Snow?

I woke up this morning to let the dogs out and I couldn't believe it we got snow last night a whole 1/32 of an inch of snow. I wasn't even sure if that was what it was because there was so little. I had to keep going around to all the windows looking. I finally decided that it was snow but not enough to bother waking up everyone in the house. We didn't get any more snow but it sure was cold and really windy which makes the 38 degree weather seem like 20 degrees. We bought a tree today and the girls got it all decorated, its beautiful. Todd and I were standing outside looking at it and he decided it was one of our best trees ever, I laughed because we feel that way every year. Todd's parents go home tomorrow, Todd goes back to work and the girls go back to school so I will be all by myself again until Christmas break. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet, I could use some alone time but I think it is going to feel really empty and quiet the first few days. I finally got a hold of my Dad today also he had been MIA since Thanksgiving due to a major storm and power outage wear he lives. I spoke with him Thanksgiving morning and he had been without power for 96 ours already and was hoping to be able to get out and into a hotel room that night which he did. Hopefully the storm that is supposed to hit tonight and tomorrow will be a little easier on them, I am keeping my fingers crossed and saying a prayer. Well got to spend some last few minutes with the in-laws before they leave tomorrow. Fisher out :)

Its a Work In Progress

I am bored with the look of my blog but have to cook dinner so I will get back to it again soon.

Winter is Here

Boy has it been cold up here! We woke up this Thanksgiving morning to frozen water in the dog bowls and our fish pond was frozen over with ice. Tonight the low is supposed to be 17 degrees ahhhhh! The last time I was that cold was on a vacation in Big Bear. I haven't made up my mind yet if I am going to enjoy winter up here in the high desert but I am feeling a little more optimistic about it since I finally got a coat. It arrived in the mail yesterday and I am soooo glad it is here. I can retire my hoodie and finally be warm or at least not freezing. It is supposed to warm up a little during the day and we are expecting rain on Saturday. Let me tell you 50 degrees sounds like a Hawaiian vacation right now. Well don't have too much else to say just wanted to complain about the weather a little.

What a Day

We have had quite the month so far and it isn't over. Todd's parents flew down on November 16th and are staying with us until November 29th. I won't lie and say it hasn't been challenging having 2 extra people in the house for over two weeks but it has also been nice getting to see them again. The girls are enjoying it immensely and Cheyanne has even given up her room for them to stay in. Today though was a very tiring day in which we spent about 4 hours at the VA hospital in Loma Linda to get my father in-law's medications filled. It was a lot of driving and waiting we left at 8 am and didn't get home until 5 pm. While I was at the hospital I had a lot of time to look around and I was pretty disappointed with the way some of these vets were treated. We watched one Vietnam Vet in a wheel chair pull himself along for awhile without any help until I watched him try to make it up a handicap ramp and roll back down. I asked if he needed help and ended up pushing him around the entire hospital. I didn't mind that at all, he needed help. What I minded is that before I asked him I watched two orderlies and a security guard walk right past him, look and keep on going. When I pushed him all the way around to the main entrance the concierge lady looked seriously surprised that I did this when I didn't even know who he was (I still don't). I am perplexed, I can't be the only one to of ever helped a guy out there or at least I sure hope not. Both of my grandfather's were vets, my father in-law, my step father, my step sister and brother from my dad's first marriage, my cousin in-law and some people I have been lucky enough to work with in the past and some of the guys and girls I went to school with are vets or are still in the military and if they would of been the one who needed a push I would hope someone would do it. These guys and girls gave up a lot for their country and I wish people would say thanks sometimes not only on Veteran's Day but everyday. When you see someone sporting their Navy, Army, Marine or Air force hat (vets love their hats :) take a good look and if they need a hand offer it or just smile say hello, say thanks. If I am not back on here Happy Thanksgiving! Take Care.

Gotta Love Them

Well it is starting again, the holidays are here. I hate holidays because it brings out the worst in my family. Every year since about 1985 I have bounced around from house to house on Thanksgiving and Christmas spending a few hours here, a few hours there, stuffing myself until I am sick on 2 or 3 different turkey dinners and coming home exhausted and not really happy. I have had to drag my own family around with me since I got married and had kids and I know it is hard on my poor hubby. Sometimes I wish I lived out of state like maybe Vermont or Florida because then it wouldn't be expected that I attend every bodies holiday function. It is just so frustrating. What frustrates me the most is that even though I spend my whole day in the car (especially now since we are an hour away from everyone) nobody is satisfied with the amount of time I spend with them. My mom has her dinner at noon so we will leave here at 10 am then visit, eat, help her clean up and leave to go to Grandma's. Then we eat again at Grandma's, visit and drive home because we need to get home reasonably early because it will be 27 degrees up here and the dogs will be left out while we are gone. Every year I do this it becomes more of an ordeal and every year I listen to someone tell me that next year they will just go out to eat because they want to have their dinner earlier and I can't be in two places at once I want to scream. Next year I think I will stay home and do my own thing, maybe if i have enough "balls", until then here goes another Thanksgiving whoopee oh and Christmas is coming to, I can't freaking wait.

Flags of Our Fathers

You know I read a lot and I do mean a lot of books. some of them good and some of them not so good but rarely do I read a book that that touched me the way Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley did. I know it is an old book and the movie has been out for years and this is a little late but since it did touch me I want to make sure that I acknowledged it.
Flags of Our Fathers is written by James Bradley the son of one of the flag raisers in the famous Iwo Jima photo and explores the truth behind the photo, the way the military and American public reacted to the photos and the men in it and also tells the story of the young men who fought for our young country and died for it. It takes something (the photo and statue) bigger than life and brings it down to a human level. I will admit I cried during part of the battle scenes and then at the end when John Bradley died. I could picture it all in my mind and truly felt like I had lost someone I knew at the end of the book.
My grandfather fought in WWII also, he was stationed in India and he never talked to us kids about the war. A few years before he died of Parkinson's disease he started having hallucinations caused by some of the medication he took. A lot of them were him reliving something from back then, he also had a very hard time watching Saving Private Ryan. It was so long ago and my grandpa was one of the strongest, smartest, kindest men ever and it was still affecting him. I can't imagine how these other young men felt watching your buddies die the way they did.
I have the movie here, I actually bought it a few years ago but it is still in the wrapper. I am thinking about watching it this weekend with Todd (he is not a reader). If you haven't read it I recommend it. If you had a grandparent or parent who was there or someplace like that it might give you a little insight.