The Lack of an Internet Connection is driving me nuts!

I haven't gotten an internet connection yet since I have moved. I have been using the internet access I have over the cell phone, but it's less then reliable, and frankly, frustrating as all get out to use.

Lots of big news. The house came down yesterday. Dad called me today, he is picking rocks out of the basement walls to use for building the new fireplace. If you have a nice, fireplacey looking rock you want rid of, drop it off at the house or with me. Mom sent photos, but they are the size of a postage stamp, so I asked her to resend me larger ones. I will post them when I get a real internet connection.

I have been well. Work is great. Katie came and visited over the weekend. She went home on monday. That sucks!

Weekend Recap

Last week, Katie saw her first real snow fall. She had only ever seen it snow once, in Texas. It snowed 2-3 inches. She basically spent ALL day outside watching it snow. When I came home, I showed her how to pack snowballs, make a snowman. She liked it. Next day, FLU. Poor thing.

Friday night, I cleaned my truck out. It is trashed. The rocks, dirt, fishpoo, plants, etc. from the fish tank sloshed up on to everything! I spent 2 hours cleaning it. I had a 5 gallon jug of water leak and completely fill the back seats with water. I picked up at least 3 cups of aquarium gravel by hand and vacumned up another 2 cups. What a mess.

Saturday morning, we pile into the VERY SMELLY Escape. I put plastic down on the back seats and blankets so we don't get wet. Drive to Barraboo WI, and pick up my sister. She wasn't feeling well either. So now I am off to my parents with 2 very sick women that are likely to heave and improve the smell in my truck.

We arrive at my folks apartment, and walk right in un-announced to my mom. She was SO surprised! We caught up for a while, then wandered off for supper. We went to a resturaunt, and mom walks in first, there is my Aunt's Laruie and Therese, and some neighbors. She was again surprised! We told stories, ate some cake, and all decided that the chicken was THE BOMB!

I visited the house. So sad. I picked up a book I had given mom for Christmas one year off the floor and broght it back for her. There is just so much stuff that is burned, laying on the floor, etc. It's overwhelming.

Yesterday, I droped Katie off at the Milwaukee airport. They let her on the plane there. Bummer! I went to dinner at a Thai resteraunt with a friend from collage just north of the airport while Katie was waiting to board. I wasn't taking any chances with leaving and having to come back to pick her back up at the airport.

Guest Post from my sister.

Hey all,
Thank you for all the kind words and thoughts this week. My parents and all pets are fine. The house however did not make it. Even though my parents had lived there for 37 years and had many memories lost they are very optimistic and my father already has rough sketches for a new home right over the old one! They have had lots of help and the house was insured so they will be ok. It's a shock but most all the sentimental things were scooped up on the way out, retrieved by firefighters, or dug out later.

Also, due to the lack of home I have now added yet another cat to the two we already have at the house. However this cat managed to hide UNDER the house the entire time the house was on fire and then walked around for a day with icicles hanging off of him so I think he deserves a comfy new house! If anyone's questioning the ice... you shoot gobs of water at a house for 12 hours in 4 below weather and see what happens!

So as stated before, they are fine, they have what they need. What I can ask of all of you is to put important papers in lock boxes, put important pictures NEXT to the front door, make sure your smoke detectors work and are in appropriate places, use those little jewelry cases you get your rings in to store your jewels - this is the only way we would have found heirloom rings, and for gods sake, when you smell smoke upstairs don't DON'T send your spouse up to make sure it really is a fire! Geesh Dad!

The Creuzer's send their thanks.

Jennifer

Phone call

Mom just called.
They are all ok. They stopped at Walmart. Picked up 2 cell phones. I have both mom and dad's new phone numbers.

They both sounded upbeat all things considered. Dad said it hasn't really hit them yet though.

They are going to meet the insurance adjuster at Holiday Inn later today.

Mom said that the firemen did a great job hauling stuff out of the house. She still has her ironing board.

It sounds like they will be staying at the Holiday Inn tonight.

Lost parents... FOUND

Ok, now I know how parents feel when their kids are gone and don't call to check in.

I figured that my folks would either stay at Grandma's house with Auntie Laurie and Therese, or at the Holiday Inn because the sheriff gave them a voucher for the night.

