JTOK Chatter > Page 410

We’re officially for sale!

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Our house is officially for sale! (Of course, there’s a long and convoluted story behind it, but suffice it to say the house is the cleanest and most organized it’s ever been!) The good news is that no one expects it to last until the weekend, and no one would be surprised if it sold today. The bad news is that the house we put an offer on is still taking backup offers (again, long story) so there’s a chance (although extremely small) that we could lose it.

Okay, so you want the long and convoluted version? Here goes. Let me try a list—it may help simplify things:

  • One of our best friends (and previous neighbor), Roger, is an up and coming real estate agent.
  • It’s been known since Day 1 that if/when we sell our house, he will be the agent.
  • I now happen to work for one of the top agents in the city.
  • We planned on doing a FSBO (we thought we had a buyer) so Roger would get a 2% fee and we’d save some money.
  • I had to break it to my boss that I was listing and buying with another agent. It was awkward and she was surprised but overall it went okay.
  • The FSBO fell through and, due to a contract contingency for our new house, we had to have our house sold or listed by Monday.
  • Roger couldn’t go down to 4%, which we needed in order to make what we wanted to make on the sale of our house.
  • I had to go crawling back to my boss to suck up and ask if she would sell our house. (I actually cheated and took the wuss way out by having Roger call her!) 😳
  • She agreed with no hesitation (phew!).

Oh, the trials and tribulations of real estate! 🙂

Contract for Birdie

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It’s official—we put in an offer on our new house today: 108 Birdie Court. It’s new construction in Rock Creek, the golf course subdivision just down the street (maybe 3 minutes from our current house). I still can’t believe we’re doing this!!!

A Change of Plans: A Blog Exclusive

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We aren’t announcing this via email blast to the whole family yet, because all plans aren’t final. However, if you are one of the loyal readers of this blog, you will find out ahead of everyone else. See, there are benefits of reading my blog!

Long story short, we are going to be in Jacksonville another 2-3 years—and are in the process of selling our house and buying a new (larger) house. Wow, we know. It was a big shock to us, as well, since the last anyone knew, we were planning on coming home to Michigan within the next year or so.

Why did we perform a 180? Well, Tom had a talk with the head of the Business Technology Division and a prior colonel at 2MARDIV. He had no problem with Tom extending for one year here at base, but he thought it would be in Tom’s best interest to go for augmentation. Augmentation is a two-year commitment that changes his status from a reserve officer to an active duty officer and permits him to continue on in the Marine Corps if he decides he wants to go back into the Marines (I warned him that he might not like working in the real world!). If he were to decline his augmentation, he would be burning a more secure bridge than he expected.

When Tom told me about this we discussed it for a while and decided that a two-year commitment here at base would not kill either of us (although we really want to come home, we want to make sure we are in the best financial position to do so). Staying another few years will also allow Tom to go further in his masters work. Also, Tom has to figure out his schedule for getting his degree—there is only one class he can take this fall semester…so depending on the rest of the semesters he may need the entire three years to finish!

Another factor in our decision to stay is that Tom’s company commander said that he wouldn’t send him anywhere and that his company has too many officers that haven’t gone overseas yet. Of course, this isn’t a 100% guarantee (nothing is in the Corps), but we’re comfortable with it.

We also discussed our finances. Since I work for a real estate agent, we have been tracking the amounts that the houses in our area have been going for. The way we look at it, right now is probably the best time to get the best chunk of money out of our house. We could still get a little more if we waited another 2-3 years, but if we were to roll our money into a larger home in a more prestigous area, in 2-3 years we will be able to leave with a more substantial profit. We are just trying to leave Jacksonville with the most money possible and if we were to stay in the house we are at now, it wouldn’t be as advantageous as a new, larger home. As a positive, we’re fairly certain the new house will appraise for more than we’re paying, so we will actually start off ahead of the game. (Our neighbors, who moved into the same subdivision four or so months ago, have already had their house appraise for about 10k more than they paid). Of course, buying this new home is all depending on the sale and appraisal of our current house—and if we can’t get what we want (either sale- or appraisal-wise), then we can wait. The goal is to pay off the car (which payment will actually rollover into our new mortgage) and make a comfortable, yet dedicated, investment.

