Cathy's Turn to Depart

Ultimately, all good (and fun) things come to an end. 
Cathy and I were up early enough that we could make sure to get her suitcases packed and any of her remaining things ready to go.  Thankfully, I live only eighteen miles from the airport so it's a quick drive there and we wouldn't need much time.  Thus, more time at home before she would have to leave.  She had checked in for her flight online that morning to expedite the process once she arrived at the airport.  All she had left to do was check in her luggage.
Her flight was scheduled to depart at one fifty-five PM.  It was pretty close to on time and it left only ten minutes late. 
While waiting in the gate area in the Omaha airport, we both witnessed (as did numerous people in the gate area) a sad example of customer service from another airline representative.  Here is the story....

They had a flight departing next door to where Cathy's flight would be leaving.  So we heard all of her announcements clearly.  She spoke out loud to herself as well.  Complaints of not getting her breaks when she was told she would, waiting on people to board the flight so that she could close the door ten minutes early, and an over-all bad attitude of whining were just a few examples of what we heard from her.  One of her announcements over the entire terminal loud speakers went something like this:  "This will be your final call for flight xxxx.  If you're holding a boarding pass you must be on this flight now for an immediate departure.  If you're in the security area putting your shoes back on, I suggest you board the flight immediately and put your shoes on, on the plane.  I'm missing seven people, you know who you are!" 
Wow!  Cathy and I were stunned at her lack of tactfulness and ability to keep her personal feelings and thoughts out of the announcement itself!  The entire gate area with many people sitting there witnessing all of this was just shocked at her idea of "customer service".  I approached a supervisor that I know at Frontier Airlines and asked him if he knew the representative of the other airline.  He knew of  her but didn't know her personally.  Lucky him!  He said she is like that most of the time.  Really?  Oh my gosh!!!  I'm very surprised she hasn't been fired by now!  It was ridiculous!  Apparently, that's normal for her!  Wow!!!
Cathy was ready to find a supervisor of that airline and make a complaint.  But none was to be found.  And that wasn't all that lady did.  She was determined to get the flight out even though the last seven passengers weren't on board. 
Back at security, a lady (not sure if she was a supervisor) came running to that gate and told the sad example of a customer service (CS) agent, that she had a wheel chair passenger just finishing up with security.  The CS agent then spoke out loud, under her breath, and said, "Well, too bad.  She should have gotten here earlier."  Shortly, the lady in the wheel chair was being pushed to the counter.  The lady pushing the wheelchair made sure that the passenger was boarded, much to the chagrin of the CS agent. 
I was in shock at the entire situation.  I've never heard anyone do that in this line of work before.  So sad.

Cathy lives in Woodburn, Oregon, and would be flying through Denver (via Frontier Airlines) to make a connection.  I believe she even had almost four hours of time to waste in the Denver airport!  (long connection!)  She would have flown on Southwest but it was actually cheaper at the time, to book her ticket on Frontier. 

We said our goodbyes and she boarded her flight.  After making sure her flight departed without issues, I headed for my car to go home.  I didn't have anything that needed to be done or anywhere that I had to be.  So after I got home, I just kicked back and caught up on some TV shows and even napped!  I would be going back to work the next day after an awesome five days off! 

It was so fun to have family here for the holidays but we sure missed having Dad and Beverly here with us.  They stayed in Tioga and spent Christmas with other family on both sides. 

Random photo:  It's not very often that I have a view of other people slaving away in my own kitchen!  Here, Kevin (head band and all from a gift ribbon!), Susan and Cathy are working at putting away the food from our meal on Christmas day and working on the clean up process.  I love having others do that job!  ;-) 

I hope you had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year! 

Nearing the End...

