Photo Phun

Well we've had an interesting past twenty-four hours.

Spent the better part of yesterday and most of the night trying to download all of my son's Europe pics for a one-hour print job at our local Wal-mart. When we went to bed last night it was at around 54%.

So this morning we got up to find that they'd all downloaded spendidly, and I could actually place the order. Finally!

That took another hour to do.

Once the order was complete, instead of being ready in one hour they'll be ready at 5:00 tonight.

We were planning to leave at 4:00 today. So much for them apples.

Of course, I'm not really surprised. Is it even humanly or technologically feasible to print over six hundred pictures in the course of an hour?

I didn't think so either.

Needless to say, I'm just glad to know they'll still be done today so we can hit the road and go blow up the sky.

It IS that time of year again, don't you know.

Emotional Bubblings

One more post before we head out this afternoon.

My worries concerning forgetting anything will dissipate tremendously once my son is on the plane. Figure if we forget any minor things here at home tonight then we can always stop by Wal-mart in Kansas City. But once he boards that plane there's nothing I can do.

The major players are good to go, tucked in his carryon. He's got his passport, driver's license, pounds, euros, and francs, the Visa cash card, and then a bit of U.S. cash stashed away in the neck pouch.

It almost cracked me up last night. Here we've been trying to get the ducks in a row concerning the foreign currency, that I completely neglected any U.S. dollars for snacks or goods while in the U.S. airports. Popped him a twenty for good measure. He's got the cash card too if anything should be needed, but I really don't want him using that while still on U.S. soil.

So many feelings and emotions are churning underneath the surface right now. They'll probably come bubbling up later, but for now the anxiety to cover all bases is what's driving me and eating away at the lining of my stomach.

One thing I'll have to carry me through the next few weeks is the memory of their send-off performance yesterday. The stringed orchestra sounded so incredibly lovely, but it was the joy on my son's face while he was singing in the middle of the front row risers that had me practically glowing.

I had to swallow so many tears as they welled up in my eyes. I can't tell you how proud I am of him right now nor the joy I feel at being able to give him this amazing opportunity. In just three short (no, make that long) days he's learned so much music and the group has come together to create a tremendous whole. Every single dime and headache has been worth it just to see that look on his face.

Now I hope all goes well. Off to Kansas City!

Feeling Frantic

Seems the closer we get to the send-off, the busier we're becoming.

Friday morning my son leaves for Europe, as if you didn't already know. Thursday we have to drive to Kansas City. Today he's finishing up his final day of rehearsals and having a big concert late this afternoon.

Last week I thought I had most everything taken care of. This week I feel like I'm running around like the proverbial chicken minus a head.

Thank God my son's Visa cash card came in yesterday! That alone was an enormous weight off my shoulders. After the concert today, we need to make ANOTHER trip to Wal-mart to pick up some last minute items.

I'm feeling quite broke at the moment, but this too shall pass.

Tonight is supposed to be church and choir rehearsal. For some reason I had the idea that we'd be able to make it. Now I'm not so sure. Instead of the "to-do" list getting shorter, it seems that for every one item I cross off, I add two new. The frantic feeling just won't go away.

I've a sense that even when my son steps on the plane, the frantics will stay with me.

Probably until his return.

The Bag Kitty Attacks

My cats love bags - particularly Toby.

Everytime I go to Wal-mart or Braum's and bring home a bag or two, I must empty them as quickly as possible and pile them on the kitchen floor.

Then the fun begins.

Toby flies into the bag pile like a kid into leaves. He tears through them and drags them across the floor until it looks like a veritable tornado has swept through my house.

Occasionally he gets himself caught in the handles up to his waist. Then he can't get himself loose from the crazy thing and drags it around the house, meowing pitifully or trying to pounce on the bag as if he were chasing his tail.

The cat surely has kitty ADD or ADHD - whatever. Can't keep all these syndromes straight anymore.

So I end up having to untangle him. What does he do? Jumps right back into the bag pile.

Did I mention that he has a short-term memory problem too?

Needless to say, my cats make life interesting. Paws is once again sitting halfway in front of my computer screen trying to catch the words as I type them. He intermitently bites then paws at the screen as if he's actually going to catch the cursor someday.

I wonder if cats can learn to read? Maybe that's what he's doing all these times - becoming scholar kitty.

So my household consists of bag kitty and scholar kitty.

What in the world will they do next?

