365 | Peaches Prattlings

{December 31, 2013} Delta flight tonight…boo

I’m usually a big supporter of Delta Airlines, but tonight was an epic fail.

Last week, the delays were all due to the weather, we were delayed only two hours, not much you can do about the weather,

Today, we got home six hours late! This was due to technical difficulties, grrr. We got on the plane, got settled and it was about an hour and a half before they let us know there was an issue. The issue was a load balance thing in the cargo of the plane, apparently when they load the luggage there are crates they use to balance things out. The pilot came on eventually to tell us that he goes through a book before takeoff, shouldn’t he already know what to do? I’m kidding, I know there is a flight check they have to do.

So, they were loading sand bags onto the plane, so someone said. The. They were rearranging the luggage, then they were taking the luggage completely off and then going to reload it. It was at that point, somewhere about an hour and a half or two hours into it, we were told we could get off the plane. Oh, at some point we did get in line to taxi, then back to the gate, just can’t remember where in this process.

We get off the plane, leave everything on except valuables, hang out in the gate area for, oh I don’t know, forever. About twenty or thirty minutes later, they announced that there would be a plane change, so we all filed back onto the plane to get our carry on stuff. Back to the gate area waiting to get back on the plane, then another thirty minutes or so and there is a gate change, from A27, which was the original gate we boarded at, to B1. En masse we all head to the new gate, wait another twenty minutes, could have been more, then we get on the plane.

At this point, they are encouraging us quite strongly to get on so we can take off. As we board, we each receive a voucher for $50 with Delta, weehoo. I have to say, at this point we were regretting not taking their earlier offer to get bumped since they overbooked, it came with a $600 voucher and left about the same time!

We finally get settled and eventually take off, 2:53 flying time. We finally land somewhere around 9:30 pm, get the luggage, shuttle to the car, drive home. Our original time were expected in was 5:45pm, we landed four hours late, oh well.

We’re home, ready to relax and tomorrow, movie marathon for New Year’s Eve, sounds good to me!

Good night!

{December 29, 2013} What a week!

Here it is, the end of a terrific week and tomorrow we head back to Colorado.

(Settle in, get a cup of coffee or cocoa, this is going to be a long one!)

We got here late on Saturday, you know that fun adventure, I don’t need to rehash that! Sunday after lunch, DCM headed out to see the kids and I hung back, to finish a few Christmas presents and wrap gifts, I was a busy bee! The cool part was that I wrapped almost every single gift with one roll of Muppets holiday paper! I found the paper last year and finally got to use it! Don’t you love that?

Monday came and after lunch, I headed out to meet JT for our annual shopping trip, to find gifts for his family. It’s something we started about five or six years ago and it’s become a tradition that I enjoy and value, I know he does too. Luckily for me, everything he bought was relatively small, so a carrying everything wasn’t too bad; I started bringing a rolling cart to carry everything, there have been some big items!

The fun thing is to talk about what everyone might like, I jokingly told him he should put from JT and JJ on the gift tags, I really do enjoy watching everyone open the gifts and flip over them and how much they appreciate what JT thought about for them. I think I already told you my other job is to show up early on Christmas Eve and wrap gifts, which I really enjoy. I’ve always enjoyed wrapping gifts from childhood, it was my job to wrap the gifts my sister and I would give, I en thought about getting a seasonal job wrapping gifts.

While we were at the mall, we ran into his dad and brother and after shopping joined them at Pappadeaux for lunch, which is always a good time. After lunch, I headed out to take care of a few things and then went to meet BG, JCT and her mom for dinner at one of our favorite places What The Pho, yum! It was so great to see JCT as I haven’t gotten to see her much this last year with her travel schedule and moving to Colorado. It was great to see her mom, a master at crochet, let’s just say, last year, I wasn’t the best student, but we laughed a lot!

Tuesday came and we hung out at the house until it was time to head to JTs for Christmas Eve. A good time was had by all!

