Travel | Peaches Prattlings

{February 23, 2025} A whirlwind weekend in NYC!

Is there any other kind?!

After work on Friday, PSM and I jumped in the Jeep, well, climbed in is more like it, for me, at least! PSM is not as vertically challenged as I am! I digress…we got into the Jeep and headed for the big city, the Big Apple, the big NYC, sensing a theme here?

We were making good time and decided to grab some dinner and stopped in Easton, PA, at at Pop’s Kitchen and Taproom. It was an interesting place, as in, it was part of the gas station parking lot, and when you walked in there was a convenience type market on the left, the counter/kitchen straight ahead, and to the right was a bar with some tables, and the beer cooler right behind it.

It’s an eclectic little place, had a few people in when we got there, two people at the bar, and as time went on, the place filled up, some regulars, and some passing through like us. I really liked the decorations, definitely a tap room, especially with all the beer taps hanging from the ceiling!

Back on the road, we parked and made it to the hotel by about 930p, definitely made good time, let dad know we were safe and up we went, to the 12th floor. Our room was right in between two elevators, but…it wasn’t as loud as you might think! The only time I noticed the elevators was when I was in the shower and heard the gears, it took me a minute to figure out what the noise was!

We were having a lazy morning, but it was time for some grub! We walked right by my sister and dad’s hotel, literally next door! We went to two places that had a long wait, NYC is full of places to try, and we found the Brooklyn Diner, nostalgic, yet, not inexpensive…as evident by the price for one single pancake…$15! Let’s just say, the experience and food were worth it!

We sat at the counter, one of our favorite places to sit, and shared a frittata, potatoes, challah, a cup of coffee for PSM and hot tea for me. We almost always share our breakfast, we enjoy it! The food was good, the company even better, and the atmosphere was buzzing. You could tell some of the folks were regulars, by the way they were greeted and chatted with some of the staff.

Our waiter was great, very friendly, as we chatted, we found out he was from Mexico, so we chatted about our shared love of Mexico, my time spent there as a kid, and the trip PSM and I took 2 years ago. The manager was another character, very nice woman and we hit it off like gangbusters! Go figure!

After breakfast, we headed towards Central Park, which was only a few blocks away, we were going to stroll through the park to The Met, apologies, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for those not in the know! That’s where we were going to meet my dad and sister.

The walk through the park was wonderful! It was about 35 degrees, maybe it got up to 40, can’t remember, but the sun was shining and it was lovely! There were so many people about…horse drawn carriages, reminded me of my trip with SDL and Miss A almost 2 years ago, there were pedicabs, people walking, running, jogging, strolling, walking dogs, pushing strollers, playing frisbee with their dogs, visiting the vendors selling stuff, waiting for the Zamboni to finish so they could lace up their skates and take a turn on the ice at the Iconic Wollman Skating Rink. What more could you want?!

We walked through the park to the museum, isn’t it iconic?! I love this museum, so many fond memories growing up and spending time at the museum. We went in and found my dad and my sister, that took a little doing, only because the museum is huge and there is very little to no signal in a few parts of the museum, so if they moved…Marco… Polo!

After the museum we got a knish, NY pretzel, and some drinks, y u m!!! Then we got in a taxi, how very totally NY of us! and headed to The Village for a celebration of life for a family member, which I will tell you in a separate post. I will tell you that the celebration was just that, there were a few tears, but so much love, joy, life, and love, did I say love, in that room, you couldn’t help but smile.

After the celebration, we got in two taxis, you couldn’t fit us all in, so it was the girls in one cab and the guys in another. We headed back towards the hotel to find food and take a breather before we went to the theater. Near the hotel was Serafina, an Italian restaurant that could take 7 of us without a reservation at the moment, it was about 5p, it hadn’t filled up yet. Most of us had eaten at a Serafina before and liked it, this time…not so much.

Aside from smelling weed the entire meal, we think it was coming from the building next door, which was connected by a door that didn’t seem to want to close, the food was just…bland. PSM ordered an Old Fashioned and said it wasn’t very good, I asked to taste it, as I always do, and let me tell you… I did not make a face, I could not taste the alcohol and all I tasted was sugar, and you know how much I love sugar, this was not one of those times!

So… unfortunately, in addition to the drink, which they remade, the food was bland, I’m not sure if anyone truly enjoyed their meal. The bruschetta was good, that was the saving grace. Look, not all meals can be winners, but, for me, I don’t think I’ll be going to another Serafina any time soon, and it’s ok, there are plenty of other Italian restaurants to try!

