A rambling post

OK, enough farting around.  LOL Sorry about yesterday's post.  Brett and I got into a conversation, and it lead to that post.  That's how we roll.

So, if we're to have a vacation this year, it will be at the beginning of May.  The fuel will be under $130 and we could eat from a cooler instead of eating out, and there are other concessions that could be made to make it a reasonable vacation.  The problem is, no matter how inexpensive we make it, I'm not sure we can afford it.  I really need to get out of town for a few days.  We'll see.

Bills are bills, and are hard to pay.  I'm probably going to try to find an evening job.  It will be fine.  If I do so, and it's a physical job, it won't kill me.  I sit at a computer all day at my "real" job.  We'll see how it goes.  If it can be avoided, I will avoid it.  I'm lazy like that.  However, if it's needed to pay the bills, a second job it is.

Brett may possibly move out on Monday.  If he pays the deposit on his place this weekend, he can move in less than a week from now.  He's super excited, and everyone will be happy for him.  The girls will miss him, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?  They'll enjoy having an apartment to visit, when they want to see their brother.

OK, the mind is whirling and the body needs rest.  I'll update again if anything changes or develops.  Everything changes and everything stays the same.  Such is life.

Flatulence

From dictionary.com:

flat⋅u⋅lent   [flach-uh-luhnt] Show IPA
–adjective
1. generating gas in the alimentary canal, as food.
2. attended with, caused by, or suffering from such an accumulation of gas.
3. having unsupported pretensions; inflated and empty; pompous; turgid: a flatulent style.

 

I know that "ladies" don't have gas.  I know that it's improper.  I know that there is NO way that any reader of mine would EVER admit to flatulence.

However:

In my house, it's a source of humor.  It's a sport.  We discuss not only the horrible smell, but also the sound that it makes.  Did it just talk to me?  What did it say?

That being said (I know that everyone has left by now, but that makes you liars and hypocrites) there are several types of farts:

Loud and obnoxious: "Yo!  I'm here and I must be heard!"

Quiet but heard: "Hey, sorry, but dinner was rough on me."

Silent but deadly: "Wow, did you hear that ass?  He's talking shit!"

OK, I'm out.  Just had to admit that I'm as wrong as you suspected.  I can't let my kids get away with anything, unless I embarrass them in the process!

My calendar says it's Spring.

The weather-guessers were predicting Snowageddon, so we knew it wouldn't do anything much.  Woke up to light rain, and decided that Kevin, Natalie and I would go to Independence and eat at On the Border (Monica was at a friend's.)  I had a gift card from my birthday, and I love free lunch.

We scoffed at the Snownami threat, and headed out.  At Big Lots, we bought a $100 set of T-Fal cookware for $60.  My pots and pans are old and sad, but still have some life in them, so they become Brett's.  Finally, after wasting enough time to let OTB open for the day, we headed that direction.  The rain had picked up a bit, but still no snow or ice.  HA!  Stupid weather dudes!

I scoff at you!  I win!  I got to eat out and run errands and did NOT let you scare me into staying home!

OK, then we stopped at WalMart (or hell, whatever) to buy a gallon of paint.  Natalie really wanted to paint her room, and Kevin said he'd help her if she'd help him gut the room completely and deep clean it first.  She agreed, so we went in.  The rain was harder, and cold, but still no snow, stupid TV freaks.

When we came out of Walmart, the rain was large, slushy and weird.  Hmmm.  We should get home, just in case they're right.  We hit the road, and as we drove up the on-ramp, we saw cars already in ditches.  Kevin thinks that the first one to wreck, before it gets real bad, must be as embarrassed as the first one voted off survivor.  LOL

We took it slow, but my car did fine.  At the next exit, we saw traffic coming to a halt, and several cars off the road.  I took that exit and took the side roads.  My car did fine, still, but it was slick.  The farther we went, the slicker it got.  My top speed was 30.  What a nerve-wracking trip!

Don't worry.  Kevin manned the camera.  Click on the picture to make it bigger and see what our view was like.

Anyway, this is me; going on the record; standing up and shouting, "The weather dudes got it right this time!"

Peace out!

Not the same ol' hotel

This is NOT the same place that I've spent the past 3 days.  No, my friends, this is not the same place at all.

