Where The Weekend Went: Early To Bed, Aqua Cleaning, Multitasking And Again, My Poor Feet.

Hello, it’s me.

For your viewing pleasure: some orchids I found in the yard this weekend. To be clear, they weren’t hiding, but I don’t always know where or when they are gonna bloom.


The Coach was home the entire weekend. That is a first in months; he spent most of it finalizing plans for a Veterans Charity Event coming up in a few weeks and tackling a few honey-do’s.

We resumed our Friday Date Night. I made a reservation on Open Table for a place not too far from us for 6pm. We departed our home at 5:45 and we were back home at 6:58. Our dinner was lovely, but getting home at that time on a Friday night must mean we are steps away from the hereafter. No?

I’m definitely not on The Cocaine. I can’t even have iced tea after 2pm.

Getting home early meant we could finish the last episode of Ozark. I have issues watching shows like that too close to bedtime; they get me riled up and I can’t sleep. I was happy to end Ozark; I’ve had it up to here *reaches for the sky* with Wendy and Marty making bad decisions, and usually against each other. If it sounds like fictional characters were stressing me out, it’s because they were.


Photo of a male monarch I released on Saturday where zero stressing was involved.


If you had the inkling that my life is all glitz and glam (that always ends by 8pm), it is not. I spent a good portion of my weekend pulling weeds, trimming plants, planting plants and spreading bags of mulch. While wearing my flip flops, of course. When it was time to cool off, I went in the pool. Did I relax in said pool? You bet your sweet biscuits I didn’t. Our beautiful newly installed glass tile has calcium buildup/haze around the water features and the entire waterline.

*sigh* Do we have anything that is low maintenance?

The answer is NO.

That ain’t pretty.

I started the cleaning process in the shallow end last week with CLR and a scrub brush. It was taking more chemicals and elbow grease than I was comfortable with. So on Friday I went to the pool supply place and purchased a chemical spray MADE for just this situation and a large pumice stone.

Again, lots of elbow grease and by this time my toes were raw from the rough ass pool floor. *raises fists in the air wishing our pool contractor a lifetime of cold sores*

Have you ever tried to clean with a chemical spray in one hand and a scrub brush or pumice in the other WHILE TREADING WATER? That my friends should be an olympic sport.

Finally a few of my brain cells actually connected long enough for me to have an AH HA moment whist almost drowning in the deep end; I remembered I had some of these:

AQUA SADDLES: YEE HAW

What a life and toe saver.

I’m not sure that my toes will ever be the same; it might be too late. If I had to do a Toe {finger} Print, I’d be doomed. I ordered some water socks for my pool time in the future as I try to do some water aerobics whilst in there between cleanings.

Why can’t I just DO ONE THING? Multitasking is a disease and I need a Dr. ASAP.

Spacey dude…now my feet tan lines are going to even weirder.

Nance, are you happy I covered my tootsies?

Are we the only ones who are having dinner earlier and earlier? Pretty soon we’ll be at Morrisons Cafeteria for their 4pm early bird special and cramming free crackers in my purse.

Do any of you remember going to an event that started after 8pm? I know we did, but now? Being out after 8pm wearing clothes and being pleasant towards other humans, well, that sounds like torture.

XOXO

The Happiest Place On Earth Is Wherever My Friends And I Are

Y’all I had a great weekend with my dear friend!

You might recall my post back in November regarding my girlfriend D who lost her son Kelly.

I’ve known D since she was pregnant with Kelly while I was just a few weeks ahead of D pregnant with Lauren; D and I worked together in Texas. To be clear: I worked there a few weeks before She and I was pregnant a few weeks before her and we also had the same Dr. deliver our babies. Also, our husbands at the time worked for the same company and they share the same first name.

Hmmm….I’m starting to think this might have been a Single White Female scenario.

Oh well, it all turned out fine and no one was murdered which is always a good sign in friendships.

BTW: Did I ever tell you that I (we) basically worked at Dunder Mifflin? I was in the “office supplies sales” Dept and D was the assistant to our office manager.

Wait, did that make her Pam? And was I Jim or Dwight? Please, Lawd, let me be Jim!

Last month when I was slumming it in the Bahamas she texted me saying that she had a work thing in Orlando and if she arrived a few days early, could I come up and ‘play’?

Abso-freaking-lutely.

We aren’t ‘theme park’ girls, so we found other sources of entertainment.

Flowers. Butterflies. Plants. Mexican food. Wine. A boat tour. An improv comedy show. We’re easily entertained!

D and I haven’t seen each other in eight years and before that? It was 18 damn years and that particular visit was in the DFW airport as the Coach and I were traveling from Phoenix to Florida and had a layover.