After dinner, we went back to our respective hotels to take a breather, get off our feet for a few before we went to the theater, and when I say for a few, I meant it! We had just taken off our shoes and it was time to put them back on. Unfortunately PSM wasn’t feeling well, so he stayed behind and I met everyone in the lobby of their hotel to walk to the theater. As my dad would tell you, PSM didn’t miss much!

We walked to the Ambassador Theater to see a production of Chicago, now you may know it from seeing it on Broadway starring Bebe Neuwirth, who played multiple characters, Paige Davis, Sandy Duncan, Joel Grey, and one of my favorites, Jinx Monsoon, literally just to name a few! or a local theater near you, or maybe you saw the movie Chicago, starring Rene Zellweger, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, and Chita Rivera. Maybe you just know the score.

The premise: Roxie Hart, a chorus girl, kills her lover after he tries to end their affair. Velma Kelly, a nightclub star, kills her husband and sister after finding them in bed together. The two women compete for the attention of the press and a lawyer named Billy Flynn.

There are some great numbers: All that Jazz, The Cell Block Tango, my favorite When You’re Good to Mama. There is a bonafide story there, truly there is. The problem we had with this production, in our opinion….there was no set, not a big issue, I’ve seen many shows without sets, maybe just a block here and there, but some pieces of set, besides a few chairs would be helpful. The orchestra was on the stage, so that took up most of it, even though there was an entrance in the middle of the orchestra, I thought the orchestra, while very good, was loud and drowned out some of the players.

The show opened with All That Jazz, then went into the next number, and the next, there wasn’t a lot of dialog that wasn’t sung, and without a story/backstory or some context, if you don’t know the show, you would probably be lost, or bored, as my nieces were. We thought it would be a good high energy show for them, which it was high energy here and there, but not enough for them.

The singing and dancing was good by the players, Dylis Croman was great as Velma, had the moves, motions, dance, vocals, character. Nakiya Peterkin was a powerhouse as Matron Mama Morton, Max Von Essen was good as Billy Flynn, Greg Hildreth was great as Amos Hart, and R. Lowe was fabulous as Mary Sunshine, the reporter.

The one actor we couldn’t get behind was Erika Jayne as Roxie Hart. You may know Erika Jayne, or not, from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She could sing, but her movements weren’t fluid, they were a little stiff, especially compared to the rest of the cast, we didn’t really get behind her as a lead. I just realized I said get behind twice, sorry!

Overall, we were happy to hear the music and sing along, sort of, but overall, not the best theater experience for us, well, when you have a favorite performance, you compare all others to that one and that happened this time, oh well…we still love going to the theater, won’t stop us from maybe seeing another performance of Chicago somewhere else!

After the show, it was back to our respective hotels. We enjoyed the walk together, discussing the show and reminiscing about our favorite shows. Dad and I made plans for tomorrow, PSM and I would drive him back home, an little extra time to spend together, bonus!

The next morning, we got up, showered, packed, went to a local diner, had a decent breakfast, back to the hotel to finish packing and go to pick up the Jeep. On the way, got to see and say goodbye to EJS and MGS, then back to pick up dad and drive to Staten Island. We got to the house and hung out for a while, then we hit the road, but not before stopping at Heartland Bagels to pick up supplies, and by supplies, I mean bagels, bialys, spreads, and a few sweets, NY bagels, what more could you want?!

We were then officially on the road, back to PA, listening to the next few chapters of the Jack Reacher book we’re listening to. We stopped to pick up groceries and then… the puppies! We were back early enough on Sunday to pick up the pups instead of tomorrow. The house is now intact, everyone is home!

Ok, that was quite the weekend, I think I need a nap, what about you?!

{February 14, 2025} February 14th…a bittersweet day

I say bittersweet because there is much sweet and a little bitter.

Let me start with the obvious, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It began as a tribute to a martyr, but it has transformed into a cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance in many parts of the world. No shade to anyone who celebrates and enjoys the sentiment, I, myself am a sucker for romance. When I can shower my loved ones with love, what could be wrong?!

There was the St Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Chicago’s Northside Gang lost seven of their members, on the plus side, sort of?, it inspired the Paper Lace’s 1974 song The Night Chicago Died. On the happier side, Valentine’s Day has inspired countless stories, movies, tv show episodes, books, songs, and a feeling of joy.

For me…aside from showing my loved ones how I feel, there are three things that stick in my mind. One, I was a part of from the beginning, one I wasn’t there for, but I can wish them well, and one, I’m getting to the point I can smile. I’m going to share, happy, sad, then happy, that will be a good way to end this post.

