Girls night out

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

We say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and we are off to Jacksonville again. The two brothers spend the evening together, so it is just us girls.

The baby starts to cry almost as soon as we sit down in the Cheesecake factory. I am the great auntie--such joy! Now I get to rock and soothe and sing to her while the cousins visit in the restaurant--such happiness! Soak up the baby love and the baby scent--is anything sweeter? So many people stop to chat and admire her. She finally falls asleep right when the food arrives--how perfect!

Salad is just what I wanted and we are finishing our last bite when she wakes up. Perfect timing once again. She has her bottle and we head home, baby screams the whole way. Poor munchkin--we really disturbed her schedule with our shopping and late night dinner.

Visit with nephew-in-law and then off to bed for more travels tomorrow!

The oxygen bar is not all its cracked up to be

So we take Grandma for her mother's day manicure and they tell us to feel free to use the oxygen bar while we are waiting.

Apparently the air we breathe only nets us 20% oxygen, but our own personal nasal cannula tubes will get us a whopping 65% when attached to the brightly colored bubbling beakers of scented oxygen.

Hey! It's free - why not?

Here are our choices.

1) Peppermint - energize
2) Lemongrass - clear the sinuses
3) Lavender - relaxing
4) Rosemary - clear the sinuses
5) Cinnamon - clarity of thought
6) Chocolate - forget what they said about this one

I choose lemon grass because I like lemon and the girl chooses peppermint.

Twenty minutes later we are both duly unimpressed and the girl is dizzy from breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Later we read we are supposed to do it for 30 minutes for full benefit.

Oh well - we live - we learn!

Random thoughts on Florida

Rednecks and retirees.

Palm trees and scratchy grass.

Strip malls, condos, mobile homes, highway and gated communities as far as the eye can see.

Too humid.

The all-you-can-eat salad bar at Dustin's attracts a certain body type.

Things are MUCH slower here.

Everyone who works at Publix is nice.

If it weren't for Publix I wouldn't have a new nephew and a great-niece. Thank you Publix!

Three dinners and a sunset -Part 3/3

Dinner #3-Monday , May 13- Edgewater, FL

Grandma wants barbeque so off to Dustin's we go.

We are a hungry bunch!

Grandpa is in a good mood.

Pulled pork, chicken and ribs. Fried okra, baked beans, sweet potatoes baked potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans and coleslaw. Sweet tea, dark ale and water.

Key lime and peanut butter/chocolate mini cheesecakes for dessert!

We devoured our food!

Great waitress named Sheila knew how to make Grandpa laugh.

"Fifteen percent of your bill is $100."

What a great time! Lots of laughter all around!

Thank you Sheila!

A majestic sunset greets us in the parking lot.

A perfect last night at Grandma and Grandpa's!

Monday at the Meadows

Quick trip to Publix to get cream and Easter bread fixins.
Home in a jiffy but can't get into *#$@!%*+:':#** gated community.

Thirty minutes and three phone calls later I am back. (Why do  all these $&#@&*-&# houses look alike?)

Can't get into road because *&$$*%@*--!  old guy in a Mercedes convertible won't get out of my way. Going about 2 mph. Why are sports cars wasted on the old?
Pull into driveway and old guy pulls in behind me yelling about women drivers getting lost.
Shoot it's grandpa.

Breakfast and power walk with Jim darling.

Grandpa, Jim darling and the girl off to the pool and gym.

Grandma and I hang at the house while I mix and knead two batches Easter bread. Nice chat. Learn some things I never knew.

Everyone home for lunch.

Shower and dress for guests at 3.

Fun with Elaine and Dale.

Off to Flagler Avenue and the beach with Jim darling and the girl.

Back home for dinner.
(More in three dinners and a sunset part 3/3.)

Three dinners and a sunset. Part 2/3

Dinner #2 -Sunday May 12-FL

It's Mother's Day- dinner at grandma's house.
MENU:
Pork roast
Red cabbage
Peas
Potatoes
Apple pie

Good food served with sides of brotherly and grandfatherly advice.

Jim darling has a rosy glow.

The sacrifice of mothers prevail.

We made it through.

"Mother's Day - Mother's Day - It is almost here."

OK so Mother's Day is actually two days gone as of this writing, but it is part of the journey so it needs it's own blog entry.

My beautiful niece was gracious enough to allow us to invade not only her home but her first Mother's Day. (Not that we gave her a choice!).

