So often, we get caught up in all the big things going on in our lives. We sweat all the hassles, and worry needlessly about so many things. But how often do we forget to be thankful for the little blessings that get us through each and every day? We worry about bills, health, our jobs, our homes, etc... Well, today was a day to appreciate the little things.
I'm sure by now you've heard about the crazy gas shortage here. Well, it hasn't really affected us because our car has been sipping gas. For the last 4 days, while others have been driving miles out of there way, just to wait in line for literally 4-5 hours to get a rationed 10 gallons for about $4.30 per gallon, we have been riding around and the gas gauge was hardly moving. I mean people were running out of gas waiting in mile long lines to get gas. Fights were breaking out, because people were cutting in line. We actually had to have police officers directing traffic at gas stations.
Today I noticed that we were getting pretty close to being on 1/4 tank. I thought about getting gas yesterday at the BP where I usually go, but like so many others, they were out of gas, and their pumps were shut down. But, while I was at work, they sent a message around letting us know that there was a BP gas station that was holding a reserve of gas for police employees to fill service, and personal vehicles. Wouldn't you know, it was the one I usually go to. I still figured since every police employee got the message, there was still, probably going to be a line and they may even run out of gas like the ones that had done this in previous days. I still had hours left to my shift.
When I got off, I was walking out happy to be going home because it had been a busy day for me, calling back all of the hang-ups we got, and putting out APB's, as well as my normal duties. I began to chat with the officer who was manning the front desk. I remarked that it was great that we were finally getting out of there, but he said he was going to work off duty doing what else....directing traffic at a gas station. I then mentioned the gas station where we could all get gas. That's where he was headed.
We drove there pretty much in tandem. I was expecting a line or a crowd, but there was none. We went inside and the mgr told us they were waiting for us to get there before they turned on the pumps. I was able to fill up my tank (no 10 gallon rationing) before anyone else was even allowed into the gas station, and was home only about 5 minutes later than usual. As I left, the line had already stretched a full block, and was growing. Can you say PROVISION? I was so tickled I couldn't wait to tell somebody. So, before I even set foot in the door I told Leslie, my mom, my freind, and his mom.
When I got home I was greeted by Nate, filled with his normal exuberance. I used to wonder why he always got so excited about seeing me. I mean, I could walk into a different room, and when I came back, he'd be waiting for me with a hug. But, one day, his godmother and I were talking. She said she has never seen a son love his father as much as Nate loves me. And it made me truly appreciate how special our bond really is. So, I relish every one of those hugs, and I hug him back like it's the last one I'll ever get. I hugged all the kids and told them I loved them.
Tonight was a "whatever night" for dinner, and afterwards Bri, Leslie, and I played Sequence, Renee played Mario Party, and Nate played his DS. I'm blogging mostly because Leslie is having some hand issues. We went to get her a support brace earlier, and she said it feels much better.
We're all a little excited because Leslie starts her new job on Monday. It will be a welcome boost in income, but I'll miss her being home. She was doing such a great job taking care of the house and all of us. But we'll all try our best to keep the ship sailing smoothly. Well, Leslie's snoring and I've been up since 4:30 and at least want to lay down if not go to sleep. So, hopefully you'll hear from me later. If not it's because of the blog hog. Just kidding. Love you guys.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I need a cheesteak...(yes, it's spelled right)
...and some ribs from a place called Ribs 'R' Us, and a soft pretzel. When I was in Philly, I didn't eat these things every day, but when you don't have them available, you want it more.
I don't understand why people in other cities want to call their steaks 'Philly Cheese steaks', but they obviously have never been to Philly, or have had someone from Philly train them on how to make a steak. If you are reading this, and you've never had a genuine Philly cheese steak, listen: THERE ARE NO GREEN PEPPERS IN A CHEESE STEAK!! I'm pretty sure there's been a Philadelphian who has told you this already. Why won't you listen?? It's just wrong. And it's not a cheese steak, it's a chee steak, cheesteak. There's no reason for the other letters. Philly natives, I know you're trying to see how you say it right now. It's just like saying 'water'. We don't say it like anyone else.
Well, tomorrow there is going to be a large concert at the venue up the street. If you're from Philly, think of it as the Dell, or the Mann. It has the lawn seats and all that. Unfortunately tomorrow, there's going to be a big storm. I probably won't be outside during that time anyway, but just in case I have to go out, I KNOW not to go in that direction. I got stuck in concert traffic one time since I've been here, and one time is more than enough for me.
I'm pretty upset that I don't have TiVo, because both of my favorite shows were on tonight. Grey's Anatomy had to mess things up by being on for 2 hours, so I couldn't watch all of ER. I've been flipping back and forth, but now I have to watch both on the internet, because I missed too much of it.