My friend JCT and her husband celebrate their wedding anniversary today, isn’t that wonderful?! A day about love and they get to wish each other love and happiness on a whole different level. I’ve known JCT and JT, yeah, I just realized that myself!, for 16 years! WOW! I met JCT when I started working for a company that hired me as a trainer, my first official software trainer gig, and it just went from there!

I met her and two other people I am still good friends with today. We traveled together to different locations training for a soft drink company, she and I hit it off like gangbusters. I still remember her calling me that Thanksgiving about 12am, could have been later, telling me that she was going to Walmart to buy a laptop for Black Friday. I thought she was nuts, but why not, I’ll come and keep you company!

I ended up hanging with her while her husband was at some other store getting some other Black Friday deal. After we took our winnings with us, I introduced her to Waffle House! And a tradition was born! NO! That was my one and only Black Friday middle of the night waiting for a deal experience, thank you very much! No, it was let’s go to Waffle House! Once I left Georgia, I didn’t always have access to Waffle House, so…when I would visit Atlanta, someone, didn’t matter who, and they would take turns, someone…was taking me to Waffle House! Y U M!

I met JCT, then met her husband, JT, then their daughter, STY, she was about 8 or 9 at the time, wow! and JCT’s mom, who has become another mom to me. And now, they are my extended family and I love them for it. When I visit Atlanta, they are on my list of people to see and crash with, they welcomed me in and the door is always open. And mom keeps trying to fatten me up with some amazing, wonderful, and tasty Chinese treats, again…Y U M! Happy Anniversary JCT and JT, here’s to many, many, many, many more wonderful years together.

Next, I don’t know if you remember me telling you about the passing of a dear friend of mine, AGM, on Valentine’s Day. Kind of fitting, he was so very loved and when we all came together for the funeral, it was a definite celebration of his life and how much he loved and was loved. I still think about him and as time passes, it gets a little easier to smile when thinking about him.

Well, when you think about his life and when we were younger, it’s easy to smile, at the things he did and said and how he made you feel. And that’s what I’m doing, as we speak, I’m sitting here, writing about him and I’m smiling at the memories from high school, running and jumping up into his arms, he was so much taller than me, but who wasn’t?! Sometimes he’d catch me and twirl me around, other times, we’d fall to the ground…always said he fell for me every time.

AGM, I miss you, and I love you, thank you for being in my life and a part of it, and letting me be a small part of yours.

The last, I said would be happy… is Gotcha Day for SDL and Miss A! That is the day the adoption was official and they were officially a family. And me, of course! I became Auntie George the second I found out about Miss A! SDL and I had been talking about adoption for so long and it took a long time getting there, but she got there. I’ll never forget the day SDL sent a picture to her mom and I saying ‘how would you like to see your potential granddaughter/niece?’ oh boy…did our hearts melt!

I knew SDL’s parents from a few of their visits, but as soon as the adoption process got underway, a new family was born, yes, they adopted me too! It was me, mom-mom, pop-pop, and auntie D who went to the airport to pick up SDL and Miss A and oh wow, did we all melt into the floor when they got off the plane! And they have been stuck with me ever since!

SDL, Miss A, and I have had some grand adventures! Whenever I visit Atlanta, I am at their house, sometimes for a week, sometimes it’s my home base, then we’ve gone on some great trips! They visited me when I was on the road, traveling for work, New Orleans, we visited Elvis together, NYC, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, last year we went to London, there are more adventures in our future, and you know I’ll tell you all about them! I could go on and on, but I have to end this post at some point!

Today is a very special day, there are people in my life that bring me such happiness and joy just by existing. My husband, my family, who are related by blood and marriage, my kids, grandkids, my friends who are my chosen family, I am going to get cheesy…I want to send love into the universe, I know I tell them every time I see them, talk to them, text, I never want to let a moment go by that I don’t tell them how much they mean to me, today and every day.

I started to say some very cheesy things and while that’s me, I just want to say, I love you all, thank you for being you and allowing me to be me, yeah, that’s cheesy enough. Happy Heart Day to all!

{January 30, 2025} Ten years ago today, my world changed

Absolutely for the better, best! Today I went out on a date with a new guy that I had only emailed with for a week. Who knew…that first date would become the longest first date ever! We’re still on it!

January 30, 2015, well, January 2015, was a crazy month in the world, the weather, friends, the weather! That was the year no one went to school, work, or flew on a Monday in January in Boston! They called it snowmaggeden! ‘Nearly 95 inches of that winter’s snow fell between Jan. 24 and Feb. 22, completely burying the previous snowfall record for a 30-day period, which had been just 58.8 inches. The unprecedented month included four consecutive weeks of storms that dropped between 16 and 24 inches’.

