My best friend Angela FINALLY has a computer. That's not to say she hasn't had one before...but it's been many, many moons since she last surfed the interwebs and Googled anything for herself.
So I have been trying to teach "basic computing 101" today. Most of the basics she can still remember so I am more or less limiting my class lecture to "what's cool these days on the web" I have already sent her in the direction of Stephanie Meyers website. So she can catch up on all things Twilight. I've also told her to check out LOL cats and of course my blog.
So I bring the discussion to you. My faithful friends and readers. What do you suggest? Anything new and exciting happening on the net that I may have overlooked? Does anyone know any good recipe sites? She's an excellent cook.
What are the site you frequent? Please let me know what I can pass along!
Thanks.
February 13, 2009
February 9, 2009
Snow More!
Good Morning kids...today I woke up to more of that white stuff on the ground. The fog was heavy in spots, but the sun was shining and the sky the most beautiful shade of blue I have ever seen.
However, it was still white out there. Oh, did I mention it was cold too? Oh, well yea, it was that too.
Gracie woke up, looked outside and pouted while saying "Oh no, does this mean I don't have school again?" See she would rather go to school that have a snow day. I know, backwards but I'll take it for as long as she keeps it up.
Luckily for her, school was still in session. Magically, the snow fell on all the trees, yards, cars and houses, but managed to completely avoid the roads. (Gracie thinks pixie dust or perhaps God had a hand in that) But I would say there was close to a half an inch this morning.
However, according to the news we are supposed to get another 6 inches tonight. 6 inches around here is enough to shut down the city. For days. Gracie's 8th birthday is Thursday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that IF it snows, it melts off in a day. Otherwise I am stuck with 25 cupcakes and surfboard bookmarks that say "HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY CLARE" (Clara is her first name, and the name she goes by at school)
It's now two in the afternoon and it's still pretty white out there. It is melting a little off the roof but there are some serious black clouds looming in the West. Just waiting to strike.
So, tune in tomorrow for the snow report. Hopefully Gracie won't be disappointed by more of the white stuff.
However, it was still white out there. Oh, did I mention it was cold too? Oh, well yea, it was that too.
Gracie woke up, looked outside and pouted while saying "Oh no, does this mean I don't have school again?" See she would rather go to school that have a snow day. I know, backwards but I'll take it for as long as she keeps it up.
Luckily for her, school was still in session. Magically, the snow fell on all the trees, yards, cars and houses, but managed to completely avoid the roads. (Gracie thinks pixie dust or perhaps God had a hand in that) But I would say there was close to a half an inch this morning.
However, according to the news we are supposed to get another 6 inches tonight. 6 inches around here is enough to shut down the city. For days. Gracie's 8th birthday is Thursday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that IF it snows, it melts off in a day. Otherwise I am stuck with 25 cupcakes and surfboard bookmarks that say "HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY CLARE" (Clara is her first name, and the name she goes by at school)
It's now two in the afternoon and it's still pretty white out there. It is melting a little off the roof but there are some serious black clouds looming in the West. Just waiting to strike.
So, tune in tomorrow for the snow report. Hopefully Gracie won't be disappointed by more of the white stuff.
February 7, 2009
And So It Begins.
When your husband is out to sea, inevitably something will happen. You get a flat, you break your arm, your house burns down. something happens. It's expected. I just didn't expect it to start BEFORE he went out to sea. I am praying this isn't a sign of things to come.
I woke up this morning and got ready to start my day. I had a ton of errands to run. I head outside with the Mom and kid in tow. Get in my car and start it....back out of my driveway and think "Huh, that's really weird. Am I stuck in mud?" So I get out of the car to check...low and behold, my driver front tire. Flatter than a pancake. Seriously. You could actually see my rim.
So we hop out of the car and I go inside to call "Large Tire Company" (not the actual name) and have them come fix it pronto. Well, guy on the phone says "We charge $90 an hour for service calls" Excuse me? I have dealt with "Large Tire Company" ever since I owned a car. Never once, not ONCE have I been charged for them to send out the truck. After my initial shock I said "You know what, I'm going to call my father-in-law who is an executive with "Large Tire Company" and ask him, that doesn't sound right" He stammered and said "er...uh...well" then I hung up. All I could see was red.
Ok, you see, I can't change a tire to save my life. Not on my current car (mini-van) because the bolts are simply to hard to turn. I've tried. My uncle who taught me how to drive, made sure I knew how to change a tire. My Grandpa used to take me out to his Jeep every other weekend just to make sure I could do it. Chris has put me through tire changing boot camp!
But alas, I can't do it. I don't have the Y chromosome. Ok, I could do it on my old car a Geo, but I could also lift it up from the back end....so really it doesn't count when you are dealing with a go-cart.