Ultimately, it’s a huge step we’re both excited AND scared about. The prospect of a new, larger house is exhilarating…but the prospect of doubling our mortgage is frightening (even though it all logically figures out). We figure everything happens for a reason, so if it was meant to be, it will be.

WISH US LUCK!

I hate spammers!

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Last week, I started receiving loads of spam that appears to come from me. It’s horrible! I get about 10-15 a day, and they all have viruses and worms and nasty things attached, and they’re all addressed from hudson2001.com—either from admin@ or webmaster@ or administration@ or support@. And they’re all addressed to various names, from john to pedro to frank to sandra to kevin. And I can’t block them since they appear to come from my own address. My domain host was going to try and block the incoming ISP but it apparently hasn’t done any good. I HATE SPAMMERS.

Stupid Passport Photo

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I hate it when I plan ahead, but don’t THINK ahead. I wanted to get a passport for our cruise, just so I don’t have to carry my license, birth certificate, and marriage license. I pre-printed all the forms and had them all filled out, so it hopefully wouldn’t take too long at the post office. So the day I had planned to go in (hair looked good, wearing a color I looked good in, LOL) I ended up having to take my car in—so I was stuck at the office. So I planned to do it the following day. I went in, turned in my paperwork and money, then had my photo taken. I didn’t even think about what I was wearing—and what the background color would be. ARGH! I was wearing a white shirt in front of a white background. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but definitely not what I would have chosen for something I’ll have for 10 years.

That time of year!

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Yes, folks, it’s that glorious time of year again…when all you do is jump from the air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned office back to the air-conditioned car back to the air-conditioned house! Once in a while you throw in a trip to an air-conditioned restaurant or air-conditioned store!

I think it’s also time to lower the temp in the house, too. It’s been at 76 for a week or so now, which has been just about right. However, this morning, I was actually SWEATING while just standing in the bathroom getting ready. That’s crazy!

Procrastination is expensive!

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Owning a car sucks—at least today, LOL. Our check engine light came on a few days ago so it went in for service today. We were expecting it to be the oxygen sensor (what it was the last time the light came on—a mere $35 issue). Well, it was that, BUT there was another issue which they needed to do an in-depth diagnosis to determine…at a charge of $70. Well, you can’t NOT do it… So the next call was to tell me they found what it was—the air flow ratio sensor, which can be replaced at a cost of…$380!! If we don’t get it fixed…it will eventually kill the catalytic converter. Lovely. Then, I had also had them do an oil change…so they noticed that ALL our fluids (and especially the transmission fluid) need flushing. Add $460 to the bill. Egads. I wasn’t prepared to deal with all this today, so we’re not having it done today…but we need to do it soon. Of course, had we kept up with out 30,000 or 35,000 mile scheduled maintenance plan, we probably would have already had some of this stuff done. So, our procrastination is now going to take a big-assed bite out of our savings… He said the air flow ratio sensor might be covered under an extended warranty—which I thought we bought, but they couldn’t find any record of it…so I put in a call to Spartan Toyota in Lansing and they looked it up and said we bought the 6-year 100,000 mile warranty (phew!)…so now I just hope the air sensor is covered by it!!! Hoo boy.

Golf lessons, please!

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So I was REALLY looking forward to hitting some balls with my new clubs. After all, if I did (what I thought was) decent using right-handed clubs backwards, surely left-handed clubs would be the answer.

Ha.

Ha ha.

HA HA HA HA.

I still suck. With a capital S. I just can’t seem to get the full swing down—it feels totally and grossly unnatural. Of course, when Tom shows me how to swing and I try it…my boobs get in the way (hey, I’m being honest here) and I can only make about a half-swing. After I do manage a half-assed swing, I either A) miss the ball completely, B) make contact, but it goes horribly awry, or C) make contact and the ball goes skittering out between 30-75 yards. I don’t think I made one ball to 100 yards in the hour we were there.