I happened to be living with my sister’s family at that time, it was after I left Denver, before I got a place of my own in Boston. I know I’ve told you some of this story, but I’m going to tell you again, and more, maybe! My sister and her friend AT, who I knew, were talking and since everyone I knew in Boston, except for one friend from high school, were my sister’s friends, they thought…PSM and I were both single and we might get along.

Let’s see…we both love to travel, ride motorcycles, computer geeks, love movies, and skiing. Yeah, that’s about right! So… they gave us the other one’s emails and I honestly don’t know who sent the first email, but it went from there! We made simple chit chat, then our emails grew, a little longer each time. I will say the first email I sent, I waited…and wondered…and after a few emails, it was like we’d known each other for a long time, even though we were still getting to know each other!

I think I told you we started sending each other pick up lines, but not just any pick up lines, I sent him science-y pick up lines, I knew he had a background in bio-chemistry, and I think I told you…I still don’t understand some of them! ha ha, and in turn, he sent me computer-y jokes, they were hysterical! Luckily, he’s a techie, really smart and actually understood some of them! ha ha

After a few emails we decided we would get together the following week, yup, we emailed for one week and went on our first date, he came up with six ideas for a first date, what guy does that?! My fella, that’s who! We decided on an Irish pub, I had just gotten back from Ireland a few weeks prior, so that would be perfect!

He picked me up from my sister’s house, he came to the door and held my arm to get to his vehicle, made sure I didn’t fall or slip on the ice, held my door open, and away we went. We talked, laughed, got to know each other, and ended up closing the pub down, now…that’s a good first date if I do say so myself.

He took me back to my sister’s house, we were remiss to end the date, but it was late and I think one or both of us had something going on in the morning. We said goodnight with the promise to talk tomorrow. And we did, we talked, we texted, we talked, we texted. Oh! I forgot! During our first date…I told him there was a murder mystery dinner theater happening at my sister’s synagogue, which was not far from her house, and would he like to go with me? I know you know he said yes!

The murder mystery dinner was the following Saturday, he met me there and…he was wearing a suit! LOVE that!!! Oh, and get this…at one time in his life, he actually lived up the street from where my sister lives and…he used to go to the synagogue my sister’s family belongs to and where the murder mystery dinner was!

After the show, he and I went to a local pub to continue talking and getting to know each other and at some point I said…”so, when are you taking me skiing?” And his response…funny you should ask me that, I was going to see if you wanted to go next weekend?! How could I refuse such an offer?!

So…we talked and texted throughout the week and Friday came…it was Valentine’s Day weekend, and guess what was delivered…a dozen red roses, yes indeed! I was touched and felt a little spoiled! Let’s just say…when the women in the friend group found out…the guys started calling, not his fault he was making them look bad! ha ha!

He picked me up on Friday and we drove to his house in New Hampshire, I’ve told you about the ski house before. So it was PSM, his dog Mollie, and me. He did tell me not to wear black, great…everything I have under my ski gear and apres-ski…black! Mollie was a big white dog…go figure!

So…we went to New Hampshire, we skied, we apres-skied, hung out, got to know each other and we’ve been together ever since. You’ve been with us on this journey, on some of our trips, the good, the silly, the adventurous, and who knows what the future holds, but…

here it is January 30, 2025, ten years, how many trips and countries, three home states, three dogs, several motorcycles later and we are still going strong. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us, but you know I’ll be sharing it with you!

We try to wish each other happy anniversary on the 30th of every month, well, not February, of course…but I just want to say…happy anniversary PSM, I love you. Here’s to our 10th year of dating, looking forward to the next ten, and the next!

{January 25, 2025} Sold Out? Already? Wow!

We got up leisurely, gotta love Saturdays! Took the dogs for a walk and talked about where we would start our day….Why, the Whirling Dervish, of course!

I say of course because one…it’s Java Journey time! and two…their hours are limited. Thursday and Friday, 7a-1p, and Saturday 8a-12p. I think I told you last year, it’s not the main business for the owner, there is a real estate office in the front of the building and that’s the main source of income.

We got there, along with everyone else! There were four people in there when we opened the door, well, four customers, and it was crowded! There was one person working behind the counter/register and three people in the kitchen, don’t call the fire marshal! That’s how small this place is, just saying! They had a steady stream of people in all morning and their baked goods, almost out! And we were there about 830/9am!

PSM got their signature drink, The Jittery Gnome, don’t you just love it?! I opted for a hot tea, the loose tea smelled sooo good! I only get a hot tea from them, I didn’t care for the tea I had last year made with almond milk, just wasn’t for me. Just being in there can overwhelm some people, it’s small and jam packed with gnome knick-knacks, but I love it! Besides, I really enjoy their pastries. We got a pastry to go, our drinks were ready and we headed out, five more people came in as we were getting our drinks! crowded!

