All is Good

I have spent the last two weeks of work in Requirements Gathering and Fit/Gap Analysis meetings for my next project, an implementation of PeopleSoft's Enterprise Learning Management module.  I am really excited about this project as I think we have a great team, but two weeks of meetings is really difficult for this intravert.  I am thinking about booking conference rooms next week so I can hide out and relax, just me and my computer.  I know, super sad.

We are heading to Michigan for a quick trip this weekend.  I just found out that my Aunt and Uncle are in Michigan from Texas, so I am excited for them to possibly get to see the kids.  I don't think that Isaac has gotten to meet my Aunt Candi.  Isaac and Mackenzie have been telling me how much they miss their Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Mike and for some reason Mackenzie really wants to see Grandma Kathy's Halloween decorations.  Perhaps it is because our house has been decorated for Christmas for over  month and Halloween isn't even here yet.

The kids and I went and got new fish today.  Yes, I am a fish killer.  Evidently even thought I bought a fish tank kit, I needed to buy a heater and thermometer as well, or at least a heater.  I bought both though and the fish tank has stayed at 77 degrees for a few days, so we went and got new fish tonight.  We also looked at cats at PetSmart.  I think my mommy instinct is kicking in again, and since we have decided we aren't going to have any more kids, I actually thought about getting a pet (other than fish).  It only lasted a very brief second though and then I came back to reality and we paid for the fish and left.

Oh, the car.  They are fixing our Torrent and we are supposed to get it back next week.  So, luckily for us we didn't have to shop for a new car during the last couple busy weeks.  I haven't, however, had a chance to deal with my camera, so no new pictures.  Thanks to Shannon, I am going to post a couple of pictures of the kids with their pumpkins.

What a Weekend!

So we started out this weekend on a great note.  My parents came down to visit Friday night and stayed the weekend.  They watched Mackenzie and Isaac for us on Saturday while we took our nephews, Gavin and Nathan, to the Notre Dame game against Air Force.  We got some tailgating time in (which consisted of Root Beer, Capri Suns, Diet Coke, summer sausage, cheese and crackers, Funyuns and a couple of Kit Kats) and got to throw a football around and play the bean bag toss game.  We then headed towards campus.  We timed our shuttle drop-off perfectly so that we got to see Coach Kelly and the team walking towards the stadium.  Nathan got quite a few hand slaps from the players!  We then headed to Bond Hall and watched the band play before hiking to the stadium.  We had pretty good seats for the game, in Section 15, above the Air Force band.  Unfortunately my camera decided to stop working in the first quarter, so I can't download any pictures right now, I have to find my memory card reader first.

The weather was fantastic, the B2 Bomber fly by was excellent, and the game was pretty great too.  By half-time Nathan was losing steam, so we made it through the third quarter, at which time the score was 46 - 16 ND, I believe and headed out to get an Elephant Ear and hike back to the car.  Here is what happened somewhere between Howe and Angola:



This picture is from after the car was towed to the shop.  I didn't actually get to see the car until we got there.  As we were driving on the toll road, passing a semi truck, a deer jumped in front of the car out of the median.  The road was really dark and I never saw the deer at all (until it landed on the other side of the road, luckily clear of traffic in the right lane), Brian saw it, and slammed on the brakes, but at 70 MPH there was no way he was going to stop in time.  We were extremely lucky that other drivers were paying attention and no other cars hit us or were involved in the accident at all.  Brian was able to get the car into the median and we waited for the police and the tow truck.  The air bags deployed and everyone's seatbelt worked properly and we are also very fortunate that no one was hurt, although everyone was pretty shaken.

So now we are waiting for the insurance company to take over.  Brian, the guys at the shop and I are pretty confident that the car will be considered totalled, so we are probably going to have to look for a car here soon, but other than that, all is good.

Today we went to the apple orchard and pumpkin farm for some pickin' and some cider and donuts (rice krispy treats for Brian and Isaac, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa).  Everyone had a great time and after quiet time Shannon brought "the cousins" over and we made what appears to be a delicious apple pie while at Grandma and Grandpa's Carson helped them make applesauce.

So life is good and I am especially grateful for that today.