What is it About the Garage?

I follow a few other blogs.  Just a few... compared to the number some people out there read on a regular basis.  Maybe this explains why my blog is not on thousands of people's everyday reading list, that and the fact I don't blog every day. The blogs I do read, I read for pure entertainment plus they have a writing style to which I aspire.  I really miss my weekly brain candy when one of my bloggers goes more than a week between posts.  The nerve of them....how can they go and live their lives and not keep me in the loop with a witty or relevant blog post?

Today I noticed that my last post was ten days ago a long time ago and I thought to myself, "If I'm lucky there are people out there wondering if I fell down a rabbit hole or something.".  I know...it is very presumptuous of me!  No worries, I am here, living my life and not blogging.  It happens....so I guess I'll forgive my favorite bloggers for doing the same.  Sometimes life is just more important than the blog.  No! Life is always more important than the blog.

Having a happy Easter with these people
and not blogging.....

So... what have I been up to instead of blogging?  Well....there are a lot of spring golf tournaments and I just don't know how to say "no".  There are the dance lessons TJ and I are taking.  Plus, we have been doing some spring cleaning or as I'd like to refer to it, "cleaning this pit before friends and relatives arrive and see how we really live"... oh, and did I mention the wedding is in less than 2 weeks?  Really, I am not doing that much for the wedding compared to the bride who has done most of the work.  Far be it from me to butt in and take over her finely tuned wedding planning mojo.  I do find myself having panic dreams where I show up to the church and I don't recognize any of the people there or The Dress falls apart or no one shows up or fifty more than we planned for show up.  I'm sure these will become more and more frequent over the next few days.  I am just hoping that soon we will be able to relax, enjoy the moment and trust that all of the people we are paying will do their jobs and everything will go according to plan or as close to the plan as possible.


Let's talk about cleaning for a minute.  In my book, cleaning means mopping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, maybe clean the dog nose prints off the windows, cleaning the cobwebs from the corners and putting away all the piles of crap that we have sitting around the house.  To my husband, cleaning means cleaning the garage.  What is it about men and the garage?  Every time we have a party or event at the house he feels compelled to clean the garage.  Why?  We don't ever eat dinner or serve cocktails there.  No one ever sleeps in the garage.  No one goes to the bathroom in the garage...I hope!  We don't even have a ping pong or beer pong table that people play in the garage.  But, without fail, he thinks we  (he and the mouse in his pocket?) need to clean the garage.  This time, since the event is bigger than a little Saturday night barbecue, he has gone way beyond the garage.  "We" are having the outside of the house painted.  The house is getting a total overhaul.  The bonus to me is that the painters are cleaning the outside of the windows after the painting is finished.  A job I was planning to not have enough time to do!  So, for three days the outside of our house has been chaos.  Once the job started and got underway we found out just how badly the house needed painting.  The timing may be a bit off but in the end, she looks very nice with a shiny new coat of paint not to mention clean windows.  On to the garage!

NOT!!!!!

Chaos comes before order.

We finally did it!  We have both always wanted to take dance lessons and with the upcoming wedding we decided to just do it!  After three lessons, I can say in all seriousness, we will never be ready for prime time by the wedding.  We may eventually be able to dance together without fumbling awkwardly through the steps...we hope.

Dancing with the Stars...here we come!

There is a very good chance the blog will be idle until after the wedding.  I'll be busy holding in my stomach trying to fit into my mother of the bride dress, enjoying all of our family and friends and dancing up a storm.  I promise plenty of pictures and hopefully no horror stories.

Bluebonnets Now and Then

In three and a half weeks I will not be sitting on this sofa at 8:30 at night watching TV alone in my pj's all showered and ready for bed.  Actually, there aren't many nights you can find me in my pj's and ready for bed at 8:30 at night!  I'm not even sick... unless you count severe spring allergies sick.  I played golf (poorly) today in hurricane force winds and a shower and pj's made perfect sense to my weather beaten body and mind.  I figure I need to enjoy these days and nights while I can and rest up the next few weeks before wedding palooza.

Last Sunday was bridal portrait day.  The weather cooperated by raining and getting very chilly.  We  had grand illusions of heading north to the hill country to take advantage of the bluebonnets for the photo shoot.  Drizzle and temps in the 50's do not say "outdoor photo shoot"!  The bride scrambled around and made plan B which turned out better than plan A!  Things work out that way sometimes.

Nice changing room!