Today was sad on two notes:  One, Kevin's family would be leaving for ND and two, all our time together was almost over. 
Kevin's family has been on the road for almost a week now.  First they were in Harwood, ND to visit friends, then they came here to my home in Omaha.  Today, they'll be traveling back to ND but not home.  They will be going to Grand Forks.  They lived there for several years and remain friends with so many people.  Every year they make the trip back to Grand Forks to catch up with those friends and usually ring in the new year with all of them.  This year, they'll visit but leave before the end of the year in order to make another road trip to Tioga, ND, where our Dad and Beverly reside.  Kevin's version of their rode trip can be read here. 
Early this morning I awoke to find that Kevin had been making a pile of "things-that-need-to-be-loaded-in-the-van" in the living room.  All the girls were up and dressed and Susan was making sure that nothing was left behind.  I set to finding a quick breakfast for them.  Once they had all eaten, the girls helped Kevin take their stuff out to the van.  After hugs and kisses, it was bon voyage. 
Cathy and I still had another day or so before she would be leaving for her home in Oregon.  We were up for the day so I made Tastefully Simple Harvest Spice Pancakes that we ate with Cinnamon Apple syrup (from Tastefully Simple) while Cathy fried up some sausage links.  After breakfast, we showered and got ready for the day. 
Cathy had numerous items that she would be shipping home so she got a big box ready to go and we took it to the post office.  After running another small errand, we went back home and just chilled for awhile.  I had bowling that night so we didn't do much before it was time for us to leave.
Typically some of my teammates will go to a local Keno parlor after bowling for a few drinks and of course, to play some Keno.  Knowing they would be doing this, Cathy and I joined them.  I only go when I don't have to get up at O' dark-hundred for work the next day!  But tomorrow I didn't! 

After a couple hours there, we headed for my house.  It was a nice day that seemed to pass much too quickly!  Tomorrow, Cathy leaves for home.  (sniff sniff)

Beginner's Luck

It's pretty common knowledge that I love baking and cooking.  Growing up I remember helping Mom in the kitchen all the time.  That included the holiday baking.  She used to get out her lefse griddle and she'd roll out rounds of a potato mixture and put them on the griddle to fry.  Usually Dad would be her helper and turn the lefse from one side to the other in order to fry both sides evenly.  I helped occasionally as well.  It was an art to roll that stuff out; years of practice in order to get it done nicely!  My Grandmother's, Aunts and Mom would even get together at one of our homes and make loads of it!  It's a treat that is usually made for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  After my own Mom passed, I decided I'd try my hand at making it and I have her lefse griddle and utensils.  I've been practicing for years now on how to get it right.  Each year it gets a little bit better.  I listen to tips from my Aunts and tweak my recipes or try something a little different each time I make it.  I think I've almost got it! 
Well, my sister Cathy has never made it.  So I told her we would make some while she was visiting.  That way she could take it home with her and have it all to herself!  I showed her the recipes I have and she made copies of them.  Then I had her roll it out and fry it.  Susan and the girls have all learned how from the Sons of Norway lodge that they belong to in ND. 



Cathy working away at mixing the dough.



Her first round on the griddle!



Suzanna frying a very tiny lefse!  Abigail watching Cathy roll out another round.

 Suzanna was Cathy's helper by turning the lefse for her.  When Cathy tired out from all the rolling, Susan took over to try her hand at the art. 


Susan turning her round. 



It was fun to watch and Cathy was very proud!  She now can make lefse!  But first she'll have to get herself the proper tools in order to fry it! 
Later in the day, Cathy and I decided to give Suzanna her birthday present.  Her birthday is the 30TH and we wouldn't be with her on the actual day.  She will be a teenager!  Thirteen years old!  So we had her open her gifts from us that afternoon.

That night, Kevin set to work again in the kitchen.  Each week back home in Dickinson, ND, he prepares a Scandinavian meal on Saturday nights.  He prepared Bergen Easter chicken and cucumber salad.  Susan helped by making roasted vegetables: parsnips, rutabaga, potatoes and carrots, drizzled with roasted garlic infused oil and later topped with balsamic vinegar.  The whole meal was scrumptious!  Along with that we ate more lefse.  Here is Kevin's description of the entire meal. 
In case you haven't figured it out, we Moberg's eat a lot.  There is never a shortage of food when we all get together!

