Valentine's Day Fun

Well, we had a fabulous time last night. Karl had acquired our babysitter for last night; she arrived at 4:45 p.m. The kids were excited-they really like Betsy. Anyway, I had requested that we dine at The Cheesecake Factory. Their cheesecake is scrumptious, and they have a large selection of lunch and dinner items as well. So Karl stopped by the restaurant at 4:35p.m.; picked up a beeper and put our names on the list. Would you believe it was already a 25 to 40 minute wait at that point? Go Karl!! It was a very smart choice to stop there before picking me up! When we arrived back at the restaurant they were telling people 40 minutes. So, we both enjoyed delicious pasta dishes for dinner. I think I liked Karl's choice better, because his chicken was breaded and had some spicy seasonings. That's probably what I'll order next time we go. My dish had fettucine and a garlic cream sauce with sauteed chicken and sundried tomatoes. It was also very good, but less seasoned. We each ordered a piece of cheesecake for dessert. Karl's was something new; it isn't on the menu yet. I can't remember the name but it included pistachios and was green in color. He said it was really good. My order was for Craig's Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake; this is the same one I ALWAYS order. I looked at the menu, but I'm a creature of habit. "I know this is good, what if I order something else and it's not as tasty, then I'll be disappointed." This is how I think! It was a wonderful meal, and we had a nice time together.

When we left the restaurant it was to head to the Rochester Auditorium. We had talked about attending a movie earlier in the week, but Karl came home one day and told me he got tickets to see STOMP instead. We were so excited to get to see this group live! We've seen one of their T.V. 'shows', and also a couple of commercials they've done, and we have always thought their performances were so cool. I don't know how those guys (and 2 gals) have the strength and endurance to do a 1 hour 45 minute show, but they did such a great job. Some of their "instruments" included aluminum trash cans as drums, metal and plastic oil "drums", plastic and paper bags, newspapers, clapping and snapping, stomping, push brooms, and a plethora of other materials. It was sort of comical too, which was an added bonus. I had such a great time; thanks Karl for setting that up. I love you!

Other news:

• Mom and Dad are coming in tomorrow at 4:23 p.m. We are all very excited to see them, and that they will get to see some snow. There is snow on the ground now because it's been below 30 all week. And, it's been snowing all day today. I know my parents are excited that they'll be seeing their grandkids! :)


• Karl's trip overseas is only a week away. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I'm not afraid to be alone, but I am concerned about all of us missing him. It's been quite a while since we've had to go 2 weeks without seeing him, and I expect it to be a bit difficult. I know he's excited about the prospect of seeing all those new places, though. I hope he'll take his camera and capture it for us. Then, I can vacation there via his photos!


• I've ordered the homeschool materials we will be using next year. I know it seems a bit early for that, but I just couldn't wait once I decided. We're switching curriculums, and Logan and Hailey will be doing all subjects together except Math and Language Arts. This will simplify things for me, as Corbin will be starting school too. I'll only have to implment 2 programs instead of 3. Yay!!!!

Well, I guess that's it for now. If I think of anything else I have to say, I'll just come back. Have a great weekend. 'Bye for now!