Happy Halloween!

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;
The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "But I don't care."
The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"
The fifth one said, "Let's run and run and run."
"Wooooooo" went the wind,
And out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Cade loves that Halloween song!

We have a busy day today! We are getting a new water softener at noon. Our other one is apparently not working. We discovered that when it overflowed all over the garage. The next day, the water was gone, but the salt remained. That was fun cleaning that up. My Dad very generously tried to trouble shoot it, but we get an Error 1 message. That is a bad message. So, today we are getting a new one. A great way to spend $1,000 if you ask me...not really, but what can you do?

Then between 3 and 5pm (let's hope) someone is coming to look at the ice maker in our freezer. The fridge is just over a year old and it only works when it wants to. Pretty irritating when you want an "adult" beverage and there is NO ice! Frustrating. Hopefully that will get fixed today, too!

Then, Cade and I are "trick or treating" at Grandma and Grandpa's house and a family friend's house. They just want to see how cute he is in his monkey costume! Can't blame them! After that, I have to try to get Cade into bed while possibly handing out the massive amounts of candy I got for dirt cheap (thanks to Coupon Sense!). Should be interesting since Jim has to work tonight! Wish us luck!

Happy Halloween!

Just Too Darn Cute!

I know I am biased when it comes to Cade.

I don't know any parent that doesn't think their child is the cutest, smartest, funniest. But Cade cracks me up and constantly amazes me with his "tricks". Here are just a few of Cade's newest accomplishments.

• When you sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" Cade tries to do the motions.
• Cade now waves hello and goodbye to everything and everybody. (For example, when my parents were baby-sitting last week when I got my hair cut, I went to pick Cade up and as soon as I walked through the door, Cade started waving bye bye to my parents. He knew that I was there and we were leaving! He also waves to my ladybug collection on the shelves outside his room every time we pass them!)
• When Cade woke up from his afternoon nap today, he made the sign (kind of) for cookie. He knows he gets his cookies for a snack after his nap!
• Before naps and before bed, we sit in the rocker in his room and read books. Cade now is picky about the books. I will show him the different books. He will push them away until he finds the one he wants and then will lay back in my lap and wait for me to read it. Too cute!
• Cade will put blocks in his pot and stir them and pretend to eat it. Well, he will actually put the blocks in his mouth. I pretend.
• Cade can turn the music on and off on some of his toys. When he turns it off, he turns his hands from palms up to palms out to the side. It is his way of saying all gone. We tried to teach him to turn his palms UP to show all gone, but he does it his own way!
• When you tell Cade that we have to put his shoes on, he repeats "SHHHHs"
• Cade thinks it is funny to lick my face. I will laugh and scream and tell him, "Don't lick me," but he giggles and keeps trying to get me!

I know there are 100 other things, but this list is good for now!

The Baptismversary

One year ago today, Cade was baptized.

It might be strange to some to think that it is something that you remember or acknowledge. However, our church encourages the recognition of the baptism and what it means. They want you to pull out pictures and light the candle that was lit on their baptism day.

Cade's baptisms was special. I am sure most parents feel that way and I am no different. Cade was baptized on October 29, 2006. It was exactly 28 years to the day that I was baptized. He was wearing the same outfit his daddy wore for his baptism. He was also baptized with water from the river Jordan which is where Jesus was baptized. He was lucky enough to have his Uncle Josh and his Aunt Kim stand up and be Godparents for him. Friends and family surrounded him. It was truly a special day--even though Cade cried through church and slept through his party!

So today, on Cade's one year Baptismversary (thanks for the new word, Kim!) we will light his candle and remember his wonderful baptism day.

Cade's First Ice Cream Cone

The one day I forget to bring a bib.

Mom and I have found a new place we like to go for lunch. Jason's Deli. Good, fast deli type food. But the best part is that they have FREE ice cream. Who care's if there is no such thing as a free lunch if you can get a FREE dessert? Priorities! Because of the free ice cream, Cade also loves to go there. He also likes the highchairs which are on wheels. He discovered that if he pushes with his feet off the leg of the table--or the leg of his mommy, he will move. He thinks it is soooo funny.

So, Mom, Cade, and I went to Jason's Deli on Wednesday. I forgot to put Cade's bib back in his diaper bag after rinsing it off. So, we got to lunch and I realized I might have one messy child when we were done. Oh well. He is a boy. He would live. He actually did really well with his lunch. Besides a stray piece of chicken or cheese, he was actually pretty clean. Then came the ice cream cone.


