So four o clock this morning I awoke suddenly not quite sure why at first but then seconds later I heard what woke me up.
A bright flash lit up our bedroom window and then was followed shortly afterward by a huge boom. I realized I was getting a chance to sit through a real thunder and lighting storm! Since it was four in the morning I resisted the urge to wake the kids up and sat instead with Shadow, Hunter's cat, and watched the show. He seemed just as mesmerized as I in the fantastic light show and only a little nervous by the rolling thunder that seemed to go on forever.
Laying at the foot of my bed I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sounds. The rain hitting the roof and then the sound of thunder rolling through the sky above me. These were the sounds I had missed since living in Alaska granted, we had some lightning storms and I have heard some thunder but not like this!
Living here as a kid this was one of my favorite sounds. The other is the sounds the crickets make at night. Those two sounds can have me asleep before to long.
So now I will have to wait and hopefully the kids can hear it next time!
Well it is off to work shortly for me!

Work:
Calling in sick today! I can do that and still get paid for it! I have been saving them because at the end of the year what I haven't used they will actually pay me extra for! Pretty cool. Work has been going great, still, I know everyone is tired of hearing about it but really it has!
I had a round table with one of my bosses and some fellow coworkers and it went really well. There is no fear to express your feelings, thoughts, and concerns. I took away from the meeting a lot more than I had thought I would and an overall feeling of satisfaction. We were asked to rate our jobs from one to ten and then we had to explain why we gave it that rating. Not everyone scored it high and they all had valid reasons to back up their low score and they weren't brushed off or ridiculed for their remarks. Our boss listened and when he was done with our meeting he went into another meeting with his boss and discussed the results. They are proactive in fixing things.
So the days seem to get weirder and weirder. Just when I think I have heard it all my headset goes beep and the customer starts telling me their life's story and, well you know the rest. Every story is different and sometimes they are just sad and sometimes they leave you smiling for days. You feel sorry for the parents looking for their child and wish you could pull up his location from his phone or the husband who had lost his wife and two children in an accident and can't pay his bill because he just buried three people. Then I will get the call from the middle aged lady who when describing her mid life changes, in sympathy I say "yeah I heard people can become kind of ditzy" she laughs really hard thinking I said bitchy and then we both laugh for a few minutes when I tell her what I really said. MY favorite call though is the customer who calls with a huge issue and they have been through several people who have not helped them at all. I firmly tell the customer what I am going to do and we will fix this problem this time and I do. They are so grateful.
I have really good co workers especially the girls I sit next to. Instead of being worried only about ourselves we help each other out. If I learn something new that I know everyone else does not know I pass it along in email and they do the same. Even some of the people who have been there a long time are still willing to help.
Then there is the constant coaching. We get graded on random calls because we are supposed to treat our customers really well. If "they" listen to our call and there is room for improvement, they will coach us. I was at first afraid of the coaching because I was not sure how it was going to go but now I enjoy it. They say "here is what you did well and then here are somethings you need to work on. How can I help you?" I have had them even come sit with me because I failed my first call to be scored. She sat with me and listened to my calls and gave me really good pointers.
Ah so again I am just rambling on. So i guess you have probably wondered why if I like work so much why am I taking a sick day? It is spring break for the kids and I have not spent very much time with them. I have tomorrow off so I will get two full days off with them! I think it is overcast outside right now looks kind of cold and possibly rainy so I think it will be a good day to play boardgames with the kids and Heath! Maybe go tot he park if it is not to cold.
Hunter and Heath have been riding bikes in the afternoon. Yes Hunter already has a bike he is so spoiled. My uncle had a almost brand new BMX bike over at his house and a bucket full of transformers. Yeah, guess who is Hunter's new friend?
Heather on the other hand spent the last two days over at my sister's house and also got spoiled. She met a little girl her age and they played all day. The little girl was a daughter of my sister's friend. Her dad owns an ice cream truck and even brought it by for the girls to get ice cream!
Heather got home yesterday afternoon and got sick. Hunter had it last week too. It is weird, a high fever for a little while the kids are down and then they wake up feeling fine like it never happened.
Oh well at least it does not last to long.
Spent easter over at my sister's house. I got to cook my first easter meal, well sort of. We made ribs instead of ham and then had all the rest. Everyone loved my deviled eggs except Hunter (he has decided he does not like eggs) and we even had cake (which I did not make bought at the store!) The kids got to hunt for Easter eggs outside which was rare. The only thing was the Easter bunny left them out the night before because it was warm, well sometime during the night some of them froze....oooppps! Heather and I also had a talk about the Easter bunny and how she did not think he was real and she wanted to know the truth. So I told her that he was real because daddy and I were the Easter bunny. She was cool with it and even understood about not ruining it for Hunter. She did tell me though that she did still believe in Santa!
So here is a good funny! While walking through Walmart getting Easter dinner Heath and I are deciding on what we need when Heather starts singing this song. I confess I was only half listening at first but when she sang the word VIAGRA really loud she caught my full attention. She was singing the Viva Viagra song you see on TV! Ahhh...every parent in that isle either could not believe our kid was singing that song or understood because theirs were doing it also. The bad thing is we told Heather she could not sing that song anymore and she kept insisting WHY?
So Easter was a good day for the most part. Had an issue with Koda trying to eat my sister's dog. Her dog started it but Koda was sure going to finish it. Sigghhh.... not sure what to do about it. He is a really good dog 97% of the time. We can either get him a trainer to help with his issues with other dogs or we are going to have to put him down. We just can not risk him hurting a dog and so far we have been lucky.
Oh well we will figure something out!
Well I am going to get my chores done so we can do fun things!

