365 | Peaches Prattlings

{June 7, 2013} Fast & Furious 6 and previews

Tonight we went to see Fast & Furious 6. I liked it!

I’ve only seen one Fast & Furious movie before this, number 5 (I almost typed, the last one!). I liked it, even though I was promised that Vin Diesel and The Rock would take off their shirts and fight, that did not happen.

There was action, adventure, gun play, shoot outs, things blowing up, choppers, airplanes, tanks, bad dialog, some bad acting, no intrigue, but as always, there was some beautiful cars and some damn fine driving! Wait, I think I sense a theme! The theme/message of the movie? The code they live by…Family.

So, I already told you about The Rock, beefy and fit as ever and ginormous, then there was Vin Diesel, calculated and in charge. Paul Walker was Brian, sweet and charming, but a serious badass when push came to shove or he was pushed or shoved! Ludicrous is the hacker and a brain,
Tyrese Gibson can drive, but is not the brightest bulb in the pack! Sung Kang makes me think of SDL and Michelle Rodriguez, I believe is typecast, as a strong, tough, smart mouth, take no crap type of woman, someone you would want in your corner for a fight.

I will say this, there was a chick fight and it was good, an honest to goodness fight, not a “girl fight”. There were some stunts that you’re thinking, “really? They went there? They did that?” I wondered who some of this dialog was written for, DCM said a 16 year old boy, good point!

I will say, if you drink a one liter bottle of water, just when the action gets heavy, you’re going to have to go, and there was a lot left to the movie. There were a few deaths of the good guys, very sad, just so you know, they don’t happen until close to the end.

All in all, a good action flick, don’t expect Oscar winning material, but if you want car chases, cool cars, fights and action, this is a good choice.

Not a spoiler alert, but… You must stay after the final scene, before the credits, very important!

The were some great previews we saw!
Red 2, looks fantastic! Bruce Willis, John Malcovich, Helen Mirren, Mary Louise Parker all return, there are some new players: Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones. There is a hit out on Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren is one of the ones contracted to kill him and they used to be on the same team, frivolity ensues! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821694/?ref_=sr_1

Did you see Red? (Retired, Extremely Dangerous) I highly recommend it!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/

Mary Louise Parker is in another movie, R.I.P.D. Rest In Peace Department. Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges play detectives that have passed on and come back to earth to collect the departed who are trying to stay above ground,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790736/

The World’s End stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Roseamund Pike, so many other great British actors come together. Five friends reunite after 20 years to reenact their loved pub crawl and it turns out they may be human kinds last hope! Did you see Shawn of the Dead? Hot Fuzz? You’ll recognize some of the face and Simon Pegg is one of the writers. Cannot wait!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4

The Wolverine. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine..need I say more? I don’t think I have to!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430132/?ref_=sr_1

Riddick. Another new movie from Vin Diesel, looks good, action packed, maybe a little scary. Did you see Pitch Black? I didn’t, looked a little too creepy, but I did see The Chronicles of Riddick? That I liked, he was an action star, quick wit, sarcastic, smart and funny, what more could you want? And his eyes look cool!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411250/?ref_=sr_1

White House Down with Jamie Foxx as the president and Tatum Channing as a cop who helps protect and save the president when the White House is under attack. What I would like to know…does Hollywood have something against the White House? There seem to be an awful lot of movies with the White House under attack. Jamie Foxx is serious and funny and Tatum Channing, well, need I say more?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334879/?ref_=sr_1

We saw another preview, I don’t remember, so it must not have sparked an interest in me, sorry.

When I was younger, in college and majoring in Communication Media, one of my dreams was to make previews/trailers for movies, something that showed what the movie was about, but didn’t give it all away like a lot of previews do. I still do sometimes and I still get jazzed when I watch previews, it’s one of our favorite things about going to the movies. The best part…right after the preview and before the movie starts, DCM turns to me and tells me what we’re about to watch, sometimes I actually remember, but nine times out of ten (especially when there are a lot of previews) I can’t remember!

{June 6, 2013} Living in an apartment

It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in an apartment.

Now that I am in one again, I remember what I liked and what I didn’t. I’ve only been in the apartment a total of 6 days, but there are things I’ve noticed and things that bring memories back, the good and the bad.

