Unexpected House Guest

Soo, on Thursday August 29th the hubby calls me. Okay that is not an unusual thing he calls every now and then but mostly just to let me know he is on his way home so I can know when to start supper. Those are calls I appreciate BUT this call was of a different topic and of one that I never thought my hubby would bring up.

His long time friend was in need of a place to stay for awhile, he is homeless and fixen to get out of the hospital for depression. Can he stay with us?

I was uttered speechless! In the 22 years of knowing my hubby, he has never asked such a thing. Yes, we have had visitors who have stayed with us for a weekend or even a week but never have we had a guest that had no leaving date. Honestly what could I say but sure, I guess that would be alright. I was thinking the hubs must really want to help him or he wouldn't be asking.

I got busy cleaning up the house a bit and was trying to figure where in the world are we going to put him. I thought maybe the old army cot that is hidden away in the closet or maybe rearranging the living room to accommodate the queen air mattress dad had given us just a month ago. Hubby got home and we talked. He was already regretting saying yes. Honestly he was hoping I would have said no and then the decision would have been out of his hands (yes, folks he wanted me to be the bad guy!). What was done was done and we were going to have to make the best of it. Where do you want me to set him up at? Don't set up anything, he can sleep in the recliner, I don't want him getting too comfortable that he wont leave.

His friend showed up the next day. I had met him a few times through out the 22 years but hadn't seen him in at least 11 years. I swear, I hardly recognized him. He looked so worn and sullen compared to the soft and lively person we had known back then. Alcohol had really done a number on him. I had my time with the stuff and know all too well how bad it can get. This was probably a 8 1/2 out of 10 bad.

I made it VERY clear to the hubs that there was to be NO alcohol in this house, PERIOD. As hubby and I are both recovering alcoholics, I didn't want that stuff in my house. He did relay my message. When his friend went to hug me as soon as he walked in the door, I was on the verge of vomiting, the odor of alcohol on his breathe and in his sweat was soo overwhelming, it was sickening. I guess he thought since he wasn't going to be able to drink he would get in a really good one before he got here. He pretty much slept the days away (in the same funk he walked in the door with for over a week!), just waking long enough to pee and eat. I was seriously grossed out, he only showered twice the whole time!

My living room is... 2 chairs and a couch, coffee table and our only tv. 13 x 15 room, not very big, just right for the 2 of us. I had been booted out of my chair, mostly stuck in my office/kitchen area. I think I watched maybe 6 hrs of tv the whole time he was here. Hadn't had any decent conversations with my hubby in weeks.

Yes, folks he was with us for 3 weeks! But the hardest part was the not knowing if or when he was ever leaving. When the 2nd week rolled around, hubby asked if so-and-so would come and get him if he asked. The response was yes but then nothing happened. Hubby was getting angry, apparently his friend misunderstood him or was blatantly ignoring his request for so-and-so to come get him. 2 days later I was taking him to the store and I asked when so-and-so was coming to get him and he declared it would be the following Friday. I called hubby from the store to relay the somewhat good news...

Hubby says... she is 2 days late!!! LOL!

Okay before you go thinking that I am being very harsh and uncaring, I assure you that is not the case. Hubby and I live in a (maybe) 2 horse town. The job opportunities are nonexistent without transportation. Hubby and I both were shocked and very disappointed to find out he didn't have a car or even a license, there is literally no hope of finding something in his line of work way out here. Thankfully he did have some money to pay for his own smokes and non alcoholic beer (I caved slightly after seeing him sitting there shaking, it seemed to help him psychologically), he did provide for himself. He did clean up after himself, which I was truly grateful. We just didn't see anyway for him to get back on the right path being stuck out in the boonies with nothing to do and no prospects.

All I can say is that we tried to help him as best as we could. I helped him file for disability but that could take years to finally be approved. He had to make his way back to the big city if he was going to have any chance of finding his footing.

Honesty... I am glad that I have my house to myself again, glad that I get to spend time with my hubby again, but feel ohh soo guilty for being glad. I know we did all we could but it just feel like it was enough. Oh well, I will get over it. You can only help a person that is willing to help themselves instead of drowning life away in booze. When he is truly ready to throw down the bottle, then he will be more willing to get his life back on track.