We started our evening with dinner here:

It was heavenly and wonderful and awesome and...never mind.  Cassie and I had calamari, and then shared an entree.  Good thing we shared.  We both brought back a to-go box!  There isn't a refrigerator in the room, so we're trying to keep it cold with ice in the sink.  We both know that our husbands would love it.  Here's hoping it works.

Upon checking into our room, we saw that we have comfort again!  WooHoo!  Look, Amy, pillows galore!  I love Marriott.  They always take good care of me.  

Cassie's bene fighting a sore throat and laryngitis on this trip, and tea seems to help soothe it a bit.  The other hotel had no tea in the room, but this one offers TWO varieties.  Cool.

Our view is just a parking lot, but even that has some beautiful trees to look at.

Finally, I leave you with something that you've grown accustomed to.  Sorry.

My room, in more detail

This ain't the Ritz, friend-o-mine.  This place has been here a LONG time.  I'm pretty sure that Noah stayed here, when he finally got off the big boat.  A few of the animals joined him, from the looks of things.

Honestly, it's not dirty*, it's just old and deteriorating.  The more you look around, the more you see.  Some of it is just wear and tear, but for the prices they charge, they should fix it.  Some of it, though, is plainly unsafe.  It's funny, if you're as warped as I am.

OK, we'll start with the worst.  Don't forget that you can click on any image to make it larger:

Exhibit A:  Above these track lights, there is evidence that they had some serious issues at one point. 

Exhibit B: This is a hole through the floor, to the cement, beside the bathroom door.

Exhibit C:  This blow dryer may have been "First Class" at some point in it's life, but now the switch won't even stay on.  Have you ever tried to dry your hair while holding a switch in the "on" position with your thumb?  It's not easy, let me tell you.

Exhibit D: In one corner, there are black marks on the wallpaper.  Did someone throw a shoe at someone, and miss?

Exhibit E:  The wallpaper is peeling apart on another wall.  That dark spot on the ceiling above it?  Yeah, that's a cobweb.  This is the reason for the * beside "it's not that it's dirty" above.

Exhibit F:  Many spots around the room have tears in the wallpaper.  This room could use some sprucing up for sure.

Exhibit G:  Finally, one of the most annoying problems in my room is the TV.  The green letters at the top, under the channel, are WRONG!  I looked and looked for CBS tonight, and couldn't find it anywhere.  Then, the 207th time I surfed through, I saw the truth.  The CBS eye was down in the lower corner...on FOX?????  Dang.

Yeah, this place is messed up.  I guess that is the up-side to the topsy-turvy change of plans that happened today.  Tomorrow, after we tear down the booth, coworker Cassie and I will drive to St. Louis and check into a hotel there.

Wednesday morning, I'll teach a web class from the hotel room, then pack up and hit the road for home.  Thank goodness that we've been booked into a Marriott.  You always know what to expect with Marriott.  I'll have much more pleasant images from there, I'm sure.

This would have never happened if I'd gone to Pasadena to meet Pam.  I'm just sayin'.

Road Trip

Here I am in Decatur, IL.  It's already been an interesting trip, and the convention hasn't even started yet.  

Kevin took me to Blue Springs to pick up my rental car.  They gave me a 2009 Pontiac G6 with 6000 miles on it.  Pretty sweet deal.  I kissed Kevin goodbye and got onto the highway.  The GPS shows, on the bottom right, how far until your next turn.

Yup, it's going to be a long stretch of I-70, that's for sure.  I took it slow and easy, stopping for a bathroom break or to stretch my legs whenever I wanted.  This trip could easily be made with one stop (maybe none) but I was in no hurry.

I laughed when I saw this.  I didn't even know that Stuckey's still existed.  One thing that cracks me up is how many "adult" stores there are between Kansas City and St. Louis.  One was "adult superstore" and I pictured grown-ups lined up on shelves, and kids going in to pick out their parents.  Yeah, I'm weird like that.

I forgot my CDs, so I spent a lot of time station-hopping.  At one point, I found an 80's station (or a station playing a lot of 80s at that moment) and found myself remembering the words to all of the songs that I grew up with, although I hadn't heard some of them in years.  I rocked out to Walk Like an Egyptian.  It was sad, really.