Oh! I forgot! When we got our passports stamped, they gave us two gnome stickers! Squeal! Guess where one of them is going?! Yup, we need to differentiate between my cup and PSMs and gnomes just aren’t his thing!

I held the door for an older woman and we started chatting about the Whirling Dervish and the Java Journey, and places to explore in Pennsylvania. A lot of the places she mentioned were already on my list, but I did get to add one or two more! Love talking to people!

After the Whirling Dervish we headed to the next destination, we try for at least two stamps per weekend day, why not?! We went to Caffeination Station, the place that is set up like a train station! They have a train that normally runs above the cafe, it wasn’t running today, not sure why, neither did anyone working there, go figure!

PSM got their Winterspice Latte, we asked what it was like, “Imagine if Christmas had a flavor, that would be it!” well, then, let’s! I had a chai latte made with eggnog, eggnog! Almost no one has it, especially after the end of the year! Don’t ask me how, but eggnog has never bothered me when I have it, I’ve been told that something about the ingredients mixed together counter the agent that isn’t good for people with a dairy intolerance and until it does, I’m having it! There is non-dairy eggnog, which is great, and I drink it every year! I have found it made with almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, no matter which, it’s yummy! And go figure, while I was searching for a link, I found a recipe for diary free eggnog, enjoy! Let’s just say… it was de-lic-ious!!! Happy me!

To go with our yummy drinks, we ordered breakfast sandwiches, and they did not disappoint. We sat at the counter, there really wasn’t much room at any of the tables, not complaining, most of the time we prefer to sit at the counter! While we were at the counter, we started chatting with the owner and staff, and apparently we looked like we needed a cookie! We were gifted a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. I loved the chips! It was a good cookies, I had to try a piece! The combo was great!

As we were talking, someone called to ask if they had any of they had any of the Java Journey travel mugs left over, nope. The person that answered the phone suggested the Whirling Dervish, we didn’t see any when we were there, but who knows. Then the owner told us everyone was sold out! What?! It was only a week and everyone is sold out, wow!

It kind of makes sense, this year, they chose travel mugs, which is definitely more desirable than the ceramic mugs last year. Don’t get me wrong, I love the mugs from last year, they are ceramic, but look like old school metal camping mugs. I was really lucky when I called the Timeless Cafe and they held two for me! Apparently there was a gift basket that came out right after Thanksgiving, those were gone faster than you could say Java!

The owner told us to call next year and see if they can hold a basket for us! Apparently the businesses order a certain number of baskets, and mugs, of course, and people will call and order them weeks ahead! That, of course, isn’t the spirit of the event, but hey, whatever works for people…But…hopefully next year, we’ll be two of the lucky ones who get a basket! And we are definitely not waiting until the weekend to get our mugs!

If we don’t get a basket, which comes with two mugs and passports, and gift cards, one of us will be at one of the participating coffee shops when the doors open on day one! This is fun! I think I told you, they added three new shops, one of them being a mobile coffee truck! It’s just a fun way to explore new things, chat with all the other people on line with us, some of them have their travel mugs, but we can spot each other at least with the passport! It’s like a secret club we joined!

Ooh, where to tomorrow?! The game is afoot!

{January 19, 2025} It’s Sunday…Club Breakfast, Java Journey, Snow, Football, Movies

The day started with no alarm, my favorite! It was about 10 degrees so it was feed the dogs and open the back door, no walk, sorry…less than 25 degrees, I’m hiding under the covers!

We got moving, slowly, but we got moving, headed to the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club clubhouse for breakfast, there weren’t a lot of people there, but it was most likely because of the weather, it was coming in! We were there for about an hour, had some good food, as BTK said, her favorite breakfast is one that someone else cooks!

After breakfast we headed to our second stop on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey. Oh no! I forgot to tell you the Java Journey has started and I picked up our cups yesterday! If you recall, from last year, the Lebanon Valley Java Journey is a fun event, or as is quoted on the front of the passport ‘An experience in every cup’! Isn’t that great! Basically, you purchase a cup for $10 and you get a passport with 15 coffee houses and cafes on it, last year it was 12, we’re up this year! Two of the coffee houses has two locations, and they added three new places and one of them is a mobile coffee shop, we’ll have to search to find it!

