Funny Story for your New Year

Hi, and Happy New Year!

Hope your Christmas was a happy day! We're trying to do as many big things in as short a time as possible, i.e. moving, remodel the kitchen, remodel the bathroom, celebrate the holidays, the microwave dies, the dryer dies...continually try to fit more stuff into a smaller house with less space than before...the list goes on!

So let's add to that: our 1997 Chevy Malibu shows symptoms that it is ALSO on its way out.
OK, we've had it 11 years, for Pete's sake -- it has had a good life! Car symptoms and Internet research tells us that a "big fix" is coming soon, added to a few smaller ones, so...do we put $2500 into fixing an 11 year old car? Or put that money into a used newer vehicle...we could look for one that also has 4-Wheel-Drive for the snow around here...you can see where this is going.

So for the past few days/weeks, we have ALSO been heavily researching Used 4WD Vehicles. It is a good time to buy, since it is the last week of the year, etc., etc. (And maybe you know how ridiculous we are when we research things. The time and energy we usually spend researching may even EXCEED the time we own the item...? It's a little embarrassing.) Anyway, it was a miracle that this happened as fast as it did. Yesterday Frank ends up driving this home:


It's a 2004 Toyota Highlander, with 39,000 miles on it. V6 engine, 4WD, 7 seats possible (an adult's knees are up a little high when they sit in the very back, but, well, you know...) Frank loves that haggling game, so I let him play to his heart's content...after 4 rounds of back-and-forth, he gets it down to a pretty good price, we think.

(If you noticed the "Title" of this post, you might have expected a "Funny Story." There may be one person in this world who thinks that the Whitesells Buying a Used Car constitutes a Funny Story. For the rest of you, don't worry: there's MORE!)

The process of buying a used car from a dealership is more of a painfully long ordeal than any of us could have imagined. Frank is there for HOURS. While he is there, yesterday, waiting on bank approvals and registration and DMV notifications to switch plates and paperwork, a car pulls into the dealership lot.

There are a handful of men in the car, who pile out. Their sobriety level is a little questionable, but they make it clear they are there to buy two cars.

They open the trunk and there is quite a bit of paper cash in the car. They will pay cash for these cars, thank you very much.

THEY go through a similar process that Frank is going through, switching license plates over, and the DMV is notified. Because they pay with paper cash from the car, it is a LITTLE faster than Frank's process, so they finish and leave.

A few minutes later the dealership gets a phone call. When the DMV was notified that these license plates were changing cars, they are the license plates of some men who very recently robbed a bank! The police already know the plates and descriptions of the men they are looking for. The DMV notification also automatically goes to the police, so those license plate numbers alert all kinds of people. After the men leave the car dealership, they stop to fill up with gas, and the police pick them up at the gas station.

Sometimes...the system works. :)

Happy 2009! Love, Kari

First Real New England Snow

Hello!

Well, well--welcome to New England! This weekend was our first "real" storm. David measured 9 inches outside, and we should get another 2 maybe.... Then sunshine, Monday and Tuesday.

The kids are in HEAVEN! I could not have predicted, Saturday, the number of: not just minutes, but HOURS they spent outside, playing in the snow. Teresa builds snow tunnels,




Kara makes snow angels with her buddy Isabel next door, and David has discovered that the neighbors pay pretty well for him to shovel their driveway and porches.

I, on the other hand, am in heaven when I watch it snow from the INSIDE, and I know that I do not have to drive anywhere. I already went to the grocery store this week, and we have enough gas in the cars. I love a storm on a Saturday!

(Frank looks like he's in heaven, too, in this shot, don't you think...)Side Note: I was relieved to see that the city plows these streets VERY well. They came through multiple times during the night, and again 2 or 3 times today.

There's absolutely nothing in the world as good as hot cocoa, after you've been outside playing in the snow.

Oh, and here's a treat for anybody who may be a little weary of the traditional "12 Days of Christmas." This is a creative version; these guys sing a capella--fun!

Have a wonderful Christmas week! Kari

Baking (of sorts) & Basketball Fun

Hello!

A couple of fun things. We went to a neighborhood party last Saturday, with so much food you had to shake your head... :) The fun thing (besides socializing and getting to know neighbors better) was discovering these incredibly easy, tasty treats! Here, I made some yesterday and took a picture for you.

