24

Did any other 24-ers see this??? On November 23 there will be a 2-hour event that will set the stage for Season 7 that starts in January. You can watch a trailer for it (click here). This is what the 24 website has to say:

After sacrificing everything for his country, Jack Bauer is wanted by the U.S. government and now stands to lose the only thing he has left: his freedom. Working as a missionary in Africa, Bauer is called upon to stop a ruthless warlord from drafting innocent children into his murderous militia. First, Bauer must confront his own torturous past and face an impossible decision that will change his life forever.

Jack is back!

There is Always Something Going On

Thursday I drove to PA to pick up Grandmother for the weekend. On our way to leave we stopped by the farm (Oak Grove) I worked at one summer so I could say hello to my friends Lauren and Linnette. While there we noticed that the corn stalks were a very good price ($3.50/stalk) but decided that riding 2 hours with corn stalks in the car was not really high on our "this is fun" list. So instead we simply opted to get some smaller pumpkins, gourds and indian corn.

Grandmother

Friday we headed to Columbus Farmers Market (after looking around at a nursery here in town) to check out the corn stalk prices there. I finally broke down and bought 2 stalks ($6/stalk - just about double the price at Oak Grove Farm). The Farmers Market is approximately 20 minutes away from my house and the corn stalks were approximately 2 feet longer than my car. Yes, it was interesting. We started out with them sticking out the back window. Halfway home we decided to rearrange them and stick them out the front window. That didn't work so we once again stopped and rearranged the corn stalks. We finally got them home and right away put them up but alas the corn stalks were simply not enough. Off we went to Walmart to buy some scarecrows . . . a double curtain rod . . . shower curtain rod . . . and window curtain (the last 3 items were not on the list but were on sale - had to buy them!). It was also decided that the pumpkins I originally bought were too small so plans were made to buy bigger ones on Saturday when I took Grandmother back. Grandmother and I were totally crafty that day. After decorating the corn stalks and scarecrows, we cut and resewed the curtain I had bought (it was too wide for the window but at $1.50 we just cut it down to size).

This one is "Chris"

This is "Lisa and Baby Toree"

Grandmother with the corn stalks and scarecrows

Saturday Grandmother and I head to PA to take her home - I stop at Oak Grove . . . again. This time to buy huge pumpkins (approximately 30 lbs. each which by the way cost $18-$20 here in NJ but only cost me $7.50 at Oak Grove - can't beat the prices!). Thankfully I also grabbed a peach pie to take to our church picnic Sunday. I say thankfully because I got home 2 1/2 hours later than I planned. Why? Chipper (my car) decided to have a flat tire (on the side next to the road) on the PA Turnpike. Sounds simple right. No, only certain people can come and fix cars on the turnpike, blah, blah, blah. It took the guy 2 hours to "find me." The other 1/2 hour later part comes because when you have a dorky donut tire on your car you can only drive 55 mph - yes, on the 65 mph (if you are going slow) PA Turnpike. I felt like a NERD!!! I am very thankful though that I heard the air swooshing out of the tire and was able to quickly get off the side of the road before a huge problem occurred.

My view for 2 hours - w a i t i n g . . .

Rewind to Thursday: my husband buys a Harley motorcycle. He has wanted a motorcycle for quite a while. So he saved up his money and found a great deal on one. It needs some work done on it but once fixed up will be great!

The biker and his babe

Other pictures from the weekend:

Flowers from Grandmother

Dad this picture is for you - it's your parents old house (it doesn't even look the same)

Wild Safari

Saturday after Abigail's soccer game, Cheri and I took Abigail and Little Man to 6 Flags Great Adventure Wild Safari - we had free tickets (whuhoo!). I was a little skeptical about going since I've seen it all from the top of the roller coasters and it didn't look that exciting down there. However I was very wrong! Most of the animals are just wondering around inside and will come right up to your car - rhinoceros, giraffes, bears. We had a giraffe come right up to our car and look in the window, an ostrich blocked the road, and we drove right past a rhino next to the road. Abigail claimed "this is the best day of my life!!!" while the Little Man was more interested in the sun visor, the window button, the radio - anything but the 1,200 animals.

Little Man hanging out with Tommy at Abby's soccer game

---------

Little Man and Abby

--------

It is so gross how their legs bend backward

(according to humans anyway - they probably think ours bend the wrong way)

--------

Not sure what was up with this guy - feeling a little sickly?

--------

Not Fair!

FINALLY! It has been an unfair last couple of days. I have watched as everyone else has changed their blog background to these cutie things and here I was blog challenged (thank you prcsteacher for helping!). Oh . . . not only was I blog challenged, I also watched as everyone else took the backgrounds I wanted. No fair! Ok, enough with the complaining! To all my blogger friends - your backgrounds are cute (watch out though I'm taking the cute ones next time!).