Wednesday morning, as you might recall we went to KABs house to see her, JB and Baby A! That was so much fun! After, DCM headed to see the kids and I headed to SDLs to cook and eat and enjoy. So much fun!

Thursday was a treat, CKM was able to carve some time out for me in her way too busy schedule! We went to Moe’s, yum! It was great to catch up in person and relax and laugh, you know, the usual! After lunch, she had to do laundry, so I went along to keep her company and while the clothes were in, we sat in the car and watched Red 2!

After we parted company I went to see my friend BG and his son, JAG and his new apartment. We had some dinner and then played Mario Brothers in the Wii, let’s just say someone way shorter than me kicked my butt in the game, but I held my own and had a great time! Who knows maybe I’ll start to get into some of these games they keep talking about!

Friday, after breakfast I had some time, so I put all my movies into sleeves for transporting back to Colorado, boxed up some things that were still in the garage and took them to the Salvation Army on my way downtown to meet TS and her daughter KS at the High Museum of Art for their three exhibits: The Art of the Louvre’s Tuileries Gardens, Go West: The Art of the American Frontier and Witness: The Art of Jerry Pickney. All terrific! It’s always enjoyable to go to a museum with people who enjoy what they see and to discuss what we think and feel about it.

We caught up, talked, laughed, which was great because I haven’t seen KS in a long time and haven’t seen TS one on one for a while, we’re usually out with a group. After the museum we went to a cute little Italian restaurant, Pasta Da Pulcinella, for some yummy food, exchanged gifts and birthday presents, and then we decided to go catch a movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and you know how that was. What a great day/night!

Saturday was no less busy! Up before DCM, headed out to SDL’s to join her and Miss A for a drive out to Alpharetta for her hippo therapy, working with horses. This was the first time I got to see it and it was great! She loves the horses, especially Poppysead, who she works with most often. Hearing that laugh when she’s trotting around is like nothing else! After therapy, we headed to The Forum for lunch at Jason’s Deli, a nice treat to sit and eat and watch the place fill up.

After lunch, we headed our separate ways, I was meeting JCT for a movie, but first, I went to BG’s to pick up my iPad that I had left the other night. Turns out JT was there playing video games, Lego Marvel. I invited them to join us for the movies, we went to the Venture Cinema, which has gone from $2 to $3 per ticket! We watched Last Vegas, very funny the second time, check out my review!

After the movie, I took the boys back to BG’s for fun and games and headed to Starbucks to hang with JCT for a few hours. It was great! We talk about once a week, but we haven’t seen each other in about a year, so this was much needed!

This morning after I did a load of laundry, we had Waffle House, gotta get it in…we don’t have one that close to us in Colorado. Then DCM went to see the kids, I headed to SDL’s to help her get some stuff done around the house, the girl is amazing with a drill and some glue! I got to play with Miss A, while still getting things done.

Her parents got back from visiting grandpa in Florida and we headed out to SDL’s favorite Mexican restaurant, Agavero Cantina. JCT and her mom met us there for dinner. SDL hasn’t seen JCT or her mom in over a year, so it was time and you know they love Miss A! SDL’s mom and JCT’s mom could talk yarn as they both crochet and knit. Everyone admiring everyone else’s hand crafted scarves and hats!

After one last hug and kiss for everyone, we all headed out in our own directions, mine was home to write to you and wait for DCM so we could catch up on our days.

So, tomorrow we will take care of a few things and then head back to Colorado and get back into the swing of things, work, thereapy, life. I sit here writing to you telling you about my week which was wonderful and bittersweet, mostly bittersweet because it’s always hard to leave your friends, especially the wee tots who you adore. But I know it won’t be too long before I see them again, gotta love FaceTime!

I hope you had a wonderful week, great holidays, if you celebrated and I hope you have a terrific Monday! Happy almost 2014!

{December 29, 2013} Seat up or down…

That is the age old question now, isn’t?

Since toilets and toilet seats were invented, there has been the debate…seat up or down. There are arguments for both sides.

