January/February beach days

My friend, SueG, and I have decided that at least once a month we will try to hit the beach for some sunning and talking.  We put it into our calendars to make sure we don't schedule anything else on those days and we pack up a nice cooler of our diet foods and drinks and head to the beach.  Lucky for us these days have been warm.

January 2013 - Temperature outside - 81 degrees / Gulf temperature - 65 degrees

For some reason we were surrounded, almost elbow to elbow, by sun worshipers over the age of 50.  It was like a huge bus had pulled up and dumped them off.  All day long they just kept coming over the bridge on to the beach with their pull carts, umbrellas, coolers, and chairs.  Most of them were dark brown from the sun and covered in hats and sunscreen. 

The day was beautiful with a warm breeze and a hot sun that dried me immediately after I entered the gulf.  I was the only one to do so on this day, although SueG ventured in up to her waist.  Where we beach the water is very shallow almost out to the buoys so I had to walk quite a ways to get past my waist, and finally I just gave up and went under.  The sand was quite rocky in the beginning so traipsing in and out wasn't easy, but I had to enter for one reason and one reason only and it wasn't because I was boiling hot.

I was very good about putting on sunscreen, although I forgot my lip balm.  My nose, which sticks the farthest out, got some sun, but the rest of me was good.  I looked like I had a bit of a windblown look, but for the most part I wasn't too bad.


February 2013 - Temperature outside - 80 degrees / Gulf temperature - 68 degrees

Not as many people on this beach day and a lot more younger in age.  Many of them were tourists and many of them from other countries.  The day was cooler than the day in January with a stronger breeze that kept blowing right as I balmed up my lips so that I constantly was chewing on sand.  There were more clouds as well and several times during the day we sat without sun.

The water, however, felt much warmer.  More people were taking advantage of this wading through the water collecting shells, building sandcastles, and wading further out to go under.  I went into the water twice walking far out enough to tread water.  Two men were parallel to me on the first trip talking about skin cancer and they lasted longer in the water than I did.  SueG did her normal trip out up to her waist to take care of business, and without her to talk to I got bored and swam in.

The seagulls were out in full force on this day swooping in and out of people clusters snatching snacks and in one instance an entire sandwich from the hand of a small girl.  I had a seagull do a sneak attack on me from behind, but I was too quick and he flew away empty beaked.  It did take awhile, however, for my heart to slow down from the surprise.  He wasn't very happy either and insisted on standing by us just in case.

For some reason I didn't apply sunscreen for the first hour except on my nose and chest.  Then when I did I forgot my face and apparently my two knees.  My forehead and face got fried as did the knees.  My forehead is now peeling and my DNA is everywhere.  Next month I must do better in that department.

Another repair story

Several months ago, and no I don't know when despite writing about it, the gasket on my freezer (the new freezer that my husband picked out and bought while I was out of town) quit sealing, causing it to snow inside.  I was sure the unit was under warranty.  Husband Tom said not.  Each month it got worse inside my freezer.  Tom bought some sticky substance that he put around the bulging gasket that stopped a huge majority of the snow, but didn't stop the problem.  It finally got so bad that we couldn't remove the ice container, and the ice would just freeze into one big berg.  I stopped cleaning it up, and let hubby take over that job.  Eventually, it got so bad that you couldn't open the door without ice falling all over the floor.  That apparently motivated Tom who discovered the freezer was under warranty, and called and made a service appointment.

Last Friday, Travis the service man arrived.  My service time was between the hours of 8-12.  At 8:10 I take Darcy to school, and we had reported this information to the phone girl who assured us we would get a call before he arrived.  Travis did call, and he did arrive a little before noon.  He asked me what seemed to be the problem, which sort of annoyed me since we had told them the problem was a bad gasket, but I was too excited to have my snowing stopped that I just responded cheerfully.  

"It's not bad. I've seen worse" was his response when I told him it was snowing, and he jumped back when the ice poured out and on to the floor. 

"Who put this stuff on here," he asked me looking at Tom's repair job.  I told him my husband did it to cut down on the snowing.  Immediately, Travis began pulling it off and throwing it up on top of my refrigerator.  I thought it a little cheeky, but since he was repairing my freezer I let it go.  He then declared it a faulty gasket that was missing a magnet, got on his cell phone, called and discussed the issue with a mystery person, hung up, turned to his computer and said, "I can come back next Friday between 8-12, or if you want I can come the Monday after that at whatever time span you would like."

What?  I have never had a service man come to my house and not repair the problem. I said this out loud, and Travis just shrugged.  "I had to order the part."  I told him Friday and explained my time issue between 8-8:30.  Travis assured me it would be him returning, and that I wouldn't be his first stop because of where he lived.  "Either way, if you are my first stop you will receive a call the night before telling you that you are the first call of the day."  He typed some more on his computer and asked me to take an online survey that consisted of three questions.

1. On a scale of 1-5 how friendly was our service repair man?  I gave him a 5 because he was friendly.
2. On a scale of 1-5 how courtesy was our service repair man?  I gave him a 5 because he was courtesy.
3. Do you have a compliment, complaint, or other comment?  Please type in the space provided.  I typed in, "Would have liked to have had my refrigerator fixed today instead of a week from now, but oh, well."

While I was taking the survey on Travis' notebook computer he was wandering around my kitchen.  He was very interested in a container of wasbai peas that I had on my baker's rack.  We had a conversation about them.  I offered him some, but he declined, calling me "ma'am", which I ignored.  I finished the survey, commented on how it never asked if I thought Travis did a good job, he typed on it some more and printed out a receipt which he asked me to sign.  His labor for the day came to $214.00 and the order part was $187.46.  I owed nothing because of my warranty.  I signed, he thanked me, told me the part would be coming to the house, told me to take it out of the box and lay it out the day before so it would be ready to go, and left.  He was in my kitchen less than ten minutes.

Fast forward to Thursday night.  I had a message on my machine from the repair company telling me to call this 800 number because my appointment need to be rescheduled.  I was not a happy woman upon hearing this message, so I will admit I wasn't the nicest person to the Indian man on the other end of the 800 number.  He told me my appointment needed to be rescheduled because they were waiting on the part.  I told him that the part was sitting at my house.  He thought that great and told me they would see me tomorrow between the hours of 8-12.  I should have hung up then, but I asked him why the hell they sent the part to me, and then tried to reschedule because of a lack of parts.  He was nice.  He told me that I was suppose to have called when the part came in.  I argued that Travis had not mentioned that.  He kept talking, saying a bunch of nothing, and finally I just said, "Thanks" and hung up.

