We decided to go away on a mini-vacation of sorts. Wednesday night, after The Girl finished softball practice, we ran home, packed up our stuff, and headed out for the weekend. Our original plan was to go away Wednesday morning through Friday night, but because of practice, we changed our plans and decided to stay gone longer. We really enjoyed our relaxation. We stayed at my parents' house, but my mom was not there. Dad was, though, and it was great to see him.We spent Thursday afternoon lounging at the pool and then went to a baseball game. Friday we visited my MIL and then I went out to dinner with my best friend from high school. Saturday, we did more lounging by the pool and then went out to dinner again at a restaurant where my old neighbor now cooks. It was a cute place and I even ate gator for dinner. It was fried (and too salty, so I ended up taking off the breading). I'd had it once before, but that was about 25 years ago! It is not something I'd order regularly - or eat regularly for that matter - but it was pretty good. Neither The Boy nor The Girl chose to be adventurous; The Boy had pulled pork and The Girl had shrimp cocktail and a salad! Dad wasn't as adventurous either; he had fried chicken!Sadly, The Girl got a little sick last night, but it wasn't bad and she is feeling much better now. She is completely back to normal; I think it was a 12-hour thing.Again - really enjoyed the break, but we are all glad to be back home!
Last night, I had to drive The Girl to the gym for gymnastics. I left about two minutes later than usual, but it only takes about 10 minutes to get to the gym and I typically leave 15 minutes before practice, so those two minutes didn't really matter.About three-quarters of the way to the gym, traffic came to a screeching halt. I could not see, from where I was, if there was an accident or if it was just traffic. We inched along for a bit and I saw the blue flashing lights. They were toward the middle of the road, so I decided the far right lane was, in fact, the preferred lane. Besides, I had to make a right turn to get to the gym.We inched along for a while. Actually, we inched along for a lot of whiles, but that is beside the point. While inching along, I was playing with my phone. I do that sometimes. I don't text and drive, but I might answer a text or something if I am stopped...and I was stopped A LOT during this time frame.Finally, I've lost my patience. I am about 150 yards from where I am turning. Two cars pass me on the shoulder, so I decide to do the same, WHICH IS WRONG - I KNOW, I GET IT, but still, I did it. Again - I am going to turn right...eventually!So I pass several cars and finally have to stop because there is a woman in a car who has decided NO ONE is going to pass her on the shoulder, and to that end, she is making sure to straddle the white line with her car. And when I say straddle, I mean she literally had HALF her car in the lane and half on the shoulder. The man in the truck I had just passed thought I was an idiot (and, to be fair, I was, but again, that is beside the point. This is MY story, not his.) There was a young man (I'd guess my age, but apparently, I'm really bad at that and I've found that not many people are my age...most are a good 5+ years younger. Who knew?!). For argument's sake, I'm going to say this guy was in his 30s. His passenger (who I'm guessing was his father) was significantly older...like older than my parents. The bald, old man is the one who was unhappy with me. He was so unhappy with my actions that he felt the need to yell at me. "STUPID KID!"Me? Kid? Really? Because I don't think you are trying to compliment me, but you are.Then, to make sure I knew he meant business, this old man flipped me the bird! I chuckled and flipped him back. I guess that wasn't enough for him. The rest of the 30 some-odd yards we creeped along, he had his son repeatedly honk the horn so he could flip me off more. Now, I'm laughing out loud, which he can totally see in my side view mirror. He was unimpressed at best.I made my turn and left him. It was truly a funny evening!**disclaimer** I do NOT make a practice of driving on the shoulder of the road, nor do I mess with my phone while driving. I will answer my phone if it rings and I will call someone whose number is programmed (I can't dial and drive!).
