365-2 | Peaches Prattlings

{May 16, 2014} Just another day in Boston, yeah right!

The day started very early, about 6:15, when the birthday girl, MGS, came in to say hello.

That’s a wee bit early, add to that the fact that I had taken a Zyrtec and it knocked me out! I have to tell you that I didn’t come out of my fog until late today!

So, MGS came in to say hello and I tried to stay awake. She left and then EJS came in to say hello, I could barely keep my eyes open. I was disappointed in myself because usually when they come in in the morning, I get up to spend time with them.

I passed out again and got up just as EJS was getting on the bus and she said to get mommy “Why does Auntie J sleep so late when she’s here?” (8:00 is late, awesome!)

I got up, got dressed, GES headed to a dentist appointment Abe I straightened things up, the cleaners were coming. When she got back we went to get some brunch and a little shopping done.

We got back and then both got some work done and at the same I made a batch of brownies for MGS’ birthday at school. We headed out to school to celebrate her birthday in hey classroom.

After Brown brownies and singing, we headed to do some return and get some extra shopping done.

All of a sudden, it was time to meet the rest of the family at the Cheesecake Factory, where MGS wanted to go for her birthday dinner.

We got there and Poppa and La La were waiting, they had picked up EJS and when ACS got there with MGS it was time to site down.

Everyone was glad to be together and had a really great time at dinner. For dessert, there was Cheesecake and singing happy birthday.

After dinner, it was home for presents, stories and bed..ahh. And now that everyone is asleep, It’s my turn, goodnight!

{May 16, 2014} Mother Nature…why do you dislike me so?

Allergies..allergies…allergies…ugh

I grew up in NYC and the only thing I was allergic to was cigarette smoke. I moved to Georgia and sure enough, the adage was if you don’t have allergies before you move to Georgia, you will! I made it about ten years, maybe a little bit more and then it was all over.

Atlanta has some of the highest pollen count on the planet every Spring, the cars are yellow and the run offs are yellow and green. Lovely.

As soon as Spring hits, I’m sneezing and wheezing and blowing my nose, weehoo. I suffer every year and then I found this great herbal remedy, a dissolvable pill that directed you to take one every two hours and like clockwork, every two hours I needed them.

I moved to Colorado and have sneezed maybe four times, and that was because my nose was itchy! I have been loving it! I can be outside all day and no issues! Love love love!

Michigan has been so-so, I’m starting to get affected, but not like I was in Atlanta. Well..do you remember when I went to Atlanta for the Dirty Girl 5k? I was getting off the plane and right on the jetway, the humidity hit me and then my eyes started to water and I began to sneeze…Nooooo!

From Atlanta, I went to Boston and it wasn’t too bad, at first..I ended up having to take a Zyrtec after a while, then back to Michigan and it’s again, so-so, but we’ve been having a lot of rain, so that helps.

Today I am back in Boston and I barely made it off the plane and I am sneezing and my nose is running like crazy, I may shvr already used up a box of tissues and I’ve only been here about an hour and change!

I took a Zyrtec when I couldn’t take it anymore and I think it’s working, I’m not sneezing, my eyes aren’t too itchy and my nose isn’t running, but I think I’m about to fall a sleep where I’m sitting!

So, in conclusion, Mother Nature, what did I ever do to you? How can I make this right so I can stop sneezing!

{May 15, 2014} Packing..again…ugh

I hope I haven’t talked about this already! [ha ha ha, oh brother!]

When I’m going on a trip, I look forward to packing, figuring out what I need to take, how many nice outfits do I need, how many nice dinners? Bathing suit, jeans, pants, under things, shoes, books, toiletries, all that stuff. I get to pack my bags, hope that they are under weight, get to the destination, unpack as quickly as possible, get the room and bathroom set up the way I want it and then relax for the next week or so, whew.

Even at the end, packing everything up is not that bad, maybe there are some new souvenirs, but it all goes back where it came from, most of it dirty clothing anyway, so super easy to pack. Then home again and ugh, unpacking, well, put everything in the laundry room and put the travel toiletries back in the closet/cabinets they stay until the next trip.