So… it started on Thursday, January 16th, who starts things on a Thursday, oh well…well, we didn’t have the time to get to one of the locations to get a cup on Thursday, so Friday, we met up at City Watch just before they closed and they were sold out! What?! Last year, so many places had extra, I think they ordered just enough. Turns out, they were sold out before they closed the doors on Thursday, ugh!

Saturday morning, I told you, I was in NYC at my dad’s, so PSM went to Timber Creek Coffee, they were sold out, what?! That’s two down! After we got off the phone, I looked up Timeless Cafe and called and they had plenty! And they agreed to put two aside for me, thank you! So…on the way to the IMRG lunch, we stopped at Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe and got our first two beverages and stamps! Weehoo!

Back to today! After breakfast, we went to Swatara Coffee in Annville, I really wanted to show BTK the Whirling Dervish Bakery, but they’re only open Thursday-Friday 7a-11a and Saturday 8a-12p, very convenient hours! We got our stamps and drinks, I told another group of people about the Java Journey, you should have heard me selling it yesterday! PSM said I should work for them! HA HA

After coffee, we went back to the house, the snow started while we were having breakfast, but it was really coming down now. Back at the house, we hung out, there was football to watch, I did some other stuff and when there was a break in the snow, I went out and did a pass over the driveway, to give us a starting point. BTK was planning on heading out tomorrow, so we wanted to be sure she could.

There were a few football games on, BTK and PSM were enjoying them, I was upstairs doing other things, then I came down and made a salad and pasta for dinner, we enjoyed the time together, more football, then PSM went upstairs and BTK and I settled in to watch some movies. We started one she hadn’t seen, followed by one neither of us had seen because it was a new release.

We started with Hidden Figures, the story of three female African-American mathematicians, or as they referred to them, computers, at NASA, amazing, powerful, emotional, fantastic, followed by The Six Triple Eight, the retelling of the story of the all-Black Women’s Army Corps, WACs, who were tasked with sorting and delivering years worth of backlogged mail. I will tell you all about it in another post, but wow, just wow. I am awed and amazed by what those women did for the army, the soldiers, the families, just wow.

When all was said and done, it was about 2 or 2:30am when we finished, off to bed for us! Guess who stayed up a little later because they couldn’t sleep?! No matter what, a good day was had by all!

{January 19, 2025} Just another Saturday…what did you do?

Saturday started crazy early, I was at dad’s house to help him get LaLa to the airport. Her flight was at 745a and I was driving them to the airport and he was going to go in and help her get where she needed to be.

When I say crazy early, I mean crazy early! 330a to be exact! I got up, then fell back asleep, but was up and out the door by 415a, we got to the airport, dad and LaLa went in and figured out where they needed to go. The nice part, I got to wait outside and no one asked, or actually, told me, that I had to move, so I got to hang out while they were in the airport.

Dad came out with some hot beverages and we drove back from Newark Airport to Staten Island. We decided we needed some breakfast and went to Z-One, they were closed, what?! It’s a diner! It was about 6am, not sure when they were supposed to open, so I looked at my GPS and there was another diner I found that said open, we got there and….yup, you guessed it, closed! What is going on?! Oh, duh, that was Mike’s Dakota Diner, the one that was open was Mike’s Unicorn Diner, back not far from Z-One! Duh!

Back to Mike’s Unicorn Diner, breakfast and good conversation, and the hottest bathroom on the planet! It was so hot, the soap was hot! That’s hot! Most restaurants keep the bathrooms relatively chilly, I think so you don’t spend a lot of time in there, well… this place missed that memo!

After breakfast, we were heading to Stop-n-Shop to pick up bagels and some more bialys, but stopped by L&I’s house, and IB just happened to be outside taking the trash out, we stopped and I got a hug, and a quick catch up!

Then on to the grocery store, I picked up a few things, then it was on to Beyars for sandwiches, something for dad to have later, something I might eat on the road or at least have at home. Let’s just say, really good sandwiches!

Back to dad’s house, I packed up my stuff, loaded up the car, podcast queued up, and headed out, I had about 2.5 hours to go. Nice and uneventful, only one stop for gas and bathroom break, drove as the snow started coming down and made it home…just in time to give the pups some lovin’, put our gift together, and back out into the cold!

We got in the Jeep, put in the latest Jack Reacher book on tape we were listening to and headed to the Lyndon Diner to have our holiday lunch with our IMRG friends. It was fun, we had good conversations, good food, and there was a gift swap. We ended up with a bottle of Crown Royal, I tried to keep the purple bag, but PSM wasn’t having any of that!

After a few hours, we headed home to chill out, while I did some last minute tidying up and getting ready for BK, PSM’s first cousin to come for the weekend. She had taken her son, JK, to Washington, DC to get settled in for his semester internship, then she was coming to spend the night with us and head to the next friend’s house for a few days, then another friend for a few days.