Sissy asked me today if my life was ever dull . . . I only wish some days!! Why does she ask such a question? I was telling her about our "other house." Recently we bought a house with the sole purpose of renting it. Our tenants seem to be very nice and are timely with their check - so why am I complaining? Well, last Friday I got a phone call saying that the toilet was leaking everywhere and had leaked through the ceiling into the kitchen. So, being the great landlords that we are Chris headed over there to find out the problem. He wasn't able to fix it totally on Friday so Saturday morning we head over there to fix the problem. As he is fixing the toilet, I am dry-vacuuming it up [Insert very gross smell here - don't ask what exactly I was vacuuming up just know it was not good]. On with the story . . . the toilet had to be lifted up because something was clogging it up. What, oh what could it be? A chicken bone??? (Ok who flushes a chicken bone down the toilet - for that matter who eats a piece of chicken on the toilet???). Yes, a chicken bone but yet it gets better. After flushing the chicken bone - and it getting stuck - they decide to flush approximately half (by the looks of it after it was pulled out) of a hair weave. Yes, the hair weave got caught on the chicken bone and totally clogged the toilet. That sentence just doesn't even sound right. Happily we can say that the toilet is all fixed and we have informed the tenants to please not flush any more chicken bones or hair weaves down the toilet. The only thing left to do is fix all the water damage.

No, my life is not usually boring.

Kickoff

Last Wednesday at our youth group kickoff we had 111 teens! This year we once again had a football theme which included tailgating in our backyard before service, the craziest fan and other giveaways. We also had a special speaker, Keith Elias, who is a former NY Giants football player (he also played for the Colts for a little too - Sissy and fam will appreciate that). 12 teens raised their hand signifying that they had trusted Christ as their Savior!

Keith Elias

Side note: There is a website called Cutest Blog on the Block (click here - click on free backgrounds on left side) that has backgrounds to make your blog all cutie! The directions are supposed to be simple and easy to install but for some reason I am having trouble doing it. Anyway, there are so many cute backgrounds and if anyone figures out how it is done easily, please please share with me your knowledge.

Letter to NYPD

Guess we will just have to wait and see if we get a response.

----------------------------------------

Civilian Complaint Review Board
Joan Thompson, Executive Director
40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10006

Dear Ms. Thompson:

On Thursday, August 21, 2008, my wife and I drove from New Jersey into New York City for the day. As usual, we parked our car on Desbrosses Street in Manhattan making sure there were no “No Parking” signs or a yellow curb. Upon returning to Desbrosses Street later that day, our car was gone. Assuming that it was stolen and not towed since we were not in a “No Parking Zone”, we placed a call to the NYPD. They arrived approximately a half-hour later after we placed our call to them. The officers that responded to the call were very helpful and polite. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that our car had been towed and would have to be recovered at Pier 76 at West 38th Street & 12th Avenue.

Normally, I would simply pay the tow fee, the ticket fee and accept the fact that I was wrong and should have not parked in that spot. However, there are two issues that I would like to address because they do not echo the New York Police Department slogan: “Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect.”

1. There was no indication that we were in a “No Parking Zone” nor that it was a “Commercial Vehicle Only” area. The building we parked in front of (9 Desbrosses Street) had no days/hours sign, no yellow curb, no “Commercial Vehicle Only” sign. Across the street, there was a days/hours sign on that building but should not and does not apply to the front of 9 Desbrosses Street. However, in spite of these facts, our car was towed. If interested, I have pictures of the location where the car was parked and would be willing to send them to you upon request.

2. After paying the tow fee, we discovered that our car would not start due to the fact that it was in neutral and the battery had died. We questioned the officer on duty asking if the cars where opened when towed and was meet with a resounding “No.” I would like to pose this thought: a car while in neutral cannot have the keys removed. If that statement is true, then the answer “No” to our question of our car being opened is incorrect. If our car was in neutral when we parked it, we could not have gotten the keys out of the ignition. Why then was it in neutral (with a dead battery) when we retrieved it from the tow yard? The only answer to this question is that the officer opened the car and placed it in neutral before towing.

We are extremely disappointed with these two very obvious facts that officers of the New York Police Department are abusing the authority given them by towing cars merely for what would seem New York Police Department profit as well as allegedly entering the cars being towed.

A fee of $185 was paid to receive our car from the tow yard as well as a Notice for Parking Violation in the amount of $95 (which I have paid to avoid penalty). It would seem fit to have the New York Police Department reimburse me for the total amount of $280 for the fees and fines I have incurred during this mishandling of authority.

A copy of this letter is also being sent to Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner as well as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for the sole purpose that they are well informed that officers of the New York Police Department are abusing the authority given them by incorrectly towing cars as well as allegedly entering them.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,


Cc: Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg