I officially need my new garden tub!

My cousin from Phoenix came to visit yesterday and to help unpack. I had been doing about a three boxes a day and feeling like a lot was getting accomplished. Yeah, we still had half the garage piled from floor to ceiling, but you could walk through the house. Oh what a difference a day makes! She is some kind of work horse. We opened every box in the garage. We took a bunch into the house, and tried to organize what needed to be left in the garage. We threw out tons of stuff (Tupperware with no lids, towels with fringe where there once was none, kitchen utensils with broken handles...) By the time Ken got home, boxes were torn down and stacked in the side yard, the garage was nearly done, pictures were hung, furniture rearranged, and dinner was in the oven! Yeah, she is that good. We finished in one day what would have taken Ken and I months to accomplish. There is a gene on my dad's side of the family that turns people into little work horses. That gene, NOT passed down to me, however, cousin Janet...she got the it! I can't thank her enough.

We also had some of my other cousins kids (grown up) over for dinner (which of course was prepared by Janet, not me.) It was fun having a bunch of people sitting on our back patio enjoying a good meal. I'm hopeful that will happen often. They live all the way on the other side of town, but it is fun thinking they are even semi close. We haven't had that for a while. So, David, Kristi, Tim...you are welcome anytime. I'm even thinking we might have a dog sitter or two in the bunch, just in case we want to take a little vacation this summer.

Well, I'd better go get some dinner started. I think we are having the breakfast dinner tonight, since we were a little too lazy this morning to cook it.

Home Again...somewhere new

The Tuckers have landed safely in Tucson. We love our new house, even though it is overflowing with boxes. Since I am technically still working for ... that company... I work an hour, unpack a box, work an hour, unpack a box, and so on. It seems to be working thus far. The bedrooms and kitchen are mostly unloaded. We are still finding misc. things here and there. I just found Michael's bedding today! My cousin Janet is coming down from Phoenix to help us on Friday. It will be nice to have family semi-close.

The dogs love it, I am assuming that since they sleep on the couch, then move outside and sleep on the grass, then when they want to get really hot, they sleep on the patio. It's all pretty basic stuff.

Megan and Michael started school on Monday. Then Megan had half days Tues & Weds. Everyone is out for "Rodeo Break" Thurs & Fri. Not an ideal week to start school, but it does help them to start out slow I guess.

Mike is doing fine. He technically won first chair in Jazz band, but the girl who was first got so mad she wouldn't play, so he told the teacher, he should be second chair since he didn't know the music that well. The teacher winked at him and called him a "good man." He has made a couple of friends on our street, and seems to have some friends at school as well.

Megan is missing her friends, her activities, etc. She has made a couple of friends. One guy she met at church on Sunday tracked her down at lunch on Monday so she wouldn't have to sit alone. He has been very nice. Are his motive pure? I'm not going to speculate. He's a cute kid, and he's being nice to her, that's all I need to know. She isn't enjoying the drama yet, but I have convinced her to give it some time.

Ken loves his new job and is spending a lot of time meeting people. Hopefully once the house is together, we can meet people together. I'm about the only one in the family who hasn't met at least one "friend."

Well, I'd better check my work e-mails and get back to unpacking. Keep in touch. I need e-mails to remind me we're still connected. Tuckermom1@comcast.net.

Last minutes

So, I am sitting here at my computer, waiting for the moving team to come pack everything up. Jake is the only one home right now, and he is banging away on the piano (he really does play well, it's just so loud sometimes...all the time.) His new favorite song is "Hallelujah" (the one that dreadlock guy sang on last year's Idol.) Just thinking, this is the last few days with him to bother me. I am pretty sure I'll miss that. I know he'll be fine, but I worry as well. The economy, the unemployment, our financial problems...how is he going to make it? He has an interview today, let's pray he gets a job!

Here is a funny story....It never rains in California, yeah right. For the last week, nothing but rain, and more rain, then a downpour, then rain. Today....hail! So now, I am moving all of my outdoor stuff which is covered in an inch of hail. Should I be reading something into this? I've hated it here for so long, now that it's time to move, I feel tentative. Weird. I guess even I can't understand how my mind works sometimes.

No blogs for a while. I sent an e-mail with our new contact info. If you didn't get it, let me know so we can keep connected. The old e-mail will be out of commission as of the 18th. But, my computer will be out of commission today, so it won't really matter. Remember to keep in touch. I'm gonna be lonely for a while, so I'll need you guys!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...It's a Crock!

I am feeling so lonely. Ken has been gone about a week and a half. Sure, he calls. But, he is living a totally separate life. We don't share anything. He tells me what he's done, I tell him what I've done, no shared experiences. It doesn't make my heart grow fonder, it makes me sad, worried that he'll realize just what a mess I really am and how much easier it is without the hassle.

So, I turn to my kids. but they are all out trying to squeak in as many minutes with friends as possible before we leave. Most of the time, I'm just here alone with the dogs. I even miss going in to work. Absence not making my heart fonder, making me want to tie them up and never let them out of the house. That can't be healthy.

Truthfully, I'm even mad at my mom for leaving me here alone. She always had a sense to know when to call, and could hear in my voice all of my needs. What about dad....that's good question. No one really knows what about dad. He is learning how to pursue new relationships, while holding on to the old ones. Not sure he's succeeding as of yet, but I'm hopeful.

