What I love! | Peaches Prattlings

{July 19, 2017} Is there anything better?

Than showering after a day at the beach?

I don’t know about you, but it’s one of those things I don’t really think about until I’m actually taking one. Funny how that works.

But while I’m taking that shower, it’s the thing there is. You’ve been at the beach all day, sun, surf, sand, lunch, play… repeat.

Its been fabulous, you can’t imagine anything better, you might even rinse off before you go home or back to your home for the night, you know, so you’re not tracking sand everywhere.

But until you get to wherever you’re staying, step into that shower and let the warm water wash over you, starting from the top of your head, shampoo your hair, let that soak in, rinse, you didn’t realise how fabulous a shower after the beach could be.

In top of that…an outdoor shower, hopefully at a house near the beach, wow. Showering with the open sky to look at, feeling the air and energy and calm all around you as you get cleaned up, wash away that top layer to feel clean and refreshed…

There is nothing like it. Ahhh….

{July 18, 2017} Mexico Day 2

Day two of our Playa del Carmen, all – inclusive resort trip! Life is good!

CKM and I are sharing a room and we both woke up a little after 6am, we were sitting on our balcony and could hear the animals waking up, so we went in search of what was making some of the sounds.

We found flamingos, peacocks, these rodent looking things and the source of the howling, the howler monkeys!

By now, we’re hungry, everyone else is stl sleeping, so off to breakfast we go. Don’t you just love all the details they put into everything?!

What to do next? Go back and check for the others… head out to breakfast number two, rough life!

After breakfast, back to the room, bathing suits, supplies and off to the pool! Pick up towels, stake our claim on some chairs, hard to do after everyone got there and claimed theirs, not allowed, but done anyway.

There was pool time, lunch, pool, beach, pool, beach. Then back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner.

Did you see the cute towel animal for today?

Unfortunately, my phone died, so no pics in the evening, sorry.

Dinner was good, one of the chefs gave me a tour of what I could and couldn’t eat. He even had someone make me a special dessert, fruit in a martini glass, love it!

Then it was a Broadway Extravaganza! The entertainment group put on different musical numbers from different Broadway shows, Grease, Cats, Chicago, Mama Mia, Wicked, just to name a few.

Then it was back to the room for bath, night nights and lights out, can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds!

{July 17, 2017} Mexico Day 1

Surprise! We’re in Mexico! Playa del Carmen to be exact! Ahhh…

Yes, it’s as beautiful as you’ve heard! This is a special girls trip. Five years ago, when SDL turned 40, she, her sister DJL, Miss A and I went to three Dominican Republic for a week. Well, I believe I told you, a few months ago she graduated with her EMBA and wanted to celebrate, let’s go on another trip! Even better… big milestones to celebrate as well, DLP and CKM both turning 40 this year, let’s do it!

We decided on a place…Playa del Carmen, great! Now, a date… not as easy. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to get three busy adults to coordinate for a week away, as you can imagine! Then, if you recall, my family was trying to coordinate a trip to Amsterdam, imagine having to be in the middle of that! Well, we all did it and here we are! And I’m going to get a second stamp in my new [replacement] passport!

I spent the night with SDL and MissA, we packed, went to dinner… Mexican, go figure! We’re in vacation mode!

Up way too early…430am to be exact… out the door by 502am, not too shabby! It helped that we loaded the car last night… off to pick up DLP, then off to the airport. Drop everyone off, check our bags at curbside check-in, then drop off the car.

I love looking at the artwork at the airport, always so impressed, especially when by it’s students.

Then it was time to board and start our vacation!!

About two hours later, we’re in Mexico! Customs, stamps, luggage and a little over 1.15 hours later, we arrive at our resort, Ibostar Tucan. Registration and a fruity drink later we are set!

The rooms aren’t ready, so lunch it is. We head towards the pool, look at all the fabulous touches, from the statuary to the animal sanctuaries. Actually, the animals are great, they are free to walk amd fly wherever they want. We had a nice lunch and by then it was time to go to our rooms.

The buildings were great and colorful and our rooms are tropical, with towel animal creations. Nothing like the real animals, the peacocks, flamingos, howler monkeys, just to name a few.

By now, we have showered, rested and are ready to have dinner! Off in search of food we go.