The Holiday Continues

Today after sleeping in a little bit, we ate a breakfast of Denver omelets, fruit, coffee and juice. 
My sister Cathy's room mate Kathy was traveling around the Midwest.  She flew to CO, where her Mom picked her up and they traveled by car to Sedalia, MO to visit more of their family.  On their way back to CO, they made a detour up to Omaha to visit with us!  We met them at a truck stop, Sapp Brothers,  just off the interstate (so they could easily get back on the road) for dinner and had a great visit.  I had last seen Kathy's Mom, Bea, a few years ago at Christmas time when I had been to Cathy and Kathy's house in Oregon for the holiday.  Anyhoo, we visited and had fun talking about traveling and the Christmas weekend. 



My sister Cathy, Hillary, Susan, Kevin, Kathy, Bea

 

Abigail, Suzanna and Me

Before the arrival of everyone, I had found a nearby YMCA that offers use of the facilities even to non-members.  My nieces are all on a swim team back home in Dickinson, ND.  This time of year they normally would be practicing for their meets.  To help keep them in shape, we took them to the Y.  They practiced laps, different strokes and whatever else Suzanna was able to come up with. 

Here they are, all going back and forth. 

 

Hillary, Abigail and Suzanna

While Cathy, Susan and I stayed at the Y to watch them, Kevin left for awhile to go to a grocery store to pick up a few ingredients in order to make a soup from the ham stock that he prepared the night before. 
We stopped at a drive-up coffee shop on the way home and then Kevin set to work (with a little help from Susan) making the soup recipe he had found on line.   
It was delicious and I kept the recipe for future use!  We also had some baked goodies and Ice Cream dessert later.  That's a given.  Another fun day that passed way too quickly!

Christmas Day

I awoke fairly early considering I hadn't had much sleep the night before.  But that's how I am; an early riser.  I found that Hillary and Kevin were up.  Soon after, the other girls and Cathy awoke.  They all went to the fireplace to see if Santa had been here.  Sure enough, the stockings all had something in them.  All of them did....even mine and Cathy's and my cats stockings too!  The cookies were gone and only a little bit of carrot was left.  The milk had been drank as well.  Hillary was so excited because under the stockings, there were three gifts and some candy canes that held candy inside.  Santa had even left them a note! 
But they couldn't open the gifts yet as we were going to eat breakfast first. 



Kevin and the girls waiting for breakfast.

I started making french toast and Susan made a fruit salad with some bananas, Mandarin oranges and grapes.  We also had coffee and orange juice.  Once we were done and everything was cleaned up and put away, the girls were given the OK to see what Santa had brought for them. 



Susan, Suzanna, Hillary and Cathy.  Watching Abigail open her gift. 



Hillary, Cathy, Abigail and Kevin.  The girls are checking out the candy they received.



Hillary opening her gift.  They were given new pajamas!

                             

Abigail opening her gift.  Kevin is just taking it all in.

                        

Suzanna opening her gift.  As you can see, the bows are never wasted! 

Susan and Kevin each got a candy cane of candy in their stockings.  Cathy got a new M&M dispenser that had a green M&M character on it.  She collects the green M&M items.  I got two round tin M&M shaped candy holders that had the M&M's inside.  Yoda got three cat nip filled stuffed mice and Trouble got three cat nip filled stuffed tuna.  Wow, they both went crazy for awhile with those!  Everyone was happy with their Santa gifts! 
So we decided to open our name drawing family gifts as well.  We headed downstairs to the tree and passed out gifts.  Because Dad and Beverly and Cathy's roommate Kathy weren't here,  two people wouldn't open something today.  It ended up being Kevin and Suzanna.  The rest of us opened ours.
Kevin had my name and I received some beverage glasses they had found in Dickinson that match a set of glassware that was once Mom's, that I now have.  The only difference in them is that they have gold trim.  Mom's have silver trim.  Everything else is similar.  I also got an ornament that Susan had made in Norwegian Hardanger and coffee from the college in Dickinson that they sell for fundraising.  It's yummy!