I said its been a long time, and I wasn’t kidding, it’s been about 14 years, I bought my first house in 1999. First house…makes me sound like I buy and sell houses like crazy, nope, only had 2, trying to sell the one I have, wanna buy it?

When I tried to sell the first time, I thought about finding an apartment somewhere near the beach, a little 2, maybe 3 bedroom. A bedroom, office/guest/hobby room, definitely with a back deck/patio. If I didn’t have a mortgage, I’d get any kind of job, maybe beneath the apartment I was renting, just need something to pay the bills, is that wrong? Have a job with no pressure, get to do whatever I want and ensure everything is taken care of, sounds pretty good to me!

So, back to the apartment. I know people who have owned homes, sold them and are now in apartments and don’t want to go back, despite the benefits of owning a home, especially financially.

Let’s see…with an apartment, sometimes all or most of your utilities are included, there’s no yard work, if something breaks or needs repairs, like the A/C or dishwasher, you call someone and they come and fix it. Exterminator, routine maintenance, general grounds work, not your problem.

On the other hand…you can hear almost everything, the sound of bodies being dragged down the hall (I know it was luggage, a cart, maybe a dolly), voices in the hallway, someone hammering on the wall next door at SIX AM! really? We have no lights in the living room, either bedroom, not even sure if there are no, I so cannot remember the word at the moment, the thing that you can attach a light to,there are light switches, but no lights. Our bedroom has a very nice walk in closet, but the other bedroom closet is smaller than a hall coat closet; there is no place to put linens.
Did I mention the stupid pet fees?

I will say, it’s not horrible, but it’s a bit of a haul to get from parking to the apartment, mainly when toting a lot of groceries, haven’t gotten a wheeled cart yet, left the others back in Atlanta, but I can walk to the grocery story, restaurants, shopping, incredibly convenient and their is a very nice gym that is down the road and we get a discount for living here.

On the other hand…there is the opportunity to make friends easily, saying hello to a new neighbor, maybe at the pool, there are a lot of people with dogs, that’s a good way to make friends. Sometimes they have social events you can participate in, the funny thing is, in this place, they put those notices in the elevator, which we only used to load in our stuff when we moved.

We’re limited on space, as you know, I put most of my stuff in storage, so I have very little here, especially in terms of my crafting items. I selected the specific things I wanted to work on until I can get to my things (DCM said that if he’d known how much crafting stuff there was, he would have bought me more! If he’d told me that before we loaded up the truck…). It does seem a little odd going from almost 3,000 square feet to a little over 1000, but so far, it’s been good. There is a bedroom, an office (which will be a guest bedroom for you to crash in when we get a pull out sofa in there!), a comfortable living room, an eating area, a nice sized kitchen with lots if cabinets, a laundry room with a washer and dryer and a balcony to enjoy, do we need more?

Did I mention covered parking? Annie will be so happy in the winter!

I’m almost done unpacking boxes and once that is done and we can throw away or put into storage what’s left and get some furniture: I am an admitted bed snob, I am 5′ 1 1/2″ tall with a king sized bed and I like it that way! Bedroom furniture, lighting, some shelves for books and one for my plants on the balcony, hang some of the artwork we brought, a little shelf for me to put my crafting projects, keep them organized, I think we’ll be in business.

It’s all new for the cats, but they seem to be adjusting well, Peanut loves to jump in, over, up, on all the boxes, they’ve found places to hide and sleep, especially by the sliding door that leads to the balcony, plenty of sunshine! the life of a cat is a tough one!

All in all, we are settling in quite well, we’re cooking dinners together, only been out to eat once so far, I’m learning the area, where to go and how to get there, I know you’re not surprised at that one. So I can say, it’s not bad in an apartment, kind of like riding a bicycle, comes back to you.

{June 6, 2013} The day got away

Good evening friends.

Apparently the time change, unpacking, early mornings and other factors are catching up with me, I started typing and next thing I knew, DCM was tapping me on the shoulder, I had dozed off on the sofa!

I am going to get some sleep and I will type at you later!

Happy Wednesday!

{June 5, 2013} Ice cream…is anything better?

A friend posted on Facebook “Remember the days when an ice cream cone on a hot summer evening was the single bet thing that could happen?”

I think that is a very fair statement.

I used to love ice cream as a kid, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, didn’t matter, well not mint or pistachio, but I did love ice cream. That hasn’t changed, but as a I got older, I was diagnosed with Lactose Intolerance, that was so difficult! I used to love vanilla milkshakes from Burger King, oh boy!