The gas problem is crazy here! We are blessed to have more than 1/2 tank left. It's mayhem here - schools are closing, people are in line for hours to end up with no gas. Of course, that causes other problems, fights because people are jumping in line, accidents because people are blocking lanes trying to wait to get into a station. AAA said they aren't going to bring anyone gas if they run out on the road, they are just going to tow you. They are announcing on tv where you can get gas, but I think that contributes to the problem. People are going to try to drive for miles to get to those stations, they're going to cause more traffic nightmares, and I hope the stations don't run out of gas. That's been happening more and more. Reminds me of people who stand in line on black Friday, just for everything to run out when they get inside the store. Just evil.
I don't think we're getting our tree tomorrow. The weather is going to be bad, and the landscaper had already pushed the date back because of the rains a couple of weeks ago. As soon as we get the tree, I will post the pictures.
I'm going to bed now, it's late. Good night, and keep praying!
Leslie
I don't understand why people in other cities want to call their steaks 'Philly Cheese steaks', but they obviously have never been to Philly, or have had someone from Philly train them on how to make a steak. If you are reading this, and you've never had a genuine Philly cheese steak, listen: THERE ARE NO GREEN PEPPERS IN A CHEESE STEAK!! I'm pretty sure there's been a Philadelphian who has told you this already. Why won't you listen?? It's just wrong. And it's not a cheese steak, it's a chee steak, cheesteak. There's no reason for the other letters. Philly natives, I know you're trying to see how you say it right now. It's just like saying 'water'. We don't say it like anyone else.
Well, tomorrow there is going to be a large concert at the venue up the street. If you're from Philly, think of it as the Dell, or the Mann. It has the lawn seats and all that. Unfortunately tomorrow, there's going to be a big storm. I probably won't be outside during that time anyway, but just in case I have to go out, I KNOW not to go in that direction. I got stuck in concert traffic one time since I've been here, and one time is more than enough for me.
I'm pretty upset that I don't have TiVo, because both of my favorite shows were on tonight. Grey's Anatomy had to mess things up by being on for 2 hours, so I couldn't watch all of ER. I've been flipping back and forth, but now I have to watch both on the internet, because I missed too much of it.
The gas problem is crazy here! We are blessed to have more than 1/2 tank left. It's mayhem here - schools are closing, people are in line for hours to end up with no gas. Of course, that causes other problems, fights because people are jumping in line, accidents because people are blocking lanes trying to wait to get into a station. AAA said they aren't going to bring anyone gas if they run out on the road, they are just going to tow you. They are announcing on tv where you can get gas, but I think that contributes to the problem. People are going to try to drive for miles to get to those stations, they're going to cause more traffic nightmares, and I hope the stations don't run out of gas. That's been happening more and more. Reminds me of people who stand in line on black Friday, just for everything to run out when they get inside the store. Just evil.
I don't think we're getting our tree tomorrow. The weather is going to be bad, and the landscaper had already pushed the date back because of the rains a couple of weeks ago. As soon as we get the tree, I will post the pictures.
I'm going to bed now, it's late. Good night, and keep praying!
Leslie
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Feels like
I've been missing. I've been busy - and not really with allot of stuff, just family life. I think when I start work next week, I'm going to cut down the amount of posts I do anyway.
So, we did go to that church on Sunday. It was okay. We went to the 4th and final service of the day - 11:30am. Praise and Worship was nice - they have screens so we can read the words to the songs and sing along. The welcome is you have to hug the people around you and tell them you love them, which I thought was cute. We didn't get to hear the pastor, because it was his anniversary, and they had a guest speaker. He gave pieces of messages; I think it's because they only get 20 minutes to preach.
I don't know how often I'll go back, because it's a chore to get in and out of the parking lot. They have an officer directing traffic on the street, and members direct traffic in the lot. If you leave when everyone else leaves, you're sure to be in a traffic jam. We left a little early. Next week is the continuation of the pastor's anniversary, so we're going to go to the first church we visited when we moved.
We didn't go to the park, gas and money are big issues down here. There's a gas shortage because of the hurricane, and we have no money to buy the gas that is available. We watched football all day, happy the Eagles won. We missed the Emmys, and if you did too, you have to watch Josh Groban on YouTube! I'm not a big Josh Groban fan, but I thought his medley was great!