I laid out the part, a piece of gasket that was already laid out inside the gigantic box that arrived on my doorstep.  I wish I had taken photos of the freezer at this point because the photos above were taken with Tom's mock repair job.  After Travis removed that the freezer was five times worse in the snow department, and I had made everyone leave it alone so that Travis could see. On Friday morning at 7:45 when Darcy and I were just getting around to getting dressed for the day, the phone rang and an automated voice told me that I was the first caller of the day, and that a service repair guy would be coming at 8:00.  WTH?  Had I not had this discussion with Travis?  Had we not talked about how I would know this the night before so that I could arrange transportation for my daughter?  Luckily, we have another family two streets over that goes to the school, and Darcy arranged a pick-up.  I dressed and at 7:52 a new repair guy, not Travis, was ringing my doorbell.  7:52 is not 8:00 and I am a stickler for time so I was not a happy woman when I opened the door, and he asked the loaded question, "Hello ma'am, how are you today?"

I launched into an attack, telling him I wasn't very well at all because blah, blah, blah, and don't call me ma'am. He was very kind, offering to step outside while I drove Darcy to school, telling me he was sorry for the confusion on time, etc.  He deflated me as quickly as I had inflated, and we got along just fine.  He moved out of Darcy's way so she could pack her lunch, and she headed off to school.  I made coffee and watched him work.  He had to first defrost my freezer with an electric steamer.  I told him I was sorry and told him why it was so bad.  He asked me if Travis had been the first guy.  I said yes, he nodded his head, and muttered, "He's an idiot" or words to that fact.

It took him an hour to repair the gasket.  He was very good.  He had to use a steamer to clean out the ice container so that he could remove it, and he went ahead and steamed out the entire freezer.  He made sure to put a towel down so that it would catch the water and ice, and he was very good at cleaning up afterwards.  I took the same survey again and rated him high.  His bill for the hour of work?  Labor: $200  Parts: $187.46  I certainly hope that they don't charge the insurance company twice for that one same part, and frankly, I was thinking that Travis might have overcharged on his labor for ten minutes of nothing.

Later during the day, I noticed that the ice maker was now not producing nor making any producing noises.  I got out the instruction manual and read that it could take 24 hours for the ice to make after being newly installed or being shut off.  Since the repair guy had shut off the entirerefrigerator/freezer for an hour I was willing to give it an hour, but I wasn't too hopeful.  Turns out I was right.

Saturday morning, after a call from hubby, the third repair guy showed up at our house.  The motor to the ice maker was frozen solid.  Surprising!  This guy had the part on board his truck and he replaced our bad motor and was out the door in under thirty minutes.  His labor cost, on a weekend, was $179.  The part was $145.37. 

To fix our freezer issue it was a total of $925.83 (charging the gasket part only once).  $593 was for one hour and 50 minutes of labor.  Moral of the this story?  Make sure you purchase insurance on your electronic appliances.  Hubby earns big points for doing just that!

Connie foot update February 2013

The wound itself is still closed and Connie is in a shoe now, but the swelling persists.  The Foot God sent her to a vascular doctor who ran three tests that she passed with flying colors.  Her swelling and her purple toes are not due to vascular complications.  In fact her vascular system is fabulous.  Her veins and arteries are fantastic.  He agreed with the primary care doctor that it is due to medications and sitting in a wheelchair.

It is driving Connie crazy.  The Foot God has ordered some specialized compression stockings.  In the meantime she wears other compression stockings she got from some other doctor somewhere down the line.  Because her hip is causing her so much pain she is unable to get up and get moving with physical therapy.  Because she isn't able to do the physical therapy she can't get her hip replaced.  It is a vicious cycle and one that we haven't solved yet.  In the meantime she carries on.

My brother came for a few days to visit with her and they spent quite a bit of time eating out, seeing a movie, and running various errands.  When he left she was quite worn out from all the running around and from the goofiness that is my brother.  It was, however, nice to have someone living with her again and having someone at her beck and call 24/7.

I'm thinking of putting an ad on Facebook advertising a Florida vacation complete with a little ole wheelchair bound lady.

Diet Myth #2 - Portion sizes

Ever notice that every diet insists on portion sizes of whatever it is you put in your mouth?  I suppose this is a necessity especially for someone like me who tends to eat larger than I should.  Years ago, when I was younger and more able and more motivated and younger, I went on some diet someone else was doing.  I lived at home and my mother had a scale that I could use to measure the weight of my food so that when it said I could have 4 oz. of fish I could weigh it to get exactly 4 oz.  Which I did religiously.  I don't have a scale in my own house now.  Luckily for me my diet book helps me out.  I am able to have 5 oz. of turkey, or fish, or chicken, or sometimes lean beef NO FRYING and the book tells me a 5 oz. portion is "the size of a deck and a half of playing cards". 

The first thing that goes through my mind when reading this is that I collect playing cards.  It is my stamp collection.  My coin collection.  And I have all sizes of playing cards.  But then my brain kicks in and I realize that the author means a standard deck of playing cards don't-be-silly-Cara.  But I'm one of those people who likes to follow directions when cooking.  It drove my mother crazy that I couldn't just put a pinch of salt into the recipe but instead had to measure out the teaspoon.  But that is the way I learned it in Home Economics and that is the way I was graded in Home Economics and that is something I have sort of learned to get past, but not really.  So I want to hold the meat up against a deck of cards to make sure that it is the correct portion, but then the cards aren't in the kitchen but down the hall, which is farther then I want to go while I'm cooking, but then perhaps that would count as exercise, but no don't-be-silly-Cara.  So I don't.  I measure instead with my eyes, and I try to be honest.  More honest then I am with the flavored creamer that I put into my coffee and carefully measure with a tablespoon, oh, my did I over pour into my cup?  Oh well.

This diet is very interesting.  While I like the eating of every 3 to 4 hours small meal portions with snacks in between it is also very tedious.  Not much variety.  Tons of fruits and vegetables and water which works well with the bodily functions... sometimes... but little in the area of well, anything else.  There are choices some of the days.  This week I had cream of wheat with nothing on it but a pat of butter and it was the most delicious thing ever oh, my god!  Yesterday I also got to have pancakes and bacon.  PANCAKES AND BACON.  PANCAKES AND BACON.  It happened to be on a day when I had to run an important errand after dropping off Darcy at school so my breakfast meal had to wait because I went back to bed after getting Madison off to school instead of eating.  Choices.

