365-4 | Peaches Prattlings

{December 16, 2016} And the marathon begins!

I landed in Atlanta this morning and off I went!

The first stop was fabulous and long overdue. I met with two very dear friends, who were neighbors when we all lived in my last neighborhood in Georgia. They were both the first people I met, we went on trips together, dinners, lunches, brunches, parties, coffee and tea, planning, events, parades, comfort, support and love each other, in good times and bad.

Something we used to do is, and I know this is crazy sounding, we would just walk down the street, knock on each other’s doors and just visit, imagine that!

PWT and DNB, love these ladies, they helped me get through some…shite in my life. We got together and it was like no time had passed, it was wonderful. I hope that we can continue this, it really was great to see them.

I left lunch and headed to JCT, we caught up until the family got home, then we all headed to Costco, I know, you’re jealous…then JCT, her daughter ST and I went for a little pampering, mani for me and ST and the works for JCT, mani/pedi, ahhhh.

Back to the house to watch movies and hang out. Just what the doctor ordered. You curious what’s coming tomorrow? Tune in and find out!

{December 15, 2016} Has it really been 11 years?

Eleven years ago today, my mom’s mom passed.

She was 95 and it was a little over six months after my mom passed. She was an amazing woman, politically active, she worked the voting polls for as long as I can remember, she was a familiar face and a staple in her district.

She was a great grandmother, we would have so much fun when I would stay with her. We would cook, play games, watch tv,I think I was with her when JR got shot and probably when we found out who shot JR! She taught me to play poker and gin, we’d stay up all hours playing, a hard woman to beat.

She took me to plays and musicals, every year she took me to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, at 75 she was riding the log floom at Coney Island!

She was an amazing cook. She could cool Jewish food like no one else, just don’t ask her to cook “American” food! No one could beat her blintzes, mom and I loved them frozen, oh my!

She loved her family, would bend over backwards to help a friend. She was also stubborn like, obstinate, stick to your guns and MGS, isn’t just her namesake in name only.

MGS is a fabulous little human being and there are moments when she stands her ground, refuses to take no for an answer, shows her smarts, says something funny, I see Grandma M.

Thinking about you Grandma M, missing and loving you.

December 15,2016

{December 14, 2016} Holiday dinner…fun!

We had our team holiday dinner last night and it was great fun!

We went to The Publican,”a homage to oysters, pork and beer”, just what a vegan ordered!

It was great, aside from the pork rinds, ha ha, I’m glad they told me what was in the paper cone! The menu was meat focused, but when I said I was vegan, they accommodated me quite nicely, don’t you think?

It was a lot of fun to be together because I don’t see most of them very often some I’m in the field almost every week.

We talked, drank, laughed, shared, ate, told stories, had a great time. At the end of dinner we had a ‘white elephant’ gift exchange.

A white elephant is where you purchase or bring a gift you have in the house, that cost, for us, $10 or less. Everyone draws numbers and then the first person pics a gift. The next person pics a gift then decides if they want to keep it or swap with someone else. Spot #2 apparently is the worst because you can only swap with #1, #1 gets to choose after everyone else goes. So stressful!

I brought a Shaper Image bank that counts your money and a Santa hat that says Naughty on one side and Nice on the other, #2 kept it and protected it! I swapped after I opened mine for a portable speaker!

A lot of good times and laughs. I’m glad I fought the traffic and went, I had a really good time and…everyone enjoyed the bags of chocolate coal I gave them.

How was your holiday party?

{December 12, 2016} Made it without a hitch…

Eventually!

I believe I mentioned the other day that my flights were rescheduled due to the 1500 flights being canceled into and out of Chicago.

I got up about 530 this morning, the newscasters said the traffic would be horrible so leave in plenty of time. I got up, several inches of snow covered the car and guess what the car didn’t have…and ice scraper. Who rents a car in Boston in winter with no ice scraper! Luckily, no ice, just snow and I have sleeves!

I got on the road, the highway was clear and I made it in about 45 minutes, a few minutes more than no snow days. Turned in the car and was at the gate with lots of time to spare.

I went from a non-stop Boston to Chicago to Boston to Washington, DC, DC to Chicago. Originally getting in at 938am to leaving at 930am and arriving 130pm, getting to the office about 3pm. A slight change in plans.

The important thing is…I made it to the office, worked a few hours, then drove to the hotel where I’m staying this week.

This place is ready for Christmas, I’ll post pics tomorrow. I am in my hotel, had food delivered, in my jammies, snuggled under the covers, it’s cold out there! watching movies, I’m set!

Have a great night!

{December 11, 2016} Another crazy, fabulous weekend with my family

Actually it was pretty low key…nice.

I got to my sister’s somewhere between 130 and 2am on Friday. GES was the only one home when I woke up. We spent some quality time together.

Eventually, everyone was home and we took the girls with us to get some holiday shopping done. Then it was auntie-niece time while mom and dad went out. We had dinner, talked, watched movies and then night-night, no fighting, just brushing teeth, potty, lights out.
Today was more of the same, well, GES and I got to go run errands and shop for a few hours, just the sisters getting to catch up without interruption, we had a great time.

Dinner with the family, wrap gifts, pack my bags, way too many to take with me, but I have lots of presents to deliver in Atlanta!

Now, the big question…will I get out of Boston tomorrow? It’s snowing in Chicago, 1500 flights have been canceled so far. My flights have been rescheduled by United. It started snowing here about two hours ago. If I wasn’t teaching on Tuesday, I wouldn’t be as concerned about getting to Chicago.

Send good vibes please.

{December 9, 2016} What a nice guy

At the airport, I met a nice guy.