I got to Pat and Charlene's around 3, and got the tour.  What a great place, and such a quiet neighborhood.  The weather was absolutely perfect, so Charlene and I sat outside and visited while Pat grilled out for us.  Pat and I had a big ol' juicy steak (mmmm) and Charlene had chicken, while turning her nose up at our beef.  We had baked potato and asparagus to go with it.  It was awesome.

Pat babied us in other ways, too.

That man makes an awesome margarita.  When it got too cool to sit outside, we went in and watched a couple of movies.  Before I knew it, it was 11:00 and I had an alarm set for 5.  My 1 1/2 hour trip to Decatur (I thought) had revealed itself to be a 2 1/2 hour drive.  Ooops.  I was to meet up with coworker Bruce at 9 to start setting up the booth.

Setup hours were stated to be "all day," so we met at 9, and found that the decorators had JUST started setting up the convention hall.  Cripes.  Now, I'm in my hotel room (thank goodness for them allowing me to check in early) and waiting around for them to let us set up.  

I took more pics than this.  If you want to see them all, go to the facebook album.

Blogsense. (blog nonsense.)

It was an awesome, and exhausting day.

I leave tomorrow, to drive to St. Louis and see my Aunt Charlene!

The next day, I'm off to Decatur, IL for a convention.

There will be nonsense pics.  

I was supposed to be in Pasadena by now, meeting Pam.  *sigh*

Thanks to Dad for the loan of his GPS.

ROAD TRIP!

See ya tomorrow!

Blogging 101

A blog is a living, breathing thing.  I believe this.  Some blog for a living, some blog for friends and family, and others blog for their own outlet.

I like to say that I don't care how many comments I get, or how many folks read this drivel.  I'd be lying, though, if I did say that.  I *do* care about who reads.  I *do* care who comments.  I'm the worst lurker out there, during the week, but I wish I could comment more.  Ask Traci, Sonya, Russ, or any other blogger who has met me:  I will ask 1,000,000 questions and monopolize the conversation.

What's the point?  I had one when I started this post.  Hmmm.

Oh yeah, what kind of blog do you like?  Is this nonsense stupid enough that I ought to give it up?  Is the "braille room number" thing used up?  Sick of my car issues?  

If all of that is old, what DO you want to see here?  

I'm blogging for work now, which is very structured and very censored (not in a bad way, it's just how it must be) and it makes me wonder about the personal blog.

I have some great pics from my commute, but they seem lame, now.  I have some sunrise pics, but that seems "so last week."  

Input appreciated.  I'm not saying that I'll go away.  I'm just saying that I can drive this blog in a better direction, if I'm headed for a cliff right now.  I don't wanna go Thelma and Louise on you.

Thursday is coming

Work is kicking my butt this week, but I'm winning so far.  The work blog is going well, the new work facebook is shaping up, and I'm filling in for my BWF while she is on vacation.  Bah, Michelle.  You can KEEP your job!  LOL  I love Michelle, but her job on top of mine is a bit much.  I don't think she should ever take vacation again.

Seriously?  I hope she had fun on her train ride with her son.  Seriously?  I can't wait to hear the stories.  Seriously?  I hope she gets back quickly.

Tomorrow will be crazy-busy.  I will have my 2 hours of blog time, followed by hosting a visit from some favorite customers.  These folks are awesome.  They will feed me awesome advice on facebook and blogging, since all of their studio marketing is free, and on these internet based services.

I'm a sponge, ready to soak in what they offer up.  You have NO idea how intoxicating it is to talk to Scott and Adina Hayne.  They get you super motivated, just talking to them.  BONUS: I get to interview them for work blog on Friday!

On Saturday, I drive to St. Louis to spend the evening and night with my Aunt Charlene, and her loser husband, Pat.  OK, he's not a loser.  He's only the greatest dude next to my husband and my father.  I'm excited.

Sunday morning, I head out from St. Louis to Decatur, IL for a trade show.  Meh.  I hope it goes well, but I have some concerns.  I'll definitely check in often from there.  I plan to make it a great convention.  Hold me to that, OK?

Time for bed!  Tomorrow will be busy and great.  I hope yours is as fulfilling as I expect mine to be.

80 degrees is my friend

Yesterday was perfect.  Today will be all the way down in the 50s, which is still nice, really.  

You know, when I start with weather small-talk, things are way to busy to come up with a good post.  Work is out-of-control busy this week, but the blog is going well.  I enjoy blogging as part of my job.  How many folks get that opportunity?