I started taking lactaid pills and it was ok, but didn’t always help. I’ve tried all different types of ice cream substitutes, almond milk, coconut milk, both good, but still not completely the same. Although, when you put enough stuff on ice cream (syrups, sprinkles) its all good!

Doesn’t an ice cream cone make you feel like a kid again?

I like sugar cones better than cake, never liked cake cones, too spongy. Waffle cones are ok, but sometimes, that is too much ice cream, give me a sugar cone with rainbow sprinkles in the bottom of the cone to catch the ice cream as it melts and I am a happy kid!

Sometimes, a sundae is good, ok, we’ll, just give me maraschino cherries and I’m a happy girl! You can add ice cream or not, I love those things!

My favorite flavor is vanilla and one of the best ice creams is Breyer’s and now…Breyer’s came out with a Lactaid Free Vanilla! Wahoo! How excited was I to find that! (I still take a Lactaid pill most of the time, to be on the safe side)

The point of this post? After yummy leftover lasagna (well, my opinion anyway, DCM too) we each had a bowl of Lactaid Free Breyer’s vanilla, DCM adds milk to his, makes a modified milk shake of sorts.

The perfect ending to a summer day, makes me feel like a kid again! What makes you feel that way?

{June 3, 2013} Demolition Man

I just watched Demolition Man, probably for the umpteenth time and it never gets old!

It’s funny to watch to see who’s in a movie from “back then” even thought it only came out in 1993, the year I graduated college! Actually, it came out the fall after I graduated! I took my dad to see it! That’s one of the things I love about my dad, we have a lot of the same taste in movies. Since we don’t live near each other, we don’t get to go to the movies together very often, but when we’re in the same city, sometimes we get to go, or we watch them at home together.

Even though we don’t get to go together, we talk about the movies we’ve seen, give each other recommendations. We know what the other will like most of the time and its also nice when we can ward each other off certain movies as well, definitely helps! And most of the time, we are right on the money. I wish we loved closer to see each other more often, but I’m lucky, we talk every day, sometimes for a minute, sometimes for an hour, so even though we’re not next door, we’re only a phone call away.

Ok, I could go on and on about my dad and I will in future posts, but you came here for a movie review!

Looking at the cast, a very young and cherubic, bright eyed Sandra Bullock, a fresh faced Benjamin Bratt, pre Law and Order, I often forget that he and Sandra Bullock were in Miss Congeniality together, both more seasoned professionals. Rob Schneider, looking like a babe, fresh from Saturday Night Live and did you remember that he and Sylvester Stallone were in Judge Dredd? There’s not much to say about Dennis Leary, he was, well, Dennis Leary, I think he’s one actor that has been type cast and he doesn’t seem to mind and he’s good at it, good for you Dennis!

As Wesley Snypes has gotten older, his roles become more serious, great at the action, he had great lines in Demolition Man and I always loved the one blue eye, one brown. But as I mentioned, more serious, the Blade series,which I loved, well, the last one not as much, the bad vampires faces, wicked creepy. Do you remember him in Wildcats? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092214/?ref_=sr_1

Sylvester Stallone, the consummate action hero. In amazing shape, which is something he has always maintained, prime fighting shape. It’s funny, people always tease, because of the Rocky and Rambo movies, he was not well spoken, not the brightest bulb in the pack, so sometimes it gets confused with the actor. Did you know he wrote Rocky? Some would joke, I didn’t know he could read! He’s written quite a few movies, check out imdb.com to check it out!

There were some great one liners, things that make you go…huh? The captain from Lethal Weapon was in the earliest scene, then there was a Lethal Weapon poster in Sandra Bullock’s office. The Schwarzenegger Library? He became governor a full 10 years after Demolition Man came out! Taco Bell is the only restaurant left? Oldies are actually commercials from the 20th century?

It was a fun movie, full of action, laughter, one liners, violence and an all around good time.

Could someone please tell me what the three sea shells are for!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/?ref_=sr_1

{June 3, 2013} Pack, move, throw away, birthday brunch, fly home

What a day!

No chapters today, the telling won’t take as long!