Why we decided that day (without a bib) was a good day to introduce ice cream cones, I don't know. But boy was it fun to watch! We ended up putting Cade's cloth diaper (his blankie--I had a spare in the diaper bag) around his neck to somewhat protect his clothes. He was in heaven. It was so funny to watch him eat the top of the cone while the ice cream and bottom the cone covered his chin. His poor baby chin was red from being pressed into the ice cream for so long. I tried to help him adjust the cone, but he just grunted at me and pushed the cone further in his mouth. Apparently he didn't want help. He ate the entire thing!









As you can see from the pictures, he enjoyed himself...and was quite a mess at the end. Of course, once I pulled the cloth diaper off Cade's neck, he realized it was one of his blankies and wanted to snuggle with it. He cried until I hid the gross one and handed him the clean one. Boys!

Family Recipes

Poor Jim (yeah, right!)

I always ask him to call his Mom and get recipes for me. She is an excellent cook and makes things that I have never had before and discover I REALLY like.

These are things that I think I can make too. However, according to my darling husband, they are always "good" but "different". They aren't bad, but just not the same as his Mom's. I have given up. Whatever I make will never be as good as hers, but it will work. Here is my latest request for a recipe from her. (Hope I am not putting up any "secret" family recipes!)

Calabacitas Rellenas

• 2 Yellow Squash
• 4 Green Squash
• 1 Whole Onion sliced
• 1 Small Tomato cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of water

Place all ingredients in a covered pot and cook on low on stove. When done (vegetables tender) place in serving dish and sprinkle with cheese.

Doesn't that sound yummy? Trust me it is and what a great mix of veggies. Enjoy!

I have to ask if the salsa recipe is really a secret. If not, I will put that up too!

Fun in the ER

Don't worry. It wasn't Cade that required the trip to the emergency room.

Jim has an umbilical hernia. He has been to see the doctor--was referred to a surgeon and has a surgery date for next month. Simple procedure--done outpatient and just a few short days needed for recovery. Luckily, the hernia is generally not painful. Until this morning. Jim was in agony and of course had to work. Being a pharmacist, it really is very difficult to call in sick to work...especially when the two other pharmacists that work there are also out on medical leave. So, Jim survived until 2:00 when the next pharmacist came in to work for the evening. We then went to the ER like our doctor advised. Just to get Jim checked out and make sure that nothing was becoming too serious.

We went to the ER. And, as expected waited. For a very long time. But, there really is no better place to people watch (except maybe the airport) than in the ER. Strange, strange, strange people. Luckily we went in the afternoon. As we were leaving (many, many hours later) it was dark--and I think the scarier people wait until it is dark to come out. I don't know if I am getting older--or more conservative or what, but wow. The guys with the holes in their heads and their baggy pants with the shirts with skulls on them. They were talking very loudly to each other about "banging" some girl. Lovely. Then the girl who kept missing her call to go back to be checked out because she kept disappearing. Smoke break? Who knows where she kept going. Then a girl came in with food from Mimi's asking to change the channel on the TV and to turn it up. I think she thought the waiting room was her living room. It was bizarre!

We were gone for over 5 hours. We saw a PA for about 6 minutes. That was all the medical care Jim needed and all he received. But, I guess the entertainment in the waiting room was worth the $100 co-pay.

By the way, Jim is fine and surgery still scheduled for next month!

Baby Steps

We are walking!

It is official. Cade is walking on his own. Now, he isn't that steady on his feet yet, but he will walk quite a distance before stumbling. It is amazing. I think back to this time last year when Cade was 2 months old. We were so excited when he could hold his head up. Now my little man is walking.

The only problem with Cade's instability when walking is he gets so frustrated when he falls down. Usually he is not hurt at all, but screams like he broke his leg. He doesn't understand that you have to learn to walk before you run! Baby steps! There is a short video clip of Cade walking under the Caden Videos on the left. I apologize for the quality of it...I have a digital camera, not a video camera. But, it does the job well enough! Enjoy!

Thank Goodness It's Sunday!

T.G.I.S?

I know. Most people can't wait until it is Friday. But those are the people who don't work retail. I am excited because now I am off until Thursday! My weekend is just beginning. And, for being "part time" I have worked 42 hours in the last 6 days. I am used to 20 hours a week, so this was pretty brutal for me. I know. Suck it up and quit complaining.

