Dads and Daughters

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Yesterday, Dan and I went with my Mom and Dad to Colorado Springs. Dad went to Memorial Hospital for a bladder biopsy. He was nervous and I don’t blame him. He had bladder cancer and this was a checkup to make sure that everything was still gone. One he was all ready, Dan, Mom and I went to get some lunch. Funny bit is that Mom had two older men with white beards hit on her. One even had a Santa Hat on and asked her if she’d been good. Of course, she said. LOL.

Dad got the biopsy done and then we headed home. We stopped at Bingo Burger for dinner. We enjoyed it, but Dad had trouble tasting food, so he and Mom will probably go another time to see if he likes it. Dad was also a bit loopy on the pain meds, but it was okay. We got home around 8pm.

Today was busy. Dan and I went to the County Commissioner’s meeting and Dan introduced himself as the South Central Workforce Chair and gave them an update on what has been going on in Workforce. After that, we got a few things done including a little bit of rearranging in the living room/office area. Then around 5pm, we headed for Gardner. Tonight was their Holiday program. Since there were so many kids/families of different religions, they chose a non-Christmas theme. Instead they celebrated Mexican culture. Lots of kids singing songs in English and Spanish as well as a small play about a fiesta. Morgan was the Iguana who organized everything. It was a riot, especially when she turned and hit her head and then fell over the screen that the stage hands moved too close to her. It looked like part of the play, while it really was a accident. However, she laughed and made it look like it was planned. She has a bump on her head, and that is about it. The whole program was wonderful. Afterwards, we all had cookies and treats that the families brought. John and Beth came up with Logan, so I got to see my grandson. 🙂 He is so like his dad.

We got home around 9pm, and Morgan is now doing homework for finals and Dan is doing classwork too. I’m catching up on my blog and then bedtime. Yawn!!!

Calm-er?

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Sort of. Maybe. Perhaps… It was a bit calmer this last week. We still had computer jobs, but most of them were in town. La Plaza needed their cash till adjusted. Marianne needed her ‘well computer’ checkup and we had a school board meeting to attend. Oh, and I did up about 40 holiday cards. Not too bad all total.

Friday were a bit hectic. I started off my morning by meeting John at the bank to notarize the separation agreement for the divorce. Also got my name taken off of the joint account. I paid the water bill, filed the separation agreement, mailed off umteen holiday cards, and went to George’s to get breakfast for us. We love sausage pete’s with green chile strips. Yummmmm.

Saturday,I got up early and went for a job interview at La Plaza for the new First Choice grocery store. I think it went well, but have to wait for the next interview and the store to have the construction finished. Then we borrowed my parent’s pick up truck and drove up to Canon City. We went to visit Adam, Judith and Brendan. They have a house up above Canon City. They have a micro farm. Geese, ducks, chickens, pigs, goats, dogs and cats. 🙂 Dan fixed Jude’s computer and we all had a great visit.

After we left, we headed to Pueblo to get a few groceries. Funny bit is that we saw John and Beth in Walmart! LOL.

I have to admit that some of panic and stress I have been dealing with over the job situation and the divorce have finally settled. After two weeks of not being called in to La Plaza, I figure I’m done. Her business, her choices. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Meanwhile, I’m applying for other jobs and trying to drum up business for LoboSavvy. As for the divorce… I filed my financial paperwork on time before the December 3rd deadline. John managed it on the 9th. His delays in doing that is what prompted me to push for filing the separation agreement on Friday. Next week is slated to be busy and I didn’t want to mess up the filing date of December 15th. So…. it is now done. Nothing else to do until the court sets a date. For all intensive purposes I’m as divorced as I can get until the Judge drops the gavel.

Big Deep Breath!!!

Not to continue to de-stress. Next big event is Xmas with the family in Littleton. Dan and I have made reservations at a hotel and are borrowing the truck again to go up. Mom and Dad will stay with Lori. Should be fun. Hopefully, I’ll get to see Mari and David again too. The rest of today is going to be a take it easy day. Too damn cold to do much else.

Life in the Crazy Lane

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Or how I spent the rest of my week.

Wednesday we packed and headed to Colorado Springs for Dan’s conference. We stopped in Pueblo for a Bingo Burger. Yum!!!! We stayed at the Crown Plaza and while it is a rather posh hotel, it wasn’t as nice as some we’ve stayed in over the last month. Dan ran off to his meetings while I showered and then curled up in a chair with my book. Ah, heaven. After a bit, I went to Subway for dinner and Dan came back around 9pm.