I got up at 7, started moving things downstairs and to the garage, spread out more rubber mulch (looks good!)at 9:45, my good friend, CMD came over and we went over everything that needed to be done: cleaning, moving, etc. I left everything in her capable hands, the house looks great! Thank you! You’re awesome!

Off to brunch with the girls, a surprise for CKM’s birthday, it is the 18th, but I’m here! SDL and hr sister DJL, Miss A, TS and AL. We went to Pastry a Go Go in Decatur, we had a great time talking, catching up, laughing. For dessert, we had to sing happy birthday, so I found a birthday candle app, we sang, took a picture then everyone went on their way.

CKM and I ended up walking across the street to Heliotrope, that store that has all the things you didn’t know you needed until you went to this store! We walked to The Cook’s Warehouse for a few minutes to dream, then I realized what time it was! I had to get to the airport!

I made it to car return, then bag drop with literally 2 minutes to spare! Made it to the gate, flight was delayed 20 minutes. We get on the place, I fell asleep and when I woke up and hour alter, thinking we were well on our way, we were still sitting there we took off eventually and got to Denver about 1.5 hours late. DCM was there at the top of the escalator waiting for me, sigh. He was laughing, apparently I was shaking my head/trying to flip my hair, not possible!

We stopped by the store for sandwich rolls, made some dinner an now we’re watching the end of The Return of the Jedi, what could be better!

Mentally, I know it’s 11:00pm, MT and I want to keep thinking that way, to adjust, but my body knows its almost 1:30 am. So, I bid you a very good good night and keep your fingers crossed Saturday, I get to sleep in!

{June 1, 2013} A day full of surprises, a tradition, silliness, visiting and I’m not done yet!

Ok folks, you may need to take a nap before you read this or during! It has been a very long day and it’s not over!

(I was thinking about chapters for this novella, so here goes!)

Chapter 1
So, another yard sale was planned for this morning, (yes, I have thatmuch stuff left over! The alarm was set for 7, I was having a dream about sleeping and CKM says something about getting up and I realize that the alarm is going off and it’s 8! Oh no! I throw on some close, run downstairs, open the garage and start moving things around.

Two people showed up to look at stuff, just browsing, my new friend TP showed up to talk about some stuff I want to put on eBay and he is the king and enjoys it. I am not and don’t want to do it and I will give good commission! When he showed up, I said, screw it, I do not want to do this and closed the garage door. I’m ok with it, I may try to find someone to do another yard sale for me, or have The Salvation Army pick it all up and have mondo (my sister used to love that word) write offs for my taxes next, that may be worth more, already have made 3 runs there, wedding dress and all!

TP came inside and caught up, so much to talk about since we just met last Saturday, but you know when you meet someone had have that connection? And talked eBay and he was on his way.

I cleaned up and headed out the door.

Chapter 1A
As I was getting dressed, I realized I needed something new to “hold up the girls”, I am excited to say that I am no longer a 40…(none of your business) and now a 38! Wahoo! The girls are sitting pretty and I think I look better!

Chapter 2
I headed out to meet CKM for my traditional biannual (I had to look that word up, it always gets me!) haircut and donation, we’ll talk about that in minute, chapter, whatever. I get in the (rental) car and stop at the entrance of the neighborhood, to get the yard sale sign. I did something I have NEVER done before, I got out of the car, while it was still running and DID NOT roll the drivers side window down, got out to get the sign and…the door locks itself! What?!? So, I proceed to try to find a way in, turns out the trunk was open, how, I don’t know! But I tried, no lucky! You can get out of the trunk by the release,but not back into the car! (Just so you know, every time I try to type car, I keep typing cat!) I call Enterprise, they schedule someone to come out, which will cost me $57 because I didn’t get the roadside assistance, which I have NEVER gotten, because I have never needed it, of course! I asked if there was a remote unlock…nope, in GM, yes, Nissan, nope, go figure!

Sabrina, the nice lady helping me asked if there was anything she could do, yeah, make me feel less stupid! I’m over it!

Meanwhile, so many people stop to ask if I need help, I love is neighborhood! PL, one of my neighbors and his twin brother, didn’t know he was a twin! Stopped to help, even got into the truck themselves, and they’re not little boys! No luck. The said if I wasn’t in by the time they got back from Home Depot, they would find a way in. Luckily, the guy showed up and it took him about 3 minutes to get in to the car, really? He used something to pump the window open, used a snake like thing, and I was in.