I'm out of town...I'm in New Jersey right now because my grandma just turned 90 and we're having a party. The party is in NY but the hotels in Jersey are way cheaper! We have a big family, so we need a hotel with plenty of space...AND an indoor pool!Last night, we all went out to dinner. When I say "all," I mean the whole lot of us...all 20 of us! Without reservations, this is no easy feat! We decided to go to a place where we could order and then sit and eat...not the best place, but easy enough (and no - not fast food). Anyway, I don't know if it was what I ate per se or the fact that I ate something somewhat greasy and not in my normal repertoire (and don't check the spelling on that one...I've no clue!), but I ended up sick. I hate being sick at home...it's so much worse at a hotel! Anyway, I'm trying my best to feel better...the big party is today. Wish me luck - no fun if I puke in Grandma's birthday cake!! And that party...well, there are closer to 50 people coming to that one!I will say, though, that we flew up this time, so the trip was far better than our last jaunt up this way!!
Ahhh...there is something about perfectly lined up colorful lounge chairs that screams RELAX! I suppose, though, it should *whisper* relax because in screaming, all relaxation is lost. Oh well - it's MY thought process so go with it.The beach was wonderful. We arrived Friday afternoon and, as we were unloading our car, my brother and his family arrived. NONE of the kids were nearly as surprised as we were expecting/hoping they would be but they were happy nonetheless. Once we unpacked, it was down to the beach for the women and kids while the men went grocery shopping. Then, they joined us at the beach for a bit before we decided to order pizza for dinner. Everyone was travel weary so it was best not to try to go out. We did, however, go out for ice cream, though. In fact, we made a point to go out for ice cream every single day we were there. That's one of our things when we go to the beach. We must get ice cream daily!Overall, the whole trip went well despite attempts by both The Boy and The Girl to ruin it completely. They were amazingly ugly toward each other and completely ungrateful and, at times, rude to us - especially after we dropped a significant amount of money at MagiQuest, which, if you ask me, was hysterical and annoying all at once. It was funny to see all these grown men and women dressed as though they'd just stepped out of a Dungeons and Dragons game, but it was annoying to try to solve the riddles for the kids so they could earn their thingys.The weather was beautiful and the temperatures were great. The air was not too hot and the water was nice and warm. It was slightly overcast one morning but it cleared off and we were able to swim both in the ocean and in the pool every single day. I think my favorite parts were listening to the waves, sitting on the balcony, and being able to be outside and not get mosquito bites! Oh - and...we saw dolphins! It was the first time in all our trips that we'd seen them and it was so neat.We got back yesterday afternoon and, as I said then, were completely exhausted. We're still catching up on sleep...I had to wake everyone this morning at 8:30 because the cleaning lady was coming at 9 and we could not all still be in bed! 
The trip went well and we are exhausted. The kids were excited to see their cousins and they all got along very well. It was nice to see my brother and his wife again, too. The weather was perfect and, despite our bringing a full bottle of aloe, none of us got sunburned! We got home early this afternoon and everyone took a nap! Then, this evening, The Boy had football practice. I know I didn't have to go...what with The Husband being a coach and all...but I went anyway and it was fun. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to write tomorrow but for now, just wanted to pop on, say hi, and that's all!
OK - not really. Unless by 'blue' we're talking ocean and not air! We're headed out to the beach this morning and we're super excited. My middle brother and his family are joining us there, which should be a lot of fun...especially since NONE of the kids know this! There will be 6 kids there...the oldest being The Boy. We'll have 2 10-yr-old boys, and the rest...9, 8, 5, & 3...are girls. They are going to be SO surprised! The funniest part is the conversations I've had recently with my brother and sister-in-law. Their son wants to know why, when they're coming to a beach not too far from us, that they can't "just stop by" and visit! The Girl told me just the other day that she was not looking forward to the beach because "there'll be no surprises!" Little do they know! Hehehe!OK - I doubt I'll have the opportunity to check in when we're gone, so I'll see you all on Tuesday! :)
One would think that after a 5 day vacation/trip to visit family I'd have loads of funny things to say...but I don't! To be honest, it was a nice, fun, relaxing couple of days. The best part - it was UNEVENTFUL! We arrived Wednesday evening and relaxed in the hotel a bit before heading to my brother's house for dinner, which was nice and easy. Thursday, The Husband and I did some shopping on our own, which was heavenly. Mom went for a manicure and Dad took the kids. The Husband and I did some meandering around, had a nice, quiet lunch, and met up with everyone just in time to take the kids swimming. Friday was laid back as well. We went to the bookstore and bought a BUNCH of books. The Boy and The Girl each got 3 books and I got 3 as well. Then, we went to my brother's for a cookout since the 4th is my nephew's birthday. The kids played on the Wii and then we all went outside and played kickball, which was a riot. Saturday, Mom and I did some shopping and the kids went swimming again. Sunday we came home. Overall, it was a nice change of scenery...we really needed to get out of town.Now, we're almost back to normal. The Husband is off today but The Boy started football camp this morning. I will go return some library books and pick-up The Dog this afternoon. Oh - and I'm going to relax some more. Vacation ALWAYS makes me tired! All the same, it's good to be home.
