Family | Peaches Prattlings

{March 17, 2018} We are about to have double digits in the house…let’s celebrate!

Technically 10 is a double digit, there are two of them, right? Why do we say 11 is really the first double digit. Is it because it’s the same two digits? I have no idea!

Doesn’t matter!!! EJS is going to be ELEVEN on Wednesday, can you believe it?! I, for one, cannot. Imagine what it’s like for my sister and brother-in-law! I remember so much from the last eleven years, I know, almost eleven, don’t push it! Ok, I’m going to stop here, because if I tell you everything fabulous about her today, what will I tell you on Wednesday, although I’m sure I could think of a few more!

Today we had the party. Originally EJS had wanted a bouncy house, they are super fun, but…Mid March in Massachusetts, that’s a mouthful in and of itself! But mid-March in Mass…touchy with the weather. Good thing they didn’t…it snowed hard this past week and there would not be a flat surface for the bouncy house this weekend!

So… it was a slimy weekend! She had six friends come over and they made…slime! The table was set with glue, laundry detergent, soap, shaving cream and lots of things to put into the slime, such as food coloring, beads, sparkly things, shiny things, everything that a kid could want for their slime and so much more!

Who knew eight kids could be so fascinated making slime for over two hours! There were containers galore so each kid made at least two, if not more! It was pretty cool and for once, the grownups barely made an entrance into the lab!

We hung out in the kitchen, munching on snacks of junk and healthy, a fine mix! Then after the slime had slung, the girls went downstairs to play games, then upstairs to play games, then downstairs and then it was time for dinner! Pizza, pasta, salad, oh my!

After dinner, it was Pitch Perfect and then ice cream cake and then pretend to go to sleep. Oh, did I mention it was a sleepover party too? The cutest thing to hear was them trying to recreate the songs from Pitch Perfect. Too perfect!

I think the last one went down about 11:30pm! Oh, I do not envy their parents tomorrow! Luckily, they all go home by 9am, we go to brunch and hear…crickets.

Eleven, wow. Yeah, that’s about it. I’ll tell you more on Wednesday!

{March 5, 2018} Do I really have to go?

I know, I know, all good things must come to an end.

No, I’m not dying, we’re not leaving Hawaii, I am so dramatic sometimes! I just didn’t want to leave home. That’s all! I have to go back to the real world, I have to go back to work. Well, I worked last week, I have to go to Chicago and go into an office at the client’s site.

It was nice being home, I wonder what it would be like to be home full time. Well, it depends on where I live, of course. In this case, Hawaii, yeah, I think I could do it. I’m not sure if I could get up to start work at 4:15am every day, but that finishing and being able to go to the beach at 1:30/2pm every day, hmmm…

I got up every morning between 4:15 and 4:45am, started working, got on conference calls, if I was able to actually get out of bed at 4:15/4:30am, I’d work out, otherwise, I would work out later in the day, have lunch about 1pm, done between 1 and 2pm, either go to the beach, take Mollie for a walk, eventually cook dinner, I experimented with a few things, I ate some good meals! did some

Now, on the other hand, if I can go every weekend, or at least three weekends a month, that would be like a ‘normal consultant’, oh wow! I could do that!

I have to say, every time I’m home and we get to spend the weekend together, like a normal couple, it gets harder to leave, especially when we know we won’t see each other for about a month.

On that note, I am happy to report that we booked our next trip! OMG! We are so excited about it and I cannot wait to tell you all about it! But you know that won’t happen until we go, but I promise to tell you everything, well, maybe not everything! We had the darnedest time, yes I said darnedest! Getting to where we want to go! I think I told you that as long as we live in Hawaii, we want to go to as many Pacific Islands we can, while it’s not too difficult to get to from where we are. It was something, but at least we have a going/coming tickets, in the middle, we’ll figure it out!

I think this was more of a ramble, wouldn’t you say? I just wanted to get things on paper, so to speak, just my thoughts. Remember, this is free therapy for me and I also want to share with you. You see, no matter how much fun I have on the road, with all my adventures, being home is just another adventure to me and I’d like more of that!

I’m flying back to Chicago as we speak, so please have a great week! I wonder what we’ll talk about tomorrow!

{March 4, 2018} A day at home, together… sigh

PSM got home yesterday and today we got to spend the day together. What more could you ask for?

Nothing, it was great! He’s been off island for two weeks, he’s happy to be home, wouldn’t you be? We got up, hung out, eventually got some food and as we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do and the weather was not too favorable, it became a movie day.

