Well, the plans for our big trip this coming year are underway. We just purchased tickets for a five week trip to Australia! We will be leaving September 17th and returning October 23rd! We are very excited. We have some other travel plans for between now and then.

The end of March or beginning of April will see us going to Florida for a long weekend to visit Daniel's parents and maybe a day visit to Sea World or Disney World.

We will be in Illinois in June and August. And in June, we plan a trip to Myrtle Beach.... amazing times ahead!

Well, we are making travel plans for this coming year and it looks like some of the items on my list of 100 things to do will be checked off. Come back for an update. I am not saying where we are going until the tickets are actually purchased....

I didn't blog much last month. I was so busy with normal holiday stuff and extra stuff going on (like travelling to Illinois), that there just wasn't time left to blog. So I figure pictures are worth a thousand words and I found a bunch of photos on my camera. I uploaded them to Flickr if you care to go and take a peek.

From a family gathering at Thanksgiving (where we enjoyed the hot tub, the fire pit, good food and Rock Band) to Katrina's first cookie exchange to a week long trip to Illinois to not one, not two but four different Christmas celebrations....you will see we were busy, but having a blast! Things not pictured include two recitals and a Christmas program and a 4-H Christmas party.... And I didn't take any photos of my final two paralegal classes...

But for those of you who want to see the photos, go check out my flickr account. I labeled the pictures to help you know what was what...

There were days where I met myself coming in as I was going out and I was thinking that I might lose my mind, but all in all, while this past fall has been one of the busiest I have lived through, it has also been one of the best with lots of time with family, meeting new friends and realizing that my 'old brain' still could learn.

I am looking forward to busy times ahead and will try to touch base from time to time so you will know that I am still alive and well! Already, I am looking at next week...Sunday night Awanas starts back up, Monday piano starts back up, Tuesday Plato has to go for his rabies shot, Wednesday we have homeschool game day, Thursday we have 4-H and Friday we have plans to get together with friends.....yikes!!!!!! so much for starting back slowly!

Blessings and Happy New YEar!

Well, we spent our New Year's Eve evening playing Electronic Monopoly (way fun!), Hangman, Halo, and coloring. We toasted in the New Year with sparkling grape juice (and then I stayed awake until 3:30 working on my Viva Pinata Garden!) Don't tell the kids, I made them go to bed at 1:00!

My New Year's Resolution is:

Not to have any New Year's Resolutions this year.

Phew! I have already accomplished it! Yeah me!!!!!

The end of the year is always a time for introspecition and retrospection. When I was a teenager growing up, I would read through all of my previous diaries and remind myself of events that had come and gone. I would also sit and look through photo albums. I don't do that anymore, mainly because it would take days to go through 42 years of memories like that. And because my life always seems so full, I would rather be looking forward than backward. But as I was visiting bloggy friends last week, I stopped by Israeli Mom and that led to the post that I am also posting today, the last day of 2008. That was a list of 100 things I want to do in my lifetime. I used her hubby's list to get started with. She had also used that list and had marked through things she had already done. I decided to create two lists. One of things I have done and one of things I still would like to do.

In 42 1/2 years of life, I have been very blessed and have done a lot of things. This list is of the things I have already done. Just in case someday, my kids are interested in knowing.

