So Flippin' Excited!!

Remember when I told ya'll about how Sammy and I went on a Murder Mystery train ride? Read about it by clicking HERE. Well the same train station, The Mount Hood Railroad, puts on all sorts of different shows. In November and December they put on The Polar Express show and I BOUGHT TICKETS on Thursday! Whoop!!!!! Sammy, the kiddos and I will be boarding Saturday, December 17th for the 4:30 ride.

AHHH!!! I'm so excited. It's going to truly kick-ass. On the ride the kids will get their "golden ticket" punched, lol. The Polar Express book will be read and music from the movie will be played in the passenger cars. Apparently the passenger cars will be decorated for Christmas too, adding that little extra something special to the atmosphere. :) We all get a mug of hot chocolate and a gourmet cookie. On the ride back Santa comes on and meets and greets each kid and gives them a bell as a gift. The only thing I'm bummed about is no meal being served. So we'll have to pack our own drinks and snacks. It would have been awesome for a meal or at least a snack (more than the hot chocolate and cookie) to be served. 

The kids are going to flip when we pull up to the train station and tell them we are getting on!!! I'm really excited to watch them during the show. I hope they are excited and love it! It'll be really nice for us to do this special treat as a family. :) The kids have never done anything like this and I hope they find it magical.

If you want to check out the Polar Express site, click HERE. There are 4 different passenger cars, which of course come with 4 different price tags. I didn't want to do coach, which was the cheapest, and certainly couldn't afford the upper dome, which is the most expensive....even though it was the one that I really wanted!! So instead we will be in the lower dome. The last choice was the parlor car, which is the same price as the one we will be in, but I didn't like the seating. So hopefully we will be very happy with the lower dome seating. Woot! I'm so stoked!!!

With love,

Mama Hauck

Hello November

Halloween day I was feeling pretty crappy towards the late afternoon/evening time. So not only did we not go out trick or treating, but we never did the alternative plan either....camp fire with roasting marshmallows and scary movie after. *sigh* What an anticlimactic Halloween and end to my favorite month. Boo.

Instead what we did was welcome November with a camp fire and marshmallow roast!  Hooray! Sammy got the fire going as I fed the kiddos dinner. Then we all rushed out and had a grand 'ol time roasting marshmallows! Molly wanted to eat hers unfired and Anthony was funny because he said the fire was burning his face so every photo I have of him he's blocking his face with his hand. We hope to do this a few more times before the snow falls this year because it was so fun and relaxing. Even the kitties came and had a good time. 

During the day Tuesday I made these yummy cupcakes for Sam to take to work and share as a belated b-day gift for a friend and one of Sam's co-workers. It took every once of self control not to swipe one and eat it, lol. Word on the street is they were a hit. Yay! Who doesn't love heavily frosted cupcakes with Halloween candy on top!?

I feel GREAT today. Got sick once this morning (and with such fury I popped a blood vessel on the skin under my left eye....ugh) but other than that I've felt significantly better today than I have in a long, long time. Maybe this is a taste of what's to come for me? I'd love it if I'd start having more good days than bad days. I'll be 12 weeks on Sunday!

Sammy worked at a different work site today and had to take a work vehicle in to get some work done on it. This allowed the kids and I to meet up with him at my favorite local food joint, Sodbusters, and get some lunch. I've been missing coffee, so I got myself a cup of decaf and loaded up on sugar and creme. Mmmm. I got the woodshed burger to eat....it's a burger with their special BBQ sauce on it. Ohh it was so good. I *almost* finished the whole thing. I also pigged out on french fries and a side salad with their delicious ranch dressing. Lunch out was just the thing I needed. :) Now the kids are napping and I'm eating Halloween candy, lol.

With love,

Mama Hauck

Things I've learned To Be Fact.

You have to walk a lot more than one mile in someone's shoes to even begin to get an idea of what their life is all about.

People are complex because emotions are complex.

I don't care how long you've known someone or how much time you spend with them, you will never, EVER, know 100% of someone. The only person who will know all of you, 100% through and through, is yourself. And your God.

Smile. Someone might need to see one. A smile or a kind word can change someone's bleak and crappy day into a better one.

The same person you kicked down could quite possibly be the only one who is willing to help you out when you're in need.

Choose your words carefully. They can be as sharp as any dagger. 

Life goes on.

With love,

Mama Hauck