365 | Peaches Prattlings

{April 15, 2013} Saddened and Encouraged

There is a quote that many people have posted on Facebook today “When I was and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. ‘To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” Mister Rogers

That statement has never been more true than today. Look for the helpers, they were there at the first sign of trouble. My sister used to volunteer for the Red Cross, a few times for the Boston Marathon, can you imaging how proud I am of her?

The response to the incident was amazing, there is always a mobile hospital at the finish, everything was mobilized within minutes, ambulance, fire, police.

I received a call from SLD while I was on a conference call, when I texted back that I wasn’t available, was everything ok? She replied that she wanted to check if my family and friends in Boston were ok, why? Then she told me, what? Two bombs went off at the finish for the Boston Marathon. Immediately texted my brother in law, AS, I knew that my sister, GES, had just landed safely in London, happy to say. AS and EJ were on the train going home from a Red Sox game.

RG had been announcing the race, she posted pictures earlier in the morning, she was ok, so said her husband on her Facebook page. She’s been posting today, keeping us posted on how she was doing.

I called JCT, she was working 1/2 a mile away, heard something, but was ok. My friend, CWB, was sitting at Logan airport hoping to get on her flight to go home, it was delayed a bit, but she made it home to Philly finally.

I checked with other friends, they were all present and accounted for and safe, thank goodness. S many people were checking with me that my friends and family in Boston were safe, thank you.

Whoever did this, knew what they were doing. The bombs went off about the four hour mark and at the finish, where there were families and friends waiting, kids, seriously? Hasn’t there been enough violence, can’t people make their points without anyone getting hurt? Anyone else dying?

What terrorists fail to understand is that no matter what they seem to throw at us, The United States of America comes together and comes out stronger than before. We come together as a nation that cannot be torn apart or asunder. That makes me proud.

President Obama said, “Today, we are not republicans, we are not democrats, we are Americans.”

There was a touching story, amid all the tragedy, George and Laura Bush became grandparents for the first time, no matter what your believe or think, we need hope and how much does that scream hope? I wish them luck, what a ride they are in for, there is nothing like it!

Also during all the emails and texts and posts, I got the best text, it was a video, EJ rode her two wheeler all by her self! I called and spoke with her “Hi EJ” “Hi Auntie J! I rode my bike today! No falling no all by myself!” “I’m so proud of you EJ, can’t wait to see you on your bike! I love you!” “I love you too, bye!”

While I am saddened by what happened today as I am by events like this, I am encouraged that we will emerge a stronger nation, that we have to have hope and when I see people helping each other, it restores my faith in humanity, which some days feels like its being tested, oh so many times.

Be good to each other (not just a line from Bill and Ted), it’s important and one thing we are good not and need.

{April 14, 2013} Process of elemination

As you may have figured out, I am in Colorado this week.

I came out for a few reasons, to see DCM, who moved out here two weeks ago, to be exact. He moved to be near and local to the company he works for, Clean Energy Collective, http://www.easycleanenergy.com/. He started the company with a friend of his four years ago this June and had been working as a second job when I met him at the company we both worked for. Last January he was told it was a go and he could quit his day job and turn his “hobby” (he loves what he does so much, it’s not work, it’s a hobby) into a full time job, making his dreams a reality. Well, aside from meeting me, of course! I am so proud of all he does and what he has accomplished.

The other reason I came out to Colorado was to go with DCM to look for a place to live, yes, I said look for a place to live! When people have been asking me why I’m making the move to Colorado, my answer is, “I’m following a boy!” Tee hee hee.

In answer to your next question, yes, I am able to do my job in Colorado, thankfully! I work from home and if I need to, I can go in, we can discuss my job later.

So, the process of elimination…as I mentioned one of the reasons I came out to Colorado was to look for a place to live. DCM is living in the corporate apartment right now and planning to move at the end of the month and I’m planning on moving out here at the end of May, so we need a place for him to go and me to live when I get here! I like his truck, and I’m all about “car camping” but not car living!

We have to take several factors into consideration, DCM’s office is in Boulder and if things change for me and I get another job, will it be in Boulder, or Denver even, so we have to think about how far I might have to drive as well as how far will it be to drive to Boulder for DCM, wherever we live.