There are times when I do consider myself on the lazy side. I put some chores off, I stay home most of the time, watch tv, mess around on the computer, crochet...etc. NOPE, I'm not all that lazy at all, I have seen the true definition of lazy and it is disturbing! He slept, ate, watched tv, the most exercise he got was walking back and forth to the fridge for his fake beer and going to the bathroom a million times!

I do wish him the best of luck and I am glad he was appreciative of us putting him up for a few weeks. Too bad it wasn't a life changing  3 weeks. It definitely was for us!!


 

Unexpected House Guest.

Soo, on Thursday August 29th the hubby calls me. Okay that is not an unusual thing he calls every now and then but mostly just to let me know he is on his way home so I can know when to start supper. Those are calls I appreciate BUT this call was of a different topic and of one that I never thought my hubby would bring up.

His long time friend was in need of a place to stay for awhile, he is homeless and fixen to get out of the hospital for depression. Can he stay with us?

I was uttered speechless! In the 22 years of knowing my hubby, he has never asked such a thing. Yes, we have had visitors who have stayed with us for a weekend or even a week but never have we had a guest that had no leaving date. Honestly what could I say but sure, I guess that would be alright. I was thinking the hubs must really want to help him or he wouldn't be asking.

I got busy cleaning up the house a bit and was trying to figure where in the world are we going to put him. I thought maybe the old army cot that is hidden away in the closet or maybe rearranging the living room to accommodate the queen air mattress dad had given us just a month ago. Hubby got home and we talked. He was already regretting saying yes. Honestly he was hoping I would have said no and then the decision would have been out of his hands (yes, folks he wanted me to be the bad guy!). What was done was done and we were going to have to make the best of it. Where do you want me to set him up at? Don't set up anything, he can sleep in the recliner, I don't want him getting too comfortable that he wont leave.

His friend showed up the next day. I had met him a few times through out the 22 years but hadn't seen him in at least 11 years. I swear, I hardly recognized him. He looked so worn and sullen compared to the soft and lively person we had known back then. Alcohol had really done a number on him. I had my time with the stuff and know all too well how bad it can get. This was probably a 8 1/2 out of 10 bad.

I made it VERY clear to the hubs that there was to be NO alcohol in this house, PERIOD. As hubby and I are both recovering alcoholics, I didn't want that stuff in my house. He did relay my message. When his friend went to hug me as soon as he walked in the door, I was on the verge of vomiting, the odor of alcohol on his breathe and in his sweat was soo overwhelming, it was sickening. I guess he thought since he wasn't going to be able to drink he would get in a really good one before he got here. He pretty much slept the days away (in the same funk he walked in the door with for over a week!), just waking long enough to pee and eat. I was seriously grossed out, he only showered twice the whole time!

My living room is... 2 chairs and a couch, coffee table and our only tv. 13 x 15 room, not very big, just right for the 2 of us. I had been booted out of my chair, mostly stuck in my office/kitchen area. I think I watched maybe 6 hrs of tv the whole time he was here. Hadn't had any decent conversations with my hubby in weeks.

Yes, folks he was with us for 3 weeks! But the hardest part was the not knowing if or when he was ever leaving. When the 2nd week rolled around, hubby asked if so-and-so would come and get him if he asked. The response was yes but then nothing happened. Hubby was getting angry, apparently his friend misunderstood him or was blatantly ignoring his request for so-and-so to come get him. 2 days later I was taking him to the store and I asked when so-and-so was coming to get him and he declared it would be the following Friday. I called hubby from the store to relay the somewhat good news...

Hubby says... she is 2 days late!!! LOL!

Okay before you go thinking that I am being very harsh and uncaring, I assure you that is not the case. Hubby and I live in a (maybe) 2 horse town. The job opportunities are nonexistent without transportation. Hubby and I both were shocked and very disappointed to find out he didn't have a car or even a license, there is literally no hope of finding something in his line of work way out here. Thankfully he did have some money to pay for his own smokes and non alcoholic beer (I caved slightly after seeing him sitting there shaking, it seemed to help him psychologically), he did provide for himself. He did clean up after himself, which I was truly grateful. We just didn't see anyway for him to get back on the right path being stuck out in the boonies with nothing to do and no prospects.

All I can say is that we tried to help him as best as we could. I helped him file for disability but that could take years to finally be approved. He had to make his way back to the big city if he was going to have any chance of finding his footing.

