Just a bit too much...

The past 1o months have been interesting in our neighborhood. The neighbors across the street took down five very beautiful trees (old, tall and majestic) and replaced them with a stone wall. This wall surrounds three sides of the yard and will soon come equipped with fancy lights and a motion sensor gate. In addition, this same neighbor ripped out all the landscaping around the house and replaced it with a paver walkway around three sides of the house with an occassional planter with some flowers. During this process, the excavator managed to hit the gas line in their front yard...no one was hurt. So we thought that this was it and they were done....NOT.

Last week, I was driving down the street and practically hit the stone wall when I saw the new fountain in the front yard! In addition, there was a fancy new mailbox (made of stone, of course). I feel like I am living across the street from the house in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

No the fountain does not look like this but I think we are headed in this direction. What is most amusing about this whole thing, is that the house is a simple center hall colonial. All the pieces of the puzzle do not fit together in my mind...but if it makes the neighbors happy..good! Do you think the house is next?!



On another note, I have decided to go on vacation and leave Mom and Bro home. While I do feel some guilt (what daughter wouldn't), my other Bro asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him that I wanted to be able to go away for 10 days and know that Mom and Bro would be OK and he would be there for them if they needed help. He assured me all would be OK.



See you on the flip side!

What would you do?

In a few short weeks, we will be headed to the OBX on vacation. These are two weeks that I wait for all year long. This year, my s-i-l from NJ was supposed to join us. She is JBM's favorite aunt (by blood - because Ellen is #1 on the list). As Flyboy says all the time, she is predictable and as predicted she has backed out of coming with us.

Now...being the dutiful daughter and having my big brother out of work for most of the summer, my immediate reaction is to invite Mom and Bro to come along. Flyboy has said "no way" because he feels I need a break from being a caregiver....but I feel guilty about not asking. Mom would not be able to go to the beach but a change of scenery is always nice. So, I ask, what would you do?

BTW, Flyboy thinks it is important for my other brother to step up and take over for me for 10 days....I would love to be a fly on the wall for that. He will have nothing to do unless an emergency crops up since I will have taken care of all needs before I go.

Quiet Day?

I am working today and the local middle school. I was told by both nurses who have been here all summer that this is a quiet place. Have been here for all of 30 minutes and seen three kids already.....think it is me?

JBM is with me today and he has just spent the last 20 minutes updating me on every weather event that has happened since school got out....

I think it is going to be a long day....oh and did I mention I am having a really bad hair day?

A few days off....

I am taking a few days off from blogging.....I am not working this week until Friday. In the meantime, JBM, Hope and I will be paying a visit to Ellen and her clan. We are headed into Philly to the Fanklin (or the Franklinstein) Institute to see the Galilea exhibit. I am not sure which JBM is looking forward to more....the train ride or the exhibit.

Catch you on the flip side with some pics and stories I am sure.......

Thankful

I woke up during the night and could not get back to sleep...seems to be a pattern these days. Instead of counting sheep, reading or watching TV, I decided to count the things I feel thankful for......

My faith in God
The depth of my faith in God
My health
The health of my friends and family
My friends and family
My dog, Hope
The health of my dog, Hope
The freedom of our country
Summer
The four seasons but mostly summer
The fact that I have a roof over my head and a bed to lay in to count my blessings.....

Then.....I think I fell asleep. Have I discovered a new cure of insomnia?

What are you thankful for....think about while you enjoy your weekend.

Happy Friday :)

Impressed

The creative juices are not flowing today....however, I did watch the All Star Game last night and was impressed with a few things....

- The President throwing out the first pitch! What a great job.
- The President visiting each locker room to meet each player before the game....
- The President's remarks to Derek Jeter. I thought they were very cute together and can only imagine what it must have been like for Jeter. No, I am not a Yankee fan but I do think Jeter is a great guy and would like JBM to consider him a role model.

OK, so in reading this, I guess I was impressed with the President more than the game itself. National League lost again and I am afterall, a Mets fan.

Your choice?

I had a conversation the other day with someone who actually planned a vacation to London to attend one of Michael Jackson's concerts. The concert was not a side event or a coincidence, it was the sole purpose for the vacation...... Anyhow, they are still making the trip and will enjoy the sights and sounds of England. I asked what happens to the monies spent on tickets. The answer, either a refund or replaced with a memorobial package of MJ stuff.

What would your choice be?

Me, I would go for the refund but, then again, I would not have paid money for the concert to begin with.....yes, he was a gifted performer but he was also several cars off the train track and I would not want my hard earned money to support the continuation of that lifestyle.