I know I shouldn’t expect miracles my first time out, but I really thought I would do a little better since I had the correct clubs (and you wouldn’t think it was THAT hard to hit the damn ball). I tried not to get too frustrated, telling myself this is only my first time. That said, I probably won’t go out again until after my clinic at the end of the month—I hate to start teaching myself bad things (or get bad things ingrained) only to have to unlearn them after the clinic. I’m sure my stance is wrong, my swing is wrong, and my footing is wrong among other things, LOL!

Stay tuned…

Wheeee! Golf!

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I did something yesterday I’ve never IN MY LIFE done before…I went golfing! My boss invited me and Tom to play in a local golf scramble with her and John…and we had a blast! I have always wanted to learn to play, but the one time Tom tried teaching me (way back in Lansing before we were married), there was so much arguing and yelling just trying to hit a bucket of balls that we decided it wasn’t in our best interest if we wanted to remain a couple. (He’s a righty and, although I’m right-handed, I’m a lefty when it comes to batting and putting, so it was quite difficult to try and teach me anything.)

golf cart

So the main challenge of yesterday, aside from NEVER HAVING PLAYED BEFORE, was that I didn’t have any left-handed clubs—and the country club didn’t have any—so I was relegated to either playing right-handed (which was not comfortable at all and got quite a few laughs) or using my very own left-handed putter in lieu of a driver, a wood, an iron, or a pitching wedge! John had a nice driver that ended up working pretty well, even using it backwards. John is an avid golfer and Tom can hold his own as well, so we mostly used their shots! That said, regardless of me not having the correct clubs, I didn’t do TOO badly and got some nice, straight shots—and amazingly enough, we even used some of them for scoring!

golf shot

Aside from having fun “playing” golf, one of the really fun things was driving the cart—I had a blast! Some of the course was a little hilly, so every time we went flying down the trail, I’d let out a little “Wheeeeee!” and we had a laugh. The only bad thing about the day was that it was quite hot and humid—if it wasn’t for the nice breeze, it would have been hell. So, when I was waiting for Tom to hit or whatnot, I’d drive around and around in the cart—it was the best way to get a nice breeze and cool down!

Anyway, throughout the day I kept thinking “I wonder how I could do with real clubs…??” and I really thought I would be interested in learning to play—or at least renting some left-handed clubs to see how it felt. So at the end of the day, we decided to look into finding me some clubs. We stopped at Sam’s to see if they had anything—nope. We didn’t feel like braving Walmart but hit Target and they had nothing for left-handers. We checked out eBay when we got home and seriously almost bought some—they had really great prices on new sets…but I told Tom we shouldn’t rush into anything. There’s a golf clinic coming up on base (that someone at the scramble told me about) so I figured I would do that…and if I still wanted to try golfing, then we’d look at getting some clubs. On the other hand, if the 4-hour clinic changed my mind, we wouldn’t be out $150 for clubs. Then I had an A-HA moment and thought “My dad is left-handed and I know we’ve talked about his clubs before. I wonder if he still has them and if he would ship them to me?” I called but there was no answer.

In the morning, we remembered a local golf shop—and were excited because they deal in new and used clubs. We asked about left-handed, and he said he didn’t have any women’s, but he had a men’s set—and since I was fairly tall, those would probably work fine. I got excited, but was leary because we had decided we didn’t want to spend money on clubs yet. Then he told us the price ($50) and the fact that as long as we kept the receipt, we could always return them and get credited for an upgraded set so I would basically be using the clubs for free (providing I liked it and wanted a better set)!! That was the clincher, so now I have my very own golf clubs and bag! He said we had perfect timing, as that set just came in yesterday—from someone who had done the same thing I did and was finally upgrading! I figure even if I end up not liking it or not playing very much, we only spent $50! (Well, $60—I got some colored golf balls!)

So we’re planning on going to the driving range either tonight or tomorrow and then I have the clinic at the end of the month. I’m really looking forward to this and I really hope I like it. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated!

Online poker sucks!

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I’ve been playing a little online poker but I really don’t like it because people bid stupid (not like you’re supposed to, according to the rules) and I can’t play with that. Why? I’m still learning, and it’s so much harder to learn when people don’t play according to the rules. Of course, I just had a horrible experience on a hand…

I was last to bet.

