Go Figure

We have never purchased a television in our entire 8 1/2 years of marriage. . . until now.  Our first t.v. we got from beside the dumpster at our first apartment.  I can still remember keeping my eye on it all day while Kenneth was at work and I thought if it's still there when he gets home I'll have him carry it up to our apartment and test it out to see if it still works- and it did!  We finally replaced that one a few years later when someone in our neighborhood put one out in front of their house with a free sign on it.  Another one we got free on Craigslist along with a free set of couches.  (Are we cheap or what!?!)  And finally, our next door neighbor gave us one not too long ago (that actually had a remote!!)  So, it has never been a high priority for us to have the latest and greatest techonology.  In fact, my brother-in-law was just giving a hard time about the fact that we still have a tube t.v.  He said I was wasting electricity.  I said, "Well, it's a good thing we don't watch it very much!" 
We are currently staying in a furnished apartment while we wait to close on our home here in Kansas.  There was a 42 inch LCD t.v. in our family room when we moved in.  Grant, who has been having kind of a hard time with the transition of leaving the only home he ever knew, spent the first litte while here venting his frustration and confusion in violent ways.  Unforturnately, the t.v. got in the way.  The first day we were here, Grant threw a plastic Little People Santa Sleigh at the screen.  I definitely let him know that was NOT acceptable, but when I looked at the screen I couldn't see any mark whatsoever- thank heavens (or so I thought).  At that point we hadn't even turned on the t.v.  A couple of days later I finally tried to turn on the t.v. to let the kids watch pbs and couldn't get it to work.  I figured some cables weren't hooked up properly or something, but when I looked into figuring out the problem I noticed a digital 'crack' when the t.v. was on in the same corner where Grant threw the sleigh .  So, reluctantly, I emailed the person coordinating our corporate housing to let her know what had happened.  She said she had to get back to us to let us know what the charge, if any, would be.  A couple days later she emailed and said we would need to pay $488!!!!  Argh!!!!!!!  When the furniture people came to replace it, I had them march the new one right back out the door.  I did not want to take a chance of Grant breaking a second one. 

So, we finally purchased our first t.v. (and a fancy flat screen t.v. at that) and we don't even get to use it!  Go figure.

Speaking of being behind-the-times and not up-to-date on technology. . .We gave the kids an Etch-a-Sketch for Christmas.  When they opened it, the first words out of their mouths were, "It's an I-pad!!!!"  Sorry kids, not from your technology-laggard parents!