Women believe that the seat should be left down, especially at night. The argument is that when it’s the middle the night and dark we’re probably half asleep, we are most likely not going to check see the seat down. First, were not going to think about it and the idea of possibly touching the cold seat is not idea fun. And neither is when we haven’t checked and accidentally sit down..ack!!!

A guys argument is that we should be checking and they don’t want to have to put it down when get ready to go have put it back up when they’re done.

Both valid points, but I will tell you which side I’m on, if you can’t guess…

It’s funny the things we comment on; for example, you can tell a bachelor many times because the seat will be up when you go to use the facilities and shouldn’t it be, it’s his place. But on the other hand, it’s nice know he might be considerate to everyone. Besides, it just looks better when the seat is down.

There is the compromise that you keep the lid down as well, but then what happens in the middle of the night? Someone will go on the lid!

The photos are signs outside the restrooms at a local gas station.

GUYS: Leaving the seat up is allowed

GALS: The seat will always be down

So…which side area you on?

{December 27, 2013} The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Tonight I saw the secret life of Walter Mitty and I have to tell you, I really liked it.

This was a movie that I was really on the fence about seeing only because I am a purest and I love the original. The original is from 1947 and stars Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, and Boris Karloff.

The thing that I did like is that it followed the basic premise, but didn’t go too far. The original movie had Danny Kaye living with his overbearing mother, who will turn him over soon to an overbearing fiance. The one thing they had in common was that they both led very quiet, non-descript lives that no one seemed to notice them and they would daydream about great adventures they would take and always, there is a girl.

That’s pretty much how the movies are similar, except for the message, which i well get to soon.

This version has Walter working for Life Magazine, he is devoted to his mother, who loves him very much, played by Shirley McClain and to his nutty sister, who determined make it on Broadway. There is a photographer, played by Sean Penn who sets things motion, so to speak.

I have to tell you, I’m not a huge Ben Stiller fan, but i love this story and let me say, well done! He directed and starred and it worked. Kristen Wigg is the woman who he thinks about and the woman who encourages and inspires him.

All of a sudden he puts one foot in front the other and he’s off on an adventure, some of the time you’re not sure if he’s daydreaming or not. When those he cares about are in trouble, he finds his footing and the courage.

This is a great quote from the movie:
“Life is about courage and going into the unknown.”

It’s incredibly true, you don’t know what you can do until you try…just put one foot in front of the other, you might surprise yourself.

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{December 26, 2013} Do you work here?

that used to happen to me a lot.

I used to get asked if I worked in a store that I was shopping in about two to three times a week. I don’t know if I have a trusting or a welcoming face or I just look like I know what I’m doing.

Sometimes I would be able to help out just point them in the right direction or just tell them I don’t work there. There were times that I thought, laughingly, of getting a job in a particular store because it happened quite often.

The reason I thought about this, to blog about, is that I was in a store the other day, coming out of the bathroom, with my bag across my body and someone asked me where something was. I smiled and told him I didn’t work there, and he went off to find someone who did.

Has this happened to you?

{December 25, 2013} Christmas, Christmas Eve, family, traditions

Well, it’s that time of year…I want to talk about Christmas Eve, Christmas, Family and Traditions…as promised.

Here is it Christmas night, I’ve just gotten home, I have music from The Nutcracker Suite playing and I am smiling, both happy and a little bit sad and feeling wonderfully nostalgic. I am smiling and feeling nostalgic because going to see The Nutcracker performed by the City Company at Lincoln Center in New York City was something my family did every year around Christmas, I don’t remember, but we may have even gone on Christmas Eve. It was an annual family Chanukah present. (One year we got a Commodore 64, we were in the big time!).

Smiling, because it was something we did as a family; got dressed up, dinner and performance, it was wonderful. The sad part, it makes me miss my mom and right now the famous “Pas de Deux” is on and it is my dad’s favorite piece and one of my mom’s, the other was “Coffee” so I am sitting here smiling and sad at the same time.

