A New Adventure | Peaches Prattlings

{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

{October 5, 2016} I get to go home!

Wahoo! I’m going to Hawaii before next year! Ha ha!

It’s funny, I moved to Hawaii, sorry, I haven’t made a big official announcement yet, but I did. And now, when I see people, they’re first question, naturally is “How’s Hawaii?!” My answer…”it’s great when I can get there…”

Hawaii is not the easiest place to get to, especially from certain parts of the country. It’s about 9 hours from Chicago, if you can get a non-stop flight, which there aren’t, but I can fly non-stop back, wahoo!

So…it’s not always easy to get to for a weekend, especially if you have to fly out Friday and then back Sunday, if I fly out Thursday and back Sunday, no problem. Things are slightly up in the air at work, so I couldn’t make any definite plans to go. And Hawaii is not a last minute flight price-wise.

I am, however, trying to get a project on the west coast, do that…I can go home every weekend! I wouldn’t know what to with myself! Ha ha!

Based on a communication at work this week, I decided it should be safe, checked with my managers and guess what! I’m going to Hawaii for the weekend in a few weeks! That’s before December!

It’s for the weekend and the flight was reasonable! Oh my goodness, PSM and I are going to see each other three weekends in a row! What? Bottom line…I get to go home for the weekend!

Wahoo!

{October 3, 2016} The sound of the shofar and Tashlich

L’Shana Tova.

This morning we went to Rosh Hashanah services that were more kid friendly, a lot of singing, guitar, prayer and joy. The nice thing about the kid friendly service is that it really is kid friendly. It’s about 1.5 hours, easy for kids to sit through and the rabbi really knows how to talk and preach to children as well as adults.

One of my favorite things about the High Holy services is the blowing of the shofar. It is used to announce the holidays, especially Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, signaling the end of the fast.

It is not easy to play the shofar and so impressive to hear. People practice months and years to prefect it. They bring the little kids that are in babysitting in to the sanctuary to hear the shofar being blown. The rabbi even said “the cute level in the room just went up, it must be time for the blowing of the shofar”.

After services, we went to LS’ house for lunch, it was a dairy meal, so there was no meat, no worries for me! It was great to all be together, a lot of the same people that were with us at GES’ yesterday. It was a nice afternoon spent with friends, family, laughter, good times and good food. We know how to celebrate.

After we went back home, we went to a park to perform Tashlich, the act of casting our sins away. We gathered, recited and sang prayers, took bread and each piece we cast into the water was casting our sins away, a beautiful tradition. The final prayer was followed by the blowing of the shofar. Anyone who wanted to blow the shofar was invited to. I recorded it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Then it was apples and honey for everyone for a sweet year. I wish you nothing less.

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{October 2, 2016} L’Shana Tova

Tonight marks the beginning of the celebration of the High Holy Days.

The High Holy Days are Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. “On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed”.

To celebrate the new year, we celebrate with friends and family, coming together for a meal, togetherness, prayer and good wishes for a happy, healthy and sweet new year.

I mentioned we were cooking all day Saturday, Sunday wasn’t much different, cooking and setting up the house, we were about to have around 40 people in the house! A few more than normal, but welcome and wanted.

We cooked brisket, chicken, kugel, monkey bread, chicken soup, matzo balls, salad, noodles and people brought food! Brisket, carrot souffle, sweet potato cassarole, kugel, spreads, veggies, desserts! I should have taken a picture of all the good, oh my!

They arrived about 5pm, we waited until everyone was there, said prayers over the candles, challah, wine, holiday and talked about being together for this wonderful day, what it means to us and then it was chaos! Food, drink, talk, laughter, hugs and good wishes. What more could you want?

The kids all played together, wondered about dessert together and then watched a movie together. About 9pm, everyone started to leave, which you know, takes a while! and then it was clean up mode, which was done just about 10pm and everyone collapsed!

Time to write to you, decompress and hit the hay, tomorrow, we go to services and to a friend’s house after for their Rosh Hashanah meal and celebration.

So, to you, my friends and family, I say “L’Shana Tova, a happy, healthy and sweet year”.

{October 1, 2016} It’s too salty! Tee hee hee

We cooked all day…all day.

