The Lost dog adventure

Ok, since I haven't posted in a year my story needs back story:

In aprilish we bought a dog.  The little white fluffiness in the picture is him. (and the baby with the toothbrush...that's the evil beaver) He is a peek-a-poo. We named him peek-a-boo.
Ok back story done.
So sunday afternoon I took peek-a-boo out to go potty. The next door neighbor's dog Corona was out, and he folllowed her out into the forest. 10 minutes later Corona comes back, but peek-a-boo does not. We walked all over the neighborhood and through the forest looking for him. I even called animal control to see if they had seen him.We even made signs. No peek-a-boo. BTW, people think you are kindof weird when you walk around the neighborhood yelling peek-a-boo.
Tuesday morning, animal control called me back to see if he was still missing and I said he was. Then I returned the brand new bag of dog food I bought last Friday because I was almost out. Less than an hour later there was a knock on my door. A neighbor had found my dog behind her back yard. His ears had gotten tangled in a barbed wire fence. I went to pick him up, but she was gone, so I left a note.
A few hours later she finally called me back. Because he had the barbed wire stuck between his ears she had taken him to animal control, so they could take him to the vet. So I went over to animal control and picked him up. They seemed surprised to see me. I was surprised that they hadn't called me. After all, I was on their list of missing dogs. Anyways....they all liked my dog alot and seemed kindof bummed out that I was going to bail him out, but I think they will be ok.
And that is how our dog got lost and found.

Tales from the laundry room: the bleaching bandit

Laundry is not my strong point. Never was. Never will be. Mount Landry in the corner of my living room will confirm this fact. Although lately, I have been pretty good at keeping things clean and dried (just not folded or put away). I have been so good at this that the other day I went to fill the washer with my dirty clothes and did not have enough to make a full Load. I'm not sure why, but I cannot justify running the washing machine if it is not full. So, I left the clothes there and completely forgot about them. A couple days later I remembered and finished the load. No big deal........
Or atleast that is what I thought until I started pulling things out of the dryer. My purple shirt is now spotted (as in sploches of bleached out completely) and so is my black one and my red one and Jade's pink one (not distraught about the pink one it also had a mustard stain). That right there is pretty much half of my wardrobe, and it is now unwearable.
So I asked the kids if the had put anything into the washing machine. Of course, nobody did it. Finally today out of no where Caibo confessed to putting the bleach in the washing machine. I can't really be mad about it because he was just trying to help, but if it ever happens again.....
he has been warned.

My daddy is a genius

Saturday the kids were driving me absolutely crazy. We needed to get out, and I needed more aligator clips. It wasn't anything exciting, but it wasn't home. We loaded into the van and drove our happy little selves over to Sally Beauty Supply. I got alligator clips, and the kids didn't touch anything. Success!! Next stop redbox (Do you really think my kids would behave in the store if they hadn't been bribed?) We pile back in the van, go to start it, and......lots of clicking no starting :( So we went and walked around the flea market thingy for a bit (mostly so I could gather my thoughts, but also in case by some miracle my van just needed a few minutes to think about what it had done and decide that it liked me again)
So we piled into the van AGAIN, and still nothing. I considered walking home, but my favorite daughter does not seem to understand that shorts are not appropriate clothing for November. I was pretty sure all I needed was a jump start anyways. There was a man sitting in his car not to far away, so I went and asked if he would help. He told me no because he was just about to leave (FYI he left 30 minutes later) I texted spare army guy. He was out of town. I texted another friend, but then I remembered that I have emergency road service. Anything to do with insurance completely terrifies me, so I called my daddy to verify how this procedure works. He told me that I probably just had a bad connection on my battery (it was true too the post on my battery were fuzzy and blue and ewwwww). He sent me to buy a coke. I bought a coke, and dumped it over the battery, which by the way is a very interesting thing to see. The blue turned all kinds of colors and then melted away. Sadly, the van still did not start. :(
I went back into the Sally Beauty and borrowed a phone book. I looked up emergency road service. There were 2 in town Seriously?!? Aren't there like 8 in Tremonton? and we have 2 here? Anyways, towing company number one does not do jumpstarts and towing company 2 does not take state farm, is going to charge me $45 and I am going to have to wait AN HOUR. At this point the really nice (and really flamboyant) guy that works at Sally Beauty offered to help me jump the van. So he pulls his jeep around and figures out how to open his hood (he says car maintenance is his boyfriends job) and the jumper cables don't reach. Then he realizes that I am parked next to the man that works at Game Stop. So the gamestop guy comes and tries to help me jump the van, but it still doesn't work. He is convinced that my starter is dead. Finally, I called a friend that lives nearby and she picked up me and the kids and brought us home.
I called and reported this all to my dad (you just can't fit this story into a text message). He told me that my starter was not dead, and exactly what to do. So this morning I went back and followed my dad's instructions, and it worked :D The gamestop emplyee that was convinced that my starter was dead watched the whole thing this morning. I wonder what he thought about that.
Anyways, the van goes again. Hoooray!! Now I just need a spare person with a driver's license so I can go back and get the truck.
P.S. I have a new respect for what my dad does for a living (he is a mechanic in case you didn't know). Getting the cables off the battery was a pain in the butt.

