Where have you been?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Yup, in case you're wondering where I've been ... I celebrated my Lucky Year Birthday - 44! (someone told me that when you are a double like 22,33,ect... it's lucky)

Because of my birthday and all the amazing electronic gadgets I recieved, I've been busy playing and learning. Let me tell you folks, back when I was a kid I used to pick up the phone that was attached to the wall and listen in on the neighbors' conversations. It was called a PARTY LINE. Today's party line is a dance called the Tush Push! In high school I learned how to type on a TYPEWRITER, with CARBON PAPER. Heaven forbid if you made any mistakes! The music I listened to came from ALBUMS when I was babysitting for Kim and Jason, 8-TRACKS when I was riding along in my siblings cars, and CASSETTES when I eventually had my own car!

Here's a glimpse of my last two weeks of amazing discovery:

I've been enjoying getting acquainted with my own laptop. No more opening up the main computer to find the screen inundated with shortcuts, that I have no idea where or what they are! I've got 4 simple little shortcuts that won't move. My new laptop also has a "fingerprint" reader for security, but it will take me the next 5 years just to figure it out. So for now I will just stick to using my password, that everyone in my family knows. :)

I received an iPod from Mitch. OK, to be honest, he got it for free when he purchased his new college laptop, but since he already had the much bigger and better version, he offered this simple little "music box" to his Mother. Ahhhhhh .... So my generous Alli bought me a cool pink iPod case and a $15 iTunes gift card. For several evenings Mitch and even 10 year old Abbi have been tutoring me on the amazing world of iTunes! Can you believe that you can go there (the website I mean) and preview any song and decide whether to download it onto your iPod for 99 cents?? Gone are the days when I spend $15 or $20 on a CD that I really only like 4 songs on. Unbelievable! When I say "any" song, I do mean any ... here's a sampling of what I'm contemplating downloading (you know I don't want to make any hasty decisions, because I've only got $15 to spend, and only room for about 10,000 songs on my cool new machine). So back to my "contemplating" list: 38 Special, Jewel, Simon & Garfunkel, CCR, Steven Curtis Chapman, REO Speedwagon. I figure some of those oldies will make me feel youngie! Abbi also helped me find ringtones to download if I wish. We giggled clear through the list, as we figured out what ring would be appropriate for which person. Can you imagine a farting ringtone. Who would want that going off in a store or a restaurant?!? I won't say who we gave that ringtone to, but the people in my family only get one guess!

Last week I took my draggy slow cell phone into my friend at Verizon (they know me well) and told her I think I need a new phone, because mine is so slow. She took my phone and looked at it, and said "maybe if I delete the 522 incoming text messages and 374 outgoing text messages, and then dial *38 (or something like that) for all the updates that you've never gotten, the phone might speed up". And guess what? She was right! My phone was transformed! I sheepishly said "thanks for babysitting me" and left a happier customer!

And did you notice I figured out how to upload a new background/layout onto my Blog? I spent one long evening attempting the daunting task that lay ahead and finally gave up. I called my blog-expert niece and left a nice pleading, woe is me, message telling her that I can't figure it out, and if she would just call me I would soooo appreciate it. She never called! So today i decided "I can do this myself"! And I'm proud to say I did! So Kim, "I don't need ya'!"

I want to end by announcing to the world, that I am 44 and am loving each additional year that adds life and love to my ever changing and evolving world! I value the old friends that I have, and have also discovered some amazing new friends! My kids treat me well, and I have a husband who will love me to the ends of the earth, even when I don't really deserve it!

Sit, Abbi, Sit

Just a parenting question for all you experts ... do you think it's harmful if a 14 year old brother whistles at his sister all day long while shopping, as though he's a dog-trainer. Kevin whistled for Abbi to "come" as we climbed into the car to begin our last-minute school shopping errands. It continued at MC Sports (where Heather's buff guy helped us spend a non-working $10 gift card - duh!), on to Kohl's, Target, and Panera. In the midst of the dog-whistle type of "come", he also often inserted his "sit" and "stay" commands. I was just waiting for him to tell her to "roll over", then I would've decked him! At about our Panera stop, Abbi then amazingly perfected her
one-pitch/high-pitch whistle that she's been working on all summer. She discovered that went a loooong way in annoying her dog-training brother. Did I mention that I went to bed last night with a headache and woke up with the same one? You're right, the whistling duo did nothing for my about-to-explode head!

I guess this sibling love goes back to a comment Kevin made last week - "Abbi, it's a good thing we're not married, cuz it would never work!" Wow, Einstein!!!! I could've told you that when the two of you were, oh about 1 and 4!

This post was going to be a sweet sonnet, la la la, about the end of summer and what a wonderful time we had last weekend. And that, perhaps, I will be sad to see the kids return to school tomorrow morning. Well folks, I guess that one will have to wait until my headache is gone, because right now I'm making myself crazy just thinking of all the fun things I can do tomorrow ALL BY MYSELF!