The little picture there is from last July, 2008 fireworks by our house. But it was fitting for the New Years' celebration happening elsewhere.

Now the 6 year old is playing her new Nintendo DS, for which on our tenth anniversary my husband bought 'me' a Super Mario Bros game। Sigh. He says he ordered me a book too. That's more like it ;) I just wonder if its the same book he bought me for Christmas that's also on order.


Ah, but all is well here. No big expectations to bring in the New Year, we will all sleep through it. And I am almost done with the book Bess of Hardwick, which I am actually wishing I wasn't as it is a fabulous book. Which is why I am here writing, prolonging the finishing of the book. Another book that I will re-read I am sure.


The Dallas Stars are actually winning at the moment. A few years ago, perhaps 2003/2004 we had received tickets to the Stars game on NY Eve, and that was fun. That was the last time I remember actually DOING something on this date. Oh wait.. we went to my sister-in-laws a few years later and JR got totally shnockered which I recorded on video. He saw it afterwards, and was extremely embarassed. He really wasn't that bad, it just showed how stupid it is and he never got drunk again. Amazing tool for Interventions.


I figured out how to post to the blog from my mobile phone. That too is amazing. All these things with advanced technology. My kids are not going to benefit from all these things that are going to be discovered via their cellphones/computers.. I will always wish they had the innocent fun of our good old days. The library, the bike riding, climbing trees, board games with the family. Now everyone in my family (with the temporary exception of the 20month old) is in their own little world, with their own electronic devices attached to their hands. There is even a thing called the Kindle device from Amazon that you can purchase books through.. and you read it on that little device!! THAT is something that is just crazy. I will always love to leaf through a good book.


And I am never going to buy from the UK via Ebay ever again. Lesson #1 learned. The GBP conversion is a bit off on Ebay, not in our favor, and the multiple items discount was a complete crock of crap. So I am paying more for the shipping total then for the 9 tiny paperbacks all combined as a purchase price. Makes me mad that I was so silly depending on this discount. Buyer Beware! There are about 40+ books by deceased author Jean Plaidy (pen name) that I am buying since my lirbary doesn't carry them. They are about Enlgand/Normady etc and the queens, Kings.. Lovers, tragedies.. And so I have about 20 I guess and I need over 20 more ;) The thrill of the chase is half of it. I recommend Thriftbooks.com and Abebooks.com As always, compare shipping prices. A wonderful site I've found for books in UK is fantasticfiction.com

Now that I've put you to sleep I'll go read now that I've got myself back in the history mood. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Here's to new books, old and used books for my wonderfully expanding Library! ;)

The obligatory nod to my tenth wedding anniversary today.
JR and I got married (on purpose, not a whim) at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
We drove there from our home in Garland TX in the red Camaro that we just traded in last year.
It was a very nice day on New Years Eve; we were outside the chapel chain smoking we were SO nervous!! (i have quit since then)..
We had a cassette tape of Journey's Open Arms song, and had that playing as we walked down the aisle.
Reverend Ray Cobb married us and not Elvis (that would have cost extra anyway).
We had a nice candle lighting ceremony and the chapel was very nice, I definitely recommend it.
Jon Bon Jovi got married there, as well as Catherine Oxenburg, Aaron Neville, Richard Simmons.. ;)

That night we went to Fremont Street and being NY EVE it was impossibly crazy packed, JR was afraid he was going to lose me in the crowd. I couldn't see anything except for the backs of many people.

It was the beginning of a Marriage, and a Family.