#004 Winkles Update: Happy New Year!
Wow! Can you believe that 2004 has already come and gone? Why does it seem that the older I get, the quicker time seems to fly by?
I’ve been watching a lot of news lately. It is a continual reminder of why I hate watching the news. Tragedy and misfortune seem to always make their way to forefront, and 2004 had quite a bit of that on display. I am still amazed at all the devastation from the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck the Andaman Sea area. I don’t know what it’s done for any of you, but it really makes me think about just how fragile life can be. The image that I can’t seem to shake from head is the woman holding her dead child, shaking back and forth and crying hysterically.
I just can’t imagine.
I hope I never have to.
As I said before, I dislike watching the news because it always seems to make me depressed. I don’t operate well under depression, so let’s move onto nicer topics: visiting family.
Christmas at Mom-K’s
My kids learned something about Santa Claus this year. Not only does he drop off presents every year, he also drops them off at every relative’s house they we planned to visit. He visited my brother’s house and every Mom-in-Law. I’m surprised my kids didn’t get a little wiser and ask to visit more relatives.
I sure would have.
After spending the first day in Washington doing nothing other than relaxing, we decided to venture out and visit Mom-K’s house. This was actually my first trip here. I’ve been married to Livonia for over 7 years, but have never seen Mom’s house. Pretty amazing, especially considering that Livonia and I have been with each other since ’94.
The boys got right at home within minutes of arriving. The trip back in July that Livonia took did a lot to make them very familiar with their surroundings. After a quick hello, it was into the back room for a little Nintendo action.
When we got there, I felt at home right away. Mom and Robert both started feeding us before we had a chance to get our coats off. Robert also made a great Southern home-cooked dinner for us. Plus, Mom made a special trip to Pike’s Place market for some clams. Just for me. If any of you want to ever do anything nice for me, try Manilla clams.
Many of them.
I also got to see all of Mom’s nice new gadgets. something about this Mom that I can definitely appreciate is that she is just as big of a gadget hound as I am. She has a very nice Canon EOS camera with SLR lenses, a fancy computer with an LCD screen, and she got some really nice new gadgets for Christmas this year: a Tungsten T5 PDA, and a photo printer. I helped her setup her printer. Mostly because I wanted to geek out with her. If I don’t get electronics, I’ll geek out with someone else who did. One more thing to help me feel at home: gadgets.
I’m sick. I need help.
Although the visit was short, it was definitely worthwhile. I finally got to meet Robert and the grandparents got to visit with their grandkids again. Mom and Robert definitely make the kids feel welcome and accepted.
Christmas at Mom-A’s
The next day, we went to visit with Mom-A, Colette and Ronni. Colette and Ronni are Mom’s daughters. Colette is 23 and Ronni recently turned 21. When I first met these two, Ronni wasn’t even a teenager yet.
Time sure flies.
When we get to Mom’s house, we find that Ronni is working, but I got to meet her daughter for the first time. Her daughter’s name is Ammaya, and she is C-U-T-E. Every time I see a cute little girl, it makes me wonder what kind of girl Livonia and I could produce. Who knows? God willing, it may happen.
Mom’s house also had a visit from Santa Claus, and he even left stuff in stockings there. Good ole’ Santa Claus. He’s always thinkin’.
I haven’t visited Mom’s house in several years, but again, it’s like going to my own house. I always feel so comfortable there. I think the last time I visited, I was still unmarried and in that “new boyfriend nervous state.” You know, when you’re so nervous you sneeze and then don’t want to impolitely ask for a tissue. Being with Mom now makes me wonder why I ever felt that nervous around her. I’m sure if she reads this, she’s gonna wonder the same thing. Yes Mom, I was scared to death of you in the beginning.
We were supposed to wake up very early and spend the morning with Mom, but we didn’t leave Mom-D’s house until nearly lunchtime. This made the visit rather short, since we needed to leave by 2pm to take Colette to the airport. 2pm rolls around, and none of us are ready to go, including Colette. Somehow, we manage to get going at about 2:45pm, and we discover that Colette’s flight is due to take off at 4:10pm.
