Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Year End Update!
I can't believe that December is here again. It seems like yesterday that I was just in Tennessee and getting ready to move back to Illinois.
Things have been a whirlwind this last year. Mom has told me that as you get older the time starts to fly by. How was I suppose to know that she was right? Don't tell her I said that.
January brought no job prospects. We lost Jim's maternal grandmother on January 17. It was a total shock to all of us. We were able to see her before she passed away. Jim and I called friends in Illinois to inform them of his grandmother's death. They asked if he was working. He was not. Hobbico got wind of it and called. They said that they would rehire him, they would have to find a place for him. We discussed it for 2 weeks. Jim and I finally decided it was best for now that we move back to Illinois.
February brought a move for Jim. As it happens, I was working for a company as a temp. After the decision had been made to move back to Illinois, my supervisor came to me and offered me a full time permanent position. I was so sorry that I had to turn it down. Jim left Valentines weekend and headed back to Illinois. I was again without a husband and miserable. But we knew that it was going to be short term this time. Since Jim and I knew we were moving back, I started looking for houses online.
March brought another death in the family. This time it was Jim's paternal grandmother. This was another shock to the family. It was just 7 weeks earlier that we lost his maternal grandmother. The first weekend in March, Jim was going to come home, instead I went to Illinois with the pups. I had found a house in the paper that Jim had looked at and felt that I needed to see it also. So on Friday afternoon, Bumper, Tipsy and I headed north. Saturday morning we went and looked at the tri-level. There were several other that we looked at also. Little did we know that the 2nd house would be ours within a month or so. The middle of March Jim came home and we packed up and moved again.
April brought house searching and Jim's 40th birthday. The house that we had looked at previously in March was still on the market. We both liked it, so we looked again. On Sunday, we put in an offer and by Monday night we had bought the house of ours dreams. The middle of April brought a new job for me and I was busy planning Jim's 40th birthday party. I was able to pull the wool over his eyes. He had no clue! His best friend from high school drove down from the Chicago area. Jim was so surprised!
May brought furniture hunting for us. We found a new living room set and bedroom set that we both loved. The end of the month we headed home for the Memorial Day weekend. I knew that this would be the last chance for us to pick up more things that were in Tennessee before we moved in August.
In June, we headed to Holiday World in Indiana with friends. We had the best time! So much fun. We rode 2 of the top roller coasters in the world. Jim and I have decided to take another trip there next summer.
July brought packing and paperwork for the new house. A new arrival came for the family on July 3. William Ryan Alvis was born. Such a cute little booger. The 4th of July weekend was a cookout in our new neighborhood that we were invited to attend. We met some of our new neighbors that night. We closed on on the house July 19. We were so lucky that they previous owners allowed us to close early. We started moving stuff to the basement that weekend.
August brought moving day. My mom and dad came up the Sunday Aug 8 to help us move. By the time my mom and dad arrived, we had almost finished. Some of our friends that helped us move hung around untill my mom and dad arrived. Mom and Dad brought the rest of the furniture that we inherited from his paternal grandmother as well as what was left in Tennessee. Mom even through stuff in there that she had been keeping for me. She said that now that my house is bigger than hers she was bringing everything that I had left when I moved out the first time.
September brought organizing and unpacking. The second weekend in September Jim's mom and dad came up. Tipsy would give us a fright the second week in September. She would start coughing. It sounded like she would cough up a lung she coughed so hard. We called the vet. Dr Penning came over and said that she had kennel cough. He gave her an antibiotic to take for 3 weeks. Slowly she started act like herself again. I was invited to a Stampin Up! party this month. I really enjoyed it. I decided that I like it so much that I wanted to demostrate it. I am a "hobby" demostrater. I purchase for friends and family.
October was a whirlwind month. The first weekend in October Jim, Jim's mom and dad and I made a trip to Chicago for a funeral. I went in my first condo in downtown Chicago. The view was so cool. The second weekend in October was filled to capacity. Friday night brought a Pumpkin Carving and cookout with the neighbors. Later that night my mom and dad came up for the weekend. My mom's sisters met us in Arcola Illinois. We did the "tourist". We toured Rockome Gardens, the Pumpkin Patch, and downtown Arthur. I really like the Pumpkin Patch. It is even cooler than Curtis Orchards. The third weekend brought a trip to Nashville to see the new newphew. John and Denise did really good!
In November, I attened my first "Stamp Camp". It was an entertaining night. I went with 2 of the ladies in my neighborhood. We giggled and laughed the whole time we were gone. We had so much fun. The weekend before Thanksgiving Jim's sister and family drove up from Atlanta and stayed with us for 2 days. They were on their way to Chicago. We really enjoyed them coming up.The Tuesday before Thanksgiving Mom and Dad drove up for the holiday. Wedensday it started snowing. A friend of mine was home for the weekend. I told her that I would dog sit for her.