Time to wake the girls so I can head out to work.  Hope you all have a great Wednesday!

True Confessions

I tossed and turned all night.  I couldn't sleep with the realization that I had stolen from my own mother.  The shame and guilt had me gnashing my teeth and tearing at my clothes.  My pillow was wet with tears this morning, and I knew I had to tell her:

Mom?  I stole Q-tips from you!

There, I said it.  Now, with counseling, maybe we can both move on in life.

My life of crime.

I was robbed the other night.  I was so ticked.  I swore to find the offending person and kick their ass.

Apparently, though, the horrible deeds wore off on me.  I robbed someone today.

You see, I was on the way home when I realized that I forgot to stop at the store for something.  We've been out for a week or more.  I forgot, and I was almost home, so I decided to stop by my parents and just ask for some.

My parents were gone.  LONG gone, as was the Gold Wing.  They were nowhere to be found, so what was I to do?

That's right, I did it.  I took them.  I took a big ol' handful, and didn't even leave a note.  My guess is: they'll never know.  If they do, it will surprise me.

If Mom hasn't guessed by tomorrow evening, I'll tell ya what I stole.  Please don't call the cops.  The $$ total was under $.10.

Birthday, day 3 (Robbed!)

Last night was awesome, meeting up with folks that I graduated with 22 years ago.  We wandered around the casino, then met up with everyone.  Dinner found me surrounded by folks screaming for Mizzou.  It was crazy.

Back at home, I stayed up late to watch SNL, even though I fell asleep 20 minutes before it was over.  Whatever.  I'm old.

So this morning, we planned to head out to Dad's to detail the vehicles.  I got into my hot little car, whistling a happy tune; and then I shouted the loudest, filthiest word known to man.  No, you haven't heard this word before.  It's new.  It's new, and 12 syllables and it's ugly.  I screamed that word and wondered what happened to my radio.

Just wires where the stereo used to be.  I cried.  I literally cried.  We have another stereo that we can put in, but I've been violated.  In this little town.  In my driveway.  You robbed me.  You will be punished.

I'm not sure when.  I'm not sure how.  I WILL, however, kick your ass at some point in the future.

Kevin has a stereo that he has installed, so I don't shoot myself on the way to work tomorrow.  I have tunes, so it's good.  I just have to plot the death of the moron who did this.  Probably the same jackass who swam in the water tower.

I give this birthday an A-, even though my radio was stolen.  My family and friends made the rest of it awesome.  Thanks, family.

Birthday, day 2

Last night wore me out, and I slept in until 9 this morning.  Eventually, I got up and played with Kami, but generally took it easy.  This afternoon, Monica was gone to a friend's and Natalie was at my parents, and Kami had gone home.  Just me and Kevin.  Perfect timing, since there was an alumni meet tonight.  

We went to Ameristar (yea, I WAS there last night!) and met up with some friends that I went to school with.  Kevin was a trooper, considering he didn't go to school with any of these people.  He had a good time, and played photographer, too.  

2/3 of my birthday has passed, and it has been incredible.  I'm watching SNL. after which I'll go to bed.  Tomorrow promises warm temps, and we'll be out in it.  Time to vacuum and detail the vehicles.

Have a great night!

Happy B-Day to me!

Guess who I saw tonight?

Yeah, that's right.  I saw Jason Aldean, ON MY BIRTHDAY, with my BFF, Tammy.  Here's us:

And here's Jason:

All of the pics can be found here.

He rocked it out tonight.  It was a great show.  He did a Tom Petty song, a Guns N Roses song, and all of his own, old and new.  Tammy isn't even a huge fan of country, and she loved it.  

I'm just...Wow.

On top of it all, I scored more tickets to birthday bash.  Yes!  More concerts in my near future.  See ya tomorrow!

My birthday, so far

I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning, watching Biography.  I knew I would pay for that.  The girls woke me up at 6 this morning with eggs and bacon...breakfast in bed.  It was a treat.  Then, God bless him, Kevin let me go back to sleep.

I woke up again at 8, showered, and headed out.  We picked up Kameron and took her to my work to show her off a bit.  From there we went to Brett's work so he could show her off to HIS coworkers.  Now, we're back home, and I'm relaxing a bit.  Tammy will be here around 4 to pick me up for our night out.

Jason Aldean, here we come!