Cathy with her gifts. 



Susan with her gifts.



Abigail with her gifts. 

                             

Hillary with her gifts from Me.  I had her name.  I gave her a personalized Cinch Sack (like a back pack with draw strings to close it), a shirt and an outfit for her Build-A-Bear.    It's the Abominable Snowman outfit you see on the home screen of the web site. 

Trouble (my cat) loved snooping through all the wrapping paper and tissue paper.  He went from one person to the next and played with all of it.  You can see him in the photo above next to Hillary. 

Then it was time to start getting everyone through the shower and ready for the rest of our day.  I went to the kitchen and put a pre-cooked spiral cut ham into my Smart-Pot slow cooker.  It would need about four hours to heat.  It had a glaze that we would add before serving.  We wouldn't be able to eat until about six thirty in the evening.  So for dinner, we ate left-over chili, salad and potatoes from the two previous nights. 


When the time came, Susan, Cathy and I began preparing several casseroles to put in the oven.  Baked oysters, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and scalloped potatoes.  Then we got my good china and silverware out from the hutch and set the table.  It looked so pretty!

The table ready to eat!

Before all the food was ready, I built a fire in my fireplace to warm the house and give the holiday itself a finishing touch.  Nothing feels better than a nice cozy fire!  The girls played games on the living room floor and Suzanna even decided to lay on the couch and catch up on her reading!  She appeared to be warming her feet!

Suzanna

Abigail and Hillary

Finally all the food was ready to eat and boy did we feast!  We set the casseroles on the counter buffet style and had everyone just fill their plate and then sit down.  There was so much to choose from and decided to eat dessert later on.  Our stomachs were just too full!  Along with the main dishes, we also had lefse that I had made and some home made dill pickles that I had from my own Mom's stash from years ago.  The glassware was once Mom's and so was the pickle dish that's on the table.  It's so fun to dig these pieces out to use and remember the past and occasions that we used them for as we grew up. 



It was a great relaxing day all the way around.  We munched on goodies and Ice Cream dessert.  The adults enjoyed some adult beverages and the kids played games and had kid drinks.  Tomorrow we'd have plenty of left overs to eat! 

After cleaning up the dishes, Kevin picked the rest of the ham off the bone and we cooked it in a dutch oven with some vegetables to have as a great soup base.  Tomorrow he would cook a recipe that used the broth. 
Stay tuned for more holiday posts!

Christmas Eve

Today I had to get up for work while everyone was sleeping; 3:15 AM.  I had to be there at five and because of the holiday flight schedule was pretty sure I could leave at ten AM.  As it turned out, I did.  I was excited because I had the next five days off!  My family was at my house and I wanted to get home to start my holiday! 
It had snowed a little bit during the night and when I arrived home, I discovered that my driveway had already been shoveled off.  My brother Kevin had taken care of it for me.  Their girls were already up and had breakfast and Cathy, my sister, had been up for just a short time.  Hopefully I could sneak in a nap during the day. 
Susan, Cathy and I set to putting together a dessert that we would eat after our big Christmas day meal.  Then I made a salad to eat for any of the meals.  It was a pasta salad that had cooked California Blend vegetables, spiral colored pasta, black and green olives and was then coated in Italian Dressing.  It was very good! 
The girls were having a good time playing my old board games that I had dug out for them.  The basement was perfect for them to use my square coffee table to set them up.  I had my Christmas Cd's out and we were listening to those throughout the day.  Kevin played Christmas music on the piano while we ladies were busy in the kitchen.  Dad and Beverly had wanted to get us a big meal even though they were unable to be here.  He had called me during the week and had me pick up Omaha Steaks with a side of Stuffed Baked Potatoes.  He told me that we should think of them while we chewed!  Oh my word!  ;-) 
So I thought that we could eat that meal for our Christmas Eve supper before church.  It was a bit chilly outside but we decided to grill the sirloins and Kevin had the honor of doing that while we got the rest of the meal prepared and the table set.



