Friends | Peaches Prattlings

{February 23, 2017} A sweet celebration!

Happy birthday DLP! Let’s celebrate!

Today is DLP’s birthday, and she was feeling better so celebrate we did! [She has had what a lot if people are going thru this season].

I am staying at a Doubletree hotel and if you know Doubletree, you know they’re famous for their chocolate cookies, so on my way into the office, I had to get some for my friend! I left them on her desk and went to teach.

After work a select few of us, well, we were hand picked and selected of course! We went to a restaurant that opened in Chicago a few weekends ago, The Sugar Factory.

The Sugar Factory is a candy store with an elegant restaurant attached. They have drinks that smoke and filled with candy treats, drinks that taste like candy and desserts that sparkle!

We had good food, good conversation and a celebration for a great friend. A great evening!

{February 19, 2017} They said what?!

PICNIC, PEBCAK, ID TEN T…huh?

You call IT for support, you call customer service for help. You’re really not getting anywhere and you’re frustrated and you hear a term you have never heard before, but the technician says it, you don’t know any better, so you just accept it.

Let me let you in on a little secret…

PEBCA… Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard.

PICNIC…Problem In Chair, Not In Computer.

ID TEN T…write it out…ID10T.

Type

You’re welcome!

{February 17, 2017} But my shoes are off!

Yesterday was a travel day.

By the time I got to Saint Louis Airport, TSA PreCheck was shut down. They gave me a card so that I could do a modified PreCheck by leaving my shoes on, woohoo, I still had to take me laptop out…

I knew that my shoes would set off the metal detector so I took my boots off and when the guard looked at my feet she thought I was still wearing shoes and told me to take them off, turns out it was my socks!

I have two pairs of socks like this pair was given to me by my fabulous friend RJS! How funny is this!

Got to make travel days fun!

{February 9, 2017} Another team dinner…another new restaurant.

A great time was had by all.

Tonight we went to Carnival, a Brazilian inspired restaurant with an explosion of colors, sounds, tastes, smells and sites.

Apparently, there are times they have people swinging from the curtains and the seats, acrobatic type stuff.

We had a great time, as always. Talking, catching up, laughing, giving people grief for talking about work, just a good time. The nicest part…this team Dinner was scheduled for this week because I’m in town, isn’t that great!

We even started talking about where to go next, looking forward to it!

{February 7, 2017} Two new restaurants, great food and a new friend!

I realized I haven’t talked about places I’ve eaten lately, shame on me!

So, today, I am at a new site for training and support and I found the Eleven City Diner. Oh my! It was awesome! A gps Jewish Deli with good, fresh ingredients and piled high on the plate! I had an egg salad sandwich on challah, yum! It came with a pickle Spear and coleslaw, really good. I pigged out and ate it all! If you know me, you know I usually have leftovers, not today! This place reminded me a little of Zaftigs in Boston.

For dinner, I met up with someone I met on this project in a class and then again recently and we had hit it off the first time and decided to go to dinner. She came up with a few suggestions and Isla, a Filipino restaurant had more options than the other, it’s family owned and delicious! She had given me some vegan options the first time we meet and I haven’t been disappointed yet!

We had a great time getting to know each other, we have a lot in common, like our love of movies and travel. It was a lot of fun and we’re looking forward to the next time! I made another friend in Chicago!

{February 7, 2017} Life on the road can be fun!

Tonight was a fun evening.

Traveling for work is what you make of it. There are times there is nothing to make of it. Travel-meeting-travel or travel-meeting-dinner-hotel- travel. I’ve done those, fun, not so much all the time…or as it is now, when I’m in a place for a few months or more, you get to know the place and some people.

On this project, when I’m in Chicago, I go out to dinners, shows, movies. I’ve made friends on the project. Tonight was one of those nights. It was like any other job anywhere, you have friends and decide to go out. DLP and I wanted to do something, so, away we went. We went to the movies, settled in and saw Sing. Loved it a second time! She loved it a first time!

There is fun to be had on the road, it’s all what you make of it and sometimes what you have time for. I’m having fun!

{February 4, 2017} A house divided

Falcons vs Patriots. The showdown is coming.

I’m from NYC originally and a NY Giants fan. I’m in a relationship with a man from New England who is a die hard NE Patriots fan. It’s a “mixed marriage” for sure. [NY Yankees/Boston Red Sox]. Living in Colorado I grew an affection for the Denver Broncos, still on opposite sides. And here we are at the Superbowl! Remember where I lived for 20 years?

Now…I don’t know if you remember, I’m not a football fan, but I enjoy when someone takes me to a game in person. The sites, smells, food, excitement, the energy, it’s so much more. I still don’t always know what’s going on, but I don’t care, I love the current in the air.

Here we come to Superbowl Sunday, which is tomorrow. And it’s a good thing I’m not at home this weekend, it might have been tough…PSM is rooting for The Pats and I’m rooting for the Falcons. I’ll be honest, I lived in Georgia for twenty years and didn’t get that into the Falcons, but I’m a feeling the need to ‘Rise Up’ with Atlanta. It’s been 51 years since they’ve been to the Superbowl and I’m feeling a very red and black swell off emotion. [Do you remember when I became a Cubs fan the week of the World Series?]

