A New Adventure | Peaches Prattlings

{October 25, 2016} Could you please move?

Here’s a question I pose to you.

If someone needs to reach in front of you, would you step back? Even an inch?

I’m in a hotel that requires you to use your room key for the sensor to then press the button for your floor, this is for going up or down. This hotel also has the digital keys, I can use the app on my phone to access the key.

I got on the elevator this morning to head into the office. There was a woman already on the elevator, standing pretty close to the sensor. I reached over in front of her, said exuse me and held my phone in front of the sensor. Now, it can take a few seconds for the key to register and it was. This woman did not take even a half step back. I could have touched her if I sneezed. And she stood there the entire time…it probably took my phone/the app a good 10 seconds to register where I was and unlock the sensor. There was zero personal space happening.

Would you have moved?

{October 22, 2016} Yolk…Jack…Hawks…Cubs!

Who schedules appointments for Saturday mornings? Duh.

I got back to the hotel, the guys were up and ready to go, it’s brunch time! We went to Yolk, a nice place for brunch, I was there with CKM. Food was ok, service left something to be desired.

Let’s go to a movie! The new Jack Reacher. I love Lee Childs and the character Jack Reacher. If you’ve read his books, Tom Cruise is not Jack Reacher…if you can get past that, a pretty good movie.

Back to the hotel for a minute, then it’s off to the Blackhawks game! Standing Room seats, not bad, once you get a spot. We left shortly before the end, they were losing and then pulled it out last minute.

We headed to a restaurant/bar across from the hotel to watch the end of the Cubs game. It was exciting! Congrats to the Cubs…making it to the pennant rave first time in 71 years and as they say 4 more games…they win…it will be the first time in 108 years!! I’m pulling for you Cubs!

A much earlier night tonight! Airport for the boys tomorrow.

{October 21, 2016} I got my baby back!

That is so very cheesy!

What’s worse? I said we should have ribs for dinner so I could sing that! Oh brother!

So…bottom line, I got to see my beau tonight. PSM had to be in St. Louis this week and since he was traveling through Chicago, I suggested he spend the weekend with me in Chicago, he said yes!

I was in Bloomington, IL today for work, drove back into Chicago and waited for him, when he finally got there it was a happy reunion, dinner and back to the hotel, we have a great weekend planned.

The best part…we get to see each other!!! And we’re going to be together for the next few weekends and weeks, I promise to tell you all about it, for now…snuggle time!

{October 18, 2016} Goodbye pop…hello Max

A new experience!

Got up, had breakfast, dad headed to the airport, I headed to work. I know, you’re jealous, ha ha.

After work…

A few of us went to “Saved by the Max”. It’s a pop up diner in Chicago that is a replica of The Max from Saved by the Bell.

They designed it exactly like The Max, down to payphone on the wall. Every detail was seen to, the booths, the waitstaff shirts, the signs, music.

The menu was very clever, each dish named after a character or aspect of the show.

You pay in advance, get an appetizer, entree, side and dessert. [And before you ask, nope, not vegan friendly, but I made it work!] As our server said, we could dine and dash! We did!

There were TV screens showing different episodes, I watched a few episodes here and there, but I wasn’t a die hard, I was a senior in high school when it came out. Now, MJW, who I was with, die hard…except for him, it was in reruns…Oh brother! But it was fun sitting next to him, very excited about the experience, talking about the different episodes that were showing.

DLP, KP, MJW had fun talking, eating, enjoying the experience.

If you have the opportunity, you should do this! I will tell you that you can stand on line with the hopes of getting a table, sometimes a 2 hour wait or make a reservation two-three months in advance, which is what I did!

If you were a Saved by the Bell fan. This is the experience for you! Now, remember, this is a pop up diner, they extended until the end of the year, then it’s gone! Go!

Www.savedbythemax.com

{October 16, 2016} Another great day!

An easy, but fun day.

We slept in! Neither of us thought we’d sleep until 830am! Up and off to breakfast, hanging out and chatting.