1. Visited Paris and other parts of France


2. Spent my 30th birthday in Las Vegas


3. Have flown in a private plane


4. Been to the top of the Eiffel tower


5. Been to the top of the Champs D'lysees


6. Been to the top of the Sears Tower


7. Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch


8. Visited Hilton Head Island


9. Visited Mrytle Beach


10. Visited Charleston, SC


11. Visited Savannah, GA


12. Been to Bush Gardens, Williamsburg


13. Been to Kings Dominion


14. Been to Cypress Gardens (both old and new) in Florida


15. Held a baby crocodile


16. Visited Bangor, Maine and Acadia National Park


17. Visited Winnipeg, Canada


18. Visited Washington, DC


19. Explored Colonial Williamsburg


20. Explored Jamestown and Yorktown, VA


21. Saw the Chincoteague, VA pony swim


22. Saw the Lippizaner Stallions perform


23. Attended and graduated from The College of William and Mary
    
24. Visited Tallahasee, Daytona, Fort Lauderdale, and Bowling Green, FL


25. Spent a weekend in Orlando, FL at the Swan hotel at a conference


26. Visited Alburquerque, New Mexico


27. Visited Boulder, Durango, Estes Park, and Denver, Colarado


28. Visited the Grand Canyon


29. Visited Flagstaff, AZ


30. Visited the Lowell Observatory


31. Have visited every cavern in the state of Virginia


32. Visited Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Napa Valley, CA


33. Visited Lake Powell


34. Visited Monument Valley


35. Visited Crater Lake


36. Visited Sunset Crater


37. Visited the Painted Desert


38. Visited the Petrified Forest


39. Visited Chicago


40. Visited St. Louis


41. Spent a week on the shores of Lake Michigan


42. Visited Springfield, IL and the Abraham Lincoln Museum


43. Lived in Connecticut


44. Saw the Rockettes perform the Christmas Spectacular at Radio Music Hall


45. Visited the World Trade Center


46. Toured New York City


47. Visited Boston, MA


48. Visited Newport, Rhode Island


49. Visited Ben and Jerry factory


50. Rode the tram to Sandea Peak, NM


51. Visited Ocean City, MD


52. Visited Cape Canaveral, FL


53. Rode across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel


54. Got married - twice


55. Gave birth to a son and daughter


56. Have seen two feet of snow at once


57. Been flying in a single engine plane - with my hubby as pilot


58. Have visited numerous zoos and aquariums


59. Have had articles I have written published


60. Have ridden a ferry


61. Have had my own business (everything from selling tupperware to having bubblegum machines to selling on ebay


62. Met Mike Huckabee


63. Met Glenn Close


64. Met Jerry Baliles


65. Met Kenny Rogers' cousin


66. Met Mark Warner


67. Have owned my own home


68. Have received a speeding ticket


69. Have had to testify in court


70. Have seen CATS performed live


71. Have seen Les Miserables performed live


72. Have owned a Monte Carlo SS


73. Have been robbed


74. Have been in a car accident


75. Have seen Billy Idol, Chicago, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, John Mellancamp, Shaun Cassidy, Charlie Rich, and Journey in concert


76. Have owned a brand new car: 1989 Mitsubishi Precis


77. Wild Side Tour in Cave of the Winds in Colorado


78. Got married in the Wren Building


79. Got married in a little church on the side of the Peaks of Otter


80. Have climbed Sharp Top and watched the sun come up


81. Have walked the the beach at sunrise and sunset


82. Have hiked along the Appalachain trail


83. Have been to the top of Pikes Peak


84. Have sang in talent shows


85. Have had my picture in the newspaper


86. Have had my picture (along with Jack and Katrina) in a museum brochure


87. Have been quoted in the newspaper


88. Started a Freecycle List


89. Planned a surprise birthday party


90. Have had broken bones (finger and two toes)


91. Have had surgery


92. Have gone to a drive-in theater


93. Have stayed at a Bed and Breakfast (more than one, actually)


94. Have eaten in a 5 star restaurant (Inn at Little Washington)


95. Have eaten escargot, ostrich, and bison


96. Have cut down my own Christmas tree


97. Have worked as a telemarketer


98. Have worked as a manager


99. Have worked as a Child Development Instructor


100. Have driven a boat on a local lake

I ran into a fun post at Israeli Mom. She has a list of 100 things that a fellow blogger did and she marked through the things she had done and bolded the things she wants to do. I thought it would be fun to make a list of my own...so here goes. 100 things I would like to do before I die.