So…as you may have guessed, I don’t mind packing and unpacking for vacation.

Now, packing and unpacking for work…it’s hit or miss and here’s why. It all depends on where I’m going and how long I’m staying. I had one contract that I was never anywhere more than two nights max and let me tell you, two nights was great, I could actually take a few things out of my bag, one night, i just got things out of my bag and if I was somewhere for a week, look out!

On this project, I am in one place for six months, what? I get to unpack and stay unpacked? well, for a period of time at least. In the first few months of the project, I was going home each week, I didn’t bring a big bag because I didn’t need that much. Then there were times I wasn’t going to get home for maybe two or three weeks due to my schedule or maybe I was traveling to an alternate location. For those times, I had a bigger bag and more stuff.

Progressively, I’ve added a few things, I have my materials for class, food that I’ve bought to keep in the room so I can have breakfast, snacks, maybe even some other meals. And now, I’m going to be here until the end of July, not sure when I’m going to get home, which is great for the project, but now I might need some more clothes, what?

So…here is where the title of my post comes in. I’m not a fan of packing to leave for the weekend because there is so much stuff to deal with! The great thing is that I get to keep as much as I need to here at the hotel in a closet down by the front desk and they have been so great about letting me keep what I need to here. It’s now about five bags! Oh brother! The last one is toiletries. I have gotten smart about packing the night before I am leaving and taking it all downstairs except for what I need in the morning and my toiletries.

This is the reason I don’t enjoy packing is that I have to pack it ALL into those bags and take them downstairs knowing that I am coming back in 3 days, that’s the frustration, if I was going for a week, not a big deal, but it’s just 3 days and I’ll be back [well, more like 2.5] oh well, it’s got to be done so I’m gonna do it, oh wait, it’s already done.

But…I made my hotel reservation for June and July for both months and when I check in, I will unpack and that will be that for two months! wahoo! Go me!

So, now…I am packed and ready to go tomorrow. MGS is turning four on Friday and I am going to be there when she wakes up! Go me! I can’t wait!

Ok, gotta go, alarm is going off at 5:50. Goodnight!

{May 14, 2014} Another Godzilla Movie? Really??

Do we really need another Godzilla movie?

Well, some days I might say yes, those are the days I am nostalgic and a little kid on a Saturday morning watching movies: Godzilla, Godzilla vs Mothra, Son of Bambi meets Godzilla, yeah,no, not that one.

And then some days, I might say no and that enough is enough already! It’s Godzilla, he’s a monster and he wreaks havoc on all that get in his way and even those that don’t get in his way. What are they going to come up with next? That’s new? That’s different?

The last “new” one I saw was in 1998, and it was a little on the funny side, from what I remember. Don’t get me wrong, I used to love B sci-fi movies, I loved to watch them before the Bruce Lee movies that came on Saturday morning as well, but come on!

Did you know that there are over THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY different Godzilla movies? WHAT? So…enough already? Maybe?

Not to worry fans, I know I am going to be overruled and there will be another Godzilla movie in the next 10-20 years, maybe there will be some Mothra movies, maybe they’ll fight each other, maybe someone will finally win!

Will I go see this one? Not sure, but you know I’ll keep you posted if I do!

Check out the list of all the Godzilla movies: http://www.imdb.com/find?q=godzilla&s=tt&ref_=fn_al_tt_mr

ROARRRRRR

{May 13, 2014} Nice surprise

Staying in a hotel, you don’t normally get things like mail.

That is unless you have something shipped to you. And I’ve had one or two things shipped to me, especially when I knew I wasn’t going to be going home for a while, it’s just more conveient.

Well, today, I received a wonderful treat in the mail! My sister told me she had a card for me and asked where she should send it. I gave her the address here at the hotel and today, when I got back to my room, it was waiting for me!

