The Hultgrens - The USA Journey: January 2007

Monday, January 29, 2007

From January 20th.....

SORRY IT'S SOOOO LATE.......BIG WEEKEND, AND YOU HAVE TO BE NEAR A COMPUTER TO POST THE BLOG.... GO FIGURE!!! Saturday Another weekend started as they all did. We got up and did breakfast then around 10.00 we were out of the house to Jamieson’s basketball game. They met their match today, the other team shot really well, and our big kid Julian was sick. They lost, which was a good experience for them. We got home and had some lunch and I cleaned the house, then off to the basketball again. Conner’s team played a great game and the only difference was that the other team shot the lights out and Conner’s team didn’t. Which has been a problem all season, but they did play really well. We got home and had a quiet dinner, the boys watched a movie and Bruce and I did our usual. Bruce caught up with some work and I tried to catch up on some emails etc. It was a nice quiet night at home. Sunday Bruce went to Billy Bounce at around 8.30 and the boys and I just chilled out around the house for the morning. Paula called to see if the boys wanted to go over for a play. So her and her boys swung by after Billy Bounce and picked up the boys to go over to her place for play. I took the opportunity to actually wash and dry my hair properly. Small things, usually I have to have it all done in 30 mins so it was really nice to be able to take me time and have no interruptions. Bruce had to stay at Billy Bounce for all 3 sessions cause Billy B actually visited today so it was a good day for everyone. I picked them up around 1.30 and left around 2.30 for a quiet afternoon. Bruce took the boys out for a bike ride to the park, which they really enjoyed, then we just had a quiet night at home. Monday The boys went off to School this morning, but no work for me today, not a lot on so I decided to spend the time doing Hultgren stuff instead. It’s GST time, as you all know, so that’s what I did. After trying to tidy Bruce’s office, as much as you can. So I spent most of the day getting back into the financials again. Fun, not! The boys came home from school and Millie and Lexie came over for a visit, which was nice for a catch up. The kids always have a ball and play together really well. Jamieson had basketball practice, and I went to get groceries. I picked them up and we went home and had our usual hot chicken for dinner on grocery night. Spoke to Elise on messenger, we figured out how to use the microphone so she could hear me, which was nice for them, not for me. Tuesday We woke up to a big day for us today. I was off to a little foothills town called Sutter Creek for the day with Paula. We dropped the kids off at school then off to the office before leaving. I spent the day meeting new people/clients and getting to know what needs to be done for the transition. The boys had a great day at school, and then got to go to the Charles’ after school, as Bruce had to go into his office for a 3pm meeting. Then Conner, who was suppose to go Math Club then to Charles’ but forgot and waited out the front til Kristin came to get him. I called Bruce when I got back and the boys were staying at the Charles’ for dinner. Paula dropped me at home, the boys got back not long after and then they changed and Bruce & Conner went off to his basketball practice and Jamieson and I stayed at home and did homework and showers etc. They got home and the boys went off to school and Bruce and I sat out in the lounge at the laptops and he worked and I chatted with Rhys and did some more figures. Gee, we’re so exciting aren’t you all jealous. Wednesday Dropped the kids off at school then Bruce dropped me off at work before heading to a meeting at a school. I sat at the desk for most of the day, which was good considering, wasn’t feeling that crash hot. The girls had some lunch and I actually laid down on the floor. (It was clean) We had our afternoon meetings then I went home. I decided to have a shower cause I was feeling blah!! I got out and couldn’t stand up. Bit scary!!! My whole body felt like lead, I think Bruce was a bit scared too. He put me into bed and I slept for the next couple of hours. They had some dinner and did homework. Off to bed for everyone fairly early, I was feeling better but still blah!!! I’m fluey; which hopefully I should be over tomorrow. Thursday Happy Australia Day (In Australia) Another day started with me not being able to get out of bed, so I just slept. Bruce got the kids off to school and then back home to get his work done. I woke up late morning and spent the day in bed. After lunch Bruce bought my laptop into the bedroom and I did some email stuff and a little work. I chatted with Pete on messenger. The boys came home from school and did their homework and then played some PS2. Bruce did some work and I chilled out in bed. Friday Everyone was up and around this morning, me a little slower than usual but I got up and went off to work. The boys had a good day; the end of the week is always a good day for them. I got some work done, not at the pace that I would usually get it done but most of it got done. It was a little frustrating not going at the usual pace, but I got over it, and the girls just laughed at me in my frustration. Jamieson went to Nolan’s house for a play after school and then Conner’s friend Elliott came over for a sleepover. We had some dinner and they watched a couple of movies. Paula came over for dinner and chats and was out of here by around 10.30. We went off to bed at around 11.00 listening to the giggles coming from the lounge room. Another busy week, and busier weekend (which you will find out about next week), sorry!!! Apologies for the lateness of the posting, I can honestly say we weren’t really home at all, all weekend. I hope you are all well, and you enjoyed the tennis.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

From January 13th....

