Well, I took the tree down on Wednesday. For those who don�t know I don�t put the tree up until December & try to do it on December 3 in my late uncles memory. I leave the tree up until after my birthday, but within a few days of it (28th or 29th), it comes down. I don�t believe in having my tree up twice a year��so it is always down by New Year�s Eve the latest.

I got my presents from my sister. =) She made me a little frame with a picture with her & the kids in it. I love that she used the rainbow yawn, it has always been one of my favorites & then the kids are wearing bright colors so it is a perfect match. She also did a small photo album with a few pics of her and the kids & did up a thing with my name, birthday & a cat. =) How appropriate���.grin.

Just checked the mail & got my card from mom, dad & the kids. Got 2 really cool magnetic from the kids. =) Already on my refrigerator. They had done a project in 2nd grade & the company took a picture of them & put them on magnetic.

We finished watching all the cds to the extended version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was great. I know they were worried about time length for movie theaters, but all the parts they originally cut should�ve never been cut. They really added more to the story.

I picked up a frame for the picture of my in-laws. I love it, I finally got a family pic of them���now if I could get my folks, especially with the kids�.grin I still need to get 3 5×7 frames for the kids� pictures & an album so I could organize what pictures I have of them.

We are watching Purdue play badly right now. =( It is half time & I�m really hoping that they do better in the 2nd half. A friend is down there at the game & I�m jealous���.the bum���grin

I was supposed to have the weekend off, but traded Saturday for today off so I could watch Purdue��..of course, I�m disappointed right now. =( We are going over to our friend Dan�s house tonight for New Year�s Eve. He is having a party & some of our other friends will be there. We�ll have to leave right after midnight since I have to get up by 6am tomorrow to work���but that is ok, we�ve never partied for the new year���just spent time together. =)

I was going to try and do a few letters today����but I don�t think I�m going to get to it. =( I�ll try on my next day off. =)

The year of 2004 really did suck for us, so I’m really hoping that 2005 is a hell lot better. Here is to hoping. =)

Have a Great & Safe New Years!!!

Peace
Toni

I haven’t done one of these in a while:

Asia Tsunami Death Toll Soars Past 77,000
As the world scrambled to the rescue, survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them. The official death toll across 11 countries soared past 77,000 and the Red Cross predicted it could exceed 100,000.

Bodies were piled into mass graves in the belief that burial would ward off disease. Paramedics in southern India began vaccinating thousands of survivors against cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and dysentery, and authorities sprayed bleaching powder on beaches where bodies have been recovered. In Sri Lanka, reports of waterborne disease such as diarrhea caused fears of an epidemic.

***This is just so extremely sad, nothing much else can be said to really to express the sense of lost the world is feeling.

If you want to help out, check out this: How To Help Tsunami Victims

Here is one person’s story of it & how they had to put up with the crappy & insenstive American Embassy =(
Couple caught under tsunami

For all you Law & Order fans, a sad day: Jerry Orbach, Star of TV’s ‘Law & Order’ and Broadway Musicals, Dies of Cancer at 69
**I loved his character & was dissappointed when he quit doing it full time. It hasn’t been the same since, now it never will be. =(

FYI: Just want to let you know that we have recieved your messages about the bugs. They are working on it & hope that it will be fixed soon.

Lulu was a prostitute, but she didn’t want her grandma to know. One day, the police raided a whole group of prostitutes at a sex party in a hotel, and Lulu was among them. The police took them outside and had all the prostitutes line up along the driveway when suddenly, Lulu’s grandma came by and saw her granddaughter.

Grandma asked, “Why are you standing in line here, dear?”

Not willing to let her grandmother know the truth, Lulu told her grandmother that the policemen were passing out free oranges, and she was just lining up for some.

“Why, that’s awfully nice of them. I think I’ll get some for myself,” Grandma said, and she proceeded to the back of the line.

The policeman was going down the line asking for information from all of the prostitutes. When he got to Grandma, he was bewildered and exclaimed, “Wow, still going at it at your age? How do you do it?”

Grandma replied, “Oh, it’s easy, dear. I just take my dentures out, rip the skin back, and suck them dry.”

The policeman fainted!

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me!

lol

I ended up working today, but I’m use to that by now. Unfortunately I ended up missing the Colts/Chargers game. =( That is a hard game to know who to cheer for. I’m a Colt fan……..but I love my Drew Brees as a Purdue Fan. ………grin

Torn got me some inline skates & knee/elbow pads, can’t wait for it to be nice enough to try them out. I use to roller skate all the time when I was a kid, but I will say a single row of wheels makes me nervous. But I’m so looking forward to trying them out & getting some good exercise……….grin

Here is a few pics of my new bike: pic1 & pic2

Nice, isn’t it?

If men got pregnant…

Maternity leave would last for two years…with full pay.

There’d be a cure for stretch marks.