The car was like an ice box! I had the AC going and the radio on, I heard the end of Car Talk and the beginning of Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me on NPR. If I had child or animal in the car, they would have been fine, scared maybe, but fine. I could see myself trying to talk to the child to get them to open the door!

So, an hour after I was supposed to leave, I was off.

Chapter 3
While as I was waiting, I got a call…KT had her baby at 9:52 am! DCM was a grandfather a second time and that made me a grandmother too! (Two!) JJ was excited! He called me last night that her water broke at 9:30 last night and we were on baby watch! He sent a picture, what a cutie! I of course forwarded that on! AJH, 8 lbs, 3 oz, 20″. How fast do you think it took me to forward that picture and brag! (Kvell is another great Yiddish word, it means swell with pride!)

I sent a message to KT via Facebook and told her I couldn’t wait to meet him! I told DCM I would it go to the hospital later this afternoon and represent.

Chapter 4
After I got back into the ice box, I headed out to meet CKM, my photographer for the event, she was with me the last time, it was a nice tradition. First we met for breakfast at Thumbs Up! in Decatur, the food was good, service left something to be desired, it may have been his first week.

We walked across the street to Super Cuts, signed in, took a few pictures and waited my turn. The woman who cut my hair was very nice, I told her that I was donating my hair and go as short as she needed to. I told her why I had to cut it today.

My mom, EMS passed n June 1, eight years ago, from Multiple Myeloma and every 2 years on June 1st, I cut and donate my hair. There wasn’t quite 10″, what we needed for Locks Of Love, but there are companies out there I can send it to and I will. I love and miss you mommy.

While I was in the chair, CKM snapped photos and she was great to stop when i started tearing up, it always gets me as the first snip goes through my hair. As more and more hair fell away, I saw my mom more and more staring at me, it happens every time, you’d think I would be used to it!

She kept cutting and kept cutting, she even used a trimmer on the back, I la la la LOVE it! My dad said it looked great, my sister said the same, great cut for the summer! CKM too and DCM liked it a lot, those are important opinions to me. I can’t wait to see the reactions on Facebook!

It’s fuzzy in the back! My neighbor, DG, when he cuts his hair, he gets a buzz cut and our tradition is for me to rub his head! The back of my hair is just like his! Tonight, I keep rubbing it, maybe I’m hoping to get a wish!

An emotional, therapeutic, enjoyable experience.

Chapter 5
After the haircut, we went to the Michael C Carlos Museum at Emory, someplace CKM had on her list of things she wanted to do, who am I to deny a birthday list! We and a lot of fun, through the Greek art, Egyptian, African, mummies, jewelry, waaaayyyy too many ear spools! Those are the things that expand your ear holes, no thank you! And a lot of Lime Sticks! Enough said!

Quite enjoyable, but only one floor and one special exhibit up a LONG flight of stairs, slightly misleading.

Chapter 6
We parted ways and I went to Kennestone Hospital to see the new grand baby! The hospital is huge, I had to ask two people how to find maternity! I finally found it, parked and saw HB, KT’s step brother and we went to the room together. Everyone was there! CG, KT’s step mom, the new daddy, J, KT’s boyfriend, DCM’s youngest, DCM (yes I know, you need a chart!) some friends and now me!

We all agreed we couldn’t wait for LB to see her new cousin, she’s been talking to KT’s belly, telling him to come out and play, she can’t wait to meet him!

What a cutie! He has brown hair, blue eyes and really long fingers and fingernails. I was third in line to hold him and how sweet to hold and feel the soft skin and watch him sleep, what a joy! I got someone to take my picture, sent to to DCM and he posted it on Facebook. Of course everyone wanted to know who he was, so I bragged!

The funniest thing, DCM is a Falcons can, KT is not, so he will make it a point to get lots of Falcons stuff for AJH, well, her boyfriend is a DENVER BRONCOS fan, she said, “that’s ok, I’ll talk to JJ” you know it! I’ve got your back, KT! Already taken care of that!

I’m so glad that I was I Atlanta for the birth of KT’s son, it was exciting for me to see them! I know that she wanted her dad here and I know he wanted to be here, but I hope that I represent him well. We’ll be back in July, so it won’t be long before he gets to meet his grandson! And of course, there is Skype and FaceTime!

