Two Out of [Four] Ain't Bad

Eh, for kicks, I did another song title post. And you can hear the song here. Though I promise to do the other two later so I'm all caught up :). But you see, I visited four cities on my last trip to the South. So, I will start with two in this post and finish it up with the other two later on.

Of course, before I start that, I should mention that, because I was out of the state, I missed Mary's birthday. But I didn't forget it. So, I made her a candy-bar poster and took it to work on the 7th and surprised her with it. She laughed so hard. It was awesome. Okay, so it's a little risque, but it was so fun to write and think up. And so fun to hunt down the candy bars to make it work :).




I took the red-eye again down to Florida. Thankfully, everything was on time this time! No cancelled flights; no airport-floor sleeping. That's always a great sign :). And I had worked my bootie off the few days I had before leaving to max out my hours at work. So I was exhausted when I got on the plane. And I slept. Not comfortably, of course. But I slept. I had a layover in Houston, and then I slept on the plane to Tampa again. That time I slept pretty soundly. This is the way to fly! Sleep through the whole flight :). Makes it seem faster! So, I landed in Tampa around 11 a.m. Tampa time, and Julie, Jon, Alysha, and Shayla were waiting for me. We got into their cool new van and headed to the Cheesecake Factory where we ate delicious food and enjoyed each other's company. Then it was off to Julie's house, which was about an hour and a half to two hours away. We all pretty much laughed and joked the whole way. Upon arriving at the house, Julie and I went and slept for 2 hours! We were so tired! When we woke up, we headed to Wal-Mart and got some odds and ends. Then it was home to relax, shower, and then play Mexican Train. You know what? I just realized I have already given this run-down! Hahaha. Oh well. I am the Nilla, after all. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows to expect repetition :). Okay, so Mexican Train is awesome. I need to buy it. That is my next order of business. On Friday, we got up early and went garaging. Then I met Julie's friend Randi and we played more Mexican Train. And we went to Publix for the sole purpose of getting Publix brand frozen yogurt :). And we laughed the whole way home while we talked about words that irritate us. What a random, but fun, conversation! (Julie thinks Randi and I are crazy... But seriously, Mary and I had already had this very conversation in Washington before this trip!) Friday night was dinner and hanging out with Randi, her husband, and their two girls. Then it was more Mexican Train for me, Jon, Julie, and Alysha. And then it was time for bed. Of course, Julie and I would lay awake talking for a while each night. The next morning was Saturday, and we had made arrangements to meet up with Randi and go garaging again. And so we did. I got a few odds and ends and scored a cheese grater for my sister for a quarter. Woohoo! We made a Wal-Mart run when we were done (oh yeah, and we also got some fast-food breakfast). Back at the house, I napped for an hour, then I read. I got a shower, and then Julie and I started working on cheese fondue and all it's fixin's. And it turned out awesomely! We had so much more food than we thought we would!!! And, true to Nilla form, here are pictures :).


And even more fondue... Chocolate!!!


Oh yeah, Jon and Julie's friends Christie and Korley came over again. They were there for the 80s party in May. We sat around talking and laughing and playing Apples to Apples again. And though Julie had said she couldn't stay up until 2 a.m. like we all did last time, that's exactly what happened again. So, waking up at 7:30 the next morning to get on the road to meet Julie's mom halfway was not a lot of fun. I was so tired. And I'll admit it. I'm not nice in the mornings. So I had to sit grumpy in the back until I was over my mad ;). But then it was fun. And Julie even climbed in back for the last 15 minutes or so and hung with me in the back. Hahahaha.... And we got a picture, or two together. Please excuse my giant's head in the second one. Good grief, I look like a giant in that picture!




We met Julie's mom in Perry, I think. We ate lunch at McDonald's and then had to head on. Alysha and I went with Meemaw to Dothan, while Jon, Julie, and Shayla returned home. It was sad :(.


It was a nice drive chatting with Julie's mom. I ran in briefly and said hi to Julie's dad while we dropped off Alysha. Then Julie's mom took me to my dad's work and I got his car and took it on home. Here's my dad's new car... Nifty, huh :)?


Okay, so I lied. I actually went to the library first. And I visited with Ms. Hilda and Julia-Ann. It was a nice visit. I do love Ms. Hilda, who is getting quite fiesty!

