Summer has arrived

Summer sure is here. Not only was it in the high 80's over the weekend but after a full day of partying on Saturday Abby and I were able to rally and join some friends out for a day on the boat. While I know longer own a boat I still have close connections with a friend that is often more than willing to take us all out. It was a great weekend. On Saturday Chris and I, along with some friends, held our now 8th annual Cinco de Mayo party. I'm not sure if it has ever actually been on the 5th of May but it is always a good time. It has grown into quite a crowd over the years and now includes not only some parents but also some friends that now have children. All around a fun time was had by all.
Next weekend Abby graduates from Nursing school so we are eagerly awaiting any news of a possible job. She is getting quite anxious but I'm sure something will come about soon.

Home

Well, I will certainly never have a yard looking like Bec and SJ's but it' slowly getting there. A little over a month ago Abby and I had a truck load of dirt dropped off in the back yard. The yard was uneven and filled with sandy soil. ( Not ideal for all the plants I have in store ) So we started little by little moving the dirt around. Now it's important to note that we are not dealing with a grand space by any means, however moving dirt around sucks! Soon it will be too hot to throw out seed but we are going to try anyways. A lot of the plants that needed to get in the ground and benefit from the spring weather were planted with lots of black cow added in. Luckily some of the plants that I put in at the end of the summer survived the winter and poor soil. So while the side/back yard is a complete wreck at least some of the flowering plants will soon be full of color.
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Abby and I had a "Adult Easter Party". The invitation, designed by Abby, was titled "We're too old to hunt for eggs, so instead we'll get a keg". It was a blast. We got things going around 1 in the afternoon and the last folks didn't leave until close to 2 am. I am not that hard core anymore when it comes to partying but it sure was fun. I grilled some chicken and duck wings then finished it off with some grilled salmon. Abby was hard at work the day before pumping out egg salad sandwiches for everyone along with some other treats. She even placed some random Easter eggs around the house with chocolates inside. A few of the eggs even had mini bottles in them. So all around it was a good Easter.
Currently we are counting down until graduation day. Abby graduates on May 15th and has been on the job hunt for quite some time. With today budget cuts across the board in the medical field it is looking hard for new grad's but she remains hopeful. I am hopeful too since when she get a job it will be like I'm getting a bonus. :) We joke that she is my little investment ( b/c that sounds better than money pitt )
OK, even though the computers here at work are still on the fritz I think it's time for lunch. Hope all is well.

Up in the Mountains....

Up at the house for a rain filled long weekend with the Rents and Abby.  Oh yea and all 4 of our dogs.  Abby and I got up here early on Friday and opened up the house for mom and dad.  It rained almost the entire way from Charleston.  We really needed the rain here and in Charleston so it was welcomed all around.  

At home Abby and I have been trying to get the house all ready for spring.  I had a dump truck drop off a load of dirt the other week and we have been slowly spreading it around.  The other weekend we spent hours at lowe's picking out flowers, vegetables and herbs.  This is all in preparation for a easter party we are having the afternoon before easter.  With any luck the plants will have gotten a healthy boost of energy and take to their new surroundings just fine.  

On a side note, Molly is jobless but still doing much better than she has in a long time.  Personally I don't think she is really out looking for a job but that's her problem I guess.  Mom and dad are putting added pressure on her so hopefully she will find something soon.  

OK, well since Chapel Hill is playing as I type it is hard to focus over my mothers excitement.  Hope all is well with everyone.  Come visit soon...  Spring is great in Charleston.

I'm Back

OK, I know it's been way too long. I lost track over the holidays and work has been quite hectic. I really wanted to blog my way across the country when I went out to pick up Molly and drive her home. That trip was really no where near as terrible as I thought it was going to be. I made Molly go to the Grand Canyon and then South to Comfort, Texas to see her godmother Lee. From there we headed East, having lunch with a friend of mine in the Big Easy then staying with friends/family in Mobile. I know I am not giving much detail, but you get the jist? (spelling )

Work is crazy! I keep telling people that even though the economy may be in the crapper, people are getting divorced left and right. Oh well! I have been without a front desk receptionist since before xmas. That did not help things. Finally today a new girl has started and I hope to get my work life back in order. For someone with the ADD that I still have, being and organized person without help is a nightmare.

The house is going along well. Abigail is constant source of reason when it comes to calming down all the crazy ideas I have for the house. ie: knocking down walls, expanding, etc. She even tolerates my never ending remodeling projects. We were down to one toilet for quite a while and have been without one of the bathroom sinks for an even longer time. I think that as long as one of the two toilets work, the shower works, and at least a sink not including the kitchen sink works, she will continue to tolerate me. We did over the holidays get the front room/guest room/storage room in working order. There is now a bed with a matress and it is accessable. There is still no paint in that room and the ceiling looks like crap but hey, the rest of the house is painted and put together...