You know how you have those people in your life where you can go years without seeing each other and then boom, pick up like a day hasn’t passed? We have that.


We were wandering through a botanical garden when there was a sign for an Arnold Palmer garden yada yada (I really didn’t pay attention) but I did say: I’d push someone down for an Arnold Palmer right now.

D: You mean….golfing? Isn’t he a golfer?

Me: Yes, he’s a golfer, but have you NOT had an Arnold Palmer before? Its iced tea mixed with lemonade!

MIND BLOWN! My Tea Drinking Texas friend had never had an Arnold Palmer before!

We remedied that at lunch.

Spoiler alert: She loved it.

We had such a lovely weekend together and it won’t be eight years until we see each other again; the Coach and I will be traveling to TX to see them this year.

And you’ll be surprised to know that over the weekend together we spoke about her son Kelly A LOT ; there was much laughter and very few tears. D is a very strong person and she has a very deep faith in God and that has gotten her through her somewhat chaotic life (similar to my childhood) and this big loss. She’s a pretty optimistic and happy camper.


Do you have friends like D and I? Where you can pick up easily?

How about an Arnold Palmer? Do you love them? Would you push someone down for one when you’re hot and thirsty?

XOXO

How Easy Going Am I? And The Services I Offer Are Pretty Special.

I had my annual eye appointment last week; I had put it off for two years and couldn’t any longer. I filled out all my paperwork online, but when I arrived, they had this additional survey for me; the scale on the bottom made me giggle.

Where would you be on the scale? Closer to easy going, or near perfectionist?

FYI, my eyesight is still 20/20. Thank you laser vision surgery. Now, if only I had actual Laser Vision, I could rule the world.

BTW: I chose closer to easy going. If the Coach reads this, he’s laughing his azz off. But I think it’s true. Maybe. Kinda. Actually, I think I was just caught off guard as I was pondering taking up Shooting/Hunting as a hobby for myself.

HUNTING CUTENESS

I found a milkweed plant in one area of my garden that was DECIMATED; Stripped down to a bare stalk with not a leaf to its name.

And then I found the culprits.

The natives monarch caterpillars were getting restless looking for food. Luckily, I had a full, healthy milkweed plant on the other side of the yard, so I did what any normal EASY GOING person would do: I transported them to the full plant.

Hello, my name is Suzanne, and today I’ll be your travel agent and chef.

Hay, ladi, coud u pease put me were da fud is?

Thank goodness that survey didn’t ask anything about my trying to control nature.

The feet! The filaments! I think they are the damn cutest things ever. I have to hold back on hugging them tightly because, you know, squishing.

So, would you classify yourself as Easy Going? More importantly why would my Eye Dr. Care? It’s not like we’re going to date or anything.

XOXO

I Won’t Be Guilty Of Overwhelming My Innards & Just How Many Kids Do You Have?

Are we ever tired of looking at butterfly photos? The correct answer is no. Female Black Swallowtail; She looks like a work of art to me.

I’m a supplement whore

I take the bulk of my vitamins and supplements in the morning. However, I’m not one to ingest them all in one big gulp {gag} like someone who is very close to me does.

I take one to two at at time over a 30-45 minute period. How my brain works: Taking all of my vitamins at once might confuse my body, so I spread the process out over the early part of the day.

This next part really has nothing to do with that, but:

I noted after a conversation with Lolo a few months ago, that she might have something similar going on in her brain. She didn’t mail ALL of her Save The Date wedding notices at once, but instead spread them out to about a dozen a day over a 3-4 day time frame. I can only assume she didn’t want to overwhelm the post office.

OR she just didn’t address them all at once. I didn’t ask.

BTW: Several of her ‘save the dates’ never made it to their destination. Post office be damned.

Which makes me wonder if my vitamins are actually making it to where they need to be or if they’re in limbo; perhaps hanging out in my esophagus or trapped behind a lung, confused as hell.

The Bumper Sticker(s)

Recently, I was behind a car that had two cute bumper stickers; I’ve blogged before about how I don’t fully comprehend the allure of bumper stickers, but these were giggle worthy. 

One sticker said: Grocery Gettin’ Loser Cruiser. 

It took me a minute, but then I gathered that this person had a life similar to many of us; their biggest outings were to the grocery store.

And the other bumper sticker read: Honk if a kid falls out. 

That one was pure gold.

I really wanted to catch up with her at a light and let her know she made my day, sadly the traffic didn’t care about me trying to give compliments and effed up my opportunity.


Well, that’s all the head scratching entertainment I have for you this week. I’m not even going to bitch about mention the gas hoarders and the fact that they almost ruined my road trip yesterday from FL to GA .

Anyone else worried about confusing their insides? Bueller. Bueller?

XOXO