Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

And okay, so I guess you'll see that guys just want to have fun too. But who cares about them ;)? This is, you guessed it, another song-title post. Take it away Ms. Lauper!

So, my big plan to take the red-eye again was slightly foiled. And I learned some valuable lessons in the process. Because I never take actual suitcases and opt instead to pack everything in 2 carry-ons (oh, excuse me, I meant my one carry-on and one personal item ;)). I've gotten quite adept at doing this successfully. And when you go to Florida in May, you don't pack things like socks (because you're just going to wear flip flops the whole time anyway) or sweaters (because you'd be crazy to actually use one there). So your entire wardrobe will consist of shorts, capris, short-sleeve shirts, and jeans. And so that's what you have. And so, when you get to the airport and get checked in through security (another reason to wear flip flops, since you have to take your shoes off every time you go through security), and then you get to your gate and wait patiently to board... Well, you just don't even imagine that the announcement you're going to hear is that your flight has been cancelled. Cancelled. Not delayed. Cancelled. And so then you have to trudge back out to the front of the airport to try to find out what's going to happen next. And so you stand in line with everyone else from the flight for 2 hours and find out that they can get you on Alaskan Airlines direct to Orlando from Seattle, but that it doesn't fly out until 8:45 in the morning (because by this time, it's no longer Tuesday night, it's early early Wednesday morning). And since Alaskan Airlines is already closed now, you can't get re-checked in. So you don't have a boarding pass. And so you can't get back through security. So, you go find a receptacle to plug in your cell phone so you can call your mom and text Julie. And I don't know why I'm typing in 2nd person. I'll stop now. Anyway, so I found a little corner of the airport that was secluded. I mean, really, the whole place was pretty much secluded. It was pretty empty there between 12:30 and 3:00 in the morning. And I decided that I might as well try to sleep, because I'd been up all day as it was. Not to mention the work-filled Memorial Day Weekend I'd just finished. So, I was a bit exhausted :). So let me tell you this: cold hard airport tiles are not really comfortable beds. But the benches all had arms -- not to mention they were full of people. So, the floor it was! So I'm sure I looked hilarious with my head on my backpack and my arm draped around my rollaway bag. And thank goodness for that awesome 80s party that was taking place at Julie's. Otherwise I wouldn't have had my nifty jean jacket that provided my only source of warmth (and light blocking) during my sleep. And believe me, it wasn't restful sleep. I woke up after an hour of light dozing with dried-out eyeballs (because I opted to keep my contacts in this time instead of flying in my glasses) and I looked like this:

Cute, huh ;)?

So, after another hour of light dozing on the floor, I started to hear more people arriving, so I got up and moved to some chairs where I dozed again. Sometime around 5 a.m., Alaskan Airlines opened, and I was able to check in and get through security. I still had several hours, so I went to my gate and dozed some more until it was time to board. For the first time in my life, I was looking forward to requesting a blanket on the airplane. Who knew I'd be turned down!!!??? Turns out Alaskan Air is the first airline who did away with in-flight blankets and pillows due to swine flu. Woe was me!!! So, out came the jean jacket once again. And I slept for a bit on the flight.

I will say there was a very pretty view as I flew out of Washington. This is Mount Rainier above the layer of clouds. I thought it looked pretty awesome:


I finally landed in Orlando close to 5:30 EST, and Jon, Julie, Alysha, and Shayla were there waiting for me!!! It was so fun! Of course we had to take an airport picture :).


I grabbed a bit to eat in the airport, because they don't feed you on most airlines these days. Unless you count a small bag of pretzels. And then we headed out. We stopped at this mall and went to a really awesome M&M store. I think it was called M&M World. All M&Ms. Way too cool. So here are Julie and me in front of a wall of multi-colored M&Ms:


And we got M&M diagnosed where we could be shown what color M&M we are. In case you're wondering, I am teal. Because I was deep in thought, apparently. Honestly, I think my head was too hazy to be deep in thought, but whatever :). I did buy a few Strawberry Peanut Butter M&Ms that are out for a limited time only because of the new Transformers movie. They weren't all bad. But at 10.99 a pound, I wasn't going to be buying a whole lot of M&Ms... We pretty much left then, because it was getting late, and we still had about an hour and a half to drive. We did grab some McD's after a bit and ate on the way. When we got home, Julie put Shayla to bed, and we sat up visiting for a little while after I got my shower. But I don' think we stayed up too terribly late. I was tired. Jon's been sleeping in the recliner since his arm surgery, so that meant Julie and I got to have girlie talk. So I guess it is true that we didn't actually go to sleep until well after midnight. But at least we made a valiant effort to get into bed at a decent time :). Girlie talk with Julie is so fun. Giggles and laughter. And being there just felt so normal. It was great.