Honesty... I am glad that I have my house to myself again, glad that I get to spend time with my hubby again, but feel ohh soo guilty for being glad. I know we did all we could but it just feel like it was enough. Oh well, I will get over it. You can only help a person that is willing to help themselves instead of drowning life away in booze. When he is truly ready to throw down the bottle, then he will be more willing to get his life back on track.

There are times when I do consider myself on the lazy side. I put some chores off, I stay home most of the time, watch tv, mess around on the computer, crochet...etc. NOPE, I'm not all that lazy at all, I have seen the true definition of lazy and it is disturbing! He slept, ate, watched tv, the most exercise he got was walking back and forth to the fridge for his fake beer and going to the bathroom a million times!

I do wish him the best of luck and I am glad he was appreciative of us putting him up for a few weeks. Too bad it wasn't a life changing  3 weeks. It definitely was for us!!


 

Strangers Walking...

I am convinced that too much information of the evils in this world has made me too extra cautious and uncaring. There was a time in my life when I didn't know or care of the evils that floats around us everyday. When I walked the streets at midnight without a care in the world, no fear. No fear of strangers hurting me or of having evil intentions.

Today I did something that is totally out of character for the adult version of myself, more like the carefree girl I used to be.

I was coming back from the bank which is 11 miles from my house. I was about 4 miles into my journey home when I saw 2 men and a teen (maybe 12) boy walking towards where I came from. One of the men starting waving his arms. For some unknown reason I turned around! I didn't think of the fear of the evils until I had just pulled up in front of them. Too late now dummy! The man asked if there was a store up this way, I said yes but it is still a good distance away, hop in. Did I just say hop in? Seriously Heather??!!

In my defense...it's super duper HOT out there!!! If it was me on the side of the road, I sure as heck would want someone to stop! In today's world there is slim chance anyone would stop.

Turns out the men are traveling field workers (most likely undocumented) and travel from city to city following the work. This week they are working 8 hours a day for $50, in the hot hot sun and only ONE 30 minute break! They chose to use this break to try to find a store to get something cold to drink. They only had 13 minutes left of there break and where still miles from the closest store. (oh, btw they spoke English like they had been doing it all their lives, which surprised me) Next week they are headed down south to work in the watermelon patches for a grand a week.

They were very polite and grateful.

I am ashamed to say...I can't remember the last time I picked someone up on the side of the road. That I have allowed myself to be consumed with the negativity of the world as filled with evil intent at any moment.

I so want to be that carefree, no fear, girl I used to be. Glad I got to trow away my fear for a brief moment and help someone out. 


 

Old man wanting a motorcycle...

So the hubs came home with the old familiar words on his lips... I want a motorcycle. (he only tells me this when someone at work has one for sale)

I have heard these words many times in the last 10 or so years, since he sold his last bike. He wrecked that bike and broke his collarbone. Add that injury to the major neck injury and of course the first question in the line of questioning (what is it, why do you want it and how much)  was...

"Who is going to hold it up for you?"
    I can do it! (a little whine in it for me to know that I asked a silly question)

"Why do you want it?"
    For the gas mileage. (Okay, I knew that was coming)

"What kind is it?"
    (he said but for the life of me I can't remember)
      "Never heard of it"
         It's European.
           (The first thing that flashed in my mind was "They drive on the wrong side of the road")

I blurted out (without thinking)...

"What side of the road does it drive on?"

We busted out laughing!!!!!

Leaping summers of learning...

Two summers ago I took the leap into the unknown and tested myself with crochet. I learned to make crocheted animals and toys. Last summer I took another leap and forced myself past the fear of canning. I made jams...blackberry, peach and plum. Just a few months later I leaped into creating crochet patterns. I opened my own Etsy shop. This summer I am leaping into sewing. I made my first shopping bag! I have lots to learn but I am giving it my best shot.

6 Random things about me and the hubs...

What could I possibly tell you about me and the hubs that most don't already know?!
I will give it a try.

Me:
I crochet... alot! I currently have 7 projects going at once. My office is covered in piles of yarn, projects and patterns... to the point of "Don't touch it or it will cause an avalanche!"  And here yall thought I was sooo organized! LOL!

