You've heard of cash cab...what about Teen Taxi!

I don't have much updating to do.  The last several weeks have been full of extra working days and getting back into the routine of school and all the fall activities.  Here is what our schedule looks like at this point in time. 

Each morning the girls get up for school.  Tabitha catches the bus for school around 7:15 and Tiana catches the bus around 8:15.  Tabitha gets home around 2:40 and Tiana around 3:20.  On Mondays Tiana has dance class from 5-6.  On Tuesday, I work from 8:30-4:30,  Tabitha has bagpipes from 6:30 to 7:30 and I drop Tiana off at youth group at 7:00, then Tabitha heads to youth group after pipes are done and I pick them up at 9:00.  Wednesday is free...so far.  That is my long day at work (8:00-5 ot 6) so it is good that the evening is clear.  Thursday the girls have a different youth group at 6:30 and I have bell choir at 6:30, then I have choir at 7:30.  My stuff ends at 9:00 and the girls at 9:30.  Friday is fairly open (although I usually work 8-noon) as is Saturday although there is free skate on those days so I am sure we will be skating shortly.  Sunday the girls have skating lessons at 8:00 am until 9:00 am then I take them home and I go back to church around 10:00.  That's our week.  Now add in the I want to hang with some friends and a job that Tiana will be working for the month of October and I have officially turned into a Teen Taxi.  I rely so heavily on my car and I pray it continues to work well and get the girls and me where we need to be.

Meet Jesse, our foster puppy.  As you know we lost Molly in April and Lizzy has been very lonely.   Well I certainly do not want the commitment of another dog so I got this brilliant idea to become a foster parent for the Canadian Dachshund Rescue.  Jesse is our first foster.  He is soooo sweet, but very exhausting.  I have come to realize that fostering may not be possible with our busy schedule, but we'll see.  We certainly are having an adventure with this little guy.  He is a real snuggler and follows you everywhere, has a little separation anxiety and likes to sit on the back of our couches.  I have realized how much I really enjoy having only one dog.  I may rethink and do paperwork for the rescue or wait a bit until our schedules mellow.  He came to us on Wednesday and he had an possible adopter come see him on Saturday and he decided to take him home to be a friend to his other doxie, Axel.  So he will pick him up on Wednesday. 

Wil called this weekend from Greece.  They are in port again for a couple days.  He was very excited to have his first day to be able to sleep in since July 10.  It is always good to hear his voice.  Whew!  I don't know how he is doing it...long days and continuous days.  He is a much stronger person than I.  His equipment is still working and overall things are ok but the stress of the trip is evident.  I don't have much more information.  It still looks like he will be there until the end of the year and maybe back in BC around February.  When he is coming back here??? No clue.  There might be something exciting coming up..but I don't want to jinx it so I will keep it a secret for now.

I am debating about whether to decorate for Halloween.  It is alot of work for one person and Tiana will probably be working.  Actually putting it up will be fun but taking it down is what I dread.  Maybe I will just go smaller this year...I don't know.  I am not feeling the holidays this year at all.  I would just soon skip them.  We were practicing a song in choir for the Christmas cantata called home for Christmas and I started to tear up.  I don't think anyone saw but that will be a tough song to sing.   Don't get me wrong, I don't want to go home for Christmas...I hate traveling in the winter.  As it gets closer and I put the tree up I am sure I will get more festive.  I will have my Christmas shopping done by the end of October.  Well that is my goal at least, I will let you know how I do.

We have finally entered fall although today was a blast of summer.  The air is crisp and the leaves are just beginning to turn and fall.  The sugar maples are just spectacular.  I really do enjoy the colors and it seems that on every drive I take I see a new color.  This summer sure did go by quickly, it seems that just yesterday I was excited to see leaves budding.  I cut the lawn for the what I hope is the last time yesterday, now to prepare for snow removal...YUCK!  This week I will work on changing the furnace filter and the HRV filter and winterizing stuff.

I think that is it...this is my last week of working extra hours, my coworker will return from Italy on Thursday.  YAY!  It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be and the girls have not complained once about lack of groceries or thrown together dinners or tired, cranky me but I am glad it is over.

Well until next time, my love to all. 

Do you remember? I do!