We, well the bride and the photographer, found a lovely old inn in Brenham, Texas that would let us use the property for the photos for a nominal fee.  The Ant Street Inn provided us with a room for the bride to change into the special white dress and places to take indoor and covered outdoor photos in case of rain.  It was just charming!  Brenham was very quiet on that dreary Sunday afternoon.  There was one bright spot in a white dress being followed by a photographer, her mom and her sister-in-law (aka hairdresser extraordinaire).  We got plenty of honks, thumbs up and congratulations as we paraded through the town.

One of the bedrooms had an old elevator right in the middle of the room.
We thought it looked a bit like an ancient S&M apparatus....but I digress....

Mother Nature smiled on us and the rain stopped a couple of hours before we got to Brenham.  The gray skies provided lovely light for the photos and the town was the perfect backdrop with its old brick walls, wrought iron fences, secluded courtyards and quaint downtown streets.

the covered upstairs patio at the Ant Street Inn

The only thing we were missing was a nice bluebonnet field.  Things had dried off enough and we were feeling brave enough to have the bride stand in a big blue field in the white dress.  The proprietor of the Inn told us where we could find a bluebonnet field nearby and we headed out to find it.

Bluebonnets minus the bride!  
You didn't think I was going to satisfy your curiosity and give you a sneak peak did you?
Even though it is killing me to do just that!

This week marks our fourth year back in Sugar Land.  If you had told me four years ago that I would be standing in yet another bluebonnet field in four years with my daughter dressed in a white dress I would have been as happy as I was on Sunday.  A lot has happened in those four years and this is one of the best things yet.  So for the next little while I'll try to remain calm and enjoy my evenings on the couch in my pj's.

Isolating Media

I think my computer and smartphone or more specifically, social medias, are keeping me from having true friendships.  One the one hand, it is a pleasure to be able to keep up with friends and family via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (still haven't completely adopted "the twitter" though) and even this blog.  I like seeing and hearing what people out there are doing.  On the other hand, it gives a false sense of closeness.   I know what you are doing but we really haven't talked  to each other.

We post pictures on social media.  The pictures are edited, making our lives look better than they are.  If you look at all of my Facebook or Instagram pictures, my life is full of beautiful places, adventures, happy people and good times.  I want that life!  Of course, I haven't posted any pictures of me doing laundry, sweeping floors, cleaning the kitchen, watching TV, reading, stressing out over the wedding, or the mundaneness of my every day life....who wants to see that?  What you see is my life...the edited version.  I am sure what I see is your life...the edited version!

Writing this blog also creates a false sense of closeness. While you sit and read what goes on in my life and my mind we don't really sit and talk about these things on a deeper more personal level.  The blog can even stifle some friendships.  When I hang out with friends who read the blog they already know what has been going on in my life so it can abbreviate some conversations.  "Oh, I read that on the blog...."  end of conversation...next topic.  But, what I put down here is only a snippet of what goes on in my head, my life and my heart.  This is the stuff I feel might be interesting to read or if I'm lucky be thought provoking.  It happens.....once in a while.  It is a one way conversation though.

Is social media isolating me?

More and more recently, I find myself looking for those real connections.  I found myself having a pity party last week about friends lost and found.  You know how when you move to a new city and you have to fill out all the emergency forms for your children at school and have no one to put down in the "emergency contact" line?  I had a little moment trying to figure out which one of my Facebook friends I could put down in that slot.  Don't worry, I was quickly smacked back into reality by a few phone calls...yes, real phone calls from real people and some quality moments spent with friends.

Apparently I am not the only one to have these thoughts.  I googled this topic after I wrote this post....and hundreds of articles addressing the same topic popped up.  There goes my original thought.  A day late and a dollar short.  I didn't even do a random sampling of over 100 participants to come to this conclusion.  So, today I will go out and have some real human interaction with real people, have real conversations and try not to look at my smartphone or computer... too much.  There may be some photos worthy of posting on Facebook though.....it's a hard habit to break isn't it?

Let the Countdown Begin

Last weekend marked the official beginning of "The Wedding" countdown.  Reality set in big time last week.  Invitations have been mailed!  Responses are coming in! The bride's sisters came in town for a weekend of pre-wedding fun.  The girls had their bachelorette party Friday night while I stayed home... 

 and took care of this little guy.
 We did not
sing karaoke like the bride and her friends 
but we still had fun!

