Where to Start.............

Last few weeks have been pretty full of fun, adventure and a little disappointment, but I do recommend a Christmas after New Years, kinda perks up first part of Jan !

We have been as busy as can be seeing Katie, she is growing and starting to look like herself instead of what "we" all see in her. Sadly she is getting bigger ears, that's a Dustin trait! Yeah Dad

Since we expected Casey, Jay & Janelle and Jason and his buddy for our Christmas in Jan, John and I had to finally gut the office, found some interesting things we had and had not been missing. I took 4 lap tops, 1 printer, 2 cell phones to a eco-recycling place over in Shingle Springs. They refurbish with Microsoft to give to needy, they are very proud of the fact that they do not send work overseas (child labor ,etc) it's all done in Calif. They also have e-waste fund raisers. Pretty neat, I'm going to talk to Janet who is youth leader at Cool Community about doing a fund raiser for youth group. It's weird how now everyone has some kind of e-waste in their home, but we're not sure what to do with it. I got a answer !
Anyway on to Christmas. Jay and Casey drove up wed, Jason was leaving Utah Thursday after work. Janelle was flying in Friday night about 9 pm. As we were sitting around Thursday night, jay realized that Janelle's flight was booked for am. None of the other flights were going to work, so she had to miss Friday class, but got to come up earlier, that was fun. About 12:30 am Jason called, he was in Battle Mountain Nevada. He had hit a deer, not a lot of body damage, but his radiator was crushed and car was overheating. He had to have it towed and never made it to California.

We were soo disappointed not to get to see him. He and Casey have not seen each other in over 4 yrs. Casey has Southwest credit, so I think they are going to work out getting Jason back to Birmingham on a long weekend.
Despite missing our 4th son, we had a great day, Great Grandpa Hobbs came up, we just kinda hung out and opened presents. I think the coolest gift, besides Katie, was we were able to get Casey a copy of a picture of Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison Concert that has never been public before. It's not the greatest "Cash" picture but a great performance picture.

Casey is quite the guitar player, recently he bought another harmonica, total of 5 now.He's got the neck holder so he can play guitar and harmonica together. I'm quite impressed ! He is quite influenced by Bob Dylan's songwriting. No Idea Where That Came From At Our House. Hank, Jackson, Jones,Haggard, I could understand. Dylan I'm at a loss to explain. But he is becoming a great songwriter and musician, I am so proud of him, miss him a lot.... 2-3 times a year is never enough to see your children.
Janelle and Jay are becoming Ucker (card game) pros. They are always eager to play, and getting pretty good. Very cool for John and I to be play the card games we used to spend many a night playing with Grandpa and Grandma Holcom. Brings back good memories. So enjoy the new pictures.

Notice my Dale Jr. Ornaments (new this year) I have a countdown clock on my desktop to Daytona, but speed weeks start 2 weeks before that so I'm almost there !!!! All for now, love to all..............

Merry, Merry Christmas to John and Bev

WOW, what a week, just as i was sitting down yesterday to update my blog about our wonderful, beautiful, adorable, perfect granddaughter born on the 23rd, the front door opened and Janelle and Jay walked in, as casual as if they lived next door. It was definitely a Christmas/Festevis Miracle.
They had left Corona in the middle of the night to come spend the weekend with us and see their new niece. So we hung out a while and went back to see the baby..... still adorable, and perfect. I feel like Ralphie in A Christmas Story " This is the best Christmas Ever".

One of the best parts is that we get to do it again in 2 weeks, not the baby part, Casey flies into So Cal on the 5th and he and Jay will drive up the 7th and Janelle will fly up the 9th and we'll all have Christmas together. I even got a beautiful 9ft Noble Fir outside Save Mart the other day Free, so the sorry tree we've had in the house for a few weeks can go back to the burn pile. John has decided we will really do the new tree up nice, fake snow and the works ! A very non traditional Hobbs Christmas, but I'm loving it.

You will notice that all the pic on blog are of Katie, just too many good ones to pick. All fun and games aside, John and I are feeling so blessed right now we don't know weather to laugh or cry, sometimes we do both. God has been so good to us, we are truly thankful. Love to All..........

Home For Holidays And KATIE

Yes, I did make it home from the south. Had a great time, saw some real dumps on the lake and a few possibilities, we'll see, with the way thing are at Bostitch right now we're just very thankful that both Derek and John still have there jobs. Derek pulled it out at the last moment and won the sales contest for the trip to Hawaii in Feb. Kinda a bummer, but hey I get to watch Daytona 500 qualifying this way. That's my silver lining.

It was great to see my parents and sister (Andrea) we had lot's of fun, Andrea found a very nice condo on lake hickory, she's ready to go, condos were looking pretty good to john and I also, Hmmm something to think about.

SO the news of the week is Katie will be here Tues or Wed, Doctor told Jamie that she would induce so she could be home for Christmas, funny thing is the hospital is full sunday night, so she has to call monday evening to see if there is room to go in. They want her there the night before to start the process. I am sooooooo excited to see what/who she is going to look like, can't wait to hold her in my arms. Jamie's mom is coming up tues morning and her dad and sister will drive up Christmas Eve. I think it will be a Katie Christmas this year which is a very good thing. I am missing my little boys ( Jay and Casey) and my other daughter, Janelle terribly, so Katie is also a great little distraction. I'm not so much into Ho Ho Ho this year, but that's o.k. It gives me opportunity to focus on our Saviours birth and how meaningful his sacrifice is to me. His mother cradled him as we will Katie, yet he came for the entire world..... So I'm missing my boys and girl but will see them in early Jan, and we'll get to do Christmas all over again !! Katie and 2 Christmas celebrations. Quite thankful for that.

