A new year is always a great time to look forward and think on years past. In 1969, I was the baby of the family until October when my younger brother came on the scene. In 1979, I was in middle school and trying my best to be cool. In 1989, I was in the last year in the Army and engaged to Renee. In 1999, I had just finished with my degree at Oral Roberts and working at Walmart doing overnight stocking while working part-time as a web designer. That brings us to 2009 and it is amazing how I am back working in Barstow, a town I desperately wanted to escape as a teenager. I have been married to Renee 19 years next month. Twenty years after leaving the Army, I work as a contractor overseeing environmental websites for them. I don’t know what the next 10 years will bring, but I know in whom I trust. Thanks Lord for an amazing adventure filled with friends, family, a variety of locations, and your everlasting, unconditional love.
Another Christmas has passed us by.
We spent Christmas at our house much like we have many that came before with just the three of us. We did open one present Christmas eve at my insistence. In years past, we did this to satiate Jesse’s desire for opening presents, but this time it was out of necessity. He opened the family’s new Nikon D40 so we would have it to use on Christmas morning.
Jesse may not be the kid he was, but he was up early and in the shower and ready to get to business by 8 am. We started with stockings and Jesse wasn’t too pleased to get razors and shaving cream in his.
Renee’s funny stocking stuffer was a GIANT chocolate Santa. We found chocolate in her stocking from last year when we took the decorations out this year. I got some WWE trading cards in my stocking. Oooh yeah!
Our major presents this year included a new desk chair for Renee with built in massage, new PC speakers for Jesse and I FINALLY got an iPod. The cat even got in on the act with a big fur mouse that she promptly gathered in her teeth and ran off with. We had a ham dinner and then watched the Lakers beat the Celtics. The wind blew quite hard most of the day and I even had to chase after wrapping paper when the lid to the recycle bin blew open. Renee used the new camera to capture a double rainbow out the back door.
The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet though we did venture out Friday to make sure the gift cards were promptly spent. I also enjoyed my Sunday night as the Chargers eliminated the Broncos and surprisingly made the playoffs despite being 8-8.
Two days off…due to over a foot of snow!
My wife loves the snow and is always happy when it comes. Monday I was at work in Barstow and it began coming down. Much to her dismay, they only got rain at the house despite being at a higher elevation than where I work. I eventually was sent home that day as it continued to accumulate. Surprisingly, once I hit the freeway, there was nothing but rain all the way home.
Fast forward to Wednesday morning, I awoke to falling snow and that continued to accumulate throughout the day. I called in to work and stayed home. Renee and I ventured out to check the mail in the midst of the snow and were coated with it. Halfway through the day, we lost power, but it returned a couple of hours later. I had to use the broom on the Direct TV dish several times to return signal to the TV. The snow kept falling into the night.
Thursday morning, we awoke to over a foot of snow. It was quite beautiful. We eventually went out and cleaned off my truck so I would be ok to drive in today. We also tried to make a couple of snowmen, but found the snow to be less than cooperative. It had dried out overnight and no longer packed. As the day went on and temperatures warmd, we finally got the snowmen built. The temps kept warming and they were pretty droopy by sundown. When I left the house this morning, the roads were still covered with snow and ice. We will see if it sticks around for Christmas.
Snowing in Barstow
Yesterday, we had a rare heavy snowfall in Barstow. On average, it snows once every five years there. Unfortunately, I was already at work when it began to fall. It was beautiful to watch, but very hard to get anything productive done. As a kid growing up in Barstow, the moment you saw snow falling, all activity ceased. We would walk right out of class, right out of school and start playing in the snow. Even if it didn’t stick, we left becase it snowed so seldom. So with the snow accumulating, offices began to close. First the BLM office closed and then the Mojave National Preserve. We were going to be left alone until we were told that we too could go home. Funny thing was that by the time I hit the freeway and made it to Lenwood Road, it was nothing but rain. It rained all the way home to Apple Valley. Renee was disappointed that there had been no snow at the house. She has her hopes set on some falling there soon.
Christmas cheer and our 2008 newsletter.
