A clarification, or People! Let me have some creative license

My self-described contrarian brother, Nick, pointed out that I could have accomplished everything I did on the New Year's Eve lock-out of 2009 with any smartphone and that it wasn't because it was an iPhone that everything worked out. And I fully agree. But I find that just mentioning its name ensures that everyone knows all about the phone so I have no explaining to do, as I would with some random Nokia techno-whatever phone. Also, my sister-in-law was not impressed with my slight exaggeration about the risk of having to sleep in the van that evening if we couldn't get into the house. OF COURSE we wouldn't have had to do so, but it sounded dramatic and I went with it. In fact, I think Greyson was a little disappointed that we didn't get to sleep there. The reality was, we had family friends who lived just a few blocks away and would have gladly taken us in, or we could have stayed at any number of area hotels. We even had food and beverages because we could get onto my in-laws' back porch and into the fridge/freezer that resides there. Heck, we had leftovers from Outback, freshly-bought ice cream, and Great Lakes Brewing Company beer! I don't know why we even bothered with the locksmith.

I would like to mention that I am not completely taken with the iPhone. I would actually rather have the individual keys for the QWERTY keyboard, because I have small enough fingers and think I would make fewer mistakes when typing if I could feel them (I manage to push the delete button EVERY time I try to type an M). I also have discovered, thanks to the bitterly cold weather here, that you can't use the touchpad on the iPhone with gloves on. I'm sure no one will be surprised that, for $15, you can buy gloves that work with the iPhone (and other similar phones/etc. - NICK). It has also been pointed out to me that the tongue works, but I have to look like a professional while I'm walking from my office to my car, and I don't think licking my iPhone in subzero conditions qualifies.

So, is everyone happy now? Great! We can all relax and enjoy our weekends now.

How my iPhone kept us from having to sleep in the van on New Year's Eve

We're at Dan's parents' house with his brother and his sister and her family. His parents went to the Keys yesterday morning to spend the night with friends. The rest of us decided to go to Outback for an early dinner out, and Dan, his brother, and Greyson headed out to make sure we could get seated. The rest of us were to follow. As his sister, the last one out of the house, closed the door, she asked if anyone had a key to get back in. However, the door closed all the way before the question was answered, and - long story short - no one did. We decided to just continue on with the food plans and worry about what to do after our bellies were full.

So we ate and enjoyed ourselves, and then we headed back home. In a short period of time, we discovered that 1) we didn't have his parents' correct cell phone number, 2) no key was hidden anywhere we could think of as a possible hiding place outside, 3) the next-door neighbor we thought might have a key was not home, and 4) their close friends a few blocks away were home but did not have a key. So, I used my iPhone to first locate what we thought was a home phone number for the friends Dan's parents were with in the Keys and turned out to be their cell phone. Through them, we reached my in-laws and confirmed that, in fact, there was no key hidden outside. So then I used the iPhone to locate a locksmith who happened to be in the very near vicinity. Within 15 minutes, we were in the house! The best part of it all was that the weather was beautiful, so we didn't even mind being stuck outside for a while.

The only thing I didn't use my iPhone for during this adventure? Taking pictures.

The Christmas devil

At church this evening, waiting for the pageant to start...Reece and Greyson keep goofing around, with Reece being especially defiant.

Me: Reece, you need to stop touching your brother and sit still, or I'll have to let Santa know he can take a present back.
Reece: No, I'll stop!

A little while later, when nothing has changed AND Reece has shown his "stinker" face a couple of times...
Me: Reece, that's it, Santa is taking one toy back.
Rather than being upset, Reece looks at me and gives me a smirk. I say, "What does that face mean?" He replies, "I think you're going to forget."

Merry Christmas everyone!

Updates, and OMG Christmas is Only a Week Away

Reece turned to me this morning during our walk to his school and said that there are two weeks left until Christmas. I forced my brain to unfreeze long enough to realize that, in fact, there is ONE week left until Christmas. After I corrected him, I think my head exploded from the shock. Now, I must be honest and admit that I'm pretty much done with gift-related preparations, I don't have to make a big meal because my lovely sister-in-law and brother are handling that and we're just bringing beer (and probably cookies), and the decorations that are going to go up already have. My problem with there only being a week left is that my favorite time of the year is basically Advent - the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas with all the anticipation, the decorations, the holiday songs, and often the first snow. I like to drag that time out as long as possible, and I'm always a little let down after the presents are all unwrapped and everything has been used at least once. This year we have a lot to look forward to even after the present frenzy has ended, so I'll be fine, but I'm going to have to ramp up my awareness of all things holiday between now and next Friday.

On to the updates. The biggest one, I have been sitting on for a while because I wanted to be sure everything was a go before announcing it to the world. However, I've signed the appropriate documents and can now tell anyone who doesn't already know - I have a job that starts when my postdoctoral fellowship ends this coming year. Whoo hoo! I'll be a tenure-track assistant professor at Kent State University's brand new College of Public Health starting in August. And I'm thrilled. The whole situation fits me very well, and I'm shocked that this has all worked out. We really didn't want to move, but I also didn't want to take a job just because it was convenient. The only semi-drawback is that it's a 45 minute drive. However, it's against traffic, a beautiful drive, I will be able to be somewhat flexible on when I go in and leave, and I know that tons of people have longer and more stressful drives. It's just that I've gotten used to being only 5 miles from home and have enjoyed being able to even bike to work when the stars and everything else align correctly.