Eventually we headed out looking for some Cubs and/or Blackhawks gear. We stopped at the Jack Daniel’s store where they were celebrati8 their 150th anniversary. They had $5 haircuts, whisky tastings, demos and a bluegrass band, they were great! Dad made a request our two, they played it!

A really good event that we really enjoyed! I can’t wait to wear my sweatshirt! Thanks daddy!

Error

This video doesn’t exist

Next, we walked down to Navy Pier for the Architectural Boat Tour. I’ve done it a few times, but not during the day, I was really looking forward to it. We had a great, witty guide who kept us entertained and we learned a little something…go figure.

Then, we headed to Giordano’s for Chicago’s other famous deep dish pizza. We waited the 45 minutes, watched some football, only to have our order done wrong. Boo hiss.

We headed back to the hotel and ordered a pizza from a Giordano’s near the hotel, went up to get drinks, put on the third Transformers movie, Dark Side of the Moon so we could watch all the places in Chicago we just saw and learned about get flattened or blown up! It was fun!

Ending the night with some football and talking to you.

Back to work tomorrow…nooooo!!

It’s been such a great visit dad…where to next?!

{October 15, 2016} Today’s post is brought to you by the Letter H!

Did you figure it out?

So…up too early for a Saturday, but it was good,we talked for about an hour, almost a continuation of our fabulous conversation last night, talking about family, family history fabulous.

Then it was up for breakfast, then off to T-mobile to replace my Galaxy Note 7 for a Galaxy Edge 7. This was going to take a while, about an hour 15, so we went for a walk, got some lunch, then back to the store, they weren’t done, so off we went back to the hotel because we had somewhere to be at 2pm…

We saw HAMILTON!!! Oh my gawd, it was amazing! How did we get tickets, you might ask, when tickets are a minimum of $450, if you’re lucky?

Well, after Dad got here, as we were walking to get something for lunch, we passed the theater where Hamilton is being performed and said “I wonder if they have tickets”, can’t hurt to ask…

Dad “do you have tickets?” Box Office guy “I do”. Dad”tomorrow? Box Office guy “I do”. Dad “how much?” “That’s all?? We’ll take two!” “Oh, where are they?” Box Office guy “orchestra”! Go dad!

The people sitting next to dad, same scenario. It really can’t hurt to ask!

So, here we are at 1:30pm fighting our way into the theater to see Hamilton. And I go mean fighting, they have no control or order to get people to their seats. Getting out…no picnic either.

But in between…

Oh man! What a show! It’s about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, set to music. The music,lyrics and book were all written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, an amazing talent! The music, the lyrics, the beats, choreography, amazing! I laughed, I cried, I was sad, I was happy and…I did my very best not to sing along! [Anyone who knows me knows I love musicals and I know most of the music before I see a show, I want to sing every word!]

One of my favorite things about the show, the diversity of the cast. Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Caucasian. None of the characters was the “traditional” race for that character, except for King George III, who’s character was…AMAZING! great comic relief, transition, story. Each lead had a solo, the three supporting leads played different roles in act two.

If…you have the opportunity and can find tickets…that you don’t have to mortgage your house for, go!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical)

How do you follow that? With Chicago Blackhawks HOCKEY, of course!

When dad was coming to Chicago I asked if he’d like to go to a sporting event, he said sure! If the Cubs were going to be in the playoffs, which they are! Go Cubs! the tickets would be crazy, so..how about hockey? Sold!

I got us Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators tickets, section 303. I don’t know if you noticed by the picture…Blackhawks won!

I said it was a good game, dad made a good observation, it’s always a good game if your team is winning! And it was and they did! Scored in the first six minutes! Three goals in the first 11 minutes!

The second period was eventful for the Predators, one goal, oh well. In the third period it was 3:2 Blackhawks. I said, they either need to score or hold them off for the next 8 minutes.

Guess what happened about 20 seconds later…score! Those fans go crazy when their team scores, just like any team, it was great!

