And the "Eagle" has Landed!!! (or at least called...)

I couldn't sleep last night... Marissa (age 5) had a fever throughout most of the day, and was finally asleep. I had sat through (endured, really...) the newest Cats and Dogs movie (more about that one later), and wasn't sleepy. Couldn't sleep, actually. My eyes were tired and burning, but something in my brain wouldn't let me sleep.

I still hadn't heard from Rey (my European-bound 16yo). BUT! It's a good thing I didn't go to sleep, as I wouldn't have heard the phone ring at 3:03am (my time-PST)! I was catching up on my shows (see sidebar... I'm a self-proclaimed addict) and the landline rang! OMG! You've got to be kidding! Yes... it did!

And it was my lovely daughter, that left for Europe on Monday morning. She apologized for not calling sooner. But I knew she was safe and was having a good time. She had just gotten off the night train from Florence (or Assisi... I don't really know, but somewhere in Italy!) and was in Paris. The boys in the tour had already gotten their rooms, and the girls were waiting (I guess "ladies first" isn't in their etiquette...) for theirs.

But she took a minute (3 actually) and gave me a ring. I can breathe, now. I already knew from a post of a chaperone that they were ok, but I really wanted to hear it myself. I consider myself lucky.

Other parents are still waiting for calls. They have only seen their kids post on Facebook that they are ok and/or having a good time. They all have international calling cards and some even have international cell phones. But... those parents are still waiting. I'm sorry that they are. There's something about hearing your child's voice on the other end of the line, knowing they took the time and let you know how they are. It's as close as face-to-face as you can get, without actually getting there. I'm glad she called me, and wish the same for the other parents.

When I heard her voice, all I could think of was the cliche line, "The Eagle has landed..." It fits here. First, her school mascot is the Eagle. AND! her favorite animal is... what? THE EAGLE! AND it happens to represent our country, as well. How totally appropriate on a whole lot of levels. (*snicker* I thought it was cute... anyway...)

As for the fever of Miss Marissa... it's gone today, but yesterday was low-grade for most of it. She still wanted to go to the movies... ick! I usually enjoy kid movies, but this one? Ugh! (The first one was rather cute...) The first one was MUCH better. Marissa had a good time and laughed in all the right places, but me... I couldn't help but see how fake some of the cats and dogs looked. Be consistent, people! It's not just kids you are trying to please; it's the parents, too! And the villain cat of the movie just reminded me too much of "Grandma Wrinkles" from The Real Housewives of New Jersey (sorry, Dina Manzo!) and creeped me out. Hopefully, that movie will end up in streaming format from Netflix, so I won't have to buy it.

Tonight I'm going to bed much earlier. We've been out and about for a good portion of the day (hubs didn't tell me we were gonna be hitting Ontario Mills!), and my feet are now killing me, as I wasn't prepared and wore flip-flops. Time to hit it! Night...

I Got My ATG! and other things...

Woohoo! I got a FedEx package just sitting on my front doorstep, moments after I arrived home from dropping off the girls. Maybe I should have taken pictures of it, because it looked a little like a cocoon. LOL! The package was approximately 9"x12" and was large bubble wrap, wrapped around and around and the other way and around and around, then plastic-wrapped around and around and the other way and around and around... a box and a small envelope with 4 rolls of tape.

Of course I had to tear it open. (Marissa is still playing with the bubble wrap!). I immediately read the instructions, loaded the 1st roll of tape, and played with it. It is fantastic. I will soon be getting rid of my other tape runners and glue runners. It is awesome. What am I talking about? lol! In case you didn't know, I've been on springs, waiting for my ATG 714 to come in the mail from http://www.framingsupplies.com/. I wrote about it last week. The wait is over, and I'm having a ball. I don't know how I ever worked without it!

I actually sat down and finished a one-page layout in about 1/2 the adhesive time I normally would. That is just how easy the ATG works. It is so convenient.

Anyway... enough about that!

