Happy New Year!

Good bye 2008.

What a year that was. As I sit here and go through the year of 2008 I shake. Most from the financial meltdown that affects me greatly. I feel very sad about the people I laid off, the people I known that passed away, families that have had to leave their houses. This has really gotten to me.

I come home most days after a 12 hour workday grumpy as hell. I have an extremely hard time to hide my worries about putting food on the table and a roof over our heads. We live nice, we do enjoy a thing here and there but in modesty, no crazy debts, no car or credit card payments. Still, I'm stressed out, I guess a few unrented houses doesn't help ( If you need a place we got one for you).

I did have some great moments this past year which makes me very happy when I think about them. We had a wonderful vacation with my Spanish family, Alex is excelling in school and sports, Fia is the wonderful little Fia as only a little Fia can be, Milu is feeling better and Marta is the best support a husband could ever have. And we are all healthy and we love each other a lot. I'm a blessed man.

So for 2009 I take with me a lot of fear and uncertainty, I swear I will work even harder, look out for people in need. I have a lot of hope for 2009 and I'll try, I'll try so hard that one might not recognize Jonas come 2010.

Who's in my yard

I bought a bigger deer that moves it's head for our Christmas decorations out side. Milu hasn't made up her mind yet whether she can tolerate it or not. If she was a male dog I bet she had shortened the circuits by peeing on it by now.

Skateboard

Alex got, to his mothers delight, a skateboard from his Uncle. He's getting pretty good at it too.

Christmas

It has been very poor blogging here lately and it might be so for awhile.

I've got a lot on my mind and very challenging tasks to deal with that sucks all energy out of me.

It supposed to be the joyous season and who says it better than good old Inga from Sweden.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Christmas parade

Alex's first parade. He is one of the snowflakes, everybody is unique.

Park party

We had Alex's party at the park this year. I had a great time and I believe that all the kids did as well. They have a pretty great playground and a big open field next to it. We played football and soccer, had cupcakes and drinks. It was cold, really cold even though the sun was out in abundance.

That's the spirit

The way a redneck would appreciate.

Two buddies

We have had a couple of days with some warmer weather. Our two buddies came right out of hibernation, or I guess they hadn't fallen asleep yet this season.

The bird house is almost as tall as I am so I guesstimate the big one to be about 10 feet long, the other one about 7 or so, click on the picture to see better, it's to the right.

And they were both so cute when they were little. We've known them since they were about 2 feet long.

Alex's birthday

I dropped and picked up at school, his biggest concern was if I remembered to bring the cupcakes for his classmates. He got to wear the birthday boy hat, they all sang for him and had cupcakes.













We stopped at the store Teach and Alex got to pick two presents from Mom and I, two puzzles were chosen. We went down town to Rue De Juan for lunch. Alex had shrimp and pasta, Fia grilled cheese sandwich and fries and I had a blue cheese burger. Oh, Marta was not there, birthdays are me and the kids only ( until they don't want to hang with silly Dad).















Then we went to the Children's Museum.















We had the place to ourselves, normally it is packed but on a rainy Wednesday afternoon in December, well it makes up for the annual membership dues.

And after a Pizza dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle John and Aunt Kim we finally made it back home to lay one of his new puzzles.

Christmas party at the office

This year is looking pretty bleak for the event of a party. I've been to a few both with my job and with Marta's.

I'm relieved that we don't have a party this year but for the ones of you that will I found some good advice for you.

NFL

Not really but Alex had a great time. He scored 2 touchdowns and played really well in defense. The opposing team had a hard time to get past and to move the ball down the field.















Score is not supposed to be kept but the general understanding was that the Bears (Alex's team) kicked some serious butt.

We've got a great coach this season so we are pumped.














A funny thing we have noticed is that given his choice Alex picks jersey #6. We have 3 different jerseys with that number on from his previous teams.

12 days

How to get into the Christmas spirit?

Just listen to Straight No Chaser, brilliant!

Tired

I've had a long weekend and I'm dead tired. Can't wait to go to work tomorrow so that I can rest a bit.

Saturday was like this, 8.30am left the house for breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa, 9.45 on the field for Alex's flag football game. 10-11 game, socialized with the coach and his family afterwords for a bit then to a Christmas market to make an appearance so that our friend felt appreciated. Ran in to a bunch of people we know. Bought two birthday presents and rushed home to change Alex out of his football gear. 1.45-2.05pm at our house. Ran late to a birtday party. We had a blast and went straight from there to the Christmas Boat Parade at 5.30pm. Watched the parade and had dinner at 5 guys burgers and fries at 7.10. Met Marta at Walmart to get Alex's invitations at 8.05. Kids went to bed 8.40pm or so, myself shortly there after.

Today, made church for the early service at 9.00 am. Sunday school and some fellowship later we had brunch at Acme at IOP ( Marta called and asked if we were coming home for brunch, I was supposed to tell her and she waited and was a bit hungry by then, angry too). Returned some stuff at Target, filled gas and came home at 1.15pm. Left at 2.10 to get some appetizers for a Christmas party later and headed to Auto Zone for some light bulbs, our Volvo goes through them right know. Made a 3.00 o'clock birthday party, rushed from it to a Christmas party (hence the appetizer purchase). The kids again had a great time and they were totally tired when I dropped them off at the house at 6.50pm so that Marta could give them a bath. I then went to the golf course and finally made it home at 8.18pm.

So, I hope all of you had as good of a weekend as I did but right now I am over and out.

Have a good night where ever you are!

Fruit

Marta; Jonas have some fruit.

Jonas; I'm having fruit.

M; That's not fruit.

J; It's made of grapes and grapes are fruit.

M; Wrong color.

J; I switch to red after this glass.

No reply from Marta.

J; I think this is the first time ever I made you speechless.

And she gave me some tangerines from Spain.

Marta-Jonas 1-1.

Do it right

We just watched the Christmas tree lightning in New York on TV.

A good bit of celebrities and classic Christmas music.

One thing I have to give the people in USA, when they do something they don't diddle fiddle around. They go all out.

The tree at Rockefeller center, not only is it completely covered in lights, classy and beautiful, the dang tree is 72 feet tall.

That's what I call a Christmas tree.

Only in SC

Do we have tax free days on weapon purchases. You got it right. Our fine legislation has decided that that a few days per year no sales tax on fire arms.

I wonder how their thought process worked that day?