Thursday started early, because Julie had to take Jon to a doctor's appointment, so Alysha and I were there to take care of Shayla. Of course, when Shayla went down for her morning nap, so did I!! I was sooo tired! I woke up around the time Julie and Jon got home. Eventually, it was time to start getting things ready for our awesomely 80s party :)!!! We prepped our food and then had to get all dolled-up -- 80s style!!! So, here is the food:

We have a stromboli (which was mostly so we had actual food to eat ;)), Cowabunga pizza rolls (painted with green food coloring :)), Reese's Pieces, Charleston Chews, fig newtons, pop rocks, chips and dip, and Oreo Truffles Shuffle in radical neon-ish colors!!! Oh, and we can't forget the TAB soda. Which turns out is a diet drink. I'm not such a fan. But, we had to do the 80s thing :).

Some other friends of Jon and Julie's arrived decked out in their 80s gear. Their names are Corley and Christie. The two guys (Jon and Corley) dressed up as characters from 80s movies and tv: Jon as the school teacher Mr. Shupe from Summer School. Corley was dressed like Don Johnson's character in Miami Vice. The girls just went all-out 80s. And lucky for me, Alysha had crimper plates for her hot iron. How cool is that!?! As a group, we looked totally awesome:


And here's an extra one of me and Julie before the party started:


So we ate while watching The Karate Kid (since I'd never seen the whole thing). And then we played the 80s Trivia Game. Which the girls won. Woohoo!!! Some of those questions are HARD! And then we played some Apples to Apples with Back to the Future playing in the background. Christie and Corley left at about 1:30 in the morning, and I was exhausted!!! I crashed and slept 11 hours! I know, I know. Shame on me! But I was soooo tired. Oh, and on another note... The Pop Rocks were a huge hit. So much fun to feel them popping in your mouth! And here's a lovely picture for you :) :


On Friday we just hung out and went to a thrift store. I got 3 shirts and 4 pairs of pants (one was jeans and one was a pair from New York & Co.), and I paid $9.81. It was awesome!!! Everything in the store happened to be 1/2 off, so we timed that trip perfectly!!! We also went by Publix and got Publix brand chocolate mint cookie frozen yogurt. Because it is oh-so-good, and oh-so-not-available in Washington. That night, Julie and I spent more time girl-talking and giggling. I know we were up late, but I can't remember how late. And it was an early morning with Shayla, and then we all went back to sleep for a nap. And then it was time to get on the road to Tampa. Because even though we weren't going to get to see NKOTB (heavy sigh), we were still going to do some fun stuff in Tampa, like go to the Cheesecake Factory!!! So here are me and Alysha at the Cheesecake Factory:

By the way, that top is one of the tops I got at the thrift store. Along with the white pants I was wearing with it :). Oh, and because the memory is too great to not include... Alysha made the most hilarious comment, because Shayla was being fussy. Alysha says, very nonchalantly, "You always hear the baby crying, but you never expect it to be yours." I just laughed so hard! Alysha is just growing up so fast, and she's such a beautiful young lady. I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to know her for 10 years now.

We spent the night at Julie's Aunt Sara's house. And it was really just relaxing. No stress, just rest. Hahahaha.... We played a few games -- like Scattergories and Apples to Apples. And we learned a lot of funny stuff from Aunt Sara. Like that being a peeping Tom is a bad habit. Or that porn stars are celebrities too! And Julie -- Well, Julie learned what a jockstrap is for. Oh my gosh!!! So much laughter.

On Sunday, we left and headed to MOSI. MOSI is like a science center kind of. It worked out well, because we were able to get in for free. Free is always good.
And while in MOSI, I got into a hurricane chamber that really did blow strong wind at you. And it hurts when your hair slaps you in the face a lot. Just FYI. I tucked in my shirt so as not to have an embarassing flashing moment :).


And before leaving, we all got into a photo booth and took pictures!!! And this was a great memory!!! Funny how the simplest things can be so much fun :)


When we left MOSI, we got in the car that felt like 150 degrees. Oh my gosh, I was sweating. And it was awful. The car's a/c couldn't even seem to cool off. We were all like, "Oh my gosh!!! It's so hot!" I had forgotten what that kind of heat does to me. It puts me in a really bad mood for one thing. For another, it really zaps my energy. So, we found a Greek fast food place called Atheno's. We went in and ate some lunch, and then we went next door to Jamba Juice, and got some refreshing cold drinks for the ride home. By the time we left, the wind was blowing again, so it wasn't as stagnant and humid. But man, for a while there, I think laying down and dying would've been less miserable! hahaha.... I don't enjoy the heat and humidity ;). And oh how we laughed on the way home. It was awesome!!! Stories and stories and stories. About being afraid of the dark. About cold aluminum toilets. Oh yes, the stories ran the spectrum. Good times. And when we got back to the house, I laid down on the sofa and drifted off to sleep. I woke up after an hour and took a shower. Then we watched The Wedding Singer. I love that movie. I always forget how good it really is until I watch it again. I'm a sucker for a good chick flick :).

On Monday, Julie and I just hung around the house with Shayla all day. I didn't even get out of my pajamas. How pathetic is that!?! I didn't feel guilty. There is nothing like feeling so relaxed and at home in a place. And I felt that the entire week I was there. It felt like being at home, and like it was so normal to be there. Like it hadn't been months since we'd last seen each other. And it seemed so weird to acknowledge that I actually live on the other side of the country. How wonderful to have a friendship that feels so comfortable. What a blessing. Anyway, I digress. That night, we were going to eat orange chicken from scratch and fried rice. So, we started cooking around 4:30. And good thing, too. That was a 2 hour process!! But oh-so-worth-it. That recipe, though time-consuming, is FABULOUS!!! It's not hard, just takes time. Julie and I enjoyed some Sara Lee Cheesecake Bites for dessert while we watched episodes of Frasier (which are hilarious), and then we turned in for the night.

Tuesday morning, I got up with Shayla so Julie could sleep in. I spent time researching photo studios, because, on a whim, Julie and I decided the night before that we should make a tradition. See, back in 1999, Julie and I took a professional picture together at Sears in Dothan. And here it is, 10 years later. And Julie spontaneously suggested we see if we can do it again! And so we did!!! We went into Ocala to the Wal-Mart there and got our picture taken!!! So fun! A great memory! And a great 10-year tradition! It will surely be interesting to see how we change every 10 years!!! Anyway, Julie is supposed to pick up the pictures sometime this upcoming week. I will definitely post one here. Also I will post the one from 10 years ago, so you can see the difference. What I do know is that I am a whitey mccracker!!! Especially next to Julie, who is so tan. Hahahaha... I guess the good news is that I fit in around here in Washington :). Where the sun don't shine. Except the last 2 weeks, when it hasn't rained at all, and I need a free car wash in a bad way.... But, once again, I digress...

So after our pictures, Julie and I went to Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries and enjoyed lunch together. Then we headed back to Julie's house and hung out and listened to the thunderstorm that started. And may I just say I was thrilled to hear the thunder and see the lightning. I hadn't heard it in so long. And so, while we lay inside, listening to the rain, I was playing around taking pictures of my funny faces :).

Yeah, I'm a dork :).

Tuesday night we had tortilla soup and Sis. Schubert rolls. Yet another treat you can only get in the South ;). I do love those rolls. And we watched more Frasier. That night, we played a card game called Hit the Deck, and that was fun; especially when Jon joined in. We also watched another wonderful 80s classic: Space Camp. That's a pretty intense little movie. Thank goodness it ends well, or you know it'd have to go on my list of movies I don't like :). And alas, by midnight, it was time to go to bed. So Julie and I laughed and giggled for our last night, and eventually we drifted off to sleep.

Wednesday arrived, and since my flight didn't leave until 3 in the afternoon, we were able to be a little leisurely in our preparations to leave. I was packed and ready by about 10:00, and we had 2 hours to drive. So, we packed up, and headed for Orlando. Once in Orlando, we spotted an IKEA. Julie had always wanted to go into one, so we did. That thing was HUGE. And long. Because you had to walk their route that took you past every item in the store, so we were there a looooong time. It got so funny! That is actually a great memory, just because it was so funny to have the store "keep going and going and going" like a maze. We were going to eat at Hard Rock Cafe, but I wanted to make sure I made my flight in time, so we opted instead to head to the airport and eat there at the Macaroni Grill. So, after we ordered, Julie went with me to check in with Continental. When I got back to the table, this is the note Alysha had left me:

It was so sweet. I really was sad to be leaving. The week seemed to go by so fast, and like I said, it just felt so normal and comfortable to be there.

So here we all are at the restaurant:

And in the airport:

And finally, one of the two BFFs before I went through security:

It really was sad :(.

And I don't know what it is that they don't like about my backpack, but they wanted to check my backpack and then run it through again. Which they ran it through a second time in Seattle when I was leaving. Who knows what they find suspicious. I'm always allowed to go, so it's not like there's anything bad. But too funny. And so I struck up conversation (courtesy of my family reunion t-shirt I was wearing) with one of the security guys and when I told him I work at a funeral home, he started talking about that. So Julie accused me of flirting with the security guy, and I totally wasn't. I headed for my gate, and my plane was boarding, so that was good. The flight to Houston was pretty uneventful. Once in Houston, I had about a 2 hour layover. I talked to my dad and Julie and my mom while I waited. And then we boarded, and then we sat on the runway for about 30 minutes because a bad storm was coming in to Houston and they wanted to get the planes in the air landed and then have us take off in a different direction. Either way... We eventually were airborne, and we got into Seattle around 10:30 p.m. local time. Oh, and Continental still feeds you on the plane, so that was exciting. Sometimes you just are hungry :). And other than reading and sleeping on the plane (and feeling my head fall forward and waking me up -- I so know I had my mouth open, too...), it was an uneventful flight.

The next day, I went back to work. Now, Bob had requested an alligator that was about 2 feet with an extra toe so that when he walked it down the street, the extra toe would be a conversation starter. I couldn't deliver such an alligator. So, I settled for second best and got him a chocolate one. Because he loves chocolate. And I told him that he could bite off one toe and then take it for a walk and see what kind of conversations start that way ;).

It's awesome to work with great people.

And I miss you tons, Juliebean!