I went to my dad's and got a shower and then went and picked him up. It's always fun to be with my dad. We know how to go back and forth and give each other a hard time. And it's fun :). I love my dad. Even though I know I'm a pain in the butt when I throw away all the lids for the glass spice jars he was saving :). We spent the evening watching a movie and talking. I slept well that night. I was exhausted. On Monday, I spent the day at the house -- throwing out 1977 ground oregano :). I did go to Wal-Mart toward the late afternoon, where I ran into Anne! Monday night I just watched some more tv with my dad and we ate dinner. Just relaxing stuff. On Tuesday, I met up with Anne at the mall to eat Chick-Fil-A, since I can't really get that around here. We just spent an hour visiting and catching up. It's nice to do that with friends :).


Oh, and for those of you who don't know... Anne was my first boss back in 1998. I worked in the Children's Room at the library, and she was the Children's Librarian. She was an awesome boss. I can remember sitting on the floor with her chatting. (Although I will admit it kind of grosses me out to think about that nasty library carpet before it was replaced and the fact that we sat on it!) Anyway, so it was a nice visit. After I got home, my dad and I went and got him onto the family plan for the cell phone. So yay! Now he can talk to us for free anytime... If he remembers to keep the phone turned on! (I'm putting subtle hints throughout this post to see if I can subliminally get him to turn on his phone ;)). Tuesday night, I met up with Donna at Troy Dothan. She and I went down to a new Mexican Restaurant. We visited and enjoyed a nice dinner (thanks Donna!) and then went back to the university to watch a movie for the international film festival. Let's just say we will always have that memory of the British movie with the boy in the dress. Hahahaha... We took a picture (with Olga -- who I met years ago at HLML and who now works at Troy Dothan's library) together before we all left.


Wednesday brought a cooler day to Dothan. We had to go back to Best Buy to discuss a cell phone issue. But we are square. I had lunch plans with Julia-Ann and was able to visit with some other people while I was there. Julia-Ann and I went to Chick-Fil-A and enjoyed yummy food and great conversation :). I'm so glad I got to get to know Julia-Ann so well while I was in Tuscaloosa and she would stay at my apartment once a month when she had her weekend class. It's neat to have good friends :). Back at the library, I visited with Kristin! Gotta love Kristin. I've known her for, goodness, going on 11 years! Same as Julie. We all worked at HLML together once upon a time. So we took some pictures together and laughed like crazy, 'cuz we always do when we're together :). And she always has some awesome 80s treat for me! This time it was a Cabbage Patch Kids book! Woohoo!


Wednesday night, my dad and I went over to Patrick's house and my dad visited his dad while I visited with Patrick and his fiancee. Patrick also grew up in Panama, and as things turned out, he ended up in Dothan. We never hung out in Panama, but we all became the Panama kids of Dothan back around 1999 to 2002. I hadn't seen Patrick in about 3 or 4 years, so it was good to connect with him again. We all went to Beef O'Brady's, one of our old Dothan haunts from back in the day. It was a nice visit.


Then I went home to spend the last evening with my dad in Dothan. It's always sad to know I will be leaving my dad. I know he is sad, and that makes me sad. I sure do love my daddy. So on that note, here is a picture of him on one of his motorcycles :). And then I'll continue my trip in my next blog post :).

Get To Know Your Parents

My grandfather passed away today. I know that seems a depressing way to start a blog post. But it is a fact. We knew it was coming. But it seems so surreal. I thought perhaps it felt so surreal because I am in Alabama and somewhat removed from the upheaval that has taken place. But my mom assures me it seems just as surreal there. As I have lived with my grandparents and my mom for the past year, I have been given an opportunity to have a different perspective. And as I have pondered things today, I have realized this unique perspective I've been given.

Half of me feels terribly guilty that I am not in Washington right now. I talked to my mom before I left and came to the South. I discussed my trip and the fact that my grandfather had recently taken a turn for the worse. When I bought the tickets in July, he was doing quite well. But as my trip grew nearer and he grew worse, I knew the likelihood that he would pass while I was away was a high one. And more than anything, I worried about my mom. Perhaps that sounds cold and heartless. It is not that I do not care about the passing of my grandfather. But usually it is those left behind who need the support and love, for they are still here, mourning the loss of the loved one. And I thought I would be there for my mom when the time came. I know she has her sisters and my other siblings. But I love my mom so. And I want to be there for her when she needs me. She has always been there for me when I've needed her.