Happy Easter
From the
HARRINGTON
Family.

So this was taken by someone else at the Jeff Dunham show at the Pershing center in Lincoln. The quality is not that great but if you listen to the story it is funny as hell! This Jeff, the Guitar guy and Peanut telling The Night Before Christmas story!

This is the kids posing at the Liberty Bell at Antelope park, which is just down the road from our house. The neat thing about this park is this is where, when I was a kid, my family use to meet on Thanksgiving. Everyone from all over would come and we would have the biggest feast. Even though they have not done that in the last few years I am hoping that they will do it this year!

Could not resist taking a picture of this! This was just on the other side of the Missouri River as we crossed back from Iowa!

This is the beautiful sunset I was talking about! You can not really get an idea on how big it really is though from this picture. My battery was very low and we were traveling down a highway so really not a good picture.

I am not sure what the story is behind this. We had to stop as we crossed back into Nebraska to let Heather go potty we found this on the way in to the park. It is all made from bicycles, and not just old ones!

This the bridge crossing the Missouri River into Iowa. The white building you see on the middle left hand side is the toll booth, one dollar to cross each way. It is a pretty long bridge!

Heather flying her new Pokemon kite! finally she had been saving it until she had a good opportunity to fly it. The lake you see behind them is Pony Lake. It was a cute little man made lake that I think we will come back to this summer.

Now that is a SLIDE! I want one! This house was not the only one to have one though! The kids thought it was a park.

Hunter and I playing in the car while Heather and Heath were off flying a kite. Notice the new smile? I got my teeth fixed finally!

Heather so proud of her new kite! You can't really tell but it IS A POKEMON kite!

They are setting the kite up getting ready to fly!

Well I am not sure what is wrong but I am unable to post pictures. Kind of bums me out had several great photos to share! Not sure if it is me or blogger!
Well anyways after I left blogger Sunday Heather and I went shopping for Easter clothes. We found her a really cute pink dress with white shoes and Hunter nice dress slacks and a blue "man shirt" as he calls it. He was not happy that there was no tie though!
After that Heather and I went back and picked up Heath and Hunter and we ran to Walmart for dog food. While we were there we spent about forty five minutes picking out baseball gloves. The original intent was for Hunter to get one but Heather had her heart on getting one so she too picked out a glove. Heath and I could not find any gloves that would fit and were not to highly priced so we headed to the park to play catch with the kids. When we got to the park we decided because we were just starting them we would work with them in an empty side lot because we were so close. Everything went well until one ball went down the sewer drain and then the next one I threw followed it. We had only bought two balls so it ended our fun for a moment. We headed over to Shopko and while we were there Heath and I found gloves that were well priced and fit us so we bought two more balls and headed to the kid's school. The entire playground is this weird sand/gravel stuff and it was nice because it stopped the ball from rolling away. Unfortunately by the time we had gotten there Hunter had had enough and wanted to go home and did not want to play baseball. Heather did though so the three of us played toss in the school yard while Hunter climbed the cages. Heather was the shocker of the day. First I did not think she would want to play then she did. Second I did not know she had so much skill! She tried really hard to make sure she was throwing right and even caught the ball several times (ask her and she will tell you how many times she caught it!). She seems to be enjoying the sport and this might be the sport I can get her into! Everything else that we have suggested she has turned her nose to it, but this might be the one! So now it is time to start investigating some small teams! When Hunter plays he does well it is just a matter of keeping him focused. He just has so much energy!
Well we played in the schoolyard until I took a ball to the hand thrown by Heath but no fault of his. We were throwing far and fast to each other and the ball went through my glove and smacked my right hand. Luckily it wasn't an actual baseball, it would have broke my hand.
We left the park shortly after that and headed home where Heath and I got ready to go to Jeff Dunham.
My uncle, Heath and I loaded into the car and headed to the Pershing Center and hour early so we could find parking and get in quicker. The show had sold out so we knew there going to be a lot of people! Well it seems that a lot of people had the same idea but we still didn't wait that long. Once inside at our seats far, far away, we waited for an hour for the show to start. This was our fault for trying to get there early. Anyone who has seen Achmed and Jeff's Jingle Bombs routine knows the Guitar Guy. Well he came out first and entertained us for about fifteen or so. He was really good he mixed his comedy while playing his guitar. I had seen some of his stuff on you tube but he was much funnier in person! Jeff did Walter, Acmed, Peanut, Senoir Jalepeno and Bubba J! Anyone who has not seen this guy really needs to take a look, a lot can be found on YOUTUBE! The show lasted about 2 and a half hours and funny as hell! It will keep me smiling for the rest of the week!