The Omaha Steak meal with the pasta salad and lefse I made.  We also had shrimp cocktail. 

Later, we attended the eleven o'clock candle light Christmas Eve service at Morning Star Lutheran Church.  It was a crowd of only about sixty people.  As there were two other evening services, I wasn't surprised. 

The altar area set up with a manger scene.



The main entrance into the church.  The windows behind the trees are all stained glass windows.  When it's daylight, they are so beautiful!


When we got home again, we took a family picture in front of my tree before changing out of our good clothes.  I'm so glad I have a tripod!                 



Me, Cathy, Suzanna, Hillary, Susan, Kevin and Abigail

We got all the kids tucked in for the night.  The girls knew that Santa still had a stop to make at my house and didn't want to be awake to ruin the surprise!  Hillary wanted to make sure that we put out some cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.  Kevin told her we'd take care of it and sent her off to bed.  After munching on a few snacks the adults hit the hay as well.  It was almost two AM and I never did get in a nap.  Needless to say, I was very tired.  Tomorrow was going to be a relaxing day and I was very excited!
  

Holiday Preparations

This week has been a scurry of activity for me.  I had a four day weekend which I used to do all of my holiday baking, clean my house before my family arrived and do my grocery shopping for several meals that I had in mind for this weekend.  I also picked up a couple of last minute gifts for my bowling team.  The Tuesday before Christmas at bowling is the night we have a potluck meal at the bowling alley; each member of each team brings a dish to share with everyone.  There is a long table set up where we all just help ourselves during the course of the night.  My teammates and I also exchange gifts with each other.  The evening is always so fun.  Also, each bowler brings a $10 gift.  When every bowler rolls their first strike for the night, they get to go pick out a gift from the pile.  It's neat to see what everyone is opening at their tables. 
But Thursday the twenty third is the day I was most anxious for.  That's the day my family would all be arriving for Christmas at my house! 

 My tree before my family arrived with gifts.

Cathy was scheduled to fly in about five thirty PM.  Kevin's family was driving and would be at my house sometime in the evening.  During the day I finished up my cleaning and went to work making a big pot of chili for supper that night.  Then when everyone was here we could eat whenever.  Sadly, Dad and Beverly wouldn't be able to make the trip. 
As it turned out, Cathy's flight was an hour and fifteen minutes late.  Kevin and Susan would be in Omaha about seven thirty PM.  If it turned out how I thought it would, we'd all arrive at my house at the same time!  Guess what?  We did!  As Cathy and I were getting close to the corner to my house, we saw Kevin and Susan's van crossing the intersection at the same corner!  We followed them onto my driveway!  Funny! 
We got everyone and all their things into my house and then sat down to eat chili.  Everyone was hungry and we all had so much that we wanted to talk about at the same time! 
Later I helped to get everyone settled into a room for the night and we went to bed about eleven PM.  I had to work the next morning and was hoping that I'd get to leave early and start my five day holiday weekend! 


My tree after everyone arrived with gifts!

It was fun to have so much activity in my house.  One of my cats, Yoda, wasn't so sure about it but the other loved all the attention and had to check out all their things.  He's the nosy one....Trouble.   It was going to be a fun weekend.                                                   

Christmas Concert

Do you have a favorite radio station during the holidays?  I'm talking about one that plays Christmas music most, if not all, of the time.  Here in Omaha, I do.  It plays holiday music starting right after Thanksgiving up through the end of Christmas.  I listen to it mostly when I'm baking or decorating for Christmas.  It really gets me geared up for the season.  When I'm in my vehicle, I listen to many;  switching between several on satellite and the local station I like the most. The local station is where I first heard of the group called Mulberry Lane.  They are from Omaha, NE.  I was surprised at how good they were.  Four sisters that grew up on Mulberry Lane.  One of the songs that they are so well known for is called Christmas In Nebraska.
 

This video has actual slide photos of Nebraska, mostly Omaha.  I recognize most of them from downtown. 