December brought a cookie swap the first weekend. 2 of the girls from the neighborhood and I hosted a cookie swap. We sent out invitations about 2 weeks before the event. We had about 10 different cookies. We had so much fun, I think we are going to make it an annual event. Thursday the 23rd Jim and I headed home to Tennessee for the Christmas holiday. The day before there was a winter storm that spread ice and snow all the way across the south. We left at 7:45 on Thursday night. It was smooth sailing until we were about 15 miles outside of Marion IL. The road was patches of ice and snow. We pulled into Marion to get gas and was talking to some travelers that had just come off of I-24. They said that it was a mess. So Jim and I decided to take an alternate route home. From Marion IL to Jackson TN is usually a 2 1/2 - 3 hour trip. That night it took us 5 hours. We pulled into my mom and dad's driveway at 4:30 am. The rest of December is suppose to be quiet. Jim and I are going to spend New Year's Eve on the couch watching movies.
Well that is all that has happened in 2004! Everyone have a happy New Year and come see us! I am still trying to get Jim to update the website.
Things have been a whirlwind this last year. Mom has told me that as you get older the time starts to fly by. How was I suppose to know that she was right? Don't tell her I said that.
January brought no job prospects. We lost Jim's maternal grandmother on January 17. It was a total shock to all of us. We were able to see her before she passed away. Jim and I called friends in Illinois to inform them of his grandmother's death. They asked if he was working. He was not. Hobbico got wind of it and called. They said that they would rehire him, they would have to find a place for him. We discussed it for 2 weeks. Jim and I finally decided it was best for now that we move back to Illinois.
February brought a move for Jim. As it happens, I was working for a company as a temp. After the decision had been made to move back to Illinois, my supervisor came to me and offered me a full time permanent position. I was so sorry that I had to turn it down. Jim left Valentines weekend and headed back to Illinois. I was again without a husband and miserable. But we knew that it was going to be short term this time. Since Jim and I knew we were moving back, I started looking for houses online.
March brought another death in the family. This time it was Jim's paternal grandmother. This was another shock to the family. It was just 7 weeks earlier that we lost his maternal grandmother. The first weekend in March, Jim was going to come home, instead I went to Illinois with the pups. I had found a house in the paper that Jim had looked at and felt that I needed to see it also. So on Friday afternoon, Bumper, Tipsy and I headed north. Saturday morning we went and looked at the tri-level. There were several other that we looked at also. Little did we know that the 2nd house would be ours within a month or so. The middle of March Jim came home and we packed up and moved again.
April brought house searching and Jim's 40th birthday. The house that we had looked at previously in March was still on the market. We both liked it, so we looked again. On Sunday, we put in an offer and by Monday night we had bought the house of ours dreams. The middle of April brought a new job for me and I was busy planning Jim's 40th birthday party. I was able to pull the wool over his eyes. He had no clue! His best friend from high school drove down from the Chicago area. Jim was so surprised!
May brought furniture hunting for us. We found a new living room set and bedroom set that we both loved. The end of the month we headed home for the Memorial Day weekend. I knew that this would be the last chance for us to pick up more things that were in Tennessee before we moved in August.
In June, we headed to Holiday World in Indiana with friends. We had the best time! So much fun. We rode 2 of the top roller coasters in the world. Jim and I have decided to take another trip there next summer.
July brought packing and paperwork for the new house. A new arrival came for the family on July 3. William Ryan Alvis was born. Such a cute little booger. The 4th of July weekend was a cookout in our new neighborhood that we were invited to attend. We met some of our new neighbors that night. We closed on on the house July 19. We were so lucky that they previous owners allowed us to close early. We started moving stuff to the basement that weekend.
August brought moving day. My mom and dad came up the Sunday Aug 8 to help us move. By the time my mom and dad arrived, we had almost finished. Some of our friends that helped us move hung around untill my mom and dad arrived. Mom and Dad brought the rest of the furniture that we inherited from his paternal grandmother as well as what was left in Tennessee. Mom even through stuff in there that she had been keeping for me. She said that now that my house is bigger than hers she was bringing everything that I had left when I moved out the first time.
September brought organizing and unpacking. The second weekend in September Jim's mom and dad came up. Tipsy would give us a fright the second week in September. She would start coughing. It sounded like she would cough up a lung she coughed so hard. We called the vet. Dr Penning came over and said that she had kennel cough. He gave her an antibiotic to take for 3 weeks. Slowly she started act like herself again. I was invited to a Stampin Up! party this month. I really enjoyed it. I decided that I like it so much that I wanted to demostrate it. I am a "hobby" demostrater. I purchase for friends and family.