But then there is that other half. The half that is thankful I am here. Because I am with my dad. And as I ponder my grandfather's passing, I realize that there will be a day when my dad isn't here. This goes for my mom also, but I know I am returning to her shortly. It is my dad I do not see often anymore. It had been 6 months. I think of my mom and how happy she must be to have the past 6 years to have shared with her dad. Those are years she will always have to cherish. Though she will most assuredly miss him, and in ways I cannot even begin to fathom, she will have those special memories that can never be taken away. And so, as I sit here, I think of my dad and how much I love him. And how grateful I am to be here with him. How glad I am to have the memory of listening to him laugh at some obnoxious thing I say. How wonderful it is to watch old episodes of "Wings" with him on youtube and to hear him laugh again at the show. What a flashback to my youth it is. How fun it is to banter back and forth with him and laugh about how I'm an "upstart" and he's a "pack-rat" :). Will I ever forget how much I laughed -- and made him laugh -- as I commented on his ground oregano that expired July 25, 1977? I don't think so. (And no, that isn't a typo... I did say 1977. It was older than I am). Will I forget how he talked non-stop through the beginning of a movie we were watching only to apologize as he looked over at me and said, "I'm just really glad to have you here." No, I won't. It is those moments that will stay with me forever. I love my daddy. Probably much more than he realizes. Though probably not as much as he loves me, since I understand a parent's love is something that cannot be duplicated. Yes, I am sad I am not in Washington to be with my mom right now. But I am also so grateful to be here with my dad. Because I know, even more poignantly now, that he won't always be here to visit.

So, please, next time you see your dad, give him an extra tight hug.

And you know what? Do that for your mom too. I know I will when I get home. Because I love my mom so much too. I love how laid back she is. I love how I know just how to make her laugh. I love that people ask me, "Isn't it hard to work with your mom?" And how I can honestly reply, "Not at all. In fact, this is the second time we've worked together." I love how she has a great sense of humor and will take flak for her quirky need to color-coordinate her hangars and her clothes! And I love that I'm having this time in my life to learn those quirks :).

The bottom line is this, and it's a quote from a song: "Get to know your parents; you never know when they will be gone for good."

What a beautiful opportunity I have had to really know my parents. To know them, not just as the mom and dad who raised and had to discipline me. But to know them. And to love them.

Commentaries

I don't like Peeps. You know those marshmallow candies they put out for every major holiday? Yuck. They are just gross to me. I saw them when I went into a grocery store yesterday and thought about that. Ick.

My dad's PT Cruiser is awesome. Even more awesome because it has the AUX plug-in where I can plug in my Zune. And jam out to my awesome music.

It's weird to walk around Super Wal-Mart (oh how I've missed you, Super Wal-Mart), and run into someone you haven't seen in a long time! Not weird that it happens, necessarily, because Wal-Mart around here is a place where you are bound to run into everyone you know -- especially when you don't want to. But once you have not lived in a place for 3 years, it's a little less likely to run into someone you know. But, well, I did :). So that was a fun, and as Anne put it, surreal little moment. But cool, because now we have plans to do lunch today :). And tonight I go see Donna. And tomorrow I lunch-it-up with Julia-Ann. And I've also seen a lot of other people. So, it's been tons of fun. Though it sure is hot and humid here!!! Phew! Oh, and we had an awesome thunder and rain storm yesterday. Wow that thunder was loud!!!

Soapbox Sermons

I used to have a lot of what were once termed "Soapbox Sermons." I tend to not get on my soapbox so much anymore -- well, at least not on my blog. My dad would have a different tale to tell :). As would pretty much everyone else in my family :). However, I have a couple of thoughts in light of my recent trip to and arrival in Florida :). Which is where I am at this present time :).

