Brief Update

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Christmas was great---as usual, but crazy as always. Tons of food eaten. Not much damage this time:

3 spills

1 destroyed floral arrangement

several jelly bellies down the heat vent

My friends and I had a movie marathon day. Movie in the morning---"It's Complicated"---hysterically funny---a must see. Lunch at Cheeseburger Charley's---children's cheeseburger meal with grilled onions. Afternoon movie "Up in the Air"---save your money---depressing---not even worth a rental unless you LOVE George Clooney.

Talked to my mom---luckily, she didn't have a repeat of the "gravy" problems she had at the "big house" over Thanksgiving. Who serves gravy with a slotted spoon? It's hard to believe you can have a 30 minute conversation about gravy.

I won $12.00 playing poker on New Year's Eve.

I lost $40.00  playing poker Saturday night. (for real---I haven't lost that much since 1971 when I lost $100. I had two beers, passed out and Butch and Ronnie played the rest of the night to win back my I.O.U.'s---I was always a cheap drunk---except that one time---or wait, maybe it's I became cheap after getting drunk---can't really remember---must be one of those black-out episodes).  

I've decided to put myself on an allowance. I want to get an idea about how much money I spend in a year.  I really have no clue. I thought the money I'm giving myself was very generous until I received my first credit card bill. It took my whole month of January allowance to pay it. I'm broke---that and my poker loss. I might have to say FTS and go back to my "ignorance is bliss" attitude. I don't really spend THAT much---or maybe I do!

Butch is teaching Jordan how to drive. She told me that he said she's pretty good. She said that "as a matter of fact, I'm really good at cul-de-sacs"! Can you tell she hasn't been on the "road" yet? Heaven help us all---she says she doesn't need to read the "book"---famous last words.

Mindy got a really good Christmas bonus and then this week a really nice raise. Somebody tell Ronnie that she'll be able to stop "hooking" now.

Victoria called tonight to find out about her ancestors. I told her about my half Italian, half German heritage, but we don't know where Butch came from. I have an idea---could be Walmart. 

Speaking of Walmart, Steph recently snagged some pretty cute clothes there. Really cheap.

It's freezing cold here in Nashville---it's 26 (I know, a heat wave for you St. Louis folks). They're predicting snow for tomorrow. I swear, it's an effort to help the grocery stores sell out of milk! They've already called off school which is an absolute that we will NOT get the snow. Our weathermen are pretty much always wrong. I would like some snow. I can't remember the last time we had a good one. Hmmm, maybe that was when Mindy was a senior in high school and it took us 6 hours to get home (normally 15 minutes). Jordan had to pee in Mindy's sweatshirt, we rationed a pack of M&M's in case it was our last meal and I "lost my water" when we decided to hike the rest of the way home and I slipped, fell and slid down the hill at the entrance to our neighborhood. The girls thought that was hilarious. Of course, that's why I did it! Anything to make memories....

New York report soon. Oh, and my hives have really got me down---but not for long. And Johnny Depp still does it for me!