October was a whirlwind month. The first weekend in October Jim, Jim's mom and dad and I made a trip to Chicago for a funeral. I went in my first condo in downtown Chicago. The view was so cool. The second weekend in October was filled to capacity. Friday night brought a Pumpkin Carving and cookout with the neighbors. Later that night my mom and dad came up for the weekend. My mom's sisters met us in Arcola Illinois. We did the "tourist". We toured Rockome Gardens, the Pumpkin Patch, and downtown Arthur. I really like the Pumpkin Patch. It is even cooler than Curtis Orchards. The third weekend brought a trip to Nashville to see the new newphew. John and Denise did really good!
In November, I attened my first "Stamp Camp". It was an entertaining night. I went with 2 of the ladies in my neighborhood. We giggled and laughed the whole time we were gone. We had so much fun. The weekend before Thanksgiving Jim's sister and family drove up from Atlanta and stayed with us for 2 days. They were on their way to Chicago. We really enjoyed them coming up.The Tuesday before Thanksgiving Mom and Dad drove up for the holiday. Wedensday it started snowing. A friend of mine was home for the weekend. I told her that I would dog sit for her.
December brought a cookie swap the first weekend. 2 of the girls from the neighborhood and I hosted a cookie swap. We sent out invitations about 2 weeks before the event. We had about 10 different cookies. We had so much fun, I think we are going to make it an annual event. Thursday the 23rd Jim and I headed home to Tennessee for the Christmas holiday. The day before there was a winter storm that spread ice and snow all the way across the south. We left at 7:45 on Thursday night. It was smooth sailing until we were about 15 miles outside of Marion IL. The road was patches of ice and snow. We pulled into Marion to get gas and was talking to some travelers that had just come off of I-24. They said that it was a mess. So Jim and I decided to take an alternate route home. From Marion IL to Jackson TN is usually a 2 1/2 - 3 hour trip. That night it took us 5 hours. We pulled into my mom and dad's driveway at 4:30 am. The rest of December is suppose to be quiet. Jim and I are going to spend New Year's Eve on the couch watching movies.
Well that is all that has happened in 2004! Everyone have a happy New Year and come see us! I am still trying to get Jim to update the website.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Hodge Podge Soap Box
Well I finally told Jim about Stampin Up and becoming a demostator. I figured he would be upset with me for not discussing it with him. But he wasn't. He told me that he trusts my judgement and that if it something that I enjoy to go for it. So I am. I also told him that I wanted his help to create a flyer to send out. So I am hoping to have an open house maybe in January or February. I should have it the same weekend as my Pampered Chef party.
Things are going fine. I have been going around and around with ABN Amro about my mortgage loan. This is December and this is the 6th month that I have had to call them about the loan. I am getting very upset about this. It seems that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I told Jim yesterday that I want to refinance as soon as July comes around. I told him that if I had my way I would do it now. Of course it would my luck that it would get sold back to Amro again.
I told the rep that they had until April to get this resolved. When I called in Oct nobody bothered to tell me that my monthly payment was going to increase starting with Oct 1. So now we are short on our escrow account more than what I originally thought. What a pain in the butt it has been trying to deal with these people.
Finally yesterday everything just came to a peak. I started crying on the phone with Jim.He said that it wasn't that big of a deal to have tears. But he doesn't realize that it was the straw that broke the camels back. It has been so stressful. I have had to take care of everything. He has been so down in the dumps.
Well be sure to look in the coming weeks for another post. I am hoping to get the website updated and/or get a Christmas newsletter blog posted.
Things are going fine. I have been going around and around with ABN Amro about my mortgage loan. This is December and this is the 6th month that I have had to call them about the loan. I am getting very upset about this. It seems that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I told Jim yesterday that I want to refinance as soon as July comes around. I told him that if I had my way I would do it now. Of course it would my luck that it would get sold back to Amro again.
I told the rep that they had until April to get this resolved. When I called in Oct nobody bothered to tell me that my monthly payment was going to increase starting with Oct 1. So now we are short on our escrow account more than what I originally thought. What a pain in the butt it has been trying to deal with these people.
Finally yesterday everything just came to a peak. I started crying on the phone with Jim.He said that it wasn't that big of a deal to have tears. But he doesn't realize that it was the straw that broke the camels back. It has been so stressful. I have had to take care of everything. He has been so down in the dumps.
Well be sure to look in the coming weeks for another post. I am hoping to get the website updated and/or get a Christmas newsletter blog posted.