Almost a party.

Ok, so school got out on May 24th. They celebrated Jade's birthday at school on the 21st. I think it may have been her 7th day at her new school. Since they were celebrating her birthday, I decided to send out her birthday invitations. She handed out 19 invitations (I know, I may have lost my mind). I know that's alot of imformation. Are you with me so far?
Anyways, so the day of the party comes around and ZERO people have called. At this point I am not sure what to do. If I plan for all 19 nobody will come. If I plan for 1 or 2, all of the will come. It's murphy's law. That's just how it works.
Did I mention I hadn't purchased her gift, her cake, decorations, party favors, ect. It's called procrastination. That's how I work.
Saturday morning I was on a quest. Four hours later, I returned with no gift. I looked at "I can be" Barbies, but evidently the bride one only comes in the African American version in Tennessee and Kentucky. I looked at a million digital cameras (that's what she requested) but none were the right one. And the littlest pet shop selection got smaller at every store. Ok I lied, Caibo picked out some LPS.
As I was leaving the PX, the phone rang. I pulled over to return the call. (No talking and driving on base) While I was talking, Caibo opened the LPS packages. He said, "but Jade wants them open." He is such a helper. He gave them to Jade about 3 seconds after we got home. The truth is, he loves Jade and loves to give her presents, so much that he couldn't wait.
So, I spent all afternoon cleanning the house and baking the cupcakes. The party was supposed to start at 8pm (we planned to watch a movie in the back yard) At 7:59 pm the power went out.
Remember those 19 invitations Jade handed out? Only one of those kids came, and that was the boy across the street. The kids were all playing so well outside. I just let them play.
Finally, around 9:30 I gave in and let Jade decorate her cupcake by flashlight. I took one picture, and the power came back on.
Whoa! What a night! Well, it was almost a party.

Another year another birthday

A couple of weeks ago I told Caibo I had a birthday coming. He just looked at me like I had spoken a foriegn language. Finally he said something to the effect of grownups don't get birthdays. It's kindof true. After 21, what is there really?
So I told him again yesterday that it was my birthday, and his only concern was that I didn't have a cake. He was pretty determined that I need a Dora cake.
Anyways, this is the story of my birthday:
My husband somehow slept through his alarm for an hour (oddly I did too). Shortly after he left I got up and played facebook for a bit before I woke Jade up. While Jade was gettting ready for school, I figured out the coupon situation (I think couponing kills brain cells from over use). I put Jade on the bus, and then picked my rice on farmville (very important you know).
I got Caibo up and got him ready for school. After I dropped Caibo off at school, I went and got my deoderant and then some Mountain Dew (also very important)
Then, I drove to fort walton to get the part for my van (which btw is the wrong one. I have to go back today) Then I did the shopping trip I told you about yesterday. I also got an Easter dress for Jade and tried to get some alligator clip at Sally Beauty Supply, but they were out of the kind I like.
Then I drove home unloaded the stuff from the van, went and got Caibo, and then just hung out and did a little housework until Jade got home. Then, I had to take Jade to dance. On the way, we stopped at Good Will and got rid of all the clothes I decided she didn't need anymore.
This is where the adventure starts. When I picked Jade up from dance, I backed into another car in the parking lot. There wasn't much damage, but she insisted on a police report. I spent over an hour with 2 kids in the van waiting for the police report. Then, I came home and called the insurance company to report the claim.
By the time Jerry got home I was frazzled to say the least. He sent me on a walk. I don't clearly understand it, but somehow walking makes me a nice person again. I don't know if its the music my phone plays for me, the endorphines or what ever they are, the being outside and seeing all the cool things, or just the moment of semi quiet to myself. Whatever it is, I came back a nice person.
Jerry ordered pizza while I was gone, so that's what we had for dinner.
And that is the story of my Birthday.
So for my birthday I got an adventure, and the new pair of running shoes I am buying today. Also, I am claiming the new BBQ grill we bought Saturday as mine.

Dear So and So: The good, the bad, and the weird

Dear readers,
I typed this really great dear so and so post. I talked about my superior laptop skills (which it turns out I don't posess), the people that broke into my car and only stole 60 cents, the fantastic sams that closed 40 minutes early, the people and Katies laundry that can't move their clothes, and why Katie should play dear so and so. I forgot to talk about beef bacon. In a moment of brilliance, I somehow hit the back button and now it's all gone. :( I'm not typing it all again, so you will just have to make something up.
Sincerely,
laptop challenged
P.S. Go to Kat's place and check out more Dear So and So letters.

Adventures with the GPS

I may not know what direction I'm going, but I have become pretty confident at finding my way home. Still, I take my GPS friend (I should probably name her) with me most of the time. The other day I zoomed the map out, and saw "Trout Lake" I was really excited because it looked like it was within walking distance of my house. That's when the adventure began.
I turned onto dead end road after dead end road trying to find this "Lake". Caibo was not impressed. He kept telling me we should just go home.
After like 20 minutes I found "trout lake"
It's the water hazard on the golf course.