Since I had to work this weekend, Jim took Cade to his parents to hang out for the day. I got a report when I got home that Cade walked all by himself from their kitchen to the front door which is about 15 to 20 feet. Of course he did it today. When I was at work. Now he has walked a few steps from me to Jim or my mom, but never like that. The only good thing is my in-laws always have their video camera on when Cade is over (first grandchild) and they got it on video. I do feel a little better knowing that I have seen his true "first steps" and that if he really takes off on the walking thing that it will be over the next few days that I am off! My life will change forever when he gains that independence!

Transitions

Well, Cade had his last bottle on Tuesday night.

We had stopped giving Cade a bottle during the day almost 2 months ago. He transitioned pretty well when we did that. But, I was afraid to eliminate his bed time bottle. I was afraid he wouldn't go to sleep as easily, or sleep as long. But, I also knew that eventually the bedtime bottle would have to go. So, last night I warmed up some milk and right before bed offered it to him in a sippy cup. He took a couple of sips, but then pushed it away. We read some books and he went to sleep. He slept as long as he usually does. So I guess this transition was harder for me than it was for him. No more baby bottles or snuggling while he would drink he bottle. Now it is books and bed. My little boy is getting bigger every day!

Cade doesn't do that well with transition between activities, though. He hates to change what he was doing--unless of course, it was his idea. If he is in his swing outside, and he is done, he will definitely let you know it. However, I feel like it is time to go inside, and try to take him out, he screams bloody murder. Or if we walk (we are still not walking independently, but Cade loves to hold hands and walk) to the car and I have to put him in the car to leave, he screams. He screams and cries and arches his back and makes it nearly impossible to do anything with him. The situation is frustrating for both of us. I am sure his temper tantrums will only get louder as he gets older!

The News

So yesterday we went to Kiddie Kandids. Cade did pretty well. Considering the other screaming children in there, I think he did really well. Here are a couple shots:

I worked all day today. We were super busy. Finally at 7:25 I had a chance to get on-line and catch up on the news. I only ever read the news if I have time at work. I know. I should be aware of what is going on in the world around me. I know. Ignorance is not always bliss. But here are a few of the stories on the news page I was on:

Six_year_old_girl_killed_while_sleeping

Man_Commits_Suicide_at_gun_range

Teacher Pleads Guilty to Student Sex Case

Seriously? The news is so depressing. And these were just the local stories. Doesn't even begin to cover what is going on in the rest of the world. Makes me scared for Cade. Makes me wonder why we have kids and bring them into this world. Makes me wonder if having another child (someday) is a good idea. Do we have kids for selfish reasons? To fulfill some deep need to be a parent? But as a good parent, how can you knowingly bring a child into the world where they can be abused, hurt, killed?! How do you protect your kids from these things?

I think I will boycott the news for a few days.

To Catch You Up (Since I am a slacker...)

I am a slacker.

It has been a while since I posted. However, I am blaming ummm...hold on. I am thinking who I can blame. Fine. Me.

So, what is new? Not a whole lot. I suppose in the grand scheme of things that is good. That means we are boring, but it also equates to no drama or problems. But, here is the recap of our "boring" lives.

Thursday:

• I worked 12 hours.
• Gave 28 flu shots and 1 tetanus shot.
• One shot was to my Mom, one to hubby, and one to a girlfriend.
• Only one complaining about a sore arm was hubby!
• Cade spent the day with Nana and Granddad and got to see the puppies at the mall.

Friday:

• Coupon Sense shopping with mom. Got some great deals!
• Hit Toys_"R"_Us and bought Cade the Discovery_Dome
• Mom and Dad came for pizza (Jim at work) and Dad put the Discover Dome together.
• Discovered that the Discovery Dome was missing half of the pieces. UGH!
• Enjoyed pizza and martinis and decorating my house for Halloween.

Saturday:

• Six loads of laundry. Yuck. But, clean sheets, towels, clothes...
• Back to Toys R Us to get the missing pieces for the Discovery Dome. (Hope they don't put the box that they gave me the pieces out of back on the shelf!)
• Ran to Kinkos to print my very first digital scrapbook pages. They are sooo cool. But does anyone know where I can get 12x12 pages printed on photo paper for less than $10/page? Kinkos did a good job, but just plain paper--photos are kind of grainy.
• Had Mom and Dad over for a quick happy hour drink.
• Dinner with Jim. Mmmmm Carambas.

