Speed Hump

No... it is not something that occurs at the doggie park... or after a young adult activity......

After the Benz was totaled in front of the house, we applied for a speed bump to be installed on our street to slow down traffic. Upon requesting the application, we were informed it is a "Speed Hump" not a "Speed Bump". (And we weren't so sure we wanted one of those in front of our house. ) Dan got signatures from 90% of the neighbors on the street in favor. Monday night was the hearing for the Traffic Commission. I went with the kids thinking we would be there max... an hour. We sat there for 2 hours. Then Dan came and relieved me so I could take the kids home and put them to bed. He was there 2 more hours. Even Emily (who is 8) pointed out on the way home that the "The guys kept asking the same questions over and over again and talking about the same thing over and over again". Proving once again how inefficient government is... on so many levels. ....Four Hours Later.....After hearing 2 pleas in favor and 2 opposed. The Commision denied the "Hump" but will put up more speed signs and paint (whatever that means). Hopefully whatever they do will slow down drivers. The guy that hit our car is being charged by the District Attorney for Criminal Reckless Driving. Dan has to testify at the end of this month at his trial.

Kitchen Faucet Fiasco

Corena peel'in potatoes, outside, using the hose.

Dan & Todd "Yeah um..we need a special tool...we can't fix it...or replace it...sorry...?"

Last Saturday my kitchen faucet started leaking.... so Dan started to repair it and found out it needed a new cartridge. I went to Home Depot and got a cartridge... but also went to Costco and got a new faucet....(ya know... just in case...) We were expecting company (The Traders from Seattle) on Sunday and I wanted the faucet fixed before they got here. Well... it wasn't. I must add, that it was no fault of Dan's. He tried all day to fix it, but it was one of those repairs where one thing lead to another... I invited the Traders to stay for dinner on the condition that Dan would finish fixing the sink. So he and Todd got to work trying to put the new faucet on...Turns out they needed a special tool. Regardless of the relentless nagging Corena & I did... we had no luck. So Corena and I made dinner "Camper Girl Style" with the hose from outside.

...............FOUR DAYS LATER..........

Well it turns out we needed a special cartridge from Price Pfister but they only mail out their parts like 2 times a month. So Dan drove there to get one piece and I drove there to get another two days later. Long -story-short... the faucet is fixed and I no longer have to use the hose to clean dishes or get the kids a drink of water.
Regardless of the sink... and the likely "White Trash" impression we left on them, we had a great time with the Traders and are bummed they live so far away.

Back to School 09'

This year everyone started a new school (with the exception of Heidi's preschool). The elementary school the kids used to go to got closed down (due to budget cuts....now this baffles me because we pay over 7K in property taxes on one house alone...????) So the girls started a new elementary school, ironically closer than their old one. The are in classes with their old classmates and they have a "cool playground" so they are content.
Reed started Jr. High. We are in a panic... now his grades actually will have some impact on his future. We are trying to figure out the whole Jr High thing blindly. He is loving it because his crush he had in 1st grade is now in his school. And he doesn't seem to have any problem attracting "the ladies". He has 8th grade girls randomly coming up to him asking him for hugs and furling his hair.......... Oh Hell! Let the parenting fun begin!

Last Days of Summer

The weekend before school started we went to San Diego for the day with Dan. He had one appointment with a client on Coronado Island. So he dumped us off at the beach in front of "The Del" on the most perfect beach day. After about an hour Dan joined us and we swam for about 4 hours. There are some days that are good at the beach and some that are fantastically great. This was one of those days.

All girls like Pedicures

At our house we recognize the importance of a good manicure/pedicure and figure it neglectful if we do not pass the benefits along to our pets. This morning we painted our hen's nails. Figuring that every girl needs to feel pretty sometimes... Chicken feet are super ugly so we thought it was the least we could do to make "the gals" look a little more feminine.