Dear So and So: there is a reason I only have 2 children

Yay! It is time again for Dear so and so. I love Fridays.

Dear sweet morning boy,
I know I put you to bed early last night. I know you had already had 8 hours of sleep. Waking up at 4 am is still not funny, and at this hour I really don't want to entertain you. Just wanted to remind you in case you think about doing this again.
Not a morning person,
zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Dear fisher price,
Once like 2 years ago I bought something from your website. Now you send me the catalog. Don't get me wrong, there is some cool stuff in there, and I totally understand what a great marketing tool it is, but sending 1 catalog to a house with four children is torture to parents. Maybe next time you could personally address one to each of the children, and save us a huge fight.
Tired of hearing the fight,
the mother who let her son take his "magazine" to show and tell

Dear fluffy puppies,
Yesterday the pound called to tell me they found a beagle. They thought it might be one of you. I think you are getting a reputation. You might want to work on staying in the backyard.
not amused,
refusing to pay $140 to bail you out next time
P.S. While you're at it can you turn the volume down a bit?

Ok that's all for now. Go check out Kat's blog for more Dear so and so fun

RTT and Dear So and So at the same time

I have missed doing Dear So and So and Random thought Tuesday, so I am going to do them both at the same time. I'm not going to hunt down the pictures. I'm feeling too lazy. We can call this adventures in air travel.
Random airport thoughts:
As you go down the escalator to baggage claim at LAS there is a big poster advertising some show that Bette Midler (sp?) is doing somewhere in Vegas. I didn't pay much attention to the details. I was too distracted. I think they put her head on someone else's body. Either that or she has a really big head.
I'm thinking about starting the air travel diet. Seriously, you walk FOREVER, and you don't eat very much because you don't have time. I was sitting next to some ladies that packed sandwiches because they knew their layover wasn't going to be long enough to get food. I wonder how they got those sandwiches through security, or are sandwiches ok?
Dear So and So airport edition:
Dear midwestern airlines,
You made me cry at the airport where millions of people could see me, but you gave me free tickets and meal vouchers. I guess we are even.
Thanks for a really long day,
the crying girl with the broken flip flop
Dear me,
Packing that extra pair of flip flop was absolutely brilliant.
You are so smart!
yes I know
Dear Real Food Company,
I thought you said pickles, onions. I said sure why not. It turns at you said pickled onions, which was way better. Can I have the recipe?
craving so more,
not going to Houston just for pickled onions
Well, I feel better now. I'm sure I left you all wondering what the heck happened to me. Just know, I survived the airport fiasco, and the lady behind me in the ticketing line was right. I will totally laugh about this some day.

Don't worry I always come back (eventually)

It is true. I haven't blogged alot lately. It's not that I don't have anything going on (quite the opposite actually). Honestly I don't even know where to begin, but because I like you (and because people are beginning to worry about my well being) I will fill you in.
Jerry has finished his 8 weeks of AIT in Alabama. Somehow the army manages to turn 8 weeks into 3 months. I don't know how they do it, but they are REALLY good at it. He is now at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. 3/4 of my time and energy have been devoted to trying to get myself, my children, and all of our stuff to Florida. It's more complicated than it sounds especially when you add the army into the mix. At the rate I am going I expect to be in Florida sometime before 2010 (I hope).
The kids are back in school. Jade is in first grade. She loves it. Her penmanship gets better every day, thanks to her teacher who has a handwriting obsession. It was fun to watch her last night as she sat down to study her spelling words for the first time (atleast that I have seen). I know she will do great on her test today. Caibo is going to Wee wonders preschool (thanks to everyone on facebook that recommended it to me and saved my butt). He absolutely loves it. Yesterday he brought home Slush the class pet (a stuffed dog). He was so cute carrying him around and feeding him his bottle.
I spent Labor Day weekend with Jerry in Florida looking for a place to live. We got to go to the beach. Fort Walton Beach has the whitest sand I have ever seen (and I have been to Aruba) and the water was so warm. It had been stormy all day, so there were waves to jump and play in. We had a great time. I didn't want to come home, but I did it anyway. I hope we get to move soon.
Last week, I tripped and fell. I hurt my arm, but refused to go to the doctor. Yesterday, my arm was still hurting me, so I finally gave in and went to the instacare. I got to have my first x-rays ever, which was kindof cool (until I get the bill). It turns out that I broke my elbow. (for all my readers who speak medical the words he used were fractured radial head) I don't have a cast yet. Dr. Prince will decide that on Tuesday. Jade says if I need a cast I should get pink. That seems a bit flashy to me. Caibo told me he tripped and broke his "elmo" and the put a pair of his "lucky underwear" on his arm to immitate the sling the Dr. gave me. I wish I could have gotten a picture it was hilarious.
I think that covers about half of everything, but I have written enough to prove that I am still alive. Eventually, I will post some pictures. Maybe I should make a poll. It could ask what you think will happen first: moving to florida or posting pictures.