All the girls are sick. Ugh. A three-year-old with a croupy cough and stuffy nose, two teenagers with sore throats and stuffy noses... I've been checking out the "Neti Pot", but I'm not sure any of them would go for it. It's rather odd and really takes an open mind to try it out (imagine saline rinsing through one nostril and out the other). In the meantime, I have a pot of chicken soup on (lots of broth and veggies), plenty of juice made, and lemon balm harvested (for tea). I even have honey! Anyhoo... they all better shape up by Saturday, and I better pray I don't get it! We have a swim meet, and I am officiating (gotta remember to buy those insoles!). We will be super busy, but it will be fun.

I'm so far behind on watching my shows... I've been reading the remainder of the Twilight series and just finished the final installment (Breaking Dawn - 756 pages!) last night. [Sigh.] I've also been doing more research for the team and taking care of the family. You know... same ol'; same ol'. In Scrapbook Bingo! we have a "virtual crop" going, but I haven't gotten much done there, either. I'll have to wait for the glue to dry on my little layout, then post pics... I'm actually (FINALLY!) about to finish a 2-page layout from last September's quincenera... I'm tellin' ya... way behind...

And please everyone... My great grandmother is 102 years old... She had a mild heart attack last week, but is doing fine. However, she will never be allowed to live alone again. My aunt is going to take care of her. I hope she does well. She's still pretty tough - hearty German stock! So please have her in your thoughts. Both she and my aunt could use well wishes.

Oh! And if you are a Cricut Lover, or just love the Cricut... Michael's is having another sale - $40 each cartridge. It ends Saturday... so go! (Most of the cartridges are listed under Cricut items on this blog, in case you don't know the names of them...) Gotta run and shred chicken! Toodles for now! lisa

Through No Fault of My Own! - RAM!!!

I'm a little perturbed right now. I have no vehicle... I was in a car accident on the way home from dropping the girls off... was hit in the intersection by someone not braking enough for a red light. My car is thrashed at the passenger rear (so is the tire - totally shredded). I was pushed into the lady next to me (her car is pretty ok). The driver (who hit me)'s insurance policy expired 2 days ago... uh... It turns out, we DON't have uninsured motorists "protection" and don't have rental coverage! YikeS!!!!! Can I cry now? and even more... Juan wants me to stay calm and act ok, to not scare the baby... but.. The cop gave the guy (other driver) 3 hours to get a new insurance paper (the dude says the insurance is covered, he just didn't have the current paper... I sure hope so!). And my insurance says my best bet is to start with his insurance, so it is handled quicker. (Sigh....) I really want to cry now. My eyes are watering. I'm having a very bad day.

To top it off... it was a Dodge Ram 2500 4-wheel drive! Well, they live up to their names! I waited at a red light, while a crossing guard guided a runner. The light turned green... I waited about 2 seconds, saw no approaching vehicles, was almost across... and WHAM! The Ram rammed into me! Beautiful truck with minute damage... only the front bumper. It doesn't exactly look cool with white paint (mine) on it.

But going back to the perturbed thing... the insurance is really putting it to me. First they tell me that we have to shell out $165 to the tow truck ourselves, then they tell me the "other" driver's insurance company will reimburse us for it. Uh... isn't the insurance supposed to handle all of that? I would hope so. Then... to make matters even worse, they told me that an adjuster probably won't even be able to check it out until next week, and that I might want to get ahold of the "other" driver's insurance and get things speeded up from that end. Hello! What are they going to do about it? Apparently nothing.

A rental vehicle of the same size (we really need a mini-van size) is $499 a week. Wow! Thank goodness my kids aren't going to school for the next two weeks. We can get by... just won't be doing much. I guess I can reacquaint ourselves with the public transportation system. We can do the movies (next to the mall is cheap - $2 for matinee/$3 for evening); we can do the mall; we can do many other things, just as long as we are open-minded.

Maybe this is for the best. No one was hurt. Marissa wasn't with me, and the car, although very damaged, can hopefully be fixed. I wasn't in my pj's... We may have to pay a deductible... we'll find out later. But in the end, we'll all be ok.

Just remember, life happens. It happens quickly. So... make the most of it and make sure to brush your teeth and your hair before you go out! And remember also how beautiful each day is (look at that blue sky in the truck's photo!). Toodles for now! lisa (who is now much calmer...)