That was a tradition we had, along with sometimes going to “The B’s” house to decorate the tree or have Christmas dinner, I think their tree was the first I ever helped to decorate. They always decorated so wonderfully for the holiday, the tree, lights, they have a huge bay window, always so warm and welcoming, the home as well as the family.

Everyone has different traditions and that one was a huge one from my childhood and as I’ve gotten older, there have been new traditions I have been privileged to be a part of.

The first, every Christmas Eve for the last five or six years, I celebrate with JT’s family. Well, the first tradition is that I go with JT shopping and help him choose some gifts for the family, I’ve gotten to know them quite well, so it’s fun to find things for them we know they are going to love. That tradition is usually Thanksgiving week/end or in November, this year it didn’t quite work out that way, so we went on the 23rd, it wasn’t bad at all! We ended up meeting his dad and brother and went out for lunch, it was fun.

Next, I show up about an hour or so early at his house to make a vegetarian lasagna and wrap the gifts he bought, everyone knows and loves to tease him, but it’s something we’ve been doing for years and I can’t imagine not doing it.

Then the festivities begin, everyone shows up, the drinks come out, the laughter and love and then it’s time to eat and they’re an Italian family, so it’s mange, mange! Usually lasagne, mine and a meat, Italian sausages, meatballs, salad, bread and wonderful desserts. After dinner we get settled in for an experience, opening presents. Due to ALL the people, which some years is more, there is almost no room to sit because of all the presents! I should have taken a picture!

Everyone’s name goes into a hat and the first person who opens presents, picks the next persons name and so on. Everyone has brought something for everyone and so you have at least six to ten presents each! All depending on who bought who what. The first year you are there, not everyone knows you, but ST, JT’s mom, makes sure to have something for you, she’s a fantastic hostess! Year after year, as you come back, you exchange more and more gifts and it really feels great, you are no longer a guest, you’re family.

The great thing is that even though not everyone is related, we’re all family and we treat each other that way, even if it’s your first time!

One of the special treats is DG’s cookies! Every year she makes about a gazillion cookies and every family gets a tin of cookies, yum! The catch: if you don’t give back the tin, you don’t get cookies the next year! Apparently a lot of people don’t give her back the tins, so she sends D to get more! One year it took me almost an entire year to get the tin back to her, I always tried to get it to her at the Super Bowl party. This year…she made it easy on us, we got a travel carton, no pressure!

We opened presents, thanked each other profusely, gave hugs and drove home, it was another wonderful and successful Christmas Eve.

Today was Christmas and we started off the day going to see KAB, JB and Baby A! We got to play and open presents and Grandpa, also known as DCM, got to put his car together and blow up his bounce house! see…useful as well as ornamental! They gave us a great picture they had blown up and modge-podged to a canvas, it was beautiful Baby A, awe. It was nice to spend some time with them.

Then it was off to see the rest of the kids for DCM and I was off to SDL’s house for my next tradition, Christmas with SDL, her sister, parents and of course Miss A! SDL used to go home to PA for the holidays, but since bringing Miss A home, Christmas has been at her house and her parents come down south. The first year was funny because she invited me, and my response was absolutely, but it wouldn’t have mattered, I was going to invite myself! Any opportunity with Miss A is a must!

I asked if she wanted me to being anything, without taking a breath, corn soufflé, did I really need to ask? I got there, made the soufflé, popped it in the oven and it was play time and time to catch up with the family. Her dad calls me Auntie G and so does her mom, you have no idea how much I love that! Everyone was in the kitchen playing and talking and laughing, is there anything better?

We sat down to eat to a feast! “Mom-mom” makes a pot roast, carrots and green beans, they are great to ensure that I have enough to eat, as the resident veg head! SDL made her famous mashed potatoes, she and her mom collaborated on the sweet potato with marshmallow dish, there was cranberry dressing, salad, crescent rolls (enough that we didn’t have to fight over the last one!) and for dessert…home made cheese cake and peach pie! Oh my!

