Twas the season......and it has passed. Well, not in our family! We STILL have Christmases to go, but that's OK! I took down the tree last night. OK, Grace and I took the ornaments off and I drug the whole 7 feet of it out the front door, lights and all. Half of them were burnt out anyway. Next year, we're getting a new tree and the only way I will break down and buy one then is if I don't have one at all....so, this one is going to the curb tonight for trash pickup.

We have had a great Christmas this year. I love being in town close to my family, it makes the holidays much easier! We had CE at Amy's house, played a little dirty Santa...where I got one of my favorite presents (a wood wick candle)....those things are awesome! Grace was pretty much spoiled; but that's OK! We got her back on Monday and she was thrilled about her Santa presents which made me happy.....Since my Uncle Jim and Aunt Ruth couldn't be here for Christmas, they came this weekend and the family went bowling at the WF bowl...good times. It was great...Uncle Jerome even brought a little bit of Grandpa along! Only in my family, I swear.....It was sad to not have Grandpa here, but knowing he is in a better place not hurting made the holidays more pleasant. We scratched some lottery tickets in his honor....still no big winner; maybe that's reserved for when we take a trip to the boat!! Hmmm......

My brother Thomas was home for the holidays from the Navy in Connecticut. He did not want to go back! I think he was just major homesick and once he got here and got a taste of home, he didn't want to leave. But, we tried to reassure him that this is the best thing for him and he is doing better for himself being there. He'll do good....however, while he was here, he borrowed my car quite a bit. One day he came home and while he had it, someone had backed into the passenger side of the car! We eventually found out what had happened and their insurance is going to cover it, so now I have to get some estimates.....oh, joy.

Only 1 week till I start my job at the foot clinic. Honestly I am not looking forward to that at all. I think it's just the foot thing I have. But, I'm trying to tell myself it's only for a semester and then I can go somewhere else to finish. I'm nervous...it's been awhile since I've had to deal with people.....guess I need to polish up on my people skills!! It won't be so bad...the worst part is that I won't be keeping Chace like I have been......I guess I'll live!

I'm excited for the new year that is almost here. 2008 has been fairly good, but I'm anxious to see what 2009 will bring. Bill and I have decided to start trying for a baby which means lots of ups and downs....I'm not quite sure he knows shat he's getting himself into! This process is just draining, but I feel different about it now than I did before. My whole general outlook on the future of the process seems better. Of course, I may not feel that way in a few months, but I'm going to try to stay positive. Nothing good comes out of thinking negatively, so we'll see what happens.

We are ringing in the New year with the Elko's....good food...good times. I am thankful to have a friend who is normal like me....haha! I really don't know how I would have made it through 2008 so easy if it weren't for Casey....she has been there for me through so much this year and I know as I start this venture this year, she will be there every step of the way. She has proved to be a friend I can count on through and through and for that I am very thankful. Good, true friends are hard to come by and in hard times you know who your friends are.....thanks for being a good, true friend Casey! Love you!

Now that it's 6 in the mornin, I'm going to quit rambling so I can get ready before Chace gets here....have a happy and safe new year!

Not enough time right now to update on everything that's been going on; but here's a picture from Christmas. We still have 3 more Christmases to do; Grace's from Santa tomorrow, with the Elko's on Wed., and with Bill's family on Thursday! Whew! I will update soon, maybe tomorrow....maybe not!! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

I am waiting on Bill to get back from the store with some carpet cleaner, so I thought I'd blog a bit while I'm waiting. Things are not looking well with my Grandpa. He has moved in with my Aunt Patty and Uncle Jerome as of last Saturday. He called them and said that he couldn't do it anymore on his own. We visited him today and it was really sad. The only thing that makes it any easier is knowing that he is ready to go. He has prepared himself and has accepted the fact that he is ready to die. He stays in bed and wants to nap all of the time, he weighs right at 100 lbs. He was in good spirits and was telling jokes left and right. He was glad to have the company I think. It's just so hard to hear someone say that dying is a lot different than you think it will be. I can't imagine the feeling of knowing I was on borrowed time. The hospice nurse said maybe 2 weeks.