As I sit here on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I remember that day so clearly as I am sure many do.  I remember watching the 2nd plane hit the tower.  I remember agonizing over whether or not to take Tiana to school.  She was in full day kindergarten and being in Colorado Springs, you know that NORAD is a possible target, so do I take her to school and risk the possibility of another attack and Tiana and wouldn't be able to get to her.  It was the hardest thing for me.  I remember one of the towers falling on my way to kindergarten.  I remember listening to the drama unfold all day at work.  The other huge thing I remember is the eery quiet of the skies over Colorado Springs the next day.  Colorado Springs is a huge military town and there are always planes flying and the quiet was deafening.  I never knew that lack of sound could be so loud.  Even though in my head I know that Wil is probably safer where he is because he is at sea and an attack there would be unlikely, I still wish that he was here with me.  I will watch much of the coverage today and I am having the girls watch it so that they can know and understand what happened on this horrible day 10 years ago.  I have to say that it seems to be a bit of a muted anniversary here.  It is acknowledged but it is a more distant tragedy here. 

What else happened lately?  Well Tiana got a job.  She will be working at a place called Saunders Farm.  Here is a link to their website:  http://www.saundersfarm.com/haunting-day/stufftodo.  We went there last year with my friend, Michelle and Tiana has been talking about working there ever since.  She is hired for what is called the Haunting Season so just for the month of October.  We don't know exactly what she will be doing yet but she has asked to work in the Haunted Barn which is like a haunted house so makeup and costume.  She goes to ghoul school on the 24 the to find out more.  She is very excited and this could open the door for a summer job next year as the farm is open all summer as well.

I am working full time this month although I have to say it is not really full time.  Technically I am working 5 days a week for the month of September because Joan, my coworker in in Italy on holidays.  However, because of the way we schedule and some stuff my doctor has to do I am really only working 4 days a week and even then some of those days are short.  It is a great reminder or how much I love working part time.  Thank you Wil for making it possible to work part time.

Lizzy had surgery.  We had been noticing that Lizzy was peeing in her crate.  Then we noticed that she was going outside and peeing , walking peeing etc.  First 2-3 times and then 4-5 and then 20+.  Never a complaint.  So we took her to the vet and, long story short, she had a bladder stone the size of a large grape.  So she had to have surgery on Thursday to remove it.  She is doing ok.  She is obviously not feeling well.  She saw a rabbit yesterday and she started to go after it and stopped quickly and turned around and sadly came back in.  She will be on a special diet for an unknown time, I need to do some research on bladder stones.  She is 9 years old and we have had here since she was just 5.  So I hope that she will recuperate and be around for a bit longer.

Fall has recently arrived.  The mornings are crisp and the mosquitoes are decreasing.  I have decided that fall is my favorite season.  You get the beautiful colors of flowers and then leaves changing.  You get nice warm weather during the day but it cools off nicely.  There are lots of fairs and festivals and other things to be done outside.  So why not spring...because in the fall the grass isn't growing like crazy and I don't have to spend all of my spare time mowing the land that we have.  I love mowing but in the spring, I have to mow at LEAST once a week and for this amount of land that is a lot of time.  So FALL it is. 

Both girls are back in school.  Last week was the first week of 10th grade.  I think they were excited but that diminished each morning as they got used to the early mornings.  They are both happy to not be at the bottom of the food chain in high school any more.  I am hoping it will be a great year for both of them.  I can't believe they will be graduating in 3 years.  Where does time go?




Well, I have joined the choir.  For years in several churches I have tried to use my gifts.  Usually it is working with kids (taking after my dad).   Well at this church I thought that I would try a different gift.  So I joined the choir.  We have had 2 practices and we sang today.  It went well!  I wasn't even nervous except for the fact that I had been crying all morning watching the memorial services...lol.  Anyways, along with the choir, I joined the hand bell choir.  It has always fascinated me and sounds so beautiful so why not.  Well let me tell you, we have had 1 practice and it is so much harder than any instrument.  Why?  Because you are only reading 2 or 3 notes in between other notes so if you lose your place...whew!  Anyways, it will give me something to do and help me make some closer connections, I hope.  Plus I love, love, love music!

I think that's it.  Talk to you all soon.  I love you and I wish I could hug each and every one of you today.