I ran the errand and thought about going out to breakfast, but the pancakes were to be the portion size of a CD and I didn't know of any restaurant that served that size.  Except for the Village Inn where they serve those CD sized pancakes with eggs, bacon, sausage, omelets, and potatoes and eggs.  Which weren't part of my meal plan portion size or not.  So I skipped the restaurant breakfast for one.  Then I thought about going through McDonald's drive thru and ordering their pancakes because, although I can honestly say I've never ordered them, I have tasted a bite a long time ago.  I also vaguely thought they were about the right size, but then I told myself no.  I had pancake mix at home and bacon.  The book said bacon and then later at the end added, "Try turkey bacon" so I took that as I could have pig bacon, but I should try the kind from a turkey, but it is okay to have the pig kind.  And since that is the kind I had in my refrigerator I planned on eating the pig bacon.

I went home and cute up the required pear that went along with the pancakes and bacon.  I whipped the mix and poured out two pancakes the size of a CD into the skillet.  I put in three pieces of bacon, one for the dog, into the microwave and cooked everything up.  I was allowed a pat of butter on the pancakes and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of syrup.  I am not one of those people who pours syrup directly on to the pancake.  I don't necessarily care for a lot of syrup.  I put the syrup on a plate and dip the bites of pancake into that before eating.  I wasn't concerned about the amount of syrup.  In fact 1 and 1/2 tablespoons seemed excessive.  When everything came out it smelled wonderful and delicious and looked mouthwatering.  I spent considerable time inhaling the smell of it all first.  Then just to be sure I had it all complete I re-read the meal plan in the book, and that is when I saw directly after "2 pancakes plus 2 strips of bacon" and in parentheses, "(no more than 5 inches in diameter...)". 

Last week I could have had pancakes (and chose not to because of time constraints what-an-idiot-thing-that-was) the size of a CD and just went with that size this week.  When I read this part this week I completely missed the word diameter (remember this is a diet and thus the brain hasn't had much fat and sugar staples that my brain needs) and took it to mean the length of the bacon.  Which made me think.  Does bacon come in different sizes?   And I looked at my two slices of bacon and measured it with my fingers and then measured it with a ruler because I had one in my junk drawer.  The bacon was six inches long.  An inch past what I was allowed, in my head, to have.  What to do?  What to do?  And without putting a lot of thought into it I broke off the offending inch and ate it.  Now my bacon was the correct length.  And I sat down and gobbled, slowly, the entire delicious, mouthwatering meal. 

It wasn't until I got the book out to write this entry that I actually saw the word "diameter" and realized I had it all wrong from the beginning.  Who has bacon 5 inches in diameter?  No, no, I'm kidding.  I got it now.  He meant the pancakes.  Why he changed it up from last week's entry when he doesn't change anything else up in the book day to day is beyond me, but I've got it straight now.  Which really kind of defeats the point of this entry now that being portion sizes.  But it's all good.  Portion sizes on this diet are spelled out sometimes and not spelled out other times, and I think that if I just eyeball it all with my eyes and not my stomach I should be good.  Hmpf.

Out of the mouths of my babes

Madison is the hardest person to wake in the morning. She sleeps through alarms and usually my voice. On Monday she missed the bus and I had to get dressed and drive her to school at 6:30 in the morning. The sun isn't even up at that time. When she got home Monday we were discussing her lateness, her morning grouchiness, and her problem of getting up.

Me: "Look how nice and happy you are right now. Why can't you be like that in the morning. You're so grouchy and mean in the morning."

Madison: "I don't think I'm really awake in the morning. I feel like I'm in a fog and sometimes still in a dream."

Me: "We'll that's weird. But seriously you have to get up in time to get to the bus. I don't like having to drive you. It's dark out!"

Madison: "I don't like it when I miss the bus and you have to take me either. I'm always worried you're going to be mad. And then I don't even talk in the car."

Me: "You mean you're scared of me? Well that's sort of exciting. I always think we were scared of our parents which is why we were so good. Kids today aren't scared. But you are?"

Madison: "Yes, when I miss the bus. I'm scared you'll be mad."

Me: "But I was good this morning!"

Madison: "Yes, you were."

Me: "I know. It's one of my resolutions...to be more patient. I was nice and patient this morning. I didn't argue or anything. I was nice!"

Madison: "I know, but that's even scarier."

Replacement flowers...sort of.

At Thanksgiving time I dug out these pots that use to be on my back porch and put them on either side of my front door to use as decoration.  I put mums in them at that time and then put poinsettias in them at Christmas time.  Yes, the poinsettias were fake, but they didn't die and when the holiday was over I pulled them out, cleaned them off, and stored them away in my plastic Christmas boxes.  The planters have sat empty since then the dirt calling to me every time I entered and exited my front door.  I do not have a green thumb.  The mums withered and died almost before Thanksgiving so I was thinking I would do the fake flower thing when one day I exited the door and saw these in my pots.

Tom had obviously taken matters into his own hands.  I couldn't believe how beautiful these flowers were and I was quite impressed.  Until I closed the door and looked into the second pot on the other side of the door.

Uh? One of these just doesn't belong.  What the heck? 

Diet Myth # 1 - "Ugh Smoothies"

I started a diet on Monday of this week to begin one of my new year's resolutions.  I'm thirty pounds overweight according to documentation that I read and that has been given to me through various health professionals and organizations.  Thirty pounds!  While at my yearly visit with my primary care doctor a few weeks back I was examining a chart she had hanging on the back of the door that said I was a pound shy of being obese according to my BMI.  Not that this chart checked my BMI, but according to height and weight, etc.  Obese.  Little ole me.

Before Christmas I had been watching television during the day, probably relaxing after cleaning and lifting weights, and saw this doctor on Anderson Cooper who had written a book on dieting.  He was talking about how his diet, Shred, was different because you ate four meals and three snacks during the course of a day and this helped keep your metabolism going which in turn helped burn fat.  He had plates of food in front of him, one of which contained pancakes and bacon.  I was hooked just with that.