1. Visit Hawaii


2. Visit the Pyramids


3. Visit Greece


4. Visit Australia


5. Visit Disney World


6. Visit The British Isles


7. Visit Germany


8. Visit Switzerland


9. Take a cruise to Alaska


10. Take a cruise on a paddleboat


11. Spend a romantic weekend at The Poconos with Daniel


12. Take some art classes


13. Learn how to play the piano


14. Exercise regularly


15. Visit the Statue of Liberty


16. Take a train trip across the country.


17. Learn how to quilt


18. Play with my grandchildren (when I have them)


19. Go on a camping trip


20. See a play on Broadway


21. Go on a safari


22. Learn how to snorkle


23. Play a marathon game of monopoly


24. Go skinny dipping


25. Meet a President of the United States


26. Ride in a gondola in Venice


27. See a total eclipse


28. Get a lottery ticket that wins more than $50


29. Visit Yellowstone


30. Spend a night in a museum


31. Volunteer at the library


32. Go to a Pow-Wow


33. Become a certified Paralegal


34. Go Deep Sea fishing


35. Participate in an archaeology dig


36. Go to space camp


37. Ride through the snow in a horse drawn sleigh


38. Hit a Jackpot in Vegas


39. See a ghost


40. Spend a weekend on a sail boat


41. Buy a stranger a meal at a restaurant


42. Spend a week on a houseboat


43. Walk on a beach by moonlight


44. Get a makeover and have a photoshoot


45. Have my portrait painted


46. Spend a week at a secluded beach


47. Find a hidden treasure


48. Drive a Lambroghini


49. Spend a winter weekend at a ski resort


50. Attend a grand ball


51. Visit the White House


52. Go to a drive-in theater with my kids


53. Act in a play


54. Visit the Aquarium in Atlanta


55. Live in a Victorian House


56. Take a ballroom dance class


57. Join a book discussion group


58. Serve at a soup kitchen


59. Learn how to Square Dance


60. Whale Watching


61. Get flowers for no reason


62. Eat a meal prepared by a world class chef


63. Build a snow fort with my kids


64. Ride on a motorcycle


65. Spend a week working in a planetarium


66. Have a white Christmas


67. Fly in a helicopter


68. Meet Johnny Depp


69. Sing a solo in front of an audience


70. Renew my wedding vows


71. Eat a dish that involves truffles (you know the really expensive truffles)


72. Purchase and restore a 1975 Monte Carlo


73. Purchase and restore a 1984 Monte Carlo SS


74. Learn to play handbells


75. See the Changing of the Guards in London


76. See the Northern Lights


77. Visit Antarctica


78. Visit islands in the Carribbean


79. Be Queen for a day - not with the decisions, but with the trappings


80. Make a really good snowman


81. Fly in a private jet


82. Go to Oktoberfest in Germany


83. Go to a big New Year's Eve Party


84. Go to an adult Halloween party


85. Visit the White House


86. Live in a penthouse suite for a week


87. Ride first class on a trip overseas


88. Save someone’s life


89. Sit on a jury


90. Visit Hershey, PA


91. Meet Stephen King


92. Go to a mystery dinner theater


93. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras


94. Visit a Presidential library


95. Go to a Christmas Eve Midnight Mass


96. Spend a night in a haunted house


97. Visit the Ozarks


98. Take a year travel trip across the U.S. in a RV


99. Have a surprise birthday party


100. Publish a book

We all have traditions of various kinds this time of year.

Today the kids and I have cleaned up their rooms (got to get them ready for the influx of new gifts). Katrina and I went out for a few last minute items at Krogers and enjoyed being in the hustle and bustle of the day.

We came home and watched Die Hard (one of hubby's favorite Christmas movies). We have watched Polar Express and before the evening is out, we will watch A Christmas Story and The Grinch Stole Christmas. We will read Luke 2, Twas the Night before Christmas, and Santa and The Christ Child. We will listen to a CD of Christmas carols that we have and marvel over songs from centuries past. We will hope the children will go to sleep quickly so we can put the presents under the trees.

This year we are having our neighbors over for present exchange and some Christmas goodies.

Whatever your Christmas Eve traditions are, I hope you are having a blessed and wonderful day with your family and friends!

I saw this fun quiz over at Lessons Learned onthe Farm. Why don't you give it a try and figure out what character you are!

Which Christmas Character Are You?

My Results:

Mrs. Claus

That's right — your unwavering support, hospitality, and comforting touch have landed you the important role of Mrs. Claus. You know how to take good cheer and deliver it wherever you go, spreading warmth even on the coldest winter days.

My mom introduced me to some of the best actors when I was growing up - John Wayne, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, and more. These actors weren't just better at their profession than many actors and actresses are today, but they were real people who didn't jump up on a pedastal because of their profession. Instead, they took their positions seriously and gave back to this wonderful country we live in. I always heard about performers like Bob Hope going overseas and performing for the troops and how much that meant to the troops overseas.

