Keys are all but in my hand! Our sales agent called about 11am to say the keys were ready for pick up! I am so excited, I don't know what to do...although I do know I don't want to pack! There are no moving trucks available tomorrow though, but the folks at Ryder told me to keep calling back in case a truck becomes available. Ugh! Keep your fingers crossed! Otherwise, we'll have to move on Sunday as originally planned.

We are now officially in debt $141 thousand some dollars! And we couldn't be happier! Closing went off without a hitch today, and we should be able to pick up our keys tomorrow, three days earlier than anticipated! We thought we wouldn't be able to move in until Monday, but it looks like we may be in on Saturday...provided I can get the moving truck a day early! I need to get packing...but we'll keep you posted on the move. Jenn will be here to help -- I am excited and thankful! Jenn, see ya tomorrow night!

Jenn, you're nuts. But I sure am glad. Jenn respsonded quite favorably to my suggestive plea for her to come to Vegas this weekend. Guess who's coming! Jenn, I am excited and can't wait. Hopefully all the work aside, we'll be able to have a good time together anyway.

This morning came quite early as I slept for a whopping 3 hours...my mind was racing with ideas for the house last night. I took Beth to work this morning, got my haircut and have made a couple phone calls, and I need to make a couple more. Hopefully I can pack a box or two, before I have to head to my doctor's appointment. Once I leave for that, my day is non-stop until late tonight.

Jenn brings back old memories with bringing up MC Hammer. And to think, I even owned a pair of muscle pants. Ugh...they were black with bright lime green ghekos all over them...not quite the MC Hammer variety. But hey, ghekos were in then.

I am gearing up today for what will be a very busy week ahead. Tomorrow I have to take Beth to work early in the am (sorry Jenn, this will probably result in a stop to Starbuck's) and then I have a haircut at 8:30. Then, I need to get in contact with the mortgage company, find out our exact closing cost and go to the credit union to get that check. I have a doctor's apointment at 1:30 (thank god, although I am feeling better but not great). Then, I need to pick Beth up at 3:31 (yes, 3:31) at school, whisk us home so we can beautify for our evening out together. We are going to dinner at one of our favs, PF Changs, and then on to see the musical "Evita" at the Aladdin Theatre. On Thursday, we have our closing appointment at 9am and our final walk through at 10:30. Then, I'll need to whisk Bethany back to school for parent/teacher conferences. It's report card week, didn't that fall at a good time?

Of course, packing is something we've only begun to think about, although we did go to storage and pick up a bunch of boxes from our move here last summer. At least the wheels are moving in the right direction...mom, are you available? Mom has bailed me out of moving snarls at least twice before... Hey, I have the moving truck arranged. I suppose though if I could pack from my computer, it would have been done long ago. I know there are others out there who can sympathize. So, the PM side of Thursday, and all day Friday and Saturday will be spent packing...Sunday we'll be packing the truck and Monday we'll be moving it...provided they allow us to move in on Moday as anticipated. And, after having nearly a month off, I get to go back to work on December 7. Wouldn't it have been nice to move in on November 15 like originally planned?

My next week is a flury of activity (Jenn, are *you* available? You're an 'ol pro at this now!) I'll try to keep you posted! OK, here goes...

My allergies are killing me! They are so bad, I feel like I am sick. You know, the whole soar throat, runny nose, congestion thing. My doctor had previously talked to me about a Kenalog (sp?) shot, which is a steroid, for my allergies. I think at my appointment this week I'll have him shoot me up. Zyrtec just isn't cutting it right now. Beth got the shot a couple of months ago and it has worked well for her. I am drinking lots of green tea, and am about to make myself some chicken noodle soup. If I didn't know any better, I would blame all of this on Jenn and Amber. Those two are passing around a web bug. Where's my mommy...?

It finally rained here in Las Vegas! It seems to be the first time we've had measurable rain since July. It rained for several hours today, and is expected to do the same tomorrow. My mom said Carson City got about 2-3" of snow...Gardnerville only got rain. I love the rain, we see it all too infrequently here.

My allergies are celebraintg! They've kicked into overtime with all the wind we had preceeding the storm the past couple of days. I have a doctor's appointement on Wedndesday. I just hope he has something good. I am on Zyrtec now, but I have been on it so long I feel it may not be working any longer. I am literally sitting here with two Kleenex, one hanging out of each nostril. My nose is draining so fast, I don't have time to pick up the Kleenex and wipe it...therfore, I corked both nostrils. It's a lovely site.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had two delicious dinners this year, one at Beth's cousin's house, and the other at Beth's grandma's house. They were both absolutely delicious. The only thing I miss are the leftovers in MY fridge. Therefore, I have pondered cooking my own Thanksgiving dinner this week, just so Dale can turn the leftover turkey into some killer soup! That's what I am really craving now.