Saturday Bruce and Kerry were up and out of the house to drive to LA at 2.30am. The boys and I were up and out of bed at the usual hour. Bruce called at around 8.30 to say that they were driving into LA and won’t have time to stop for breakfast. We chilled out for a little while before heading out in the car heading to John’s birthday party. Bowling, cool fun, the boys were very excited. The boys had a blast, and they bowl pretty well too, especially with the bumpers. We finished up and were home at around 1.30 for a quiet afternoon. I did the usual washing and cleaning (what else is new) and the boys played around the house. We were back out at Conner’s basketball game for a 5.30 start. They played well, didn’t win, but played ok; just don’t shoot well as a team. Bruce called at around 6.00 to say, Paula never been to Hollywood Blvd so they were off to see the sights, quickly!! We came home and had some dinner, then not long after Conner got sick, literally and went to bed. Jamieson was in bed not long later. A quiet night for me, which was really nice. Spoke to Bruce and they were on their way home, I went off to bed. Bruce got in around 3.00am. Sunday Bruce was up and off to Billy Bounce while Conner was still sick. I was at home and doing the blog and emails, kind of a catch up day. I spoke to mum and Mitch on messenger, which was great to catch up on the goings on. Otherwise it was a very quiet day for everyone and we were all in bed a very reasonable time. No school or work tomorrow Martin Luther King Jnr day. Monday We all got up a little later than usual; we all had a nice sleep in. Conner was feeling a little better but not back to normal. The boys watched a little TV, I cleaned up and did some washing. Bruce did a little work then went off to watch Ponderosa play up the road at a fundraiser for the Elk Grove food bank. Millie called arranged to come over and go out and about with me. We went out to Target and had a look around. There is lots of Valentines Day stuff (all holidays have stuff/ decorations) I chatted with Mitch on messenger and then started on dinner. We had some dinner, the boys watched Miami play the Lakers and I had a bath and pulled the TV around the corner in to bathroom and watched the Golden Globes while bathing. Very soothing. Tuesday Conner went to school but wasn’t well still, he was ok, just a bit warm, didn’t ask to stay home though. Reluctantly went to math class after school, the great thing was he went because if you miss two you get kicked out, and he didn’t want to not be able to go. How’s my big boy getting all; academic? He came home and went to bed for a sleep and then watched a movie on his DVD. Paula and the boys came over and ended up staying for dinner. Bruce called and his meeting was a dinner one so I had enough for everyone, Conner wasn’t eating, he was only having toast. I chatted to Elise on messenger, got up to date with what they have been doing and was off to bed around 10.30. Wednesday Had a house full this morning, Jackary arrived at 7.00am and then Paula dropped of the boys at around 7.15. I walked all the kids over to school then walked to work. It was a nice walk, very brisk and I shouldn’t really walk with my laptop it’s not good for the back. I picked Jamieson up from school and Conner went off to Math club. Conner got 90% on his math test today, he was really proud of himself. Bruce had a great day by all accounts, making contacts everyday. He met more contacts at LeTip (Like Rotary). You know Bruce; if they can talk he’ll find out their life story. Not a lot on for the evening, dinner, work and bed. Nothing exciting. Thursday I decided to go to work today, I’m up to date and refuse to be there unless I have enough work. Bruce worked from home this morning too. I went off to parent helping for Conner. I got home from there at around 10.00 then jumped into the car and went out to get my jury selection signed to say that I (obviously) couldn’t be there. Then spent a little while just out by myself. I was back at 1.00 so Bruce could go to the office. Jamieson and I came home from school, we did the homework thing then just spend a little time chilling out. Bruce got home from the office, we had some dinner and did some work then off to bed. It was a nice day just to have a little time to myself. Friday Bruce was at the airport and off to LA for the day at 5.00 this morning. The boys went off to school. No work again today for me. I got stuck into organizing some of the house. Packed boxes to send to home and caught up on some Hultgren work, did some angels stuff, financials etc. Bruce called from LA, he was getting a lot of stuff done, which was great. I sat down early afternoon for some lunch and didn’t get up until it was time to get the kids from school which was a nice change. After school John