One of our goals this week is to check out different areas to see where we may or may not want to live. We found a few places to check out and when we went to look at those cities, we decided very quickly that we didn’t want to live there, so check one thing off our list.

It’s great to be with someone who has similar likes and dislikes, opinions, that are similar and differ and has opinions, and most importantly agrees on the standards that we want to live by, it helps in so many ways. For now, this is a place we are going to be for at least a year so we need to be happy and comfortable in our decision.

Wish us luck this week, hoping to find a place to “come home to” in a few months. And a place for you to visit!

{April 13, 2013} Olympus Has Fallen

Today, DCM and I went to see Olympus Has Fallen. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Mike Banning is a disgraced former Presidential guard who ends up in the thick of it when the White House and the President are taken hostage. [Not a spoiler alert, that is what imdb.com says].

I really did like it more than I thought I would. It started out a little slow, you need a back story to explain why Mike is a former Presidential guard and disgraced. I will tell you that it was incredibly violent, there was so much bloodshed and people getting blown up, there were moments that I covered my eyes and ears.

The cast was impressive, Aaron Eckhart played the president, he was introspective, loved his family and this country. Ashley Judd plays his very loving wife, Morgan Freeman is the Speaker of the House, when he has to take command of a situation, you are very impressed, not realizing how good he really is. Dylan McDremott plays another Secret Service Agent in the beginning and then working for the Korean Ambassador later in the movie. Angela Bassett was the Secret Service Director, she was a good strong character, she definitely commanded a situation, was very well respected. Gerald Butler was Mike Banning, a strong, steadfast and true guard, taking his job very seriously, even when he was no longer in the presents employ. He was a combination of Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, who else can I throw in there? He was a force to be reckoned with!

After the fatalities, the next biggest victim? The White House. How many movies have we seen the White House get blown up, shot, lit on fire, explode? It was sad. I will say, it’s very cool to watch the efficiency in which the Secret Service rallies around the president and goes into lock down mode when the White House is under attack, precision, almost like a dance.

All in all, I recommend the movie, it had bad /cheesy one liners, gun play, explosions, twists [you know, how can he be the bad guy?], neck breaking, fighting and a computer whiz [and what action movie today doesn’t?] what more could you want?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2302755/?ref_=sr_1

{April 12, 2013} A better travel experience

This flight was so much better than the last one.

So, I had an interesting new experience today, I flew Southwest Airlines for the first time. I’m not sure if I liked how they do things. First, you don’t check in online and get your boarding pass, you get your boarding pass at the gate, I’ll get back to that later. When you get to the airport they give you a ticket, of sorts, to get through security, you turn that in at the gate and they give you a boarding pass with a zone on it.

Did I mention that since you don’t have a boarding pass, you don’t get to select a seat, they board in the herding cattle method. Ok, I might be a little harsh, but it felt like that. My zone was C28, that meant that I wasn’t getting on until the C group and in group 25-30, what? If you pay $12.95 online, you can improve your zone option.

This ultimately means that in the C28 zone, I had my choice of middle seats as far as the eye can see. Weehoo…

Ok, so, when you get to the airport, you check in, 2 bags free up to 50 pounds, that was a bonus, they give you a piece of paper and then at the gate, you get your boarding pass and still no sat assignment, what?

I was on the phone with CKM and she couldn’t believe the no seat assignment either. I said I’ve flown on Delta enough to have privileges, I like those privileges, she called me spoiled, I said yes. And I’m I with that

So, the better experience, the flight was my delayed 10 minutes, so not bad. I sat in the middle set next to a woman who seemed to be working on a time sheet invoice most of the flight, we chatted for part of the flight, she had just moved to Atlanta and was still on the fence, she was going back home to Denver for a girls weekend. (Guess where I’m going?)

To my right was Jack, Jackson Lee, a very cute and friendly 10 month old who got a bit restless. He had the biggest blue green eyes and was a big flirt in his blue running pants and superman tshirt. After a white, I changed from the Transformers to Rio, a great cartoon about a bird named Blue, set in Rio, that worked. Then I found some Elmo, like I play with LB and that worked, he held my hand and had so much to say, just have no idea what that was!

