Monday, December 24, 2007

Happy Holidays 2007




Family and Friends,

This Holiday season we are remodeling the kitchen. Bob is at it again as always with home improvement projects:)

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Happy Holidays



To Family and Friends,

Sorry I have not blogged for a month. Happy Holidays to everyone.

Many changes in the Cran, Thirouin, Strole household:

1. A hole in the wall between the kitchen and living room as a pass through and increase the size and look of a great room.

2. The gazebo for my Cal spa hot tub is almost done. We still have the cross boards to put up on top.

3. The kitchen is being remodeled to reflect the beginning of the 1900's. We have found an antique pie safe to use as a pantry.

4. Tiffany is currently holding awesome grades in school and still a big part of Student Senate with plans of joining the volleyball team next year at Columbine High School. Tiffany has not yet mastered using only 450 minutes a month on her first cell phone purchased on November 2ND. She used up 1300 minutes in the first 20 days!!!!! OH MY GOD :(

5. I am still employed and spending 5 nights a week at Wal-Mart(Wally world) Stocking groceries so that all of you can still eat (as long as people EAT, I will be employed)

6. Bob is doing wonderful as always staying busy with work, projects and putting up with Tiffany and I on a daily basis :)

7. To my son Tyler: If you are reading this I want you to know how much I love you and miss you everyday. Please call me sometime:) Love Mom

Talk to you soon
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Love Cindy

P.S. Libby says Hello from her new dog bed:)

Friday, October 5, 2007

Spider Bites, First Savings Account and Bandit

Hey family and friends,

Spider bites:
Earlier this week Bob was bitten by a single spider several times on his chest resulting in multiple blisters. The doctor prescribed medication with hopes of killing the poison. (very scary if you don't like spiders)

First Savings Account:
Tyler received his paycheck yesterday and I drove him to the bank to start a savings account with one hundred dollars. He was so excited that he printed his name on the social security card instead of signing his name:)

Bandit:
Rest in peace to Bob's best friend, who was loved very much. Bandit passed away this morning at 10:30am. Bandit was Bob's son and best friend for 14 years. Bandit will be remembered for his love of balls, toys, swimming pool, eating the fence in the backyard, the taste of Coors Light, his love for pizza crust and his friends and family extended across the United States (The Cran Family and Murphy Family including: Colorado, Florida and Texas). Bandit is now resting peacefully in heaven with all of our past loved and cherished pets.

*(please no phone calls for a couple of weeks as we are all grieving his loss)

Love
Cindy

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Homecoming, Weight loss, Promotion, Child Support

Hey everyone,

Tyler went to his first homecoming dance last Saturday at Columbine High School.

Tyler worked at King Soopers until 8:15pm then rode his bicycle wearing his suit and tie to go dancing with his date, who is a senior. I showed up at the high school at 11:00pm with the truck to pick up Tyler and his bicycle only to hear him say that he had the "TIME OF HIS LIFE" Tyler said that at the dance the kids circled around him while he was dancing yelling the words "GO KUSH", whatever a kush is? Tyler also said that he had blisters on his fingers from snapping so hard and for so long.

Tiffany is proud to announce that she has lost a total of 25 pounds since moving back in with me. Tiffany went from 185 to 160 pounds!!!!! From a size 14 to a size 11 now. Tiffany has joined the Student Senate at Ken Caryl Middle School with achieving grades of all A's and B's!!!!!

Last Monday night I took a test at Wal Mart that I believe was called Leadership Assessment Skills. I passed with a Competitive score. I was interviewed for a Department Manager position for paper and chemicals department, only to find out that I would only make .10 cents more an hour?? (FOR MORE RESPONSIBILITY) The hours as department manager would have been 7am to 4pm Monday through Friday, but I declined due to family obligations during the daytime :)

I have decided to stay with Night Receiving and possibly go back to stocking Frozen foods for .20 cents more an hour.

OH, guess what child support in being modified to? $817.00 a month!!!! :) Due to Kevin Strole earning $22.00 an hour and me earning $10.20 an hour!!!! I also pay for medical and dental insurance for Tyler and Tiffany. Kevin has no visitation with the kids since they have no interest and fear for their life over there. I have court with Kevin on October 30th at Jefferson County Courthouse at 9am.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend. Take care of you :)

Love Cindy, Tyler and Tiffany

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Teen Jobs,Weight Loss, Trailers and Wal-Mart

Tyler got the job at King Soopers on Coal Mine and Pierce. His first day was September 1, 2007. Tyler pushes buggies and sacks groceries. Tyler had orientation today at the store on Kipling and Belleview. Tyler received his first payckeck on Friday and you will never guess what he spent the money on? You guessed it! FOOD :) Tyler went to his friends house and bought the whole family pizza for dinner. He owed Bob twenty dollars to pay for his cable tv in his bedroom.