We started with Jumanji, loved. Geostorm, ok. The Princess Bride, la la la love, who doesn’t?! The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with Ben Stiller, always like. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, it was ok.

What a great day, we talked, we laughed, we watched movies, we cooked together, talked, laughed, connected.

The perfect day. Do I really have to leave tomorrow?

{February 19, 2018} Another great Boston weekend!

Come to think of it, when isn’t it?!

I arrived Friday night, no issues, thankfully. GES had just gotten home from girls night, I didn’t expect anyone to be up, so this was a nice treat. We chatted for a bit then, up to talk to you and eventually zzzzz.

There should be no alarms on Saturday, but alas…GES and I got in the car and on the road. We eventually stopped to grab a bite for breakfast and then on our way, we were in a town in New Hampshire and all of a sudden I look in the rearview mirror and ugh, blue lights, crud! I had been wondering what the speed limit was, I’m about to find out!

When the officer came to the window, I was honest, “I guess I was speeding”, ‘yup’, “I honestly don’t know how fast I was going, sorry”, ’30 in a 50′, crap…

‘Where are you headed?’ He gave a second glance at my Hawaiian license. ” To a camp up the near here to look at for a wedding” ‘its nice up there, very pretty’. Eventually he came back and let us, well, me, with a warning, thank you!

As we drive off, GES wondered if he thought we might be looking for place for us to get married since the camp specializes in specialty groups, physical issues, gender choices, genetic specialties, if that makes sense, and we’re two women. Ha ha!

It was a beautiful drive up thru the New Hampshire towns, snow in places, frozen lakes. The way back was charming too, along with the good conversations up and back. You know my sister and I didn’t get a lot of one-on- one/ alone time, so this is great!

When we got back, it was lunch with everyone and ACS’ brother and s-i-l, then the girls each had play dates. I took MGS to S&L R’s house for a play date with the cousins, gave GES a chance to get some rest.

After all the play dates, GES, MGS, EJS and I went out to meet ACS and some friends for dinner. On the way home from the restaurant it started snowing and continued. Any guesses what it looked like when I got up? White, white, white, but the plows had already been.

GES and I had an appointment, so, away we went! So beautiful as we drove to Glochester, the trees do pretty covered in snow. We get there and I check my email, should have done that before we left, go figure. Oh well, good excuse to try a me place for brunch!

Back on the road towards home, stop in Burlington, the girls had a camp meet and greet at a local bowling alley. We get there and ugh, forgotten purse, leave GES and go back to the restaurant. No worries, no traffic, easy 35/40 min there, get bag, back to bowling alley for fun!

Then to the house, EJS had a play date. GES, MGS and I hung out, eventually dinner was ordered, fire was lit and we were watching Ultimate Beastmaster! Ultimate athletes trying to defeat the beast!

Then it was lights out for the girls and chill out for the rest of us! And I had to talk to you!

Did I mention never a dull moment at my sister’s? How was your weekend?!

{February 16, 2018} Gong hei fat choy

That is Cantonese for “wishing you great happiness and prosperity”. In Mandarin, you would say ‘gong xi fa cai’.

This is what you would say to someone to wish them a Happy Chinese New Year. And why? Because today, February 16th, is the beginning of the Chinese New year! It’s the year of the dog.

I found out some facts when I went online. Officially, the holiday is three days, unofficially, it will be celebrated over two weeks, I like that! Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, so it’s not the same date every year, hmm…sounds familiar!

The holiday was born out of the myth of Nian, which is also the Chinese word for year, who was a beast that would appear every New Year’s Eve and attack villagers, ouch! So, the legend says that to scare away the beast, villagers would put up red banners and explode firecrackers and bang drums. Does that sound like some Chinese celebrations you’ve seen or heard of?

When I was a kid, we would celebrate Chinese New Year with a family we were close with, it was wonderful, the food, the family, friends and I’ll never forget the red envelopes with cash in them. I bet I still have one of those envelopes!

Just like astrological zodiac signs, each sign of the Chinese zodiac has their own personality traits. The dog is a true companion, associated with loyalty, honestly, intelligence with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are known to be swift and passionate believers in their own personal philosophy. The dog does its best to protect high-integrity people and support their cause.

Famous dogs: Winston Churchill, Mother Theresa, Elvis Presley, Bill Clinton, Steven Spielberg, Madonna and Michael Jackson!

