Anne's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 2/17/04 -------------------- 2/11/04 2/5/04 1/28/04 1/27/04 1/7/04 12/31/03 12/19/03 11/19/03 11/12/03 10/24/03 10/16/03 10/8/03 9/25/03 9/19/03 9/9/03 9/4/03 8/27/03 8/21/03 8/14/03 8/7/03 7/29/03 7/23/03 6/30/03 6/13/03 5/15/03 5/7/03 4/23/03 4/7/03 3/26/03 3/7/03 2/7/03 1/29/03 1/19/03 1/3/03 12/6/02 11/6/02 10/22/02 10/15/02 10/9/02 9/30/02 9/23/02 9/10/02 8/29/02 1/1/01 -------------------- Anne's Introduction

December 19, 2003

12-19-03, Friday

Since I last wrote, I took Owen to the doctor to check out his congestion and cold. I wanted to make sure I couldn’t do something for him before we left for our Thanksgiving trip. They combined his 2 month check-up with the appointment. He weighed in at about 12 ½ pounds. I wasn’t watching and the nurse just averaged when she told me. And he measured 23 inches. The doctor wouldn’t prescribe or recommend anything for his congestion. I was a little disappointed because he was so miserable. She said they don’t prescribe anything for babies under 6 months. I had already bought some infant’s Dimatap. I called my SIL because she had taken her daughter in and they said Dimatap would be OK for her daughter. So, she told me how much they recommended. I tried that and it didn’t work either. In fact, since then I have tried it all…humidifier, mister, saline drops, decongestant drops, smelly nose stuff, nasonex, the bulb, sleeping on a pillow, in a chair…you name it we tried it. The poor kid is so congested. And it’s mostly swollen membranes. The phlem is in the back of his throat so that’s why the bulb doesn’t work. I try to give him baths and have even steamed up the bathroom for him. Nothing works.

Anyway, to get back on target, we went to Virginia for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We drove half way and stayed in Beckley, West Virginia. We got a great deal at a hotel with an indoor pool and it was right next to the Cracker Barrel. So, when we arrived, only 6 hours into the trip, we went swimming and did some hot tub time, then bundled up for the walk over to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. I found some great stocking stuffers and gifts there for the boys. We had a tasty meal, then Ron accidently poked G in the eye and ruined the rest of the meal and part of the evening for us all. The next day, on our way to Fairfax, we stopped half way and did some touristy stuff at Lexington, Virginia. That is where the Virginia Military Institute is. Being ex-military it was very interesting for Ron. He has a degree in Military History. We enjoyed walking around on a Sunday morning. We stopped at a college town coffee shop, read the paper and had a sip of beverage. Ah, the reminders of college – I miss it. I think in our hearts, Ron and I would love to both work as teachers or professors. G loves seeing the cadets and knew immediately that they were “soldiers.” We made it to Fairfax in time for dinner at my sister’s house. We settled in and enjoyed the short 6 hour drive that day. For the next couple of days, I did plenty of shopping for Christmas. We went to the outlet malls and IKEA, regular malls, Build-a-Bear. I still wanted to shop more. One night, my sister watched the kids while Ron and I went to see a movie at the dollar theater. We saw “Second Hand Lions.” Very Good. Thanksgiving was nice; food was good; company was great. The drive back to Kentucky was nice. We again stayed in Beckley at the same hotel on the way back. They had gotten a few inches of snow the night before so G was very excited. This time we drove to a restaurant instead of walking over. It was just too cold for that. The wait at the Cracker Barrel was too long so we ate at Tex’s and had a great meal. I had ribs that were very tender. I love ribs. The next day we stopped over in Louisville to meet some family for lunch (around 1 pm) and exchange some gifts given to us by my sister to deliver and got home around 5 that night. The next day was my first day back to work – officially!