Sunday:

• Church
• Brunch with friends and family.
• Took Cade for his second ever hair cut. Still doesn't like it. AT ALL!
• Ran to the mall with my little bro--shared yummy soft pretzels!
• Happy hour at my parents' house.
• Quiche baking in the oven for dinner tonight.
• Plans to take Cade to Kiddie_Kandids for Halloween pics tomorrow! Wish me luck!

That is it. Hope all is well with everyone. Okay. I hope all is well with the one person who reads this blog!

We Are Normal???

Chances are your toddler's negativism — saying "no" all the time, running away, throwing things — has probably been surging lately. He's actively testing his limits, putting his newfound mobility and ability to control his environment to use. It's your job to create and enforce those limits — and to remember that this behavior is a normal part of his development, not a plot to drive you crazy.

Normal. Good to know we are normal. And I should change that sentence about negativism to grunting, crawling away, throwing things (including himself on the floor). That is more descriptive of my little boy.

To illustrate his ability to “test” me, let me tell you a story. Cade crawled into the front room of our house. Crawled right over to the wall and turned to make sure I was watching him. As soon as he was sure he had my undivided attention, he reached up and put his hand on the outlet. Now, the outlets are covered and he is in no real danger, BUT he knows he is not allowed to touch them. I said, “Caden, no!” in a stern voice. He looked me straight in the eye and kept his hand there. I repeated, “Caden, NO!” He stared me down and left his hand there with what I swear was a rebellious smirk on his face. I walked over and took his hand off the outlet and put it in his lap and said, “NO. You know you can’t touch those.” I stepped back. He looked up at me and his lower lip trembled and he broke into tears. Heart wrenching tears that made it sound like I broke his heart. I picked him up and hugged him and said that I wasn’t mad, but he cannot touch the outlets. We snuggled for a minute as he calmed down. The End. I love the little brat!

Gap is having a Casting Call where parents can submit photos of their baby for a chance to win a photo shoot for Gap and Gap clothes. Well, I know I am biased, but since I think my baby is adorable, I am going to enter him in! Have to go pick some pictures that show his true personality. Or maybe I shouldn’t… Ha ha ha! You can put 5 pictures of your child up for the Gap Casting Call. Here are the three I have put up so far:

How to Make Your Head Ache

I love to scrapbook.

I love preserving memories in a creative way—even if no one looks at the albums but me. I had so much fun putting together Cade’s scrapbook of his first year. It is really his baby book with all of his milestones and pictures of each month. I love to look at it. It will remain very special to me—and I hope someday when he has kids of his own, he will enjoy looking back to his infancy and appreciate the work I put into it.

I have a whole room devoted to scrapbook supplies. Paper, tools, stamps, ink, ribbons, buttons, and a whole plethora of other doodads. However, it seems like I am ALWAYS behind in my scrapbooking. So, looking for a way to make things faster and more accessible, I have started investigating digital scrapbooking. I bought a book (unfortunately for me the store only had Digital Scrapbooking 2—guess I don’t get the first lessons) and downloaded my 30-day free trial of Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.

All I can say is that this is totally awesome. There is a very steep learning curve, and it will take me a very long time to become comfortable using the software. But with the help of my book, I was able to make the letters NYC out of my picture of the Statue of Liberty from our trip this summer and create my own background “paper” by creating my own pattern. How cool is that? I can change the background anytime I feel like it and move pictures and re-crop them…really good for the perfectionist type—not that I am! In all honesty, doing those two things took several hours and left me with a nasty headache. But, now I know how to do it!

So, between my new camera and my new desire to scrapbook digitally, I think I have opened up a whole new world of memory preservation! Poor Cade—he just wishes I would stop bothering him by taking so many pictures!

Mommy Amnesia

I was gone only for three days.

That’s it. I met a girlfriend at Mall of America in Minneapolis for a short weekend spree of shopping, gambling, and drinking. What a great time!

I came home to glowing reports about how good Cade is and what a pleasure he was to have for the weekend. My mom told me that the only time Cade ever cried was when his ice cream was all gone, he had to get out of his swing, or when he had to stop playing for a few minutes for a diaper change. What an angel!