Birthday Eve

I work with great people.  At work today, I received gift after gift after gift.  What's funny is, there was one recurring gift.  It is no new news that I like to drink beer.  My absolute favorite is Michelob Ultra, but I VERY seldom buy it.  It is simply too expensive.  It's a splurge thing.

Among several of my gifts was my Mich. Ultra.  Right off the bat, I got a 20 pack, a 12 pack, and a 6 pack.  Yes, there were 38 beers at my desk before 9:00 am.  We all got a great laugh over that.  At lunch time, my friend helped me take it all to the trunk of my car.

After work, 17 of us (including hubby) were to meet at Buffalo Wild Wings.  23 showed up!  Holy cow!  We just kept adding tables and chairs to this party.  During the party, I was given another 12 pack of Mich. Ultra, and a 6 pack of Miller Lite (a close second in the favorite beer category.)  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I brought home 56 beers today.  How funny!

We had a laughing good time, and stayed later than we had planned to.  After we arrived home, we unloaded all the beer, and all of the other gifts.  The kids immediately dove into the candy.  I'll go into more detail about the gifts in my next entry.

Thanks to everyone who sent B-day wishes already.  I am truly touched.  Wanna see my goofy baby pics?  Check them out here.  

Tomorrow, I'm off work.  We will pick up Kameron, surprise coworkers with a visit from her, and then take her to Brett's work so he can show her off.  Then, back home where I will get ready for the Jason Aldean concert.

Wow, what a weekend.  I want to turn 40 EVERY week.  No, I don't.  It makes me tired. LOL

Birthday eve eve

T minus 2 days and counting.  Today was busy and hectic, but good overall.  I was able to skate out at exactly 5:00, and all traffic lights were green.  Freeway traffic was light as well.  I got home 15 minutes earlier than usual.  SWEET.

Tomorrow is my B-day eve.  That's going to be fun, since I won't be at work on the actual 40th.  I took a vacation day.  However, I just secured plans to surprise some co-workers on my day off, so all is good (and fun.)  

I have had some frustrations tonight, but they're being worked through.  I hope that everything falls into place soon.

I'm having a BALL with my new position as blog editor at work.  I have the posts planned out for the next 2 months, and a few of them are written in advance.  Yeah, I'm geeky like that.  It's all so new and fun for my company, and I'm proud that they entrusted it to me.

Off to bed now.  Big day tomorrow, ending in a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings with work buddies at 5.  Kevin will meet me there, and I'm excited.  After that, be ready for self-centered posts and annoying pictures all weekend long.

I'm just sayin'.

Road Closed

We've had some rain and thunderstorms lately.  I saw a wrecked car where it often floods on my way to work.  All that remained of the flood was thick, goopy mud.  My car is NOT so pretty right now.  

When I came home, more and more areas were flooded.  Two of the bridges that I cross had water nearly touching the bottom.  Wow.  Ponds are full and yards are soggy.  Water pools on the sides of the road, and it's nasty wet everywhere.

Then, closer to home, where it ALWAYS floods, I saw this (click to make larger):

Road closed?  Ya think?  Why do you suppose it's closed?

Yeah, when the yellow lines disappear into the water, it's a bad sign. 

Actually, that isn't in my path.  I turn off this road about 1/8 mile before this spot.  Thank goodness, because it ALWAYS floods.  I drove between the barriers to go take these pics.  I put my life and limb in great danger to get these pictures for you people!  Do you understand how horrible it was for me?

OK, not really.  I actually drove down there, took the pics, and reversed about 2 city blocks to a driveway.  I never drive through standing water.  Especially in a Dodge Neon.  Not a good plan.  I'm just sayin'.

Birthday week

The "big one" is upon us.  I will be 40 on Friday, and I'm so excited.  I have one day under my belt, and 3 more to go before my 3-day birthday weekend.  WooHoo!  Tammy is getting excited about the concert.  She listened to Jason Aldean all day, just to get ready.  And she LIKES it!  All the better.

Storms have arrived, so I don't know how much longer I'll have internet, or TV, or power, so I'll take it while I have it, and then crack a window to hear the awesome thunder.  It's going to get really cold tomorrow night, so I'll take what I can get.  I love a good storm.

