Update

Wow, so many things have happened since my last log in. Man, where do I start?

Thanksgiving was, um, uneventful. All of us went to mom and dads like planned and everyone acted as though nothing happened. Gotta love it. I have to say that I don't talk with mom and dad on a numerous times a day basis like I used to. I think we've gone now a week without talking. Yeah, it sucks. Christmas is around the corner and I'm sure everyone will put on a happy face there, too. Of course, apologizes are never heard of. Whatever. There will come a time when people will only realize what an effect "Sorry" has on someone. I have to say that I do forgive dad, even though he didn't say he was sorry. In his own little way, he'll show that he's sorry. Mom did call yesterday asking to come over so they are coming over on Thursday to give the kids their ornaments. I'm sure that will go fine and then I'm just to assume that an apology is understood. I just wish we wouldn't have these fallouts because it sucks. I have confidence that it will eventually get better. I know it will.

We have been bidding more pipeline jobs and Jon was awarded a 2 yr contract for Oxy/Centurion pipeline in TX. The first few week long jobs will be under Larry's company and then the contract will be signed over to us. That's a huge leap of faith the Oxy has to give us because we are so incredibly new to this and then to take on this big of a project. The first 2 yrs are around $5 mill and then they have more work which could bring the total to around $10 mill. Yeah, we've never ever had anything this big. We owe is all to Larry. What he has done for us is truly priceless and he doesn't want anything in return. I can say that he and his wife Becky are a one in a million. So, Jon was scheduled to take the test for his TX license yesterday and everything was fine until he got to question #91. It said to look at the set of prints you were given with the test. Huh? What prints? Yeah. Long story short, Jon has to now retake the stupid test today and the company has Fed Ex'd the prints to Mankato. What a joke. Nothing like taking a 5 hr test and then having to redo it the next day because of someone else's screw up. So, that's what he's going to do today - retake the stupid thing. I feel so bad for him. He's so nervous about not passing and I know he'll do just fine. I believe in him.

The weirdest thing happened on Sunday night. Sierra told Jon and then told me that she felt like something bad was going to happen to our family this week. She was so upset about it and was crying and didn't know what to do. Jon and I both talked to her and explained that there are a lot of changes happening right now. Jon getting the TX job is huge and he and Larry may fly to TX tomorrow to look at the job. We haven't been on an airplane! lol - yes, we lead very sheltered lives. No, it's just that we never had a need to fly anywhere. Anyway, she said she didn't feel it had anything to do with Jon. She felt scared like our house would burn down, someone would get in a car accident or die. Gulp. We told her that we can pray about it and that if something does happen, we will deal with it and move on. We said that we can't live our life based upon a weird feeling we have. We have to always live life like it's our last day and whatever is meant to happen, is meant to happen for a reason. I told her that God would help us through it. I then told her about how I used to scream and cry when mom and dad would leave me with Paula and Rick. I just remember thinking that there would be a fire, robbery or that they would die in a car accident and never come back. I remember wondering who I would live with if something did happen to them. I told her that nothing ever happened and that because she's getting older, she worries and she has to somehow figure out how to deal with the feelings she has. Jon proceeded to tell her a few stories about when he would hit parked cars with his bike because he wasn't paying attention (the visual is pretty funny, I know.) and how he and a friend would drive the car with a helmet on and when they would stop, they would bang their heads. lol. Sierra laughed pretty hard at that. Yesterday morning I asked her if she felt better and she said, "I think I just needed an extra hug from you, mom. I felt better immediately after that." Awwww. That's my girl! I have to say this week I'm paying extra attention to everything around me just because I'm a little "weirded" out by what she said. I have also asked Jon to be extra careful. I have said many, many prayers, too!

Sierra gave me her midterms yesterday and she got straight A's!!! I'M SO PROUD OF HER!!!! On a few of her grades, she got over 100%!! I think that's absolutely amazing. What a girl!!

Mercedes continues to do well in school, too. Her spelling is absolutely magnificent and she was able to write from 1 to 100! She said that no one else got as far as she did! She can do addition, subtraction, spell, and she can say her "R" sound! I'M SO PROUD OF HER! She truly has worked sooo hard on correcting herself and being able to say it correctly. I also have to tell you that she now has lost both of her front teeth. :0) She lost both of them within a week of eachother. She looks adorable when she smiles. When I was getting ready for work, Lincoln came into the bathroom and asked me if he can marry Mercedes. He said he really loves her and wants to marry her. Mercedes was dying laughing at him. She came in then and said that she told him they can't get married because they are related. lol. She then told him that he has to marry a girl, someone who is not already taken and not a relative. lol. She has it down! lmao. Lincoln then said, "Mom. Olivia keeps asking me to marry her at daycare and I don't want to. I keep telling her NO, but she keeps asking me." The other day he said she kissed him on the cheek and he told her to quit and that he didn't like that. lol. He was so mad when he told me. He then said, "I wish she would quit that!" lol.

Lincoln is doing great in school and daycare. He is friends with everyone and I hear from other moms that their daughters come home and insist that he is their boyfriend. lol. What problems he has. lol. Today he's all excited because it's a "special" day at school because it's their Christmas party and we can go, too. He was crying when I dropped him off because he thought I was supposed to go with him. I had to keep explaining that they had to get things ready for us and I would be there later. Poor guy. He was ok when he left, though.

I'm just sooooo excited for Christmas! I think the kids will totally love the gifts I bought for them. I do have one under the tree for Jon and I think he will absolutely love it, too. In case he reads this, I can't tell you what it is. :0) Truly, it's all about seeing the faces on Christmas and giving. I totally don't want anything. I just love giving. I told Jon that I wish we had more money so I could give it away. lol. I said there are so many hard working people out there who could just use more help. Or, there are non profit agencies that could use more money so they could help more people. Jon said hopefully by this time next year we'll have more money and then I can "give until my hearts content". lol. He's too funny.

Well, I have to leave for the party.

Peace.