and Dylan came over for a play, they played and I did some baking. Paula called and arranged for us to go to her place for dinner. Kristin arrived and picked up the boys, then my boys had showers and Paula picked us up just after 6.00. Bruce called from the airport and was on standby. We got to her place and packed away her groceries and got dinner started. We sat down for some dinner and not long after Bruce arrived, he had gotten on an earlier flight. YEAY!!! The adults chilled out and the kids ended up watching a movie. We were in the car and back at home at 10.00. It was a nice early night for us. Well another week is over. We had a very good week, work wise. The boys are doing well, they had a good week at school and Conner’s math club seems to be paying off.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Saturday January 6th

Saturday Well, basketball returns this weekend, although Jamieson’s game was at 12.30 so we (I) had some more time this morning to get my stuff done. Bruce stayed in bed this morning for a bit of a sleep in, the boys were up and running as per usual so I took the extra time to put the new pictures on the blog. We went off to Jamieson’s game, which they won again, but the other team was a hustling team but we came through. We organized for a catch up with one of the families for tomorrow and went to a couple of stores to take some stuff back and grab a couple of other things. We came home and had some lunch then I finished up some of the washing etc, and a headache came on. The boys went off to Conner’s game and I lay down to try and get rid if it. They got home an hour later and were not happy, they lost again, and Conner played well so that’s what we are looking for. We had showers and got organized then made our way to Paula’s for dinner (for Justin’s birthday). It was pretty low key; we had some pizza and I had made cupcakes for him to blow the candle out. The boys played with new toys and Bruce helped put together some new furniture Paula had bought. Like I said pretty low key, Justin put himself in bed at around 8.00pm so we didn’t get a chance to do cupcakes. We were home and the kids were in bed at 10.00. Sunday We all woke up to a nice sunny Sunday morning, still freezing but nice and sunny. I started with the cleaning while the boys lay around for the morning. All the girls know what it’s like when visitors are coming, whether you want to or not, you just at least have to make sure the bathrooms and kitchens are done. I had mentally made plans in my head to go out and get through some of my to get list, Conner’s PJ’s are going to have to wait now. We sat down and watched Ben Graham do his kicking thing when the Jets played in the NFL Playoffs, but lost. So I guess he’ll be coming home for a nice relaxing summer. We had a light lunch and at 2.00 Mark, Renee and Alex arrived. Sorry to Rhys and Jackson who called, but we had company. The boys went off and played and we chatted for a couple of hours. It was actually really nice, they are nice people and the boys had a lot of fun. They left around 5.00 and we had some dinner and watched the NFL playoffs. Made sure everyone was ready for the start of the week and off to bed for an early night. Monday Another week begins, just like usual. We woke the kids up and were out the door and off to school by 8.00am. Paula dropped the boys off and went off to her early meeting. Bruce dropped me off at the office and the girls and I finished moving Paula and Renee downstairs. The day kind of went fast, even though I don’t have a lot on (playing the waiting game with Paula for project direction) things popped up to keep me busy for most of the day. Bruce picked up the boys from school then me from work. We did homework and I caught up with Millie on the phone. We were out again to basketball practice and grocery shopping at 4.45pm. Back again at 6.15 and the TV went straight on the watch the College Football national championship game. How it’s all figured out who plays in what bowl is just a mystery to me. We had some dinner and the kids were in bed reading at 7.45. Tuesday Another Tuesday arrived and Bruce was home working today. The boys and I went off to school and I did an hour in Jamieson’s class of parent helping and then went to the Multi Purpose room to watch Conner in the school Geography competition. It was for grades 4-6 so we were really proud that he just wanted to give it a go. You know what Conner’s like, not unless he thinks he’s going to be great at it. He got one of the two questions right in the 1st round and made it to the last six kids. He didn’t get another question right and at the end of the 2nd round it was down to 2 kids. He was really happy with his effort, as were we, I was a very proud parent sitting with the other parents. Bruce had to go into the