You can see the card here and inside, the most adorable picture of EJS and MGS. Inside was written by EJS, “Dear Aunite J, Happy Mothers Day” and they both signed it! I teared up it was awesome!

I will treasure this card for always, for now it will sit on the nightstand, soon, it will go in the clear sleeve for my calendar, that’s where their valentines day card is. I am truly blessed and touched.

Thank you. I la la la love it!

{May 11, 2014} Happy Mother’s Day

What else would I write about?

Today is Mother’s Day and I hope everyone who celebrated enjoyed their day immensely. Mother’s come in all shapes and sizes and you don’t need to be physically related to your children to be a mom, you really just need to open your heart and feel the love. Maybe it’s a blended family, you’ve adopted, they’re four legged and furry, your kid’s best friend, whatever it is, you deserve to be honored.

My post today on Facebook: A very Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, of two leg and four legged kids, the birth moms, adopted moms, step mom’s and aunties. We are an amazing group of people and today is our day, enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who had made me a mom, grandma and auntie, you make my life so much richer!

I added some great pictures of just some of the wonderful people, both big and little, who have allowed me to be a part of their lives. I’m a mom, a grandmother, an auntie, how much better could my life get?

There were some great postings on Facebook, I would love to share them here.

{May 10, 2014} Ready…Set…Go!

You might need a nap after you hear about my day!

My day started at 6:15am (yes. 6:15am on a Saturday morning), I had a class to teach to no one. Even when a class is scheduled and no one is registered, you still need to be there at least one hour.

I used my time wisely, I updated class questions, did my expenses and time, answered some emails, definitely used my time wisely.

After I left, I went downtown Ann Arbor and took myself out for breakfast at Cafe Zola, it was yummy! I was all of a sudden hungry for lunch and eggs at the same time…egg salad sandwich on delicious challah it was! With some delicious blood orange tea, I was quite happy.

Next was back to the hotel, drop off the car for KS so she could run some errands. I changed out of my work clothes and headed across the way to the mall, it was time for a haircut.

While I waited for my turn, I walked around a little, I walked about two stores down to Payless, looking for summer shoes and ended up with a pair of faux suede brown boots, on sale even, score!

Time for a haircut. I went in with a picture that a friend had sent me and sat down and then she started to cut . She said it was going to be shorter, no worries, but then she’s cutting, cutting, cutting, finally, I gave up and just let her cut. I’ve had this cut before and it’s fine, I’m just annoyed I didn’t get what I wanted.

As I mentioned, I’ve had this cut before and in a day or two it will be back to normal, gotta add some gel and have fun with it. And…hello mom! I know I’ve told you I look like her, well..every time I get a short haircut, I look more like her. And that would be why it’s all good.

I headed back to the hotel, changed into some shorts and headed out again, nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. Oh my it felt so good! The massage chair, the foot rub, the hand massage, it was all wonderful and now my
the paws and claws look great! Lavender with a flower on the toes and deep burgundy for the fingers.

Walk, skip, dance to my music, back towards the hotel and then give KS a ride downtown to her class. I went back to the hotel, relaxed for a few minutes, got changed and headed out for the Bootlegger 5k. This was a race through the woods, following a trail that a bootlegger may have followed.

We had to get headlamps and it seemed silly at first, because it was light out, but boy were we all glad we had them! I did a little running, but more walking as the sun went down and the trail got a little more difficult to see, even with the headlamps.

At one point, we passed a pond and mother nature’s band, mainly frogs, serenaded us as we went past, it was terrific. At the end of the trail, there was moonshine! Three types: strawberry lemonade, cherry coke and apple pie. I tried the apple pie it was actually pretty good, I didn’t taste any alcohol.

For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, go to my page, there’s a video of me drinking some moonshine, proof! It doesn’t happen very often, but there you have it!

About

After the run, back to the hotel, hot shower and write to you.

Now…the blinds and blackout curtain are drawn, it’s time for lights out! Good night!

{May 9, 2014} It’s ladies night!