This past summer, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the sisters when she was doing a solo performance at a local coffee shop.  I attended along with two of my friends.  Jaymie, the oldest, was there and played her guitar to accompany herself.  She sang a few songs that she had just written along with a few familiar ones that we'd heard.  She gave us her web site information along with her Face Book friend invitation.  Ever since, I see what's happening with their band and keep up with them.  It was from Face Book that I knew of their holiday concert schedule.  I wanted to go no matter what.  Back in October, I bought tickets.  My friend Tammy wanted to go also and bring her entire family.  She also wanted to get tickets for her own Mom and Mother-in-Law;  their gifts for Christmas.  The concert was scheduled for December 17Th at the Orpheum Theater.  I couldn't wait! 

 Tammy and her family....minus the guy on the far left. 

The front of the Orpheum Theater.  The interior is beautiful.  We were not allowed to take photos during the concert.  Major bummer....

The evening turned out to be a very decent one.  The weather was chilly but tolerable.  We were able to park our two vehicles fairly close to the theater thanks to the elder two "Moms" and their handicap parking signs we hung on our rear view mirrors.  

Prior to the concert, I went to Tammy and Steve's house with two wine bottles in hand.  She had cooked up an awesome Manicotti meal for all of us to eat before heading out in the cool night air.  It was so yummy! 

The concert was very entertaining.  They danced, sang, played instruments and entertained.  At one point, the drummer and bass player even joined in the fun.  ALL of them did a switch of instruments several times during one song, taking turns on everything on stage!  It was funny to see them run around as if they were playing a game called "Chinese Fire Drill."    When Rachel sang her solo, Baby, It's Cold Outside, they had one man from the audience come up on stage and sing the male part of the song.  There was a lot happening throughout the performance and it kept it very lively! 



The signed photo I received because of the location and price I paid for my ticket. 


The four sisters have a very tight harmony.  It's great to hear them sing A Cappella, which they did for a medley of Christmas songs. 
So I actually can cross two things off my "bucket list", if you will;  I went to the Orpheum Theater and I heard Mulberry Lane in concert. 

Another Room Complete!

It's already been three and a half years since I moved into my house. You'll recall my brief photos of a few rooms from this post back in 2007. I have since painted or torn down wall paper in several rooms. You'll notice in the post from 2007 the picture of the master bedroom (with blue walls) that is completely ugly! Guess what? I finally changed the looks of it now. And I love it! Remember this? Okay, here are the "after" pictures of that very room. See for yourself....

I even repainted the ceiling fan blades. They used to be a faux wood grain.

I was inspired to get the room done after I had gone shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving. I've been having some terrible back pains for the better part of a year. It's been in large part, due to the bed I've been sleeping on. It was used when I bought it at the time I moved into my house. I knew back then that I would someday buy a nice set. Well, my back just couldn't take the pain any longer. So I found a new set with a pillow top mattress. I knew from my trip to Las Vegas last May that it would work for me to sleep on that kind. That's what was in the room of the hotel that I stayed in.

Check it out......

Queen size with pillow top mattress. It sits quite high from the floor. I had to get used to climbing up to get in! The wood is cherry but it's so dark that it seems more like dark brown.

My next dilemma was selecting a color of paint. I hadn't purchased bedding for the bed yet. So I knew I would do that before I could pick out paint colors. After shopping in three different stores, I found one at my favorite store, Kohl's. I had a tough time picking one out. The colors were similar but the patterns were a little different for my tastes. Then, I had to decide which set had the most items for the cheapest money. I finally found one I liked for an awesome price. It came with all four throw pillows, two sets of sheets, four shams, the bed skirt, comforter, and two extra pillowcases.