I did some research in the next month on the diet via my friend the Internet.  I also read about the diet in several magazines.  I put the book on hold at the library, but there were several people in front of me.  Finally after the doctor visit I broke down, bought the book, and started this week.  The problem was that I bought the book on Sunday and started the diet on Monday.  Monday is my grocery day, but I had to take Connie to a doctor's appointment and so my grocery shopping was put off to the late afternoon. 

In this diet you drink a fruit smoothie or a protein drink as part of one of your meals every day.  I am not a smoothie person unless it has coffee or chocolate in it.  Unfortunately these had to have fruit in them and be under 300 calories.  There was no way I was going to be able to concoct one of the smoothie recipes in the book without going to the grocery so I researched Tropical Smoothie, a restaurant right up the street from my house.  I was to have this smoothie as Meal #2 at 10:30 in the morning and I figured I would buy it on the way to Connie's house.  The only smoothie that was closest to the 300 calorie limit, without using Splenda, was a Blue Lagoon.  This blueberry and strawberry smoothie was 305 calories so I figured I would drink most of it and chuck it to avoid those extra 5 calories.  I bought the smoothie and tried it.  Okay, it wasn't awful.  I figured I would be able to drink it just fine as I drove and ate my raw carrots, the other part of Meal #2.

By the time I got to Connie's house I was ready to chuck the smoothie into the garbage can that sits outside the condo complex.  I was only halfway through the thing in the half an hour it took me to drive and I was over it.  The strawberry seeds alone were making me nuts.  I tried to chew them or drink them and ended up driving with my window open so I could spit them outside like a tobacco chewer.  How the hell would I last on this diet drinking these things every day?  I finally finished the smoothie forty minutes later after driving Connie to the doctor and sitting in the waiting area while she filled out paper work.  I was relived it was over.  Except then it was time to eat snack # 2.  Pretty much all this eating was wearing me down.

That afternoon I bought some of the ingredients at the grocery.  Just the thought of some of the items, like pineapple juice, made me want to run the other way.  I guess I am as picky as my mother always complained I was about trying things.  But I bought the stuff and stored it all in my refrigerator.  I should have taken a picture of the inside of my refrigerator because you couldn't have fit another thing in there after my trip what with all the yogurt and fruit and vegetables.

The next day the smoothie drink was for Meal # 3 which comes around 2:00 pm.  Darcy had an orthodontist appointment that day at 1:30 so I had good intentions of preparing my smoothie beforehand and taking it along in a cooler.  But the thought of hauling out my smoothie maker from the garage, cleaning it, and making it was too great for me and I didn't do it before hauling off Darcy.  Darcy began whining about her teeth as soon as she returned to the car and was telling me how good a McDonald's frappe would be on her mouth.  I told her I was dieting.  She told me McDonald's had smoothies, looked up the calorie intake, and declared them under 300.  I got a wild berry smoothie.

Ugh!  Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!  This thing was way worse than the one from Tropical Smoothie.  It was smaller, not as thick, but the taste was just nasty.  I whined, but choked the thing down quicker than the last one and decided that no matter what on Wednesday I was making one from the recipe.  If that too was something nasty then Dr. Ian Smith was going to have to come up with something else for ole Cara on this diet.  (I follow him on Twitter)

Wednesday morning before going to get Connie for another appointment I hauled out the smoothie maker.  I have never used the thing before, having gotten it for Tom who likes smoothies.  I think my kids have used it, but I hadn't a clue about the thing.  It was filthy.  I took it all apart and cleaned it thoroughly, then followed the recipe for Lemon Berry Smoothie.  It had blueberries, strawberries, juice from a lemon, blueberry yogurt, milk, and ice cubes.  Right now in Florida strawberries are in season and in abundance.  They are bright red and very juicy.  The fresh blueberries were expensive, but they too looked nice and tasty.  I dumped it all into the maker, turned it on, and watched it whirl around.  The recipe made four servings all under 200 calories so I poured mine into a container that I carried with me to Connie's and shoved the remaining three servings into the refrigerator.

I got into the car and opened the drink bottle to attempt to choke down my homemade smoothie.  The taste was not bad.  I tried another.  Then another.  OMG!  Delicious!  The combination of the milk and yogurt was just sweet enough and very smooth, but the fresh fruit?  That made all the difference.  I drank the darn thing before I got to the next city, five minutes away.  Who knew?  Who knew what a difference fresh fruit would make?

SueG:  "I did."
Madison:  "I did."
Connie:  "I did."
Tom:  "I did."

Okay, whatever.  I never said I was a chef.  So that was the first one of Cara's diet myths - smoothies are awful - that was proven wrong at the end of several days.  From now on the smoothie portion of my meal will be homemade.  So far it has been delicious.  I can hardly wait to try another recipe.

Out of the mouths of my babes

Me: (on the phone at 3:30 pm):  "You sound better today then yesterday."

Connie:  "I feel better today.  I slept until 1:30."

Me:  "1:30 in the afternoon?  Like two hours ago?"

Connie:  "I had some good sleep."

Me:  "Uh huh.  What time did you go to bed?"

Connie:  "Oh, I don't know.  Late."

Me:  "I refuse to worry about this."

Connie:  "I'm not asking you to.  What do I care whether I stay up late and sleep late?"

Me:  "Because Connie the early bird gets the worm."

Madison: (who has been sitting and listening) "Actually that isn't true when there is only one worm in the house."

Connie:  "Exactly Madison!"

Me:  "She is only saying this because she sleeps as late as you on the weekend."

Madison:  "And I don't get the worm.  Darcy does."

From the travel journal - Pompano Beach - rest of the trip

11/22/06
Entry #1 - Darcy - (With some editing, but not much because it is so cute)

Today me and my friends and family are going to Miami for Thaksgiving.  Yesterday all the kids me, Brianna, Madison and Natale did a spa.  We got jobs.  Brianna's job was massaging peaples back.  Kelly's was the hair.  Madies job was the makeup and my job was painting peaples toenales.  By the end of the spa we all looked difent inclooding Natale!

Entry # 2 - Cara - The kids swam despite the chilly weather.   Madison and Brianna enjoyed the game room.  All of them played volleyball.

11:52 am -Krista and the girls have left for home -- only an hour behind schedule.  We are feeling a bit blue without them, but we think a game of Bingo will pep us up before heading to Greg's.

1:22 pm - Off to Miami Beach.  No Bingo winners, but Danielle gave gifts to us anyway.  Must fill out an employee kudos for her!