Pre-flop (before any cards are shown, so you’re just bidding on the strength of your two cards)—Everyone checked, I raised 200, then everyone called. O-kay. In a real game, it’s unlikely everyone would check then the same people would all call.

Flop (the first three community cards are turned over)—Check, check, a guy bets 600, then everyone calls (including the checkers). O-kay. Again, in a real game, it’s unlikely everyone would check then the same people would all call 600.

Turn (the next community card is turned over)—Check, check, a guy bets 10 – 10! So after having just bet 600, he drops to 10. What the hell kind of bidding is that? Everyone calls his measly 10 and I raise 200. Then everyone calls my 200. WHAT? So no one has a hand good enough to raise themselves (the past three rounds) but again they will call my 200?

River (the last of the community cards)—Check, check, check, checks all around of course, so I go all-in for almost 1300 with 2-pair and…guess what? Everyone calls! ARGH!! THIS ISN’T HOW YOU PLAY POKER!!!

I ended up losing to 3-kind, which I don’t care, but I CANNOT PLAY WITH PEOPLE WHO BID LIKE THAT! IT MAKES ME NUTS!

Humidty Wave

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Well, it’s started. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to continue (until the end of summer) or if we are expected to have a short reprieve before the REAL summer weather starts…but the past week has been in the mid 80s and HUMID. So, just when I was actually getting used to 80-degree days (i.e. not needing to put the A/C on) and being happy about it, the humidity started and now the A/C has been on, steady, for one week. Yuck. It’s this time of year when I start dreaming of being home in Michigan for the summer.

The Phantom of the Opera

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Tom and I finally watched the movie today…and wow. Just, wow! It was absolutely fantastic! We both had goosebumps throughout pretty much the entire movie! I can’t wait to watch it in surround sound (we did the lazy Sunday thing and watched from bed). It also brought back so many good memories of my two trips to Toronto to see Phantom—the first with my mom (1994) and the second with Tom (2000).

Staples: A Visit

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I had to go to Staples today to mail a package and drop off something for a friend. I always like going, because I really miss my friends that still work there and I enjoy talking with them for the few minutes that I’m there. But I am SO glad I no longer work there.

Here’s what happened: I was in front of the ship center counter, which is NOT a register and is AT LEAST 10 feet away from a register (which you can tell is a register because there is a light on that says “check out lane” or something equally as obvious and there are bags and the debit machine on the counter). So a guy walks up, throws his labels on the counter (in front of me, no less), and pulls out his wallet—obviously wanting to check out. I sighed and politely said “Sir, this isn’t a checkout. The register is down there—” and pointed to where the light was on. He says snottily “But everyone is down here.”

INSTANTLY, all my retail issues with stupid customers came RAGING back and I think I actually felt my blood pressure rising. Savannah, who was shipping my package and KNOWS how irritated I get with stupid customers, shared a knowing look with me. I had to refrain from snapping “So, just because everyone is down here, you think that means you can check out here? Can’t you read the sign?” But I took a breath and said “But this isn’t a checkout. The register is there. It’s a common mistake.” So he walks over to the register and then snots “But there’s no one here!”

Well, asshat, if you opened your eyes, you would see that there are two people in the copy center. One girl is helping ME and the manager is helping another customer. Did you ever hear of waiting your turn? But, you know, if you REALLY open your eyes, you will see a fully-staffed register a few lanes down. Oh how I wish I could say those things…which, I technically could now that I no longer work there, but still.

So the manager, having heard our exchange, looked at the customer and said “Sir, I will be with you in a minute—when I’m done with this customer.” I told Savannah that even though I’d been gone six months, all it took was one idiot customer in my presence to make me nuts. I pray that I will never have to go back to retail…

Rain Rain Go Away

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It has seriously been raining, on and off (but mostly on) for a week now. Sometimes it’s just an outright downpour, sometimes it’s just a light rain, sometimes it’s barely a sprinkle, and very rarely do we get a few moments of beautiful sunshine. But at least it’s not typical June weather of 90 and humid, right?