Now that I had my bedding, it was time to pick out paint. I'd had some paint samples for a few months in hopes that I'd do this project long before now. Not so much. It was just as well. It seems that I work better under pressure! Why not wait until December when I should be getting ready for the holidays? That didn't start until last week! All I had done prior to December first was to put up the outside lights. Nothing inside had even been started! Oh well....
Two of my friends came over the first weekend of December to help remove the wallpaper. The following weekend, another friend came over to help paint. She also helped me to pick out the colors that matched the bedding and woodwork of the bed. It's such a change and I love it!

Since all of that has taken place, I've put my bedroom back together, decorated my house and have begun my baking for the Christmas holiday. Christmas cards still need to be done but that will happen when it happens! Although I still have a couple things I need to do, it can wait. I've got out of town family coming for Christmas! Woo hoo! I'm so excited! Check back for my posts on their visit!

De-Wallpapering....Good Times, Good Times....

I bought my house back in 2007 knowing I would be removing wall paper from a few rooms. I already changed the upstairs bathroom by removing the wallpaper and then adding paint. Then I repainted three other rooms including two bedrooms and the basement. I've been dreading, more than you can imagine, removing the wallpaper in my master bedroom. There are vaulted ceilings and floor to ceiling wallpaper. Country blue background with little multi-colored flowers all over! I have never been one for wall paper. So I couldn't fathom just what the person that picked out the pattern was thinking! It's awful!

Well, I broke down and decided to get it done this weekend when it was a little chilly. Why not? Fix it up before Christmas and make it look nice before my family arrives for the Holidays. I recruited a couple of my friends (that had told me a long time ago that they would help in the massive job) to come over today and Monday. One of them has a steamer and had found that it works better than any wall paper remover or tiger claw that I had used in the past. Once the outer layer of paper is peeled away, the steamer will loosen the adhesive behind the back layer. It then will come off with a scraper like soggy tissue paper. I have to say, once I got started with it, I didn't really want to stop until the last of the wallpaper was gone!

But it seems that all jobs come with a cost. Poor Tina took a spill off my six foot ladder. She hasn't had the best luck with ladders this year. She had been on a ladder in her own home this past summer and was doing the same type of work when she fell from that one as well.

Well this time, I was on an extension ladder and Trisa was standing on the floor. We had just been talking about the fact that Tina had been feeling a little unbalanced. So I mentioned that she should be banned from ladders. Not five minutes later, literally, we turned at the sound of Tina falling, just in time to watch in disbelief as she fell flat on her back. The ladder went one direction and Tina fell the opposite direction. Her head bounced off the carpeted floor and the ladder ended up getting a bent leg from falling over my nightstand. The nightstand was demolished with the exception of the two drawers. The steamer went flying but miraculously landed on it's bottom without spilling a drop of water. My glass lamp hit the floor without so much as a scratch. However, the frame of the lamp shade did get bent a little so now the shade sits askew over the bulb. My clock took a hit and no longer has a full display of numbers. Tina ended up with bruises on her butt and backs of her legs. She had a cut on her left buttocks and had a very sore neck from her head bouncing around. With Tina refusing medical aide, we took a break for lunch and also to go buy another ladder. The one she had been on was out of commission. So if you notice below, the two different color ladders, now you know why!

This is just two of the walls that are covered!

This is a closeup of the wallpaper. Ish.... country blue.

Here it shows a little progress being made in removing it.

More progress.

After the other two girls left for the day, I continued to work until that night. I had about half of the room left. I knew I could finish it the next day. So once it's done, the next step will be to decide on a paint color. I know for a fact it won't be country blue!! Stay tuned!

Back to Basics

Think about something you've been doing for years. Maybe even as far back as your childhood. Is it something that you may consider yourself good at? Can you almost do it with your eyes closed? Would you even go as far as saying you're very good at it? For example, I play piano as does my whole family. I think I'm pretty good at it too. But so are the other members of my family. No one can never learn enough on any one topic or talent, at least I don't think so anyway. There is always something new to everything. Times change and so do talents, products and methods.