I got a drink from Starbucks, went to my gate, sat down and after a few sips put the drink down and apparently the floor was thirsty…

I asked the guy next to me if he could watch my bag for a moment while I get another drink, he looked at me and then said yes.

As I was standing at the counter waiting for my drink, he came over to tell me that the flight was boarding, omg! He also brought my bag to me! I felt terrible! I offered to by him a drink, he declined. What a nice guy.

I got my drink, boarded the plane and I found my seat, guess who was in the seat next to mine?!

We spent the flight talking and he’s just as nice in person, so to speak.

There are nice people out there, being nice just for the sake of being nice. Sigh…

{December 7, 2016} You know you’re dreaming but…

You can’t wake up. You want to wake up, but you can’t wake up. It’s a vicious cycle.

Sometimes your dreams are good and sometimes not so good. Either way, you’re in the dream and you know it’s a dream and you think, I really should wake myself up, but I don’t know how.

I’m being chased by dragons, should I wake up? Yes, they’re trying to eat me, but come on, it’s dragons!

I really need to get up and go to work, but I’m happy right here in this bed, wait, I’m sleeping, how do I know this?

Ever try to go back to sleep to try to finish your dream? I need to save all the puppies, wait! I can’t get back there, somebody help me!

That realm between asleep and awake, it’s a doozy. That could be why they make so many movies about it, don’t need to watch, apparently I’m living it!

I thought it was just me!

{December 5, 2016} I’m done traveling…

For a few days!

With all the delays and layovers, I was on the road/in the air, so to speak for about 26 hours. I left my house in Hawaii at 2pm and I checked into my hotel about 430pm.

I’d say that is enough for one day!

I’m staying at the Hilton St Louis Downtown at the Arch, it looks like the lobby is a converted bank and my room is very nice with a cool sitting area.

I’m checked in, got a some work done, prepped for tomorrow, got some decent food across the street from the hotel, I’m in my jammies and hoping to see the backs of my eyelids by 10pm.

Tomorrow is a new day and I only have to travel 8 minutes to my training site, I’m good with that!

Happy Monday!

{December 4, 2016} The joys of winter travel for work

Left Hawaii…no problem. Arrive LAX… problem.

I liked Hawaiian Airlines, it was decent, food was ok, no free entertainment, oh well, but uneventful.

I land at LAX, looking for flight information, looking for flight information, looking for flight information. Finally…United updates, flight from LAX to Chicago cancelled. Weather…snow in Illinois.

They did rebook me LAX to Houston, Houston to Chicago, ok. Only problem is that I get in to Chicago at 1130am, my next flight to St Louis leaves at 930am, um…

I called United, waited 30 minutes on hold, talked to a very snippy woman, oh goody. I need to rebook my flight to St Louis. Ok, there is a flight that leaves at 1215pm. Well, I don’t think it will give me enough time to get my bag from baggage claim and check it in. Well didn’t you tell the agent when you checked in for the first flight about your final flight? No, actually, I didn’t and I didn’t know you could do that. Yes you can, well that would be a good thing to know…

Ok, I’m booked, now I just have to get to the other terminal, is easy, just a straight shot across the parking deck. Um, not really. Through the parking deck, left, right at the stop sign, cross the road, go left, back through security, sorry, TSA pre-check is closed for the night, take everything out, but leave your shoes on.

So…here I am at LAX about to board a flight to Houston, then 2 hours later to Chicago. Get to Chicago, leave the terminal, go to baggage claim, get my bag and check it through to St Louis. If it wasn’t a 5 hour drive to St Louis, I might have done it.

Fingers crossed I make it all the way through… as long as I get there and I can teach on Tuesday, I’m golden.

Bonus…this gets me more United segments…I promoted to Premium Silver on United, gotta catch up to my beau…he just made Gold with United! He’s starting to get spoiled…go PSM!

{December 4, 2016} Our first party!

We hosted our first official party! As a couple and it was awesome!

I’ve met some of PSM’s coworkers at work functions or just when I’d visited, but it was brief or a long time ago. Now, when i was home last month one of his coworkers had us over for dinner and I met two families, which helped because they were beginning to think I was a figment of his imagination!

I thought it was time to meet more people and christen the house, so I reached out to the two people I’m friends with on Facebook and I got a list of emails and invite I did.

So…PSM just got a taste of a JJ weekend! We happened to get up early, par for the course here, went to breakfast at one of our favorite places, then it was back to the house, clean, two appointments, run to the grocery store, back to the house with literally 20 minutes to spare. That meant set up for the cookout and a very quick shower.

The first family arrived with their kids and I was informed that they have a brand new puppy. Where is the puppy? We were going to bring her, we weren’t sure…we insisted and away went dad to get the puppy! Oh my but she is precious! Am 8 week old Australian Shepherd, is she not the cutest thing! She was such a huge hit at the party! We wondered if they would actually get to take her home, we were all in love or, with everyone holding her, she’d ever learn to walk!

People kept coming and it was fabulous, kids upstairs playing, running up and down, people inside and out enjoying good food, drink, friends, conversation, just having a really good time.

At one point we went upstairs and it looked like it has snowed in the loft! I made popcorn for the kids to watch movies and…the adults felt bad, I didn’t care, it was funny. The best was they were cleaning up, “put it under the sofa, they won’t see it!”

At one point I looked down and realized, I’m really in Hawaii hosting a party! I say that because everyone was barefoot! In Hawaii, it’s customary to take your shoes or slippers [pronounced slippahs] off when you walk into someone’s house. There is always a pile of shoes outside the front door!

A few hours later, people started to say their goodbyes. There were promises of a next time, getting together for new years eve, other gatherings.

Good friends, food, conversation, it felt like we were home.

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What was I thinking?