This should be interesting.
Traffic was unforgiving, we got a little lost a couple of times, and end up at the airport at about 3:45pm. With her flight boarding at 4:10pm, all I can think about is how she’ll get her bags checked in, get through ticketing, security, and onto her gate in time to make her flight. All this in holiday travel. Right now, it’s not seeming very probable. Luckily for us, holiday travel also affected the planes.
It seems her plane was coming from Oakland, but the airport was fogged in. It was experiencing an hour and a half delay.
Perfect.
We call Mom to let her know that things are okay, and then we realize that with her plane having not left Oakland, Colette could very well spend New Years in the airport. Luckily, it didn’t turn out to be the case, as Colette called us later that night from her final destination. Good thing, because we offered to pick her up from the airport if the delay was too long. I was not looking forward to fighting traffic again, especially as the night got later and holiday drivers got more intoxicated. Now, time to prepare for New Year’s.
Happy New Year!
We spent New Year’s at Mom-D’s house this year. I actually made it to midnight, although I had to be woken up about 7 minutes prior to the ball-drop. I am definitely not a night person. However, staying up got me a free kiss from my wife, so it was worth it.
With New Year’s comes the New Year’s resolutions. My resolution last year was to spend more time with friends and family. Aside from our trip to Thailand, I think we accomplished that pretty well. This year, I want to expand on that notion. This year, I want to make a point of remembering as many birthdays as possible. I think the trip home will be spent getting my wife’s PDA and my PDA in sync with everyone’s birthday. If you have a birthday in January, and you aren’t Erica, Anita, Marie, or Kori, you better let me know, or I may miss you!
What are your resolutions? If you care to share, post them to this blog. I’d like to know what’s on all your minds.
The next morning, we attended church at Mom’s church. The pastor reminded us of some of the many things that hit the news in 2004, yet another reminder of why I dislike the news. Too many people dying, too many tragedies. He gave a great sermon on peace. Peace is definitely something we can all use in our life, and in this world.
New Member of the Family
Since we don’t seem to have enough men in the house with Esaiah, Christian, Nathan and myself, we have added another. Ever since we added Kayly and brought the female count to two, we’ve been horribly outnumbered. We need to equalize the playing field. His name is Rusti, and he recently turned four years old. It seems Mom-D had to find someone willing to adopt him, and although the offers were many, we won.
For those who haven’t figured it out yet, Rusti is an animal. A dog to more specific, a cockapoo to be exact. A cockapoo is a mix between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. Apparently, the fur is hypo-allergenic, which means we can keep the dog indoors. I hope that works out, because this dog is awesome. Great personality.
Now that we have a new man in the house, we’ll need to teach him all the standard “man activities.” Let’s see what I can think of, off the top of my head:
§ Leave the toilet seat up
§ Control the remote
§ Leave your socks wherever you first sit down
§ Enhance your Shopping Attention Deficiency Disorder (SADD)
§ Develop Selective Hearing
§ Watch Sports, talk about how good you “used” to be when you were younger
I think with proper training, we’ll be able to get him up to speed. Poor Livonia. I hope she’ll be able to handle all of this.
I have a habit of spoiling my kids, and since Rusti is a family member now, he’s no exception. I had to make sure that he would be safe on the trip home. I bought a floor mat to cover the van, and another mat to place underneath the kennel. I couldn’t just buy a kennel either; he’s gonna need a nice bed to lay in. I found a nice one with a tan suede outside and a sheepskin interior. I also bought some tie-downs so we could keep the kennel locked down to the floor. We removed one of our seats before we left on our trip, so we locked in his kennel good and tight. If we happen to get in an accident, he will definitely not move from his kennel. Note: I do not wish to test this theory. I also bought dog food, some doggy treats, a leash, a collar, other dog “essentials” and some “non-essentials.” I think he’ll like his new home. Hopefully, we’ll be able to spoil him a fashion he’s used to.