Natural childbirth would become obsolete.

Morning sickness would rank as the nation’s number one health problem.

All methods of birth control would be improved to 100 percent effectiveness.

Children would be kept in the hospital until they were toilet trained.

Men would be EAGER to talk about commitment.

They wouldn’t think twins were quite so cute.

Fathers would demand that their SONS be home from dates by 10:00pm.

Men could use THEIR briefcases as diaper bags.

They’d have to stop saying, “I’m afraid I’ll drop him.”

Paternity suits would be a line of clothes.

They’d stay in bed for the entire nine months.

Menus at most restaurants would list ice cream and pickles as an entree

Time for a real entry. =)

Well����where to start. I�ve gotten a lot of cards from family & friends, I love it when I come home from work and find another one to open. =) The other day Torn�s folks sent a picture that they had taken of themselves with a quick note. I love it, I have nothing recent of them and family pics are my thing even if they aren�t Torn�s. =)

Once I get a better handle of figuring out the family tree/history on my side, I want to work on Torn�s. I have a calendar that his aunt gave several yrs ago with every one on his mom�s side birth date & year, so I�m going to start there. I�m going to write his uncle on his dad�s side since he is really into the family tree. I hope to get to start on it by this summer; I just need to finish with editing family pics so I�m not so over whelmed.

I knew that this year would be hard since it is the first one away from the rest of my family member. Even though we had Xmas music going at work (some of it really, really bad) it didn�t feel like the season. So I finally found some of my Xmas music & put that in the truck & blasted on the drive to & from work. I only listened to only of my Xmas Cds, it is the one that has the versions that I grew up on���Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diane Ross, Smokey Robinson��Jackson 5�I love it, still has the traditional feel but slightly different from the originally versions. It is a really cheap cd, but is the only one that comes close to the record mom used to play every year. I would love to find a much better quality cd, but I�m just happy to have it. It made it feel more like Xmas, but at the same time sadden me for what I missed.

We got down to the 30s one night but have gone away up to the mid 70s during the day so that hasn�t helped. I just kept thinking of past Xmas and how we would go and see my folks (being cold & sometimes driving in a snow storm) and watch the kids open their presents from us on Xmas eve or run out & do it on the Xmas day. Especially when hearing the kind of weather that Indiana has been having.

In fact mom called from a corn field���..lol��.. She hit slush and ended there, but is safe and with minimum damage.

My homesickness for family hits usually when driving to & from work. I end up thinking of my old job & what I would be doing there & all my friends from there. I think by not leaving on my own terms has made it harder, doesn�t help that I had worked 4 Xmas� there so I had it down pat. Torn has really helped to distract me and gives me special attention. He is very in tuned with me & tries hard to distract me.

We woke to a hair ball mess���lol��.and he had just cleaned the carpets yesterday. So later today he ended up cleaning that section of the carpet while I changed the litters���.lol

Anyway���presents��. Torn got me a really cool BMX mountain bike�.the sneak. I already have a bike, but he hasn�t been happy with it since it is about 10yrs old & has seen better days. I just wish it hadn�t been raining�.I would�ve loved to have taken it for a test ride��.grin We�ll be donating my bike once we get the chance. He also got me a water holder for it, Harry Potter & The Terminal dvd���if you haven�t seen The Terminal��..see it! It is great. He also got me a cd of Ray Charles & him doing duets with other artists, can�t wait to listen to it & he got me a cd of Meatloaf with the Melbourne Symphony! Dang, does my hubby know me�..grin Then he got me an even more self-indulgent gift; a gift card for a facial & mud bath���.grin I�m going to go with a friend & have a girl�s day.

Now there is still one more package under the tree & he won�t let me open it�it is more my birthday tomorrow. =)

I got him the dvd box set of the extended versions of the Lord of the Ring trilogy. I did surprise him with it��.grin��.I was happy with that, it is so hard to do sometimes.

We had a very nice Xmas dinner with ham & have been watching movies & just spending time together.

I really need to get to my email, I�ve it neglected again���.lol

Peace
Ton
i

Stop by in my member’s area and found that they have uploaded our template. There are lots of bugs that they are still working out & links for us to change once they are done…………but it looks a hell lot better the yellow. =)

Here is a quick snap shot of what it now looks like:

I love it when things flow together. =)

PS: This is the 1st time I’ve ever attempted a snapshot…..lol

I just wanted to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

May your day be filled with loving memories. =)

Peace
~Toni

You remember me talking about trying to get back in touch with my friend from Alaska?

Well, my mom found her old addy & I sent a card & a quick note…………& guess what?!??! I got an email from her today!!!!

Hot damn!………..grin….

I’m not able to respond until tomorrow, since I have to get to bed……lol………extremely early day tomorrow……..but now I’m going to have even a harder time falling asleep since I’m so happy……HOT DAMN!!!!