A funny thing happened to Jeff a few weeks ago...

Due to budget constraints, we celebrated our 20th anniversary very economically. We spent the day at Barnes & Noble, reading and drinking Starbuck's goodness! It was thoroughly delightful, and there was nary a child to complain about how boring bookstores are. The only blight on the day was the loss of Jeff's cell phone. We searched high and low, even asking several patrons if we could dig through the chairs they were sitting in, but alas, the errant phone was never found. Fortunately David's best friend, Joseph Lin kindly provided Jeff with a phone he was no longer using. It would be impossible to describe the unique friendship that David and Joseph share, but let's just say that they share a mutual love and fascination for flatulence. Oddly enough, they get a kick out of their cell phone rings for each other that replicate the noises one might make...okay I'm having a very difficult time talking around this, their cell phone rings for each other are a series of loud, obnoxious farting noises.

So... shortly after Jeff started using Joseph's phone (and before he had changed any of Joseph's old settings) he made a trip to our bank. He was at the teller window, innocently making a deposit when David called for a ride home, causing the cell phone in Jeff's front pants pocket to begin loudly "ringing." The teller discretely pretended she didn't notice while Jeff frantically fumbled around trying to turn it off, but I'm betting that she had something to say about it after he left.

Jeff changed the settings on his phone later that day, and has been avoiding the bank for awhile.

A BIRTHDAY BROUHAHA!

I had another opportunity this past weekend to really cherish one of the family pets... It was on Mother's Day no less, just an extra special little gift for me. The culprit was Calli, normally our least troublesome beast. Mother's Day also happened to be someone's birthday this year, so I was busy frosting cupcakes, which I had for some unfathomable reason decided to decorate in the image of the birthday boy. Traditionally I use colored coconut for the hair, but due to a coconut aversion I painstakingly shaved Hershey bars with a vegetable peeler to produce a nice mound of brunette locks. About 2 hours into the project I finally began the decorating process. I was sitting at the kitchen table and had a cookie sheet full of cupcakes on the kitchen chair next to me, which seemed logical and handy as well. Just as I was picking up steam and the M&M's and chocolate were flying, I heard David sternly reprimanding Calli for stealing a cupcake. How she did this without anyone noticing, I do not know, but unbeknownst to us, she's a fairly stealth creature. I quickly picked up the tray to get it out of harm's way only to notice that not just one cupcake had gone missing, but 11. Furthermore, their was evidence in the form of 10 partially chewed up cupcake wrappers behind the recliner in the family room. Yes, this was accomplished in a matter of probably less than 10 minutes. I was incredulous and appalled at the incredibly piggish behavior of a beloved member of my family, a creature I lovingly feed and care for (okay, not really, I pretty much leave that to others, but I do buy the dog food and remind people to brush and feed her!)

Suffice it to say, the offender was banned to the out of doors for the next 48 hours, perchance the red velvet cake were to make an appearance in an altered form! I'm pleased to tell you that in the end everything came out okay (no pun intended) and both beast and birthday boy survived!

AFTER A BRIEF HIATUS...

I was reading Andy’s blog yesterday and the Indiana Update link caught my eye. On a whim I hopped over there and started reading through some of my old musings. I had already forgotten a lot of the things I’d blogged about and it inspired me to get my rusty brain and fingers going again. With a memory like mine, it might just be the only way I’ll remember my life!

The past 9 months or so have been difficult times for our family. There have been some big changes. Jeff has changed careers, I have joined the work force again, Brittany left for college (I use the word ‘left’ loosely, since she’s home every weekend, nonetheless I miss her a great deal Monday morning thru Friday evening!) David started driving, and we discovered that Christian will need enough dental work to put the orthodontist's children through college, just to name a few. It has been an emotional roller coaster for all of us, but I must say, I have discovered I am a much more resilient person than I believed myself to be.

Being that I’ve been on the shelf for awhile I thought I’d ease back into this with a few updates on previous posts...

Date: March 16, 2006 - "My Husband Turned 40..."

I believe I referred to Jeff as old in that blog. I will turn 40 in just a few months, and have changed my opinion. It's not really old at all. I must confess however that David made a comment recently about Jeff and me being middle-aged, and the real bummer was that he wasn't being purposely insulting, he really thinks we are!

Date: September 14, 2006 - "My 4th Grade Casanova!"

To date, Christian is still single, and is still easily nauseated by thoughts of romance. He is obsessed with the WWE. He currently aspires to be a professional wrestler and is busy honing a few moves. Several stuffed animals have suffered life-ending injuries at his hands.

Date: October 16, 2006 - "Our Pets!"

We have added to our menagerie. Calli and Lucy have been joined by Indy and Peyton. While they technically belong to Brittany, they are not allowed in the dorm and thus reside in our home. I am no more of an animal lover now than I was then, I'm just too tired to care! And they do have their cute moments.

Date: November 26, 2006 - "Leadfoot Gets Busted!"

Brittany (aka “Leadfoot”) never did make it into that speeding ticket deferral program. Her first offense was followed three weeks later by a second speeding offense, which was then followed by a third offense 10 months later. She has officially received the most print in the Spencer County Herald. David is now driving, and while he has remained on the good side of the law, he did sideswipe a Trans-Am, removing a stripe of paint off both cars.

Well, I am off to clean my carpets. Three dogs and a cat take their toll, and my mother-in-law arrives this coming week. To add to the pressure, Jeff's brother John and his wife Kim are visiting as well, for the first time. Kim's daughter once commented to her, "Why can't you just be like Aunt Jody and not care how the house looks!" I am still attempting to discredit her...