Update on Oreo from January 25th post

I couldn't resist the temptation to find out just how Oreo (my dog) was doing. So I emailed Amanda, part of the family that has her. Here is what she told me...

"We still have her! She is great!! She has really opened up to a lot of people. She still is worry of people she doesn't know. But she is great with all of the family and she loves to play with other dogs. We have her birthday marked on Wednesday. She really is attached to my sister and she sleeps with her everynight. She is a really changed Dog. We love her so much! Thanks for giving us her!"

I'm so relieved that she is doing well. I worried that the family may not want to deal with her shyness. But it was good for her to be in a family with several people, including children!


Be happy Oreo!....You deserve it....

Oreo....

Yesterday was the day, a year ago, that I had gone to the Humane Society and adopted Oreo......My sweet girl. I miss her and wish that I could have kept her. She is with another family that has children. I haven't actually contacted that family since they came to get her but hopefully all is well. I would feel too bad if I found out otherwise. I love and miss you sweet girl....

One of our fun times......playing!

On her bed...she loved it!

Another One in the Books....

I'm not usually one to get involved in any conversation of any topic that has to do with politics, ever. I've never had much interest in it, ever. Even while in school, Government and History classes were my least favorite. But I felt the need to write of this historic event in lieu of my feelings on the whole issue.

Today, even though I was working, I was able to witness on television the Inauguration of our 44TH President. My specific job was in our bag room where we sort the checked bags into carts for transport out to the respected aircraft. We have a small run down TV and chintzy radio for our use to help pass the time if things ever quiet down in between flights. This doesn't happen very often. But this particular day we had a somewhat slow day by our airlines' standards.
As only two people work in the bag room at one time, my co-worker Rick and I were curiously interested in the pre-inauguration activities. We had the TV on and we were keeping a watchful eye on each movement that was peaking the interest of the networks camera people. This being done while tending to our job duties mind you!
I have been amazed particularly at just how much the public has become so involved with trying to improve our society and the troubles that have developed over time. Once Barack Obama became President and asked "everyone" to lend a hand and take some responsibility for our country, it appeared as though it was taken to heart. I don't recall from past elections seeing such interest generated by one simple request from a newly elected President. Locally, people have literally jumped on the band wagon. Be it because of the ethnicity of President Obama and the history that has been made by his election or simply by the state of our economy. Bus loads of citizens departed Omaha just days prior to the Inauguration to go to the US capitol and witness history in the making.
I have to admit, I was holding back some emotions during the musical performance and even during the oath. The lives of the Obama family are on the verge of changing quite drastically. Especially the daughters of the President. First they all made the move across the country from Chicago and now that its' all official, their lives have all but left normalcy behind. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. They aren't the only ones that have a lot in store for them. Our nation does too. There will be some adjusting for everyone as a whole.
But lets not forget one other family. George W. and Laura Bush . I can't even fathom what it will be like for them to go from being doted on day and night coupled with the Secret Service being ever present. Having a 747 jet at their disposal to having to make their own breakfast or drive themselves to the grocery store. Who knows, maybe they will keep up some sort of house staff in their new home. Maybe things won't change all that much. I'm purely speculating. Just think about it. From the White House to a 4 bedroom home in Dallas, TX.
Even though politics usually bore me to tears, I was surprised at my emotional involvement in all that was occurring on the TV today. I have to say though, the hat that Aretha Franklin wore was, um.... hideous! I did however, like the orchestra members and the performance they gave. Beautiful.....

One final word....have you noticed the absence of all the political advertisements on every television station? 4 more years until they pop up once again!

January Christmas Party

Our Southwest Airlines employees in Omaha had our annual holiday party last night. It was held at the Holiday Inn Ameristar (The Ameristar is one of our local casinos) in the Lewis and Clark banquet room. The room was beautifully decorated with two separate Christmas trees in opposite corners of each other. The long table that held our food had lovely ornaments laying amongst the pans with sections of bridal ribbon that you might use to decorate a bouquet of flowers or any other craft project. The dessert table had deep red napkins atop a white table cloth with a couple different heights to make a display that you may see in a magazine. The desserts themselves were so perfectly made that they appeared to be fake! And all the dining tables had been set with Christmas themed centerpieces that had greenery mixed in with Poinsettias all sprinkled with glitter. There were also deep red napkins at each place that matched the dessert table.