It's funny how when you know someone is sick you think of things you should have said or shouldn't have said. I cry when I think of things I said in the past that were probably hurtful to him....in my younger years of course; and now I wish I hadn't said them. But, I know he probably never gave a second thought to them....that's what grandparents do, right? I am glad to know that he is at peace with his life. He is content in knowing that all of his kids and grand kids are doing well for themselves and have lives that he is proud of. He was so glad that I married a "good man"; he really likes Bill and told Gracie today that I will always take good care of her. I am very thankful that my Aunt Patty has the willingness to care for him. She is a godsend.

Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is on it's way....the days are shorter and it's getting colder....and none of this bothers me a bit. I love this time of year. Before we know it, there will be snow on the ground! I can't wait! To follow up on my last blog, we took Gracie to her favorite restaurant for her excellent report card. We ate at Harbor Lite; it was very good, but I think I would have gotten off a lot cheaper had I paid her for her good grades! But, she liked knowing that it was for her that we got to eat somewhere good!

Grace also got baptised last night. I have very mixed feelings about this. Many will disagree with me, but that's ok. I think she was probably talked into it, or thought the idea of being dunked sounded cool. She said another boy at church got baptised and it looked cool. She only goes to church on Wed. nights and her mother drops her off. I just don't really believe she understands at all what she did. But whatever.......AND as for being in the same place as her mother and her whole crazy family Tuesday night....I'll just say that a person should not be having the thoughts I was having! I can laugh and joke about it because I would never act on any of my irrational thoughts, but it sure makes me feel better!

Chace went for his 6 month checkup the other day and he is growing like a weed! He is over 18 pounds now, and really showing his personality! He got 2 shots and was such a trooper about it...only cried for about 10 seconds then stuck his tongue out at the dr.!

Bill is back now; I'm off to clean! Good night!

Halloween's in 2 days! We didn't get Grace's vampiress costume like she wanted....the Halloween store was sold out...so we got her a bride of darkness instead! I think she will like it because it is still creepy and gory! I think we are going to go to the trail of treats in town Friday...I may also take her to the mall; the stores hand out candy there. Friday evening we will visit a few houses...who knows what else we will do! Amy and I took a few pics of Chace for Halloween....he wasn't in a very good mood being in his costume and all....as you can see!

I never did update on Grace being sick....that Sunday she kept throwing up so we had to take her to the Dr. With it being Sunday, the only place was the ER, but they ended up putting her on an IV anyway. She was a little dehydrated. She didn't like that at all! But, she was excited because she got 8 Hannah Montana and High School Musical stickers! They ran a few blood tests and turned out, it was just the flu, but better safe than sorry!

Here are a couple of pics that I took of my cousin Jenny and her family....Jenny got married the week after I did and moved to South Carolina with her husband. We did these while they were home for Libby's birthday...

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the election crap to be over. What do you do when you don't know who to vote for? The candidates are so busy trying to slam the other that I don't really know what good they want to do....that's what I'm interested in....but how do you find that out? I would like to vote; mainly because it is my American right, but I don't want to vote for Obama just because he would be the first black president (which I think a lot of people are doing)....and I just don't know much about McCain. I tried to watch the debate, but it's really confusing to me. I think I'm going to do the Good Morning America survey and see which candidate suits me! ha!

Well, I'm off to enter a couple of codes on my online mcdonalds monopoly game....maybe I'll get lucky and land on Boardwalk...yeah right! Have a good day!

Here are a few pics from my little trip to Chicago. Clockwise from top left....My brother Thomas at Lake Michigan, Me, Thomas and Raymond, Raymond skipping rocks at Lake Michigan, and me in atop the Sears Tower....that was a feat, let me tell ya!

Not much new is going on.....I tried to take some pics of Chace today because he has on a pumpkin outfit....that didn't work out so well. I would have been so embarassed if anyone would have come over and witnessed that!! I had this pumpkin decoration that's a light up pumpkin....allChace was interested in was hitting it! Oh well, maybe Amy can help me this weekend and we'll get some pictures!

Chace is growing so fast....he is constantly blowing spit bubbles and squealing and talking. He hasn't attempted to crawl yet, but I think that even if he does crawl, he'll walk soon after!

