month. My cousin's 17 year old step-son had been missing since May. His body was found this month in the woods. He had committed suicide. His father was very devastated - as you can imagine. I attended a memorial service for Cody on Aug 22. It was a very moving service and very, very sad. Life will never be the same for his family. What makes a boy, with his whole life ahead of him, and family and friends that love him, take his own life. He had to have been in a very dark place. I pray that he is now at peace.

We did have some wonderful things to celebrate this month too though!
Great Aunt Charlotte celebrated her 99th birthday!


Aunt Karyn and Uncle Loren celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!
They had a nice dinner party thrown by their children. It was in Ottawa and much of the family attended.


Michelle turned 40 something :) and
Mom turned 72

We celebrated Mom and Michelle's birthdays together with dinner at our house. It was a stormy night - but fun. In attendance were Aunt Faye, Mom, Dad, Nan, Trent, Michelle, Jake, Taylor, Jill, Josh and of course the 4 of us. It was our last family celebration before Jake's headed off to college. Not like he won't be back quite often - but it was still a milestone.

On Mom's actual birthday - she, Dad and I went to see the movie Eat Pray Love. It was pretty good. I am going to miss being able to do things like going to the movie in the middle of the day when I start working again!

Monday, August 02, 2010

The first half of July 2010

As you can see from the other posts - the last half of July was vacation.
As for the first half.....

On July 2 - Mom, Vanessa and I paid a visit to cousin Lisa and baby Zach. Mom gave Lisa a quilt that the three of us had started in 1974 when Lisa was born. Somehow we never finished it and Mom has held on to it all theses years. She dug out and finished it up and gave it Lisa for Zachary. Better 36 years late than never! :)


Hunter had stayed for an extra week so we took him back to SD on July 3rd. We all stayed at Taryn and Brady's house in Crook, SD for the 4th of July weekend. Autumn stayed too and Michael and his fiance came over for a bit too. So Brad got to see all his kiddos.
We had a good 4th of July. It was a bit calmer than our usual 4th's in the cul-de-sac. Brady's family came over for a cookout, swimming and fireworks. We went back home Monday morning.






On July 9 - my Aunt Faye turned 89 and on July 14 - Brady turned 29.

I joined a photo club this month. It is called Imagemakers and they meet once a month in Blue Springs. I think I will enjoy it. I found out about it from someone I used to work with at UMB. She is the current president.

and finally - the day before vacation - we had new carpet installed in the living room and front room. The timing was not great - but I love the plush new carpet. It was supposed to be installed a few days before but there were issues with our tile. We were going have part of the entry tile removed and covered with carpet. Turns out they couldn't do that and the original installers did a really crappy job on the tile - so now we are getting all new tile in the entry too. That is one of the projects for August. Possibly new carpet on the stairs too. That may have to wait though. I need to stop spending money and start making some!


Our household provider went back to work yesterday and he is miserable. I wish I could help him in some way. He keeps mentioning that I should get a job and I may - but I am not sure how that will make him like his job any better. He said 'misery loves company'. Gee that's sounds fun - go back to work so we can both be miserable!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Day 12

Nothing but driving.....all day long.
We made it home safe and sound around 10:00pm. The kitties were glad to see us.

silliness after 12 hours in the car

Day 11

We spent a nice, lazy day in Pineville, LA at Brad's parent's.
Grandpa took the boys out in kayaks for a little bit on the pond. They were going to go to the big lake later but it ended up raining on and off all day.
We had the best meal we had had all trip, on this day. Homemade potato salad, beans, cornbread, roast and tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers fresh from the garden. Yum!
It was a nice visit.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Day 10

We checked out of the condo at 9:30am and drove to Gulf Shores. Saw the empty beaches and the place we stayed last year. Drove on to Fort Morgan - where we were supposed to stay this year. We drove down one road about 15 miles and found a dead end and had to turn around. Finally found the right road and drove about 20 miles to Fort Morgan. There we found even emptier beaches and tar balls. The duplex was pretty much at the end of the island so we were going to take the ferry to Dauphin Island and continue north from there. Unfortunately, we missed the ferry by 10 minutes. The next ferry was not for 1 1/2 hours - so we turned arounf and drove back - again. We made it Pineville, LA around 8:30pm. The 7 hour trip took us around 11 hours.

warning sign on Gulf Shores beach


Double red flags in Gulf Shores - means don't go in the water


this is the condo we stayed in last year


this is the duplex we were supposed to stay in this year - before the oil spill ruined the beach


tar ball on the Fort Morgan beach

Day 9

another quiet day...
We went to Destin Commons to the Bass Pro Shop, Life is Good store and Johnny Rocket's burgers.
Pool, Beach, Pool, Cleaning, Packing......

sunset from condo




Sunday, July 25, 2010

Day 8



Today was nice lazy day around the condo. We went to the beach a couple of times and the pool a couple of times but didn't drive anywhere. We just ate what we had in the fridge.
There was a time this evening, on the beach, where I felt completely content. It was marvelous! I was sitting in my beach chair, watching the boys play in the surf. There was a wonderful ocean breeze blowing. I was not hot or cold, not thirsty or hungry, no bugs, no worries, no stress - just complete contentment. I only remember a few others times in my life that I felt so at peace. It was true contentment.
That one moment made my whole day - so that's about all there is to say about Day 8.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Day 7


We went parasailing today! Not just the boys - but me too! We did a triple one so we got to go together. Brad came along as a spectator. We couldn't convince him to go too. He said he's done it before. I guess once in lifetime was enough for him. This was the boys second time and my third. It is so calming to float on air. Loved it!
After parasailing we came back and went to the beach for a bit and then the pool. We had to get out of the pool around 5 because a storm was rolling in.
We went to Moe's Southwest Grill for dinner then to Books-a-Million and then to Publix for a few more supplies.
That was about it for the day!