Turkey Sandwiches for all!
Thanksgiving was a quiet day at our house with just the three of us around the table. I know for a lot of families it is a gathering of relatives far and wide, but that has been the exception rather than the rule for us. We live in California and Renee’s family is in Texas. My family used to be in California, but is now scattered from Florida to Oregon to West Virginia. When we lived in Kentucky, we went to West Virginia for a big get together at my Paw Paw’s (my grandfather) farm. Cousins, aunts and uncles were all around, but that was not our usual Thanksgiving. We have moved so many times over the years with our living in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky before moving back to California that we rarely spent a Thanksgiving in someone else’s house. I don’t mind it, it just changes the way you view the holiday when it is normally portrayed as at least a dozen relatives and extended family members gathered under one roof with the kid’s table set up on the side. We don’t partake in the Friday morning madness of standing in line to battle your fellow man for the best deal either. We did stop by a store Friday, but it was around 5 pm and the store was very quiet by that point. The day after Thanksgiving is when we set up the Christmas tree and hang our lights outside. This year, I did so wearing a t-shirt as the weather was in the 70s. The remainder of the weekend was spent eating turkey sandwiches and watching football.
Weekend Wrap
Friday night we watched Hellboy II on DVD. If you haven’t seen it yet, the Barry Manilow song is pretty funny. Great action movie. Saturday we went to the dentist and got our teeth cleaned. I did some cleaning around the house and then read the rest of the day. Sunday we had a friend over for Survivor Series with and eye/ear on the other room for the San Diego/Indy game. Looks like the Chargers are done. I hope I am wrong, but at this point it’s no stretch to say that. Not much else going on. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday.
I promise two dressers for every bedroom…
This weekend we went out to look for a dresser to replace the “antique” that I had used as a teenager and is probably better on display rather than in use. We mapped out 20 or so garage sales being held Saturday morning in Apple Valley. Renee, being a veteran of the experience as a child(not her favorite memory), let me know when to stop and when to just roll on by. We found only one place with decent dressers, but they were already sold. Next we went to thrift and used furniture stores. After checking out all Apple Valley had to offer, I suggested we try Hesperia. (That was based on my hatred of shopping without actually buying anything.) We walked into a thrift store and found a decent, real wood, but slightly beat up dresser with a mirror. They only wanted $30, so we called it a sale and headed home. Upon arriving, Renee had recieved an e-mail from someone with a dresser and two night stands that was asking $100. Renee offered her $50 thinking she would refuse. She didn’t. So Sunday, we brought home another dresser and two nightstands. Not a bad weekend. Two dressers, two nightstands = $80. The antique will go back into storage and Renee’s old dresser will go back on Freecycle where we found it.
Goodbye to the blue mohawk.
Jesse decided he no longer wanted his blue mohawk so this weekend Renee took the clippers to him. He now has a buzz cut and looks like he just reported to basic training. Funny how I never wanted my hair cut short growing up, but was told it would be cut anyway. He has the choice and chooses to have it all cut off.
Weekend Update…the haps at our pad.
Another weekend gone, but we managed to get some things accomplished. Not much going on Friday night except grocery shopping. It would be nice if prices there dropped like at the pump. Saturday, we went shopping for pontoon boats…er…I mean…boots for Jesse. He now requires a size 15 and we managed to find a boot store that had some black work boots that met with his approval. From there, we went to Sonic as they opened one down by the mall here. It wasn’t the same as in Kentucky, but Renee got her fix. Then we were at the mall because I wanted a new Star Wars novel, Millenium Falcon, that was released on Tuesday. We walked the mall with stops at Hot Topic and Gamestop as well as Lids before going across the freeway to Marie Calendar for some pies. Mmmmm, pie…Pecan and Pumpkin. We made one final stop at Best Buy to get the Incredible Hulk DVD before heading home. That night, you guessed it, we watched the DVD. Sunday was spent yelling at the Chargers for not playing defense and then reading my new novel. We ended the weekend watching the Bourne Ultimatum DVD. All in all a relaxing weekend.