Lucky for me...

I fill in for a guy that doesn't like to go to work. I think I worked 8 of the 7 days of last week. :-) No complaints...except I'm leaving Elena with all of the books and she's ready for a vacation. I think I'm going to ask my boss if I can get a long weekend early next year for a cruise for her and I. That's my decision for her Christmas present, a cruise or a new crock pot(the handle of ours broke off).

Due to this icy cold weather we've had the cats(except Morpheus) inside with us and we're both stopped up or as we like to say, our sniffers are out of order. Why not Morpheus you ask? Well I personally think that he feels that he could easily be confused for the turkey in these coming weeks and so he won't budge from his favorite spot outside. My mom bought the cats an electric blanket and Morph just spends his evenings rolled up on that. The woman is a genius.

Let's see besides work and work and blowing our noses I can't think of much else we have going on. Sales are up due to the holidays quickly approaching so that's good. But it only makes our house even more messy. It's slightly inconvenient to have to go to my old garage to pull the orders, especially on these cold mornings. However, Elena is doing a fantastic job and well I think talking this out just made up my mind. Screw the crock pot, she deserves a cruise!!!!

Thanks guys!!

I have so much to report

and so many pictures to upload, I just don't know where the time goes these days! Oh - wait, I think it goes to running 2 studios (both of which are understaffed (not that I have the money to pay them or anything)), raising a VERY active/crazy/smart/adorable/part monkey/2 year old, trying to keep Brian happy, making sure that DCF doesn't come take Reagan for my dirty house and having a life (wait, what's a life)???

I miss you all so much. I was so looking forward to Allison and Sean coming to O-town so we could all have a get together. Maybe soon we can all do something. One thing I really miss in my day to day life is having friends here to hang out with. I know I'm so busy all the time, but I still would love to just hang out with someone who knows me for me and is my friend.

Love you all, pictures to be posted as soon as I slow down.

I have heard the call....ring ring!

I am here to give an update. Nothing is really new! HA HA!

Alanna was here a few weeks ago and we went to the NKOTB concert. We had so much fun. We originally had crappy seats but since I bought them early through AMEX we got upgrades. The whole venue was filled with women our age and a few husbands! Alanna and I sang along to the songs and felt 13 again! The "Kids" were very entertaining and played for 2.5 hours! Honestly, it was one of the best nights I have had in a while. It was nice to forget about being an adult and all that comes with it. I was hoarse for 3 days. Sean finally told me to stop talking! :P

Sean and I celebrated our anniversary yesterday. We are going out to dinner this weekend. I picked this cool little Italian place on Miami Beach. I am looking forward to it. We decided not to give each other gifts as we are now going to Cancun for our friend's wedding. Yes, since Sean doesn't need knee surgery (yea!) we are going to Cancun. I am trying to swallow the fact that we are putting the flight and hotel on a credit card. We haven't used our credit card in a little over a year. AHH..... Did I mention this was our Christmas and Valentines gifts to each other--:)

Work is fine. Same ol same ol.

MIA

Oh my - I believe our lack of updates just might be a direct reflection of the current economic situation? OR have we all just gotten caught up in our own little worlds...

This BLOG serves as a CALL to ACTION (and will hopefully motivate & inspire the author, as well)!

Come on ladies - we need to get on the gravy train of communication!!! Mmmmm....GRAVY...

More to come this weekend!!!

Love,
Howie

Away for a few days...

Hey there...I am off to chilly Milwaukee for a few days to attend some meetings. I leave early this afternoon and return home Thursday afternoon. I will have my cell if you feel like chatting in evenings. Talk to you soon! Hope it won't be too cold. Weather says high is in 40's and low will be in 30's. BRRR!! Have a great day buds! love, krame :o)

Congratulations to the Doing Dishes Family!

A big CONGRATS to Katie, Brian, and Reagan on opening store #2 of Doing Dishes! What an amazing accomplishment in just a couple weeks. I know you are all so excited about today. You should be VERY proud of yourselves. YOU DID IT! We are sorry that we are not there to help...hope you have some things for us to do when we come up soon. Wishing you the best today and everyday! :o)

~Love, K & K

Last Sunday dinner was rather spooky as you can see. We all wrote characters and put them in a hat and whoever you picked you had to dress up as. So Scott was Frankenstein(he won the $40 jackpot), Elena was a fairy, Laura was Richard Simmons, Brian a Pirate, me as a scarecrow(may I tell you that I MADE my own costume on my sewing machine), Michael was an Elf and Angelina decided at the last minute she just wanted to be herself. :-) It was really fun and it came down to me and Scotty but everyone chose Scott. DAMN!!!

So everything is going fine here. Tomorrow is Elena's birthday so we're going for a sushi dinner. Then the next day is big voting day. We've already voted but my fellow Floridians if you haven't already voted...could you please vote NO on 2. It's the amendment that allows domestic partnerships to become legal in that we could share benefits and make decisions for each other the same way that you can make them with your husbands. Thank you for your time and Elena approves this message too.

I'm up to 2 days a week now at the post office, Monday and Saturday. The route that I deliver on Mondays is so beautiful. You would never imagine that these homes are in Tavares. It's actually called Deer Island but it's Tavares. Anyone ever been? It really is a real island and the homes are just magnificent.

Oh I have great news, Genie ran away again and this time he hasn't come back yet. Really we're not "thrilled" but it does make for peaceful sleep times. Usually every morning around 4:30 he and Morpheus would start howling in each other's face and Elena or I would have to get up and break them up. Not the last 2 nights. He's gone missing and we're just not ready to throw out the search party just yet.

Hope all is well with everyone. Katie I keep complaining to Elena that I want to come to Elf on a Shelf night but I have to work the next morning, etc. But you might just have 2 more reservations, if you have the room of course...