lots of seaweed in the water in the morning


clear water in the afternoon


storm rolling in

Friday, July 23, 2010

Day 6

We planned on going parasailing today but found them to be very busy. We were able to make a reservation for the next day so we will go back. We were able to rent waverunners though. we rented 2 of them for 1 hour. Alec rode with Brad and Jason rode with me. They were a LOT of fun. At first we went out in the Gulf - which was a bit to rough. So then we headed back to the bay where it was much nicer. I made sure Jason wasn't disappointed that he had to ride with me and we went pretty fast. It was a blast! We also a pod or school or whatever you call it of dolphins. That was very cool. There were probably 5 dolphins all together swimming right next to us.
The hour went very quickly and we had to go back - but it was very very fun while it lasted.
After the waverunners - everyone was pretty tired so we came back to the condo and relaxed. Brad, Jason and I took naps. Alec just watched TV.
I woke up first and talked Alec into going on a walk in the beach. After we got back, he talked me into a swim in the pool. We finally went back to the room at 6:30 and then out to dinner at 7:00. It doesn't take me too long to get ready. There is not much point in fixing my hair or make-up when it will be sweated off as soon as we get outdoors.
We ate dinner at Gilligans. The boys had all you can eat popcorn shrimp and Brad had all you can eat catfish. They have fireworks at the harbor every Thurday night and we were able to see them perfectly from our table. We didn't know that when we went there. We had planned on driving down to watch them after we ate and I was afraid we were going to miss them since we had to wait for a table. But we lucked out and could see them right there. That worked out well!
That's about it for day 6. It is now day 7 at 10:30am and we are just lazing around the condo.



Day 5


I found a Lenscrafters in Mary Esther, FL where Brad got an eye exam and new glasses. Thank goodness for on-site labs and 'glasses in about an hour'.
There was a red flag on the beach today. Not sure why - but there sure was a LOT of seaweed. It was very green. Not pretty! Anyway - we took it easy that afternoon and the boys swam in the pool.
We went back later to pick up the glasses and then we ate dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. We then went to check out the Harborwalk and the Emerald Grande. The Emerald Grande is a big, fancy condo building right on the harbor. The Harborwalk is right below it and has several shops and restaurants - as well as boat slips. You can take dolphin cruises from here or rent waverunners or go parasailing. We just looked around and then came back the condo.
We all went for an evening swim in the pool - which was very relaxing. It was a hot and steamy evening - so the water felt great!
At about 10:00pm Alec and I decided we wanted to go the beach - but our one and only flashlight was dead. So the 4 of us made a trip to Wal-Mart. We always seem to end up at Wally world at 10 at night on our vacations. Anyway - we joked that our flashlights cost $34 because of all the other stuff we bought. But we finally got down to the beach with our flashlights at 11pm. It was a nice night for a stroll. We didn't stay out very long though because by then we were pretty tired. That was about it for day 5.

Harborwalk/Emerald Grande

Day 4


We checked out of the Hampton Inn at 11:00. We still had at least 2 hours before we could check in to the condo. We decided to drive on down the coast to see the area (Alec was not happy about this). Anyway - we drove down scenic highway 30A to Panama City Beach. We saw some cute little coastal towns along the way - including Seaside, FL.
A day before we left I found out that one of my oldest friends was also driving to Florida with her family for vacation. They stayed in Seaside. We did not get an opportunity to visit them - but Jennifer and I are going to get together when we get back and share our vacations. Jennifer is actually the first person I came to Florida with. When we were in our 20's we came to Florida twice. Once we drove and stayed on the gulf coast in Venice and once we flew and stayed in Ft. Lauderdale. Those were fun trips.
Back to day 4....
We were able to check into our condo at 1:00. It has one bedroom and 2 baths. There are bunk beds in the hallway and a sleeper sofa too. There is also a full kitchen and a great view from the balcony. We are on the 9th floor. Plenty of room for the 4 of us.
We went shopping for food and beach toys then came back and finally made it to the beach.
We got 3 air mattresses and a tube. We all went out and rode the waves. I did not last long. The waves were strong! I decided to go back and sit on the beach. Brad, Jay and Al kept on riding the waves and were having a blast. They kept getting farther and farther out. I kept watching them thinking - when the heck are they going to head back? I finally got up and walked down the beach a ways and kept trying to wave them back in. Some guy said - "Is that your family out there?" He told me that the waves just keep taking you out and it is really hard to get back in. You can swim and swim and get no where. Well that scared me! Then he pointed out a rescue guy heading out towards them. Apparently he thought they were out to far too and was going to bring them back. Whew! That made me feel better. He didn't technically 'rescue' them. He just told them they needed to go back to shore and stayed with them until they were safely back. I just stood there and felt helpless until the made it back. I was not happy with them. They, however, thought it was awesome. They were never worried and had a blast on the waves. Jason said "Raft $4, going out so far Rescue has to come for you - priceless". That's my boys!
After that, we gathered up our things and headed back to the condo. While I was in the shower, Brad unpacked the bag and discovered that his glasses were missing. Not a good thing! His watch, phone, wallet, etc were all there - but his glasses were missing. I am not sure why he took all those things to the beach anyway - but that is beside the point I guess. Alec and Brad went back down to the beach and searched and searched. They asked the front desk if they had been turned in and then searched some more. No luck! They came back up and then we all 4 went down and searched. Still no luck! He also went down later with a flashlight and looked some more. They are lost and gone forever and we will probably never know what happened to them.
We cooked frozen pizzas for dinner and just hung around the condo the rest of the night.