The view from Greg & Jorge's balcony in Miami Beach

11/26/06
Entry #1 - Kelly - We are heading home today.  We are currently in Alligator Alley.  Thanksgiving has come and gone.  At Greg and Jorge's we had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, gravy, biscuits/rolls, asparagus, apple pie and pumpkin pie.  The table was set very nicely with name cards and a centerpiece and candles.

I arrived on Tuesday night to Greg's house with plans to party the night away.  Greg had been up since 4 am though and put a 1:00 am limit on the fun.  He was concerned about getting a shopping list together and figuring out appetizers.  Since he had lots of bacon already, we settled on Paula Dean's bacon wrapped breadsticks, deviled eggs and cocktail franks, cheese and grapes.  Both Greg and I were exhausted by 12:30 pm.  I just can't party the way I used to.

The next morning we went to Cosco (big crowds) and Publix.  Cara arrived later in the afternoon.  Jorge had a cold, but stayed up later playing card with Cara, me and Madison.

Entry #2 - Cara - (as I remember it) - Greg and Jorge live in paradise on the top floor.  I parked in the sky.  There were hidden doors for sneaking out of.  Greg and Kelly cooked our big meal.

While Madison, Jorge, and I played cards Kelly and Darcy served us appetizers.  I liked that.  The meal was delicious as was the table.  The cappuccino machine was my favorite.  The balcony with a cappuccino was my second favorite.

We drove back and spent another night in Pompano Beach before heading home.  The weather was better, but not enough for me to put on a bathing suit and get into the pool.  Not so for the girls and Kelly.

It was a good trip.  Next time I'll come back in warmer weather and try to stay on one of the Fairfield's on the beach.  Also, we won't come after a hurricane has hit.

From the travel journal - Pompano Beach - Day 3

Entry #1 - Cara - 9:23 am - My Fairfield sales appointment, which Tiffany signed me up for upon check-in, was scheduled for 9:15, but they leave you cooling your heels in the lobby as they call your name one by one.  My representative from the Elite Team is Pam.  She is a nice looking gal, smoothly dressed and real.  If she has had work done she had one hell of a great plastic surgeon.  Nothing appears phony on her.

She asks me which Fairfield resort I have stayed in, and I mention the one in Orlando where we had dead bugs in the bed, rust falling into the pool, etc.  Several people waiting nearby hear me and ask for the name of the resort.  Pam quickly ushers me into the sales room, telling me how funny I am.  When I tell her I'm serious she asks me what I want to know about Fairfield.  I'm honest and tell her what Kelly told me to say, "My mother owns this.  One day I'll inherit.  You're not going to sell me anything today."  Whoa!  Wrong thing to say obviously because she has now left me sitting alone at the sales table, returning once to ask if I'm married and once to get my mother's Fairfield card.  Hmm...a battle of wills perhaps?  Seriously, nothing free that they have offered me is worth any of this.  Wouldn't you want to treat a person in my position in a queenly manner?  I guess not.  But I realize too that Pam can't wait for me to be the owner as she has food to put on the table too.  I was suppose to have Natalie with me, but of course she refused, knowing I wanted her to come.

I'm listening to the table next to me.  The sales lady has definitely had work done.  She is older, slim; a bombshell.  She remind me of Peggy.  This sales lady is working with an older couple who inherited from an aunt.  They don't own they rent.  The sales lady is seriously trying, but the man isn't budging and his wofe hasn't spoken more than three sentences.  The entire room is about half full and buzzing with sales talk.  The women are more to my liking as the men are slimy used car salesmen.  At 10:00 am Krista and Kelly are suppose to call me with an emergency so I can escape.  Only 6 minutes to go.

Fairfield Employees Who Deserve Recognition:
-Wayne
-Danielle
-Lisa
-Alice
-Natalia

Entry #2 - Krista - 11:36 am - It's me, Krista, and again I'm out of cash.  You see, I don't carry cash!!  I'm a debit gal and when I ask here at the resort if they accept debit cards they give me a strange look.  Soooo....I'm off to find an ATM without a fee!!  Good luck to me!  Of course last night I was at Winn Dixie and paid for my beer and dessert with, you know what I'm going to say, CASH!!  I guess the 8 beers I had impaired my ability to think, but I drove just fine!!

Entry # 3 - Cara - 11:52 am - Krista and I are hanging out in the sitting room of our building while the girls are in the game room.  There is a television and a computer.  We have attempted the computer, but it is a tad difficult without a keyboard so we are watching the Price is Right with two men from Virginia.  They are in shorts and bare feet.  They are discussing Texas Hold'em which is the activity for tonight.

Krista is asking them if they will help us if we come to play because we are clueless.  I jumped in and asked which was a winner three twos or four twos.  Turns out Krista was serious...she doesn't know Texas Hold'em.  Or maybe she is scamming me.

Entry #3 - Kelly - New words for kids (although Madison knew the definition)  It's Kelly here and I am traveling in the caravan to the flea market.  Brianna has made the statement that she will not wear used clothes.  I was trying to describe what they will find at the flea market, and I said that they would find clothes, jewelry, art, perfume, used furniture, rugs, etc.  Brianna thought I said used clothes.  I explained that the flea market is not a Salvation Army!  I went into the hot tub this morning.  The outside hot tub is quite nice.  The water has the perfect temperature.  The lifeguard at the pool looked quite bored.  I don't blame him.  No one was in the pool.

Entry # 4 - Cara - Dinner has been served, the dishes are clean, and the girls are safely ensconced (we learned it so we should use it) in front of the TV.  We spent twenty minutes today at the indoor flea market, but left after a minor medical situation (EDITOR:  one that will not be mentioned. ) That and the hair extensions we were trying on cost $38 and $42. 

We spent two hours in Walmart collecting the medical supplies recommended by the pediatrician and much more, and by the time we left Kelly was banging her head on the cart.  Greg arrived not long after that just in time for spa night.  Kelly and the girls did nails, hair and make-up on each other taking before and after photos.  Then Greg whisked Kelly away -- only to return after we discovered her toiletry bag in the bathroom.  We will join her at Greg's for Thanksgiving.

Krista and I are doing laundry and starting to relax.  I'm hoping for a good night's sleep in a bed--alone tonight.

Clothes from Walmart!

From the travel journal - Pompano Beach - Day 2

11/20/06
Entry # 1 - Cara - The temperature this morning is a brisk 55 degrees according to Krista who read it on one of the three televisions in our deluxe unit.  The temperature in the shower is also a brisk 55 degrees, but we have alerted someone of importance and she in turn is calling maintenance.