I wish to tell all who are celebrating and especially JCT, her daughter, ST and her mom, LaLa, Gǒu nián jí xiáng.

{February 14, 2018} February 14th, what a day!

It’s a special day for a lot of reasons, let’s talk about why!

First, it’s Valentine’s Day. On the one hand, there’s a lot of pressure…that people put on themselves. To show their loved ones that they are loved. It’s a happy day for some, for others, not so happy. If you’re single and don’t want to be, it screams at you. If you’re in a relationship, some use it as a test to see what their partners will do for them, like it proves something. If you’re single and you’re happy, it doesn’t make a difference.

You know the song, ‘if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with’, well that can count for Valentine’s Day. You don’t have to be with ‘that special someone’, you have to be with people you care about. Friends, kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, families, co-workers, whoever makes you happy!

I spent it with two co-workers who’s company I enjoy very much, DLP and SH. We went to the Chicago Diner, one of my favorite vegan restaurants that neither of them have been to, so it worked for me! They both wanted to try it, no reservation needed and the company was stellar, what more could you want?!

And when I got to my hotel room, look what my sweetheart sent me. Sigh. Don’t tell, but I think he likes me a little.

Second, it’s Gotcha Day for Miss A, my very special girl. Gotcha Day is the day when adoption is official and Feburary 14th is Miss A’s Gotcha Day. How fabulous is that?! The traditional day of love is the day that SDL and Miss A became official, mother and daughter. SDL’s sister became Aunt D and I became Auntie G to a wonderful little girl.

How about that, three different types of love on the same day. It’s ‘just another day’ for some, special for others, but really, it’s what you make of it. If it’s a day that lets you express yourself a little more, more power to ya!

And no matter what my dear friends and family, I love you every day!

{February 14, 2018} Two random butt dials in a day? What are the odds?

I finally remembered what it was I was going to tell you yesterday!

First, do you know what a butt dial is? That is where you randomly dial someone’s number on your cell phone without realizing it. It’s called butt dialing or pocket dialing because people would keep their cell phones in their back pocket, hence, pocket or butt dialing.

I had two random butt dialed calls from two of my sister/friends…on the same day! The first was JCT at about 7am, I answered and called her name, nothing. I’m not sure if she got my text checking on her, hmmm

The next came at 4pm, it was RJS! She answered when I said her name and then asked if she called me or did I call her?! We caught up for a minute and then it was over. It was loverly.

So, what does that say about our bond, I say it’s something special, they both had me on their subconscious, so not in their control and I love that about them! Hmm…who’s butt dialing next?

{February 3, 2018} Grace and Frankie Season 4…I want some of that

So, you know how much I love Grace and Frankie, well, I hope you do, I’ve mentioned it a few times. So, now you do!

If you haven’t watched it, basically the women, Grace and Frankie were married to Robert and Saul, respectively and Robert and Saul have been having an affair for about 20 years, it all comes out, the men leave the women and marry each other.

Grace and Frankie only tolerated each other all these years and now, they share the beach house the two families owned together and they’ve become friends and more, they become family, if that makes sense.

Now, it’s a few years later and they are closer than ever, they are best friends and when one moved away the other was devastated then she moved back and now they’re together again.

Grace is a little more straight laced and serious, loosening up a bit and Frankie is an artist, free thinking and coo-coo for cocoa puffs. I have a feeling my friends would say I’m more Frankie than Grace. I’m ok with that!

So, I’m sitting here watching season 4 and someone points out what they have with each other and someone said “I wish I had a Frankie” her sister says “I thought I was your Frankie” and I realize, I have that with my close friends, I am so very grateful for that.

But then I started thinking…who would be the Grace to my Frankie when we’re older? Someone to live in a giant beach house with an attached studio, share things with, do nothing with, scheme, watch movies on the sofa eating junk food, take care of each other when we’re not well, hide us when we don’t want to be seen and fight for each other.

Each of my sister/girlfriends have so many great qualities, I want to live with all of them in a giant house. They don’t all know each other, but they all know me and I want to grow old with all of them. Can’t I build this fabulous house on the beach that has enough rooms for all of us and each night I get to veg out and be silly with each of them? Wait, now we sound like one of those Mormon families with multiple/sister wives! OMG!