Oh, did I mention today was turnover day for Chris' boat? Yea, he's on a Boomer. So they have Blue Crew (boo) and Gold Crew (yea). For three months Chris crew are out to sea. They return and hand the keys over to the blue crew, who get it ready again and then they head out to sea for three months. They come home, hand the keys back to the gold crew, they get it ready to go out....you get the picture. There is usually a month or so on either end of a patrol for fixing the boat up to go back out. The month on either end of the deployments is "refit" The busiest time for them.
So today was handover the keys day. Plus, like day one or two of refit. Chris is extra, extra busy. He had to be at work at 6 am this morning. He has duty tomorrow. Yes, 24 hour duty. Monday he has duty until 7 am but then schools until 4ish. Afterward he has to go BACK to the boat, check in with his crew and make sure they didn't break anything THEN he can come home.
ANYWAY, I called his cell and left frantic messages. I emailed him. I called the boat! He was busy. Very, very busy. So finally around noon or one he calls and says "don't worry, I'll take care of it when I get home. I have duty tomorrow so I'm getting cut loose early tonight" Early, in case you were wondering, turns out to be 7 pm. ANYWAY......
So, he got home, put on my ugly little donut tire so I can go get it fixed tomorrow. Then he called his Dad, who actually IS an executive with "Large Tire Company". Turns out that no, it is NOT policy to charge for service calls and he will look into it first thing Monday morning.
Sing to the tune of neener, neener, neener......Somebody's going to get fired. :)
I know karma will bite you in the backside when you enjoy that sort of thing...but dammit after the stressful day I had. I can't help it.
On a positive note, my involuntary confinement to my house DID allow me to get some chores done that I've been...well, quite honestly, avoiding with trips to Starbucks. So, that's a good thing. However, I do have one hell of a caffeine headache tonight without my 5 shot peppermint mocha.
I woke up this morning and got ready to start my day. I had a ton of errands to run. I head outside with the Mom and kid in tow. Get in my car and start it....back out of my driveway and think "Huh, that's really weird. Am I stuck in mud?" So I get out of the car to check...low and behold, my driver front tire. Flatter than a pancake. Seriously. You could actually see my rim.
So we hop out of the car and I go inside to call "Large Tire Company" (not the actual name) and have them come fix it pronto. Well, guy on the phone says "We charge $90 an hour for service calls" Excuse me? I have dealt with "Large Tire Company" ever since I owned a car. Never once, not ONCE have I been charged for them to send out the truck. After my initial shock I said "You know what, I'm going to call my father-in-law who is an executive with "Large Tire Company" and ask him, that doesn't sound right" He stammered and said "er...uh...well" then I hung up. All I could see was red.
Ok, you see, I can't change a tire to save my life. Not on my current car (mini-van) because the bolts are simply to hard to turn. I've tried. My uncle who taught me how to drive, made sure I knew how to change a tire. My Grandpa used to take me out to his Jeep every other weekend just to make sure I could do it. Chris has put me through tire changing boot camp!
But alas, I can't do it. I don't have the Y chromosome. Ok, I could do it on my old car a Geo, but I could also lift it up from the back end....so really it doesn't count when you are dealing with a go-cart.
Oh, did I mention today was turnover day for Chris' boat? Yea, he's on a Boomer. So they have Blue Crew (boo) and Gold Crew (yea). For three months Chris crew are out to sea. They return and hand the keys over to the blue crew, who get it ready again and then they head out to sea for three months. They come home, hand the keys back to the gold crew, they get it ready to go out....you get the picture. There is usually a month or so on either end of a patrol for fixing the boat up to go back out. The month on either end of the deployments is "refit" The busiest time for them.
So today was handover the keys day. Plus, like day one or two of refit. Chris is extra, extra busy. He had to be at work at 6 am this morning. He has duty tomorrow. Yes, 24 hour duty. Monday he has duty until 7 am but then schools until 4ish. Afterward he has to go BACK to the boat, check in with his crew and make sure they didn't break anything THEN he can come home.
ANYWAY, I called his cell and left frantic messages. I emailed him. I called the boat! He was busy. Very, very busy. So finally around noon or one he calls and says "don't worry, I'll take care of it when I get home. I have duty tomorrow so I'm getting cut loose early tonight" Early, in case you were wondering, turns out to be 7 pm. ANYWAY......
So, he got home, put on my ugly little donut tire so I can go get it fixed tomorrow. Then he called his Dad, who actually IS an executive with "Large Tire Company". Turns out that no, it is NOT policy to charge for service calls and he will look into it first thing Monday morning.
Sing to the tune of neener, neener, neener......Somebody's going to get fired. :)
I know karma will bite you in the backside when you enjoy that sort of thing...but dammit after the stressful day I had. I can't help it.
