Juggling Life

Catch of the Day

For 3 + 1/2 years (I checked my gmail for our first email exchange), I have been a fan and friend of Busy Bee Suz. When I was blogging at The Women's Colony, I had her write a piece about her father. I love her writing because she has such a strong voice--you know who she is from her writing. I dig that. 

Suz has always been high on my list of bloggers to meet (and I'm lucky to have met several phenomenal women bloggers in real life. I'm hoping to make my list less gender-specific and meet The Jason Show soon). When I found out she was taking her mother to Las Vegas for here 70th birthday, I knew I had to try and make it out there to see her. I couldn't really commit 100% until the beginning of the week, but on Monday I knew it was a go and I Hotwired a room. I scheduled some business a little north for Friday morning and took 1/2 a vacation day, so when I was done with my work at 11:30, I hit the road. I was all checked into my hotel room at 4:30.

Suz and I did our planning by text and after getting approval from her to wear my cute shoes rather than my okay-but-much-more-walkable shoes, I took a cab from the Stratosphere to The Mirage.  

Cute shoes. Oddly color-coordinated to the hotel's carpet. How many pairs of shoes did I take, you ask? The two to choose from for Friday night, the ones I wore to work and a pair of flip-flops because I don't walk on hotel room floors barefoot. See also, doesn't travel light.

We met up by the fishtank at the reservations desk at The Mirage. It was love at first sight :)

I immediately asked a couple, "I will take your picture if you take ours." Done. She has good taste in shoes, no? And the bumblee colors? She rocks them!

Suz had been showing her mother such a good time in Las Vegas that Beverly needed to rest up before dinner, so Suz and I went to the bar where we discovered the first of many things we have in common. We don't really like loud, pseudo-hip bars. We do both like alcohol and talking though, so we found the quietest corner and we were off. 

Ways that Suz and I are similar:

We both notify our families when we are heading home so all clutter can be removed from our visual fields in order that our heads don't explode. Related: Organizational skillz? We haz them. In spades.

We were both raised by single mothers that were flawed (and who among us is not?), smart, hard-working independent, feisty and funny. I was already missing my mother a lot because of the upcoming festivities, but seeing Suz and Beverly together made me miss her more. They clearly treasure one another.

We both learned from the mistakes of aforementioned mothers in the picking-a-life-partner department and I have no doubt that The Coach and Mr. Fix-it will get along great when they meet sometime (we're plotting it). They are both amazing and generous husbands, fathers and sons. Plus, girls' softball. Plus, big-ticket gift-givers who love to see the looks on their wives and chilren's faces when they give thoughtful, terrific presents. 

We both have/had fathers. It was/is complicated.

We will both (Beverly too) start a conversation with absolutely anybody at any time. Dinner would have been fun anyway, but with the company of the young ex-Mormon couple seated next to us, it was truly memorable (I meant it when I invited you to come visit San Diego and stay with me, Shelby and Matt. You have my card--call me!). 

We both look way too young to have adult children. The absolutely darling, slightly-inebriated 23-year old at the next table said so (yes, you again, Shelby). Related: This may actually be the line that engendered the invite, because nobody wants to hear they look young like a 49-year old woman having a year-long, low-key panic attack about her next birthday being a half-century milestone. (Full disclosure: That's me, not Suz. She's younger than me. B*tch. JK).

We have both lost a sibling :(

We both like to fill our lives with family and friends and laughter and food and drink (and clean counters).

We both love inside jokes. And now we have a couple of our own. I would share them with you, but inside jokes are never funny to those on the outside. You want to hear one? Okay, you twisted my arm. We had just finished perusing the menu and discussing that Suz and Beverly love pratically all fish. Except salmom. When we asked the waiter what the catch of the day was, he said . . . wait for it . . . salmon. Okay, maybe you had to be there. And maybe it would help if you'd had several cocktails or glasses of wine. But it's funny to us. Very funny. Don't suggest otherwise or Suz will shank you with a shiv.

The accordion player was so enamored of Bev he saw spots :)

We can both think on our feet. Like after the server at the bar (who I'm sure was paid by the length of her legs, not the depth of her intellect) splashed water on the table and therefore my phone (just a little, but hello, pouring liquids is your job, one would think you'd be a little better at it. I know I sound bitter, but she also tried to take my Vodka Collins with 1/2 inch of drink still in it), Suz helpfully sang, "watch your phone," as she approached us pitcher in hand. She also asked the taxi driver if he was taking the scenic route. He made a u-turn. I swooned. I love me some smart, funny people.

