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I’m here at Mom’s house for the next week (if I make it that long). Lot’s of changes are going on around here, things are being shuffled around and sorted through and disturbed.

Mom wanted me to look at a little table she didn’t think she would use anymore. We went into the room that is almost empty now and looked at the little table. A strange little twangy noise beeped twice and stopped. We both looked around and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. I thought it was coming from a bag on the floor. I picked up the bag and listened but the noise was closer to the hall. Mom stood in the hall and listened near the smoke detector but it seemed to be coming from the stairs.

Mom headed upstairs to see if it was the carbon monoxide detector but it seemed the noise had spread. I went upstairs with mom and into the blue room. The noise seemed to be coming from the vent above the windows. Mom closed the blinds and we headed back downstairs to see if the noise was still down there.

Sure enough, the noise was near the front door. I went back into the room we started in but the noise was fading. Mom thought it might be the alarm near the ceiling by the front door or maybe it was something outside and it was going away. The noise went off again and it was right next to me. It was MOM! I said, “It’s you!” She reached in her pocket and said “Oh, it’s my cell phone needing to be charged!”

That was weird!

Julie joined my weekly Bible study group this morning. She was very prepared and had some good readings to share. She also did her homework and added a lot to our discussion. I think everyone learned something today because Julie was there!

I feel very blessed to get to have my mom with me and I am very proud of her!

OOOwwweeeeiiioooo…..

My friend Karina has a daughter who has friends who all love the Twilight series. Some of the moms even love the books. I read the first book after my cousin Debbie insisted that I read it ASAP. I never could get into the second book, New Moon. The books are nice love stories but not quite my thing. Thankfully my sweet niece Kelly told me the ending.

So my friend Karina decided a few weeks ago that we should purchase tickets to see New Moon at the 1st showing which would be midnight this past Thursday night. Of course we had to buy tickets to see Twilight at 9:00 and then stay for New Moon. As it turned out, all 10 theaters did sell out for the midnight show so it was good we planned ahead!

Karina and her gang picked me up at 8:00. They were wearing matching Twilight t-shirts and had a life-size cut-out of Edward (leading male role). When we arrived at the theater the girls decided we should not take the cut-out. I thought that would be a waste so I decided to escort Edward to the theater walking with my arm around him. It was very dark by then and this cut-out looked like a real person only flat. Several people going past us stopped and stared and made comments. A group of girls came running up to us as soon as we got to the front of the theater. I realized that they were all in Andrew’s class. They were squealing with delight and asking to have their picture taken with Edward.

Pretty soon lots of people wanted pictures with Edward. These girls and women didn’t hesitate to hug, squeeze, and act like they were kissing the cut-out.

The employees at the theater thought the cut-out was great and didn’t mind us taking him into the theater. We sat in a row with a wider isle and stood Edward up to face the people coming in. People came in groups to have their picture made.

After watching Twilight (the theater was not even half full) some of the girls went to the lobby for snacks and a break. They came back telling us that the theater was packed full of people waiting for the midnight show. Fortunately we did not have to leave our good seats.

As soon as they started letting people in the fans recognized Edward standing in our isle. More came for pictures. Karina was really wishing we had charged people for the photo opportunity.

A group of women sat behind us and all wanted pictures. Some were drinking something they didn’t sell at the theater. They started giving the girls dollar bills for pictures.

The movie started. One of the women behind us had way too much of that drink. She was being loud and rude and eventually had to be thrown out.

What a waste of a ticket.

Last Weekend Andrew left Friday evening with the Boy Scouts for a camping trip north of Clearwater. It was supposed to be a 2 night trip.

Saturday night, after a long day of working on his latest home improvement project, Bob grilled some pork chops and sat down to watch a ball game. The phone rang and it was Andrew sounding miserable. He said his stomach hurt and he was hot. Bob asked one of the adults if he thought Andrew felt warm. The other dad said Andrew felt warmer than the other boys who were sitting next to the fire (Andrew wasn’t by the fire).

Being that the flu has been spreading rapidly around these parts Bob thought it best to drive 2 hours to pick up his boy. He wasn’t really sure where Andrew was and of course we couldn’t find our Tomtom (I put it in a safe place), but off he went chewing the last bite of pork chop. He did have a print out from mapquest but these campgrounds can be tricky.

