As the economy started coming back, some of our stocks started to turn green in the Fall. Most of our savings are in stock indexes, though. We have three Vanguard stock index funds recommended by Clark Howard. While only one of them has turned green, it turned green enough to make the entire portfolio green today. So…. back to where we started.
The Christmas Card project went like clockwork this year, although the clock showed 2 a.m. as I dropped off the cards at the post office. Everyone chimed in during ideation about what the card theme should be and how it should look. Even Nicole got in on the action thanks to her holiday visit from Armenia.
We left one item off the time line… Danny coached the boys St. John Neumann softball team to a victorious season. His mom and Claire both traded off as assistant coaches. It’s funny to hear young boys at church call him “coach.”
Kathy came down the steps cracking up. She handed me this sticky note found in the kids’ bathroom.
Front:
Kelly & Danny
The yellow tooth brush is mine.
Just in case you didn’t know.
I changed toothbrushes.
YELLOW = CLAIRE
Back:
Claire –
I used the yellow toothbrush.
It feels good on my teeth!
Can we share?
I like it a lot!
Just let me know how you feel
about this!!
Love, Danny
Driving Kelly to S.A.T.s at 6:55 a.m. in the dark… she munching on her breakfast….
K: “What does precarious mean?”
J: “Unstable… dangerous… I think it implies there could have been better preparation. Maybe as in taking ‘pre care’.”
K: “OK. I need some good vocabulary words for my essay. If you work in good vocabulary words you get extra points.”
J: “It is often used with the word ‘situation’ as in… The girl found herself in a precarious situation when she did not bring vocabulary words with her to the S.A.T.”
K: “I’m not sure I’ll use that word.”
The regular bananas at Publix looked terrible, so for 10 cents per pound extra, Kathy bought these organic bananas. They have a band around them that says organic. They also have a plastic wrap cap. Kathy thinks this is so people don’t mix some organic bananas in with some of those inorganic bananas.
I picked up mom (Gramalie) at Ted’s house yesterday where she was helping watch over the installation of new windows. They were just finishing up, and Ted now has a very nice view from all sides of his house.
We went to Decatur to the Brick Store Pub, a favorite of mine. They were packed for lunch, so we could not get a booth or table, but we did get a big barrel table with stools. Mom chose a square stool, and I chose a round one.
I thought this would be a good place to go on a cold, rainy day, and it was. We had great service, sandwiches, soup, and coffee. Mom recommends the hot grilled corn beef sandwich. I recommend their signature “almost famous” brunswick stew. Spicy. Coffee is a recommend, also.
Later we walked Katie and Austin who were so happy to be walking with Gramalie and a bit concerned to be walking with the un-Ted. Really, only Austin was concerned. Katie did not care.
Ted should not let his dogs walk his fearless mother, especially on wet, leafy sidewalks. Katie had mom going in a trot, and I was very concerned she would fall. I ended up taking both leashes for the first leg, and then as the dogs settled, Mom was able to take a leash for the second leg.
Stout would be safer for mom.
Most of our savings are in our 401K and stock index funds. But we have some individual stocks that have been “in the red” most of the year. We have these mainly because Kathy wanted to own Google and Apple. Well, turns out she knows how to pick them. With Google turning green for us, last Friday was the first time I had seen two greens this year. Kathy quickly corrected me… “that happened Thursday.”
Note: The Sirius/XM was my idea. Ugh.
Kelly and Claire are both on the Cross Country team this year. They’ve had to deal with some sickness and manage asthma, but they are both doing well.
Kelly was sick for their first meet, so Claire had her debut meet alone (with about 100 other girls) at Berry College. Kathy and I drove out to watch. With the rolling hills, green pastures, and variety of trees, it will probably be the prettiest course they will run this year. Claire came in 7th of the Brookwood JV girls with a respectable 25:18. She sprinted to the finish, which she never thought she would do, surprising herself.
The following Saturday, Kelly and Claire both ran together in a very rainy meet. Claire had just come down with the same illness Kelly and I had, but she wanted to give it a try. She had a pained expression on her face most of the rain, but she pulled through. Kelly was taking it easy, since this was her first meet of the season. It so happened the two of them stayed pretty close together, trading places on leading. In the end, Claire sprinted, trying to pass Kelly, who heard her coming up and sprinted herself. Kelly finished 1 second ahead of Claire. Both were covered with mud.
There are some good photos in the gallery, but this one sums it up:
They had to run through a lot of mud and puddles. Some girls had their shoes pulled off in the puddles. Little did we know all of this rain would result in the floods next Monday and Tuesday.
Our poor dogs.
Since we’re not getting the paper right now (will resume 4-day service soon) the dogs do not get to “go get the paper” with my breakfast ritual. That means no cookie reward. So they stare at me wondering why we are not subscribing to the paper.
Instead, I read a magazine or on this past Tue a.m., I decided to read the news on my iPod Touch. I saw Mom’s email (the Touch gets Gmail… really a great way to read e-mail) and followed the link below, wondering if it would work.
Sure enough, the YouTube came up, I turned the Touch sideways, it filled up the screen, and I watched this hilarious bit, cracking up as I ate my breakfast.
The dogs just watched, not liking anything at all about this electronic communications revolution. How do they “go get the electrons”?
Thanks for sending mom. I liked “Egg Trick”, even if the dogs didn’t!
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On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 11:33 PM, Julie wrote:
This is 4 minutes, but it’s worth it.
> _Egg trick_ (http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/138148/detail/)
Kelly’s birthday started off with a plot set up by her younger sister and her mom. I was an unknowing accomplice. When I dropped the two of them off at school, Claire and I went to get what I had heard was a “big balloon” in my trunk. It was HUGE. It was bigger than Fiona. Giant. Filled up my whole trunk. Claire grinned handing it to Kelly who shouted, “NO I DON’T WANT THAT!” and several other statements.
As I was driving off, Claire pleaded with me, “What do I do?” I said, “Tie it to her locker!” and off I went to work wondering how that was all going to work out.
I called Kathy to report. Apparently having a giant birthday balloon handed to you to haul around for the day is a thing that happens in high school. It is embarrassing, everyone knows it is your birthday, and really you get a lot of fun attention.
Not Kelly. She would have none of it.
Fortunately, her good buddy Jessie came upon Claire attempting to tie the balloon to Kelly’s locker, asking Claire, “Is it your birthday?” When she found out it was Kelly’s she immediately joined the conspiracy and took it to Kelly’s first period class to hand her. Kelly couldn’t believe the giant balloon had found her. “AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!” she yelled like Charlie Brown.
The balloon soon passed from person to person and class to class, not by Kelly. Anyone carrying it was asked if it was their birthday.
That night the three conspirators (Kathy, Claire, and Jessie) and 6 other girls along with Danny and I joined it for a loud and fun birthday slumber party. One thing different this year is the girls all showed up with their own cars (and one truck.) Kathy and I had to play traffic cop to get all the vehicles parked in the driveway and cul de sac.
I’m now hiding in my room, two levels away from the… festivities. Happy birthday Kelly!
In this photo: Danny Cashin, Elisa R., Nina E., Ashley B., Megan M., Sarah H., Cow, Christina S., Jessie G., Claire C., Kelly C., Grapes