Tiffany is doing excellent with her weight loss. She has lost a total of twenty pounds since July 9th by eating healthy and walking Libby every night after dinner. Tiffany has lots of friends, new and old at Ken Caryl Middle School. Tiffany is looking forward to getting a job to earn her own money. Tiffany is at Grandma Linda's this weekend (SCARY) with her friend Kaitlyn.

Trailers: Guess who bought another trailer to work on? You guessed right, Bob :) He bought a car hauler that is 6.9 feet wide and 16 feet long for $800.00 (awesome deal) for when Ron's truck breaks down we can help him get it home to work on:) Ha,ha,ha (Love you sissy) This trailer will be number 7 bought since Bob and I have been together.

I am doing well at Wal-Mart making my lousy $10.80 an hour pulling pallets of grocery out of the trailer every night weighing up to 3,000 pounds each. I received my license for the electric pallet jack, the walkie stacker and the propane forklift. Graveyard shift is tough, but works with having teenagers in the house. My hours are 8:45 pm to 5:15 am. My sleep schedule is from 7am to 3pm if anyone chooses to call and chat with me.

The crew I work with range from a Pastor of a church down to a homeless lady that lives at the Good Samaritan house in downtown Denver (riding the bus for two hours just to work) I did donate jeans and blue shirts for her and a lamp for by her cott. We have another guy that is homeless and lives in his truck in the parking lot at the store because he cannot afford an apartment? Several of our employees rent apartments at the Dakota Ridge with the discount is $850 a month for a two bedroom. What is wrong with society today that you can't make enough money and have to live in the Wal-Mart parking lot? The store manager Keith makes $180,000.00 a year and us little people are barely making it financially?????

Love to all and I will talk with you soon.
Love Cindy

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Long Summer and School starts soon :)

Hello Friends and Family,

Sorry I have not blogged since June.
This summer has been long and eventful for Tyler, Tiffany and I.

Tyler has pretty much spent the summer: SLEEPING, filling dirt into the koi fish pond in June for building our new water feature, spending weekends at his friend Zach's or Grandma Linda's and camping with us above Central City at Columbine Campground riding his new Polaris 400 atv. Tyler has decided not to get a drivers license and ride his bicycle everywhere he wants to go. I did take Tyler to motor vehicle to get a Colorado State I.D. for finding a job to earn money for his wants and needs. Tyler went on a camping trip with his friend Zach's family and enjoyed canoeing and kayaking at Twin Lakes this month. Tyler will start his sophomore year this month at Columbine High School taking electives of cooking and business classes.

Tiffany moved back in with us on July 9th permanently until she turns 18 years old. This decision was hers due to she wants to be healthy, lose weight, be happy and not be bored anymore since she gained 35 pounds in one year since living with her dad. Tiffany will start her 8th grade year at Ken Caryl Middle School this month with electives of cooking, sewing and gym (physical education). Tiffany was blessed with a baby gerbil that was born in Jacksonville, Florida and flew here on a United Airlines Flight piloted by John Murphy (Bob's brother in law). The gerbil is named Megan. The hamster that lives with Kevin will be coming here this weekend named Daisy. The house will be busting at the seams with pets.

Bob purchased a Cal Spa hot tub on July 7th that is well used every morning when I get off work from Wal Mart. We have been on several camping trips this summer with the Fleetwood Angler camper. The bed is very comfortable and being out of the rain is extremely awesome and dry. (We had camp fires all summer with no restrictions) Lots of rain up above Central City this year to the point of using white trash bags for parkas and rain gear for the kids. After a camping trip in the rain, the cleanup is very time consuming between setting up the tents and canopies in the backyard to dry, enormous amount of laundry, mud in the camper ( no matter how hard you try to keep it out), washing the exterior of the truck, camper, ATV's, trailer and of course showering for ourselves.

We all wear safety gear consisting of helmets, gloves, goggles, long sleeve denim jackets and boots when riding ATV'S...............Our last camping trip on July 31st we (4 atv's with 6 people and Terry Fritz in hie Jeep behind us) were heading back down the trail to camp and Tiffany was riding on the back of my Polaris 500. I have never drove in the mud before and I love getting dirty. WE CRASHED, rolling the atv to the left with the two right tires in the air. Our two left tires slipped into the culvert with the mud. Tiffany was not injured just scared, screaming and crying. Terry Fritz had to lift the 700 pound machine off of me, so that I could get out from under it. The first question that Terry asked was if anything was broken (I thought he meant the ATV, not me) I answered "I don't think so?) I sprained my left hand, bruised my knee from the handle bars and sore shoulder from pulling off the throttle. My first and last crash of the season thanks to my great instructor and love of my life, Bob:)

The kids start back to school on August 22nd. Hope everyone had an awesome summer and you are looking forward to the kids going back to school later this month. I will blog soon. Take care of you.