We both cannot stand heights. Neither can Beverly. Yet we all went to the observation tower at the Strat and watched guys bungee-jump.

 

Slightly blurry photo from the tower at the Strat--I had to do it one-handed while I held onto the barstool between me and the window.

It was 11 p.m. when we parted ways--they had to be at the airport early. I slept in until 8, didn't get out of bed until 9 and was home by 3:30. 

If you're ever in Vegas, let me know? I will so come meet you.

Dinner at Battista's Hole in the Wall. Pasta, wine and friends. It doesn't get much better than this. We are lucky indeed.

The wonderful thing about meeting a blog friend in real life is that you can now drop the disclaimer, "My friend, Suz. Well, I've never actually met her in person, but she's my friend. Really. It's a blogging thing. It is NOT weird."

We're both veteran Girl Scout leaders, so this seems especially fitting:

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. A circle is round, it has no end, that's how long I want to be your friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time Warp Tuesday: A Social Butterfly Update

A Princess Party for three-year olds.

Social Butterfly had a vast wardrobe of made-by-grandma dress-up clothes. I chose this photo for today because I loved taking it and I loved the way it turned out--the quiet moment with friends in the midst of a party-- and because it reminds me of why I chose Social Butterfly as my youngest daughter's blog name. When she is healthy, her life and this house are filled with friends. Also? She did her own hair for the photo and she's been wearing it very much like this lately--she lost about 1/2 of her hair during the initial illness phase 18 months ago and it's only fairly recently returned to close to normal.

Social Butterfly is doing amazingly well. She's just discharged from the program and is eating like any other 18-year old. In and Out fries! Seriously! She's working and doing some hanging out with friends. I'm know she can't wait until her brother comes home on May 11 and then the other college kids follow. 

One thing I em encouraging her to do is to continue to create art. She stopped doing it after she got well last time and then resumed as she started recovering this time. I think that's an indication she needs art in her life. Her pen and ink drawings and collages--she's started doing them on canvas with modge-podge--are just gorgeous. 

The bridesmaid dress came in and fits perfectly--just a neckline alteration needed. 

We're very happy and excited by a lot of things around here of late.

Be sure to visit Karen and Gary, the other Time Warp participants that are posting this week.

 

 

 

 

Reflections on the week from Hell

My comment was "Also? They are union members."

My friend Christine, a Bostonian I know through blogging (she doesn't blog currently), was not happy with the post because she feels it is too soon. I respect her opinion very much and I can see that if you are from Boston, you will feel very proprietary about the way this tragedy is used. I spent some time being bummed that I upset her and pondering whether or not she was right and that the post was inappropriate.

In the end though, I have to respectfully conclude that it is not too soon to make this point. If our government services are gutted to the point that a segment of our political leadership and their supporters are striving for, this situation would have been ever worse than the horror it was.

On that same line of thought, I am very interested to see what the word is out of Texas about that explosion. Early indications are that there were recent safety violations at that plant that may have been a factor in that tragedy.

Being a commie pinko liberal (I jest, I am more of a Social Democrat), I don't see a huge distininction between lives lost to terrorism and those lost to corporate greed (yes, I know the plant was family-owned, but the principle is the same). Both of these incidents (IF unsfafe practices were a factor in Texas) reflect callous disregard for human life. One was just done in a more deliberate way, but the results are the same.

When we live in a society where a segment of the population thinks that the rest of the populace should be happy for whatever job they have and activiely works against the rights of workers to unionize and attempts to erode the gains that workers have made since the early 1900s (particularly in regards to salaries and workplace safety), these things will happen with more frequency.

I had dinner with some friends Friday and we talked about many, many things. One of the things I brought up--the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire--was not known to the others in the group. In my opinion, we are moving backwards in this society to a place where something similar will occur.

To me, senseless death is senseless death and lives lost--be they those of children in Newtwon, spectators in Boston, or first responders in Texas--all have value and we, as a society, need to wake up and start governing in a way that acknowledges that.

 

 

 

 

 

Time Warp Tuesday: Princess for a Day

Grownup Girl on a neighborhood float, 4th of July, 1992 (?)