Tomorrow we are headed out on a road trip. We are headed to VA to visit my younger brother and his family. Hopefully, the drive will not be as bad as our last trip! My nephew's birthday is July 4th so all of America celebrates with him! We try to make the trek as often as possible - the kids love it. This year, (aside from my parents) we're the only ones making the trip. The kids are somewhat bummed they won't see ALL of their cousins but excited to see the ones who live there. Besides, they LOVE the hotel up there...mostly because of the indoor/outdoor pool! The Husband and I are looking forward to some relaxation as well. He is on vacation this week so it has been rather peaceful in our house. We're planning a trip to the beach later this summer and we're hoping at least one or two (if not all three) of my brothers will join us.Today, in preparation for this journey, we dropped The Dog at her swanky hotel and then stopped to get the car washed. We have one of those snazzy car wash places where they do a whole lot of extra stuff besides running the car through the wash. For a mere $29.95, they will clean the entire vehicle, inside and out, to include vacuuming, windows, and even some sort of armor all finish. The only bad thing is that the place is right next to a Sonic, which is torture for the kids, but they managed. Now, my car is sparkly clean! It even smells good, which is one reason we went after dropping off the dog! The task of packing is still ahead of me - I'm waiting for the laundry to finish.I'll make attempts to post from our trip since we'll be gone 5 days. If not, I'll have plenty to post upon our return!
And exhausted! We got back in town Tuesday night at midnight. What a whirlwind of activity! Our trip had two components. The first was a seminar at a state college about an hour away. It was fascinating and included speakers on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Those segments included plenty of video and were, of course, hysterical! After that seminar, we were off to DC for a three-day conference at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Wow. It was fascinating and FULL of information. In our two and a half days in DC, we spent just over 24 hours in the museum! We heard some fascinating speakers including Deborah Lipstadt, author of History on Trial. I've never heard a more eloquent speaker. That woman knows how to use her words! We also heard from Carl Wilkens and Mark Hannis, both of whom are fascinating men with so much to tell. Wilkens spent a significant amount of time in Rwanda; Hannis started The Genocide Intervention Network. Overall, it was, as I said, amazing, but I've never been so tired! We did not get to sleep before midnight any nights...and even Tuesday when we got home, it was midnight!The Boy and The Girl did well in my absence, although, at times, The Girl got whiny. Other than that, all went well and I'm glad to be home!
So I'm having a good day. I don't mean that in the sense that people who are ill have good days and bad days. I mean it in the sense that things are REALLY going well today...things are falling into place. That is SO uncommon and I'm marveling in it. I even have a stupid grin on my face right now! Lucky for you I am not broadcasting said stupid grin all over the internet!I had to run by the doctor's office to have lab work done. For the past 5+ years, I've been told to have fasting labs done (you know...cholesterol, etc,) and I've never been able to get to it. We've lived on the other side of town from the hospital and I had The Boy and The Girl to contend with...and there was work. Who in their right mind would intentionally go all day without eating just for some blood work?! Yesterday, at the doctor's office, they cornered me...I really had no reason I could not come in this morning and have blood drawn. Drat! They had told me I could drink coffee if I wanted but it had to be black coffee. Blech! Then, thinking he was helping, the doctor offered that I could put Splenda in it. Double Blech!! I don't use sweetener in my coffee but I don't like it black. I like milk - and skim milk at that - in my coffee. (Pause here while I take a sip of my coffee!) So, I went in and I swear, I was not in the office more than 15 minutes! Astonishing! But, my good morning did not end there! I came home and saw I'd missed a call from a colleague with whom I'm going on a business trip. I phoned her back and we chatted a bit. We are somewhat new to the whole business trip thing and, although we've been watching hotel rates, we had yet to book one (we've known of this upcoming trip for almost 2 months)! We chose our hotel and I phoned to make the reservation. After some joking around with the woman who makes reservations, I ended up with a rate $20/night lower than the lowest rate they showed on their website. It may not be much, but I was thrilled. Then, I had another call to make - I am taking the place of another colleague at a seminar this weekend. That switch could not have been easier. The woman on the phone was most pleasant.I have one more call to make - to order some books from a local book store - and I'm sure that will go well too. So, here I sit, enjoying my coffee and fending off that caffeine headache I felt coming on just before my trip to the doctor! Life is good.