Love Cindy

Saturday, June 2, 2007

The End of 9th Grade

Tyler has accomplished and completed 9th grade with pride. During the fall sports season, Tyler was on the cross country team. The final grades for his academics are one A, four B's and two C's on his report card. This first weekend of summer vacation he has chosen to stay the weekend with Grandma Linda, Great Grandma Dorothy and Great Grandpa Burt. Tyler will be taking the written exam for his driving permit on his 16th birthday next month. Tyler does not want a drivers license yet, so he is riding his bicycle everywhere he goes. Tyler has an interest in applying for his first job next month, possibly at King Soopers pushing buggies? Not sure yet. Take care everyone and I will post later.

Love Cindy

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Best Friends and Family

I raise my wine glass to each and every one of you:)

Melanie: To my best friend of 14 years, thank you for being a great listener and reference. lol (We still have not gone to the movies YET:) We planned this 13 years ago.........

Shiela: To my best friend of 17 years, thank you for the holiday text messages and keep it going with college.

Jill: To my best friend of 15 years, thank you for your kindness and laughter, when we are able to talk on the phone. Congratulations on the future blessing in your life.

To my three best friends in the world, thank you for being available when I need your support and listening skills.

To my sister Coni, I love you very much and I am very proud of you and your accomplishmnets. I have looked up to my little sister for many years. We need to go Antique shopping again, soon. What nights off do you have?

Momma Ruth: Thank you for taking the time to visit with me and listen to my concerns in life and adventure. I love your son more and more with each day that comes and goes. You have raised a wonderful son, who I hope to be engaged to someday in the future. You are an inspiration to me with every accomplishment you achieve. I am very proud to have you in my life. Thank you.

Auntie Melody: I love you very much and I am very proud of your courage in everyday life. Your smile and bubbly personality will conquer any obstacle that gets in your way. Keep your strength high and above the water. Miss you lots. Come camping with us this summer.

Love Cindy

Back to Wal-Mart

Guess what? I am going back to work graveyard shift at Wal-Mart. The corporate world is sitting at a desk in front of a computer 8 hours a day, watching the clock. (not for me) I have too much ambition and energy to waist.

The positive side of working graveyard shift 10pm to 7am are as follows:
1. I dont miss work for dr, dentist appointments or court with the ex Kevin.
2. I have Friday and Saturday night off for enjoying the camping season with my family.
3. I get the bed all to my self during the day, with Libby.
4. The benefits are awesome with medical, dental and life insurance coverage.
5. The pay is $10.20 an hour, which after 90 days could go up by 60 cents:)

To my family and friends, who are very supportive ( I will be sleeping from 8am to 4pm Monday through Thursday. I miss you all very much and I will stay in touch when available.

Love Cindy

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Corporate America?

Okay, for the past three months I have been working for a Temporary Agency with my first assignment at Johns Manville. I have never worked in Corporate America. This assignment is better than high school. When walking through the halls, complete strangers smile and say "Good Morning"? Nobody ever did that in high school. People working in Corporate America are very friendly and outgoing with college degrees to boot!! Some people I work around, I swear went to charm school? My assignment ends on April 27th and I am very nervous about what comes next for a paycheck? I thoroughly enjoy Johns Manville and don't want to leave, but the projects are running a little low during this time of year. I have learned that working with a Fortune 500 company is very rewarding for the resume.

Love Cindy

Sunday, March 25, 2007

The Season of Outdoors

Hey everyone,



Camping season is just around the corner. Today we are organizing and cleaning the new camper getting ready for the summer. What a lot of work!! Have you ever tried to make the bed over the truck cab? (Very tight sqeeze) The camper is a 2002 Fleetwood Angler that fits awesome on the 2003 GMC Duramax Diesel. We now have 4 Polaris ATV's that are washed, waxed and ready for the trails. Our favorite camping spot is above Central City at The Columbine Campground. Hopefully with all the snow and rain received, we are able to have campfires this summer:) Are you ready for the summer? What is your plan?



Love Cindy

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Take Care of Your Pets

As some of you know, Bob and I have two dogs. Libby is a 4 year old cocker spaniel and Bandit is a 13 year old german sheppard. Libby was groomed and shaved completely with only a mohawk on her head last month (during the snow storms) and I had to break down and buy her another sweater, because she was cold and shivering (vibrating the bed at night unless on my heat pad). Libby has a hideous looking leapard print that is wearing out! Bandit is doing okay for an old fellow and eats like a pig, unfortunately he fell down the back stairs a couple of weeks ago. We now have two baby gates blocking the stairs outside for his safety (guess where he has to do his business now?) On the deck, so daily we have to hose off the deck for his safety:) Pet's are our other children and as everyone knows, safety comes first. Take care of your pets for today, tomorrow and the future.

Love Cindy

Window of Opportunity

To my friends in life,

Have you ever had the window of opportunity to change your life in an instant? The window to the world is your opportunity to improve yourself or someone you love. On some day's the window is dark and gloomy and other day's the window is full of sunshine. Today is your day to use the window of opporunity to make a positive change!

Love Cindy