The good news is that both of my flights were on time! Woohoo!!! Always a plus :). They were both very full too. I got some sleep on the first flight. I slept pretty soundly on the second flight. Sure makes the flight go faster! On the second flight, this punk kid who was probably all of about 14 sat next to me. He was obviously the recent acquirer of an iPhone. I have an opinion about that, too, but I won't go there. But seriously, both he and his older brother (who was probably about 16) had to be chastised by the flight attendants for not turning off their "portable electronics" after hearing it announced THREE times over the loud speaker. He finally turned his off after he was point-blank told to. And then he could barely stand it for the 10 minutes he had to wait before he could turn it back on. He didn't even wait until the announcement was made that he could use the ridiculous thing. He just turned it on when he decided we'd been in the air long enough. Seriously... What is this world coming to when you can't wait 10 minutes to play a video game on an iPhone? Especially when those 10 minutes are required for some safety reason that could possibly affect the lives of, oh, a couple hundred people on an airplane? And we had a repeat of this when we were landing. Nice. I wanted to whop him a good one. I am not nice. I don't have anything against the use of the thing in general. I love texting and my cell phone and my mp3 player just as much as the next guy. But I can follow a few simple rules when I'm flying. It's called consideration and compliance.

Anyway, so that was my "soapbox sermon." I was annoyed.

On the up-side, I arrived safely :)! Julie, Jon, Alysha, and Shayla were awaiting me at the Tampa airport. We went straight to The Cheesecake Factory and enjoyed a fabulously filling lunch. Then we drove the 1.5 or 2 hours back to Julie's, and Julie and I promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. Then we went to Wal-Mart to get some stuff. And then we came home, showered, watched some tv, hung out; and then we played a new game (for me :))! It's called "Mexican Train" and it is way fun and way addicting!! It's played with dominoes and it was soooo fun! We had to call it quits at about 11:15, at which point Julie and I went to bed and had about 30 minutes of giggly-girl time. And since I'd drunk a stinkin' Mountain Dew at about 10, I was wide awake. So, I ended up talking to Mary until 2:15 in the morning. And this morning, I got up with Julie at 8:45. And we went garaging, and I bought a pair of jeans and a vegetable slicer, which I'm very excited to utilize in the near future for my yummy vegetable soup. But Julie will have to send that to me, since I'm sure it will be classified as a weapon on the airplane. Then Julie's friend Randi came over and we played another full game of "Mexican Train." For the record, I came in 3rd place out of 4. Blah. But still blast! And we just returned from Publix, where we bought the ever-delicious mint cookie frozen yogurt that I love so much :). It should be a blast of a night! Woohoo. Plus we have to make a Wal-Mart run. Vacation is fun. And I'm having a great time already :).

P.S.... I forgot that it is still so hot and humid, even in October, in the South. Ick!

I Declare

...that I have the awesomest sister in the world. Christina is a sweetheart. She got me my birthday present early, because she saw Daffy Duck's Quackbusters on DVD at Best Buy. What an awesome memory from our childhood. What a wonderful sister who is always thinking of the people she loves. And who is so excited to get it to me that she drives all the way to the funeral home and gives it to me :). I do love her.

...that I am getting old. I noticed the other day in the mirror that there are lines under my eyes that are unrelated to lack of sleep. No, these lines are perpetually there. I'm not sure when they even appeared. Furthermore, my hair continues to turn silver and sometimes my knees pop after I've been sitting for a while. This never used to happen in my youth. I look at Desiree and see her line-less skin and don't hear any popping coming from her joints when she does all sorts of weird movements. So again I ask: when did I get old!!!??? :) :) :)

....that on a related note, my mom cracks me up. The other day she said, in relation to getting old: "The way I see it, everyone born the same year as I was is either my same I age or dead." Hahahaha... True story. I love it. My mom sometimes comes up with some doozies out of the blue.

...that working with fun people is awesome. I think I say this frequently, but it bears repeating. Never a dull moment goes by at the funeral home. Never does a day go by when I don't think that having a recorder to record just one day would be hilarious.

...that the travelling is simply the means to the end. I'm tired of flying and airports and packing. But I'm always so excited to get to where I'm going. Too bad to get to where I'm going, I have to travel ;).

...that I love to have a busy week. I seem to get more done when my life is busy than when it's not.

...that volunteering at a high school library is only adding more books to my "to-read" list. And that list isn't having things marked off very often these days. If only I could read faster :).