Until next time...
I’ve been watching a lot of news lately. It is a continual reminder of why I hate watching the news. Tragedy and misfortune seem to always make their way to forefront, and 2004 had quite a bit of that on display. I am still amazed at all the devastation from the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck the Andaman Sea area. I don’t know what it’s done for any of you, but it really makes me think about just how fragile life can be. The image that I can’t seem to shake from head is the woman holding her dead child, shaking back and forth and crying hysterically.
I just can’t imagine.
I hope I never have to.
As I said before, I dislike watching the news because it always seems to make me depressed. I don’t operate well under depression, so let’s move onto nicer topics: visiting family.
Christmas at Mom-K’s
My kids learned something about Santa Claus this year. Not only does he drop off presents every year, he also drops them off at every relative’s house they we planned to visit. He visited my brother’s house and every Mom-in-Law. I’m surprised my kids didn’t get a little wiser and ask to visit more relatives.
I sure would have.
After spending the first day in Washington doing nothing other than relaxing, we decided to venture out and visit Mom-K’s house. This was actually my first trip here. I’ve been married to Livonia for over 7 years, but have never seen Mom’s house. Pretty amazing, especially considering that Livonia and I have been with each other since ’94.
The boys got right at home within minutes of arriving. The trip back in July that Livonia took did a lot to make them very familiar with their surroundings. After a quick hello, it was into the back room for a little Nintendo action.
When we got there, I felt at home right away. Mom and Robert both started feeding us before we had a chance to get our coats off. Robert also made a great Southern home-cooked dinner for us. Plus, Mom made a special trip to Pike’s Place market for some clams. Just for me. If any of you want to ever do anything nice for me, try Manilla clams.
Many of them.
I also got to see all of Mom’s nice new gadgets. something about this Mom that I can definitely appreciate is that she is just as big of a gadget hound as I am. She has a very nice Canon EOS camera with SLR lenses, a fancy computer with an LCD screen, and she got some really nice new gadgets for Christmas this year: a Tungsten T5 PDA, and a photo printer. I helped her setup her printer. Mostly because I wanted to geek out with her. If I don’t get electronics, I’ll geek out with someone else who did. One more thing to help me feel at home: gadgets.
I’m sick. I need help.
Although the visit was short, it was definitely worthwhile. I finally got to meet Robert and the grandparents got to visit with their grandkids again. Mom and Robert definitely make the kids feel welcome and accepted.
Christmas at Mom-A’s
The next day, we went to visit with Mom-A, Colette and Ronni. Colette and Ronni are Mom’s daughters. Colette is 23 and Ronni recently turned 21. When I first met these two, Ronni wasn’t even a teenager yet.
Time sure flies.
When we get to Mom’s house, we find that Ronni is working, but I got to meet her daughter for the first time. Her daughter’s name is Ammaya, and she is C-U-T-E. Every time I see a cute little girl, it makes me wonder what kind of girl Livonia and I could produce. Who knows? God willing, it may happen.
Mom’s house also had a visit from Santa Claus, and he even left stuff in stockings there. Good ole’ Santa Claus. He’s always thinkin’.
I haven’t visited Mom’s house in several years, but again, it’s like going to my own house. I always feel so comfortable there. I think the last time I visited, I was still unmarried and in that “new boyfriend nervous state.” You know, when you’re so nervous you sneeze and then don’t want to impolitely ask for a tissue. Being with Mom now makes me wonder why I ever felt that nervous around her. I’m sure if she reads this, she’s gonna wonder the same thing. Yes Mom, I was scared to death of you in the beginning.
We were supposed to wake up very early and spend the morning with Mom, but we didn’t leave Mom-D’s house until nearly lunchtime. This made the visit rather short, since we needed to leave by 2pm to take Colette to the airport. 2pm rolls around, and none of us are ready to go, including Colette. Somehow, we manage to get going at about 2:45pm, and we discover that Colette’s flight is due to take off at 4:10pm.