My Lap Cat

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Charlie is such a lap cat…especially when she knows it’s time to eat (or when we should be eating). We typically eat dinner on the couch, and she can tell when we’re ready, because she runs out ahead of us and waits for me to sit down so she can sit on my lap. She’s not trying to get my food or anything, she just wants to be ON me. Sometimes in the morning I eat breakfast on the couch and she sits with me then, as well. It’s so sad when I don’t, though, because as I walk to the door to leave, she’s up on the couch crying at me. (This happened this morning.) So I usually go over and give her a good butt scratch or belly rub and she is all purrs. I swear, I could just sit with her all day and be content.

Forgotten Wallets and Locked Cars

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So it’s 8:09am and I’m waiting for Tom to come home…to unlock my car. Hoo boy. He finally got the garage cleaned out yesterday so I can park in it again—-so as I’ve been doing since I’ve started parking in the garage, I left my keys in it. So I just went out to leave for work and—-surprise!—-the car is locked. What? Huh? Why on earth is it locked? It had to be Tom… The funny thing is that I already talked to him once this morning, about 20 minutes ago, when he called to tell me he forgot his wallet and would I bring it in with me! Ironically, this same thing happened about a month ago—-and before that, we’d never locked our keys in the car (at least since we’ve been in NC). Tom swore up and down that he didn’t do it—-that he even UNlocked it this morning. Unfortunately, it’s locked, so he did it! Oh well. So he’s on his way home now and I’ll be a little late for work. And to top it off, I feel like crap. I started feeling icky yesterday, slept nicely last night courtesy of Nyquil, and feel like I could still be in bed sleeping nicely. Sore throat, stuffy/runny nose, clogged head. Fun, fun, fun!

Weekend in Baltimore

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See story and pics on original website page.

Our old neighbors, Tom and Karen, invited us to Baltimore for Memorial Day weekend. Tom has family there and we have friends there, so we decided to road trip together. (We’d met his family before, so they weren’t total strangers!)

2005withtrimbles

The drive up was long (seven hours and four traffic jams) but we had a great time. We stayed with one of Tom’s brothers, Scott, in his gorgeous townhouse and got to meet his girlfriend, Jessie, for the first time (LOVE HER!). The first night we were there, we went to their friends’ graduation parties (two friends were graduating from the Naval Academy and one was graduating from high school). It was a big combination party at a local hall so we enjoyed a nice dinner, drinks, dancing, and visiting with Tom’s family! We also got to meet Frank’s wife, Amy, for the first time (LOVE HER!). Tom and I also decided we’d like to adopt Tom’s parents as our fourth set of parents—-they’re a riot!

Saturday, we met up with John Paul and Kelly, two of Tom’s friends (JP from grade school and college and Kelly from college). We hadn’t seen them since before we were married…so it was really nice to be able to spend the day and visit with them. They live two blocks from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, so we walked to McCormick & Schmicks for lunch and then got caught in a downpour on the way home. We had planned on making a game at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers!)—-again, walking distance—-but we were leery of it raining again so we went to a movie instead. Then for dinner around 10pm, we walked down the street and got take-out Thai and sushi. Seeing how they live made me realize how much of a suburbs girl I am!! Don’t get me wrong—-their Federal Hill row house is gorgeous, but I cannot live with parking on the street, possibly two blocks away from where I live! And the tiny stairs for the three floors? Wow, they certainly weren’t made for people with big feet or large frames, LOL!

Sunday we spent the day with Tom’s family again. One of his brothers had a BBQ at his new house and we had a nice time visiting with them and their relatives and friends. In an “it’s a small world” moment, we discovered that friends of theirs were married on the same date as we were—-August 18, 2001—-a half hour apart (we were 10:30, they were 11). We left around 8pm (to hopefully avoid the holiday traffic) and made it home just before 2am.

Stupidity, Instead of…

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So I was just in the kitchen frying some sausage to have for ready for breakfasts this week.

Instead of the cake pan or jelly roll pan that I typically use to drain the sausage, I decided to use one of my new white porcelain platters because it was more convenient to retrieve.

Instead of putting the platter on the counter like I typically do, I put it on the stovetop.

Instead of just having green beans with our salmon for dinner, I decided to make instant miso soup.

Instead of making it in a soup pan like I normally do, I decided instead to use the tea pot to heat the water.

A minute or so later, I hear a loud and distinct POP and in that instant I was totally baffled…until I looked at the stovetop and my brand new, never-been-used, platter was in pieces!