Hubby:
He has fallen hard for this new kitten in our lives. He checks to see where she is, how shes doing, even wants to be updated on her litter box success's. I get what he is going through, she's got me wrapped around her sharp little claws too. After all we have gone through trying to keep the kittens alive and only having one survive, we are both constantly monitoring her progress. But I find it funny to watch this gruff and tough man get mushy with the fur babies.

Me:
Between work (crochet), raising kittens for the last 6 weeks (3 hour feedings, litter training..ect) and fighting to get ANY moment of sleep that I could, my house and yard have sorely suffered! Seriously, I feel like different folks live here, like a lazy alien has taken over my body. The weeds in the dog pen are taller than the dogs... where is Taco? See those weeds moving, that might be him. LOL!

Hubby:
I asked hubby if he put the little tiny check (rained out week) in the bank.
Hubby... No, it's in my wallet. I decided to donate to the cause.
Me... what cause?
Hubby... the "cause" my wallet was broke.
LMAO!!!

Me:
I have gained 10 pounds in a year! I have been anywhere between 210 to 216 most of the last10 years. I stepped on the scales a few weeks ago and wham, a whopping 225! Crocheting is fun, creating is fun, getting paid for it is even funner but gaining weight while doing it is not in my definition of fun! Lets blame it on the ice cream! LOL!

Hubby:
The Salmon vs Samon.
I have always pronounce it with the L, hubby does it with a silent L. Whatever! Potato, po tah to. Tomato, to mah to.  He KNOWS what I am saying, been saying it that way all my life. Suddenly now he decides that it is something to mess with me about. Vigorously and with rolling out of his chair laughter! The dude is gonna get hurt if not by me then by falling from the laughter! One way or another, it's gonna happen!  

Sissy and her Kittens...

It has been so long since I have been here, I hardly know what to say. Most all of my followers are already friends with me on Facebook so they are pretty up to date with how things are going. So instead of trying to catch everybody up on all the events since my last post, I'll just post about Sissy and her kittens.

Who is Sissy? well lets see if I can break this down. Two years ago I was posting about Orange aka Momma Kitty having her babies. At the same time her sister (I think) next door was also having hers. Hers were Stripey, Star and Midnight. Last year Stripey and Star had their babies in my yard, Star got killed so Stripey took in her sisters babies. I am not sure which sister was Sissy's mother in the beginning. So this year it was Sissy's turn. It seemed like she was pregnant way longer than usual but I think that is just cause she is soo tiny. Really she doesn't look like a full grown cat and pregnant made her look ridiculous.

Early morning like just after midnight on friday the 10th, Sissy had her first kitten. Nearly pure black with just a tad of grey on his legs. I named him Panther.  Sissy had him up against the house in the dirt and grass but I left her alone for fear that she would move them under the house. I wanted to be sure that they were in sight and hopefully be tame instead of her brother that wont even let me touch him. Tame kittens find homes! The second kitten came 2 hours later, dark grey with with on his face and legs. I named him Boo cause he was such a big boo boo for his mother, she really struggled to get him out. About an hour later came the third, a little girl this time, she was smaller than the boys so I named her Twiggy.

I placed a box out there for her and tried to get her to let them be in the box, she would have no part in it. I didn't like them being on the ground, I was fearful that ants were going to get all over the babies but she wouldn't let me do anything.

The next day my brother and his family were coming to visit. I checked the kittens only to find that Panther wasn't doing good. I brought him in the house, tried warming him up and feeding but all efforts failed. He passed away and my brother buried him. The best part of  the day was Sissy finally agreed to let the kittens be in the box.

That Sunday night we knew we was in for some nasty weather. I tried building up some kind of shelter to protect them. It was a down pour and the shelter I made wasn't good enough to keep out the rain. I rushed outside to snatch them all up and rush them in the house but only Boo was in the box, the towel under him was drenched and so was he. I got him all dry and assumed she had rushed the other kitten under the house. The rain stopped and she was going back and forth from the porch to the box. I kept waiting for her to go in the direction of where she hid Twiggy. She never did. I tried to give her back Boo and she wouldn't take him. I was beside myself as to where she could be, I hunted all around the house hoping to hear her cry. I basically gave up after nearly an hour cause it had started to rain again. Later standing in front of the door looking out, I saw her go to a spot on the porch. I rushed out and sure enough there was Twiggy just laying there hidden behind the water bowl. She was practically lifeless, gasping for air and all she was getting was rain. Thankfully after getting vigorously rubbed dry, she came around. Both kittens safe in the house.