Yes it is quite late, I'm up cause my leg hurts...... didn't get shot before I left, but will see that dr. soon. I am also setting up appointment with other dr. to get neck surgery done. Research tells me recovery is 4-6 weeks. I will wait till late Jan or Feb for that. I would love to get feeling good for summer !!

Another round with massager is due, so I'll hop off, will post again with Katie news. Pray for Jamie,Doctors and Dustin please, he will need it most i think..... Love to all

Been A Long Time

What do you know, almost a month has gone by without a word from me... yet the world keeps turning !!! so in that month what has happened ? Not Much At All,However yesterday will start a month or so of and excitement.... after i got off work john and I headed down to stay in Pacificia, hotel right on the water, we got there in time for a perfect sunset. Very nice room, hot tub, fireplace and windows that opened on ocean. We kept the windows open all night. Very cool to sleep to ocean waves. So I am at the Las Vegas Airport waiting for my flight to Raleigh-Durham, NC My sister and parents will meet me there and we will drive to Hickory tonite.Tomorrow we will be meeting with a Real Estate Agent t.o look at some lake properties there I am very excited to do that. Then we will go up to virginia to my parents home, I'll be back on the 10th. Jamie has strict instructions not to have Katie till I get home...... So then we have katie and Christmas. In early January, Casey and Jay will both be home for a week or so, we'll celebrate Christmas again then. Finally at the end of jan or first of feb,it looks like john is winning a sales contest that will take us to Hawaii for a week,to see pro bowl !! then I think we're back to Daytona for Speed Weeks!!! So things look pretty good going forward.The new pics are ones I took last night of john and I at beach. If i get a chance I'll update trip......... It'll be a hoot..............

Final Election Results............

So here's the final scoop on local elections:
1. Douglas Pickell lost his seat on GDPUD (water board) to Bonnie Neeley, local who goes to every/all mtgs about town.

2. Tom McClintock in new congressman in 4th district. You got a rock again Charlie Brown.

3. Many legal challenges already filed regarding Prop. 8

And So It Goes..................

Post Election Ramblins

Well, America voted, and often we get what we deserve ! A little bit stronger statement than I'm feeling. Although there was a little more of the personal (not character) attacks i liked. I was quite happy with the way 4 nice people conducted themselves during this incredible long election cycle.
I think that was in large part because we did not have a Gore/Clinton involved. So I am disappointed that McCain/Palin lost, but not feeling hopeless.
I am happy with Obama's speech last nite, loved seeing jessie jackson cry ( boo hoo, it's all over for him). I was proud of our country that we will elect a black man, we were just waiting for the one to represent our county better than we'd been presented with in the past. And Bill can no longer claim to be the 'first black president"..............

And how about a beautiful, graceful first lady, and VP wife. I love Laura Bush, but would have liked to see more of her in public.
And adorable little girls in white house, and with a new puppy ! don't get cuter than that....
And....drum roll please.... I love the way he says Pakistan, go figure !.....................

So here's the run down in other Calif politics:

1.We voted (again) to keep marriage between a man and woman, did it back in 2000, but maybe it will stick this time

2. Chickens breed for eggs and eatin now get to have bigger more comfortable cages

3. Prostitution is voted as illegal San Francisco (aside for the fact that mayor Gavin Newsome opened the floodgates with gay marriage)

4. Parents do not need to be notified if daughters under 18 schedule abortions.

5. Sacramento finally kicked Heather Fargo out as mayor of Sac, electing former Kings BBall player turned developer Kevin Johnson (also black, not that that matters)

6. Retiring Republican John Doolittle (linked to Jack Abromoff) might have cost Tom McClintock (R) the very Republican 4th District. Our new congressman could be Democrat Charlie Brown I kid you not, The Honorable Charlie Brown. I'll be rooting for lucy and that football !

7. No sure yet, but Doug Pickell might have been re elected to the water board

8. So hey, ya gotta love California: Yes Fruits and Nuts..........

9 Casey probably made the best vote

10. Not a damm bit of it matters in the end. As a wise woman once said " Eternally speaking does it really matter" sounds simple, but apply it to a concern or decision and it brings things into focus..

AMERICA, GOD BLESS THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY AND UNITY

He Made Me Say It.................

O.K. the last thing I wanted to be doing at 9 p.m. is posting an election blog. John put up a pretty damming indictment of Barak Obama. While I would NEVER VOTE FOR BARAK OBAMA, I can't deal with the idea that he is muslim, anti-American, a foreigner or anything other ideas related to a absent mother from Kansas and a sperm donor from Kenya.
When it looked like he was going to be the demo nominee, I bought his Dreams from my father book. This book was written back in the early 90's it really deals with his early life with grandparents in Hawaii. He saw his father once when he was 10 yrs old. Lived with mother and stepfather in Indonesia for a few years, his mother would get him up early in the morning to read american history books and keep him as a english speaking kid in Indonesia.
Upon returning to Hawaii, he was aimless as were many young men during that time. I am not excusing any of his associations with Resco, Ayers, Wright. I just don't want people to NOT vote for him for the wrong reason. My #1-1,000 reasons are HE'S A SOCIALIST, HE'S A SOCIALIST, HE'S A SOCIALIST.
Has there ever been a problem in society that the government came in took over and solved ? I Know NOT ! You think Health Care in America is in trouble now, yea turn it over to government. Better yet, call a Canadian and ask how they feel about government Health Care......... So that's my rant.
I am solidly behind McCain/Palin. But want Voting based on fact not myth, rumor or racism. But remember OBAMA IS A SOCIALIST!! ENOUGH SAID.......Tune in Tomorrow............