Nowadays, so many actors and actresses that 'show' an interest in the troops seem more interested in photo ops and good press for themselves than actually giving support to the troops. You can tell this by the fact that you see them regularly on the evening news. But the true patriot is the one who works tirelessly for his country without bringing attention to himself. Gary Sinise is just such a patriot. I was unaware until I read an article today of just all he does and has done to support our troops and the people of Iraq.

I hope you enjoy reading this heartwarming story of a man who loves his country!

You know, these flat states are very, very windy!!!! Doesn't matter what time of year it is, there always seems to be a nice breeze, or a steady wind blowing. Today in Bloomington, the winds are roaring through with gusts up to 40 mph! Katrina and I went out for a bit and a gust just about ripped the truck door out of my hands! We are expecting a wintry mix tonight (hey, we can get that at home in Virginia!), but they are calling for an inch of snow and maybe a couple of inches of snow on Tuesday. We head home on Thursday. I have asked Daniel to drive back with us. It is just such a long drive and I don't like driving in this wintery weather.

I am feeling better, though not 100%, but at least I do feel better. Almost human again! Must say the mochas from Starbucks really make my throat feel better!

Today, Katrina and I went out to get a few things. She was looking around on the internet and found a recipe for making some pet treats. So we picked up the ingredients for that. We also picked up her present for Santa as we had forgotten to get that when I took the kids Christmas shopping last week. She has bought a present each year for Santa for several years. An extra Santa hat and various Christmas ornaments. This year, she got five small ornaments that are from the characters in Rudolph-the Red Nosed Reindeer. Santa always leaves her a thank you note. The other thing we were looking for was a winter coat.

I was looking in Lynchburg before we came here to Bloomington. We didn't get a lot of time to look and only made it to Walmart. They had one, yes, one winter coat for girls!!!!! IOt was pink with "Virginia Tech" written on it! What in the world????? There were plenty of coats for young men and I had no problem getting a nice one for Jack. So Katrina and I figured there would be a better selection here in Illinois...and guess what!? We were right, there were rows and rows of coats and she found a very cute pink one that came with a brown scarf and mittens.

This afternoon we are going to go see Madagascar 2. I really want to go to see Australia, maybe sometime over the holidays when Daniel is home.

Well, the Xterra finally seems to be better. First they took it and called me to tell me the head gasket was blown, which as I posted previously, was covered under the generous warranty my mom and stepfather provided. Mom came and picked me up to go get my truck on Friday (yes, I spent a whole week driving the 1988 Suburban...affectionally known as The Tank). We keep it around for snowy weather, hauling big stuff and because it is green and gold (William and Mary colors). But I digress. We got there, the Xterra was ready to go. Thanked Mom for the lift (a big deal, she lives 30 minutes from me and then it was another 40 minutes to the car dealer).

First stop was the bank. I noticed while I was in drivethru that the car was idling rough. Since they had replaced the timing belt, I figured the timing was off and thought I would call them when I got home. As I had a busy day. I needed to get home and make cookies for a cookie exchange that Katrina and I were going to. I continued homeward, but within 10 minutes, it was obvious something was wrong. Different Idiot Lights started flashing, then the ABS light came on and stayed on, but when dim whenever I used the brakes. I pulled into a parking lot and called the garage. After not being able to get anyone in service to take my call. I called my mom back and asked her to come meet us back at the Xterra place (fortunately, she wasn't all the way home yet). We turned around and went back. I pulled into the garage, turned off the vehicle and went to complain...loudly, all the while thinking about the cookies I needed to make. The technician went out to take the Xterra for a drive (so he could see what I was seeing) and the battery was dead! They jump started it and drove it into the garage. Turns out, they had not tightened a bolt in the alternator when putting everything back and it drained the battery. EGADS!

It was almost one o'clock when we got home, and then I had to work on those cookies (we were leaving at 3). Turns out, one should read the complete recipe before actually making the cookies. The dough had to be made, then chilled for two to three hours before the next step! I quickly looked through my Christmas cookie recipes, found one I had the ingredients for, then called the hostess to make sure that no one else was making them (as she wanted no duplicate recipes), no one was, so we were in business. The last cookies came out of the oven at 2:55 pm and we had a great time at the cookie exchange!!!!