I talked to Jennifer midmorning today, and she had spoken with Laurie, who hadn't seen my folks today. She called Holiday Inn, and they said that they didn't check in because they don't allow dogs. Jen called Mary Wallin, who had driven down to the house last night, and they weren't there either.

Great, where are my folks?

I gave Lenny, the mechanic a call, he had been out there last night. He said that a Karen or a Kim from Milltown had come and picked them up for the night.

Ok, a lead. I called the Karen I know that mom works with. Nope, not there, they are in Osceola. I called Karen, my great aunt or some such relation who lives in Milltown, nope, not her either. But, she had just heard the news, and had just tried calling the house.

I called Jen, let her know that I couldn't find the folks. Then Karen from Milltown called, Good news, they have been found, they are at Walmart, looking at cell phone stuff.

So, I know my folks are alive and well. It was cold last night, it got down to 6 below, and it's currently 1 degree outside. I have yet to talk to them today, but I talked to somebody who talked to somebody who talked to them.

Gotta love small town comunities and global communications. It took me half an hour on my lunch break to find my folks, 1800 miles away.

Jen should be getting there in a few hours.

House Fire

I got a phone call from mom last night. The house is on fire.

Mom and dad are fine.

They got all the pets but one cat out, and he may show up yet. They grabbed some stuff, like mom's laptop, some of the family photos, etc. Mom didn't get her track phone charger though, so I haven't talked to her yet today.

It looks to be an electrical fire at this point. The fire department was fighting the fire in 5 degree weather. At one point, they ran out of water, and called for water trucks from 4 other towns.

A bunch of neighbors showed up, Lenny the family mechanic from a few miles away - he let mom use his cell phone in the towtruck to call Jennifer after mom's track phone battery died and the phone in the barn quit working.

My sister said that Aunt Laurie stopped by the house this morning, and the top story of the house is gone. Jennifer is going up there today, bringing some hats and gloves and whatnot. I asked her to take some pictures when she gets up there.

If you are family/friends, and want to get a hold of mom or dad or to pass a message along, email me at thefamily (at) creuzer.com (no spaces, change (at) to @) and I can give you a good contact number for them when we get one figured out (like a charger for the track phone). I don't know what mom has for phone numbers for family, I don't know if she has her address book or not.

I will keep updating here as I find out more.

Mom was visiting

Mom was visiting for a week. I am dropping her off at the airport in a few.
We did all kinds of cool stuff. Spent a day at Epcot, watched the sunset at Clearwater Beach.
I don't want to send her home...

 

 

 

 

Mom is in town for a week. We are at Epcot eating in japan. It just started to rain. We are having fun.

Photographs of the wild outdoors for a website background.

I needed some old photographs for a blog I am making for some friends. The photos are to be a monochromatic 'old' looking photos of the wild outdoors.

I went through some of the photographs my mother sent me in the last year or so and selected a dozen that fit the bill.

Well, almost. I had to adjust the first 10 using Picasa.
The steps where very easy.

1. Sharpen


2. B&W


3. Warmify


4. Tint - using the default color, and sliding the slider to the center

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Winter in Wisconsin

Mother took some wonderful photos and blogged them today. I think my favorite is this one.

Photos of my Vacation

Click here for my 2006 Christmas Vacation Photo Gallery

Here are some photos of my recent Vacation back home. Katie came along, poor thing, and met most of my friends from college. If you have some photos from new years, please, send them my way.

Mom's Christmas Present

I am buying my mom the Internet for Christmas. (Shhh don't tell her even though she already knows!)

She shall get bigger tubes!



I will now be able to send my mom more internets without worry that this movie will block up all the tubes. Even better yet, she might actually be able to VIEW this movie.


I ordered my mom Wild Blue Satalite Internet Service this morning to replace her current dial up and 2nd phone line. It looks like she is going to save ten bucks a month or so with the new service. It will also be faster. I bought the hardware, the installation, and her first month of service.

Hopefully it gets installed before I arrive. I remember last year and the slow internet connection! Good Senator, I need my own personal internet tubes unblocked by your streaming 10 or 12 movies and a book at the same time.