Tomorrow, we’re taking her to the LVMC clubhouse for breakfast, then we’ll see where we go from there before she takes off to parts unknown! Well…she knows where she’s going! Well…we’ll see if she does go tomorrow, the weather is coming in, who knows if the weather forecasters got it right! I’ll let you know tomorrow!

She got a tour, we hung out and talked, snacked, they watched some football and I did something else, and of course, she got some major puppy love, which was great, because she was missing her dog Lucy something fierce!

So… you know, just another Saturday around here, what did you do!?

{January 16, 2025} It’s date night!

I don’t know when your date night is, we don’t have a set date night either, but tonight was date nite!

PSM texted me earlier today and told me his trainer wasn’t feeling well, so the gym was out, and he was thinking about going to the Apple store to get a new iWatch, and would I like to go with him, we could grab some dinner while we’re out. Who am I to say no to a night out with my hubby?!

Well…what sealed the deal…the Awful Waffle, to be exact! Yes, you heard right friends, Waffle House!! You know me and you know I love Waffle House! There isn’t one near us, the closest one is in Lancaster, which is also where the closest Apple store is! Bonus!

Funny thing is, we were just at the Apple store over the weekend, and we threw in a trip to Costco, bonus there too! Lancaster, specifically Costco and the Apple store are about 45 minutes from us, so it’s not like we’re going every week. We make a Costco run, isn’t it funny that people call it that, a Costco run…well, we make one every few months, not even that soon, mostly when we run out of dog food for Ruby, we get the giant bags there, there’s also a PetSmart nearby for Bee’s food.

While we’re there, we get veggies to make our bucket ‘o salad, their fresh fruits and veggies can’t be beat for freshness and how long they last, it’s better than anywhere else we’ve been out here. I know, I digress.

So…I finished work, fed the dogs, got them settled in the crate when PSM called to say he was on his way, put on my hoodie and headed out into the snowy evening to jump in the jeep and off we went! It’s been snowing all day, the roads weren’t too bad, was this a bad idea? Too late now, we’re committed, or should be!

We got to the mall, went to the Apple store, deliberated over the different options, for both the watch and the band, and he made a decision, then it was time to eat. Plus, by the time we were done purchasing the store was closing, time to go!

We were about 7 minutes from Waffle House, got there and we were the only ones, besides one server and one cook. Allstar Special for PSM, that’s eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, scattered and burnt, thank you! cinnamon raisin toast, and hold the waffle, he even learned the lingo! I’m so proud! I had an egg sandwich with grits no extra butter.

The server was nice, so was the cook, and she was super chatty, it made the time go by quickly, I can tell you that. I think we may have heard her life story! You never know who you’re going to meet at Waffle House!

After dinner it was home again to play with the dogs and chill out. I would say that was a very nice date night, Apples and waffles, what more could you want!?

{January 12, 2025} Another project…complete!

We are really transforming this house into ours. I’ve shared a few things along the way, and here is the next latest and greatest!

First…do you see the floors?! The front room floor was a blond wood that seemed to have dark stripes. It was a manufactured hardwood and we loved it, well I loved it, PSM liked it, but…it was starting to show some wear and tear and we knew we were going to replace it at some point. We wish we had done it when we were renovating the kitchen, but it just wasn’t in the cards, wallet, or budget for that moment!

Well…a few months ago, it was time, so we had the same company come out, take measurements, and give us a quote. It turns out the wood that we used for the kitchen was no longer being manufactured, bummer, so we picked something that was very complimentary, and it really is almost seamless.

The other nice thing…we wouldn’t have to rip up the existing hardwoods to lay down the new floors! They could install them right on top of the current floor and there would be almost no difference in the transition. Score!

When we placed the order we were told there was be a back log and it might not be for a few months. Ok…so… a few months came and went and then it was November, they wanted to install Thanksgiving week, and since we weren’t here, we scheduled it for the first week of December.

They were there two days and it looks fabulous, like it’s always been there! What do you think?!

The next thing we did was have shelves installed. I don’t know if installed is the right word, but…these are custom shelves, JM, our fabulous carpenter/handy human being, who did a lot of work in our house custom built the shelves. He cut the wood and used our barn to prep and store the wood. By prep, I mean sand, shape, and shellac each board. I just wanted to use 3 s-words for this! ha ha.

He did an amazing job! The shelves are mounted on industrial piping, and I just bought industrial piping curtain rods, please ignore what’s there right now! I can’t tell you how many coats he put on the boards, I lost count! JM and I worked on the design, back and forth on some things and the end result is fabulous!