We arrived at Fairfield last night after 6:00 pm. worn out and beaten, except for Darcy who managed a nap in the car.  I checked us in at the front desk where I was called Mrs. Mason the entire time, despite the fact that I told them I was Mrs. Mason's guest.  I was given a folder full of information and coupons.  I was signed up for the big sales pitch that all owners and guests attend every time they vacation, which in my mind is the main reason (among many, see 55 degree shower) why this organization will never see a dime from me.

Our unit is the Fountain Palms building situated between two pools and, thankfully, the tiki bar.  We have two bedrooms, one king room and one two double bedroom.  Krista and Natalie are in the king.  Cara, Kelly and Darcy are in the double and Madison and Brianna are on the pull out sofa bed in the living room.  The kids were tired and wired (except Darcy) and after a miserable dining experience at Ruby Tuesdays across the way and an exhausting grocery run, Krista whipped the kids soundly and put them to bed.  Then the adults relaxed with some beer and wine.  We slept soundly.

This morning we are currently enjoying a continental welcome breakfast in the breezeway of our building.  There is food and music and Kelly and I have entertained one member of the serving staff (Alice) with our renditions of Barry Manilow, the Beach boys, and Blonde.  The kids are in the other room enjoying arts and craft hour making turkeys and paper hats for Thanksgiving.

Krista has informed Lisa, another staff member, of our cold water problem and she too has called maintenance.  Unfortunately, this was done after Kelly went back upstairs to shower so I'm heading upstairs so that the maintenance man doesn't end up accosted and in the shower with Kelly.

Entry # 2 - Kelly - Cara is talking/flirting? with a delicious blonde boy who works here.  She is inquiring about the nearest liquor store.  She has found out the tiki bar is closed.  Apparently it is only open in summer?  Wha?  Anyway back to this delicious boy, who I would not guess at first glance is gay, but you never can tell.  I just heard Cara talking to this guy about how she could only do it in brownies.  Is she talking about what I think she's talking about?  I'm sure she's only talking about walnuts.

Anyway, back to this boy.  He has very sexy eyes, among many attractive parts which make up an attractive whole.  Krista just informed that Natalie is having a conversation with someone who doesn't speak English.  Her name is Marcia.  I just overheard Cara mentioning "my husband" to this sexy boy.  Good thing, unless he has a thing for OLDER married women, which could be good news for Cara.  Now Krista is taking a picture of Cara with the sexy boy.  Whew!  The sexual energy here on the pool patio is really flowing.  I need someone like him for a few hours at Christmas time.  Darn he's not working tomorrow.  He probably got a cheerleader or mode girlfriend.  Time for a drink!  Kelly needs some booze.

Entry #3 - Cara - 1:27 pm - Kelly has won picture frame Bingo!  Her prize, which she gets to choose, is a drink ticket for the tiki bar which is being renovated and won't be open until Friday.  BFD on that win.

1:49 pm. - Bingo is over, but Wayne, the delicious blonde boy, begged us to come back at 3:30 for Deal or No Deal.  Wayne likes us.  And seriously -- what's not to like?

Vocabulary Words learned so far by the adults:
- gregarious
- regimented
-ensconced

Vocabulary Words learned so far by the children:
- petite
- antiques

Entry #4 - Cara - 7:49 pm - After two grocery runs and one absolutely stressful, frantic adventure to find a liquor store in this "god forsaken city", we are ensconced in our unit enjoying liquor, caesar salad, garlic bread, liquor, pasta, chocolate cake, liquor, lasagna, Klondike ice cream cones, and liquor.  Funny how much better we find we tolerate the kids when we have liquor.

From the travel journal - Pompano Beach - Day 1

Texting Conversation:

Me:  "OMG, guess what I found!"

Kelly:  "A piece of the game?"

Kelly:  "Inner peace"

Me:  "No, no"

Kelly:  "The fountain of youth?"

Kelly:  "The lost city of Atlantis?"

Kelly:  "Journal"

Her excitement did not quite match mine, but then again she didn't really remember it when I told her I had lost it.  She also wasn't right there to delve into the inner workings of the journal.  Madison and I did and we laughed and laughed, especially at the pictures and Darcy's entries.

Let me share.

Community Journal - Trip - 11/19/06

Entry #1 - Kelly:  I am sitting shotgun in the Caravan.  We just made a stop somewhere south of Bradenton; food at McDonald's.  "I'm having a great time, kind of..." says Krista timidly when I ask her if she has any thoughts to add to the journal.  "I am a little nervous with this traffic."

(EDITOR:  We were in two cars traveling to Pompano Beach for the week of Thanksgiving.  Krista and her kids were going back before Thanksgiving, thus the two cars)

She recently learned how to pump gas for herself.  I am getting a little sick to my stomach writing and riding and talking to Krista on the cell phone.  She decides to put on REO Speedwagon and the Carpenters and sing to herself.  Now I wish I was in her car instead of the Caravan.  Cara shouts out, "The Steelers are down by 7!"  Then she whispers to me, "What's Natalie doing?"  I try to sneak a glance at her.  Her mouth is moving, but no sounds of talking.  I whisper back to Cara, "I think she's chewing?"

Drawing by an unknown child

Entry #2 - Kelly:  Just entered Alligator Alley.  Cara's headache still persisting.  We went thru the toll plaza.  Had to give Krista $1.50 for tolls, and at last minute said maybe we should give Krista a little more in case tolls went up.  Last time I went thru Alligator Alley the tolls were $1.50.  Good thing we gave Krista the extra money.  The toll was $2.50!  We went thru the toll plaza and were looking for Krista behind us.  She was nowhere to be seen.  We drove very slowly and kept looking at the rearview mirror.  No Krista!  We pulled over on the shoulder to wait.  No Krista!  My goodness, what could have happened to her?  Did she take an exit?  Did she lose the money and park her car before the toll plaza to look for it?  Did she get a flat tire and have to pull off the road a few iles back without Cara or me noticing?  The phone rings.  Its' Krista!  Where are you?  She tells us that she went thru the toll plaza in a different lane than we did; a faster lane apparently.  She was ahead of us, not behind us.  I asked what mile marker she had just passed.  "96," she replied, as we passed the 99 mile marker.  "Okay," Krista says, "I'm going to drive slow so you can catch up with me."  We finally did at mile marker 88.  Whew!