This is the view from the top of the mountain. It loses so much in translation! Perhaps if I had a better camera...We went on our hike yesterday. The Husband chose a route that was about 8 miles. Luckily, our entire trek was closer to 6 miles. As we started off, we decided to stick to one particular route. It was very well marked and we put our map away (THANK GOODNESS!) It turns out the route we hiked was a 3 mile path directly UP the mountain. OH. MY. GOD. I nearly died...three times! The hike was, at times, enjoyable; however, most of the uphill part totally sucked! There are not words to describe how much the vertical sections sucked! Alas, after about two hours, we made it to the top. Imagine my horror to learn, once we reached the apex, that there was, in fact, a ROAD up the mountain...we could have DRIVEN to the top!! In fact, there were several other people AT the top enjoying their picnic lunches (from assorted fast food places). We were roughing it. We had camping food! The Husband told me again and again how we were enjoying our view and meal so much better because of all we'd done to 'earn' it all. Yeah, sure...whatever you say, Dear! LOL!The trip down the mountain was a little shorter...probably because I adopted the 'tuck and roll' philosophy! All kidding aside, it really was a neat hike. Seriously - it was a great experience and as soon as I am able to walk again, I'll consider another outdoor activity...with the family. I hear kite flying is huge this time of year! LOL!
Well, we're home again. It was a wonderful visit, except for the drive up! The drive home was not nearly as bad ~ we skirted all toll roads! Also, there was almost no traffic at all. While we did enjoy the visit tremendously, it is so very nice to be home again. The Boy and The Girl really enjoyed spending time with their cousins. It's funny how, despite the fact that they do not see each other often, the kids all get along so very well. The Dog was thrilled to see us again as well ~ we had to board her and that never thrills her!Back to the grind...vacation is just about over. Seems like it just began.
You know, there is a toll for this bridge.Jesus Christ! Are you fucking kidding me?No. I think it's like $5.Does the mafia run the road system up here?No. It's $6, though.I'm going to stop this damned truck in the middle of the fucking bridge and take a piss on it.You mean off the bridge...you don't want to piss ON the bridge. Besides, you can't stop in the middle of the bridge.The hell I can't! We've stopped in the middle of every fucking road so far. I'm stopping in the middle of the fucking bridge, taking off my clothes and dancing a fucking jig. Then, I'll take a fucking piss. I'm gonna get my fucking $6 worth off this bridge!
I am officially on vacation for a bit. The Husband is on vacation as well. Fancy that! Hell, even the kids are out of school. Damn...um...I mean...Yea! :)So we're planning on enjoying ourselves during this time off (duh...who would plan otherwise?!). We're headed out on a quick road trip to visit family. Should be a blast, provided we, as a family unit, do not implode on the way there! We've outfitted the vehicle with a DVD player and satellite radio, so all *should* go well. Just have to activate said satellite radio and remember to actually BRING the DVDs along with us! The Husband and I used to love to go on road trips prior to having children, so we know we'll enjoy the journey. Traffic, however, has a habit of ruining even the best planned road trip. (Why do I hear the theme song to National Lampoon's Vacation in my head right now?!)So...Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that jazz. I may try to post from afar. We'll see what happens!