Tomorrow is erev Rosh Hashanah, which translates to eve of, the night before. My sister always hosts friends and family, and you know there’s no small happenings here, so there will be about 35-40 people, the usual…

So, there is cooking to be done. People are bringing food, but there is still a lot to be done. We made chicken soup, lots of chicken soup, batches of matzo balls, dessert and a dairy filled kugel, which is like noodle pudding, it’s fabulous and a dry kugel, no dairy.

The dairy kugel has milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, brown and white sugar, cinnamon. I used to love this kind when I could eat dairy.

It smelled great while it was cooking and when it came out,time for the taste test! Not me, not a good idea, all that dairy. As soon as GES put the bite in her mouth, the look on her face said it all! Too salty!

How is that possible? We used all sweet things, I put salt in the water to cook the noodles, but that doesn’t make a difference. We used sweet salted butter, but that doesn’t have that much salt. We couldn’t figure it out. We made everyone try it, just to be sure, including me, nope, too salty.

So…we decided to move on and try the other, “dry” kugel. It came out of the oven and we had to taste test of course. I tasted and as I walked away said “it’s too salty”….and I started laughing.

The look on my sister’s face was priceless! The worry, it lasted all of 3 seconds because she saw me laughing, it was worth it!

It reminded me of when I was a kid and my grandmother made applesauce and I would tell her it needed sugar, never did, but I would tease her.

That memory was a nice feeling and we needed the laugh! And by the way…the kugel was perfect, can’t wait to eat it tomorrow!

{September 29, 2016} Surreal and sad

I should be used to this already…but every time it takes getting used to.

This won’t be the most uplifting post, I appreciate your understanding.

I want to say that “home is where the heart is” and you know how much I love my friends and family and when I am with them, I feel at home, but I’m just visiting.

I am going to start with quasi-adulthood, instead of the just after college youth, if that’s alright with you.
I left Georgia after almost twenty years and now, when I go back, I’m renting a car and staying with friends, who are my family, or in hotels, I’m not “home”.

I left Colorado after a year and a half and now, when I go back, I’m renting a car, staying with friends or in hotels, I’m not “home”.

I left Boston three weeks ago, I had been moving my stuff over the past few months, including my car! and now, when I go back, I’m renting a car, staying with family, I’m not “home”.

When I left Colorado, I packed up some stuff, don’t forget, I have two storage units that I visit every time I go back, took the fur babies and moved in with my sister and family, it was great, I’d been spending so many weekends and weeks there, it was natural.

Then I got an apartment for me and the fur babies and coming “home” meant coming in from whatever project I was on, getting a rental car and going to my apartment to snuggle with them, seeing my family at least once or twice during the weekend.

Now, it’s a whole new experience. This is my first time coming to Boston and going straight to my sister’s, no apartment, no further babies. It’s surreal and it’s sad.

I’m going to be surrounded by family, friends and more love than I can imagine and it’s just what I need. Each trip will get a little easier, I know, but the first one is not going to be easy.

I’ll take your good vibes and positive thoughts my friends for this weekend. Let the healing begin.

{September 27, 2016} A fun evening…fund raising

Yeah, puntastic!

Tonight, my team went out to support a great coworker and cause.

JW is on the board of directors of CEP, the Center for Economic Progress. This is a fantastic organization that helps low-income, working families as a trusted provider of tax and financial services. http://www.economicprogress.org/

The fundraiser was to acknowledge the program, supporters, staff and volunteers.

Well…we were also there to fundraiser, of course! One of the reasons we were fundraising is the mobile unit, just like the magnet in the photo. It will be used to travel into neighborhoods to perform their great services.

The mobile unit has been procured, but…as JW said in her presentation, it is sad on the inside…why? It’s empty! So…we need to raise funds to fill and stock it! Computers, workstations, supplies, you name it.

How did we accomplish some of this tonight? Text CEP to a number, get a text with a link to a fundraising site, clever! When you submitted your donation, you saw your name scroll on the big screen, sorry, missed my name!

Now, the excitement was to see what we could raise in 5 minutes and someone was going to match it. What did we raise? Almost $9000! Not too shabby! Go JW and CEP!

It was an exciting event and as it was winding down, the team went a few blocks down the street to have some dinner, the fundraiser was appetizers and an open bar. We continued the good times, especially when JW got there. We ate, drank, chatted and laughed, another great team I’m lucky to have been placed with!

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