Let’s just say after dinner, there was no room for dessert, just yet anyway! So we cleaned up and headed into the den with a nice fire going to get down to the business of opening presents. I’ll give you just one guess who had the most presents! There is always something hand knitted or crocheted from Mom-mom, and I’m in on it, so I am thrilled!

The absolute bestest present…the calendar that SDL makes every year of Miss A and her family and friends, it’s such a treat and honor to be a part of it, our birthdays are part of the calendar too! She didn’t want one of us to open that present without the others, so we had to wait until we had the go-ahead and then we went! We waited for each other to open it, then delved in, wow! I was laughing and crying at the same time, it was awesome! Thank you thank you thank you!

After all the presents were opened, it was bath time, for Miss A, of course! and then time for me to head out and go home, smiling the whole way with my wonderful treats in my bag.

Thank you to everyone who has made this holiday wonderful so far! But…it’s not over! I still get to see more friends this week, which is gift enough for me.

So, as Tiny Tim says “g-d bless us, everyone” and to you I say…”Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

{December 24, 2013} What to talk about…

What should we talk about tonight? I know you’re probably thinking I should talk about Christmas Eve, well, that’s what I would think if I was reading this post.

I could talk about Christmas Eve and the warmth and love and friendship and warm fuzzies, but there is Christmas Day to talk about as well and we are going to spend more quality time with those we love, so I think I’ll tell you everything in one post; one big and warm fuzzy post, kind of like my new soft as an angora rabbit, warm fuzzy slippers!

Instead, I want to talk about the fact that I can’t believe that the year is almost over! Can you believe it? It’s December 25th and in six days, it will be New Year’s Eve and we will be ushering in 2014, what? Where did the time go?

Then we’ll get to New Year’s Eve and so many people will be talking about resolutions, the gyms will be packed everyday for a few months, then Mondays. People will say, “I’m making a resolution to not make resolutions” which kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?

I stopped making resolutions years ago, and I know I am blogging every day, but…I made the decision and commitment on January 6th and by gosh, by golly, I’ve kept it and I don’t intend to stop! It’s funny, I had tried the blog a few years ago, didn’t work for me to blog every day, but I made this commitment to you and now I feel guilty if I don’t blog! I know there have been a few, last nights included, for the length, that were very short and to the point, basically begging for an apology because I just wasn’t able to blog, but it’s become second nature, I think about things to post all the time! I even took a picture at a gas station today so I could blog about it later! There is inspiration everywhere!

So…did you make a resolution last year? Did you stick to/with it! Are you going to continue into the new year? Are you going to make new resolutions? Try something new, go down a different path? I know there are some crazy ones out there, where do you stand?

Alright, even for me this is a total random musing and I should probably let you get some rest since I may have just tired you out and after tomorrow’s post, you’re gonna need it!

To those of you who celebrate “The Reason for the Season” I wish you a very happy christmas!

{December 23, 2013} What a day…I almost missed my post!

How would that looked…almost a full year of posts and then to miss one not far from the end, that would have been awful.

As it is 3am and my phone is giving me fits, I am going to pretend to fall asleep hope that I fool myself it might actually happen.

I will tell you more tomorrow.

For now, I will say Merry Christmas (eve) to all and to all a good night!

{December 22, 2013} Bad weather. Bad attitude. Bad parking.

What a day we had yesterday.

(Couldn’t tell you about it yesterday, might have ruined it for someone…DCMs daughter, she didn’t know we were coming to Atlanta! Now she does, so it’s ok!)

First…Bad weather.
The weather in Denver was a bit chilly, went from about 40 to 20 as we were waiting for the shuttle to the airport. Dad asked if we would be delayed due to the weather and as of the time we were getting to the airport, all was clear. Famous last words, right?

As we get to the gate, flight delayed for an hour and just as that time I get a call and email from Delta, wahoo. Apparently wherever the flight was coming in from was delayed, remember a few posts ago when I said Mother Nature was more to blame than the people who work for the airline? There were a lot of names called over the loudspeaker, a lot of people needing to get to their gates or they would be spending a lot of time at the airport!