We decided on one of the two buffets available and what a feast it was! The displays were beautiful. Is it making you hungry?

So… this is MissA’s floatie that kept staring at me from the overhead compartment. Hmm

What great adventure does tomorrow hold? I’ll let you know!

{July 15, 2017} Plans change… you just roll with it.

Things happen, plans change, you roll with it and make the best of it!

I know, sometimes that seems impossible, but sometimes, it works out, maybe not in the way you think.

I’m in Atlanta this weekend because I’m about to go on a girls trip with some of my favorite people and while I’m in town, very briefly, I tried to see a friend, I didn’t much time between getting in late last night and an early Sunday morning flight.

Unfortunately, my friend fell under the weather, so our plans fell through. I hope you feel better!

That didn’t stop me, it gave me a little more time where I was to help pack, pamper and play. Not the original plans, but it worked out.

So, now, the laundry is done, bags are packed, car is loaded, now all that’s left is sleep, it’s late and that alarm is coming very early! Nope, not telling you where we’re going until tomorrow!

{July 14, 2017} Sometimes you meet the nicest people…

When you’re traveling. Well, more flying in this case.

You can meet nice people all over the world, wherever you are, but sometimes you get really lucky when you’re sitting next to someone on a plane. It’s always a crap shoot when you sit next to someone on a flight, as you may or may not know.

I believe I told you about the nice guy I sat next to in first class last week. Tonight, I sat next to a nice woman in first class, yes,I got upgraded again, yes, I’m spoiled, especially when I travel for work, we’ve established this, moving on, ha ha. She was very nice, on the road like I am and we swapped stories, laughed, felt each other’s pains, accomplishments, it’s nice to talk with people who understand.

What I mean by that is when you travel for pleasure once in a while, you might have different types of experiences and look at things differently than someone who travels for work, even differently than sometime who travels exclusively for work, like I do, the ‘road warrior’ as its called.

One of the things I love is sharing tips and tricks with people new to traveling for work, little ways to get the best bang for your buck. I’ve really benefited from other people and i want to share what I’ve learned, from others and my own experiences. JCT, ST, BJS and I all met on the same project, we were road warriors.

ST got off the road and has started traveling for work again, JCT changed to a less traveled position and BJS is now a travel for fun kind of gal. I learned a lot from them and shared a lot with them, its neat to compare notes!

I wonder who I will sit next to next!

{July 14, 2017} Something Rotten

Something fabulous! Oh man, this musical!

Tonight I got to see a show I’ve been wanting to see for a long time! Something Rotten. And it was wonderful! It was funny, silly, tragic, entertaining, inspiring, wonderful! Just ask WIS, we saw it together and she didn’t know anything about it before we went and she loved it!

And I really did my best to not sing every song out loud! It was hard, but I think I did alright! I did well enough that she said she’d like to go to another musical with me! Wahoo!

It’s the story of two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, who live during the Renaissance, where everything is new…haha. Also featured, a rock god of the literary world, Will Shakespeare. He has fans and groupies, as every good rock star does.

The Bottom Brothers are playwrights, well, more Nigel than Nick and they haven’t been too successful lately, not with Will Shakespeare down the road…

Nick is a dreamer, always looking for the next big idea. Nigel is a dreamer, just a different sort, sonnets, poems, words of love and meaning. One thing holds true, the brothers have each other’s backs.

Nick has a feisty, strong wife who thinks he hung the moon and believes in her husband and supports his dreams. Nigel is nervous around the opposite sex.

There is inspiration, dreams, big dreams, regret, taking chances, bribery, soothsaying, love, romance, verbal battles. Oh, don’t forget the fabulous musical numbers, it’s a musical after all!

It’s great the way they played on the times and how modern things were…in the renaissance!

Bottom line, ha ha! Go see this musical, its fabulous!!!

{July 12, 2017} Wow, it’s really out there?

Friends, a big step in my life happened on Monday.

My house in Georgia went on the market! What? Yes! I’d say that’s a big step! I can’t believe it!

I bought the house in 2003, I say I, but I actually bought it with the wasband. Then when we were getting divorced, it went on the market, two years later, I took it off the market and shortly after that, he quit claimed it to me. If you’re not in the know, to quit claim, at a high level, is to transfer property to another individual…he turned the house over to me, giving up all claim to it.

