Thank God for small miracles (and mother-in-laws)

I love my mother-in-law!
Today I got my new dryer. It's a very nice Kenmore dryer from the Kenmore Elite series. It has all sorts of fancy bells and whistles and thanks to my very generous mother-in-law, it didn't cost me a penny. That's right, she called the Sears store here in Henderson and paid for it. When I went to pick it up, it was paid for!!Wouldn't take no for an answer (I didn't protest too loudly). Thank you Jesus! (and Jean)

That's not the only reason I love her
From the day I met her, my mother in law has always treated me like one of her kids. Keep in mind, when I met her I was 18, I looked 16 and her son was 31 (I wish I still looked two years younger). She surely thought that he was having an early midlife crisis. Much to her (and everyone elses' surprise), it worked out and 4 years later we married. She has always been such a great friend to me. When we found out we were expecting Olivia she was estatic, came to TN, and bought an entire nursery full of furniture. She then stocked it with every piece of bubble gum colored clothing she could find.

Did I mention that I am her only "girl"?
Or at least I was until Olivia came along. She has two sons and always wanted a daughter. She was almost 30 when she had Mike so she is getting close to 70 now, but you would never know it. She gets down in the floor and plays with Olivia for hours on end and she and I can do some all day marathon shopping trips that would tire the average 21 year old. Several times a year, she comes and stays with us from a time span of a few days up to a few months. During that time, she is the best houseguest you could ask for.

The Laundry Fairy
In fact, when she leaves, Mike and I joke that we miss the Laundry Fairy because she washes our clothes that are dirty when we are at work, irons them, and hangs them back up. It's just like having a fairy. What do we do to deserve all this? We have the ONLY grandchild and she's a darling little girl. Oh, and I call her everyday and check on her and just talk, apparently something you are not used to when you have all boys. Anyway, I've gone on about her enough, I just felt so loving towards her tonight after my great surprise.

In other news...
Have any of you guys investigated the Verizon Ringback tones. They are songs that play when someone calls you (the caller hears the song, not you). Basically, instead of hearing that mechanical ringing noise on their end, the caller hears a song. I did it last night and everyone who has called my phone has loved it! I chose James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" which is a fabulous song, if you get the edited version. The unedited version has a VERY VERY bad word in it. I hate gratituous cursing. But that's a rant for another day.

Girls Night Out
Tomorrow night, I am going out with my best friend, Chanda and her sister, Manda (who is also one of my closest friends). At least once a month, we get sitters (Chanda & I, Manda is still blissfully single) and go out to dinner and back to Manda's house to watch a movie. We always go to Manda's because she has a darling townhouse that is always clean, there are no dirty sippy cups under the couch, and no one is ever crying there. Not that Chan and I don't love our children, it's just nice to visit the other side now and then.

Quarter of a Century of Friendship
These girls have been my friends for over 25 years. Chanda and I are about the same age, Manda is 14 months younger than Chanda. We have pictures of us together when we were tiny wearing Can-Can dresses. Chanda and I talk on the phone every day. In fact, for a horrible two years she moved away and we both had to get unlimited long distance to keep from going bankrupt. Seriously, I don't have any sisters, but if I did I don't think I could love them any more than I love these girls. We have the most fun together. I realize how lucky I am to have had the same best friend for over 25 years and Chanda, if you ever read this, I love you so much!!!!

Gratitude, Smatitude
Well, tonight's entry has been all sappy, so I will leave you guys on a heartless note. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on my Deathwatch entries (you sickos), so I thought I would share my list with you. Enjoy, you heartless vultures :)

Andrea's List of Doom 2006
Estelle Getty
Gerald Ford
Muhammad Ali
Elizabeth Taylor
Jack Palance
Charlton Heston
Mickey Rooney
Phyllis Diller
Billy Graham
Andy Griffith
Don Knotts
Fidel Castro
Don Rickles
Ariel Sharon
Michael Jackson
Ernest Gallo
Jane Wyman
Nancy Reagan
Lady Bird Johnson
Brooke Astor (famous philanthropist)

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!