The hours devours table had a vegetable and relish tray and a cheese, sausage and cracker tray. There was also a bowl of Champagne Punch, a very tasty drink indeed! Everything was so nice! We had gone to meet with the banquet manager prior to our party and selected our menu in advance so we knew what we would be eating. The meal started with a garden salad and assorted toppings and dressings. Then we moved on to the buffet that had the following choices: Roast beef, chicken cordon bleu, pecan crusted salmon, twice baked mashed potatoes and glazed baby carrots. Dessert choices were German chocolate cake, carrot cake, pumpkin pie and New York cheesecake. Water, iced tea, coffee and milk were included. Everyone had 2 free drinks and from there they were on their own.

I arrived a little bit early as I was helping another girl get all the gifts for the employees carried in from her car. We also had to put disposable cameras on all the tables and Southwest themed gifts at each place. As each guest arrived we gave them two free drink coupons and each employee drew a number that would be used in our gift drawing later in the evening. It was fun to see everyone with their spouse or date. Some we hadn't seen since last year's party.

Our entertainment for the evening was a comedian, Austin Anderson, from one of our local comedy clubs, The Funny Bone. He was pretty good, mixing in some jokes about some of our guests along with his own venue of stories and tribulations. Everyone seemed to enjoy him.

After the comedian was gone and the tables were cleared, we commenced with the gift drawing. We made a game out of it. The first person to draw picks an envelope. After opening it to see what they won, they are done until the very end. The following people that draw can either steal what the previous person drew or pick a new envelope and see what they get. And so it continues. Each prize or gift can only be stolen 2 times. After all prizes or gifts have been drawn for, the very first person to draw has the option of stealing (or actually trading) his prize with another person's that is still available. Get it? It's so fun and everyone loves it! We had a couple people keeping track of how many times each thing was stolen so that no one could argue the issue! I came home with a Samsung Blu-Ray DVD player. Prior to the party and before Christmas, Lisa (from work) and I went shopping at Best Buy. We ended up with some great deals with all the specials for the holiday that were happening. Throughout the year, we raise money for our party simply from our 2 pop machines that everyone at the airport has access to. It's amazing how much we can get from them! That's how we afforded our gifts from Best Buy!
We spent roughly $2800.00 for all the gifts so that each employee in our station would receive something.
After the party was over, several of us walked over to the Ameristar to try our luck. I actually had won $56 dollars on a penny slot machine but ended up with a total loss of $40. Then it was time to go home. All in all a very fun evening!

Back on the Road

Today Dad and Beverly left my house to drive back to their own home in ND. The night before, there was a snowstorm that moved through ND, SD, NE and MN in one long swoop that dumped piles and piles of new snow as it went on it's merry way eastward. Omaha only received roughly 2 or 3 inches of the white stuff. But up in Minot, ND, the weather channel was reporting that 10 inches of snow had blanketed the city. They were already having issues finding places to put the snow that was currently on the ground. Thanks to the weather on Friday I had one more day to spend with Dad and Beverly. Thank you Mother Nature!

But Dad wanted to get home before the next surge of bad weather was scheduled to move through their area.

So after we all got up and had coffee and breakfast, they got all their stuff packed up and I helped them take it out to the car. Bandy (their dog) could sense something was up. She just layed around and looked at them as if to question why they had to go. She looked sad.

Bandy in the car all ready to go....."are you guys coming?"

Dad and Beverly next to their new car....Ford Edge. Ready to leave for home.

I'm so glad that we had this entire week to be together. I loved having them at my house and getting to cook for more than just myself! Hopefully it won't be as long before the next trip to Omaha !!!!

A New Toy for Me!

Last year early on I began to get the bug to buy another vehicle. My van is still great but has many miles on it. Also, last summer I had to make some repairs on it that were quite costly, and put all new tires on it right after the repairs were done. It's running great and is in great condition considering the high mileage it has. However, there comes a time when you just can't stop thinking about having something new.

