Polar Express!

Yesterday we all took a ride on the Polar Express! A 2.5 hour train ride out of Cedar Park! We got to play on the train, look out the back, drink hot chocolate, eat cookies, see Santa and Mrs. Clause, listen to stories, and carol! It was a fun event for the whole family that we will .....NEVER do again.



Well, maybe the wounds are too fresh, so I won't make that decision too fast; however, keeping the kids happy and moderately controlled on the train for 2.5 hours while they are bouncing around fueled on hot chocolate/cookies is slightly difficult. But...when Santa brought all the kids a train whistle...that was a nightmare. Imagine 20-30 kids per train car blowing whistles for about 10-15 minutes...(that's the time it took all the parents to finally break and take them away). The rest of the ride home was pretty much the crash after the excitement...some games, some resting, and some overall family cuddling.

Why Renting our Guest House is a Bad Idea!

Ever since we've lived here, we've rented our guest house. For the past year or so, it's been to a woman and her 14 year old daughter. She lost her job a while ago and we'd been working with her on rent, but as of last week, they moved out. They sent us an email the night before saying they couldn't pay anymore and left.

After they were gone, she emailed and said she planned to come back and clean and get the last of her stuff. 24 hours, Jes changed the locks and declared the property abandoned.

So...this is what we found and why renting is a bad idea sometimes!!!


A kitchen full of food, pots, pans, a crock pot, toaster, spices, etc...


WARNING ON THE NEXT PICTURE!!!

Both toilets look like this...

At least they swept everything into a pile!

All food expired, All light and fans were on and water in both bathroom sinks was running. There was cat poop on the carpet, and a cardboard box full of it. The smell in the house is gag worthy.

On the positive side, we acquired a mini-trampoline (which we'll add to our kids Christmas presents), a fax machine, bike, shelf unit, lots of pots and pans, crock pot, some food, a coat, moldy clothing in the washer, toiletries, a litter box, garbage can, and scooter (among many little things). 90% will be given to GoodWill.

I guess the impact of the bad economy has finally hit us!