This should be interesting.
Traffic was unforgiving, we got a little lost a couple of times, and end up at the airport at about 3:45pm. With her flight boarding at 4:10pm, all I can think about is how she’ll get her bags checked in, get through ticketing, security, and onto her gate in time to make her flight. All this in holiday travel. Right now, it’s not seeming very probable. Luckily for us, holiday travel also affected the planes.
It seems her plane was coming from Oakland, but the airport was fogged in. It was experiencing an hour and a half delay.
Perfect.
We call Mom to let her know that things are okay, and then we realize that with her plane having not left Oakland, Colette could very well spend New Years in the airport. Luckily, it didn’t turn out to be the case, as Colette called us later that night from her final destination. Good thing, because we offered to pick her up from the airport if the delay was too long. I was not looking forward to fighting traffic again, especially as the night got later and holiday drivers got more intoxicated. Now, time to prepare for New Year’s.
Happy New Year!
We spent New Year’s at Mom-D’s house this year. I actually made it to midnight, although I had to be woken up about 7 minutes prior to the ball-drop. I am definitely not a night person. However, staying up got me a free kiss from my wife, so it was worth it.
With New Year’s comes the New Year’s resolutions. My resolution last year was to spend more time with friends and family. Aside from our trip to Thailand, I think we accomplished that pretty well. This year, I want to expand on that notion. This year, I want to make a point of remembering as many birthdays as possible. I think the trip home will be spent getting my wife’s PDA and my PDA in sync with everyone’s birthday. If you have a birthday in January, and you aren’t Erica, Anita, Marie, or Kori, you better let me know, or I may miss you!
What are your resolutions? If you care to share, post them to this blog. I’d like to know what’s on all your minds.
The next morning, we attended church at Mom’s church. The pastor reminded us of some of the many things that hit the news in 2004, yet another reminder of why I dislike the news. Too many people dying, too many tragedies. He gave a great sermon on peace. Peace is definitely something we can all use in our life, and in this world.
New Member of the Family
Since we don’t seem to have enough men in the house with Esaiah, Christian, Nathan and myself, we have added another. Ever since we added Kayly and brought the female count to two, we’ve been horribly outnumbered. We need to equalize the playing field. His name is Rusti, and he recently turned four years old. It seems Mom-D had to find someone willing to adopt him, and although the offers were many, we won.
For those who haven’t figured it out yet, Rusti is an animal. A dog to more specific, a cockapoo to be exact. A cockapoo is a mix between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. Apparently, the fur is hypo-allergenic, which means we can keep the dog indoors. I hope that works out, because this dog is awesome. Great personality.
Now that we have a new man in the house, we’ll need to teach him all the standard “man activities.” Let’s see what I can think of, off the top of my head:
§ Leave the toilet seat up
§ Control the remote
§ Leave your socks wherever you first sit down
§ Enhance your Shopping Attention Deficiency Disorder (SADD)
§ Develop Selective Hearing
§ Watch Sports, talk about how good you “used” to be when you were younger
I think with proper training, we’ll be able to get him up to speed. Poor Livonia. I hope she’ll be able to handle all of this.
I have a habit of spoiling my kids, and since Rusti is a family member now, he’s no exception. I had to make sure that he would be safe on the trip home. I bought a floor mat to cover the van, and another mat to place underneath the kennel. I couldn’t just buy a kennel either; he’s gonna need a nice bed to lay in. I found a nice one with a tan suede outside and a sheepskin interior. I also bought some tie-downs so we could keep the kennel locked down to the floor. We removed one of our seats before we left on our trip, so we locked in his kennel good and tight. If we happen to get in an accident, he will definitely not move from his kennel. Note: I do not wish to test this theory. I also bought dog food, some doggy treats, a leash, a collar, other dog “essentials” and some “non-essentials.” I think he’ll like his new home. Hopefully, we’ll be able to spoil him a fashion he’s used to.
Until next time...
posted by Roger Winkles | 4:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home