It's that Time!

For some reason it didn't even dawn on me that it was flu season again. Perhaps this is because it is still close to 100 degrees here in AZ. So today I stopped to transfer some prescriptions at the local CVS Pharmacy (which is so awesome btw. I recommend it to anyone who has access to one!) and surprised my kids with flu shots! We were headed to the mall to play and the condition was that they got the shot first. I am mean, I know. But to make it fair, I got one too. Nora also got some new shoes at the store and now her new favorite word it "Shews!" It sounds so funny the way she says it. She stops as she is walking just to admire them and scream "Shews!" (I spelled it the way she says it, just in case my mom is reading this I want her to know that yes I can spell :) )!

Swimming in October!

Swimming out doors in October is something I think I've never done before! Even though it was over 90 degrees outside, the water was freezing! The kids didn't seem to care though!

What a day!

Today was still a busy one but it did offer a bit of a break from the recent hustle and bustle. The kids and I were out the door first thing for breakfast at McDonald's (yay...) and from there it was off to buy our deluxe edition of Sleeping Beauty which according to our television will never be released on DVD again. What it failed to mention is that a year from now it will be released again (I'm sure) on blue-ray or whatever new technology has surfaced. Advertising is great isn't it??? While we were out we were able to get ourselves a Wii! This is the greatest invention ever. Forget the wheel man, this one is going to save our bacon for the next month. The kids and I were actually able to stay in the hotel room for over an hour without anyone getting seriously injured, spanked or crying! That was awesome because we have been on the go trying to keep them entertained so that none of the above would send us to the crazy house. Tonight we went to dinner at Claire's new favorite restaurant called "5 and Diner." She says it's her favorite because they have French Toast. This is ironic because so does "Jack in the Box" and she wouldn't eat it after we ordered it for lunch. We got some great news today and that was that the house in Utah is right on track and we will be closing on time if not sooner. We have 3 houses here that we are considering but we are also considering renting a house for a while. At any rate, we are probably in it (here at the Extended Stay America) for the long haul. At least we are not living in the car although it may have more square footage.




Nora finally got that job we insisted on. I'm pretty sure the bottle violates some sort of health code though...

Tons O' Fun!

Hooray for Chuck E. Cheese! I never thought I would be so thankful to a mouse. This was our family home evening for the week and we will never be able to top this one. I don't know how we will ever go back to normal dinners at home after eating out at places that only Hanjin can afford to send us every night!

Hooray for the Mall!

The Mall here in Chandler Arizona was designed by a genius. Not only can you not get out of there without spending a ton of money, they have an awesome play place that has kept us out of our hotel room and out of the crazy house! Here is a picture of the kids in action (Nora insists on playing with the big kids and not in the baby area) and then a picture of the desired results of their play!

Hooray for the Economic Bail Out Plan!

I know many of you will want to smack me for posting this but for those of us that are in the middle of buying and selling houses, it is our only hope. We are so grateful that this passed the house of representatives.

“This isn’t 9/11. We know how we got into this mess. What we need now is leadership that gets us out. I’ll provide it. John McCain won’t. And that’s the choice for Americans in this election.”
Barack Obama


The Story Behind the Story on the Economic Bailout

HAI has learned House Democrats, citing assurances from Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) switched votes in large blocs today, Friday October 3, allowing passage of the financial rescue package. Several freshman Democrats and members of the Congressional Black Caucus who helped defeat the initial version of the measure earlier in the week said Senator Obama won their support by pledging to push an economic stimulus package, change bankruptcy law to allow foreclosure relief, and strengthen the regulatory framework for Wall Street if he is elected president next month. In total, 32 Democrats and 26 Republicans switched votes. Within the Congressional Black Caucus, 31 members voted yes while eight voted no.

It is being reported on Capitol Hill that several freshmen Democrats said they trusted Obama more than President Bush to implement the bill. Some Democrats also said the FDIC increase, extensions of tax breaks, and other changes to the bill helped swing their votes, in particular tax breaks for Iowa residents who faced flood-related property damage and the newly cited California dire budgetary announcement Thursday.

On the GOP side, Republicans who switched cited the increase in the FDIC's deposit insurance cap, extensions of tax breaks and furious lobbying by small business groups. The FDIC increase and the Security and Exchange Commission's decision to loosen so-called mark-to-market accounting regulations were big inducements for Republican members to support the bill. Changes in the calls inundating lawmaker's offices in the past few days went from overwhelmingly negative last week to favorable in recent days. Much of the shift was likely driven by business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which mobilized its members to call their representatives.

Here We Are!

Well, we are finally here and semi-settled in Arizona. It took us more time than we thought to arrive. We left on Friday but we got a very late start and so we slept in a motel that night and finished the drive on Saturday. I don't think I have ever been so glad to be somewhere! The kids did awesome. They were such troopers in the car. The dogs were a pain in the butt however. Our room that Hanjin so graciously is paying for is literally about 10 square feet and so we are packed in. It will be amazing if we make it through this without killing each other. I swear if it snowed here we would have a "shining" situation on our hands. (ha ha)



No seriously, we had a great trip down and now that we are here, things have just worked out wonderfully. Our house officially went under contract yesterday and as of the 15th of October it will be closed. This means that we can most likely be in a house by the end of the month, especially because we have one picked out. I have been able to stay in close contact with a lot of you and it means so much to me. It makes all the difference in the world when you are in a new place to have your best friends calling to check on you. Despite the rocky send off that we had, we are happy here and I think we are really going to enjoy it. As I was driving down, it had gotten dark and the kids were asleep. I was listening to my music and this song came on that just summed up everything for me. So this one is for all of the best friends that I leave behind for a while and Lord knows we will be friends forever.

"Send Me A Song"
(Celtic Woman)

Take the wave now and know that you're free,
Turn your back on the land face the sea,
Face the wind now so wild and so strong,
When you think of me,
Wave to me and send me a song.

Don't look back when you reach the new shore,
Don't forget what you're leaving me for,
Don't forget when you're missing me so,
Love must never hold,
Never hold tight but let go.

Oh the nights will be long,
When I'm not in your arms,
But I'll be in your song, That you sing to me, across the sea.
Somehow, someday, you will be far away,
So far from me and maybe one day,
I will follow you,
And all you do,
'Til then, send me a song.

When the sun sets the water on fire,
When the wind swells the sails of your hire,
Let the call of the bird on the wind,
Calm your sadness and loneliness,
And then start to sing to me,
I will sing to you,
If you promise to send me a song.

I walk by the shore and I hear,
Hear your song come so faint,
And so clear,
And I catch it, a breath on the wind,
And I smile and I sing you a song,
I will send you a song...
I will sing you a song,
I will sing to you...
If you promise to send me a song.