I've been checking the Internet and looking at the local Ford dealership web sites with intensity since last fall. I wanted to compare prices for the Escape. One needs to know just what they would get for the price they pay!

Right before New Year's Day, I saw an ad for a used Ford Escape at a car lot (not Ford) very near to my house. So on my way home from work on New Year's Day, I stopped to see how it looked. This is the first one that I've actually gone to look at. I've managed to keep myself from driving to the Ford dealers only because I knew that I would probably make an impulse buy! Not good!!! It was very pretty. But again, it was the first one I'd looked at. It's best to shop around, right?

Well, then Dad and Beverly arrived and I told him about it. The first day they were here, Dad and I went to look at it again. From there we drove to an actual Ford dealer that is also close to my house. We actually got out and walked between all the new Escapes. I was only interested in the ones that had 4 wheel drive and anything from there was OK as far as the interior was concerned. We had all the numbers in our minds for what they included and how much they started out in price.

From there, we went to another Ford dealer a little further away. They had sooo many more to look at! It was like finding gold for me! The colors were so nice and the options varied from one to the other. I was getting a better idea with each Escape that I looked at, as to what I would want in my new vehicle. But we didn't drive any and went home from there.

That night, I decided to get on the Internet, find the Ford web site and build an Escape with only the options that I wanted. The prices were cheaper than what we saw that had less options. I emailed the detailed Escape that I had built to a local Ford dealer and the next day I had a phone call from the Internet specialist that he had found one that was almost a match to what I was looking for! He emailed me the window sticker for this particular Escape. Very nice to say the least and the price still included employee pricing, the special that has been advertised for weeks now. It appeared to be a great deal! But I couldn't actually see the vehicle as it happened to be in Missouri!

The next day, Dad and Beverly were troopers. They went with me to the dealership and sat with me as I discussed the new vehicle with Bill, the Internet specialist. We bargained on the price, whether to trade my van or not, yadda yadda yadda. You know how it goes. Anyway, after long deliberation, we came to an agreement on the Escape that I still had yet to see. I've never done that before! I was going to purchase a vehicle before I actually saw it. But, it was brand new. So it would be safe. It would be driven to Omaha the next day and be washed up and filled with gas. Friday I would be able to pick it up. And voila! Here it is!

The color is actually Light Sage Green Clearcoat.

I plan to sell my van even though it will be hard to part with it. I've had it since May of 2001. It's spacious and runs great. So for now, I'll make room in my garage for both vehicles.

Bandy Gets a Makeover!

While Dad and Beverly were visiting here, we took Bandy to Petco to get her hair cut at their salon. We had to leave her for roughly 4 hours so they could give her "the works". She got her nails trimmed, a bath, her hair cut, and her teeth brushed. Yes, her teeth were brushed. She needed it! And it definitely improved her breath!
So while she was in the salon, we all went and bargained on a new vehicle. When we picked her up again she was all spruced up! And such a cutey!

Before her hair cut.....

After.....

Bandy with her new coat!

We went shopping on Tuesday at Petsmart for some "dog" things and Bandy now sports a new velvety coat with a fur collar. She absolutely loves it! She seems to be more calm with it on as well. Now she can ward off the cold ND temps when taking care of business outside! It looks so cute on her......she's a pampered pup!

I Have Visitors!!!!

Today is the day! Dad and Beverly told me they were leaving their house in ND on Saturday and would make it a two day trip.

After finishing a couple other clean-up duties, I would be getting company today! I was able to relax and just wait for their arrival. I had just turned on my outdoor Christmas lights to help make finding my house a little easier. Finally about 5:30PM I saw their car on my street, barely creeping along and squinting at each house number in an effort to figure out just which house would be the end of their trek. So after opening the front door and waving to get their attention, I put on my coat and went out the door so that they would know I wasn't some over zealous greet freak! Once they realized they had reached their destination, i.e. my house, they pulled in the driveway. Bandy, their dog, was practically jumping through the closed window of the car just to see the person on the outside of the car peering in at her! (that was me!)

They had made it with the aide of the GPS. **Thank goodness they had entered the correct address!
****Story within this story: Now if you don't know the story behind that comment, it's a total other story in itself! You can read about it from my brother Kevin's blog and a trip our family made just over a year and 1/2 ago. (I'm really not trying to pour salt in any wounds!) But it's funny! Here is the first part of that and here is the BEST part of that story!