On a positive note, my involuntary confinement to my house DID allow me to get some chores done that I've been...well, quite honestly, avoiding with trips to Starbucks. So, that's a good thing. However, I do have one hell of a caffeine headache tonight without my 5 shot peppermint mocha.
February 6, 2009
Taxes
So it's tax time again. You know, the time of year when your hair turns a little grayer, your vocabulary a little saltier and innocent people at the internal revenue are cursed and deemed minions of Satan himself.
For me it is also a time to get ready for Chris next patrol. The girlfriend came home yesterday and has already decided to monopolize all his time.
So, I did the taxes. I have had to do them before...so it's not a new process for me. But this year we have mortgage taxes and moving expenses and a whole list of other goodies that I have never seen nor heard of before today.
To make matters worse, our moving expense W-2 was never mailed. Oh, they claimed it was mailed two weeks ago. But the last time I checked, transit time with the US postal service between Ohio and Washington was about 4 days. 14 and 4 sort of sound alike, but that's it. Unless, due to the economy, they reinstated the Pony Express.
Anyhoo...I called them today. The Navy's defense finance department. I had a cup of coffee in hand and a snack waiting because I knew I was not going anywhere for a while. I put on my "polite" voice (you know the one, the I'm being nice but one wrong move and my head will start rotating in an unnatural way, voice)
The man I spoke to told me they had sent it, but they would send another one. I said, "well, I would like to have it before I have to pay my taxes next year. Is there any way you can email it to me"
Guess what. They can. It's an option. One they don't tell you about, but an option none the less. He said "sure, I can do that"
What? Wait, isn't this a government office? You are a government employee are you not? You're not supposed to be....HELPFUL!!! What will his boss say? I mean, if it gets out that he actually did something...God forbid, productive it would be total chaos. Pigs would fly, hell will freeze over and we could expect a G N' R reunion tour.
Then I was even more shocked when he actually did what he told me he would! Yep. There in my inbox, in all it's glory was my W-2. I know! I was dumbfounded too. What is the world coming to?
So, I have finished my taxes. Chris is still at work and has no idea. One less stress on him right now. And I did it. I did the complex task of itemizing and deducting. Yea me. I didn't get angry or annoyed with government employees AND I'm getting a decent refund to boot!
For me it is also a time to get ready for Chris next patrol. The girlfriend came home yesterday and has already decided to monopolize all his time.
So, I did the taxes. I have had to do them before...so it's not a new process for me. But this year we have mortgage taxes and moving expenses and a whole list of other goodies that I have never seen nor heard of before today.
To make matters worse, our moving expense W-2 was never mailed. Oh, they claimed it was mailed two weeks ago. But the last time I checked, transit time with the US postal service between Ohio and Washington was about 4 days. 14 and 4 sort of sound alike, but that's it. Unless, due to the economy, they reinstated the Pony Express.
Anyhoo...I called them today. The Navy's defense finance department. I had a cup of coffee in hand and a snack waiting because I knew I was not going anywhere for a while. I put on my "polite" voice (you know the one, the I'm being nice but one wrong move and my head will start rotating in an unnatural way, voice)
The man I spoke to told me they had sent it, but they would send another one. I said, "well, I would like to have it before I have to pay my taxes next year. Is there any way you can email it to me"
Guess what. They can. It's an option. One they don't tell you about, but an option none the less. He said "sure, I can do that"
What? Wait, isn't this a government office? You are a government employee are you not? You're not supposed to be....HELPFUL!!! What will his boss say? I mean, if it gets out that he actually did something...God forbid, productive it would be total chaos. Pigs would fly, hell will freeze over and we could expect a G N' R reunion tour.
Then I was even more shocked when he actually did what he told me he would! Yep. There in my inbox, in all it's glory was my W-2. I know! I was dumbfounded too. What is the world coming to?
So, I have finished my taxes. Chris is still at work and has no idea. One less stress on him right now. And I did it. I did the complex task of itemizing and deducting. Yea me. I didn't get angry or annoyed with government employees AND I'm getting a decent refund to boot!
February 4, 2009
Out with the Old....or rather...in With the Old
I've added some posts from my old blog on Myspace. Considering I left high school a long time ago...I decided to get a real blog. And Facebook. But some of those posts were decent and they take up space here. So...I've added them. You can find them in my archives because I kept the old dates on them. Enjoy!
Birthdays and Boats and Babies Oh My!
So the other woman will be demanding my husbands undivided attention very soon. The other woman being his boat (submarine) She's a tiresome mistress.
When I say undivided attention, I do mean it. Gracie's 8th birthday is next Thursday. Saturday is her birthday party. Do you think my husband will get to see her on either day....duty calls.
He will have duty on the day of her party and duty the day before her birthday...classes all day on her birthday and then he still has to check in with his division before heading home. So we will see him for a grand total of one hour before bedtime. That's if everything goes well. Otherwise, she won't see him at all.