Another Sunday morning post! Still bed with PJs and coffee and while the sun is shining through my window I know it is only a tease. It is actually chilly out there and the ground is still somewhat covered in snow still from the other night. Supposedly it is going to start to warm up and spring is on its way but I am not holding my breath. I just hope that my little car does better the next time it snows, not that it did bad this last time but it was...interesting.
So have you ever woke and thought...geez I am bored lets go to another state? Well we did yesterday! We took the kids to IHOP filled up on who cakes, green eggs and ham and special who drinks (sprite filled with chunks of blue and red Jello) and decided over this feast that we were bored and wanted to do some sight seeing. Heather said she did not care as long as she could fly her kite and well Hunter he just always goes along for the ride!
So we decided to head to Iowa! Heath had been there a couple of weeks ago for a concrete job and said it was beautiful. So we loaded up and hopped on I 80 and went to Iowa. The first cool thing it was my first time driving on an Interstate the second cool thing is it only took about an hour to drive there!
Second cool thing was paying at a toll bridge, crossing the Missouri river and then being in Iowa! We went to the park where, yes Heather got to fly her kite and Hunter got to climb his tree. We also got see a strange sight in someone's back yard. A water slide that lead to their huge outdoor swimming pool! Way cool!
Heath and I had our eyes to the ditches to see possums and skunks but the only ones we saw were already dead. We did get to see a raccoon the other night going through someone's trash, and he was so cute. He was not afraid of us and continued to eat his trash as we sat five feet from him. I have decided I want to find a baby and keep him! I wonder if they let you do that!
On our drive home yesterday we did get to see the most spectacular sunset. The sun was SO HUGE it was almost overwhelming.
Today Heather and I will be going to pick out her outfit for Easter and picking up a baseball mitts for Heath and Hunter. The kid has such a good arm and good aim Heath wants to work with him. Maybe I should look into getting him in to a summer program.
My tickets for Jeff Dunham finally showed up yesterday, nothing like cutting it close! I ordered them two and a half weeks ago! So we will be going to see him tonight, well at least from a distance. The seats are far away and up high so we will see!
Well that is it for now I need to start getting ready to take off! I will post pictures later. For some reason it is not working. Sucks, but I will put them up I promise!

WE ARE GOING TO SEE
JEFF DUNHAM
SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!
I AM SO VERY EXCITED!!!!
(HEATHER IS A LITTLE ANGRY THOUGH...SHE WANTED TO GO)

Weird the way things work.

So this week has been weird. This is the first week with my new schedule. It has been nice to sleep in but I feel like I should be going to work. We have been taking live calls now on the call center floor where as before we were in a classroom. It is really cool because I now have my own desk! I have been nicknamed by several people at work as ALASKA and now it is written on my message board. The weirdest thing that has happened as far as calls I have taken is I got a call today from a guy that lives in Alaska! This is weird because there is no Verizon Wireless in Alaska. It was nice to talk about home.
I am now able to drop the kids off at school and it has relieved Heath of that burden, but I am not so happy about dealing with the parents also dropping their kids off. There has been this lady in a maroon mini van who has almost hit me twice and stops in the middle of the road to let her kids out (we have no parking lot for the school). I just have to remember to breath and smile. Why should I let her ruin my day, right?
Then yesterday I found out that an employee at a gas station ran my card twice, once for the purchase I had made and then another time for 35 dollars. I went in today to talk to the manager thinking it was going to be a hassle and it seems like it is not. I was so mad at first but I knew if I went in all angry they would be less inclined to help. It should be all cleared up tomorrow.
Lastly I have been helping my sister out and have been running her on errands for her probation. This has removed a huge deal of stress off her and makes things easier for her to accomplish. She has really made some good improvements in her life and I am really happy for her. I have had to come to terms with how I feel about the things that have happened to her but it was a lot easier than I thought. I guess accepting that I do not know what she was going through because I was not walking in her shoes has really opened my eyes.
Oh yeah good luck and congrats to Sarah Palin!
Well goodnight all I'm going to bed!

