Christmas Shopping Chaos

There are 45 more days until Christmas. You'd think it was tomorrow. Eric and I did some holiday shopping yesterday. And by the looks of the crowds, sales and activity, you wouldn't have thought it was only November 10th. One store in particular was a mess. This photo is from the shoe department of Kohl's. I couldn't believe it! Who just dumps the box and shoes on the floor, not caring about where it goes after trying it on? Well, apparently there were quite a lot of people who didn't care yesterday at Kohl's. This is the only photo I took, but the whole store looked like this. It was a mess. When I tried on a few pairs of pants, the dressing rooms had clothes turned inside out strewn all over the floors. People would put shirts back on hangers, but they would be inside out. It was a disaster everywhere. The poor employees that had to clean up that mess surely don't get paid enough.

7-Year Itch

The first week of December marks the end of my 7th full year in CNY. I remembered that little fact at a "Friendly" (or was that Wendy's) lunch with RB & JB yesterday. It got me thinking. 7 years. Wow. That is almost my record for longest amount of time spent in one state during consecutive years. I believe Maine is the record. And that was about 9 years. I went to MA for college for 4 years, I lived in NH for 7 years, but during two different time periods. 3 years the first time, 4 years the second. With a 2-year break to live in Kentucky. (Confused yet?) I won't go into specifics for the other years... (Let's just say I grew up in the military so I moved a few times!)

The thing that really got me thinking about living here for 7 years, was the snowfall. The first year we moved here was the second snowiest in CNY history. Wasn't that a fun record to be a part of? Especially when a shovel was my only method of snow removal! 191.9 inches is a LOT of snow to move with a shovel.

Here is a breakdown of snowfall since I have lived here:

2000-01 - 191.9"
2001-02 - 59.4"
2002-03 - 153.2"
2003-04 - 181.3"
2004-05 - 136.2"
2005-06 - 124.6"
2006-07 - 140.2"

Total: 986.8" (That's 82.2 feet.)

6 out of the 7 winters I have lived in the Syracuse area, we have "won" the Golden Snowball award for most snowfall. Is that really such a good thing?

Walk, Don't Run

Alex is very excited this year because he is able to be part of the "School Safety Patrol". It's a 10 week commitment and part of his responsibilities include making sure the kids are orderly in the hallways getting to their buses in the afternoon. It is unclear what type of punishment he is allowed to instill for disorderly Kindergarteners however. I believe the biggest reason for him joining the Safety Patrol is because he gets dismissed early.

The Fall Minefield

The first snow flakes of the season. And a backyard full of leaves that need raking. Jenny attempts to find a safe spot to leave a present. I can't wait to rake this year -- I may need to wear disposable shoes & gloves... it's a minefield out there!

Signing Schilling

From Curt's blog:

"Talks with the Red Sox are moving. Theo and I have spoken multiple times daily over the past week and given the current situation I am feeling very confident that we will be able to finalize a 1 year contract to allow us a chance to finish our career as members of the Red Sox organization.

There are some things to iron out and details that must be finalized for both sides but barring something unforseen or outrageously odd happening I feel very comfortable that I will finish my career here."

Yay!

Flea Market Fun

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This morning we got up early... which was really late since we lost an hour or was it gain an hour. Something like that... I'm still not sure what time it is! Anyway, my dad & I headed for the Regional Market Flea Market early this morning. There's a weekly indoor/outdoor flea market in Syracuse every Sunday morning, all year round. I try to get there a few times a year, when I think of it. The summer is better of course since there are more outdoor vendors. But you're always bound to find something you "need" no matter what time of year it is. I really enjoy going to the flea market with my dad. He's a "professional" and it's fun learning tips and secrets from the best. He can out-haggle anyone.
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We found some interesting items today. I saw a neat wooden box that caught my eye. It had a tag that said $25 on it. I walked away. My dad was looking at some other items and was starting to discuss prices with the vendor and deciding whether he wanted them or not. I told him about the box. I went back to look at it again, and the guy said I could have it for $10. I would have done it, but then my dad had his items (old silverware for re-sale), and the guy initially told him they would be $10 for the lot. So my dad asked the vendor what he could do for him if he bought both items. The guy said $15. Sold! So my $25 box ended up being $7.50. Here's a photo of it, already in its new home. I'm not sure what to put in it yet, but it's so neat!
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We wandered around, dad found a few more "deals". I bought a bag of home-made sugared donuts that we ate for breakfast and I got a couple of other things. Here's a photo of dad with a new sign he got for $1. "The Hurrier I Go, the Behinder I Get". That would be a good sign for my office at work...

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So the weekend was a huge success! Last night was fun with our dinner and all our guests. I got my first Snow Blower lesson. I hear there's snow in the forecast this week. I wonder if I will need the Blower...
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Oh and one more thing: A BIIIGGGG thank you to "ALR Shipping" for sending Red Sox World Series Champion shirts in 3 days. She beat DHL by 4 days, had a personal note inside and an extra gift to boot! Amy, you're the best!! We will try them on and send a photo soon...
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Let it snow...

I just realized I haven't posted anything since Oct. 31st. The last couple of days have been busy with work and life. Nothing terribly exciting to talk about I guess! I am still coming down from the big Red Sox win and trying to find something new to obsess about. The Patriots are playing the Colts tomorrow afternoon, that should be quite a game!

My parents are visiting this weekend. They should be here shortly. I just pre-made a big lasagna that I can just throw in the oven for dinner tonight. And Eric & Kelsey will be joining us as well.

The reason for my parents visit, other than to visit their favorite daughter, is to deliver a very exciting item! This is going to be a good winter for me... They are bringing a Snow Blower!! Woohoo!! I think last winter was all I could take with the shoveling. We live in the Snow Belt and I have shoveled for the last 3 winters in this house. And it's not fun!! Especially last year. We got over 100" in a month. I ran out of places to put it. It was horrible. Although I will admit, my upper body strength was at an all time high. But I would much rather have a nice Snow Blower to do the job. I'm sure I will still shovel some, but the majority of my snow clearing will be via the Snow Blower. I almost can't wait for it to snow!