After about 1.5 hours, I headed home, it was a long drive and I have a lot to do still! I did feel bad and apologized to DCM, I said I would pick up flowers and I couldn’t find a place anywhere near the hospital to buy flowers, I’m sorry (hanging head).

Chapter 7 (you still with me?)

I hit traffic every which way! Took me almost 2 hours to get home. I stopped at Home Depot for more mulch, got there just as the gate was closing, got 10 bags and headed home. On the way, on a side street there was a huge branch in the road, I stopped the car to move it out of the way. It was cool, cars stopped in both directions so I could move the branch.

I stopped by my neighbor’s house, PT and her husband JT, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before I left, so I stopped in to catch up, what was supposed to be a quick visit turned into about 1.5 hours, it was wonderful.

We used to get to spend more time together, this past year has been crazy for both of us.Her husband had had some health issues, but he’s making great strides and it was so good to see him and it was fun to banter back and forth with him.

The great thing about Facebook is we can keep up with each other, hope to get a Skype date with her!

Chapter 8
I got home, started packing more stuff, the goal is to get everything out of the house that needs to be out of the house, staged and all. I got a phone call and sold a piece of lawn equipment, not a total waste today (yard sale wise)!

I talked to my dear, sweet friend CMD, who is going to come tomorrow to see what needs to be done and get the house sparkly clean to have pictures taken so it can sell, sell, sell!

Now, it’s 12:30 and I decided to sit down and write you a novella before it gets too late! I’m about to get back to it, get everything to the garage, wish me luck!

Hopefully tomorrow’s post will be a lot simpler, especially after you’ve had a nap!
Sweet dreams my friends!

{May 31, 2013} What a wonderful night!

Today started out normal enough, I started work, got some things done around the house, got things mostly ready for tomorrow’s yard sale, fingers crossed! added more mulch to the yard, it’s really starting to come along! If I could only really kill the dandelions, oh my word!

I have to tell you about the mulch I am using, it’s red (surprise) rubber mulch! It is made from recycled tires, if you look closely, you can actually see the tread! It has a guarantee of about 12 years and you don’t have to replace it, just turn it over every now and then. Looks good and I’m helping the environment by recycling, how cool is that! When I first put it down, it was about $7 per bag, today it was $4.97, so if you’re interested, go for it! I comes in red, brown and black.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-0-8-cu-ft-Rubber-Mulch-in-Red-HDVRDMN8CB/203922303?N=bx4a#.Ual9Pcu9KSM

I finished about 4:45 and went in, got cleaned up and headed out to what I had been looking forward to all week! I have a friend, LK, who I have known since we were kids, our moms worked together way back when. Her dad was my French teacher in middle school, he and his wife laugh because the day he became my teacher, I stopped calling he and his wife by their first names, they became Mr & Mrs B, I haven’t been able to call them anything else! I was almost 30 and they said you know you can call us J and E, nope, can’t, sorry! So, here I am, almost 42, and I am still calling them Mr and Mrs B.

Our families spent holidays together, we loved going to their house to decorate the tree and celebrate Christmas, they would come over and celebrate Chanukah. We traveled together and as we got older, stayed in touch with each other. I went up to NYC when LK married AK at St Patrick’s Cathedral. When you’re catholic, where else do you get married! I got announcements each time her children were born, we stayed in touch.

LK went to grad school in Florida (please correct me if I’m wrong!) and met her husband, AK. They were living in Florida when AK’s work took him to Georgia, about eight years ago, lucky for me! I found out they were moving up here and I couldn’t wait to go and see them! I got to the door and we almost fell on the floor! We both thought our mothers were at the door!

They have three beautiful girls, all amazing athletes. The oldest, KK is 13 and is a fantastic softball player, can perfect almost any sport she plays. When she was younger, there was touch football, the boys didn’t want to play with her until they saw how good she was, then they fought over her to be on their team. When she was younger, she swam competitively, but not anymore, she still enjoys the water, but just for fun. There was lacrosse for a minute and basketball. She also has an amazing head for sports facts, you want to know something, ask her. I actually called her once from a hockey game to ask her what a hat check was!