We kept them in the back bathroom and was letting Sissy in and out to feed during the day but keeping her in at night. Things were going fine for four days, till one morning hubby went to use the bathroom and there was cat poop EVERYWHERE! I mean everywhere, in the tub, on the sink, on the medicine cabinet, even up on the towels in the rack above the pot. That was all the hubby could stand and she got booted outside. No sooner than my feet touched the floor I was cleaning the bathroom, before my morning pee or even a cup of coffee! We put her box on the porch but she kept bringing them to the door as if she wanted them back in the house. Something hubby wasn't going to go for. The next week was a struggle to keep up with were the kittens were, she kept taking them out of the box.

One very hot day I found only Twiggy in the box, panting her butt off and no sign of Boo anywhere! I rushed twiggy inside out of the heat and proceeded to search for Boo. Sissy was pacing all over the place looking for her babies. She acted like she had no idea where he was like she couldn't remember what she did with him. She was following me around, I'm waiting for some signal from her and she was like waiting for me to find him for her. I was seriously angry with her! After searching for hours I finally found him way out in the front yard. I wouldn't have found him if it hadn't been for her going and laying under the truck. I thought maybe she did take him that far. Sure enough there he was out in the middle of the yard baking in the sun and meowing as loud as he could, which really ain't that loud for a week old.

That next Sunday hubby built her a better shelter and she stayed there with her babies all day, no problems. I was satisfied that she was happy with them being there. The next morning her and her babies were gone. I had no clue to where she took them. I did a brief search with no luck. At this point I am like..I tried my best to keep her babies alive and this is the thanks I get! Screw it, your on your own! Yes, folks I lost my cool with her and had had enough. She was going to have to deal with it in her own. Later that day I heard one of them meow directly under the kitchen, so good at least I know they are under the house. So much for having tame kittens that would be easier to rehome.

For the next week I watch her go under the house many times. I check to see of any nursing signs, all is good. Or so I thought.

One night I heard a cat fight under the house, it didn't last long so I didn't jump up or anything. The next day I noticed Sissy acting all grumpy with any cat that even came close to the porch. We have four other cats out there so she was in a constant panic and running them off. Later that day hubby and I were hanging out on the porch and I happened to look down through the crack between the house and porch and saw a kitten. I got down on my belly and reached in and picked it up. It was Boo and he was not doing good at all. His nose and paws were white, he was cold, covered in fleas and very lethargic. I handed him off to the hubby and located Twiggy and pulled her up. She was fine and BIG (from runt to the biggest), just covered in fleas. We  gave them baths dried them up. I feed them every two hours and he was showing good signs of being back on the road to recovery. 

All was good again, except what to do. Do we continue to feed them or let their mother have them back? I was concerned especially after examining Sissy and only finding 2 teets with milk in them. My conclusion was that she didn't have much milk and Twiggy the stronger of the two was getting most of it, leaving poor Boo to suffer. I finally convinced the hubby to let her have them back but in the bathroom again so we could monitor their progress. We decided that she was not to stay in the bathroom more than 3 hours at a time. So far that part has worked out great. But after a few days of leaving them be, I noticed Boo's nose and paws where losing their color again and I could feel his back bone. While his sister is steadily getting bigger, alert and even slightly playful. I decided to start feeding him when Sissy went outside. At first it was not something he liked, so I added some critical care soft food to his milk, now he loves it and acts like he could never get enough.

They are now going to be 4 weeks old tomorrow. Boo is finally starting to fill out a bit, still nothing like his big fat sister but who knows he might catch up! I on the other hand need a babysitter so I can sleep!

February's New Dish

Last week I was sitting there in the chair telling hubby I still haven't thought about what February's new meal was going to be. Up pops a commercial for sloppy Joe pies. Hubby looks at me and I look at him and we decide that is what it is going to be. It looked good!

I proceeded to roll out the biscuits..hmm. Maybe some flour will help and that wax paper my sil was talking about. Yeah, it's working!

Set them out on the pan...hmm. I can only set 3 out on the pan at one time. Hubby walked in and suggested taking one biscuit for the bottom and one for the top. Sounds good to me.

Scoop in the sloppy joe mix, sprinkle some cheese and top with other biscuit.