Error

This video doesn’t exist

It was a good game, lots of fun, energy and best part…I got to take my dad to his first ever professional hockey game! Go me!

Blackhawks win!

Today’s post is brought to you by the Letter H: Hamilton and Hockey!

{October 15, 2016} Welcome to Chicago pop!

Guess who came to see me in Chicago for the weekend?! One guess..

I went into the office for a few hours and when dad got here, he let me know when he was near the hotel, I left to meet him. A great reunion!

Bags dropped in the room, chill for a minute, then hit the streets. Lunch was the first order of business, lots of catching up to do! Oh, first, we stopped at the theater down the street to see if they had any tickets for a big Broadway show, they did! Guess what we’re going to see!! Nope, I’ll let you guess until tomorrow, when I tell you!

We turned around and to the Art Institute of Chicago we went, we had about 1.5 hours before it closed, so we did a drive or walk-by of the contemporary, new contemporary and impressionists. We had a great time, discussing, questioning and laughing.

This one I call “what’s taters precious?”. Some of you will get this…

Next, The Bean, how do you explain The Bean, no explanation, just go see it. Isn’t it fabulous?
Walk down Magnificent Mile, admiring, talking, catching up. Then to Navy Pier for a quick peek, walk down to the end of the pier.

Then…Lou Malnatis for a Chicago must… deep dish pizza! And yes folks, I shared with dad and lived to tell about it!

A nice walk back to the hotel, talked for a long time and now, talking to you.
Tomorrow… phone, then… then…

{October 13, 2016} My baby boy and a baby boy!! JJ is over the moon!!

I have news!

I hope you remember when we talked about when I reconnected with my daughter back in May, on her birthday, which happened to be mother’s day this year. It’s been an amazing experience over the last few months, having her back in my life, I don’t know if i can truly put it into words. I didn’t know if my heart could be fuller.

Oh… It could!

Last weekend I was in Atlanta, for a few reasons, one being the due date of my baby’s baby. My daughter, TYL, was pregnant and due on Sunday, October 9th. What better excuse for a visit, wouldn’t you say?

We were talking about where to meet and she suggested the pizza joint that her brother runs. Does he know I’m coming? Nope, it’s a surprise, good! She told me he wanted to see me the next time I came to town. As the day went on and I started driving out there and got closer, I got nervous. Me! I got nervous about the idea of seeing my son for the first time in eight years, well, yeah, that makes sense!

I texted that I was there, she came outside, oh, my friends, let me tell you, I am welling up thinking about seeing her, the girl I helped raise for twelve years walking towards me, all grown up, beautiful and about to have a baby!

We walked in together and the look on his face, it was priceless! I wish someone had gotten a picture of it! He was so surprised and happy! The best I could hope for! He threw his arms up and came out to hug me and wouldn’t let go, well, not sure if that was me or him! “I missed you! I think about you every day!” What more could I want to hear?! I told him I missed him and thought about him, perfect!

He was almost exactly the same as he was as a kid and the last time I saw him. Sweet, funny, goofy, wants everyone to be happy. He was taller and had all this fabulous red facial hair! What? Where’s the baby faced boy? I think his red hair is the same color that I go for…perfect!

I’m so proud of him, he’s doing so well. He manages the restaurant, has a team of people who respect him and enjoy working for him, regulars who come in and know him and he knows how to treat people. I think I always knew he’d be in a role some day working with people, he was a little people pleaser when he was a kid, he’s turned it to being a success in his profession.

Did I mention goofy? He said “let’s hang out! Oh…I don’t get off until 11!” Normally, I would say yes, but I had to be somewhere in the morning. “Where do you stay when you come to Atlanta?” I couch surf, his response “I have a couch!” I can’t wait for the time I can spend the night at his house and the next time, OMG! he’s going to be a married man! He’s engaged to a sweet girl who works at the restaurant, they’ve been together a few years and they’re smitten, as I would hope and in a few weeks, he’ll be a Mister to a Mrs.