^#(@$!!*%#$”!@*%#$

I had (as I’ve done too many times to count) turned on the wrong damn burner. Generally, about 95% of the time I cook on the stove, I use the front burners. The remaining 5% is split between having to use the front burner and using two burners at a time. Needless to say I really hate electric stoves. I love my smooth top, but I love the INSTANT GRATIFICATION of flames. Of course, Tom had come running when he heard me swearing, and he was trying to get the pieces picked up. And instead of waiting for the pieces to cool, he grabbed one that was still hot and burned his fingers.

^#(@$!!*%#$”!@*%#$

I was so mad at myself because, as I’ve said, this is not the first time I’ve done this. But typically there’s nothing on the burner. So, there was $10 down the toilet…ugh! But, the platter was apparently a fairly decent conductor of heat because the paper towels that had been sitting on it were brown. Anyway, I guess I was only meant to have one platter, because I bought two to have a set. Good thing they’re at Target so I could get another…if I dare.

Root Canal

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Tom has been having some tooth pain for about a week. At first he didn’t think much about it, but the pain got worse and worse. Today he called me about 9:30 and said “I’m going in for a root canal in 15 minutes.” Wow. Just—-wow. He’s already called me and he went back to work for a bit and now he’s at home. You gotta love Mondays!

Brrrrr…. 55 is cold!

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What a change in weather! It stormed last night and it’s downright COLD today…55 measly degrees! And it’s damp! YUCK! It’s especially chilly after having mid- to high 80s all last week! We are such wusses now… Michigan winters are going to absolutely KILL us for the first few years!!

“Woman survives crash with tractor-trailer”

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Woman survives crash with tractor-trailer
May 20,2005

CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF

A tractor-trailer collided with a car Thursday morning on U.S. 258 near the Onslow County Multipurpose Complex, requiring rescuers to extract a woman from her vehicle.

Connie Dail McClain, 53, of Richlands Highway in Richlands, was driving her 1999 Chrysler 300 southbound on U.S. 258 around 6:30 a.m. when she drifted across the center lane and into the path of a 2003 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Phillip Smith Jr., 43, of Fayetteville, according to Highway Patrol Trooper R.E. Dudley. Smith was driving the tractor-trailer for Carolina Tank Lines, based in Burlington.

The front left of McClain’s vehicle struck the front left of the tractor-trailer near the fuel tank, Dudley said. The car spun around and came to rest on the roadway, he said.

Emergency rescuers extracted McClain from the vehicle, and she was taken to Onslow Memorial Hospital. She was later transferred to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, where she was listed in fair condition, according to the nursing coordinator.

Smith tried to avoid the collision, Dudley said. He swerved into the southbound lanes, then back to the right, and jack-knifed as the tractor-trailer went off the road and hit a utility pole, Dudley said.

Smith was uninjured, Dudley added.

“There was some fuel out of the tank on the ground,” he said. “It was not a major hazardous materials incident by any stretch.”

It is unclear why McClain drifted into oncoming traffic.

“The investigation is still ongoing; I haven’t had an opportunity to speak with her because of her physical condition,”

Traffic had to be rerouted until 10:30 a.m., said Onslow Sheriff Ed Brown. Deputies directed traffic up Hines Farm Road and into the Burton Industrial Park through a back entrance, and then back onto U.S. 258, he said.

“I cringe to think what the traffic would have been like this morning if it hadn’t been for the access (to the industrial park),” Brown said.

OMG. OMG. OMG! OMG!

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I had a detour on the way to work this morning so when I got in, I called Tom to see if he had the detour as well (usually an hour earlier than me) and there was no answer. I didn’t think anything about it. He called me about 20 minutes later…he was just getting to work…he had been the main witness to the accident (about 7am)! He said he came very close to being in the accident himself! As it was, he witnessed a woman cross over the center turn lane and run into a semi [just behind the cab]. The semi jackknifed and took out two telephone poles—one one EACH side of the highway and barely missed him. He said at one point, he and the semi driver were just staring at each other as the semi was rushing towards the car! He stopped and ran to a nearby house to have them call 911 and then had to keep the woman restrained, standing in a pool of gas, glass, and blood.