That being said, I decided that I wanted to find out just what I didn't know about,....wait for it,........bowling! I never bowled as a child on a league or team. The first time I really remember bowling was after I was out on my own. My sister was in a band that traveled. So when they got close to home (back in ND), I tried to join them and during their free times, we'd go bowling. I never had any sort of official coaching in the sport of bowling. I just sort of developed my own style and feel for it.
After I moved to Omaha back in 1995, I was invited to join a women's team that consisted of some of my friends. I've been bowling ever since. I don't think I'm all that bad. My average is no where near 200 but it's currently sitting at 150. Not terrible. But I feel that I've climbed a small hill in developing a better technique and now I've leveled off in that climb. So I thought maybe I could learn a few new tricks to aide in bowling better and increasing my average.

I knew from shopping at a pro bowling shop, Tom Kelley Bowling Pro Shop, that classes were being offered to anyone young and old alike. They were held once a month at Wildcat Lanes. It just so happened that the next class was only five days away. So I signed up. I thought it wouldn't hurt to find out what I could do to improve my game.

The teacher, Tom Kelley Sr., whom is now 70 years young, does not look or seem to be 70. He is a tall, slim, gentle, soft spoken man that moves around like he's only 30. If you click on the web site and look at the slides, you'll see photos of him helping customers and one with his son. You'll also see pictures of the shop and the products they have for sale. Both Tom and his son know almost everything there is to know about the sport of bowling. If you need a bowling ball, they make sure it's a ball that is the proper weight for your stature and they do a great job of measuring your hand and drilling the holes in the ball for your fingers for a proper fit for your fingers.

Also on the web site, click on the tab near the top of the page that says "about us." You can read about both Tom, Sr. and Tom, Jr. They have earned many trophies at the state and national level. Both are very accomplished bowlers.

The class consisted of actual class time and then we headed out to the lanes for some actual bowling. We spent about one hour going over the basics; how to hold the ball, the approach, the release and the stance, just to name a few. Once we got out on the floor, Tom, Sr., took video of each of us so that we could see ourselves and figure out what we were doing improperly. He told me I had a great approach but I wasn't holding the ball in my hand the proper way.

It didn't occur to me to take any pictures of Tom, Sr., himself until we were almost done. Then I only got one from the side. So you'll have to look at the web site to see him smiling.

Tom Kelley, Sr.

Now it's been about two weeks since the class and I bowl once a week. I've been trying to apply what I've learned but it's tough to break old habits. I find myself resorting back to some old habits because on occasion, they seem to work. I realize that the "correct" way of doing things would come naturally with practice. But it's hard to practice on league nights when I must keep up my average! So for now, until I have practice time, I'll do what I can with the knowledge I have. Basically.

Unique Airplane in Omaha

Do you happen to watch "The Oprah Winfrey Show"? If you do, then you're familiar with the fact that this season, her 25TH, is her final season. She's going to have a different show on her own network beginning in January; OWN-Oprah Winfrey Network. Her show is based in Chicago, IL. Most of the time, she has some pretty interesting topics. But this season has been unbelievable. She's making the most of her last one and having the best of anything and the biggest stars around, on her show.

Well, unbeknownst to me, United Airlines has an airplane dedicated to her. I saw it one day at work. A Boeing 757 airplane parked at their gates and there it was....the huge Oprah symbol. I love it! Their gates are right next to our own. I was very impressed!

Boeing 757

Read the phrase on the fuselage.

I love this aircraft. It looks so proud the way the landing gear under the nose sits back away from the nose of the aircraft.

It seems like more and more airlines are painting their airplanes to look like animals, objects or just dedicating them to individuals. We at Southwest Airlines have many airplanes with themes painted on them. But I've been seeing more airlines in Omaha have airplanes with a specialty paint job, arrive in town. For instance, we had an unusual visitor in Omaha one day and it was parked at a gate that's near our bag room. I had to get a picture of it as well. Guess who? Air Canada....

Airbus

The Maple Leaf is it's obvious symbol.

One just never knows who will stop in Omaha. Sometimes I see airlines that I've never before heard of! I'll keep my eyes open for other unique airplanes....and you'll get to see them too!