Thursday we were up early and Dan headed off to his meetings. I packed up the room and then settled in a corner of the huge lobby near a fireplace and a power plug. I settled in with my newspaper and book. Around 9am, I went up to talk to a guy about a Youth Council that is a part of Workforce. Afterwards, I plugged in my computer and went to work reading emails and writing stories. Around 10am, the lights flickered and then went out. Hmmm…. the fire was lit, my laptop had a battery, and I was fine. I got to watch the hotel staff run around like headless chickens handing out glow sticks and trying to find out why the lights went out. Apparently an area of Colorado Springs had a power outage. I scared the hell out of a hotel staff member when she walked past me and didn’t notice me. She screamed. I smiled, and said I was okay. Later on, a staff person gave me a glow stick and a bottle of water. Power finally came on an hour later.

Dan finished his meeting around noon and we headed to Denver. Dan got himself added to more state boards functions. LOL… He should never volunteer… teeheehe…. Our hotel was once again not a good as some of the others, but a free dinner buffet and breakfast were bonuses. We ran some errands, saw MegaMind in 3-D which was a hoot, and then went to bed early.

Friday, we slept in, had a good breakfast and then ran a few more errands while waiting for our client’s computer to arrive. We found a really great restaurant called the Beruit Grill. Heavenly food! Our client’s computer finally arrived and we headed over to sent it up and get everything running on her system. We finished around 9pm and then drove home. It was a long day. We got home and in bed by 1am.

Saturday was spent running on inertial. We returned Dad’s truck, worked on La Plaza’s cash till and then did some shopping. The household cupboard was BARE! After that, I did laundry. Skunky clothes as well as everything from the trip made for a ton of laundry. We talked about Alpha Dog and LoboSavvy over dinner and then crashed early.

Today is suppose to be quiet. LOL… We shall see.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

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I’m 51 today. 🙂

I slept in. Then I got a backrub. Dan brought me maple cookies and tea in bed. Yum! Once I got up and dressed, we ran a few errands and I picked up my birthday card from my parents when we fed their cat Elway. (yes, an orange tomcat…. Mom is a Broncos fan) After that we came home and Dan fixed the sidelights while I moved chives around in the garden.

Then, Dan went off to teach computer class and I enjoyed peace and quiet. I wrote on a story, cruised the internet and read my email. Oh, and enjoyed lots of birthday greetings on Facebook. Dan came home and instead of cooking dinner, we went to Pueblo. Bingo Burger!!! Oh yum. We borrowed Dad’s truck, so Dan, Morgan and I had dinner. Morgan now loves Bingo Burger. I had the lamb burger with Pueblo chilies and mushrooms with a side of sweet potato fries. Dan and Morgan had regular burgers. We were all very happy and very stuffed.

Afterwards, we waddled to Staples, got some office supplies and then went to Barnes and Nobel. Ah, books… My parents gave me $10 for my birthday, and I bought a book. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Looks very good. Then we drove home and returned the truck. I’m going to make my pecan pie tomorrow as I am just a tad sleepy. It has been a great day. 🙂

Anyone have an anchor?

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I swear that someone put speed in the water for the last two weeks of October. Last week was just crazy. Between work, school and other obligations, I felt like I was on a bullet train.

Wednesday, Spike got one of the cats. Didn’t know which one, as we couldn’t find it.

Thursday was suppose to be a day off. Ha! I went to KnitWits, my knitting group. We went to Pueblo on a field trip to visit Colorado Fiber Arts, a really cool yarn store. Then we had lunch at a place called Bingo Burger. I had a lamb burger and it was heavenly!!! Oh, and sweet potato fries with curry ketchup. Yummm… However, when we got home, Dan and I had to take the little gray kitten to the vet. Spike had ripped her lower lip off. Nothing to do for it, so we had her put to sleep. Dan also got a call from our one client in Denver. We wanted to borrow my parent’s truck. Not a problem except that Dad went to change the oil and couldn’t get the filter off. So after we put the cat to sleep, we went over to help Dad. Wheee…

Friday, we left right after I got done with work. Drove to Denver after a stop for lunch at Bingo Burger. More lamb burgers were consumed. Yumm!!! We arrived 10 minutes past when we said we’d be there. Not bad for city traffic. Four hours later we were done. Spent the night in a hotel and oh…. it was so nice to soak in a tub!!!

The next morning, we got candy at Target and then headed over to my sister Lori’s house. We visited for about an hour and I harvested 10 pounds of concord grapes. Yummm….. The smell was heavenly. Then we dropped books off at Isis and headed home. A stop in Pueblo for…. yeah, more lamb burgers. LOL… Only one down side of the day. We forgot to call my parents and tell them we were spending the night. They worried and were not happy with us, as should be expected. We apologized, and promised that next time we would call. Felt so stupid. Had to go do laundry as well.