OMG. 88|

He is still shaken up about it, as should be expected. And he said that experience was MUCH WORSE than all the crap he experienced being in Iraq.

OMG. 88|

I asked what had happened to the woman…did she fall asleep? Have a stroke? Have a death wish? What? He said none of the above—-they weren’t sure…but the cop said that they had had two calls EARLIER THAT MORNING about two hit-and-runs she had been involved in! The woman was in bad shape, but expected to be okay.

OMG. 88| Not the way to start my morning…

Major Brain Fart (a.k.a. CRS)

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So yesterday someone asked Tom how long we had lived here and he said three years. It sounded plausible, but it seemed too long. So I started thinking about it. Then my mind wandered and I forgot about it until today, LOL, when someone else asked how long we’d been here and he said three years (again). I started thinking about it tonight, and came to the conclusion that it has been almost TWO years, not three. We were married in 2001 and were in Virginia for 1.5 years which would put us moving to NC in 2003. I even checked our HOUSE site and pulled out our contracts to make sure!

At the same time, I needed to know how old the “kittens” were. My immediate answer was…pure confusion. I could have sworn they were “just over a year” because it seems we haven’t had them that long—since last summer. The more I started thinking about it the more confused I got. I pulled up our CATS site and that implied 2003 but I thought maybe I had made a mistake. (I tell you, I was really confused.) Then I looked at actual dates of digital pics I took, and that said 2003 as well. I still couldn’t believe it, so I went to the filing cabinet and pulled out the receipt and…yep, September 2003. It just didn’t seem that we got them so soon [a few months] after moving here…

Sometimes I think I’m losing my mind. The sad thing is, Tom was at a complete loss, too…

Sneaky Cat!

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JUST LOOK WHAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH! LOL!

Sneaky Cat

The closet door was not left open for more than a few minutes while I was getting the next batch of clean towels to put away…and what do I see?? Charlie resting nicely about half way up the closet. DAMN GIBLETS! But they’re so cute you can’t help but laugh and run to get the camera! 🙂

Gorgeous Weather!

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Today’s weather has been just perfect as you can see…not too warm (80) and not too humid (53%). It’s been overcast and breezy which, when combined with the low humidity, makes for a great day (still not really warm enough for me to want to hit the beach, though—-maybe when it hits 90+). Unfortunately, Tom volunteered for duty today (to take the place of someone who needed to visit a parent in the hospital) so he’s not getting to enjoy it. I, however, took a nice nap on the porch swing so I could fully enjoy the nice cool breezes! It’s started to sprinkle/light rain on and off over the past half hour, so now it SMELLS great, too!

A/C today

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I finally turned on the A/C on my way home from work today—-the first time this year! It was only 86 and wasn’t THAT warm (i.e. no humidity)—-I could have lived with the windows down—-but that would really have messed up my hair and I didn’t feel like dealing with it. But we still haven’t turned on the A/C at home yet…I can’t wait to see when that happens. I’m really enjoying the warm weather (especially when I know it’s 40 in Michigan) but I am NOT ready for summer yet.

The Royal Swim

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http://www.shoretrips.com/

We scheduled a shore excursion for our cruise…”SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS IN TORTOLA-THE ROYAL SWIM” —-

Imagine the thrill of dolphins pulling you through the water, or leaping over your head. Picture yourself speeding through the water as the dolphins push you by your feet. Experience the joy of a dolphin’s kiss…memorable photo opportunities to say the least. And our professional photographers will capture these magical moments for you on video and photo. Each session is one hour, with 30 minutes of swim time.

I used Shore Trips (linked in title), a site I found last year while surfing the net. They supposedly have the same tours that cruises offer, but you get smaller groups and more personalized service.

I really hated to spend as much as we did for the experience (dolphins are one of the most expensive trips, excluding renting a private yacht for the day!), but Tom said if that was what I wanted to do…then we’d do it! To make sure we get the most out of the experience, we bought a waterproof housing for our camera, so we can be sure to get TONS of pictures!!

We’d like to maybe do another excursion, but we aren’t sure yet what it will be…something cheap, most likely!