Happy New Year

Okay...yes it's been over a month since my last blog entry...yes I know as everyone is reminding me of this...so I'll do a quick summary....and I will try to be quick versus long-winded on the happenings over the past month...aren't you lucky :)

(1) All the carpet is installed! Yippee...this process created the entity of Smith Moving Company, as every piece of furniture had to be moved and returned to it's location after the carpet installation. The amazing thing is how you can cram so much stuff in one space. The other amazing thing is that we survived. Recommendation to all: if you are replacing carpeting in 4 bedrooms, hallway, stairs & the family room, either (1) Move...it would be easier, or (2) Hire a moving company to move out all your stuff and then move it all back. When you are doing all the work, you really start to realize how you are just not as young as you once were...or ever was! So with the carpet installation...yes, you guessed it more painting was required...and to save a few bucks we removed all the carpet ourselves...or the kids did :)

(2) Guests for a long weekend! We inherited a 9th grader & a 6th grader in the middle of December for a long weekend....there mom needed a get-a-way...no problem, the more the merrier...and I could use a babysitter for Saturday nite! It was an interesting experience for me to have a real teenager under my house. Although everything went well, it helped me decide to postpone having the kids get cell phones anytime soon...or word of advice, get unlimited texting when you make that step as I think that is all that kids do...no hours on the phone talking...its all texting! And then just when you think it's time to go back to school...Snow Day! So we went sledding instead of to school where of course we had an injury in our group that required plenty of rest on the sofa!

(3) Barry Manilow! Went to the Big Barry concert! Got there in plenty of time to have decent parking, a casual drink, and a nice relaxing evening...well with the Snow coming in...Barry started his performance at 9:30 vs 8:00, as he had just arrived to the Palace at 8:45 as it took him 6 hours to get from Cleveland to Auburn Hills...he made it up to us with his flashy costumes & plenty of songs. Not bad for a "old man"!

(4) Christmas! Well you guessed it, another holiday that no matter what I do, it creeps up on me and it's already here before you know it....well, this is the first year we haven't put up a tree. Once we got the house back in order, and decided we'd spend Christmas up north, we opted not to do a tree for 3 days of enjoyment...maybe next year! That will keep the scrapbook page down to a minimum :)

(5) Article in the Freep
See the link below or attached for the Article on the Rochester Sparkling Light Show...the Smith family made the paper!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071221/NEWS03/712210333/1001

(6) Holidays
Well the 2 weeks of no school were filled with Andrew's annual bronchitis, Christmas up north, sitting around reading 4 books, solving Sudoku puzzles & watching mega movie marathon with my kids (when I could have been blogging)...and strategizing my plans for next year when we will have 16 days off in a row...we're going somewhere!

(7) New Year's Eve
Stole away to the Sterling Inn for NYE for their Splash Bash with the Denninger family...spent the day in the water park, watching High School Musical 2 games performed by Radio Disney, saw a magician & a ventriliquist...missed the clown...but saw the ball drop at midnight while sharing champagne with good friends!

Now we are to the present....