Wow, it has been awhile! I started a post last weekend but never got a chance to post it due to working all week. This Saturday morning finds me still in my PJ's sipping my cup of coffee. For now anyways because it is so beautiful and warm right now it is calling me outside!

So last weekend the temperatures rose and we headed to the park for a picnic and to play with the dogs. Koda is getting better about wanting to eat the other dogs on the trails, now he only tries to eat the little ones! Joking! Elvis on the other hand, despite my doubts, has taken very well to the leash training and now even sits every time I stop. His thing was he liked to pull so hard you could not control him and he was never walked before so he would just go nuts. We actually took him on his first walk since he was born early this winter.
Once at the park we found we were not the only people who had decided to come out and play. The park was packed. Even the kids did not want to play because there were to many people so we decided to find some where quiet to eat our lunch and let the dogs run a little. While every place we found had no snow covering the ground it was however still soggy. We did find this amazing little spot that was a slight hill and so it was dry. The grass was perfect, maybe thinking back a little to perfect. We set down to eat our lunch when Heath notices the sign marking which hole on the green we were at! We had been eating our lunch on the golf course and had no clue! We got out of there quickly!
We did find a place to eat our lunch and then it was time to head home. The weather was so nice we did not have to wear our jackets and were sweating by the time we got home.
So the week flew by for me. This was my last week of training and all week we have been taking real calls in our classroom. My first call was really scaring but I had all good calls so it was easy for me. So starting Monday I am going into transition and will start 12-9pm. This allows for a little pressure to be lifted off Heath as I can now get the kids ready for school and take them to school.
I have learned a few things over the last couple of days. Patience can really pay off! A couple of weeks ago I got financing to get into a 2002 KIA four door car. The payments would have been around 250 and would have been for at least three years. The child in me wanted that car. Heath and I talked about it and we decided not to get the car. I was a little sad but understood where he was coming from. He did not want a long term payment and he was right. After a couple of days I felt better about our decision and moved on. Heath had just bought his new car from his coworker for four hundred dollars to get to and from work. It is a 1993 Pontiac Bonneville that back in its day was the top of the line. It has seen some use but all in all it is a good work car! We found out that my schedule would definitely change and I was out of a way to get to work. My grandma then suggested I go down to the car dealer where she had bought her last two cars from. I went down and found my new car. It is a 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage four door, four cylinder . They were asking 2295 for it. I did a small loan with cash down, and in FEW months will have it paid off if I pay just the minimum payments. It is a clean little car which Heath has fondly named the "turd" (it really isn't that slow!) and when I brag about my gas mileage he says that all LAWNMOWERS get good gas mileage! We will see what he says about it when he needs to fill up again and my car still has half a tank!
The other thing I have been patient on is a house. I have wanted the one across the street but have been unable to get a hold of the owner because of an accident he was in. Finally yesterday we got a hold of him and it looks like we will be moving in in about a month! The guy is really nice and willing to work with us and the rent is amazing for the house. It is a two story 4 bedroom house for 750. It is also nice because it keeps the kids really close to their school. I am supposed to meet the guy today and get to look around inside the house! I am so very excited!
It is a good feeling knowing everything is working out finally. We have the jobs with excellent pay, we both have good cars now and soon our own house! It was really nice to go to bed last night knowing it was all falling into place.
So yesterday was spent driving the new cars around, you know testing them out, and again due to the the temps being in the high sixties we headed for the parks again to be disappointed. They were all packed (welcome to the big city). We have this cool little navigation program on our phones (just like having a Garmin, Tom Tom and yes a Susie we can change her voice but Heath swears they all sound the same, a women telling him how to drive!)
So we typed in a search for parks and found a quiet little park just down the road and we headed that way. The dogs were happy to get out and run if only for a minute and the kids climbed the huge trees. Well Hunter climbed the trees while Heather tried but was to scared. We have have footage of this and I am torn on if I should post it or not. It is quite funny! Well they enjoyed themselves despite the issue with the tree and even stopped to let me take pictures of them together!This is my son with the sticker from my car. He was being "SPECIAL"!

This picture is hard to explain. Lets just say she won't just be grabbing Heath's drinks with out asking again. I just happen to be trying to get them to take a picture together and got this shot! Heath was drinking a beer with tomato juice in it!
Well that is all for now I am going to throw on some clothes takes some tylenol for this head cold and go outdoors! It is 10 am and already in the high fifties! I am going to enjoy this