That’s what I do with each of them in different ways and I love it! JCT and I sit in her recliner chairs, even fall asleep there sometimes; TS and I sit on opposite love seats; RJS and I sit on opposite sides of a sofa sharing a blanket, SDL and I sit at the kitchen table and drink tea, CKM and I were always out, so we had a tradition of either sitting in each other’s cars or standing between the two for hours! LBK and I sit in her recliner sofa or at the kitchen table. DLP and I sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace at the Waldorf Astoria or on the floor in her apartment and WIS and I sit for hours in different vegan restaurants. And GES, we sit on the sofa together sharing a blanket, in the kitchen at the counter or on one of our beds at her house. CWB and I don’t live anywhere near each other so our time is on the phone, but I bet we’d sit on the sofa and talk all night.

Wow, I do the same thing with each of them, in slightly different ways, but it’s the same wonderful tradition and it’s not like it’s planned, it just works out that way. I wouldn’t change a thing!

So…back to my original idea…can’t I have that fabulous house with room for everyone? I want to grow old with each and every one of them. I love you all so very much! Wow I’m lucky!!!

{January 30, 2018} Three years! Happy Anniversary honey!

Who knew that January 30, 2015 was a day that would change my life forever! Here we are three years later, wow!

We emailed for a week and then went out on our first date, go figure! We didn’t talk over the phone, just email and the emails were great! Back and forth, getting longer and longer and more clever, I knew I was in for an interesting ride, no matter what the outcome!

We agreed on an Irish pub, I had just gotten back a few months earlier from Ireland, so you know where my head was! He picked me up on the very snow covered street of my sister’s house, that was the year that no one flew or went to work for about five Mondays in a row, Mother Nature was having quite the year!

We went to the pub, had a great time talking, laughing, getting to know each other, even closed the place down. We talked in the car on the way back to GES’, then a little more inside, everyone was very much asleep.

We had two more dates over the following weekends, one was a bad mystery dinner theater at my sister’s synagogue, the next…you ready for this?! He took me skiing for the weekend! Now, that’s how you do a third date! It was Valentine’s Day weekend, so there roses, how do you think the other fellas fared with their honeys?!

By then, we knew, yup, I was for him and he was for me and we were gonna be happily stuck with each other and neither of us have regretted a moment of it since!

We’ve had quite the adventure! In our first year together, he went with my family to the Bahamas after only a few months of dating! Then we went to Nova Scotia over the summer, there were ski weekends, beach weekends, Boston weekends, then our third and biggest international trip, twenty one days, 24/7 in Europe together. Do you remember? Portugal, Spain, France, Hungary, not too shabby!

Then, a move to Hawaii, talk about an adventure! Surprising him for our first anniversary! I’ll never forget the look on his face, oh, how wonderful! And there began my weekend travels to Hawaii, it’s not for the faint of heart my friends!

We’ve had great adventures together, explored new territories, for us, tried new things, enjoyed the old ones, seen each other through ups and downs, surgeries and recoveries, craziness, distance, frustration, joy, compromises, defeats, triumphs. Each moment, each experience, each year has brought us closer, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I’m going to speak confidently about PSM, neither would he!

Happy three years together, my love, here’s to the next thirty!

Day 25

{January 30, 2018} Happy Birthday RJS!!!

I was very self involved this weekend with my time at home, I didn’t tell you about the birthday of a very special friend, RJS!

I’ve told you about RJS before, she and I have known each other since 2009 and it was love at first site! We hit it off immediately, kindred spirits I would have to say. I met her on the same projects as ST and JCT, actually the same day as JCT.

She’s a strong, vibrant, impressive, smart, loving, silly, adventurous spirit. She sees the good in everyone, at least she tries! And that is one of the things I love about her.

She’s a fighter! A survivor, who fought a great fight and won! And through it all, never lost her lust for life or sense of humor, and like all fighters, she rocked the bald look when it was time!

She’s an artist, a glass bead maker and can craft amazing creations with glass, the way she bends glass rods and makes beautiful beads. She has worked in many different mediums, she was learning steel work recently, I hope I remembered that correctly!

She is one of those friends who become family instantly and when we talk, it’s like no time has passed. We can talk on the phone or sit together and talk for hours and if someone doesn’t stop us, we go on and on and on!

And what a honey to her love, KS and her fur babies, Max and Maddie. I’ve told you about them, I’m Auntie J to the kiddies and stand in cat sitter sometimes.

I’m so excited that I can tell you about my friend and the day to celebrate her, January 26th. Happy Happy Birthday RJS, I love you!

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