Apparently, while I was gone, I contracted mommy-amnesia. I had forgotten how frustrating it can be to deal with a one-year-old who can’t communicate and is demanding. I think I lost something when I actually traveled with no stroller or car seat, diaper bag, sippy cups, baby toys. I brought on the plane with me headphones, make-up, and a book. A book that I was able to read cover to cover between my two flights. It was liberating.

Don’t get me wrong. I missed Cade more than you would believe. I admit that I called my parents who were baby-sitting numerous times each day I was gone just to check on him even though I knew he was completely fine. On Sunday, I was not ready for my trip to end, but I was so ready to see Cade that I knew it was time to come home. I was so excited to see him…

We picked Cade up late Sunday night. So this morning (Monday) was the true reunion. I had forgotten in those three short days that :
Cade gets up early.
He wants things when he wants them.
He doesn’t like the word no.
He will cry and scream when you tell him no.
Teething is no fun.
When he is tired, he is no fun.

What I remembered—and was reassured of today is that:
Cade gives great big sloppy kisses that are wonderful.
He snuggles.
He is sooooo adorable.
Reading books with Cade is one of the best things in the world.
He really is an angel.

I guess I just didn’t transition fast enough back into Mom mode. Tomorrow will be back to normal!

The Thrill of the Hunt

I am a dork. I openly admit that.

I am a member of Coupon_Sense. What is Coupon Sense? Well, basically as a subscriber you have access to an on-line database of current sales and coupons compiled from the newspaper. It is a super easy way to match up coupons that you get in the Sunday papers with what is on ad each week. There is a monthly cost to Coupon Sense, but what I pay for Coupon Sense is saved with my first shopping trip of the month. I usually save at least 50-75% on my grocery bills. So it is kind of dorky, however, I save money on groceries so I can spend it elsewhere. Just smart shopping if you ask me!

I went shopping today. Here is my amazing shopping trip.

At Albertson’s I got:

• 5 boxes Quaker Oat Breakfast Bars
• 2 boxes Quaker Granola bars
• 2 boxes Quaker Sweet and Salty Bars
• 4 boxes Quaker Instant Oatmeal
• 2 boxes Life cereal
• 2 boxes Quaker Granola Bites
• 4 boxes Quaker Multi grain Oatmeal
  
  ALL FOR $5.29 (Saved 81.09)

At Bashas I got:

• 4 Blue Bunny Personal Ice Cream
• 4 boxes Eggo Waffles
• 4 bags Pictsweet Veggie Steamers

ALL FOR $3.21 (Saved 26.68)

To make the deal even better at Bashas, I got a coupon for $5.00 off my next order. So, technically, I earned money shopping there. $5.00(coupon) - $3.21 (out of pocket) = +$1.79

I know the math is pretty simple, but let me put this out there for you to see...

I spent exactly $8.50 out of pocket for all 32 items. I still have $5 to spend at Bashas, so if you take that into consideration, I spent $3.50. Even if you don't take that coupon into account, I still saved $107.77. That works out to a savings of 93%. WONDERFUL! The best thing is that I will donate at least a third of the non-perishable stuff to the food bank though church. So I got a great deal and will be able to share food with those who don't have any. Perfect combination!

I must say a big THANK YOU to my Coupon Sense instructor, Amy, who very kindly went above and beyond to provide me (and all of her subscribers) with the information I used for this successful shopping trip. Love ya, Amy! You're the best!

A Free Trip for Two

So I am a sucker...

Two weekends we went to the Babies and Kids Expo. We paid $20 to get in and sadly it was pretty much a waste of money and time. We expected there to be a ton of vendors selling everything from baby blankets to backyard swing sets. In fact, I told Jim I didn’t want to go because when it comes to Cade I truly lack any monetary self-restraint. I was afraid that I would see something that he “had to have” that would cost us a small—or large—fortune. In reality there were about 18 vendors. Most of the booths consisted of private photographers, time-share companies, or people selling cosmetics. (Kids Expo????) There was one booth selling toys—and nothing Cade had to have. It was disappointing to say the least. We spent approximately 8.2 minutes walking past the booths (not stopping at any) to find we had covered the entire “expo”. On the way to the exit, I stopped at a booth where they were having a drawing to win a gift card to Home Depot. I figured I would put our name in there. The booth was cleverly disguised—it was for a time-share. They were very anxious to sign us up for a tour so that we could get a free trip for two to several choice destinations. I am not a fan of listening to these presentations, but I decided that if we got nothing else out of this expo, we could get a free trip. So, I signed us up.