JK is in the middle and still has the wonderful cherubic face as she did when she was little, great big smile always. She is a demon on the soccer field and is a champion swimmer! I have been at some of her meets and it amazes me every time, she excels at everything she does. She was even on teams with older kids because she is just that good! Tomorrow, there is a swim meet at Georgia Tech and then a soccer match in the afternoon! No wonder she was tired tonight! I remember for her 5th birthday, we had our claws and paws done, her first! And then she, her mom and grandmother, Mrs B for those of you not paying attention! All went out for formal tea with finger sandwiches and costumes!

KK is the youngest, I remember when she was born! Like her sisters, she is a star athlete. She’s tried a lot of different things, cheerleading, dance, but her real skill is swimming! I remember when she was a toddler, we too her to a water park and while the older two took their time getting in the water, she just jumped right in! No fear! I reminded her of the time her mom and I realized it was time to get rid of the crib; we went into her room to check on her and she was standing ON the crib! She has always been strong and fearless, all the while, still sweet, and loves her barbie dolls, I got to meet about 6 tonight! Thank you! She had braided all their hair, so she did mine too!

I got to the house and was greater by the dogs letting everyone know I was there! Divit came to the family a few years after they had moved here and after Jazz, LK’s sweet black lab passed, they added two sisters, Twinkie and Yoohoo, yes, you read that right! I also met their three hermit crabs, (I only remember Shaniqua and Lucy, sorry K!), with bright painted shells! They will never be homeless!

When I came in the door, I got the biggest hugs from the, even what was almost a hug from the oldest, KK. I have to kind of force her to hug me, sort of, pull her arms around my waist. I always told her its just easier to hug me than fight it! (I always feel like my mom when I say that!) I think it’s just our thing, the whole time she’s saying “I don’t hug” and I told her I didn’t care!

The hugs were great, from the girls and from LK and AK. It is always so warm and loving at their house. It was like a security blanket for me during some very rough times. My favorite thing all night, well, there are so many…hearing my name, Aunt J, look at this, Aunt J, check this out. I love those girls, I always have and always will refer to them as…my girls.

When the girls were little, I would see the family at least once a month, if not more, but it’s been hard these last two years for us to get together, either I’m on the road for work or they are on the road for a traveling team tournament, but one thing is, we are never far from each others thoughts and hearts. We see each other on Facebook and chat on the phone, very rarely lately, but we still chat and catch up. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing them on my doorstep in Colorado and I am hoping to see them whenever I visit Atlanta, it’s always fun to visit family!

Tonight was as if no time had passed, I showed up for dinner, they fed me. I did bring dessert, Dutch apple pie and Breyer’s vanilla ice cream! We caught up, we laughed, we joked, we hugged, we reminisced and we loved, it really felt like home and I know it always will.

It was tough to say goodbye, but we got a great picture and I will see them again and I have a feeling, I’m going to have one or two or all of the girls visit me, maybe their mommy will make a girls weekend with me! I got a bunch of goodbye hugs and kisses, my favorite!
Hey LK, lets FaceTime!

As I drove home, I had a smile on my face and it will stay there for a while. Thank you.

{May 30, 2013} An artichoke bigger than your head!

First, if you remember, I said how it was surreal with no cats around me? Well, I’ve heard one, twice! Kind of freaked me out, but I’m ok now. And tonight,I got to eat with no one wanting to smell my food!

Second, I ate an artichoke that was bigger than your head! It took me about 1.5 hours to eat it, but I ate it!

Remember how I packed everything to move? Well, as I was coming back to Atlanta last night, I started to wonder how I was gong to cook this bad boy! I found one pot in the cabinet, more of a teensy tiny pot that holds maybe 4 cups, max…this was not going to work! I did remember that I ran the dishwasher before we left and I had clean cutlery. My one sharp knife in the house, a Quikcut Paring Knife from Pampered Chef, a really small knife, but sharp enough to cut the end and the leaves.

I went online and found a recipe/instructions on how to cook it in the microwave and let me tell you, Y U M! I didn’t have any plastic wrap, so I followed the instructions, cut the tips, rinsed the artichoke, sprinkled with lemon juice (helps cut down the bitterness) rinsed again (not a fan of lemon anything)
double wrapped in wet paper towels and a microwave safe bowl. Cooked for 7 minutes, that wasn’t quite enough, added 5 more minutes and it was done!

I like to melt some butter, add fresh garlic and sometime either bread crumbs or Parmesan cheese for dipping. It was terrific! When i normally cook them on the stovetop, it takes 30, 35, sometimes 40 minutes to cook. This was so easy, I’m definitely going to have to it again!