When I put the iPad away, he actually reached for me and his mom said it was ok. He was sitting on my lap and we talked and laughed, I blew in his face, just like I do with Miss A and he giggled, what a great sound and his face scrunched up, so cute! Then all of a sudden I was removing his hand, that happened a few times, remember I said he was a flirt!

Then the best thing happened, he reached his little arms around my neck and kissed my cheek and gave me the best hug, that felt so good. Is there a better feeling?

All in all a better flight than the last one, this little guy was a treat, no Preston get off the floor, no Preston stand up, Preston…Preston…Preston.

The BEST part…DCM was there at the airport to pick me up, it’s been 2 weeks since we’ve seen each other and that first hug was heaven. We’ve got a lot to do while I’m here, I’ll keep you posted as we move along.

{April 11, 2013} Coincidence? Fate?

I’ve thought a lot about coincidences lately and then we were talking about them at dinner the other night. If I hadn’t done…..then I wouldn’t have met….or wouldn’t have experienced….

Do you spend much time doing that? CKM was talking about all the connections to Brookhaven, after a few, I said, you mean like “Six Degrees of Brookhaven (sorry Kevin Bacon!)”? Exactly!

So then I thought some more about it, especially with the group I was with. I met CKM at a Super Bowl party with a friend of ours, but if it wasn’t for the friends friendship with my friend BG’s wife, they never would have been at the Super Bowl party and if that friend hadn’t moved on when she did, we might not be as close as we are today, possibly, but who knows and I’m not taking anything for granted.

BG and his wife, CA and I all worked for the same company, as did TS. What are the odds that we all end up at BG and CA’s house for a party and TS says, “this was my daughter’s baby house!”

SDL and I had met way back in the day at Georgia State University, she was undergrad, I was doing some grad work, we hit it off, then we lost touch after a few years and happened to run into each other at a going away party for my neighbor’s son. It was a nasty rainy night and both of us almost didn’t go, how tragic would that have been. We’ve been thick as thieves ever since!
If I hadn’t moved into this neighborhood, I never would have met those neighbors or the son to go to the party to see SDL.

Also, if I hadn’t moved into this neighborhood, the wasband would never have met his new wife (all I’m going to say on this) which led me to needing to find a job, and if I hadn’t been talking to a friend of ours and told him that I was looking for a job, I wouldn’t have been connected to the company where I realized my true passion, training, as well as meeting RS and JCT, two of my closest friends, then SS and her partner SD, another of my very dear close friends, to whom I am now auntie to their new baby girl SSD! The funny part is what I always like to say, changing jobs and no longer working for SS was one of the greatest things that could have happened, we became friends!

When i got transferred from SS’s group, I ended up working for the same group as DCM two years after PK got me the job there! A friendship formed and then, well, you know the rest.And that’s one of my favorite twists of fate, imagine that!

So, call it what you like, coincidence, fate, I believe most things happen for a reason, we are meant to in that place at that time, not every time, but more often than not, don’t run from it, embrace it and look at each moment as just what it is, a moment, but keep your eyes and mind open, you never know or who what might be waiting around the corner.

{April 10, 2013} Siblings Day

Did you know that today is National Siblings Day?

I didn’t until I saw a post on Facebook a few hours ago. Well, that solved the “what am I going to blog about today question?” And just for the record, I don’t have to blog towards midnight, it just seems to work out that way, I think about things during the day, then something comes up and I’m off doing something else and then it’s about 10 and I remember, it’s time to blog.

Back to siblings. Siblings are great, some are born together, some are from the same parents, some are from different parents, some aren’t even from the same parents at all, then there’s brother from another mother, ha ha.

I know there are people out there who don’t have siblings and can’t imagine life with one, take away from their time, their relationship with their parents and then there are some who have multiple siblings and wish they were only children! Even kids like myself, with one sibling, at one time or another wished they were only children!

When you’re kids, it’s a hard lesson when you find out, your younger sibling isn’t going anywhere, they at there for the long haul, you can’t give them away, hide them or sell them, oh well. I myself, found out at one point that I despised my sister, I was getting headaches, the rocks were clanging in my head, couldn’t see the blackboard, all at the same time, I needed glasses and she was there to stay, so deal with it!