Visiting With Uncle Sam

Worked on my taxes today after spending most of the day job hunting.

Yes, it's that time of year again when Uncle Sam comes a'calling. I'm getting a decent return this year, thank God. It will come in handy during this time off.

Of course, I'd originally planned to utilize it for more important things, namely upcoming annual bills for home insurance and the other half of my property taxes on this new house.

Guess it isn't so new anymore since we've lived in it over a year now. Wow - I remember when it felt like we were never going to feel settled here. Now I can't believe we survived so long in that little-bitty house.

I'd love to have that little-bitty payment right about now. But I digress.

I tried out that free Turbo Tax online form. Pretty slick! For my entire life, I've always done my own taxes. Figured it would be fun to try this at least once, especially since it was free (fed return anyway). Easy to do, but it makes me feel weird not having done the calculations myself.

My anality is showing again.

So I went to print it out and my ink cartridge ran out and needs to be replaced. Wal-mart will be calling come morning.

Uncle Sam will just have to wait one more day.

IT'S FINALLY HERE!

IT'S FINALLY HERE!

The week I've been waiting for has finally arrived. I had this week in mind more than a year ago when I finalized plans for my house. Those months seemed to drag on forever, then lo and behold, we moved into our new house last year the day before Thanksgiving.

Don't remember much from that holiday except how exhausted I was. Somehow I managed a small feast with Mom's help.

But this year all the stops have been pulled out. I've not only filled my regular fridge and freezer but have now stocked up the new one as well. Okay, I went back to Wal-mart last night for a few (just a few) last minute veggies and ended up with over a hundred dollars again. You know, it's like a miraculous event everytime I walk in that store - POOF! - my cart is suddenly full and my bank account lighter.

Can't help it - I'm busting at the seams with excitement and anticipation. Gee, I hope I'm not setting myself up for a let down.

Nah, how can you end up with a let down when you've got all fifty-bazillion of us together in one house???

We manage a good time regardless of where we lay our heads at night, as long as we're together.

You know, I think that's what I love the most. My mom, sisters and I are close after all these years. Yeah we've all had our struggles but all-in-all we really do seem to enjoy each other's company (of course, I can't speak for my sisters but hey, they're coming aren't they?).

Then there's the kids. They too go though their ups and downs and yet are so happy to see each other and spend time together. I can hardly wait for them to get to hang out in Tyler's man cave. We'll probably have to drag them out for dinner!

I hope everyone is comfortable. I hope everyone is satisfied at every meal. But you know what, I'm just honored that they are going to grace my home with their presence.

And I pray blessings for each of them this Thanksgiving.

Can I Hear A Hallelujah?

Well Thanksgiving is getting closer each day. My preparations are in full swing. I'M ABOUT TO EXPLODE WITH JOY!

For the last couple of paychecks, I've been stocking up on certain items necessary for my big family Thanksgiving extravaganza - you know, stuff that will go in the freezer or in the pantry. I didn't want to have a heart attack at the last minute with an enormous grocery bill that threatened to put me in the hospital.

So for the last two weeks I've been composing my final grocery push. Took up a freaking entire page. I estimated about how much I should spend just so I was mentally prepared.

After taking my son down to see his dad for the weekend, I decided to go ahead and get the grocery shopping done tonight instead of tomorrow to avoid trying to maneuver an overstuffed cart through the maze that is Wal-mart. Saturday shopping is stressful enough without throwing that into the mix.

I was a little concerned about any freezer items. After the last grocery trip there wasn't an inch to spare in my freezer. We've been trying to eat as much chicken and steak as humanly possible the last two weeks in order to free up a little space. Looking into my cart tonight had me a little worried. I need that new extra fridge/freezer yesterday.

The loaves of bread kept falling off the piled up cart in my final run to the registers. Really needed my son around to help pull while I pushed. Somehow I managed. Think there were a few snickers as I lumbered along - the jerks!

Unloading onto the treadmill took about thirty minutes - well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but the poor cashier was trying to find floor space to put the full bags before I even had my cart emptied at the other end.

I dreaded the total, but thought I just had to be pretty close to my estimate. When I shop, I have a tendency to keep a mental calculation going in my head of the approximate amount I'm spending. Hey, after all these years I can almost determine based upon how full my cart is and how many above average items I throw in.

To my delight the total came to $9.20 less than I had anticipated. Didn't blow my budget. I'm not skimping on anything either. We're going to be eating GOOD!

Can I hear a hallelujah?