This year, we hosted Thanksgiving with all of Tim's family and my brother and sister-in-law. Everything turned out great. I was glad that there were no disasters. Even though I have made cooked a turkey before, this was really my first attempt at pies. We managed to fit 11 people in our dining area for our meal. In the end, this is the clean silverware and serving dishes that came out of my dishwasher. It took quite a bit to feed that many people.
Madeline
So, last night I was heading to my friends' house to watch their 5 month old son. It was dark and had been raining off and on all day, and of course it was also during the rush hour traffic time. While on one of the busiest streets in Salem, traffic was backed up from a stoplight. Naturally, I stopped in an attempt to obey all traffic laws. As traffic was just barely starting to move again, the car behind me slammed into the back of our one and only car. On top of all the hazardous driving conditions stated above, the other driver was talking on her cell phone and did not even bother to stop when she got out of the car. Fortunately, I was not hurt at all, just our poor car that we worked so hard to pay off in three years. Fortunately, the other party had insurance to cover the damages and there has not been any disputes regarding liability...there was a witness who stopped, so I wasn't too worried about that one.
Today, I have spent all day dealing with insurance and auto body repair companies. I was two steps ahead of the insurance company the whole time. The shop that they sent me to for an estimate quoted $2,100. Knowing what I know about body work, I was suspicious of this quote. They were saying that the side panel didn't need to be replaced, which I thought anybody just looking at it would disagree (see photos below). They also wanted to schedule me for the repair immediately. I only slighly politely told them that this was not a claim on my insurance and that I was going to look into my options since I could legally take it wherever I wanted to have the work done.
I chose to take it somewhere else. They actually checked underneath the car to make sure that it was safe for me to be driving and that there wasn't any further damage beyond what was visible. They also told me that the panel did indeed need to be replaced and gave me a quote of $3,300. The insurance company of course told me that they would have to review that quote since I obviously did not want to take it to their preferred shop.
So, I went to get a third opinion from a shop that our neighbor recommended. They agreed with the second quote, and I found out that they are an approved shop with the insurance company. Of course, I wasn't given that shop as an option because the insurance company probably knew that the other would give the lowest quote and cut corners. I love dealing with issues like this...please note sarcasm.
The problem with this time of the year is that for me, it tends to get busier than the summer. I hear everyone else talk about how crazy their summer schedules are, but this is the last "free" weekend that I have until Christmas, unless something cancels. There are still plenty of things that I need to get done, but I really feel like I need to just relax and enjoy the comforts of home. I am already counting the days until Christmas for a few reasons:
1) Christmas is in fact my favorite holiday.
2) I am taking a week and a half off from work which I haven't done in I don't know how long.
3) We are going out of town and will be forced into ultimate relaxation mode. I plan on remaining mostly out of touch during that time.
I must admit that fall is one of my favorite times of the year. After a nice summer of warm sunshine (the only time of the year when I am not constantly freezing), I actually enjoy being able to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a nice, warm mug full of something tasty to drink. As an amateur photographer, the colors are spectacular to catch in a photo. Fall also reminds us that the holidays are just around the corner, which has always been a great time of year for me. So, here are my top fall favorites:
~ The orange, red, and yellow leaves as they change
~ Pumpkin - pie, ice cream, bread, basically anything with pumpkin in it. This year I found a recipe for pumpkin lasagna that I might try
~ Cold mornings that I can stay wrapped up in my pj's and a blanket
~ The start of the rainy season in Oregon...I like the rain for the first couple of months
~ The promise of turkey and all the trimmings
As I work on developing my side business, here are some of the latest photos that I have taken...these guys were a lot of fun.
Even though it may be a little later than normal, our garden is coming along. Our tomato plant is several inches taller than I am now, and the tomatoes are huge...just waiting for them to ripen. We now have some cucumbers coming, and I think the carrots are about ready to be harvested. We are talking about planting all along the side of our house next year. Here are the latest pictures.