We finally board the plane and then wait at the gate, then on the runway for, oh I don’t know, a day, or so it felt that way. We finally took off and the it was Atlanta bound. Our original landing time was about nine pm, with the delay and bad weather and turbulence, and circumventing the globe or the turbulence, well, that’s what they were saying and final landing time was about eleven pm, fun, huh? Let’s just say, we watched two full movies, start to finish, Red 2 and George of the Jungle,

We finally hit that turbulence I was talking about, it was awful. I’ve been through many flights with turbulence and there were three that got to me more than ever this was the third and I didn’t quite make it and apparently, I was very quiet, DCM didn’t even know I had done it. Good thing they have those bags!

Second…Bad attitude.
We finally get to Atlanta, head to the car rental terminal, a very nice facility by the way, and make our way downstairs to EZ Car Rental, which was the cheapest for the week and let me tell you, not cheap in the least, this week was awful with any car rental companies! Before I tell you what happened I will say that EZ was not that easy and we will never be renting from them again.

First, a lot of people waiting at each rental car counter with only one person working at each, fun! It was finally our turn and what fun she was to deal with. As we were going through the rundown and policies, I asked a few questions, like why is there a $10 per day charge, in addition to the exorbitant rate for the week if one person pays for both cars. When I said the policy was kind of stupid, and she started to get a little snarky, I said I thought the policy was stupid, she said I just work here, I said I wasn’t calling her stupid, just the policy, her response “you better not be calling me stupid!” Really? What took the cake, about 35 minutes into it was when she asked for a second phone number, because apparently they can’t close the reservation without a second phone number (what if you out and out don’t have, make one up?), she stopped and asked if there was a problem with the way she was doing things, I said no and then she proceeded to tell me I was snapping at her! I said I wasn’t, I was just asking about the policy because I was curious and her response was that every time she said something I would snap and I replied that I wasn’t getting snappy but every time I asked something she would snap. I said I understand that it can’t be easy being there late at night and she said “oh no, I love my job” and so it went.

When we finally walked away from the counter I asked DCM if I was being rude or snapping and he said no, (and there have been times he told me I was in the wrong, as much as I don’t like it, so I trusted his opinion and I wasn’t being snarky! I’m just very inquisitive!) I will tell you that the two times I had to go back with issues, she was sweet as pie, huh?

So much fun, long delayed flight, bad weather and turbulence and now, an unpleasant encounter with a snarky person, oh joy!

Third…Bad parking.
We get down to the parking lot with all the cars and apparently EZ had a run on the Impala industry, not sure they had any other cars, we both got Impalas, and they each have a sun/moon roof! Love it except for the rain coming in!

DCM gets settled in his car, I go to find mine and, well…take a look at the picture and how they parked the car! Mine was the first one in line, I could have taken the last one, it would have been easy, but really?

(That’s when I called, went back in and apparently the woman behind the counter had been replaced by a Stepford wife…just saying). Went back in, got a new car and then we were finally off.

So, there you have it: Bad weather, Bad attitude, Bad parking.

I get to see Miss A and Baby A (even though they sound like exhibits, they’re not, well exhibits in cuteness!) this week and it will make everything better!

{December 21, 2013} Embarrassing our children

One of the joys of being a parent is to embarrass your children.

Most times it’s done unintentionally, it’s just the way of the world, our cars aren’t cool enough, we don’t dress in the latest style, or we wear sweats, a moo-moo, curlers in our hair when we pick them or drop them off at school, we tell them we love them out loud and in public, oh no!

Then there are the times we do it intentionally, and those are the fun times! Come on, what parent out there hasn’t started dancing like a silly person in public or made kissing noises because we knew it would gross them out?

Be honest, you’ve done some of those, if not more or worse! But…our parents did it to us, their parents did it to them and guess what…some day, you will do it to yours!

Start working on your plan now!

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What was I thinking?