Peaches Prattlings











Are there things in your life, things you would love to do, secretly, because you will never do them ‘for real’?

You might not do them because they are wrong, maybe/probably/possibly illegal. You would never push someone into the middle of the road, hit them with your car, push them off a bridge, [i can’t believe i thought about those!] even though sometimes you may think about it. You know it’s wrong, so you don’t do it.

I once had a fantasy that I wanted to have one drink and get pulled over for a DUI test, the biggest reason is that I don’t drink and guess what? It happened! It was 08/08/08 about 3am and I was with SDL and another friend LR. I had one shot, several hours later driivng home I got pulled over for, go figure, speeding and when I admitted that I had had one shot, the officer asked me about doing a DUI test, not a problem! That’s another story for another day, but fantasy fulfilled.

I have a fantasy which I will never do, and compared to all the things I mentioned above…totally tame! I want to pull a fire alarm! I won’t because I know it’s illegal to pull a fire alarm, but we walk by them all the time, every day. Keep in mind, it’s not something I think about all the time, just every now and then I’ll see one and think, “Oh, I wish it wasn’t illegal to pull that” and I would.

Oh well, maybe one day there will be a museum exhibit or amusement park that has a game that you can pull a fire alarm, but until then, just have to keep it as a thought/fantasy.

What’s yours?



{April 5, 2014}   Common courtesy

Do you think I/we could get off/out before you barrel your way in?

How many times have you been on a bus, subway, shuttle and get to your destination and people are trying to get on the vehicle before you even have a chance to get off? How about an elevator, maybe wait until everyone gets off the elevator before getting on.

This post was inspired by my travels today, and all the other travel days, but today it annoyed me a little bit more. If you just wait until the people are off, then the flow works and you can get on/in and get where you’re going faster. Oh yeah, stand to the side, far enough away from the door people don’t have to go around you or walk sideways to get by.

It’s called common courtesy people, you should try it some time.



That’s something I remember my parents saying to me when I would get a bruise or cut and didn’t know how it happened.

The conversation would go something like this:
Me: Ouch, mommy/daddy. I cut myself or have a bruise and it hurts!
Them: How did it happen?
Me: I don’t know.
Them: Well, were you there when it happened?

That is a very valid question I have to say because how could we not be there when we got hurt, we’re the ones who got hurt, shouldn’t we have been there when it happened? Normally, you kick something, walk into something, stub your toe, get a paper cut, those we remember because they hurt like…OUCH!

But then there are the other times, and we’ve all had this happen. All of a sudden, something hurts and you have no idea why or what happened. Case in point, all of a sudden yesterday, my thumb started hurting and I look at it and see that there is a cut right on the left edge and it hurts like hell, I have no earthly idea what happened, but I know I want it to heal and quickly! It’s amazing all the things you don’t realize you need your thumb for! Luckily, I don’t need it right now to write to you!

So, in closing, I have an OUCH and I have no idea what happened to get it because apparently I wasn’t there. Daddy, please kiss the boo boo!



{April 4, 2014}   Opinions

Have you heard the expression “opinions are like a#$holes, everyone has one and everyone else’s stinks”?

I think opinions are beautiful things, we all have opinions about things and of course, most of the time we think we are 100% absolutely right and don’t always want to hear anyone elses or agree with them. Well, if we’re right, then how could anyone else be?

My favorite is when someone has an opinion and they want you to agree with them so they make more and more points or get louder and louder thinking you will change your mind, opinion or point of view.

I was having a conversation with someone who was convinced of whatever it was he was trying to tell me and as he got more excited, the louder he got and I finally said “The louder you get, the more clear your point does not get”.

The hard part is not getting upset when someone doesn’t agree with what you’re telling them or trying really hard to change their minds and have an opinion that is the same as theirs or yours. Sometimes you have to nod and smile or maybe to end the conversation you have to agree with them or just walk away.

Bottom line, we are all different and have different opinions and that’s what makes us all unique and I think that’s a beautiful thing.

My opinion is that it is late and I have to get up in a few hours to catch a flight back to Denver, that being said…Goodnight!