So, I’ve been at work for 3 weeks now and have been somewhat busy. I was informed that I got a 4% raise which was nice. Because we have downsized so much in the last 18 months, those of us who were left all got 4% raises. Because we are all the best workers, they kept us around, therefore we got the raises. The bummer part of all this is that we have all worked our bums off trying to find work and going above and beyond for our clients and proposals for future work. We are trying to convince our clients that they need more so that our contracts increase in money or duration. That all means job security. And in some cases it has worked. I know I will have a job until next year. Working as a contract company sure sucks sometimes. It can be so hit or miss. And since Ron and I both work for the same company, it can be stressful. What I was saying was that the bummer part of working so hard is that none of us got raises. We are part of a bigger company in Virginia. And “corporate” takes a good chunk of the money for our projects and gives it to the upper management. I want to know what they did to deserve bonuses when we did all the work! They already get paid more than I do. The only reason I stay here is because I like what I do, it’s flexible, and I get 4 weeks vacation a year. I’ve been chatting with some girlfriends and some of them get massive bonuses. Amounts I’ve never even imagined. You know though, I’d even appreciate a Turkey for Christmas. The company’s stock increased over 30% this year so I know we are making money somewhere. As far as I know there is no company Christmas party/appreciation. I personally planned a holiday pitch-in for the 8 of us in our division. Most everyone came. We did a gift exchange. Our boss showed up. Then he announced a “birthday” celebration for our company for 1 year. We have changed our names 3 times in 5 years. It was very nice that the company donated a cake and expected us to go to lunch and pay for our own meals. I didn’t even both with the cake.

We celebrated Christmas at my mom’s house last Sunday. She has a big get-together each year. Thank God for family. It was especially hard this year for my mom, not only because my dad died in August but also mom’s mother died a week ago. My grandmother was 97 and lived a full life. She was in a nursing home in Massachusetts near my aunt. They cremated her and didn’t bother having a ceremony. No one was nearby and all my grandmother’s friends were dead. Mom had been up to see her earlier this year. But, the party went well at mom’s house. We had tons of chicken, mac and cheese, deserts, appetizers, and drinks. It was a little crazy since most of the family could attend. We also invite some of my in law’s parents. My stepdaughters came and brought their boyfriends. K has been dating the same guy for over a year, we think they’ll stay together. N has a new boyfriend and she seems to really be comfortable with him, more than the last one. And he’s got goals. Ron and I exchanged gifts with them. They were leaving a few days later to visit their mother for the Holidays. And Ron was heading out an hour later for work and would be gone for 2 days. So, we showed up early at mom’s house for our gift exchange. Everyone got tons of gifts and food and the best part is seeing all the kids play together. We always try to get a picture of the kids who are close in age each year. G and his 3 cousins, and now Owen and his two cousins. Ron’s son was not in attendance which brings me to the next thing – DEPLOYMENT IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION FREEDOM OF IRAQ.

T has been gone for 2 weeks in preparation for deployment in January. He called us 2 days in to tell us for sure he is leaving January 3rd. So, we immediately booked him a plane ticket to go with his sister’s to see his mom. T will be gone most likely for a year. We are very proud of him and hope he stays safe. We don’t ‘officially’ know where he’s going but we think Bagdad. Keep him in your prayers.

On January 1st, my brother becomes inaugurated as the Mayor of my hometown. All but one of my siblings (there are 9 total) are able to come. The next night, the 2nd, is the Inaugural Ball. It should be tons of fun. I love my family. We are so tight.

Tomorrow, Ron and I are leaving for Florida for the Holidays. We will drive to Atlanta tomorrow and stay the night with a Precon writer, Hilary. Then we will arrive in St. Pete on Sunday. Wednesday, we will drive to Naples, and celebrate Christmas with my brother and his family. Thursday we will drive up to River Ranch and stay there for a few days and head back to KY on Sunday. I’m thinking Friday, the 26th, will be the best Disney Day.

Owen is still not sleeping as well as I’d like. He has a few times slept more than 4 hours. In fact, last night he slept for 4 ½. It surprised me since he is so congested. But, then he was up every hour after than, trying to suck air through his stuffy nose. G had a fever this week. I got a call on Tuesday to go pick him up, 2 hours after I dropped him off. He spiked a fever of 103 on Wednesday, then it dropped as fast as it went up. So, he was back to school, eating, and his old self on Thursday.

When my father died, my mother received everything – for the most part. His parents left my father a little money and that money came to us 9 children. It means a lot to me that dad was able to do that for us. Not only have we been able to pay off our cars and other debts, but also have a nice Christmas. Thanks Dad.

Anne