Then…today, we finally opened the boxes that held our books and bric-a-brac, as it were, things and books that we brought to the relationship and things and books that we bought together on many of our amazing trips. It takes work figuring out what goes where. We took a lot of time in St Louis and we took a lot of time here!

I remember someone seeing our shelves in St Louis thinking it was a Zoom background! I was flattered, who knows what people will think about these! What I love is just looking and remembering where we were when we acquired these things and all the memories they bring to the surface and I smile.

If you come visit, I’ll give you a tour!

{January 9, 2025} OneDrive Memories

Do you use OneDrive Memories? Well… do you use OneDrive, or Microsoft 365? Is that a better question? Either way, not sure if you use it, but as you can tell… I do.

One of the things that I enjoy is when it pops up on my laptop, lower right corner, and I click on it, I never know what I’m going to get. Ooh, I just thought of something! I could do a post a day of what’s in my OneDrive Memories, that would be cool. Thinking…thinking…

Well…while I decide on that one, and by the way, I had a whole different topic I was going to talk about tonight and got waylaid by my memories, ha ha, that was just funny to me. I have to file the lottery thoughts to another day. Back to OneDrive.

Two years ago today, I was flying back from a three week trip to England. I spent a week with my dad, then Paul arrived and it was the three of us for 2 days, then my sister’s family arrived and we spent a few days together, then PSM and I went off and spent a week in London/Wales/Bristol, then I was on my own, went to Liverpool for a few days, back to London to attend RuPaul’s DragCon UK and on Sunday/Monday I was flying back to the US from a whirlwind trip!

Three years ago, I was with my friend CGS, and have a pic of her four kids, wow! I just texted her with the pic, I apologized for the late text, but I couldn’t help but share the love! That’s one of the things I love to do, when some memories pop up, I take a pic with my phone and text it to the people who are in it and I get to share something special with them, makes me so very happy.

Four years ago, KFN sent a pic ‘How to spot a biker chick’ and it’s a pick of the top of a pair of Chuck Taylor ‘Converse All Stars’ with black clutch marks on the left toe…and I sent him a pic of my chucks that look exactly like that! There’s also a few pics of PSM with Bee and Ruby, awe.

2019… pics of an overcast sky with a rainbow coming through, from our lanai off the back of our house. And lastly…2016, pics of us with my sister’s family at PSM’s family’s celebrating my b-i-l, ACS’, birthday, which is tomorrow. Our nephew, JM, and nieces, EJS, and MGS were soooo little! That was just before PSM left for Hawai’i, he was starting work a week later, and I officially moved towards the end of that year, wow…

I’m sitting here, just smiling, thinking of all the random memories that pop up, taking me back, making me smile, marveling at how time flies and how good my life truly is, and it is. Who knows… maybe a memory with you will come up and I’ll text it to you, be on the lookout!

{January 8, 2025} Birthday messages!

I love when my friends and family have birthdays and apparently, they love that I love it too. Ok, the reason I am saying this is I started making birthday videos for people and they love it, some have even come to expect it and if I’m late… uh oh!

I don’t even know when or how it started, but it did and I’ve had so much fun over the years! I take a video of me singing happy birthday to the person. Sometimes I do it early for people, maybe somewhere I’ve been traveling, for example, last year, I made a few while I was snorkeling/swimming in the waters of Jost Van Dyke, the British Virgin Islands, and by last year, I meant in December 2023 for birthdays coming up in 2024.

This year, or last year, well, last week, I was in Hawai’i and recorded a few for this year. I even did one or two while I was riding on my motorcycle! NO! I am not holding the phone! It’s in a phone holder on the bike, I flip the camera and press record, then start singing. Now… those are harder to hear, I’m as loud as I can be, but…the bike and the wind are louder, imagine that!

My singing is not great, I put on voices and accents, and I absolutely love doing it. And as I make friends and family, or make friends my family, my record collection, so to speak, grows and grows, I think I get sillier and sillier, but it seems to work for me!

The year started off with our niece, MM, I was so excited, I sent it the day before her birthday! I sent one to a friend yesterday, HH, who is celebrating in London, then today, my cousin MS celebrating with her daughter in Barcelona, a friend LJ, who happens to be in Puerto Rico celebrating, and then SMB, who is 16, not in a foreign land, but… drumroll please…got her license today! That is a great way to celebrate a birthday!

And if you’re celebrating a birthday today, tomorrow, this month, or…whenever you celebrate, I wish you all the best, and a very happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you…happy birthday dear….youuuuu…happy birthday to you!

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