The wedding plans are truly set--I have all our flights and accommodations. I have been the travel agent for seven people making various pemutations of San Diego to Denver to Chicago to Denver to San Diego at different times for varying schedules. And hotel rooms? We now haz them. 

I did the first half of our tickets some time ago, but had to wait until we had more points and MVP had a job figured out (he does, Northern Colorado Mosquito Control. Paying his dues.). 

I think I did a great job of not panicking that it didn't work out to get our plans set until a month before we're leaving. 

And now I must shop. New capris, some tops, a pair of shoes for the wedding (original choice doesn't work), new Spanx. Hair, nails. It is not cheap to look "good for your age." 

I'm going with black and one other color (gray or brown) capris and blue and black jeans as the staples of my wardrobe. Add camisoles and the many shades of pink and peach and blue cardigans I already own, and I should be set. I do need a wedding rehearsal dress, but it won't be super-formal. Something from Ross.

You may have figured out I don't travel light. I don't and I'm not likely to change. I like my stuff. I like to have choices. Two weeks is a long time to pack for.

So, excited. 

Doing a lot at work to get set for everything to run smoothly in my absence. 

Can't wait!

Be sure to visit Gary, Heidi and Susan this week, too!

 

Edited to add: I just had to push publish on this and it was almost too much to do at the end of this particular Monday. I can't say anything you don't know or haven't thought yourselves, so I wlll leave it at that.

 

You are welcome to stay at my house . . .

This is Jay, a pharmacy student who lives in Chicago. If all goes well, he will soon be a pharmacist in San Diego.

People ask me if I will downsize now that I have an empty nest. No, I will just play hostess to a lot of people and enjoy doing it.

Jay flew in at 11 for a job interview, did the nickel tour I mapped out for him (San Diego was her most gorgeous self today) and then came to our place at 5. I showed up at 5:15 and he, Social Butterfly and I headed to the beach (es).

The two of them rode The Giant Dipper as I don't know if a wooden rollercoaster is the wisest use of an almost-50 year old back. Sad, but true. We walked on the boardwalk and then drove a mile and a half north to another fun, funky strip of beach and had cocktails and drinks and noshes while watching the sunset.

Then, because his body clock is two hours ahead of our time and he has a job interview, he was excited to turn in at 8:30 p.m. Holla! That is my kind of houseguest.

It was a great time. When I say you are welcome to come stay with me, I mean it.

 

 

Time Warp Tuesday: Angels

This is one of the many small framed snapshots I have around the house and it makes me smile every time I dust it--which isn't quite as often as it used to be.

I babysat my friend's kids--7 and 10--all day Saturday and I cannot believe how it exhausted me. Granted, I was being helped with the cooking (of which there were three meals because kids) and I also managed an 8-mile bike ride, a trip to Michael's, and the cleaning up of much collage detritus, but still . . . that used to be my every day. And then I went to some meeting at night. Good lord--the energy I didn't even know I had until it was gone

Back to the snapshot . . .

Good lord, people, the universe is testing me. I have baked  & frosted 45 cupcakes tonight, emailed an itinerary for a whilrwhind sightseeing tour for a friend of Grownup Girl's that will be staying with us for about 24 hours for a job interview (with links!) and changed the linens in the guest room. Why, Typepad, must you fight me on the placement of this photo?

Gary, Karen and Susan are playing this week. 

 

Social Butterfly and friend at 4 + 1/2 yrs old. Lowkey dance recital at the preschool. They look so sweet. They were so sweet.

 

Time Warp Tuesday: Graduation

I'm not a huge fan of graduation ceremonies--they are generally too long and there are too many people. Howevery, I LOVE graduation photos. The love! The pride! The robe that flatters no one!

I picked this photo this week because it's one of my favorite family photos for the reasons listed above, and also because I am sure I will be getting another beloved family photo in a few short weeks at the wedding. It might not be a formal portrait, but it will be one of all of us together, celebrating.

Please excuse the poor quality of this photo of a photo--when I remembered about this post it was too late to shoot in natural light and that is usually not a good thing. Hello, glare!

 

May 2009, my graduation from CSUSM

MVP, looking so much like a man, home from freshman year in college.

Danger Boy right before he grew several inches, lost his baby fat and cut off his hair.

I forgot to send a reminder out this week, so I just have posts from: Gary, Karen, and Heidi.