office, so I had to catch a ride into work from Renee. The day was a weird one at work, lost of organizing everyone, so at times you don’t know if you are actually accomplishing anything. I picked Jamieson up from school and Conner was off to Math club. We organized for Nolan to come over for a play, after homework, that’s the beauty of finishing school at 2.30. Karen (Nolan’s mum) dropped him off, and we organized for Conner to go there and play with Matthew. The big boys were at the Hawkins and we had the little ones here, perfect. We did the swap and were back together and at the dinner table at 6.00. Briefly chatted with Rhys on messenger. The boys were in bed reading at 7.45 and I went to Paula’s for our meeting just after 8.00. Bruce text me at 10.30 to say he was going to bed & Paula and I finished up around 11.45. It was worth it, we got heaps done and are now on track and heading in a good direction with lots of clarity. Wednesday We woke up this morning to the sun shining but boy was it cold. We are going through a nice sunny spell but apparently in the next few days the nights are going to be hitting zero. That’s been hard to get used to, we walked to school and then I waited for Paula to come and get me. Off to work, and for whatever reason I spend most of the day putting Ed’s furniture and office together. We had our meetings and Paula dropped me off to pick the kids up from school. Conner went to Math Club and Jamieson did his homework then chilled out. Conner got home and finished up his homework. Bruce got home and I went out in the car to get some PJ’s for Conner. They don’t really sell them here for kids Conner’s age, finding them is not an easy thing to do. So I was on a mission. I finally had to be happy with just pajama bottoms from Old Navy. I got home and Conner really liked them, so it was a successful outing, I suppose. Thursday Another below freezing night last night, with the kids arguing this morning about who’s turn it was to smash the ice that is the bird bath. Bruce and the boys went off to school, Bruce was doing parent helping for Conner this morning. A good dad thing that he does a couple of times a year for the boys. Paula and I went to work and I was off on my little over organizing tangent. Lots to do, reorganizing the office with Paula’s new schedule. Hopefully it will lessen the stress on her a little. Bruce was home working for the day, he has lots to do, you know Bruce, anything less than 3 projects on the go he goes nuts and gets bored. I picked the kids up from school and Kristin, Paula and all the boys came over for a play. It was lots of fun for everyone. Bruce was out and about doing his stuff while we took over the house. Conner had math club again and got home around 3.50, jumped straight into the fun. They all left around 5.30 and I made dinner. Bruce got home and we had some dinner then they all went off to Conner’s basketball practice. I did some work while they were gone and they got back had a little homework to finish and then off to bed. Bruce was in bed early with a sleeping tablet so he would get good nights sleep. He has a busy weekend coming up. I was not far behind, still getting used to the routine again. Friday We woke up and I was up and around as Jakary is being dropped off with us at 7.00am for the next week, cause his mum has training at work so is coming to school with us. Everyone was up and ready to go earlier so that is a perk of him coming over so early. I woke up with a bonus (cold sore), which is always fun, not. Not sure why, cause I’m taking my vitamins so I shouldn’t be run down. So I’m going to have a beautiful fat lip all weekend. Bruce did the drop off this morning, school then work, then back home to get into it. Our Admin girl was out today so I was doing double duty, which can be a pain when you aren’t sure if she’s done the things you’ve asked her to do. I did a bit of organizing of Ed too, into his new office, a bit of a push, which he needs. I’ve given him until Monday then I’m going to start riding his butt, he knows it so it’s not as bossy as it sounds. The great thing for me is that both he and Paula know they need it so they welcome the push. Found out another game that they don’t play here is SNAP!! No idea what that means, it’s so weird, so tunnel ball and snap, what sheltered lives these kids have. Fancy not knowing how to play snap!!! The boys only had a minimum day so I had to be out of the office to pick them up for a 12.30 finish. Bruce was out and the boys and I got home and had a snack/ lunch, then Bruce came home and we were in the car and off to the office at around 1.45. We picked Paula up from the office and drove to the airport. Dropped off Paula for her flight to LA and Bruce and Jamieson stayed behind to pick up the hire car for the weekend trip to LA. (Bruce