You know, I don't have a problem with duty schedules...I understand why they have them and all that. I wish Chris could be home...while he's home, for Gracie's birthday. But the powers that be can't make that happen. So as usual...we'll deal with it. As a Navy wife we get used to disappointment. I don't have to like it...but that's the way it goes.
UPDATE: Chris informed Gracie about the plans for her birthday. The waterworks were turned on full power, but she's a strong resilient kid...and Daddy will make it up to her with presents!
On a much happier note...my cousin is going to have a baby in August!!! Hooray. It's her first and I'm super excited for her. I am trying to convince her that Kristine is the perfect name for a girl...I don't think she buys it.
My sister-in-law is also expecting in July. I'm trying to convince her that Kristine is the perfect name for a girl....I don't think she's buying it either.
That has been a subject of much discussion around here. (not the name, the pregnancy) Chris only found out day before yesterday...after she was already four months along....come to find out the rest of his family has known for two months!
He's always the last to know anything. For years he has called it the family party game of "let's keep a secret from Chris" so he is pretty used to it.
We are really excited for her. She already has a gorgeous son and two beautiful step kids. So I am excited to see the newest addition to their brood.
Anyway, like I said Gracie's 8th birthday is coming up. So be sure to check back for pictures of the worlds greatest luau party.
When I say undivided attention, I do mean it. Gracie's 8th birthday is next Thursday. Saturday is her birthday party. Do you think my husband will get to see her on either day....duty calls.
He will have duty on the day of her party and duty the day before her birthday...classes all day on her birthday and then he still has to check in with his division before heading home. So we will see him for a grand total of one hour before bedtime. That's if everything goes well. Otherwise, she won't see him at all.
You know, I don't have a problem with duty schedules...I understand why they have them and all that. I wish Chris could be home...while he's home, for Gracie's birthday. But the powers that be can't make that happen. So as usual...we'll deal with it. As a Navy wife we get used to disappointment. I don't have to like it...but that's the way it goes.
UPDATE: Chris informed Gracie about the plans for her birthday. The waterworks were turned on full power, but she's a strong resilient kid...and Daddy will make it up to her with presents!
On a much happier note...my cousin is going to have a baby in August!!! Hooray. It's her first and I'm super excited for her. I am trying to convince her that Kristine is the perfect name for a girl...I don't think she buys it.
My sister-in-law is also expecting in July. I'm trying to convince her that Kristine is the perfect name for a girl....I don't think she's buying it either.
That has been a subject of much discussion around here. (not the name, the pregnancy) Chris only found out day before yesterday...after she was already four months along....come to find out the rest of his family has known for two months!
He's always the last to know anything. For years he has called it the family party game of "let's keep a secret from Chris" so he is pretty used to it.
We are really excited for her. She already has a gorgeous son and two beautiful step kids. So I am excited to see the newest addition to their brood.
Anyway, like I said Gracie's 8th birthday is coming up. So be sure to check back for pictures of the worlds greatest luau party.
Welcome!
Since this is my first post I think it's only right that I welcome you. I will give you a quick overview of what this site is all about.
If you're here, you probably know us. Lucky you! As you know, Chris is a submarine officer, I'm a stay-at-home mom and Gracie is a second grader.
We move around all the time. In the past 10 years of Navy life we have lived in Chicago, Chula Vista, CA, San Diego, La Grande, OR, Pullman, WA, Charleston, SC and Bangor, WA. During it all, Chris has also done time in Groton, CT, Newport, RI and Biloxi, MS. Sheesh!
I decided to start a blog to keep our friends and family up to date with all that goes on in our world. Not to mention, it gives me something to do when Chris is deployed!
Most of what will be on this blog will be family happenings but the occasional rant or rave on a topic totally unrelated to us will pop up once in a while. I'm outspoken and can't help myself. Sorry!
So that's it. Thanks for taking time to read about us and again....Welcome!
If you're here, you probably know us. Lucky you! As you know, Chris is a submarine officer, I'm a stay-at-home mom and Gracie is a second grader.
We move around all the time. In the past 10 years of Navy life we have lived in Chicago, Chula Vista, CA, San Diego, La Grande, OR, Pullman, WA, Charleston, SC and Bangor, WA. During it all, Chris has also done time in Groton, CT, Newport, RI and Biloxi, MS. Sheesh!
I decided to start a blog to keep our friends and family up to date with all that goes on in our world. Not to mention, it gives me something to do when Chris is deployed!
Most of what will be on this blog will be family happenings but the occasional rant or rave on a topic totally unrelated to us will pop up once in a while. I'm outspoken and can't help myself. Sorry!
So that's it. Thanks for taking time to read about us and again....Welcome!
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