Beth and I stopped by the new house today. The house is basically done other than touch up and the installation of the appliances. Our walk-through (confirmed) and closing date (we hope) is this coming Thursday. If this holds true, we should be able to move in by Monday, December 3rd. So, today I booked the Ryder moving truck from Sunday morning to Tuesday morning, so we can pack it on Sunday and unload it on Monday. We got the biggest truck they have, a 24 foot, because we moved here in a 15 footer and though it all fit, it was very neatly placed. We have acquired some extra furniture and other things since living here, and we don't want to have to be so nice and neat this time around. We want room to spare. The $20 price difference is well worth it.

While garage sailing this morning, our neighors were talking about all the solicitors that will be knocking on our door when we move in. Funny enough, one rang the doorbell while we were at the house today (we were only there 15 minutes!). He was attempting to sell us solar screens, which, as you can imagine, are a must here in Las Vegas to keep your electricity bill down in the summer. We plan on getting them, however Home Depot has free classes on how to make them, and we won't need them until April or so anyway, so no rush on the solar screens. The front door was already littered with fliers for solar screens, drapes and blinds, cable TV and house cleaners. I guess the solicitors are taking advantage while they can, our community is gated and will be closed off once construction is complete (around May).

Beth and I are getting so excited we can hardly stand it! We went shopping for coach lights, garage door openers,. reverse osmosis systems, water softeners and blinds the other day -- sounds exciting, eh? We bought our coach lights, and will be purchasing the garage door opener and reverse osmosis system this week. The water softener will wait for a month or so, and we are still comparing prices on the blinds. It looks like we'll be able to do all windows except for two for about $520, that's with 2" Faux wood blinds. The other two windows we'll have to special order, which will probably cost us as much as all the other windows combined.

We've begun the task of packing, or I should say Dale has begun the task of packing. Every time she comes by something she knows is ours, she puts in a box in the front living room. This area has been designated the staging area for all of our crap. By the end of the week, it should be filled up and then some. I don't know if it will be harder to move from here, or if our move from Reno was harder. Here, we have assimilated many of our things in with theres, so it's hard to catch what is ours or theres now. Fortunately, we're just across town and the things we will inevitably leave behind will be easy to relocate. If anybody wants to come down on Sunday and Monday (December 2 and 3), feel free. We'd be happy to have you and the help.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We hope you all have a wonderful day, and have the opportunity to spend at lease a few moments with your loved ones. We all have a lot to be thankful for this year -- Bethany and I are thankful for every single one of you. Friends and family, espcially in times like these, are worth more than anything. Eat lots of turkey and have a great day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve everyone! I will be leaving soon for the first of two Thanksgiving dinners this year. One tonight and one tomorrow! Yeah! However, that has all been dampened now because I found out today I am on reserve Christmas Day, and the entire weekend preceeding Christmas. My parents are coming down to our new house for Christmas. I don't know what I am going to do. I am really very angry, and sad. Ugh! So, I best eat lots of turkey tonight and forget about it! The only good news is I am off through December 6. This will make moving a little easier. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Take care!

Harry Potter! (Say with a British accent.) What a wonderful movie. Chris Columbus truly captured the spirit of Harry Potter, Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger, and all of Hogwarts fantastically. Although the movie is nowhere as in depth as the book (how could it be?), the movie remains faithful to the book and is great fun. The Quidditch scene was totally amazing! I had goose pimples during the entire the game. I am anxioulsy awaiting Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, which recently began filming. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, an absolute must see! * * * * * Five Stars!

I posted some new pics to the house website (new as of 11/15). Jenn, I know you and your mom saw the ones I put on there on 11/14. You should go back. The front yard is done, and all the flooring has been installed. Check the progress page for two pictures of the downstairs. Now, touch up is underway! Our walk through is scheduled for 11/29 at 10:30am. We wish they'd move it up, because we need to close by 11/30, or we'll have to pay some additional interest charges. That doesn't seem fair to us since we were supposed to close on 11/15. I don't know, they seem to forget we're the ones doing them a favor, not the other way around. I guess spending $150,000 doesn't mean anything these days.

I am back from New York. I actually arrived in San Francisco on Sunday night, but too late to fly home to Las Vegas. So, I stayed in San Jose with my friend Janniffer and yesterday we got pedicures at this place called Forever Nails. Jann introduced me to this place over a year ago, and I have been there about six times now. The pedicures are only $17, and the best I've ever had (not that I get them regularly enough to really know.) Here in Vegas, pedicures will put you out $50 on average. You can see now why I wait and go in San Jose. If you are ever in San Jose and want to go (walk-ins always welcome) they are located on the corner of Pearl and Branham, in south San Jose, very near the Capital Auto Mall on the Capital Expressway off Hwy 87 (Guadalupe Pkwy).

Tonight, I think we are going to go to see Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. I wanted to go this weekend, but didn't think I could handle all the Harry wanna-bes and the crowds. So, tonight is the night. I though about going tomorrow night since Beth doesn't have school the next day, but then it might be busy again with kids -- parents who didn't want to go this weekend, but are going now since it isn't a school night. I don't know, I am just anxious to see it minus the crowd. Has anyone seen it?