On the other hand, I remember when my mom was pregnant with my sister, GES, everyone asked what I wanted, a sister I said proudly! Then I used to tell her she should be lucky, I could have asked for a brother! I remember the ride home from the hospital, I say in the back seat of the green beetle bug (see, beetle love started very early for me!) with my mom, holding my new baby sister in my lap all the way home! There is a great picture of me getting to hold her on my parents bed, I look at it now and it’s like it was yesterday. (ok, GES, I am tearing up as we speak, man, we have turned into mommy!)

I was a few months shy of being four years old when she was born and I knew I was in for a treat, my best friend for life. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all perfect, there were times I tried to leave her behind when friends would come to play, but there were never two more steadfast friends, confidants and conspirators than us. During the summer, there weren’t other kids to play with, so it was us, we shared a room at the summer house and it was great. We’d bike to the library, when we were old enough to go alone, we’d bike to the beach, I still remember holding on to the bike while roller blading, that didn’t end well!

We fought like cats and dogs and we could say horrible things to each other, but no one better say anything against my sister, you have me to deal with. And that’s the way it should be!

My favorite things she would yell at me when she was little…”D, you’re getting on my nervous!”

One of the great things about having a sibling that I wish everyone could experience and realize is that you now have a best friend for life, never take that for granted. I don’t know what my life wold have been like as an only child, glad I never had to find out!

As we got older, I remember my clothes going missing, someone going through my things, borrowing without asking, seeming like she got everything (we all have a flair for the dramatic at that age!)and being annoyed, but inside, so flattered! I left my army jacket when I went to college, I wonder what happened to it! I was at my sister’s house a few weeks ago, the sheets for the bed I was using? My first set of sheets from my college dorm room. I used to type her papers when she was in high school and wrap all the presents. I’m sure she could have done all that, and if she just did it because she wanted her big sister to help, I never complained.

I remember giving her my drivers license when I moved to GA, a friend of hers ended up using it, looked more like me than she did! But people were always telling us we looked alike, our mom had trouble telling our baby photos apart!

I remember little siblings weekend, when she came to stay with me my freshman year, getting to show her off, introduce her to everyone and then visiting her when she was in college, so proud hearing from people how great she was, some things never change!

As we’ve gotten older and grown apart logistically, we still remain steadfast friends and companions and conspirators. We realized we’re maturing, well, sometimes, when we can go more than 4 days without having a fight when we’re together, oh, it used to be 1day, maybe 2 if we were lucky!

We cook together, what feast we put on for Passover! (Shhh…don’t tell the vegans and vegetarians that I will taste most of what we cook, just a taste, I still remember what’s grandma and mommy’s chicken soup tasted like!). We work so well together and then when it’s all said and done, we sit down across from each other, prop our feet in each others laps and rub rub rub!

We laugh together, we cry together, we watch really bad TV together. What more could you want? One of the best things, I am getting to watch my sister become a wife and a mother and we far as mothers go, what a great one! I’m at every birthday, help plan and set them up, when I can, sometimes even channeling her when talking to her kids. I get to read night night books, stifle laughs when there is a tantrum (the kids, not her!) and get to marvel at what a fantastic job she has done with her kids, someone everyone could look up to. And I love those times when she lets go, doesn’t take herself too seriously and laughs at herself, well, I can’t laugh at her alone!

We may not see each other or talk on the phone other very often, but the time we do get is special and I value and treasure it. I know a lot of time when she texts “FaceTime?” It’s because of my nieces, but I still get to see my sister and I love that. She has been there for me through some tough times and I appreciate her so much for that and even better when she gets riled up on my behalf!

So, as it is National Siblings Day, I would like to give a big hello, a giant hug, huge smile and a whole lotta love to my baby sister, GES. I love you.

{April 9, 2013} My apologies

I must apologize, I have a lot to say, but I am in so much pain from my allergies that I can’t concentrate. I have been sneezing my head off, rubbing my eyes and being basically miserable.

The only bright spot in my day, I got to celebrate Miss A’s THIRD birthday! It was me, SDL, of course! CKM and Miss A’s Auntie E! We went out for dinner and she looked the part, all frills and fluff.

We ate, we laughed, we walked, we ate cake!