So there you have it. I am absent from Ken, the kids, my mom, my dad. Not feeling terribly fond of anyone right now. Missing them all very much, but it makes my heart sad.

I should write a pilot for a new reality show for Discovery "Emotional Myth Busters"

OK, Maybe I Can't...

Moving in itself is a stressful time. So much to do, and nothing ever seems to go as planned. EXAMPLE:

On Jan. 9th we had planned a party for Megan's birthday. She was going to have her entire theater group over for pizza and party. I am in the middle of trying to sell my house. We have an open house planned for the 11th. So, I hire a cleaning agency (I've used them before) to come to my house & clean just the kitchens & baths. They were due to arrive on Friday between 8-9. At 10 I get a call telling me they were having car problems, but would be there between 12-1. I told them I had a million kids coming at 5. She said no problem. Jake called me at 3:30 telling me they had just arrived. I was livid. I called the agency, got a voice message, and told them I was heading home to kick them out of my house. I talked with the cleaning crew, the lady in the office and explained that even if they could get out of the house by 4:30 or 4:45, that was unacceptable for me since people were due to arrive at 5. They left.

Fast forward to Monday when I get my credit card bill, with a $60 charge from this company! When I called to tell them, uh, no. She said I cursed at them and this is the minimum charge for any visit. Is there a cursing fee charged in CA? I said, yes I was angry, still am, BUT, they were 6 1/2 hours late! They can't charge me their minimum charge just because they showed up. She said, "yes we can, and we did." Next the call to the credit card company. I was so upset at that point I was getting a little emotional (some times I hate being a woman!) They were very nice and listened to my whole story, ranting and all. We'll see what happens. I hope they scan for their name online and find this blog...

Anyone in Southern California....
NEVER USE "MAID IN CALIFORNIA"

Who said I can't deal with stress?

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I were just sitting around, watching TV, playing a video game, typing a paper, normal afternoon things, when the power went out. This was at 5:15pm. I didn't panic, I was the calm and assuring mother that I always am. We gathered candles, matches & flashlights. The kids used whatever light from outside that was left do a little homework. All was good. Then after about an hour, they started wanting food. Megan and Jake just ate cold pizza and went to church. Michael and I get in the car (good thing the garage is full of crap and we can't park in there) in search of food. Everything outside of our neighborhood seems to be fine. That's weird. After dinner we head back home. Still no lights. WAIT, WHAT TIME IS IT? 7:30, Tuesday night, no lights, no power, no DVR! I'M GOING TO MISS AMERICAN IDOL! Don't panic Jodi, think, think. We could call friends, wait, we don't really have many friends, they don't live near us, and all my contact information is in the computer. Then I remember, there is this one family from church that live pretty close. I know her pretty well, been to Bible Study at their house. I'll try information and see if I can get a number....UNLISTED. Ok, 7:45, this can't be happening. I grab Michael and get in the car. We head to this family's home, just hoping someone would be home, and that they were Idol fans. I knock tentatively on the door while Michael sits in the car. Dad (Tim) answers the door, "hey how are you?" How dumb does this sound. "Ummmm, do you guys watch American Idol?" "Yes" "Our power is out, the TV and DVR aren't working, and....it's HOLLYWOOD WEEK, can we come in?" He laughs and says sure. I wave Michael in from the car. Whew, one crisis averted.

So, by 9, the power is still out. Everyone gets home wondering what to do now. We light the candles, get the two flashlights that aren't already packed. Mike and I head to bed, Megan and Jake still have some homework. But, I'm laying in bed thinking of how responsible my kids are....and thinking of candles.....and Uncle Ken is too far to come help us if there is a fire. So, needless to say, I don't sleep well. I keep getting up and checking, hoping they don't notice that I'm not really trusting them to blow out the candles. Finally, I relax enough to go to sleep.

1 AM, I wake to a weird beeping sound. I can see lights on under the door, so I know the power must have come back on, but what is that beeping. I get up, thinking some kid's alarm is going off and they don't even notice. Nope. I go downstairs, turning off lights & TV's. I find the source of the beeping. It is the security system that isn't even hooked up. We've never touched it before. First I have to figure out how to open the control box, then, I just start hitting buttons. (Tip for those who are electronically challenged, don't be afraid to just hit buttons every now and again.) Yes, I got the beeping to stop. What is absolutely amazing to me is that Jake, whose door is right by the control box where the beeping eminated, never heard a thing. But I, who sleep up the stairs at the other end of the house, behind a closed door, am rudely awakened. Crisis #2 averted.

The Superbowl - Tucson Style

Ken left for Tucson Saturday morning. I hate being alone, but I guess it's only for a while. Some of his volunteers invited him over to watch the Superbowl on Sunday. He was excited to spend some time getting to know some board members. What he didn't know, what how many "members" he would be seeing. During the last few minutes of the game, right after AZ scored to go into the lead, someone hacked into the Comcast analog signal and replaced the Superbowl with PORN. Yep, Mr. Porn star dropped his drawers and proceeded to wave his "member" all around. There was no blurring of the afore mentioned "member". The signal lasted about 30 seconds, much longer than Janet's infamous wardrobe malfunction. So what do you say to these people hosting your party now Ken? Do you laugh nervously? Do you gasp and turn your head? Do you drop your jaw and stare in amazement? Do you tell them you've already seen this flick? I personally, can't wait to watch TV in Tucson!