Well, Jenn had a good idea to get up early this morning and watch the Leonid Meteor Shower. I was fortunate to watch it from 40,000 feet on my way to New York. I flew the red-eye last night from San Francisco. It was an amazing view. It reminded me when I worked a trip to Detroit on Reno Air. It was a red-eye flight and we had a great view of the Hale-boppe (sp?) Comit. It is so amazing to see the sky from that altitude. Absolutely no obstructions.

What a week! I am officially off for the month, but need to pick up a trip or two to get my hours where they need to be. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday to address my painful heel, hopefully it's nothing. I've been told it could be gout (common among diabetics), but I certainly hope that is not the case. It could be I just need to get the shoe inserts my mother has been pressing me to get. Mother always knows best, but children never listen (Yes, I have gorwn up. But I still get to act like a child!).

Beth and I have tickets to see Evita at the Aladdin Theatre here in Las Vegas on November 28. We are both very excited about that. We had wanted to see Les Miserables when it was here in September, but couldn't make it. That was our birthday present to each other. We have front row seats on the balcony. They should be very nice seats; I hear there is no bad seat in the hosue. Of course l will tell you all about it!

Some new pictures have been posted on the house website. Bethany and I visited the house this weekend, and all that's left is the flooring needs to be installed. Otherwise, we could move in! I can't tell you how excited we are. Jenn, I am sure you understand! The closer it gets the harder it is!

Well, it's happened again. Who knew we'd have another air disaster so soon after the events of 9.11? Especially affecting American Airlines and New York? This morning unfolded for me exactly as it did on 9.11. My phone rang, it was my brother, and he'd asked me if I had been watching the news. I told him no and asked, "Was there a plane crash?" He told me an AA A300 en route from JFK to Santo Domingo went down in Rockaway in Queens. I, like everyone else, am trying to avoid speculation and wait for the NTSB to come to factual conclusions for probable causes for today's events. I want to thank everyone who called me today. Just like 9.11, the phone rang off the hook for a while, everyone calling to check on my whereabouts and if I was OK. Well, I am fine (although suffering some sort of painful ailment in my left heel), and I am home in Las Vegas, thankfully. As many of you know, I was stuck in Chicago after the events of 9.11 for a week.

I apologize for not writing this past week. I was flying all week long, criss crossing the country. I hope you all had a wonderful 3-day weekend. Dan and Steve came to town early Saturday morning, primarily because Steve's nephew from Colorado was participating in the National Go Kart Finals here in Las Vegas. It was nice to spend some time with them on Satuday. Also, Beth's cousin Scott and his wife are expecting their new baby on December 9. Beth and her mother hosted a Baby Shower for Dori and Scott on Sunday. It was nice to see the family. Taste testing baby food is always great fun! Gross!

Jenn, you and Ryan continue to amaze me with the progress you are making on your house. I am floored at how much you are able to accomplish, all the while working some pretty heavy duty time at work getting the new website underway. I hope I have the same fervor when Beth and I move into our new house. We are estimating moving in on December 3, just in time for Christmas! We've got our new address and phone information, but will be passing that along via e-mail since this web blog is publicly accessible.

Hopefully, today's events will not put my job in jeopardy. Because of the layoffs since 9.11, I am perilously close to getting the ax, with just a short list of roughly 1,800 flight attendants below me. Seems like a lot, but before 9.11, we had nearly 25,000 flight attendants. Keep your fingers crossed!

The website has been updated once again. This time there are some pictures of Beth in her Halloween costume on her page and the Cooking 101 column on the recipe page now has Turkey Tips, a great resource on how to prepare the big bird. Also, the calendar has been updated for November. There are some new pix of the house on our house website -- click on "HSH" to the lower left to check out that site. I have finally updated my parent's website, if you'd like to check it out, go to the links page and click on "Terri and Tommy's Web Home."

I am leaving for work tomorrow. I will be gone all week, this time visiting Orange County, Chicago, Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Richmond and San Deigo (in order of visitation). I hope to be home sometime late Friday night. Then, I only have Saturday off, and will return Sunday to visit Boston, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Orlando. I've got a realy busy two weeks coming up, but after that, I am off for the month. So, I can't complain too much, and, I just had an entire week off!

I've had a nice vegetative weekend, so the week ahead shouldn't be so bad!

So the great debate over Starbuck's continues on my message board. For anyone who is interested, I have added two more cents to the debate today. Check it out by clicking on "Discuss" at the end of this entry. Jenn, your costume is FAB! So sad you couldn't walk The Strip, you would've been great! Maybe could have made a dollar or two, too!

Nothing much is going on around here. Bethany and I are going to take a trip to the house either tonight or tomorrow, to assess the latest progress. We are getting so excited we can hardly stand it. We have waived our second walk through, which is traditionally when we would actually close on the house and receive the keys. We are trying to close by November 30, for two reasons. 1) We have a 30-day lock on our interest rate, which expires November 30 and 2) if we close in December, we will have to pay $800 in interest charges with our closing costs since our first payment would not be until February 2002. So, we are scheduled for our first walk through on November 29, and we hope to close that day, or the 30th at the latest. Keep your fingers crossed for us! We'll keep you posted.