Kevin quit smoking today.  I hope it sticks.  I will follow shortly.  We have needed to quit for a long time (since we started?) but a new tax law will add 30% to the current cost.  This is me, waving my white flag.  I can't afford what we pay now, let alone 30% more.  I should quit tonight, with Kevin, but we're not out of cigarettes yet!  Bad excuse?  OK, whatever.  I'll try.

Yup, it's obvious that I need to find some motivation.  I'll go look for some now.

My Sunday night alone time

Sunday nights belong to me.  Kevin gets up terribly early, so most weeknights, he's dozing off between 7 and 8.  On the weekend, he gets more sleep, so he lets me sneak away to hide in my room and watch my shows...all alone.  SWEET!

It turned off cold today, after last night's thunder storms.  I miss the 70 degree days, but they'll be back soon enough.  5 days until my big 4-0, and the plans are coming into shape.  Kevin gets out of going to Jason Aldean with me, and my BFF will go with me instead.  He'll be glad to stay home, since he is beat on Friday nights.

We get three day birthdays, so I'm taking Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Maybe, if I talk real nice to my mommy, we can have potato soup this weekend.  I have the concert on Friday night, and a meet-up with friends I went to school with on Saturday evening.  It'll be a busy, but very fun, weekend.  I even took Friday as a vacation day, to get the most from it!

This weekend, I got to see my folks, 2 aunts, crazy Pat and his son Jeremiah, Kameron, and my BFF Tammy and her husband.  Lots of love around me.  Makes me feel guilty for how crabby I was at my kids this morning.  Is there a way to skip the teen years?  Can we jump from loving toddler to responsible adult?  Preferably without me losing any years in the process?  No?  I thought not.  Patience, Lord.  I need patience.

OK, time for Desperate Housewives.  I hope you all have a great week.  I know that *I* plan to!

Addicted?

74%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Friday at last! (and car pics)

Here are a few pics of my baby.  Sorry that it didn't happen sooner, but we had snow.  Followed by melting.  Followed by sloppy streets.  Followed by drying.

I finally washed her last night, and she looked GOOD.  Problem is: I got home after dark.  Today, I couldn't get the loser photographer that I work with (Yeah, B, I'm talkin' to you!) to take pics.  I sat down to do a blog entry and decided to do it in the dark.  Yes, I took these pics in total darkness.  Sorry in advance:

It's hard to tell, but she is SO pretty.  30.65 mpg when I filled up yesterday morning.  It's so fun to drive, and it is SWEET!  I love having the control of a manual transmission again.  I've been driving automatic trannys for about 15 years or more.  It's about time that I get control back.  Right? 

I am ready for a weekend.  It's going to be a busy month, but a good one.  I have a Bday coming up.  A big one.  I also have a concert to go to on Friday, which thrills me to DEATH!  I get to see Jason Aldean.  His newest song is my current favorite.  If you like rockin' country, go here.  I also scored tickets to another concert that happens at the end of the month.  Gotta love those ticket hits.  Drive up, get tickets, go to work.  No $$ changing hands.  SWEET!

The day after Jason Aldean brings a meet of folks who graduated from this little town.  I'm stoked about that, too.  It'll be fun to get together with those who tolerated me in high school.  I'm hoping to talk Mom into going, since she said "maybe" on facebook.  We'll see.

OK, time to sign off and chill.  Kami is coming over tomorrow.  YEAH!

Still no car pics

I still don't have pics of my car.  I finally got to drive it to work today.  What a sweet ride!  When my favorite songs were on, the stereo was crankin'.  When I was in traffic, I could choose any lane instead of avoiding the left lane.  The old car died sometimes, and I couldn't chance the fast lane.  It's cute and fast and perfect.  As soon as I have daylight time to take pics, I'll post them.  I love that little Neon.  We now have a Ford, a Chevy, and a Dodge in the driveway.  We're tri-partisan.

Brett enjoyed his first full day at the plumbing place, and showed knowledge that no other employee had, causing a position-shift and a pay increase.  Sweet!  It's so good that he's working.  He should be able to have his own place by May 1.

We had tacos tonight.  Kevin and Monica cooked, I did dishes, Brett put away clean dishes, and Natalie stayed on top of laundry.  It was a team effort.  I love those kind of nights.  Nobody feels overworked, and everybody chips in.

Even in the "tough economic times," life can be good.  HA!  I couldn't help myself.  Sorry.