and a few others were off to a Saturday conference in LA. They are driving down and driving home.) Conner and I grabbed a birthday present for John’s party tomorrow and then some stuff for dinner, dropped Paula’s car off at her place and Bruce picked us up. Our dinner and sleepover guest Kerry, (Australian, here for 20 years) was staying and going with Bruce to LA. Really nice lady, hasn’t lost her Australian wit at all, she is a nice lady. Bruce and Kerry went off to bed early around 9.30 when the kids went off to bed. I stayed up for a little longer but was in bed around 11.00. A lot is going on and we are all really busy just with our lives, Jamieson is just being Jamieson, full on! Conner has his math club, which he is not complaining about at all, which is so great. Bruce is just being Bruce 500 miles an hour, and Belinda is well, you’ve read all about it. This is definitely the land of opportunity, take it, roll with it and come home. Thank you to all who emailed me this week, replies are coming. I hope you are staying out of the heat. * Hey everyone, Bruce here – it is Sunday morning here and yesterday’s conference in LA was fantastic – well worth the effort to leave at 2.30am and get home the next morning at 3am (luckily we shared the driving!) It is completely surreal to leave home – drive through LA to Newport Beach then stop for dinner on the way home on the walk of Stars on Hollywood Boulevard - what was really cool was that Paula had NEVER been there – go figure – so I played tour guide – the opportunities here for business are just so amazing and the contacts made yesterday were phenomenal – I will let you know more as they progress – the reason I write this – hopefully it inspires someone to get on a plane and chase a dream – I highly recommend it!!!! God Bless America!!!

Sunday, January 07, 2007

From December 30th....

Saturday Another weekend begun like any other, the usual stuff, cleaning the house, washing etc. I took off to Paula’s to help pack up the apartment. She had an appointment so I got back home in time for some lunch. After lunch I continued with the house stuff, Paula called and asked if I would come to Ikea. I showered and changed into something other than a tracksuit and waited for Paula to pick me up to go to Ikea. Bruce took the boys out to spend their Christmas money. She was running late, it took her longer to finish than she thought. The boys came home with their new toy. They bought a PS2 and games, they got home and Paula arrived to pick me up. We went to Ikea, Paula got a new bed and I got a little laptop table. We went back to Paula’s to do some unpacking and some dinner. Got home around 10.30 then not long after off to bed. Big day tomorrow, we are off to the snow, and we all can’t wait. Sunday New Years Eve Woke up at the usual time, and did the usual tidying etc. We were all up and ready for our day trip to the snow and left at 10.00am. We were around half way when Jamieson did the usual, carsick!! By the time we stopped multiple times for him to chuck and then decided to stop for lunch at a place called Angels camp, to give his stomach a rest from the windy roads. We finally arrived at around 12.30 – YEAH!!! It was touch and go, we didn’t see any snow until about 2 mins before we hit the state park, Bruce was VERY nervous and getting ready to be devastated. The kids were in the car oooing and arring, it was so great to hear. Conner wasn’t this excited going to Disneyland. We spent the next 2 plus hours running around having snow fights and doing snow angels, it was the best afternoon. We got into the car around 3.00 to beat the storm that was coming in, the boys slept the whole way. We got back around 4.30 and I put the roast turkey on for dinner. We lounged around and sat down to dinner 7.00. Paula dropped in to say Happy New Year on her way out and we ate and headed over to the Charles’s. We got there around 7.45 and spent the night chatting and playing games with the kids. They beat the adults are Deal or No Deal, that was fun!!! The boys went out to the garage to play basketball and we sat there watching Eddie Murphy interview, a really funny man. We all watched the ball drop (Times Square) and all toasted with our Sparkling Apple Cider, and not long after bought the kids home to bed. It was a great New Year’s Eve, one we will always remember. Monday All slept in, the boys were up and playing their PS2, Bruce was doing some work and I started the usual, washing, cleaning tidying. Bruce and the boys went outside to do some stuff in the garden. We all had some lunch and continued on with what we were doing. Spent the day around the house, which is what we needed. The boys did some schoolwork, and played Monopoly. We had some dinner and I chatted with Millie on the phone and then Elise on messenger. I got bored