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IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

We had a nice and quiet New Year's Eve, taking care of the granddaughters so Greg and Lara could join friends to celebrate. Everything went well and we had the kids in bed at their usual times. But at midnight, someone in the neighborhood decided to celebrate with fireworks. That woke everyone up and so by the time Lara and Greg got home, the kids were wide awake and waiting for them. I had brought a turkey with me that I had purchased at Thanksgiving and fixed a nice dinner for everyone for New Year's Day. I also made a yummier chocolate cream pie that everyone enjoyed. We then headed back home for a couple of days between Blazer games.

Last week was my first experience with my jury duty adventure. We had orientation last week and as requested, I called in the night before to see if my number was called. Guess what? It was. That was frustrating because I really had other things I needed to do. So, on Tuesday, I had to report to Circuit Court as they had scheduled two trials for that day. They shuffled about 150 of us into the courtroom and started explaining the procedure and then drew twelve names out of a basket. I didn't get picked, but still had to stick around until the lawyers were happy with the selection. The judge went over the case and asked if anyone was familiar with any of the witnesses. Then went on to explain that the trial would last for two days. I had asked ahead of time for that Wednesday off as I had already scheduled a dentist appointment. When the judge asked anyone if they couldn't attend for the two days, I raised my hand and explained to him my excused absence. I was dismissed for that trial and I merrily went on my way. Normally, weighing the difference of going to the dentist and being on a jury, I would much rather go to the dentist! I immediately called Dave and told him to wait for me, as he was getting ready to drive into Portland for a Blazer game. So after I got back home from the jury ordeal, I threw some clothes in an overnight bag and we drove into town together. Otherwise, I would have had to drive separately into town the next day for my dental appointment. There were no jury cases set for yesterday or today, so I was able to go to water aerobics Thursday morning and I was able to get caught up a little around the house.

We were in Portland until Friday and I didn't bring enough clothes to wear because I thought we were coming back earlier. No problem, because Lara's washing machine is working everyday and I just threw my dirty laundry in with their load. When you have three little girls, you tend to wash a lot of clothes.

While I was in town, I exchanged my "loaner" cell phone for a permanent one. This latest one has an easier way to text messages and it also has the "bluetooth" technology so I can talk in the car while I am driving. The new Oregon law forbidding holding a cell phone while driving came into effect the first of the year. We still have a few wrinkles to iron out with that new phone though...we've tried several times to get it hooked up to the Jeep bluetooth system, and it just won't lock in. That's frustrating because that was the main reason for getting the new phone!

Also, while we were in town, Dave and I bought a pre-owned Chevy Suburban. We already have one and while it is 21 years old with low mileage, we wanted to upgrade. Dave has been doing some homework on a new vehicle to tow the boat for a while now, and he found this one online. It's a little older than we were looking for - it's a 2003 - but it still is 14 years newer than the other one and has very low miles for its age. It's forest green in color and has a lot more features than the old one. Now, all we have to do is sell the '89, since the dealership didn't want it as a trade-in. Want to buy a 4x4?

A funny thing happened at the car lot. We had taken the car for a test drive when we first got there and by the time we got back to the lot, we had decided to buy it. Once we got the paperwork taken care of, I left in the Jeep to do some shopping while Dave waited for the Suburban. It took a while but finally, they gave him the key and he went out to start the car. The key wouldn't turn! He really didn't want to go in and admit that he didn't know how to start his new car, so he worked with it for a while before giving up and deciding that is just wasn't going to work. He went back inside and asked the salesman how to start the car. The guy looked at the key and noticed that it said "Jeep" on it. We bought a Chevy! So, he went off in search of the correct key. They looked and they looked and were really getting frustrated that they couldn't find it anywhere! After nearly a half-hour of that, Dave finally called me and told me not to go too far away because it was getting late and he might need a ride to the game. When he told me they couldn't find the key, I asked him if he had it in his pocket (we HAD used it for the test drive). He indignantly said, "Of course not!" as he checked his pockets. Then he said, "Oops". He had pocketed the key after the drive and no one remembered. So he sheepishly went to find the frantic salesman and confessed. Fortunately, everyone got a laugh out of the whole situation!

Since we had two cars in town, I left on my own for my dentist appointment the next morning. I was sitting in the dentist chair getting ready to get my teeth cleaned and the hygienist was asking a bunch of questions about my health. This is a normal procedure but I found it strange that she was asking me about my blood sugar level and how often I had to read my meter. Then she looked in my mouth and noticed that I didn't have the dental implants that were shown on the chart. She discovered then that she had the wrong file! Apparently, there are two Janet M. Bell's that go to the same dentist! It's a good thing she figured it out because I thought it was strange some of the questions she was asking me. It reminded me of my "post-op" doctor's appointment earlier in December when the nurse instructed me to be at the hospital the next morning for my surgery. This was a month and a half AFTER my surgery! She too, had the wrong file!

After my dental appointment, I ran a few errands - going to the bank, Costco and Freddies before I headed back home for a couple of days. Dave arrived home a few minutes after I did driving his new Suburban.

This weekend it is back into Portland for Blazer broadcasts on Friday and Sunday, with a trip to Seattle for a board meeting of the Northwest Steam Society in between on Saturday. We will be driving home after the game on Sunday night, as I may have to report for jury duty again on Monday. Thank goodness this jury duty stuff is only for a month as it sure is hard to plan around.