...that sometimes life is a great school. We learn so much just by the things that happen to us. For whatever reason, I am experiencing things now that have made me decide things for my own future. For example, I will be debt-free. I always knew it was important to be debt-free for myself. Now I know it's important that I be debt-free for those around me -- especially my children, should I ever have any.

...that I have far too many things to cross off my "to-do" list, so I must end this blog post. It wasn't an exciting one anyway :). Just me blabbering so I can say I blogged :). And cross that item off my to-do list :).

Dueling Pianos and Other Stuff

Okay, so as promised, here are some details to some of the things I mentioned in the last post.

First of all, let me put up these pictures of these sweet babies. This is about a month old, and kids grow and change so fast. But here are Desiree and Emily :).




Have I mentioned that Emily growls? It is the most hilarious thing! It's amazing how I miss these babies when I don't see them for a while.

Okay, so onto the dueling pianos. So Robin (my boss) had purchased a table for 10 at this Dueling Pianos function. Then he forgot about it, until the day of the event. So he was trying to find 10 people to fill those 10 slots. Well, loser that I am... I didn't have anything else going on :). Hahaha, kidding. There were a million things I could have done. But this seemed like a pretty cool thing. So I said I could go. In the end, the table was Robin, me, John, Bob and his wife, Mary and her husband, Sean, and Ken and his wife. The food was really expensive, so I didn't order anything there. I just enjoyed the entertainment and sang... really loudly! In fact, Sean and Mary and I are discussing planning a karaoke night! Woohoo!! That would be a blast. I wonder if I have the guts to get up and sing, alone, in front of everyone! At least at dueling pianos, everyone was singing loudly :). Anyway, we could request any song we wanted. I requested one of my all-time favorites: The Safety Dance. (I don't know why this is one of my favs, but it is...). I have to give the guy and gal who were playing credit. They actually attempted the song. I don't think the song is really conducive to piano-playing. But they at least tried it :). So that was cool. They played all sorts of stuff. And Mary and I sang our hearts out. So did Sean, actually. Which is why we are thinking of karaoke in the near future. That will be a blast. Anyway, it was a great time. We all cut out about 10:30, since both Mary and I had to work the next day. And yeah, so we were tired. But it was so fun! And we laughed about the possibility of me losing my voice and having to answer the phone that way the next day. And how dignified that would be ;). So here are a couple of pics:

That's me and Robin


This is Sean and Mary on the side.


And here are me and Mary... A.K.A. the 80s music divas of the night :).

The animals of the serengeti conversation.... Ah yes. Now that one was priceless and, really, you had to have been there. But let's just say it started with one lady at work telling a guy at work that, in order to help his back, he should do kegels. And somehow it ended up with us saying we were discussing animals of the serengeti. And it wasn't a lie. Hahahahaha.... PRICELESS. I swear I wish we could tape some of our work conversations. Needless to say, we were busting a gut laughing. My mom was laughing so hard her face was red. It was a great day. We had another hilarious conversation today, but I don't even remember all of it. I just know that when you leave me, my mom, Sue, and Mary together for long, it's going to be a great conversation. We laugh so much at work.

Oh, I started volunteering this week. I spent 3 hours at the high school on Monday. Right now, I am updating their book lists. And finding books I want to read. Not good. Since I can't keep up with the list of books I have to read as it is!!! I'm still working on Deja Dead, and I'm not even halfway through. But that's what I get when I decide to blog instead of read!!!

Anyway, so I guess that's about it for now. I think I'll have a busy several days here as I get ready for my trip to the South. Woohoo! I'm totally excited :).

Upcoming...

I don't feel like blogging right now, other than to say a few things. I will divulge more information later...

But... This past week I:

1. chopped off 3 inches of my hair -- or rather, I had my mom do it

2. had a work conversation about animals of the serengeti

3. went to an AWESOME Enrichment meeting

4. went to a really great dinner and Relief Society broadcast

5. sung my voice (almost) out along with Mary and a few others at a dueling pianos function

6. drove to the high school where I will start volunteering tomorrow and met the librarian there

7. submitted a job application for a public library job

8. went visiting teaching

9. got and got over a minor cold

10. pondered why sometimes life is so complicated

Details to come on at least a couple of these -- with pictures guaranteed for number 5.