Then about five years ago, I refinanced the house and put it into my name and it was really mine at that point. Mine alone. Wow.

About a year after I moved to Colorado I found a great property management company, Renters Warehouse, to manage the property and they found tenants who have been renting for the last three years.

I have been thinking about selling for a while and recently, I decided to go for it. I reached out to a realtor I know, the daughter of a good friend and we got the process started.

Paperwork, photos, signatures… and now, it’s officially on the market!

Wow, this is such a big step. But a good one! I’ll keep you posted!

{July 9, 2017} A good visit… time to say see ya…

What a week! A whirlwind of sorts!

Get in late last Friday night, party for PSM on Saturday, family, friends, fireworks, back to Chicago for three days.

Get in late Friday night, drive two plus hours to see PSM, time with family, drive back to Boston, very early flight for someone yesterday, back to GES’ house, hang out, get stuff done, family comes home from camping, hang out a bit, say goodnight and think about sleep, 5am alarm to go back to Chicago.

For PSM… hit the ground running, literally! Land, party, motorcycle trip, cookout, work, golf, mountains, hiking, mini – golf, home. You tired yet?

I got to be in the same time zone and even see my honey for more than two days! Hold yourselves back people!

It was a great, albeit, short visit. A busy month for us, then I get to go home next month! Can’t wait!

{July 8, 2017} A fun day

I got to sleep in today!

Well, I got to sleep past 7am anyway! It was 1027am! Sorry about not writing last night, I didn’t get to my destination until almost 3am, I was beat!

I left Chicago for my flight to Boston, first upgrade to first class on United, very nice indeed, hope it happens again, maybe even on my next flight to Hawaii…fingers crossed!

I sat next to a nice guy, who works for a keg company and on his way to a wedding in the Berkshires, near where the girls go to summer camp. Two hour drive, at that hour, ugh!

Look who’s talking…I got my rental car about 1145pm, waited on the very long line to get out of the rental car garage because of one person working. Then I got on the road… up to New Hampshire, two hours and fifteen minutes, weehoo…

I stopped about three quarters of the way for a bio break and a cup of hot tea. I finally got to PSM’s condo about 230am, settled in about three am and finally feel asleep and then slept until about 1030, fabulous!

Got up, had breakfast with PSM, his brother and sister-in-law. Then we made a plan to go and play miniature golf, it was a lot of fun! We all got at least one hole-in-one! SM and I both got two! I still came in last, tied with my honey! It was a lot of fun! Oh, I said that, but it was!

After, PSM and I went out for a snack at a Mexican restaurant, eventually back to the house, chilled out, watched a movie while SM cooked dinner, very tasty! Chicken parm for everyone except me, I got eggplant, yum!

After dinner, clean up and head out, back towards Boston since someone, not me, has a very early flight in the morning.

A nice day…I got to spend it with my honey! More of that please!

{July 7, 2017} Didn’t you just say you were hungry?

I get a little confused on occasion, it happens. Don’t you?

Here’s the deal. I think I’ve told you before, I don’t usually finish my meals, especially dinners. That means I invariably walk out of the restaurant with a to-go container.

As I walk back to my hotel or just wherever, I am usually looking for someone to feed, I know I’m probably not going to eat the leftovers and I don’t like to waste food, so I’m happy to share what i have.

In the dead of winter in Buffalo, NY, I couldn’t find that many homeless people, so the valets at the hotel ate well. Sometimes it’s even been any Uber driver. I’m happy as long as someone is eating. The homeless inn Ann Arbor, MI were fed very well and very appreciative.

Here in Chicago it’s been a different story. There are homeless people everywhere here and I try to give my leftovers to them. I cannot believe how many times I have been turned down. “No thanks, I just ate” aren’t you going to be hungry later? Tonight a guy asked me what it was and when I said salad, he said no, really?

One guy had a sign that said he was homeless and hungry, even said it. I offered him my food, his response “I really need a ride to a shelter”, sorry, can’t help you there. As I walked away “hungry and homeless” seriously?

So, could someone please explain to me, when you’re homeless and asking for food and someone offers you just that, why do you turn it down?

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