They take 3-5 minutes to make, and I'm not kidding! Recipe:

Pretzel Delights
mini twist pretzels
Hershey Kisses
M&M's

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Lay out mini pretzels on a cookie sheet on wax paper.
3. Place Hershey Kiss on pretzel (I actually cut the kisses in half--kind of a pain but we think that's a better amount of chocolate per pretzel...)
4. Put in oven for 2 and 1/2 minutes, give or take a few seconds.
5. Kisses should be soft. so now push an M&M into the kiss.

Viola! Very fun, easy salty/sweet treat. I think I'll get some peanut butter M&M's and try those on top.

The OTHER fun thing was that Frank and I got to go to a Boston Celtics game last night! Yep, champion basketball team from this past spring.
The Celtics beat the Utah Jazz, 100-91. Here's their logo: I guess he represents a "Celtic?"


The funny part is, do you remember Danny Ainge? BYU basketball player, went on to play for the Celtics and actually 3 other pro basketball teams... Now he's the "President of Basketball Operations" for the Celtics--he recruits for them, and handles the sponsor deals, etc. That's about all I know but WHY do I know this? Because he's our Bishop, in our church congregation here.

Last Sunday night, Frank took David to the Bishop's Youth Night: kind of an inspirational/spiritual thought fireside for the youth, at the Ainge's house. On the front door they posted a note: "we have 2 more tickets to tomorrow night's game, if anyone can go..." At the end of the evening Frank asked if they still had the tickets so THAT's how we went! They were really good seats, and we were happy to take them off their hands.

Interesting thing, living here. I lived in California 5 years, and I never saw a celebrity! I come here and I do....OH, another person we saw: Michael Phelps, you remember 14 gold medals in swimming? He was at the game last night.

OK--back to THE LIST! Have a great week-before-Christmas! Love, Kari

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

Today is my grandma's 98th birthday! Yippee! She's amazing. I couldn't begin to summarize her full, productive life in a paragraph on a blog, but here are a few things I admire about her:

She likes to do new things.
She took her first painting lesson at the age of 75, and painted beautiful landscapes for years.
She likes (and actually completes!) crossword puzzles.
She still exercises regularly.
(My kids would name this favorite:) She has a golf cart!
She takes care of herself.
She remembers all the kids' and adults' birthdays.
She is well-read and knowledgeable.
She appreciates good food and good company!

Here she is, with one of her birthday presents: balloon bouquets.

Happy Birthday, Grandma! We love you!

Doors, Dead Microwaves, Decorations

Hello!

Hmmm...kind of in a "posting slump" at the moment. What to write about this week?

Of course! Doors! We have new doors. And I have a new respect for people who hang doors. Our house was built in 1950. Over time, wood doors and walls and door frames settle, and shift, and move. Many of our doors wouldn't close, or stay closed, or latch...so we ordered all new doors on the main floor, and a new front door.

My Friday was spent with 3 Door Guys. 2 for interior, and 1 to replace the front door. It took 2 guys NINE and a HALF HOURS to change out 12 interior doors...they said our house wins the prize for having the most problems with each door! They had to measure, and shave off, and re-cut and shim the hinges...on EVERY door! He says, "most doors have one problem to work with...every one of yours had multiple problems!" They were here from 8 to 5:30, and they did not take a lunch break.

And the FRONT door guy...taking out the old frame, hanging, cutting, re-building, trimming the threshold, putting in new siding and baseboards...re-hanging the storm door...HE was here EIGHT and a half hours. Yes, for ONE door.

Here are the before/after shots, yes they are "just doors," but I think after they are painted (Eewww, that would be on Frank's and my list of to-do's), they'll really freshen up the place.

Interior doors before/after:






Here's the front door, sorry: the "before" shot is enlarged so many times it's grainy:


These changes may seem silly to some...but to be able to close a door that wouldn't before, or to have it STAY closed, easily, when it wouldn't before, is just heaven!

Frank's "1st" yesterday was hanging our new microwave, because, yes, the ONE thing we weren't going to touch in the kitchen?? It DIED last week! UGH! So here is our new microwave. Add it to the list!

And here, last but not least, is Kara cutting out snowflakes. Thanks to this child, we actually have some Christmas decorations up! (I'm still overwhelmed with boxes and putting things AWAY, for Pete's sake! Truly, the last thing I want to do is take out seasonal stuff that will just need to be taken down and re-packed in a month. I may have even foregone the tree this year, but...well, you know...the kids and Frank did not like that idea.)

Here is Kara, cutting out snowflakes for the front window, in the same room as our stockings. The major accomplishment is that we found most of our Christmas decorations.


Have a wonderful week! Love, Kari