Barb's Journal

Click to see bigger pictures, if you're interested. lol

All the trees are gone - FINALLY! I was beginning to wonder if they were ever coming back to finish and when I got home today, there were just piles of wood on the ground. :D They should be out tomorrow to finish the cleanup. I hope they take all the sawdust from the stump removal. lol I'll get pics sometime. It looks so much bigger out there!

Topic change:
I've been listening to some of the older songs that I liked when I was a teen, and it's funny how some of them have lyrics that I can completely relate to now that I'm older and have experienced so much more. Sometimes the words fit so perfectly that they could have been written specifically for me - that sounds ridiculous to say, but it just shows how dead on some of the words are. What sucks is that I can only remember a few of them off the top of my head, and out of those most are just too personal to put out for all to see. So, here are just a few of the lyrics that have gotten my attention lately.

1 - Makes me think of Mom:
I had a dream that you stood right in front of me
And called to me in black and white.
Though I could see you, I couldn't reach you
You faded into the light.

And when the sun turns a dream to reality
I'm left with such an empty space.
I feel your spirit, know that I'm near it
I swear I can see your face.

2 - I actually played this song quite often just a couple years ago:
I've been sitting here so long,
Just wasting time, just staring at the phone.
And I was wondering should I call you?
Then I thought maybe you're not alone...

3 - This hit me during election time:
We put people into power but we fight our wars alone.
They take such good care of the rest of the world
But what about the folks at home?
Point the finger at the man you chose.
He'll say he's sorry but it's just the way it goes.
He sits in judgement like a king on a throne,
'Till that November when he'll beg for a bone.

4 - Watch the news - this is all over it:
Johnny used to work after school at the cinema show.
Gotta hustle if he wants an education, yeah, he's got a long way to go.
Now he's out on the street all day selling crack to the people who pay.
Got an AK-47 for his best friend - business the American way.

I had more to say, but my mind has gone blank. Wait.. What mind?! :D

I am finally getting the trees in the yard removed. FINALLY!!! Today they were able to get one smaller one completely down and to get most of the HUGE one cut off. Here are a few pics (click to see bigger images). :)







And here is a before (you can't really see just how tall and poofy the big one (THE TREE) is in this photo - but compare the base to my Tribute!!!):



And since you can't tell the true size of THE TREE in that last photo, here is a satellite image. Note that THE TREE completely hides three garages (2 smaller 1-cars, one huge 2-car) as well as my entire back yard. Click this one to see it better.



I will add more pics as the "Chopping of the Trees" progresses. Rain is forecasted for the next few days so who knows when they'll be able to work more. :(

Lots of pics!! First the ice storm, followed by the additional inches of snow that fell after the ice had stopped, as well as a few birds and some wires.

More pictures...







My spoiled little boy:

I just recently bought a new camera - the Nikon Coolpix P80. I need to fiddle around with it a LOT more to learn what all I can do with it, but tonight I decided to see how it took nighttime pics outside. We have a horrible snow storm moving in, and with it is some sleet/freezing rain. It started about 40 minutes ago...

Without a flash:





With the flash: (you can see the snow falling)





Just for fun I snapped some shots of things in my living room:







I'm really liking this camera so far!!! :D

My Tribute is parked in the driveway! :D It's too dark out to take pictures but I will get some posted soon. I'm excited but exhausted so it's off to bed I go!

I decided today to go ahead and splurge. I signed a contract for a 2009 Mazda Tribute. Wooo hooo!!!

Here is a little info about the Tribute so that the next things I am going to say make sense:
The 4 cylinder is the i Series and the 6 cylinder is the s Series.
There are 3 styles: Sport (base), Touring (one step up), and Grand Touring (top of the line).
They come in 2 wheel drive (2WD) and all wheel drive (4WD).

I want an i Series because it gets better mileage than the s Series. I also want top of the line (why the heck not - it comes to only around $2500 more!). I want 2WD because the 4WD is all the time all wheel drive and not the kind you can turn on only when you need it - so mileage wouldn't be as good. These three things mean that I want an i Series Grand Touring 2WD. No big deal, right?

WRONG! Apparently they think that if you want top of the line you also want a V6 4WD. An i Series Grand Touring 2WD is next to impossible to find... especially when you want a particular color. I want Monterey Gray. The salesman did an inventory search since they can get stock from other dealers. He found TWO Monterey Gray i Grand Touring 2WDs in the entire COUNTRY!!! Luckily one of them is close enough that he can have it picked up. It is located in Alcoa, TN. This means I won't have my new baby until Thursday. :( Oh, the other one is located in Norman, OK. The dealer had, on the showroom floor, a Monterey Gray s Grand Touring 4WD. Ugh.

I am so excited though!!!!!! WOO HOOOOO!!!!!! Sticker price is $25,640. Invoice is $23,994. I'm paying $22,800. :D

This page shows a blue 4WD one, but mine is essentially the same, just in gray.
http://www.trucktrend.com/multimed…

I will post pics when I bring her home! :D

Standard Options:
Intermittent front and rear wipers
Power windows
Power 2 stage locks
Remote keyless illuminated entry system
Tilt steering
Cruise control (automatic transmission only)
Air conditioning
Rear window defogger
Floor console with dual cup holders and covered storage
Dual rear seat cup holders
Front door storage pockets
Heater/defroster with rear ducts
Dual vanity mirrors with covers
Front map lights
Cargo area light
Driver's left footrest
100-watt AM/FM/CD stereo with 4 speakers
Auxiliary audio input jack
Reclining front bucket seats
60/40 split fold down rear seat

Options the Grand Touring has over Sport (base):
Privacy tint rear glass
Retractable cargo cover
Sirius Satellite radio receiver with 6 month subscription
Roof rack with crossbars
Power sliding-glass moonroof with one-touch-down feature
Dual heated power remote outside mirrors
Outside ambient temperature display
Overhead console with storage bin
190-watt AM/FM in dash 6 disc CD changer with 7 speakers
Steering wheel mounted audio controls
Leather seats
6-way power adjustable driver's seat
Heated front seats
Front seatback map pockets

Mine will also have the optional side step tubes. :D

WOO HOO!!!