I am not sure why I find it so hard to get pictures up on the screen. I am pretty good with other things, but the picture/blog thing I need help with. I guess that is why I usually stay away from computers. Here are the Halloween pictures I promised to show off. If any of you tell Paul I posted his picture I will surely find a way to make you suffer! It is Fall here in a big way. We only have two really big Oak trees on our property, but we have a bunch next door on the vacant land and they are all dropping leaves in our yard, so we have a tidal wave of leaves. The one really weird thing about living in this town is that they do not have a dump here, so there is no place to take yard waste, and there is no burning allowed, so the only option is to bag them and put them out with your garbage. Do any of you know how long that process takes? Well I can tell you Paul and the kids have been hard at work on it for weeks now. I pull the "I birthed your babies, you take care of the yard" card when it comes up that I should help. Halloween was lots of fun here. The school parties went very well. Paul came and helped out in G's classroom with her party. He ran the beanbag toss and seemed to be having a great time. He will be going in and filling my reading time slot with her class while I am in China which is nice. I am so glad we are off the boat so he can do things like that. The best part of Halloween night was when I got duped! I had three boys show up at the door. I tell all the older kids that come to the door that if they don't say "Trick-or-Treat" I will not give them candy, and if they are not in a costume I tell them that next year "no costume/no candy" well, we give out full sized candy bars and these three boys were very impressed with that, so unknown to me they took the candy, went out to the yard, stripped their costumes off and came back up to get another bar. Paul happened to be walking up the driveway and watched them do it.

I am very excited that elections are over and the political commercials are off my TV. Don't get me wrong, I followed the elections like a crazy person, but I gave up way to much of my TV viewing time to the elections, and I hate the commercials. I won't share who I voted for, that is the joy of being an American and having the right to privacy at the polls, but either way what an exciting time in America to have a woman and an African American running. The kids at H and G's school held elections. They all got a ballot and went to a voting box and got a sticker that said they voted. It was very exciting for them.

Paul and I didn't do much for our anniversary because of our obligations at the school, so we are going out this weekend to celebrate. I finally have a nice babysitter. She works at the counter at the pharmacy here in town. It is a small pharmacy that has a really old fashioned soda fountain in it. This summer the kids and I would go and have a pop or an ice cream and we started to get to know McKenzie. She is 17, in high school and has been babysitting for years. Over the summer she watched 4 kids every morning from 6:30 to 12:30. If a girl is willing to get up early all summer long in oreder to make money she is the girl for me. She also provided references from me. I know I am a stick in the mud when it comes to leaving my kids. The other big news is that I have an emergency contact for the kids now. I have been spending time with the woman that is the playground monitor at the kids school. She lives a few houses down from us and I adore her. She only wotks in the mornings and she said she would be the contact. With me going to China I was terrified that something would happen and there would be no one to call if Paul got held up at work or something.

Tara- Where are you in Gilmore Girls? I just hit the end of the first season! Are you there yet?

Amy- So glad elections were on Tuesday and not Thursday. I don't think I could give up Survivor. I have seen the commercials and a merge is coming this week! But, I think there is a twist!

Melissa-I have Twighlight in my pile of books to take to read on the plane, so don't give anything up! Are you enjoying being in town? Have you become best friends with the Starbuck's counter person?

Michelle-I need your address, could you please email it to me?

ACTUALLY- I NEED ALL OF YOUR ADDRESSES, PLEASE EMAIL THEM TO ME!

Happy Thursday ladies. I miss all of you and will be thinking of you as I am a tourist in a far away land with lots of Chinese made products for the American market sold very cheaply. If I have an address I can send gifties! I will try and post before I leave next week. If not maybe on late on Thursday when I am in san Francisco, so just keep looking.