TGIF -- Look out, New Orleans! Here Comes Jamie!

My girls are just running in front the wind these days!  Kathryn is loving her time in Colorado.  Jamie is heading to New Orleans early tomorrow (Saturday) morning.  She's traveling with a group of people from churches in Minnesota to work with Habitat for Humanity.  This is the trip Phil took two years ago and just loved.  She's headed for warmer weather and hard work!  She'll be gone for the entire fall school break - back home on Sunday the 18th.  We're going to miss her, but I know this will be a really wonderful opportunity for her.

Alex is enjoying youth symphony even though the music is "really hard!"  He's also been participating in "Knowledge Bowl" at school during lunchtime.  Somehow he didn't quite realize that he was on the team!  He has his first meet next Wednesday.  woohoo!  I'll tell you more about it when I figure out what it is.  :-)

Nate finishes the classroom part of Driver's Ed this afternoon.  He has two makeup days to do because he was sick last week - but then he will be able to go take his permit test!  Can you believe I'll have TWO new drivers in a year??  I think he's going to make a really good driver.

The boys have ONE day of school next Monday and then they're off for Fall Break all next week.  They're both looking forward to alot of down time.  I haven't shared MY plans for them just yet!  heh-heh-heh (evil mom laugh!)

HOME IMPROVEMENT UPDATE:  This was quite an eventful week in this department I tell you.  On the positive side - Jeff has spent ALOT of time finishing up in the garage - organizing tools, hanging bikes and other yard stuff.  He's moved several loads of "stuff" over from his storage unit - and we actually have room for it!!  He got the snow fence up yesterday - just in time with a little snow in the forecast for the next couple days.  The garage looks just awesome!

On the other hand - my 2nd floor bathroom is leaking into my 1st floor dining room closet.  The plumber says it's the old tub/shower unit up there - probably been leaking under the floor for awhile.  So we moved that project several places up the list to #1 and started the process of choosing a new unit, fixtures, etc.  Looks like we'll be ripping up the bathroom in the next couple weeks!  w00t!

AND - I took the van in to have the oil changed.  (I bought this great deal last winter for oil changes free & cheap).  This is the same place I took the car a couple months ago where they forgot to put the new oil back in.  I know.  So I drop the van, run over the supplier to choose tub & bathroom stuff, come back to get the van - I walk in and the guy says, "I have some bad news."  I really hate it when someone starts a conversation this way, right?  So I laugh and say, "yeah?" thinking he's KIDDING ME.  And HE says, "My garage door fell on your van."  So I laugh again until I see he's SERIOUS.  Seriously.  HE says the garage door broke and fell while they were pulling out.  The other guy who came out to talk to me while I was examining my van said "yeah.  Those guys didn't wait for the door to go all the way up and ran your van right into the door."  Either way, I'm taking the van BACK in Monday morning so they can take it to their body shop to fix the DENT and paint scuff, etc on the back hatch.  UNbelievable.  So I'm trying to figure out what I want them to do to make this right:  refund the money from the Deal I bought and never see me again?  Wash, wax and detail my van?  Have their guys install an AUTOSTART?  (I like that one)  They REALLY need to do something to win me over or I'm gone before they destroy one of my vehicles!!  Any ideas??

On the other hand, my Mary Kay business is off & flying.  I am having so much FUN!  More about that another time.  Anybody want a free "Facial in a Bag??"  I'm putting one together for Julie just to try out the amazing anti-aging Time Wise skincare products!  I think we'll do a facial together by webcam!!  Love to have you join us!