I bought the artichoke at the Walmart near the apartment. Sometimes they have really good produce, and sometimes, they will carry what the supermarket doesn’t.

It was funny, on the shuttle to the airport yesterday, aside from finding out way more than I wanted to know about some people, when I showed them the artichoke, we started talking about genetically modified fruit an the controversy. I said, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, so, if I’m going to go due to genetically modified vegetables, I’m ok with that!

I attached the web page where I got the microwave recipe.
http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-cook-artichokes-in-microwave.html

Happy cooking!

{May 29, 2013} When do I get to sit still?

First, let me say how surreal this is, I’m in my house and there are no cats running all over me, I’m not sure which way to turn.

I want to tell you about my day, but I would like to start with something that really ticked me off, but I didn’t want spoil my happy post yesterday. When I went into the office to fill out my rental application and add the cats, I had a rude awakening. When DCM first asked about the pet deposit, they said $200 for the deposit and $50 per month (I couldn’t remember if it was per cat), ok, I knew there would be a fee, I just didn’t realize how big!

It was $50 application fee for me, fair enough, then there was a $200 refundable pet deposit, in case of whatever and the $50 a month rent, I still can’t remember if its for both or per cat, probably per cat. THEN…they hit me with $200 PER cat NON-REFUNDABLE pet application! What??? I had to give the. $650 for me and the two cats, seriously??? What do they do with that money? (Especially since there are no lights in either bedroom or the living room! Take some of that money and put in some lights! Ok, I’m done.

Today stated early..6:30 am for a call, that’s a bit early, but everyone is on EST, so it was only 8:30 for them, I’m glad I’m in EST tomorrow, I have a call at 8am! I have decided to keep my EST work hours, since DCM gets up for work at 6:45, my commute is about 15 feet, so I get up, start work at 7am MT, which is 9am EST, the cool part…I get off work at 3pm! (Don’t burst my bubble!)

There is a shuttle for the airport that will pick up in front of the apartment complex, it was so easy! $38, 45 minutes, I don’t have to deal with parking, it was great. I think I will use them as long as DCM can’t take me to the airport.

There was a nice group of people on the shuttle, 3 people from Boston, go figure and one from Northern California. It was interesting, we started talking about technology and how people don’t talk anymore, they are always buried in their smart phones, especially kids, and here we were talking and wasn’t it nice and refreshing and as soon as we got to the airport, it was “see ya!”

I got through security, grabbed a bite to eat, headed to the gate and fell asleep before we took off, my favorite. I woke up and then the turbulence hit, so not fun! I went to the bathroom and when I came out, one very pleasant flight attendant said “you need to get to your seat ma’am” really? Did she think I wanted to stay in the bathroom the entire flight? I told her I was trying not to throw up.

Friends, I have I tell you…for anyone who knows me, you know I love to travel, I’m comfortable on a plane. There are times I’m flying every month, if I have a job that is 100% travel, I’m in the air more than on the ground and I don’t usually get affected by turbulence, but this was unusual. I sat down right where I was and eventually got back to my seat. After about 20 more minutes, it started to settle down and I settled in to finish watching The Guilt Trip, Seth Rogan and Barbara Streisand. I will have to rent it and watch the whole thing so I can give you a decent movie review. I did get choked up towards the end, Barbara Streisand still reminds me of my mom.

By the time we landed, I had had enough, I went to the rental car terminal, which was surreal in and of itself, being back in GA and renting a car. The guy who got me into a car and set up was very pleasant, the woman behind the Enterprise counter, not so much.

This takes me back to what I have said many, many times..it’s not my fault that you don’t like your job or its not your dream job, so…if you don’t like your job, find another one! You chose to get into the customer service industry.

And who am I to break tradition, it was late, but a stop at Fellini’s for a slice and coke were in order! Back on the road, head down Hwy 78, cruise control is on (I’ve been sooooo good for over 6 months, I am not jinxing it!)

Now I sit in my bed, going to get some sleep in a few, get up, work at my job, try to see some of the people I didn’t get to see before I left and work on finishing things around the house (including another yard sale!) to get it really ready to sell! Fingers crossed friends!

I think I have adjusted to the time difference, it’s only 11pm in Colorado and guess what…I’m awake!

Here’s to the next adventure, but please tell me when I get to sit still!

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?