Well, technically out of 1015. What the heck am I talking about, you are wondering? Well, on Wednesday night, I received my final scores for my paralegal class. For the semester, we had ten tests/assignments. Each counted as 10% of our grade. On three of the tests, our teacher gave us 5 bonus questions, so the real possible score for the semester was 1015. But for the purpose of the office book keeping records, I got 999 right out of 1000 for the semester! WOW! That grade sure has set a high bar for me for my future classes!

I had the highest grade in the class. I know this because our lovely teacher (I really do like her a lot) gave me a gift and told the rest of the class how well I had done. The next highest score was 975 out of 1000. Then she told the class that my score was why she wouldn't be offering bonus questions next semester...oh dear...that certainly won't go far to make me popular, now will it?

Still I was very pleased and I am looking forward to taking Family Law next semester.

This came into my email box today. I wanted to share!

The story has been published of a little girl caught in the pre-Christmas swirl of activity, all of which seemed to be coming to a head on Christmas Eve.

Dad, loaded down with bundles, seemed to have an even greater number of worries. Mom, under the pressure of getting ready for the great occasion, had yielded to tears several times during the day.

The little girl herself, trying to help, found that she was always under-foot, and somtimes adult kindness to her wore thin.

Finally, near tears herself, she was hustled off to bed.

There kneeling to pray the Lord's Prayer before finally tumbling in, her mind and tougue betrayed her and she prayed, "Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us."

Perhaps the little girl's prayer was not such a great mistake.

Too often we leave out the Christ of Christmas. Too often He is crowded out of our busy lives. Remember, the best gift won't be found in a box but in a person.

Over the last two months during my lack of writing, something that occured is something I wanted to post about and now I have the time.

I am in an online homeschool group of close to 200 families. The way our group works is when someone wants to set up something they just do it. Then people who are interested join in. One problem with this system, is that few want to step up to the plate and make the effort to host the field trips or other classes. It never ceases to amaze me how people complain, but they never want to do the front end work, but that is another post.

So, being an organizer, I put together two field trips for this fall. The first was to an apple orchard. I asked if people wanted to go on a tour or if they just wanted to meet and pick apples. Most wanted a tour, I set it up. 7 families signed up. I was surprised it was only 7, but we went with it. The day of the tour, lovely though it was, only 4 of the 7 familes showed up.

The second field trip I organized was to a historic Cemetery, the week before Halloween. Again I asked if people wanted a tour or just wanted to visit and the answer was a tour. So I set it up. For the Old City Cemetery, it is necessary to pay 30.00 up front, but only 2.00 a person for anyone over 15 people. I had about 15 families show interest. When it came time to sign up, only 7 actually signed up.

I don't know if you remember, but last year about this time, my beloved Chevy Caprice, that had been a gift from my mom and stepfather, became inflicted with a cracked head gasket. I was limping along, hoping to get the car to hang on until in February when Daniel got paid, so we would buy me a new car. But my mother and Jim blessed us again with another vehicle. This time a 2003 Nissan Xterra. Jim further decided to purchase a 4 year/48,000 mile warranty. I hated him doing that as it added more expense, but it was also nice to have that umbrella.

Fast forward to yesterday. I noticed a burning antifreeze kind of smell when I was coming home from church. But I thought I was imagining it. Then after taking the kids to Awanas, I came home and the smell was stronger, then when I arrived home, I realized that smoke was rolling out under my hood. I figured that I had a busted heater hose or a hole in my radiator. I tried looking around with a flashlight, but in these new cars, everything is stuffed on top of each other and you can't see much of anything!

Today I called the BP Amoco motor club to get the Xterra towed to the Nissan dealer. They couldn't find a local participating tow person. So they gave me permission to have the vehicle towed and they would repay me when I submitted the invoice. Then I called Nissan, got set up with a tow truck and within 45 minutes was waving sadly as I watched my vehicle leave.

This afternoon, I got a call from Nissan....you aren't going to believe this, but I have a busted head gasket!!!!!!!!!!! What are the odds?????? Fortunately, it is covered by the warranty, so we don't have to foot the bill. I called Mom and Jim and thanked thim again for their kindness and generosity last year.

Just so you know, this is the way our vehicles have always done. One year, we had two vehicles that needed new transmissions and then two of them, plus a third, ended up needing a new engine! Do you know what it is like to go through three engines in one year????? Hopefully, we won't end up with anymore broken head gaskets!!!!