Sunday was sort of a weird day. Tried to get things done. Handed out lots of Halloween candy, cooked down the grapes into syrup and worked on the computer.

Monday I went to work only to find out that my hours have been cut yet again. sigh…. It rained and slushed. Brrr!!! Then I had a ton of paperwork to process at the court house. And, Stefan’s house taxes are paid! Wheeee!!! By the time everything was done, all I really wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep for a week. Instead, Morgan, Dan and I watched the Bounty Hunter. It was a riot.

Today was another run around like crazy day. Dan helped Dad unload and stack 2 cords of wood. Then we went and voted. After that, we did some errands around town. By the time we got home, about all I could do is make dinner. Tamale pie!!!! Lovely comfort food for a cool day. We ate dinner while watching Wolfman. It was a pretty good movie. Now we are watching the election results. The bad trio of amendments 60, 61 and proposition 101 did NOT pass. (phew!) The rest of the stuff is up in the air.

To Denver and Back

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Yesterday, we left at the crack of dawn for Denver. Dan had a meeting of the Colorado Workforce Development Council. So, we dropped Morgan off and headed up I-25. We had breakfast in Monument at the Village Inn. Not bad food, and we were rather hungry. We got to Denver by 10am, which was a good thing. Why? Because we got LOST. Or to be more exact, we couldn’t find the hotel where the meeting was being held. We finally found it at last. It is one of those dark glass buildings where the name is embossed on it in letters only slightly lighter than the smoked glass of the rest of the building. We found parking for $8 and then walked back to the hotel. Dan went to the meeting and I headed to the 16th Street Mall.

I walked around in various shops and finally made it to the Tattered Cover. I got Dan a copy of Common Sense and us a copy of Terry Pratchett’s latest book, Unseen Academicals. Then I had lunch at the Noodles shop just up from Tattered Cover. Then I went to Barnes and Noble and walked around another bunch of shops. Dan got done with his meeting around 2:30pm and we headed home.

We went shopping at Vitamin Cottage and King Soopers in Pueblo for things we needed for the house and got home around 10pm. We were both so tired, that once we got the groceries put away, we straight to bed. Yawn…

Today it was back to work as usual. I had to wash our bedding as one of the feral cats peed on it. Yuck. Of course that made for a wheezy day for me. Tomorrow is house cleaning day and a volley ball game for Morgan. 🙂 Hopefully, they will do better than they did against La Veta.

Thursday was wonderful, weird and sad.

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Thursday was Dan’s 47th birthday. It was also the day we had to head up to Palmer Lake and have lunch with the Governor. On top of that, it was the day Ian headed for MEPS, the big physical which decides if he can enlist or not in the military. Oh, and my parents left for New Mexico and we are babysitting Elway, the cat.

So,… Up at the crack of dawn. Morgan off to school, and all three of us trying to cycle through the bathroom to get ready to go. 8am, all of us out the door. We dropped Ian off in Pueblo and headed north to Palmer Lake. It was a good thing we were early, because we got lost. The Inn at Palmer Lake might as well be the Bat Cave. It isn’t easy to find at all, even with directions and GPS. One of the women there said her Garmen’s GPS had failed. sigh…

The meeting was great. Governor Ritter signed the Colorado Workforce Development Council into law/being and then we had lunch. The food was okay, and yet not enough. One of the guys at our table asked if everyone was hungrier than they were before lunch. Most were. As it was, we ate in Pueblo on the way home.

After our ‘second lunch’, we drove to Gardner for Morgan’s volleyball game. Gardner was playing La Veta. It was a tighter game than Aguilar, but Gardner’s A and B team were both winners. As a treat, we took Morgan to A&W for a rootbeer float. 🙂 We had a little bit of time with her before she had to head over to her mom’s for the weekend. sigh…

Then it was time for a bit of quiet for Dan and I. I sat down to my computer so I could write and Dan started on school work. There wasn’t any magic smoke, but my computer died. Dan thinks it is the hard drive and we will try and fix it in the next few days. Meanwhile, I am timesharing on his computer. pout… tears… sadness…

Friday Ian enlisted in the Air Force. He isn’t sure when he will ship out as he is waiting for a job opening.

Today we went to the Upper Huerfano to pick choke cherries. The bears had been there first, so we got more rosehips. sigh…

Tomorrow I plan to do a lot of baking for the Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival where I will be holding two bake sales. At least that will keep my mind off the lack of computer.

A very odd day

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We borrowed my parent’s truck on Friday and went to Pueblo. We had some parts to pick up for a job Dan has on Monday. Plus, we decided to buy some groceries and Morgan needed some school clothes. We ran around and did the job shopping first. Then we went to lunch at Wendy’s. Morgan biffed the door and did the whole spin and land on the floor thing. She felt so ditzy.