We got Grace's report card yesterday....straight A's! We'll have to have a reward I'm sure.....what seems suitable? Suggestions welcome.....I don't like the idea of money; it seems so generic to me.

That's it for now, Chace and I have some errands to run before we meet Amy for lunch...have a great day!

Time for an update! Our trip to the Chicago area was good. Raymond and I went to see my little brother Thomas graduate the Naval Academy. THe drive wasn't bad at all. We stayed in Waukegan which is about 4 miles from the base and rode the train into Chicago. We went to the Sears Tower and went up to the skydeck. I always said I would NEVER do that, but it wasn't bad at all! We really didn't do a whole lot else. Thomas and his girlfriend weren't very interested in anything! Next time I go, I'm doing a lot more! Here are a few pics from the trip:
*Never mind, the uploader was taking too long, I'll post some later!

I made my schedule for the spring the other day and found out that I will graduate in May. Not sure exactly what I'm going to do then, probably work or something. I'd really like to take pictures. I'm going to the lake today to do some family pictures for my cousin Jenny....hope that goes all right!

Poor Grace was up all night last night sick. She had a headache yesterday, so I gave her some Motrin and she felt better. We went to 2 birthday parties yesterday and when we left the 2nd one, she said her head hurt really bad. Well, she took some Motrin and laid down and went to sleep for about an hour. She woke up feeling just fine she said so after a while we went and TP'd Amy and came home. I stayed up picking up a bit, Bill was watching TV.....and I heard her run to the bathroom. Poor thing threw up all night long; but always felt better after she did. She hasn't had a fever and now hasn't been sick for a few hours. I hope it was just a little bug and she can get some rest today and be over it...

2 more weeks til Halloween! Grace is going to be a vampiress (still have to go get that costume!) and Chace is going to be a scarecrow. I can't wait, they're going to be so cute.

Well, I need to go get some laundry done and get ready to go out to the lake....have a great day!

We had a great time this weekend with Grace....we got the Halloween decor put up, we cut out and painted some headstones....Mine says R.I.P. The Mullet 1985-1990!! It's great. I've got some pictures, I just haven't downloaded them yet. My cousin Jessica's hayride was great...lots of good food. I hope she does it every year!

Plans are under way for my Chicago trip on Thursday...I'm still very nervous about driving, but I think it will be OK. I jacked around and didn't get a room booked til today and am staying at the Ramada Inn for much more than I wanted to spend, but hopefully the room won't be a craphole!

Raymond's house is coming along. LOTS of work to do before they can move in. We got the house painted in one day and it looks great. Raymond and my dad are jacking up the floors and will be doing something in the ceiling and are rewiring it. My dad says some of it was wired with lamp cords...hwatever that means. I think he was joking. Thank god he's a certified electrician....cheap labor for Raymond! The walls are completely stripped so as soon as all of the previous is done, they will begin hanging drywall. Then time for painting! My favorite part!

Amy and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch the other day. They were so cute!

My Grandpa Kopec is still doing well. He is running around all of the time, never at home! Always at his girlfriend, Florence's, or at the boat! He's still got a lot of life left in him!

Bill loves his new job. As far as the POC truck is concerned, we hasd to ditch that idea and just bought a new car. Well, not new new, but a 2003 Durango. It's pretty nice and will serve it's purpose. I just hope I get to drive it some! I don't like the idea of another payment, but something had to be done. I was really saddened that the dealership didn't offer him like $3,000 trade in on his broke down Geo Tracker...but life will go on. Just kidding!

We had parent teacher conferences with Grace's teacher last week. Mrs. Summers says she is a great student and is doing fantastic. That was nice to hear. Of course, we knew she was doing well in school, but it's nice to hear it from the teacher!