Monday morning, Lawrence and I went to the DMV and finally got our driver's licenses. Lawrence really needed to get his, because his PA one expired Friday. I was tired of chauffeuring him. I almost failed my test! We needed 20 out of 25, and I had to get the last 3 questions right, or I would have failed. Some of the things you do in PA, you don't do here. When you take the driving test in PA, you have to use your mirrors to back up. If you take your hands off of the steering wheel, you fail the test. Here, they want you to look behind you and steer with your left hand. That's one of the questions Lawrence got wrong. He got 23 out of 25. Even though I was mad at the test, I have to say, my picture is kinda cute. No, I'm not going to post it!
When we got home, I was drained. I don't know why - but I was so very tired, and I couldn't get to sleep. Also, our phone went on the fritz. If you've called us lately, you may have been hung up on - not by us, though. It's very difficult to dial out, and sometimes we can't answer it. So we need to get a new phone. If you need to contact us, send smoke signals!
We then watched Heroes. It's kinda creepy this season, but very interesting.
Yesterday was my super-cleaning day. I did nothing but clean. I almost killed myself with bleach fumes from one of the cleaning sprays we have. It smells like they just took a bottle of concentrated bleach and added a spray nozzle. I washed almost all of the clothes in the house.
Today, I'm finishing my cleaning. The last of the clothes, and the refrigerator is getting clean today. I need to get this all done before I start work next week.
Oh, we found out we need a car by the end of October. Keep praying.
The kids are doing great, they're still happy with school. Renee, who does horribly in math, came home with a 92 on her last test, Nate still only has one 'B', and Bri has been doing great in school.
We're getting a new tree in the front of our house. The tree we have now is worse than Charlie Brown's Christmas tree! The landlord is having a new tree put in either Thursday or Friday. I'll post before and after pictures here when it's done.
Well, my dryer has stopped, and it's time to put another load in.
Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie
So, we did go to that church on Sunday. It was okay. We went to the 4th and final service of the day - 11:30am. Praise and Worship was nice - they have screens so we can read the words to the songs and sing along. The welcome is you have to hug the people around you and tell them you love them, which I thought was cute. We didn't get to hear the pastor, because it was his anniversary, and they had a guest speaker. He gave pieces of messages; I think it's because they only get 20 minutes to preach.
I don't know how often I'll go back, because it's a chore to get in and out of the parking lot. They have an officer directing traffic on the street, and members direct traffic in the lot. If you leave when everyone else leaves, you're sure to be in a traffic jam. We left a little early. Next week is the continuation of the pastor's anniversary, so we're going to go to the first church we visited when we moved.
We didn't go to the park, gas and money are big issues down here. There's a gas shortage because of the hurricane, and we have no money to buy the gas that is available. We watched football all day, happy the Eagles won. We missed the Emmys, and if you did too, you have to watch Josh Groban on YouTube! I'm not a big Josh Groban fan, but I thought his medley was great!
Monday morning, Lawrence and I went to the DMV and finally got our driver's licenses. Lawrence really needed to get his, because his PA one expired Friday. I was tired of chauffeuring him. I almost failed my test! We needed 20 out of 25, and I had to get the last 3 questions right, or I would have failed. Some of the things you do in PA, you don't do here. When you take the driving test in PA, you have to use your mirrors to back up. If you take your hands off of the steering wheel, you fail the test. Here, they want you to look behind you and steer with your left hand. That's one of the questions Lawrence got wrong. He got 23 out of 25. Even though I was mad at the test, I have to say, my picture is kinda cute. No, I'm not going to post it!
When we got home, I was drained. I don't know why - but I was so very tired, and I couldn't get to sleep. Also, our phone went on the fritz. If you've called us lately, you may have been hung up on - not by us, though. It's very difficult to dial out, and sometimes we can't answer it. So we need to get a new phone. If you need to contact us, send smoke signals!
We then watched Heroes. It's kinda creepy this season, but very interesting.
Yesterday was my super-cleaning day. I did nothing but clean. I almost killed myself with bleach fumes from one of the cleaning sprays we have. It smells like they just took a bottle of concentrated bleach and added a spray nozzle. I washed almost all of the clothes in the house.
Today, I'm finishing my cleaning. The last of the clothes, and the refrigerator is getting clean today. I need to get this all done before I start work next week.
Oh, we found out we need a car by the end of October. Keep praying.
The kids are doing great, they're still happy with school. Renee, who does horribly in math, came home with a 92 on her last test, Nate still only has one 'B', and Bri has been doing great in school.
We're getting a new tree in the front of our house. The tree we have now is worse than Charlie Brown's Christmas tree! The landlord is having a new tree put in either Thursday or Friday. I'll post before and after pictures here when it's done.
Well, my dryer has stopped, and it's time to put another load in.
Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie
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