OK well I hope everyone is doing well. I'm off to start reorganizing my office.

It's finally cold!

OK, so I know for most of you that the cold weather is just part of life...but this sucks. It has been in the 30's here at night. I know, I know, it's much colder everywhere else. You must understand though, cold weather down here is a gradual and brief experience. We all know it happens but are rarely prepared for it. Last week I had to put the AC on two nights in a row b/c it was still in the upper 70's. Oh well. At least with this cold weather it is now impossible to ignore the fact that Thanksgiving is just a week away and that X-mas is coming up soon. I'm still not sure what happened to the summer.

The good/bad/n ugly that comes along with the weather is that I am now able to see what trees need to come down on the back of my property. I may have mentioned that my house backs up onto what was decades ago a rail road. It was actually one of the first rail lines in the South that led to the development and later collapse of dozens of little towns throughout the South in the middle of nowhere. Once the trains were no more and the land just sat there for many years, the city/state finally dug up the old tracks and turned a few miles of this old rail line into a greenway. It is a very nice semi paved trail that leads through a few different neighborhoods. The dogs love running up and down as often as possible. Getting back to the point though, my fence runs along this path and the area b/w my fence and the path, or at least the part maintained by the city, was completely overgrown and filled with junk. Towards the end of the summer I started spraying some industrial strength round up in order to go in this winter and clear out the mess. Now that everything has died back I now have to start the dirty work. I'm not sure when exactly this will take place but I'm thinking sometime around x-mas break sounds good. I will then need to have cook out in order to burn all the dead wood. Sounds like a party!

OK enough rambling. See you all soon.

Constantly Playing Catch Up

Hey everyone,

Once again I just can't get used to paying attention to this thing. I love it in theory but can't seem to remember to keep up with it.
Life is going well down here. Work is busy and the house is coming along. Abby and I are constantly tweaking one thing or another.

As for everything else.. Mom and I had a good as could be expected trip out to Cali to see Molly. We for the most part left her alone as she was mainly interested in seeing us for meals and shopping. That was fine b/c it aloud Mom and I to drive up and down parts of the Pacific Coast Highway. This was really beautiful. We also spent a few hours walking around Disneyland one day. This was pretty much what we expected it to be. Totally worth the people watching.
Molly will not be coming to the Farm for Thanksgiving but she will come home for X-mas.

There is not really any interesting news from Charleston. Mom and Dad finally finished all the reconstruction on Mom's TV room / closet / bathroom. After more than six months of on again off again construction from a lousy handy man they finally found some guys that finished the job in a little over a month. The room's look great. She has a closet most of you woman would die for and a nice walk in shower. We all spent a good bit of Saturday moving furniture back into place thus making the house more presentable. They are now able to put guest up once again.

And as soon as I can find a nice small bed for my spare bedroom I will be ready for guest as well. If anyone has a daybed like frame they would like to get rid of let me know. Perhaps I could strap it to the top of my car over Thanksgiving and buy a new mattress at home.

OK, well I should get back to work. Hope all is well.
See you soon.

Life

Hello all! Sorry I have seriously been slacking off on the blog front. The end of the summer has been one thing after another and it just occurred to me last night that not only had I not been writing but I haven't been keep up on all of your lives.

It is so much fun to see all the pictures you are all taking of the now younger generation of the extended family. Hey, when did we all stop being the younger generation? I'm not sure if I am OK with that...

Quick Molly update; She is now working at a natural foods vegetable place. She was jobless for a while which caused some serious issues b/w her and my parents but I think all is well now. As we all know when she is good she is great and when she is bad she is awful. No middle ground with the Darling Angel. (What I have been calling her for years now) I don't think she gets that it is a joke but oh well.

As for the house, it is coming along. Each free weekend or evening I find myself trying to get one thing or another still put away. I still have one entire room filled with random junk that I am slowly going through. The weather is finally cooling down here so lately I have been trying to do a lot of yard work. Since I can remember my parents have always had yard people but some how I have found a love for working in the yard. I know many of you love living in the big cities but I honestly don't think I could live without a yard. This year I was not so good about vegetables as I normally am but I still managed to get a few tomatoes and as always some green peppers and chili peppers. About a year ago I purchase a lime, lemon and orange tree. The orange tree struggled for life but is doing well. No oranges yet but I expect some next year. I luckily had a few limes but only one measly lemon. The lime tree is a must down here in the summer time. Saves a lot of money while drinking those gin and tonics all season long.

OK well I've rambled on long enough. As always I will try to get better at this. Hope everyone is doing well. Have a good weekend.