And…here’s the other bit…Next time I travel to Atlanta, I’ll be spending time with my married son and daughter AND…ready for it…

MY NEW GRANDSON!!! O M G!!! JJ has a new love! Oh yes she does!

THL wanted to meet at the restaurant for a few reasons, see me, me to see her brother, CH and for him to make her eggplant parm, hoping it might induce labor, like Scalini’s in Marietta. [http://www.scalinis.com/main-babies.html].

As I mentioned, I was in Atlanta hoping to meet my grandson, she even asked if step-mom’s have any pull [think I was over the moon about that? you bet your sweet bippy!] Alas, for JJ, the baby did not listen to me…or his mother to be and make an appearance before I left. I sent as many positive vibes out into the universe, so she wouldn’t have to feel like ‘she was going to be pregnant for ever!’ as she said.

But…Tuesday, October 11th, 7:59pm, I got a text “He’s here!” Oh my sweet girl! Congratulations and much, much mazel! And WHAT A DOLL BABY!!!

I asked when I could post and crow, as soon as I got permission, on to Facebook I went! My friends and family are so thrilled for me! So many of my friends and neighbors from Atlanta remember the kids when they were little and how sweet, cute and funny they were, all good things to say about them and my closest friends know how much this has meant to me, having them back in my lives.

When I sent the pictures to my family, my sister said “another Yom Kippur baby!” and wow, she’s right! I was born the day after Yom Kippur and my grandson, the day before, what a special thing! And let me tell you, it’s crazy…we are not related by blood, but that kid has a FULL head of black hair, just like his JJ [Ok, the secret’s out, I dye my hair! yeah, big secret!]

I have to tell you, a great Yiddish word is kvelling, it means to be happy and proud. I am KVELLING! I have my girl back in my life and now…my baby boy and a new baby boy! Oh, his name is CDL and I’ll refer to him as CD. I LA LA LA LOVE IT!

Thank you to everyone who wished me well and through me, TYL, she is over the moon and in love and…well, I have my kids back, you know where I stand.

{October 8, 2016} Scarecrows, Orchids and Chihully…oh my!

So beautiful!

Today I met TS at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, their special exhibits were scarecrows and fabulous installations by glass artist, Dale Chihully.

We walked through the gardens admiring the flora and fauna, scarecrows that were made by different groups, a lot of scout groups, went into the orchid house and saw amazing works by Dale Chihully.

The scarecrows were cool and creepy, there was no limit on size or subject, all wonderful in their own way.

The orchids were amazing, as always! It’s amazing how diverse they all are, I love the ones that look like people or like they are praying.

The pieces by Chihully were breathtaking! The way he incorporates them into nature, there are no words!

I wish we could have gone at night, wow! One of these days I’ll see it at night. If you have the opportunity, go!

{October 6, 2016} I flew a drone!

It was so cool!

I was at T-Mobile tonight after work replacing my loaner phone for the new and improved Galaxy Note 7! and I have so many apps, messages, content, it took a while to transfer everything.

I didn’t realize how long it would take and the last time, when I went from the Note 7 to the loaner, I went to get some food, I came back and it was done. I was going to a team/roll-off dinner so I needed to hang out until it was ready.

That being said, I wasn’t armed with anything to keep me occupied while Carlos was helping another customer, which was fine, he’d already spent about an hour with me on this.

So…I wandered around the store, playing with the electronics, the accessories, thanking people for asking if I had been helped.

Side note… this was a brand new flash ship store, if I had access to my phone, I would have taken pictures! Everyone there had been hand picked to with there, they were top notch.

So… they asked if I wanted to try the Gear VR glasses, no thanks, I might get nauseous, [I did end up trying them, pretty cool, no nausea, whew] then they asked if I wanted to try to fly a drone! Oh yeah!

It is controlled by smartphone and has a camera built in and you can see the live video on the phone as you’re controlling it! I took it up and out, startled a few people with my flying skills, let’s just say, then landed it, wicked cool!

I’m not sure I would get one, but I’d definitely fly one again! Wheeeee

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?