{April 2, 2014}   My HGI Family

;I have to tell you about the amazing staff that I have grown quite fond of here at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ann Arbor.

Now, I know normally, when I blog about people, I use their initials, but tonight, I am going to use their first names and some nick names because if you get the opportunity to visit Ann Arbor, MI and stay at this hotel, I want you to be able to recognize their names and say hello! [IF I miss anyone, I am SO SO SORRY!].

First, I want to tell you how fantastic these people are, it goes above and beyond the normal wonderfulness of Hilton. We have already discussed and agreed that I am a hotel snob and I prefer Hilton because of the great service I have received, forget the fantastic service that Hilton provides, but this team is peachy keen in my book! I have watched and they are good with all their guests, but if you are there for extended periods of time, they take the time to get to know your name and you, makes you feel welcome.

Now, let me tell you about the great staff here, this is who I see when I first walk in. Wow, this is almost like a movie credit list, “By Order of Appearance”

When I first walk in, I look to my left, I see Nell who is bartending. She will give me a wave and we exchange pleasantries, sometimes if she’s by the front desk we will hug, which is always nice. When she’s not working, she’s in school or studying, go Nell! I met her my first night at the hotel, we knew we’d be seeing a lot of each other.

In the evenings, working with Nell most nights, is Kristen, who waits tables in the restaurant. She is great and puts up with a lot! There was one night we did our happy hour and we ran her ragged, but she was a trooper and survived us! Go Kristen!

Then I go to check in and I get to see a bunch of great people, some in the morning, some at night. Sean works nights and the only guy I’ve seen at the front desk, he’s great and incredibly personable with an impressive belt buckle collection! Debra is a very nice woman who got me into the hotel one night when my reservation was all messed up, THANK YOU Debra! Her badge says “It’s a Jeep thing” because she loves her jeep! The cool thing about their badges is that they get to put whatever they want under their names, so whatever represents them, just as Debra did.

I have to tell you, I LOVE when I call down to the front desk now and most of the time they don’t even say “Front desk, this is…” they say just say hi or hey!

Everyone is so persobale, ready to chat and catch up and I love finding out about their families, kids, babies to be, I love that they share that with me! I’ve also introduced them to people that I work with and they recognize who I’m talking about because I’m always going on about them!

Phillipa I don’t see very often, but she’s always very cheerful and welcoming and her badge says Flip because her grandmother couldn’t say Phillipa, so she called her Flip! Lauren is very sweet, and I don’t see her very often either, but the other day I got to see pictures of her chow baby, the pictures were on her phone case, that’s a proud chow momma. Kirsten is on in the mornings and is always warm with a greeting and smile when I am heading out the door to go to work. And thinks I’m funny when I grab something from the pantry and get almost to the elevator before I remember and go back to let her know what I was getting! When I have a few extra minutes, we talk about her kids.

Last but never least are Adriana and Liv. Adriana “I like hugs” is a smart chick who is trying to decide between med school and teaching, I wish her a lot of luck in her pursuits! I love talking to Adriana to find out about her weekends and her new baby cousin that she was in the delivery room to see come into this world, how special is that? Adriana is always so bubbly and eager to please the guests who come to stay at her hotel.

Liv, short for Olivia, but prefers Liv, which is what’s on her badge is a fun and quirky girl who just turned 19 on Monday, Happy Birthday! I love catching up with Liv when I get in and during the week, what did we do on the weekends, movies she hasn’t seen and today, she found my blog and is loving it! Thanks! Liv is bright and funny and tries to remember everyone’s name and she’s doing a great job at it!

I’ve been wanting to tell you about my new family at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ann Arbor, MI for a while and here they are! I promise, if you stay there, which is where a lot of potential University of Michigan students and their families stay, you will not regret your decision for a moment. I hope that the management realizes what a great team they have, not just by Hilton standards, but by their actions, mannerisms, professionalism and warm welcome, they treat the guests as if they are guests in their own homes or even better and for that I am incredibly thankful. It’s not easy to be away from home for such long periods of time, but since I am, it’s great to come into the lobby and be greated by name by a friend and the hugs aren’t too shabby either!

If you’re in the area before June, I might see you!



So, April 1st is also known as April Fools Day, that would be today.