4:04 pm - Rest stop in Alligator Alley.  Someone has to poop.

Entry # 3 & 4 - Unknown:

Drawing by Darcy perhaps?

Drawing by several people including Kelly, Darcy, and Madison

Super Bowl 2013 recap

It almost wasn't a game, but a blow out, and conspiracy theorists want to know if Jim Harbough paid an underling to disrupt the power in the Superdome so that his older brother wouldn't beat him. Ah, the media and fans of football, and not from the two teams playing, were certainly happy to have a turnaround to what was a butt spanker of a game before the lights went out in New Orleans. As for me, cheering on the team that hates the Steelers more than anything, wasn't nearly as hard when I kept thinking it might just fire up our boys for next year.

Ravens defense - These guys came out smokin' to prove to the football world they were more than just Ray Lewis' backup boys. Ed Reed showed off for his hometown crowd by grabbing an interception. Cornerback Jimmie Smith stopped the last pass of the game with some questionable touching of Michael Crabtree, who was doing his own questionable touching. The defense deflected balls and forced a fumble and continually stopped the 49ers from scoring seven in the first half. They slowed after the light fiasco, but pulled it together in the end to keep the 49ers from taking the lead. It was good defensive football with plenty of hard hits and great stops.

Colin Kapernick - The problem with the Super Bowl is that it begins before the game and lasts an eternity, especially for a rookie quarterback playing in the big leagues for his tenth time. Kapernick looked liked a deer caught in the headlights through the first half, and his normal way of running and gunning seemed to have been squelched by a skittish coaching staff ala Michael Vick. The problem with that theory is that both those guys are best when they are allowed to play their way, which Kapernick began doing in the second half before running it of time on the clock.

Joe Flacco - I can't say the guy is easy to fluster anymore. For the past two seasons he has kept his cool and been a leader. He showed more poise than I've seen him have and his team lined up right behind him with confidence. His arm was steady and straight and his feet moved with a ballerina ease in and out of the pocket. He deserved the MVP award.

Ray Lewis - Is there anyone more camera shy then this guy? Pfft. He reminds me of a kid who immediately smiles that cheesy grin when a camera is pointed in his direction. Lewis just seems to find the attention no matter, and he is always happy to give some type of sound bite. But I've said it over and over, the guy knows how to motivate and damn if he isn't a leader.

Black out - No one knows what caused some of the banks of lights to shut off soon after the halftime show, but no one panicked and no one got hurt. The Ravens lost their momentum allowing 17 points after the lights came back on, and had that been my team as a fan I would have been ranting and raving. Had my team been on the other side of the blackout I would have called them babies. I finally had to agree with Kelly who said, "Things happen. Deal with it."

Harbaugh against Harbaugh - I just keep picturing the next few years at family gatherings when Jim pisses off his older brother and John reminds him who beat whom. John may have felt some bittersweet moments after winning yesterday, but his little brother ain't going to be happy until he kicks the Ravens' ass.

Commercials - Good ones, bad ones. Hated the gross slurping and devouring of the model and the nerd on godaddy.com. "It is just disturbing," Darcy said the second time around, her hand up to block the screen. Thought the M&M was just as gross. Liked the Kia, the Clydesdale, the Tide, Taco Bell, and the car buying with the baby wolf. And the farmer was excellent, although too long and too documentary for a commercial.

IU back to number 1 - What? Football's over. Time for Hoosier ball baby!

Super Bowl pick & more

San Fransisco vs. Baltimore - Steelers fans do not have a team to root for in this game.  We don't want the 49ers to win because then they will tie us for most Super Bowl wins at 6 apiece.  We don't want the Ravens to win because they are our mortal enemy.  That is what I keep reading at least in many of the papers and online sites.  I'm not disagreeing with any of that.  I've made my pick.  I'm going with the underdogs.  I think the game will be close and exciting, and I think the elder brother won't want to get beat by the younger brother.

I'm also hoping that if the underdogs win then it will motivate my Steelers team to want to win even more next year.  I'm hoping.  Because I have to hope that something will turn them around by next year.

Harbaugh vs Harbaugh - The question on the media's mind is who will the parents be rooting for?  I'm sure the Harbaughs, Jack and Jackie, are really tired of that question.  My favorite was John Harbaugh calling in to a radio show that was interviewing his parents and sister.  He called in anonymously, only as "John from Baltimore", and he asked, "Is it true both of you liked Jim better than John?"  His sister recognized the voice so the question wasn't answered, but it reminded me of my own rivalry with my brother.  I loved it.

Super Bowl outdoors - Next year the big game will be played outdoors and everyone has an opinion.  I guess I don't have an opinion, after debating the issue myself, because seriously I wouldn't be at a game because I couldn't afford it (the Steelers played here in my own town for god's sake).  Having been to a Steelers game now in Pittsburgh, I would not want to let that opportunity pass me by again, but price will always be a factor.  I hate the cold so I would prefer somewhere warm.  I'm sure the players would prefer somewhere warm.  That being said, I think that all stadiums should have a chance to host the big game and a lot of stadiums are outside in the cold.  Good football weather I'm told.

Deer Antler Spray - Oh, my.  Who knew what important stuff was inside the antler of deer?  Did Ray Lewis use the banned substance or not to help him in his recovery from a torn triceps?  According to a Sports Illustrated article, Mitch Ross, from the company SWATS, said he supplied the Ravens linebacker with the spray.  Then Ross showed up at the Super Bowl festivities this week and said he never saw Lewis take the stuff.  Ray Lewis himself says he never did anything wrong and has never tested positive for a banned substance.  Yeah, Ray, neither did Lance Armstrong and look how that all turned out.  My question, as always, is what the hell was this Ross guy thinking talking to Sports Illustrated about his clients?  Obviously, he wanted to get the company name out there even if it brought negative attention, but seriously, has he met Ray Lewis in person?  Dude scares me on television, and hey, Mitch, he got away with killing once before.  Shut your mouth.

Inside/outside - The big whining from some fans and players was that the 49ers got to practice inside the dome in New Orleans while the Ravens were relegated to the outdoor practice facility at Tulane University.  My understanding is that the facility this year was home to the NFC and they got to practice there while the AFC team had to go elsewhere.  Eventually the Ravens ended up inside the stadium after the two brother coaches worked it out.  Personally, I think being outside just pissed the Ravens off more, and Jim made a smart move allowing them back indoors.