Up at dawn with Ruby dog and out and about to sniff the bushes.

Quiet time until everyone awake and then off to Publix and Starbucks for breakfast provisions. Fun in the green car. Everyone is so friendly! Thanks to the nice lady in the convertible who showed me how to drive to the Starbucks with the mystery entrance.

Jim darling makes gashouse eggs with mushy white bread for the niece and everyone. Feels like the good parts of Vermont.

Kids call on separate cells for a rousing  rendition of "Mother's Day - Mother's Day  -  it is almost here!"  'A' for effort  - less than that for harmony.

Baby finally awake! Playtime with the baby! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Goodbye for now - off to church - great priest with an Irish brogue. Someone's baby baptised during Mass. How wonderful! Apparently architect of church forgot about Communion. More confusing than a rotary in Massachusetts!

Off to see the grandparents. We will make dinner. Practically everything done when we got there.  Delicious food! Dinner atmosphere reminds me of Vermont.

The girl and I do the dishes with supervision.

Mother's Day over--Phew!

Of infants and coeds

Perhaps the only time in a child's life that they need more crap to survive besides infancy is college.

Up the stairs,
down the stairs,
pack,
repack.
Why is it raining?
Do we really need this?
Toss it or keep it?
Storage or not?
Next year we need to remember to bring this...
Why did we pack this?
Can we fit it?
Be careful with that.
Is this clean?
Just shove it in there.
OK let's go.

Three dinners and a sunset-Part 1 of 3

So there is quite a bit of missing story in our journey-so let's catch up.

Dinner#1-Washington, D.C.Friday, May 10-Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Was hesitant to go to a place that grills macaroni, (?) but by 9pm when we finally got to the Marriott, we were starved.

Sadly Jody had a family party and could not join us. She was missed.

Our waiter was Ronnie and he was very Zen.

Guess what! They had white butcher paper tablecloths and crayons!  Great joy!

Better than your average restaurant salad and  rosemary bread were devoured by the girl and I while we waited for our entrees. Jim darling of course was disciplined and "saved room for his dinner."

The storm from Massachusetts apparently followed us and raged outside while we ate.

Spaghetti and meatballs, Carmella's chicken and penne rustica- guess who ate what?

The drama queen regaled us with tales  and dinner could be summed up in one word-irresistible!

A traveling poem

" My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer." Ps45:1

Here is our car-

Go! Go! Go!

Here is the baby

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Here is our food-

Yum! Yum! Yum!

We are in Florida-

Where is the sun?!

Jax!

"When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm." Ps 28:25-26.

Could not post on the plane. Now we are in Jax standing in line at enterprise to to rent a car. Lots of thunder, lightening and turbulence on plane. Quick in and out. Stay tuned for updates on new car, baby and  fun in FL!

Taxis, planes and automobiles!

"They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." Ps107:30.

Hope to get this posted before the cell runs out of juice. Jim darling left breathing machine in airport! Phew! He is back! There are only 16 people on this flight! This is my view from the window! Powering down.

On our way to Jody's!

"Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed, shaken together and running over, shall I give unto you." Lk 6:38

So much to tell since last night-more later when we have downtime.  Car is fully packed. Photo is a micro view of the backseat. Have absolutely no idea how we will fit the three of us and what remains in the girl's room in the next load. Can't wait to see Jody!

We are here!

"So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord. Your children will return to their own land." Jer 31:17

Off to dinner with the girl!

Random thoughts from the road

"May my thoughts be pleasing to him. I find my joy in the Lord." Ps 104

Who was Molly Pitcher and do you think she would be upset that they serve junk food to highway travelers in her name?

Don't buy the sunflower seeds with shells at the creepy gas station. They aren't worth the 50 cents.

Jim darling thinks it is ironic that I buy premium unshelled sunflower seeds for my birds and crappy shelled ones for myself.

Why did big box push mom and pop off the landscape?

Why does all public restroom soap smell bad?

We're on the road!

"O sing him a song that is new, play loudly, with all your skill." Ps 33

We are on the road!

Left home at 930 am. Only one hour later than I wanted to leave and 90 minutes later than Jim darling. Not too bad. Stop #1 in Newtown to drop off car #1 by 12:20. Now we are in one car. Just crossed the Tappan Zee. Listening to the Les Mis soundtrack.

New Jersey here we come! I smell it already!