We went this past Friday for our time-share presentation. Our representative (used car salesman) was actually very nice and low pressure considering his line of work. He only kept us 25 minutes over our promised “90 minute presentation”. The resort was beautiful. The amenities cool. And since we live close to the resort, we would be able to use those amenities as often as we would want. Things like a beautiful pool with massive water slides and horseback riding and lessons for kids. And then, since we probably wouldn’t vacation 10 minutes from our home, we would be able to trade our week there to any one of the other resorts associated with this time-share company. This trading power would even include the Palm_Tree_Court_&_Spa for only $158 for the week. Sounds great doesn’t it? We were hooked. In their catalog (which they leave you to look at for several minutes so you can plan your dream vacation) we decided that we wanted to go stay in a castle in Ireland. How cool would that be?! We must have looked interested. The “closers” came in to offer us our very own vacation-ownership package. With today-only specials, of course. You too could own a week in a resort for a mere $21,000. I choked. We didn’t have that kind of money! Not even close. Needless to say, even though they got the last offer down to $7,000, we had to pass. (Especially since I calculated it to be actually $19,000 when all was said and done after the 120-month loan.) But, we got a “free” trip to Napa Valley Wine country including two free admissions for a Winery Tour. Doesn’t include airfare, but worth our 114 minutes, I think. I will let you know after we take the trip!

A Romantic Way to Perish

Candy Update

We are down to four candy bars. I am happy to report, that I am still only responsible for the disappearance of one of them. Apparently since I had one, Jim thought it was then okay to have one, too. So, out of the six candy bars I bought for my trip, we have four remaining. Hopefully those four will remain until the trip on Friday. (If you have no clue what I am talking about, read the previous post!)

In Remembrance

I met a girlfriend for dinner tonight. As I was leaving, I got in the car in the garage. I thought it smelled a little like trash in our garage. Rotting trash. When I came home after dinner, I thought the same thing. I wondered if maybe a poopy diaper made it as far as the garage, but not out into the trash can on the side of the house. I parked the car and came inside and complained to Jim. Trash hunting is definitely a "husband" job.

So I came into the office to check email. Jim went out to the garage. He came in like 10 minutes later. I asked him if he had located the source of the problem and he said yes. I asked what it was and I was told I didn't want to know. But I did. Or I thought I did. I am sure you don't want to know. But I am going to tell you anyway.

Jim and I had gone out to eat last week...and had left the cups of soda in his car. He handed them to me the next time we got in his car and told me to dump the soda in the rocks and throw the cups away. I told him I didn't want to pour soda on the rocks and attract ants. So I put the cups with some soda in them on his work bench in the garage thinking that I would pour them out in the sink when we got home. I forgot.

Apparently, at some point during the week that the cups sat on the workbench, a mouse got into our garage, chewed its way into the top of the cup, fell in and drowned in Dr. Pepper. So the rotting smell was not a poopy diaper...but a dead mouse in a moldy soda cup. Jim has disposed of the poor mouse. He now has plans to clean up his workbench area tomorrow to make sure there are no more undiscovered mouse "traps".

I suppose in the end it was a romantic way to perish--for a mouse.

My Lack of Will Power

If I have it, I will eat it.

I have very little self-restraint when it comes to food. Which is why even though the candy was on sale last week, I knew I shouldn’t buy it yet for my upcoming trip. At my grocery store, it was buy three candy bars, get three free. Great deal, right? Basically buy one, get one, but this way you have to buy three. So, since they were on sale, I thought I would put them away for my trip that is this weekend. Two girls getting together—we would need chocolate, especially after a long, hard day shopping. Well, I bought the candy this past Friday. A week before my trip. Who was I kidding? I actually held out until Sunday night. It is a good thing that I got three candy bars free. I am hoping that three of the original 6 candy bars will make it to Friday when I leave…but I am not guaranteeing that that will make it all the way to my destination. Aren’t Kit Kats the breakfast of champions? Perfect for an early plane ride! Sorry, Kim. My intentions were good!

Josh, that is why we will not be buying the chips for you until Thursday night. And they will go right into a suitcase. Last time we came to visit you, I had bought two to bring you…but as you well know, you only got one! They were good!