Top Ten Reasons/Excuses for My Delinquent Blogging

1. Snow Storms
December 19-20th winter storm cuts out power for a few days, internet and cable even longer. Lots to do to keep us busy though.

2. Getting Ready for the Holidays....adult "kids" returning from all over the place..need to plan menus and food for the holidays.

Multiple airport pickups of family and their significant others....at all hours of the day and nights.

Good times catching up, 12/23...lots to talk about.

Sadly, Paul started getting stomach aches after dinner..said maybe too many hot peppers. Others ate the peppers, but only he got sick. He got worse during the night..couldn't sleep, in very bad pain. Which led actually to calling the ambulance in the morning for him. He had a very bad night.

Here are our three "kids" at the hospital right before his operation..trying to be upbeat and supportive and consoling. He mad sure though that the hospital knew that he is an organ donor...he kept telling all the nurses and the doctors.

3. Acute Appendicitis
Paul has an emergency appendectomy at Shady Grove Hospital on Christmas Eve around 8 pm. Surgery goes well, appendix actually burst but he is in good physical shape and they caught it early and we had a very good surgeon. Paula returns from the hospital Christmas Eve around midnight on icy roads with fog.

Hospital releases Paul on Christmas Night around 8 PM. Hurry up dinner ensues very late, and family happily is reunited. Good health and being together again is our Christmas blessing this year.

4. Goodbyes too soon and Airport Trips
The days pass quickly and it's time to start saying goodbye to everyone again as they head off in their different overseas directions..which involves again multiple airport trips at all hours of the night and day.

Always smiles and tears are involved.

5. Snowmaggedon Part 2 February 6, 2010.
If you think the last storm was bad, think again. Power out, street closed for days, internet and cable out longer, again.

Lots to do around the house though..like shoveling, later calling tree crews to take away our downed trees. We have gas stove though so with a lighter we can cook soup and such. And sleep in the family room on the sofa near the gas fireplace.

Chagall Drive.

Shoveling our sidewalk... a civic duty. : ) Not that anyone was able to go to school or anything,

6. Daughter home for major surgery.
Our daughter returns from Panama in early March for major surgery on her wrist and hip..which was originally scheduled during the February snowstorm..so all new arrangements had to be made, from planes to hospital to surgeons and more. Again, terrific surgeons and all went well at Shady Grove Hospital, but we are getting to not like becoming so familiar there. Recovery was difficult, but in the end, she has healed and the surgery was successful. On the plus side, she was home with us for a few weeks and we got to tend to her in her very difficult time.

On the plus side, Skype is a wonderful free method of communication and while she was away (here) she was still in contact with her business partner and boyfriend .

6. Cherry Blossoms in DC.
Need to go down to DC to take in the springtime and the cherry blossoms for a day off from work every once in a while...which are few and far between. This is actually in front of the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Anyway, we took a day off and just walked all around..along with thousands of other tourists and locals on this beautiful Spring Day.

7. Remodeling Projects.
We totally renovated and updated this very nice colonial on Ambiance Drive and a condo in Germantown on Swiss Circle, with the help of a trusted crew of professionals who we regularly hire, work with, and recommend to others, for two rental properties. Both were time consuming for us, but they turned out spectacular, in our opinion, and both were rented within days of being advertised. Cudos to Mr. Kim and his hardworking and professional crew.

Ambiance rental project.

TO BE CONTINUED SOON