49ers gay remarks - Chris Culliver, the San Francisco cornerback mouthed off on media day saying he wouldn't welcome a gay teammate and if someone was gay they should get off the team.  Seriously?  Does this man not know what city he works for and lives in?  He was definitely asked a stupid question by the media, but do these guys not know how to respond?  Maybe Roger Goodell should make it mandatory for all players to go through training on how to act like a human being and how to face the media. 

Hall of Fame - A HUGE shout out to our Florida boy Warren Sapp for his induction into the Hall of Fame on his first try.  I watched him on the NFL Network and he couldn't have been classier saying he was part of a team and giving shouts to his defensive boys Derrick Brooks, Johnny Lynch,  Ronde Barber, and his roommate Hardy Nickerson.  Sapp was my kind of guy in that he fired up not only the fans, but his team.  He motivated them with his speeches and his play and he was a huge reason, along with those he mentioned, who stuck by the Tampa Bay team and help bring home the Super Bowl trophy.

I found it!

One of my new year's resolutions this year was to organize my schedule, my desk, my home, and finish the scanning/organizing of photos.  I originally wanted to go through the crap stuff on my desk including drawers and do something with all the keepsakes and stuff I insist on keeping "in case I need it".  The problem with that is I have that kind of stuff all over my house so I incorporated that into my resolution and then added my schedule and pictures because it seemed like it all went together.  I really don't know what I meant by my schedule except perhaps making the time to do the organizing.

Recently my husband added my old scanner to my computer and was annoyed at what he considered a mess on my desk.  This translates as "he has nowhere to put the scanner thus he considers this a mess", which is annoying to me.  We argued, and because it was midnight and eight hours after the time I originally required this job be done, I went to bed.  He did the job and left the scanner sitting in the middle of my desk.

Today I began to tackle the job so that I might score higher than normal at my two-month resolution check.  I began by moving things around so that the scanner had a place and then sat and contemplated the arrangement of my desk.  It is designed for two people so there is plenty of room, but really there isn't plenty of room for all of the stuff I have.

Tom:  "It's only because you are filling the empty spaces with crap. Empty space? Cara will fill it...with crap."

Me:  "All of my stuff is important and your desk isn't so clean either."

I sat and surveyed the area and then remembered my resolution of getting rid of stuff.  I began with my two level file box.  In the first level were important papers like the newspaper articles and program of my trip to Pittsburgh to see the Steelers.  These are things I plan on incorporating into the Steelers room.  Perhaps framing them with my ticket.

Other papers included a drawing Madison did in the 5th grade. Also planned to frame, but it was too big for most frames, and I was thinking about what to do with it; a newspaper article with interesting recipes I obviously planned on trying; an envelope full of pictures and stuff for work reunion I had worked on twenty-five years ago and had recently found; and a newspaper article on how to buy a car.  I cut out the recipes I thought I might try and added them to my folder of recipes that is in my filing drawer.  I put the other stuff in piles to be looked at later when I had a better idea of what to do with them.

The second tier of the filing box contained school stuff from Madison's two years of high school like the student code of conduct and information on the IB program.  These I chucked into the trashcan.  There was my new camera box which I put aside, some samples of Paul Mitchell conditioner which I put into my bathroom, an article on preparing for a disaster which I filed in the same drawer as the recipes, and a folder of old school work from Darcy's 5th grade year and Madison's 7th grade year which I filed in the filing cabinet in their respective grade folders.  I also found an envelope of swimming ribbons, a folder containing information from when I produced and directed some shows at the girls' school, a folder containing our new insurance information, a $10 unused Itunes gift card, and on the very bottom of the stuff I found...are you ready?...

The TRAVEL NOTEBOOK  (take a few minutes to click on the link and familiarize yourself with the details)

At first, I didn't know what it was.  I opened the notebook to find this on the first page:

I assumed it was going to be more school stuff from long ago, but on the second page was the headline, in Kelly's handwriting, "Community Journal - Trip - 11/19/06" and immediately I knew what it was, and I began shouting and dancing and skipping.  Actually, I just gave up on cleaning and sat down to write to my blogging readership that I FOUND IT.  I FOUND THE TRAVEL JOURNAL THAT I HAD LOST and written about here, and here.  Now I have things to blog about for the next few days!  Yay!

Being beautiful is way too much work

Back in my day, the olden days, we had bobby pins, curlers, and finally the curling iron to make our locks wavy. As a youngster my mother would wash my hair, whirl it into a circle strand by strand and bobby pin it. I would sleep on those and in the morning when the pins came out I would have wavy curls. I hated the whole process. When I was old enough to care for my hair myself the curling iron came out. It was easy to use once one got the hang of it by using it over and over again, which I did each night before I went to bed and each morning before school. It was simple. Take a strand of hair between the iron's jaws, wind it up, count to ten, let it out. Instant curl.

When my youngest daughter began to pay attention to her looks and her hair I offered up my old curling iron which has sat in a drawer since moving to Florida. She declined instead wanting a straightener, a device that removed the curls. Eventually that went out of style and she asked this year for Christmas two different appliances by Bed Head that would give her waves, ringlets, spirals, or curls depending on which contraption you used. She received two of them.

This past weekend she went to a dance for her friend's Bat Mitzvah and wanted to put loose waves in her hair. I offered to help her knowing she had these new devices. Out came the one that promised "ringlets". It was a one piece device with four bulbs spaced an inch apart. For the small spirals you were to wind the hair between the bulbs and for the waves you wrapped your hair around the bulbs. There was nothing to hold the hair in place like on a curling iron. I tried winding the first strand, but had trouble holding it on the bulb where it didn't slip down into the spiral grooves between the bulbs. The iron was hot and therefore hard to hold the hair on the bulbs once I managed to finally achieve that. Turns out the contraption came with a black glove, which one wears like Michael Jackson on the hand that holds the hair in place. Huh?

Even during my best curling iron days I wasn't a hair care expert, but using this thing on another person with a glove on one hand I wasn't even close to being a novice. I was worse. A portion of Darcy's hair was spirals, and a portion was curly, and another portion was somewhat wavy, and most of the back was just natural. My fingers on the non gloved hand were red and my wrist hurt from twisting and turning. This thing just didn't make any sense to me.

Thankfully she looked good despite my attempts.