And now, all I want to do is close my eyes. And I have decided to not leave the house unless absolutely necessary!

Thank you to Miss A for having a birthday and to SDL for letting me be a part of your lives to celebrate each day!

{April 8, 2013} Spring is…

A double edged sword.

My favorite season is fall, yes, I know what I titled this post, you’ll see why in a minute. I love the colors when the leaves change, I love the breezes and the wind and how crisp the air feels, when its close to winter. My birthday is in the fall, just w coincidence. I love dropping the top on the car and being comfortable, maybe it’s a little chilly so I have to roll up the windows, wear a scarf and sweater, crank the heat and seat warmers and go, yes, bundle up,but keep the top down, what?

Not a fan of summer because I don’t like sweating for no reason if I’m just sitting or standing still. When the thermostat gets to 90, the top goes up, A/C goes on and I have to sit on a towel because I sweat and stick to the seats, not a fan of leather seats in the summer. I’m waiting for seat coolers! I know they have them, VW does not.

Winter is ok, except it brings cold and flu season. Luckily in the south, winter doesn’t last too long and Spring is just around the corner. See, told you I’d bring it back around.

Ok, so to my point, Spring is a double edged sword. It’s funny, in the summer, everyone complains its too hot, can’t wait for Summer, then it’s Summer and they want Winter back. I saw a post on Facebook “I’m ready for Summer, but I don’t miss Mosquitos”.

Winter brings cold and flu as I mentioned, but it’s to be expected, Spring, on the other hand, brings good and bad. Mother Nature isn’t sure of what she’s doing sometimes, but she does have some things right. The trees are in bloom, the flowers are blossoming, the grass is growing and don’t you love the smell of freshly mowed grass? That’s beautiful, but…on the flip side, the trees are I bloom, the flowers are blossoming, the grass is growing and..the pollen is falling!

The pollen is so bad, sometimes you can’t tell what color a car is, they’re all yellow/green! It’s funny to go to the parking lots at the airport when the pollen count is high and ick when it rains, yellow rivers everywhere! When we picked up our cars after the color run, CKM said it looks like they were in their own color race!

They say that if you don’t have allergies before you move to Atlanta, just wait, you will and guess what, they were right. I now have allergies and they have moved in where my cold left off. I am sneezing like crazy, need to keep a tissue box at the ready at all time, my eyes are watery and dry all at the same time, my nose won’t stop running and do I keep the top up on the car? What do you think?

I have tried so many different allergy remedies, over the counter, homeopathic, you name it, I’ve tried it. And if you think I haven’t, please leave me a comment! How sad is it that during the spring and summer we get excited by rain, no pollen, no sneezing! Heaven!

So, spring is a double edged sword. It’s beautiful and wonderful and comfortable and makes people happy to be alive and it can bring misery and suffering to those of us who suffer from allergies.

We get a daily pollen count for Georgia every day, I don’t know what it’s like in other stats, but it’s bad here! This link gives you an idea of what it’s like in Georgia…high high high!
https://www.google.com/search?q=pollen+count+in+ga&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

This link explains just what pollen count is:
http://www1.csbsju.edu/pollen/methodsprocedures/count_significance.htm

I wish you a very happy spr….school

{April 7, 2013} Facebook

Can be addicting. Can be fun. Can be informative. Can be annoying. Can be addictive. Can be rewarding. It can also be the only place you find stuff out and sometimes that’s just not right.

Facebook is an amazing tool in its own right, we connect with people we haven’t seen in years, people from high school, grade school, summer camp. If it wasn’t for Facebook, there wouldn’t have been a ….high school reunion. No, I’m not telling you which one, then you’ll know how old I am and where would the mystery be?

I’ve reconnected with people I don’t think I would have ever seen or heard from again, I’ve learned about weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, births, deaths, adoptions, pets, families, dirty laundry, some things I want to know and probably a whole lot I didn’t.

I feel bad if someone invites me to an event, only on Facebook because if I’m not on there very often, I might miss it and then I feel really bad. I don’t like it when people send me emails via Facebook when they have my personal email address, only because I don’t go on there all the time and I miss that too. I don’t like finding out about something when everyone else knows because they saw it on Facebook.

