Oh brother!!!!

Several weeks ago I had been reminiscing about my brother J. Why, you ask? well he just got promoted to his "dream" job. He now is a Special Agent for the IRS, that's right you heard it here first. He is in Georgia where he will learn how to interrogate and use a fire arm for Six months and then he and his family will move to Idaho. He will be taking on fraud cases.

He's so good at breaking you down and doing it for fun too! I remember we had an argument about the color black. Oh, how he could twist everything to make you get all discombobulated and make you think that the color black was really the color white. Even if you had scientific proof to back up your findings.

There were times he would tease me sooo relentlessly that later I would start crying on Que whenever he came into the room just to get him into trouble. It worked every time and you would hear my mom yell, "JARED" and of course he got in trouble so there were paybacks.

Often my mom would tell me, "One day you will love your brother" and I would say "NEVER" but alas my mom is always right and as we've grown up and gotten married and have our children I see all the wonderful talents and attributes that J has.

I really will miss him and his sweet family. We would have so much fun going to there house to play Eucker a game that my grandparents played and we'd have a blast.

We got together at my sister's and had a farewell party before he left. So here's to my brother at holding out on a job that will make you happy and use your talents to the FULLEST!

I love you J. and your wonderful family. You all will be greatly missed.

Tric & J, my dad in the backgroud.

Trish, Crystal (My neice), & Me.

The whole family! Amber (J's dtr) whispering to Abbey

PEOPLE are more important than THINGS..

Several weeks ago the kids and I took Courtney to work and we set out shopping!! so fun, both kids were good as pie and there were the most glorious sales around. Who wouldn't be happy with this? anyway, so Courtney called and needed me to get something for him and we set off for home.

When we get home Andrew and I both have to use the bathroom very urgently I might add. He was cruising up the stairs and knowing that Abbey was going to give me a fight because she is an independent little women and likes to walk up the 4 flights of stairs all by herself. Seeing as I was in an urgent manner I grabbed her and we made it up the stairs with her kicking and screaming to let me put her down.

As we get inside the house Andrew burst to the bathroom and I do the same all the while leaving Abbey in a fit of screaming, protesting her recent help up the stairs. After a minute she stopped screaming and I smiled to myself thinking all was good again.

As I walked in the Living Room I saw Abbey sitting on the couch and then my eyes zoomed on a black ball point pen that she is using to draw something on some paper. Oh thank heavens she is writing on the paper! I say to myself. Now you have to realize #1 I'm a clean nazi and #2 we have a nice cream couch and my most precious pillows that I absolutely love just out there for Abbey to do her best artwork on!

So my eyes and brain can't register together what is really happening. I go around the couch to see all the contents of my wallet strewn everywhere on the floor and then I see it, all the black lines all over my couch cushion. I gasp in horror!!! I think to myself how am I going to get this out? it's never going to come out!

What happened next was a surprise to me as well as to Abbey, I calmly as ever went over to my little Yodina and grabbed the pen and the paper from her and surveyed the rest of the couch and my pillows being ever so grateful that not one pen mark was on my precious pillows.

So I had to run something over to Courtney and I didn't have time to deal with the problem. I called one of my good friends and she told me to get this grandma's cleaner at Hancock fabrics and so I was off on my way. When I got there a lady over heard my dilemma and told me that the best thing was just plain rubbing alcohol. I was sceptical so I got the grandma's cleaner just in case the rubbing alcohol wouldn't work.

When I got home I started to rub the couch with rubbing alcohol and to my utter amazement it was working. In a half hour I got rid of all the marks but I still saw residue from the pen and alcohol and I just got hot soapy water and washed that off and I WAS AMAZED!!! IT LOOKED BRAN SPANKING NEW! I never had to use the grandma's cleaner. FYI: The lady told me that the alcohol worked on her leather couch. The house smelled like rubbing alcohol for a day or two but hey, it's better than pen marks on your couch.

So the moral of the story: Don't leave your wallet with a pen around for an almost 2 yr old to get even with her mother for carrying her up the 4 flights of stairs. The couch can be cleaned and last but certainly not least, people are more important than things..