Speaking of P/T conferences...I have to complain about something. We arrived at the school about 15 min before our appt. The teacher was running behind because there were still 2 sets of parents ahead of us. The parents that were in there when we got there were taking FOREVER! I could hear them in there talking, along with the kids screaming and running around (who takes kids to PT conf anyway?!)...Anyway, they come walking out....a mom, dad, grandma, and three kids. The gma was on the phone and she says to me, yeah, she's running behind. I just smiled and went back to reading what I was looking at. They all walk by and the dad says very loudly, "well, they'll have to wait just like everybody else....we had to wait" I looked up and they were just walking down the hallway, I looked at one of the other moms and she was like oh my god.....anyway, I just watched them down the hallway and when they got to the end, the gma turned around and had a staredown with me. Of course I wasn't going to say anything at the school, but I'll just say, I won the staredown! And not that it matters, but they were pentecostal!!!!! Somebody needed to rip her bun out of her head and slap the dad with it.

I guess that's it for tonight, I've been on here waaaay too long!! Good night!

Well, it's humpday, so the week's half over....yay! Bill started his new job yesterday and he likes it...that's great! The insurance is great; which was one of the awesome things to me....$10 copays and no deductible....100% covered after the copay. I'll love that! It's been so long since I've had insurance.....The drive hasn't been too bad for him; it takes about 45 minutes and he switches rides with a friend. Well, I say switches rides....they always have (the last place Bill worked, they worked together and switched rides)...anyway Bill's little POC truck broke down the other day and we are looking for something else to buy that's a POC but runs...so in the meantime, Ike is driving. So, if you know of a POC truck for sale; let us know! (POC=Piece O Crap)

Grace will FINALLY get to be here to spend the night this weekend and we're gonna get out the halloween stuff. I can't wait to decorate our front porch! Bill wants to make it scary like....we will be cutting some tombstones out of wood and painting them for the front yard....all that kind of good stuff. I'll post some pictures after we do it.

I'll be traveling to Chicago next weekend to see my little brother's graduation from the Naval Academy. Just me and Raymond....that should be an interesting trip. He freaks out over the littlest things just like I do....yikes! We'll be leaving Thurs evening and coming back Sunday. Hopefully we'll get to do something fun like the Museum of Science and Industry...that place is so neat and I haven't been in years! We thought about taking a train but figured up gas mileage and it's a lot cheaper to drive so hopefully the traffic won't be horrible.

I was reading in People magazine the other day about a celebrity (I think it was Matt Damon) was over in somplace like Haiti or something feeding the hungry....I just don't understand why all of these rich, famous celebrities don't help the people in their own country. There are plenty of people here in the US who need food and shelter...or are just plain down on their luck and actually are trying but are struggling....why don't they help them? It amazes me. If you have a different opinion, or even the same, please enlighten me!

I didn't know my friend from Sesser, Angie, was reading my blog...so this is just for you....
"I'm hot"
"Turn the fan on"
"No, You turn it on"
"I hate you"
"I hate you too!"
"No you don't"
"I know"
Wind tunnel follows......

Well, that's all for tonight. I'm gonna go see what's on channel 3, 12, 23, or 49! Have a good night!

We've been working at Raymond's new house and let me tell you, it's a project! They have been ripping out walls, ceilings, floors, everything! Today we primed the outside of the house to get it ready to paint tomorrow. I remember buying my first house. The excitement of it......but it's a LOT of work. Which, they are finding that out now! They seem to be having a good time doing it, and I'm happy for them!

Today was Raymond's birthday, so while we were there, my dad sent me to get some KFC for everyone, Erin had an ice cream cake for him, it was a good time. My Grandpa was able to come down with his girlfriend. It was great to see him doing something. He was in the hospital not too long ago and they found lesions on his pancreas. So, him actually getting around is great! He and Florence just went to the boat (the gambling boat!) a couple of days ago....not much will keep him away from that! Needless to say, he never comes home a millionaire but he has fun, so that's what's important!

I've been seeing lots of straw bails and pumpkins in everyone's yards so I think this weekend when Grace is here, we will go get some and get all of the Halloween/Fall decorations out of the garage and decorate. I love this time of year! We have my cousin Jessica's hayride on Saturday, I know Grace will enjoy that. We're gonna go to the pumpkin patch later this month....I can't wait!

We watched a really good movie at Casey's last night....An American Crime....true story....heart wrenching; a little disturbing....but still good...you should check it out.

Well, I need to tend to the blisters that are forming from painting.....I know, I'm a baby! Have a good night!