Toss in oven...hmm. Well first thing to remember for next time is to seal the biscuits with some water. They are separating. 

Bring out of oven...hmm. Maybe next time I should use the glass pan or raise the rack. The bottoms are a little crispy.

Set on plate and serve...hmm. Next time I definitely need to bust it open and let it cool off before serving. The noises we were making cause it was too hot for the mouth was making me laugh.

After dinner was finished... we both decided that there wouldn't be a next time.

It wasn't a thumbs up or a thumbs down, it was average. We do average enough, we are looking for something different.

NOW, hubby says that since that meal wasn't a great success, I need to do a different February meal. YEAH RIGHT, BUSTER! He's lucky I still remembered to do this challenge. :)

January's New Dish

So two days ago my hubby was having a craving for french fries, big ones with peel. I pointed towards town and said "there is a Bill Millers right down the road!". He did not find that very amusing, even though I was laughing.

Since I promised I would try at least one new dish a month, you guessed it... I made french fries! Your probably thinking..."well that's not new" but for me it is. The last time I tried to fry potatoes (umm, probably 18 years ago) it turned to mush. I admit I can't fry. I actually do try to avoid all recipes that involve frying.

As soon as I decided I would give it a try, I called my bf for backup (the best fryer I know). First we did a trail run of 2 fries. Yup, my temp was too high. After some slight but edible trail runs, I successfully managed to make decent fries! AND the hubs loved and raved over them!

Only bad part is...

NOW HE WANTS FRIED CHICKEN!!!!

I've created a monster!

Wonder if he will notice the KFC bucket in the trash!


 

Morons Hurt too

When I met my hubby I was thrilled to know he had kids but then disappointed to learn that he wasn't in their lives. I had always secretly hoped that one day this would change. Slowly this did change with the oldest, found the son and then the youngest found hubby. Things were starting to look like somewhat of a family. Not so distant after all. I guess with my experience of an absent mother, then a dreaded step mom, I learned to keep to myself and have found it very difficult to extend that closeness that some want. I do have a huge tender spot for the grandkids but most of the time feel like I am a fake, imposter, unwanted extra family member. Honestly since I haven't birthed or raised any children, I am at a loss as to how to be or not to be. I know some parents, step parents and in laws that are all up in their grown kids business. I have always disliked that and well frankly wouldn't know how to be like that. With grown step kids, I honestly don't know them all that well. I guess I don't know how to get people to open up to me or vise versa for that matter. I want to but don't know how to be the "Pushy" one. I'm not the type to reach out and impose my presence onto a person and of course neither is my hubby. Hubby being an absentee father with all of his kids, doesn't know how to be any different than what he is. A laid back recluse or hermit if you will. He is the type that if he has something he needs to talk with you about then yes he will painstakenly use the blasted phone. He is not a sit on the phone chatting the day away kinda person. If "they" (anyone, not just the kids) want to talk to me then they would call. Heck he doesn't even call his own mother (who he loves dearly)! Unfortunately, this is the total opposite than want one wants. What they really want is their father and for him to be better than what he is. Sadly, he doesn't know how to be more than what he is and for some that is just not enough. I know that feeling all to well. My expectations for my birth mother were crushed and I hate to know that I am party to those feelings for one of his kids. BUT I got a hard lesson on how it feels to be on the side of not living up to expectations. Let's just say it hurts just as bad, if not worse. I "DO" understand the other side of it and totally agree we are morons on how to impose ourselves. Sorry I can't continue...

New Year and Resolutions

Hi, it's me! The girl who was supposed to have done the December challenge and fizzled out on ya... sorry.
 
The first day of the new year is almost over, in some places already. I have had a busy day getting some orders finished up and some started. Although I am soo ready to go to bed, I promised myself I would write at least a little something on this blog that I have truly neglected.

New Years resolutions...

I have 2.

#1... crochet and finish at least one item a week. Sometimes this will be easy to stick with but there are some weeks that I just can't seem to get anything done. So, some work is needed to accomplish this one.

 #2... I promised the hubs that I was going to "TRY" to do at least one new recipe a month. The challenge is 1) remember to do it! 2) find inexpensive and stretchable meals. 3) BAKE! LOL!(for those that know me, will know why that is funny)A lot of work is needed to accomplish this one!

I hope you all had a good 2012 and have an even better 2013!