AZDonna

I posted my annual year in review here. If you can’t see the link, click on “2011 Review” on the left. Merry Christmas!

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Here’s a list of 10 things about my new iPhone 4S.

1. My contract on my iPhone 3GS was up in August and I was more than ready, even eager for an upgrade.
2. I was disappointed Apple didn’t come out with an iPhone 5 with a larger screen, sleeker design, and 4G data connection.
3. I gave serious thought to buying an Android phone, specifically the Samsung Galaxy S II. It has a 4.3″ screen (almost a bit too big. 4″ would be perfect), thin and sleek design, and 4G capability.
4. I held off pre-ordering a new iPhone to do more research, hear what folks thought when they actually had one in their hands, and decide just what I wanted to do.
5. Factors that weighed in favor of iOS included familiarity and many purchased apps that would not be transferable, as well as (admittedly) brand loyalty.
6. Don and Ken reminded me I could probably sell the new phone next year if/when an iPhone 5 comes out and I want to upgrade early.
7. Features on the iPhone 4S that swayed my decision were 3G connection on AT&T that rivals 4G speeds, with better battery life, greatly improved camera, and Siri.
8. Although Siri is the coolest new feature since sliced bread, it’s also very hit and miss, more miss than hit right now. It’s no secret that it’s in Beta mode, and Apple’s servers (which Siri has to connect to in order to work) don’t seem to be able to keep up with it just yet. But analysts predict it will get better quickly and the future looks bright.
9. Like every new owner, I have had a lot of fun asking Siri rhetorical and silly questions just to hear the clever answers the Apple development team has come up with. Me: “I’m really tired.” Siri: “Listen to me. Put down this iPhone right now and take a nap. I’ll wait here.” When I persisted that I was tired, she answered. “I hope you’re not driving. Are you?” Or me: “What’s the best phone?” Siri: “Wait, there are other phones?
10. Overall, I’m very happy with it. I know more time will tell if I made the right decision, but I’m satisfied for now, and glad I made the plunge.

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Nathan and I had a ball in Boise last week. Those two boys never had a squabble in the 5 days we were there. We had to settle them down a time or two because they got rather rambunctious, but they were good friends the entire time. Here are a few pictures.
Playing in the sandbox.

Eating pancakes for breakfast. (You can see Robin’s bright new kitchen in the background.)

Running around the church hallways.

Riding bikes and scooters. That’s Megan in the foreground.

Steven on his bike.

Nathan on the scooter.

Megan and Robin sitting on the front steps.

The boys on the trampoline in the Holsinger’s back yard.

We went to a public trampoline gym called “Jump Time” and let the kids play for a while before getting some Hawaiian Shave Ice. Here’s a sample of their play.

Robin and Ken have done some remodel and makeover on their house. They updated the kitchen, painted all the interior and re-stained the wood floors. They also built an outdoor barbecue kitchen. It turned out fantastic. We had dinner out there the last night.

And now I’m almost out of vacation time until the end of year holidays, so it’s back to the grind for me.

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I’m going to Boise tomorrow for a few days. This time I’m taking Nathan with me. When the Holsingers were here last winter, Nathan and Steven really hit it off well, so I thought it would be fun to get them together again. When my kids were growing up, we did cousin visits and cousin exchanges many times, and it’s time these boys got to know each other better. Nathan is really excited and so am I.  While they play, Megan and I can watch ballet videos. I still haven’t seen her performance in last December’s The Nutcracker yet, and I missed spring recital (her first on pointe!) this year, so we can watch those and also just relax in the slightly cooler climate for a few days. The last time I was there, Robin and Ken were just starting their home makeover, so I’m excited to see the finished product.

I’ll take pictures along the way and post on Facebook, and maybe I’ll even write another blog entry when I get home.

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Back in September, I posted a 10 Things entry in which I wondered whatever happened to my childhood friend, Denice. We met when she and I were around 7 or 8 years old when our family moved into the house on Kilburn Road and she lived across the street. I was a year older, almost exactly, as our birthdays were only 4 days apart. We spent our days running across the blistering road to each others’ houses so we could swim or play Barbies or jacks, or watch TV, or fight with my brothers (she had three sisters but we rarely fought with them!). As we entered our teen years, our interests turned to boys and hairstyles, and we worried more about how we looked in our swimsuits than how good the pool water felt. She knew when I got my first period, my first kiss, and my first broken heart.

At the end of high school, she moved from Tucson to Lola, Kentucky, where her family was originally from. She met and married Ray Smith and had two little boys. Since her mother still lived in their house on Kilburn, she visited Tucson a few times over the next few years, and I saw her a couple of times. We tried to write back and forth a bit, but I think Denice didn’t like to write letters and we lost touch around 1974. I gave up on the idea of ever finding her again for many years, but about 6 or 8 years ago with increasing power of the internet, I began to search for her. I googled her and her husband’s and son’s names. I even called a couple of phone numbers thinking it might be her son, but never found anyone who knew her. When I signed up for Facebook two years ago, she was one of the first people I searched for. Every few months, I search again for her and any family members’ names I remembered.

Yesterday, I did another search, trying several combinations of her name, and suddenly when I typed in just “Jimmie Denice”, her name “Jimmie Denice Goode (Croft)” living in Paducah, Kentucky, popped up first on the list. Eureka! I knew it must be her, but tentatively sent a Facebook message asking “Could this be my girlhood friend from Tucson in the 1960s?”. This morning, she accepted my friend request, and wrote on my wall, “No, I am your “best” friend forever and your “true” blood sister!!! Remember we cut our fingers so our blood would mix together. So glad to hear from you! Have never had our kind of friendship with any one else.”

We’ve already been messaging back and forth this afternoon, and I have learned that she is remarried, with two sons, two step sons, and seven grandchildren.  Her mother (Opal Lee) died in 2008, but her father (Randolph) and three sisters (Randa, Linda and Sharion) all live within 65 miles of her.  We have much more catching up to do, but with Facebook, email and cell phones, I can confidently say we will do just that and (hopefully) never lose touch again!

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