Anyway, they had no problems getting to my house.......thankfully. The weather was good in Omaha and they made it! I was so excited!
A: I was on vacation!
B: Dad and Beverly hadn't been to Omaha since before I bought my house, which was in July of 2007.
C: I love having guests!

After admiring their new car, a Ford Edge, we made our way into the house and I gave them the tour. I knew they may not like all the stairs that need to be climbed in order to get around but they did pretty well.

We brought all their things up to the bedroom and got them settled in. I had made a big batch of chili that was cooking in my slow cooker and would be ready to eat after they got here. So we sat down and ate supper. Just as I suspected, the cats each had their own thoughts about the dog. Trouble was just annoyed because of Bandy's curiosity towards him. Bandy and Trouble ran all over the house. Bandy would get frustrated because the cat would find a high spot to avoid her. Then she would start barking at him as if to chew him out for not playing fair!
Yoda found a spot under my bed and hid. It was just a matter of time before he would be comfortable enough to come out and be sociable. It was going to be fun watching the animals interact, no doubt.

The rest of our time will include shopping, eating, hanging out at my house, and eating and maybe more eating! I have lots of cookies and other goodies to share with them. They won't be hungry when they go home!

New Year, New Vacation....

Today is the first day of vacation, 2009. The first day of the first week out of 4 weeks that I have to use for this year. I wanted to get my holiday decorations put away and get my house cleaned up so that I could put my non-holiday decorations back up for the year. This job requires reorganizing each piece to fit just so into the respective plastic tote or box and stack them back up against the wall in my laundry room. It's here that the storage containers will acquire a brand new layer of dust over the next 11 months until it's time for me to do it all over again. Now I remember why I love Christmas so much!!! (too much work!)

But I had another motive for getting everything put away and getting my house back to normal. I will be having family coming for a visit and staying with me! My Dad and Beverly and their dog Bandy. I'm sure my cats will wonder what the heck is going on when they see Bandy. They haven't seen my house yet. My cats will probably wonder what the heck is going on but seeing how they are familiar with dogs, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm sure it will be entertaining! I love having people here and cooking the old favorites of childhood days that my Mom used to be famous for.

I'm not sure exactly which day they will arrive but it will be this weekend. I'll be ready! I don't have to work until the 13TH so it will be nice to hang out at home or shop or whatever they feel up to.

Here's to vacation !!!

Happy New Year!

Because my days off fall on Sat/Sun, (this schedule will be short lived!) I was still scheduled to work on New Year's Day. But this holiday we actually had a reduced flight schedule. We were still starting our shifts at 5 AM, but the first flight out wasn't until 7:20 AM. That means that we didn't have to do too much until roughly 6 ish. Plus, we only had 3 originating airplanes which were spread out through 3 hours. EASY! Typically, we have 4 originators all leaving between the hours of 6:15 and 8:45.
One of my fellow ramp agents brought in some ingredients to make a breakfast consisting of eggs, ham, onions, peppers and sausage. We ate toast with that. I had (without knowing of his intentions) brought in a loaf of beer bread and Spinach and Herb dip. So during our shift, people munched on that as well. It was a relaxing easy day compared to that of Christmas Day. The holiday travelers are finally getting home again which makes our life easier at the airport!
New Year's Day was incidentally my last day of work before my vacation started. Once I left work at 1:30 PM on the 1st, I am off until the 13Th. Yippee!
My Dad and Beverly will be driving here from ND sometime this weekend. I'm not sure how much time they will spend here but hopefully it's a long time! After all, they are retired and it's a lot warmer here than there. They haven't been to Omaha since before I bought my house. That was in July of 2007. So I'm very excited for them to come and stay! They will bring their dog Bandy with them. I'm glad because my naughty cat Trouble will have no time to get into my cabinets, closets, etc. He has a knack for doing these things while I'm trying to sleep. I'm hoping that he will be too worn out at night to do that!

I don't actually make resolutions but hopefully I can do better on the procrastination issue that I seem to have! Sometimes I tend to put things off. Don't we all?