Tonight, downtown Ann Arbor hosted Ladies Night.

It was great! KS and I headed down to find a place to eat and decided at Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant, it was fun and tasty. They bring everything out on a platter and you eat it with bread and/or your hands. (I don’t normally take pictures of my food, but here you go!)
http://www.bluenilemi.com.

After dinner, we headed out in search of ladies night activities! We started at the first store and got our “passports”, a card that had about 30+ stores on the back and as you go to each of those stores, you get a stamp or sticker and after 15, turn the passport in by 10pm and be entered to win a prize!

We also got a blinking ring, who wouldn’t love that? Shopping, discounts and bling, bring it on! The cool thing was to see all these blinking things all over town, especially when there were little groups together, very fun!

Each of the stores and restaurants participating stayed open late and offered at least 20% off the entire store, great incentives! The thing we enjoyed the most was getting to go into the stores we don’t normally get to go in because by the time we go out to dinner, the stores are closed.

The only thing I bought was at a book store, 2 brown paper wrapped books “Blind Date with a Book” there are three clues to what the book is about, but you won’t know until you open it! I got one for me and one for my sister, I can’t wait to find out what they are!

We had a great time, and made the decision that since we couldn’t get to all the stores, we would get together Sunday, go downtown, find some food and then go to all the stores we didn’t get to, anyone want to join us?

What a great idea! Opening up the town, giving people access to wonderful shops, getting people downtown who might not normally go into stores they might not normally go to and it felt fun to walk around and enjoy the evening. I think all smaller towns should do this every few months.

{May 8, 2014} I have a 26 year old…what?

You may or may not know that I am a mom.

A step-mom to be precise, I became a mom when I started dating the wasband oh so long ago. When I met my kids, my son had just turned 7 the day before and my daughter was 8, it was a new experience. I was in love and I never wanted it to end.

From the moment we became a family, I never called them anything but my son and daughter, I didn’t see a difference. I may not have given birth to them but I don’t think I could have loved them anymore! I like to say I have all the joys and none of the stretch marks!

There were many times that they tested our patience, mine more than his because if you’ve never been one, [this is my opinion] being a step-parent is incredibly stressful, you want to be the best parent you can be, ensure everyone is happy, worrying that there might be a blow up, not wanting to overstep boundaries, so many things. Sometimes I joke when people are expressing frustrations with their teens and pre-teens, this too shall pass and I can say that my kids lived, that’s pretty good.

On the flip side, being a step parent can be the most rewarding experience ever. I wasn’t sure about being a mom when I was younger, but I fell in love when I met them and what adventures we had. I became a mom and I loved every minute of it, even the moments I didn’t love at the time.

They were both shorter than me when we met and as you can imagine, that didn’t last long! They are also so very smart, I know, you think I’m biased, and in some ways I am, but they were both very smart, graduated with honors, sometimes ‘not a lick of common sense between them’, but they were mine and I was so proud of all they did and were.

They tested my patience at times, as every child does to their parent and they made our time together special. I loved throwing birthday parties, coming up with creative ideas to surprise them, introducing them to so many new things and experiences. And as for the birthday parties, 20 was the last one I got to celebrate with my daughter, her dad and I were divorced a few months later.

No getting maudlin.

I think about my daughter every year on May 8th and my son on November 11 and send them love and hugs and wish them well. I think about them other times, just especially on those dates. And as today was her birthday, I was inspired to tell you a little about them.

Even though I don’t see them I still talk about them to anyone who will listen, I brag about them and so…I have a 26 year old! Imagine that!

Hap Hap Happy Birthday TYH! I love you!

{May 7, 2014} Air dryers

I am all for saving the environment and the trees, but…

When I am in a bathroom and there is an air dryer, I think ok, this is good, save a tree, no paper towels. Then I look around to get out of the bathroom and I still have to touch the door handle, what’s that about?

Am I just supposed to use my sleeve? What if I’m swearing short sleeves?

Ok, rant over.

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