and decided it was time for a charge so I cut my hair. Only the fringe, not sure how I feel about it, Bruce likes it. It’ll do for now until it grows back. Like it always does. The boys went off to bed around 8.30. Bruce went off around 9.30, after a couple of long days. Here I am at 11.00 finishing off today’s installment. It was a great end to the year and a nice lazy start to 2007; we tidied up ready for what’s to come next. Tuesday Well, today is the last day before school goes back, I’m pretty excited, the boys aren’t but they are bored so getting back will be good for them. Bruce was working from home today, the boys watched some TV in the morning while I finished up the work I need to take back to the office tomorrow and then I did some washing etc. Most exciting stuff, NOT!!! The great thing is that I now have some more direction at work, Paula wants me to oversee all the projects and make sure they are where they should be, which I think I will really enjoy. Organizing multiple things at once, my specialty, I’ve had heaps of practice; organizing Bruce makes me an expert nearly. I spent most of the afternoon sitting with my son the drama queen wasting time king (Jamieson) who didn’t want to finish his work for school so did the usual huffing and puffing and sitting and pretty much making me laugh cause it is just all too hard doing grade one work. You know that Conner doesn’t help; he’s bored so he has to put his two cents worth in, just to wind Jamieson up. Wednesday First day of school and work for 6 weeks and I have to say we were all up beat and ready to go. We walked over to school and then onto work. It was a busy day getting caught up and organizing things that should have been done, or were just waiting for me to get back to get done. I picked the boys up from school and made sure Conner got to his Math’s class that he’s doing for the next few weeks after school. He was fine and waiting with his teacher until it was time to go. He was ready to go, which was so great for him. Millie called and they came over for a visit. It was nice to catch up with them after Christmas and New years and find out what they’ve been doing. We had some dinner and after the kids went to bed on got onto messenger with Elise for a New Year catch up which was great. Thursday Another busy day started as usual, Bruce was off at work early as usual, off to work and school for the day. A usual workday for me; organizing to move some of the girls to the office downstairs. Bruce picked me up on the way home from work and then I jumped into the car and down to the supermarket to buy some stuff for dinner with Tonya and Edward. People that Bruce knows. Jamieson went to play with the kids around the corner for a little while. Conner walked home from his math class, his attitude about school and this math club is great and we are really proud of him. I made lasagna for dinner and they arrived at around 7.00. We sat down and had dinner and chatted, the usual stuff. They are of Russian descent and so we talked about that for a while. They left around 10.30, it was a good night and they were really nice people. It was a big day and we were in bed at around 11.30. Friday Happy Birthday Trudy and Raelene We woke up to another busy day, off to school and work; Bruce dropped us off cause he was working from home. We spent the morning moving some of the stuff from the upstairs to the downstairs office. We had done all we could, the girls did lunch and I was home a little earlier than usual. I picked the boys up from school and then I showered etc and got ready for the evening ahead. We are going to a high school on the other side of town to watch a high school basketball game. Bruce spent some time with them a couple of weeks ago at training. Paula called with a kid/husband drama, so I jumped into the car and over to the office. (Not something you can chat about over the phone.) I got back and changed then we piled into car and made our way to Ponderosa High School. We finally made it there, it time for the 2nd of 3 games, Junior Varsity the place was packed and getting fuller. The game started at 7.30 and you should have heard the noise for most of the game. All the kids chanting, it was so great. It was a really good atmosphere. They were in the game until after half time, then the fact that the other team had 3 kids that were 6’9” just was too much and they fell apart and lost by 20. It was a bit of a downer but the experience was a good one. Tick that off the list of things to do. We got home around 11.00 and went straight to bed. It was a long day, but lots of fun. I hope everyone had a great week, and big birthday wishes to my sisters on their???? Birthday. (Not something I will publish) A usual weekend coming up, basketball starts again and then we will just see what happens.