The other update is that the last of the (current) renovations were completed today. The built-ins are in, and I can get the mudroom organized and clear out the remaining extraneous items from the basement. And finally organize the tools, and our winter gear, and our cleaning supplies, and...you see where I'm going with this. I'll post photos when I've reached a stopping point - hopefully at the end of the weekend.

Mr. Wiseacre

I told Reece he couldn't do something and then he asked me again if he could.
I replied, "Reece, what part of 'No' don't you understand?"
He said right back, "No. 'No' is the part I don't understand."

Here he is making his crazy faces:

Thanksgiving 2009

The holiday officially started for us when Dan picked up my brother, Nick, at the airport Tuesday evening (and then took him to Great Lakes Brewing Company for some Lake Erie Monster beer). The next day, while Reece was at school, Greyson and Nick helped me get many of the preparations for the feast and more visitors done. My cousin, Jackie, arrived just in time to have lasagna with us for dinner. If I'd had any idea at that point the quantity of carbs and fat we would consume over the rest of the long weekend, I would have served raw vegetables instead.

My mom got to take a bump on her flight from Detroit, so instead of coming on Wednesday night, she arrived Thursday morning. She was pressed into stuffing duty right away, while I made the turkey and did other prep. The men entertained the boys (or vice versa) with a rousing game of Sorry:

My brother, Nat, and his family came over later in the afternoon and we ate a lovely traditional Thanksgiving meal:

On Friday, my friend Kimberly came over to take family photos and then my cousin Dave and his family arrived in the afternoon. The last two visitors, my cousins Jill and Susie, arrived at dinner time and then the festivities really took off. Lots of Wii and board game playing, and the kids got to sleep in the basement together while the adults played more games and got silly. As usual, Reece riled up the older kids and had to be removed from their sleeping area, ending up on the floor next to my side of the bed.

Saturday was The Football Game. Reece got clonked on the head early on so watched for the rest of the game. Dan pulled a muscle and Dave jammed his finger but both soldiered on and everyone had a great time. Some action photos and a group shot of the players:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone else's Thanksgiving was as filled with family, fun, and good food as ours.

Final renovations post (almost)

The workers have all gone, except those we've subsequently hired to put in the back walkway, and the only thing we have left to do inside is have the built-ins installed (built in, I guess) in the mudroom the second week or so in December. Amazing. It's already a little hard to believe we ever lived without the changes, which I guess means that it all fits seemlessly. So here are some pictures:

Looking into the mudroom from the back hallway

 

Door to the garage

 

Facing the back door

 

Facing back into the house

 

New 2nd floor new bedroom (also known as the Cleveland Browns room), facing in from the hallway

 

Turning counter clockwise

A little further counter clockwise (the long window looks over the garage)

 

Another turn, facing the same way as toward the backdoor in the mudroom

 

Looking back into the rest of the house

 

Renovations update

We are VERY close to being done with the work on the house (on the current project - I have about 20 more on a list somewhere, so we'll never really be done). Both new rooms have been painted and will have their respective floorings in by the end of this coming week. Furniture for the bedroom will be delivered very soon after that. We ordered built-ins for the mudroom, but they won't be in until the second week in December, so that room will be pretty bare for a while yet. However, I have to say that the single most exciting thing right now is that the garage is FINISHED. And the single most exciting part about that is (drumroll, please)...

Parking both cars in the garage at the same time - with room on either side and in the front and back to move around - and places to store things like bikes and shovels and gardening supplies. I must confess, I actually go out there at random times in the day and just stand in wonder. We had a little drama with the siding paint and garage door color, but we've decided we like it all well enough and even though it isn't what we originally planned, it looks very nice.

In other (but perhaps somewhat related) news, Reece's bed broke. When I sat on it. And then I immediately threw out every sweet in the house (no, not really). Turns out, you DO get what you pay for. We bought it almost exactly one year ago, and when I emailed the company (with photos - see below) they said there is no manufacturer's warranty but they would be willing to send us the part (basically a 2x4 board) at no charge if we just paid $44.95 for shipping and handling. For a plank of wood. They gave us free shipping when we bought the bed originally! Needless to say, I sent back a reply saying thanks but no thanks. We'll dismantle the bed this weekend and take the broken board to a lumber yard near us to see if we can just get one the same size to put back in.

 

A huge congrats for Nick

I didn't get his permission to post this but I doubt he'll mind. I wanted to give a huge shout-out to my little brother who got accepted into medical school!!! He'll start at the University of Vermont in Fall 2010 (which of course means another move across the country).
We're so proud of you, Nick! And Dan would like to add "I told him to go to medical school right from the beginning." You also must leave room somewhere in your vehicle to take a large stack of medical books with you when you stop here on your move this summer. I will be beyond thrilled to get them out of our house, and we promise to warn you which ones we refer to as the hernia makers.

The requisite Halloween photos

This was the first Halloween since we moved here that the kids needed layers under their costumes. We only missed the balmy weather by one day. There were a few tears on the part of Reece, who had trouble keeping up with his brother and cousins who were so excited to move from one house to the next. I'm sure the sleepover the night before and all the excitement didn't help either! All four parents got to go with the kids while Grandma handed out the candy at our house, and everyone was happy. Enjoy!