I don’t know if you know that April Fools Day of pranking has been around since medieval times, amazing and as Wikipedia says, NOT a national holiday in any country, but widely recognized as a day to play pranks, practical jokes and hoaxes on other people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools’_Day

I have never been that good at practical jokes or pranks, I can play along, but just never been great at it. I do remember one prank that turned me off a radio station in Atlanta for good. I knew it was a joke, apparently not everyone did, but I did. The station was going to transition to streaming online and having live video feed as well as the radio. The djs started telling one of the female djs that she was too ugly to be on camera and I knew it was a joke, April Fools at its finest, but for some reason it didn’t sit well with me and I never listened to that station again.

Some pranks are all in good fun, some not, but whatever you choose to do, believe it and in it and your convictions and stick to it! All the while being respectful of other people. Oh boy I sound like a mom!

Happy April Fools, here’s until next year!

Check out this job interview prank, it’s a great one!



{March 31, 2014}   Torn pants

If you have a pair of torn pants, ok, I have some myself.

I have pairs that I love that I have patched and continue to wear, maybe they look good and I can conceal the tears. I’ve worn jeans with holes in the knees and I’ve patched them or worn tights underneath.

Do I wear these jeans for a quick run to the grocery store? Maybe. Do I wear them around the house? Definitely, they’re comfy. I have one pair that makes my posterier look great, so I’m not quite ready to get rid of them, the last time I wore them outside? Over a year.

Would I EVER wear a pair of jeans with holes in them TO WORK? NEVER!!! I have more pride in my appearance and my job than that. This rant was inspired by the girl behind the counter of the restaurant we went to for dinner tonight who was wearing jeans with holes in them, I don’t care if you have tights or leggings underneath, I can still see your parts and the fact that you didn’t care enough about your appearance or the people you would be interracting with to put on clothing that was completely intact.

Gee thanks.



{March 30, 2014}   To sleep or not to sleep…

That is the question.

Whether ’tis nobler to stay awake or get a few hours of sleep. 

OK, so… I am in Boston and heading back to Michigan in the morning. VERY early in the morning. I couldn’t find a non-stop flight from Boston to Detroit sunday night so, for the first time I decided I would fly out monday morning.

I have to be back on campus by noon and it was either get in at 11:30 or 9am. I didn’t want to take a chance on coming in late, so I opted for the earlier flight, which leaves at 7am. I ordered a taxi which will here at 5:15am.

So,…Here I sit at 12:52am trying to deicide… get a few hours of sleep before the 4:30am alarm or just stay awake and sleep on the plane (which I |ill probably do on the flight either way).

The choices…the choices.



{March 29, 2014}   Wee tots can be exhausting!

I la la la love my nieces but whew!

It was an incredibly busy day today! First thing was breakfast, then volunteering with EJS [and I will tell you all about that another time, so very proud of her!] 10am-12pm, then home for lunch, off to a play date at 1:30, then movies at 4:15, which got pushed back to 4:50, then home and a visit.

I got home about 10pm and I don’t know about you, but I am B E A T!

If I had the energy, I would give you more details, but I just don’t! and 7:45am will be here before I know it and I think this may be one of the few ways to get me to sleep more than 4-5 hours in a night! I have already re-typed this post a few times because apparently my fingers don’t work so, I will say…

Goodnight



I had a glimpse of Spring today in Boston, it got a little above 50, ahhh.

There have been a few days in Colorado that were lovely, I got to drive with the top down to and from the airport, high 60’s, low 70’s, what could be better?

In Michigan and Boston, Mother Nature hasn’t seemed to have received the memo that Spring is here, even though there have been slight glimmers. There werew a few days in the high 40’s in Michigan, hold yourself back, but then snow the other day?! And as I mentioned, today it was up to 50, but tomorrow is supposed to be cold again.

I have no problem with winter, but there is a limit to how much there should be! I’ve had enough long sleeves, sweaters, longs socks, boots, winter coats, gloves, hats and scareves. I love skiing, but let’s leave that in the mountains, the cities should be warmer. I’m ready to keep the top down on the car.

There I’ve said it, bring on Spring!



et cetera