If the Falcons win, wahoo! I know I’ll hear the uproar from Georgia where I am and I’ll whoop and holler. If the Pats win, I’ll call PSM and congratulate him and show my “Patriot-ism” [I said that to him a few months ago and couldn’t stop laughing! Isn’t that fabulous!]

Good luck to both teams, I know what is going to be like in PSM’s house, my house and all our friends in New England and I love all of them and I hope that they will understand when I say “Rise Up Atlanta! Go Falcons!]”

{January 22, 2017} Definitely a thespian!

The Wizard of Oz! My favorite movie and now…my favorite young stage production!

Today, EJS performed in The Wizard of Oz. She’s in a theater group called Show Stoppers. Last year, she was in Beauty and the Beast, she was a few different characters. This year she was Elmira Gulch in Act I, wow! Elmira Gulch, if you’re not in the know, is the mean woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

In the rest of the show, she was a jitterbug, and munchkin, a crow and part of the Queens Guard, versatile! There was singing and dancing and they were all great, but you know, she’s my niece so of course, she was the star!

She asked me to do her hair in a sideways French braid. First time…let’s give it a shot! I did the braid, she approved and they pinned it up, looked great! Whew!

It was a fun production, minimal sets…we had a farm, a yellow brick road, a curtain for the Great and Powerful Oz, colored lighting, music, singing, costumes…what more do you need?

It really was great and EJS knew her lines, she was on point, she danced and sang and enjoyed herself and had an entourage of about 25 people! Aside from my sister, b-i-l, MGS, dad and LaLa, J&AS, B&SS she had three friends on their own, then J&EK with their kids, S&P, S&LR and their kids S&E, RG and her daughter A. What a crowd and what a lucky girl! Can you image what her Broadway debut will look like!

Congrats to the entire cast and easy to go EJS! I’m so proud of you!

{January 21, 2017} Good morning auntie….Sing!

What happens when I go to Boston? Pure joy!

I got in very late last night, my apologies for not writing, I hope I make up for it now.

I got my few hours of sleep and I hear “good morning auntie! We’re going to the movies and we’re leaving now!” Huh?

I got some very quick snuggles, giggles and hugs, run up to take a shower while EJS and MGS got dressed and brushed their teeth. As I was waiting for them to get ready, apparently I can shower faster than they can brush their teeth and get dressed, go figure, my sister, GES, told me that they refused to go without me, since we had promised to see it together, how awesome did that feel!

We got to the movie theatre, popcorn and drinks set and away we went. On the way they were very curious about my driving record, huh? Well, there were parts in the movie someone was speeding and I pointed out that I did not drive like that!

Then there were previews and previews and more previews and “does that mean that’s the same dog over and over?” Among other questions. We also saw previews and made future movie dates, like Despicable Me 3! And finally… movie.

The movie was great! It opened with a Beatles song, so immediately I approved! It was about ‘real people’ but all portrayed by animals. What I mean by real people…gangsters, moms, dads, shy kids, proud parents, overworked whatevers, bankers, folks flush and down on their luck.

Buster Moon is a koala who owns an iconoc theatre that was something special in its heyday. Now, the theater needs love, he’s behind on his loans and bills, you get the idea.

He is on his last dime and comes up with an idea…a singing contest. From there it was funny, silly, touching, beautiful, inspiring…so much talent to behold and what a soundtrack!

And of course, there was a message…what good kids movie doesn’t have a message? You have to have faith and believe in yourself. Take a chance, you never know what you can do until you try. Let me think, I can probably come up with a few more.

Oh my, but the music was fantastic! I think I knew all but one song. We danced in our seats, ok, I danced in my seat and shook the girls shoulders until they danced with me. It was cute when a scene came on that they knew from the previews and commercials and they said “oh,I know this!”

It was a great movie, the girls and I had a blast and on the way home I played some of the music. The best was when I played them Big Butts by Sir Humpty! In the movie, you’ve probably seen this in the previews, three bunnies say the opening line “Oh my gawd, did you see her butt!” They thought it was a very goofy song, good thing they didn’t really listen to the lyrics!

A perfect way to start the weekend! Can’t wait for the next one!

{January 20, 2017} It’s been how long? Doesn’t feel like it!

You know how you have that friend you’ve known forever and you don’t talk that often, but when up do, it’s like no time has passed.

I’ve told you that I’m lucky enough to have a few friends in my life who fit the very description. Tonight, I talked to someone I’ve been friends with since middle school and it was just like that.

CSB and I met in middle school and were instant friends and then we were best friends and remained friends and close friends for years and as things happen, life gets in the way, but our fondness and love for each other has never wavered and when we do see each other or talk to each other, it’s like we pick up where we left off.

Tonight, we were talking and realized it had been over two hours, where did the home go?! And if we didn’t have to get up in the morning, we would have probably gone on another two or more.

When we got off the phone, we pinky swore we would talk again and I look forward to that next call with another sister.

Side note…CSB…this is Joe Bloggs, we will be discussing him again!

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