Then we went to the ARC. It’s a second hand shop, and while we looked at tons of clothing, the only things we got were a pair of sleep pants for Morgan and 6 tiny bread pans for me. Figured that it would be useful to have them when I do the bake sale for the the Celtic Music Festival in a couple of weeks.

Then we went to Old Navy. Morgan found 2 pairs of jeans, a top and a pair of exercise shorts. After that, we went to Walmart and found her 3 sports bras. All total, about $65 worth of clothing. Sort of an expensive month when we add in the $20 I paid Gardner school so that her athletic fees would be paid. Oh well. Hopefully, I will get some more hours and not be so short on cash the rest of the month.

Then we drove home. It was a crazy day, but a fun one.

Wheeeee!!!! it’s Wednesday!

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The middle of a crazy week too. I went to work this morning and figured that I’d be sewing on my dresses for the trip by the afternoon. Nope! Almost first thing today at work, and Karen, the boss asks if I’d drive her friend Anne to the airport in Colorado Springs. Her car, paid etc. I said yes! So, had to call Dan and tell him to rearrange the day.

After I got off work, we drove up to Gardner and registered Morgan for school. While Dan filled out the paperwork, Morgan got her school physical. Now she can play sports. Wheee!!!!
Then we drove home and dropped her off. We got to the restaurant with about 15 minutes to spare. Then it was off to Colorado Springs.

We dropped Anne off and headed to Pueblo. Petco, Chilie’s for lunch, Sam’s for supplies for the restaurant, and then to the Mall. Gads, it is such a tiny mall, but it is all we have. I went to JoAnne’s… We finally have one in Pueblo again, and I am so happy!!! I got stuff for the dresses and drooled over fabric. Then it was off to find sandals. Payless had nothing. Unless I wanted itty bitty strappy things with a 4 inch heel. Nope, not this girl. So, we headed over to the high priced sensible cool shoe shop. I found a pair I liked. A little expensive, but these will last for a couple of years. Plus, they are nice looking and will do for dressy occasions. They have about a 2 inch heel. Funny to feel so tall!

Then we drove home, dropped the stuff at the restaurant and Ian picked us up. Wheeee… Now for bed as I have to be into work at 8am again. It was a busy night at the restaurant, so I will be doing lots of baking. 🙂

Pumps….. damn pumps and more pumps…..

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We finally got the neon’s gas pump fixed. Wheee!!! Wheels at last.

I should have known better. However, Dan got a job from the Conference and on the 17th, we dropped Morgan at school, drove the back way up HWY 69 to 96 to 50 into Pueblo. It was a lovely drive and we got stuff at the bakery and then I went to the library while Dan went to Denver.

I had a great time at the library and our friend Curtis picked me up around noon. We ran errands and then he took me home. I had a quiet evening and a good nights sleep. Right up until 7:30am. That’s when the phone rang. It was Dan. The job was done and he got paid. Only problem was that the water pump blew. He was at mile marker 188. That is 135 miles from Walsenburg.

Argh!!!!!! So, I got up, called Curtis and arranged for him to drive up to Denver to rescue Dan. Once he got there, they decided it was NOT a by the side of the road fix, and were going to tow it home. Keep in mind that Curtis drives a little beat up old Chevy Luv pickp. Not a real powerhouse. So, they decided to come home via the Easter plains of Coloraod. Yoder, Ellicot, Fowler and then up HWY 10 to Walsenburg. This made for a LONG COLD trip in an unheated car for Dan. Curtis wasn’t much warmer. The two of them got back to the house at 1:30am, and they were two popcicles! I think it took us till almost 4am to warm up and settle down. Everyone piled under various covers and we all slept till 10am. Yawn….. Morning came wayyyy too early! Copious amounts of tea were needed. We decided that this time the car could go to the garage to have the water pump replaced. Dan made enought to take care of that. Phewww!!!

Then of course it was clean up, eat and get ready for the Christmas Train. Curtis left the same time we did. The train was great this time. Expecially the coach group which understood it was a melodrama and really got into the boos and hisses as well as the yeahs!

It of course turned into another late night. At least for Dan. He was doing homework and the Windows side of his computer ate the file. So, he had to start all over again and didn’t get to bed until 5:30am. So, rather than thump around the house, I calld Pauline and we went out to the laundromat where we sat chatting while the washers did their thing. I knitted and she crocheted. 🙂 We had a good visit and got the clothes clean too!

Tonight I’m for an early night. Dinner and maybe a movie and then off to bed. Solstice eve of course!!!