I’ll be honest, I want to know your accomplishments, I want to know if you need encouragement or a hug, even a virtual one, I want to support you in your endeavors, fundraising, sporting event, but I don’t want to know what that you have a headache, I’m sorry you don’t feel well, but if you don’t feel well, you should be in bed, of course, if you’re not feeling well, maybe Facebook occupies your mind and you don’t feel as bad, or what you had for breakfast, unless it was the most amazing thing ever and you made it yourself and you want to share.

I do know that sometimes there is TMI (too much information) shared and things that I have a feeling the person who posted might regret later. Employers and divorce lawyers look at Facebook, I’ve heard those horror stories.

I am very aware when I am posting something, sometimes I just post, but there are times I really think about what I am putting “in writing” so to speak. Anyone who knows me knows I would never say anything inappropriate or liable and I was shocked when someone accused me of just that. We had recently ended a relationship and I have feeling he was saying those things for the benefit of his new love interest, but I can honestly say there has never been anything I have posted I was embarrassed about or regretted later. I blocked him.

That’s another thing, you can unfriend and block people, isn’t that amazing? You don’t want to see someone or have them see your posts, just block them! You could block people from your cell phone, what’s next?
I received a friend request from someone I didn’t even know had unfriended me! And then there are the requests from people I don’t know, really?

I believe in the freedom and right to express yourself, but sometimes, there are something’s that should be kept inside (inside voice), like dropping the f-bomb in your post. I just don’t comment, if you’re comfortable, then more power to ya!

I love having an outlet for my blog, I post and it automatically updates Facebook and Twitter, I know there are some people who would never see my blog, if not for one of those outlets.

I do like seeing photos of my friends, my friends kids, my family, their pets, family milestones and happy events. I like to share my happy happies when they happen, or shortly thereafter. I love sharing my events, triumphs, photos, praising my friends and family. I love that we have the opportunity to say Happy Birthday to a friend and let the world see it, we wouldn’t know about half of these birthdays if we didn’t have Facebook and how great does it feel to see all those posts when it’s your birthday?

I will say that when I post pictures, if they are of travel, I wait until after I get home, I get woogie if people know I’m not home, the experience won’t lessen if I don’t let everyone know what I’m doing at that particular moment.

But, as I mentioned above, Facebook can be addictive! Aside from the games, thank you for not making me play FarmVille! (The only game I played was Tetris). I tried to tell people I don’t want to play any of those games, a friend made me play pet society (think that’s what it was called) and I probably killed my pet, I just didn’t find it as entertaining as everyone else. Did you see that one funny post: Liam Neesan was on the phone (a shot out of Taken) and he says, “I don’t know who you are, but if you send me another FarmVille request, I will find you and kill you!”

You say, ok, I’m just going to get on and check my inbox and my page, maybe one or two from the newsfeed and 3hours later, you’ve checked posts, watched videos and you have no idea where the time went! How many posts do you see…I just got on here for a minute and…

Back over the summer, I was on vacation with my family and I didn’t have time to get on Facebook and took a hiatus, it was great! That week turned into two, then three, people were starting to worry about me, but honestly folks, it was liberating!!! I didn’t miss it and I didn’t feel bad, well a little that I wasn’t checking out birthdays, but aside from that, not a blip on my radar. How many people do yo know that have decided to take a break and post it? I had a friend who gave up Facebook for lent, imagine that!

Wow, I don’t think I’ve rambled like this in a long while, thank you for letting me ramble on about Facebook, I know there’s more I want to say, but if I haven’t lost you by now, I don’t want to completely alienate you, that will just be an after thought. Maybe I’ll blog about it later!

{April 6, 2013} When the thought hits

I started to title this, When The Impulse Strikes, that’s the phrase, isn’t it?

Isn’t it interesting how and when things pop into your head. Sometime it’s logical, sometimes it’s random, sometimes it’s at the most inappropriate times, like something funny when you’re at a funeral, or when you’re reading to your six year old niece and she says something that reminds you and your dad of a dirty joke you told him!

And sometimes, as many of mine are, it’s like the dog, Bob, in the movie “Up”. “Hi, I’m Bob, I’m programmed for…squirrel!” I do that all the time!

Please tell me I’m not alone in this!

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What was I thinking?