Luckily Bob only missed one turn close to the campsite and only went a few miles out of the way. He found the Scouts, loaded up dirty Andrew with all of his dirty stuff and headed back home. I had thrown in the pillow Andrew forgot to take and a blanket and some medicine and a drink. Andrew didn’t take the medicine or drink the drink, he just fell fast asleep. He missed Bob stopping for gas and the trunk popping open and thought the whole trip took 5 minutes.

By midnight they were back home. Andrew looked exhausted (no sleep the night before) but didn’t feel warm to me. He took a shower and crawled into his clean bed and slept soundly. He did not end up being sick, just tired.

Yesterday I took the dogs to the groomer and had them back home before Andrew got out of school. I picked Andrew up at 5:00 (he stayed after school for Drama Club). He asked me what I had been doing all day. I told him the dogs were all clean and soft and smelled good after going to the groomer. He said that Radar was already soft. He said when he came home from the camping trip Radar was so soft. His bed was soft, his clothes were soft, even the walls were soft.

There’s no place like home.

Tuesday Andrew had a soccer game at 4:30. We left for the almost 18 mile away destination right after school. Along the way we saw other RCS soccer players driving in the same direction. Once we arrived at the school we were puzzled because there was no soccer field. I asked a man going into the building if he knew where the kids play soccer. He said they play at the Auburndale Speedway (that would be one town over).

I found another mom looking for a field and she contacted the coach. He told her to go to the school parking lot and wait with the other RCS players for him to arrive. We did that and then followed him to Auburndale.

While driving and getting closer to the field we noticed a lot of dark clouds starting to form. As soon as we parked the boys jumped out of the cars into a down-pour. A few minutes later it started to thunder and lightning. The boys had to wait 15 minutes. By then it was just raining a little so they started to play. After 5 minutes it started to thunder and lightning again. The boys stopped playing and we waited. The thunder and lightning did not go away, but we did. Blah.

Today Andrew got to play soccer. He scored a goal. His team won. Yea!

So this is what 46 is like. My oldest son has flown from the nest. Eric is off to increase his knowledge and experience life without mom and dad. His room has been handed down to David (really given back since he tricked David into switching rooms with him over a year ago).

David’s old room is now my office/ guest room/ Eric’s room when and if he ever returns.

I have started a new business and am thrilled to have an office.

Eric did come back for one night over Labor Day weekend. He brought 3 hungry friends with him. They ate a good meal and left to go see a movie. That was all I saw of him since I got up early to go clean Gramalie’s condo.

I think I’m going to like this chapter. Chapter 47 might be even better.

If I knew how to update my picture on this website, I would.

We had joy we had fun we had a season in the sun. Thanks for posting the beach pictures and for fixing my computer so I can blog again.

Have a Happy Birthday surrounded by your favorite people and animals. Sorry we aren’t there.

From Radar, with love…

Laurie had her baby yesterday. I invited all the people who were there for the big event to come to our house for hamburgers. I ended up getting my album out to show Haley that I was 7 (like she is) when Grant was born. I have a picture of me holding him right after he and Mom came home from the hospital.

I was looking at the album this morning and thought I would google Todd Kramarczyk. He asked me to marry him when I turned 20. We were best friends when he moved away at 5 years old.

I found out that he died on November 30th, 2006. He had a wife, Susie, and 2 girls, Sarah and Erin. I think they lived in St. Louis. I found out that donations were asked to be sent to a Neurofibromatosis fund.

I think he would have been 43 or 44.

A house burned down in our neighborhood today. Eric came home from school at 1:30 and the police were blocking the entrance to the neighborhood. He could see emergency vehicles and fire trucks, police cars and ambulances up the street. I was at Andrew’s school serving lunch and had no idea there was a problem in the neighborhood.

Eric called my cell phone to ask what he should do. He is not allowed to drive anywhere but to school and work. I told him to go to the library or some where else until I could get home.

As it turned out a house in the neighborhood was burning up. Bob looked it up online and the local news channel had it coverd. There were helicopters flying by and news trucks on the street.

Later in the day after everyone left, Eric and I took the dogs down the street to see the damage. It was bad. The house was a shell (5000 sq. feet 2 story) with the columns in the front fallen into the smoldering rubble. Smoke was still coming out of the debris. The strangest thing was the sizzling sounds coming from the house.

The reasons for this fire remain to be disclosed. It doesn’t look good.