Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Tornadoes in Minneapolis!

Yes, it's true, there were tornados in Minneapolis this afternoon! I was watching the news on WCCO.com and one woman who lives just a couple blocks from the treatment center where I worked was saying she looked out the window and watched a funnel roll down the middle of the street and thought she was seeing things, but grabbed her niece and nephew and went to the basement; when she looked back out the window there were trees and light poles on the ground and awnings and steps and shingles missing up and down the street. Tony initially called me cuz he couldn't get a hold of Andrea, but he later connected up with her, and Liisa was sent home from work early to be sure her house and the pupkins were safe. I was concerned when I couldn't initially reach my mother, knowing how terrified she is of storms, but she was at the church working, and was in the basement there with the babies. So all my nearest and dearest are safe. I am thankful!

We went out this afternoon and got Patrick a haircut--he now has a short military style. It looks so handsome! And we got school supplies (the basics--notebooks, pens, pencils, and index cards). We will get school clothes maybe next week, but we had some unexpected expenses this week--we had to put 2 new tires on the Pilot after getting a nail embedded in one that could not be repaired and a blown sidewall on another (it was flat--"but only on the bottom", lol). Eric put the spare (a donut) on for me and I took it in to the dealership today to get the new tires mounted and moved around. They say we should be good for awhile again. I blame the heat we have had and all the roofing work being done around our addition; the ground and the rubber on the tires get really hot, and there are nails everywhere! Oh well, at least it is fixed so we can drive it again!

I am really beat. We were up late last night getting the last of Eric's research project done for his class today. And I got up far earlier than I wanted to. School starts for the kids tomorrow as a half day and they are feeling so-so about it. Aurora is excited, and the boys are "meh", but they are all basically set. We put a few new "policies" in place for this school year: the kids don't necessarily need to be home right after school, but they DO have to be here by 6 pm (unless they have made prior arrangements) for dinner and homework. Once homework is done and SHOWN to us (ok, primarily me) they will then be free to go out again until no later than 10 pm on school nights, and in bed by 11. Exceptions may be made for Patrick if he gets a job (he has been looking actively for one the past few days), but getting homework reviewed is non-negotiable, and takes precedence to socializing. The kids (ok, the boys) felt it was fair, and seeing as they have been really hanging out most of the summer with each other, we figured this would be good incentive for both of them to work together and hold each other accountable. It's worth a try anyhow. Looks like all Eric's classes next term are going to be morning classes so he is going to try to stay on Nights for the next term. It's gonna wreck havoc on our sleep schedule somewhat, but I think it will be better in the long run--he won't really miss many classes this way. Eric is done with his last class on Monday morning, then has 2 weeks off, and he is at work tonight (it's his short week! Yay!!!!)

I think that is all I had on my mind for the moment. I need to go get dinner started, and I hope to have an early night. Rei is out bowling with Cliff and Jared, but knows he needs to be in at a decent hour, and Patrick is off with friends too for a bit. Aurora had her sports physical yesterday as well as her other appointment; she is doing fine and is eager to be cleared to run in cross country. Now she just needs her ankle to heal a bit--she rolled it playing "manhunt" last week and it's a bit sore. She is now 5 ft 8.5" and Rei and Patrick are both taller than Eric--so my guess is they both top 6 ft now, and Patrick has just a half inch or so on Reimond... Eric is torn between pride and being bummed that he is no longer the "tallest" around here...

I am rambling, so I guess I will go cook. Looks like we are in for some storms tonight too!

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