The wedding party threw a shower on Saturday evening, which made everything very real!  Watching the bride and groom open gifts while surrounded by their friends and family gave us a little taste of what is to come.  It was like a practice weekend for "The Wedding".  If this was any indication of how the next big weekend will go, it is going to be a great time!  Of course it is.....

Some observations.....

-The bride and groom really are a perfect match!  I have come to this conclusion after hearing their answers during the fun shower game the maid of honor (LG) put together.  Usually shower games are pretty lame but this one was informative as well as entertaining.  They had each answered a series of questions separately and then we got to figure out who gave which answers.  We all learned a little bit more about the bride and groom in the process!  Plus we got to play with tiaras and mustaches!

Looks like "she" said it!

Beersox cake!  Complete with
a Caged Yarn tag!

-We are all going to have to step up our game if we are going to make it through the whole wedding weekend.  We are out of practice for all day and all night socializing filled with eating and drinking....not to mention standing in heels!  I wish my daily life resembled the events of last weekend but alas, I live in an empty nest and have become very boring.  I think I should make it my mission to "train" for the wedding by going out every weekend and partying....or not!

-We cannot do enough planning!  All the planning we have done and will do are still not going to be enough to make the wedding weekend go without a hitch.  To quote one of my favorite SNL characters, "There's always something!".   This will necessitate the mantra of the weekend to be, "Go with the flow" or "Everything is going to be just fine".   We can plan all we want but there will be something that slips through the cracks or works out differently than we planned and despite our best efforts happened differently than we expected.  It's OK!  At the end of the day, the bride and groom will be married and that is all that matters!  The rest is icing!  (which is going to be delicious)

-The next six weeks are going to fly by!  My usual laid back approach to almost everything in life needs to step it up a notch or two and get busy!  One day at a time and one thing at a time and it will all get done, right?  

The happy couple!
Let the countdown begin!

Ask and You Shall Recieve

My Mother always used to tell me, "Ask! What's the worst that can happen?  They might say no?!".  She was very good about asking for things.  You want an extra 20% off that blouse, ma'am?  Sure!  She really did try to teach us to ask.  I just had a hard time learning that lesson.  I was afraid to ask. Unless it was about going to a party or on a date and then I was all about the asking!  Usually the fear of being rejected outweighed the benefit of getting whatever I was asking for, in my mind.  Luckily, I married a man who asks for the moon if he wants the stars and usually gets what he wants.  Exhibit A, he got me to marry him!  One more reason he is in sales and I am not!

To ask or not to ask....that is the question!

Recently, a group of friends (if you think this is you...it probably is) was sitting around a table discussing whether we call our banks, credit cards, cell phone carrier, etc. when we are charged an extra fee and request the fee be refunded.  I was clearly in the minority!  I guess I also choose friends who ask questions in addition to a spouse who does the asking!

There are countries where you are expected to bargain when you buy something.  I never like bargaining.  So much pressure....am I going too high and cheating myself or too low and insulting the seller?  I never know!  Too much pressure for me!  Just tell me how much it is and I'll decide if I want it or not.  Maybe I would get better at bargaining if I lived in one of these places and had to practice every day.

Recently, I found myself in a position to ask for something and I felt a little uncomfortable.  I decided to put on my big girl pants and go ahead and ask.  This takes a lot for me people ....don't judge.  Anyway, I received much more than I asked for!  What was I so afraid of?  If I hadn't asked, I would not have received.  A lesson I will continue to relearn my entire life.

Clues, Detours and Road Blocks

In honor of the Amazing Race beginning another season on Sunday, I will share my own personal amazing race from this past weekend.  TJ and I have been Amazing Race fans since the very first season in 2001 and even applied once....a very long time ago....to be on the show.  Now, you too, know one of my deepest secrets.  I have no idea why our very amateur video covering "the top 10 reasons we would be great on TAR" did not even get us an interview.  Ever since the show started, whenever I find myself in a bit of a travel challenge, I channel my inner AR contestant and power through the challenge.  There was that one time soon after 9/11 when I was in the Atlanta airport "the day the idiot ran back through security" and the airport was evacuated.  I ended up sleeping on the floor of the airport all night so I did not have to go back through the 3 hour security line in order to catch my flight in the wee hours of the next morning.  It was just easier to sleep on the floor than to go through that disaster again in a few hours.  Thankfully I had a coat for a blanket, a backpack for a pillow and newspaper for insulation.  Cozy!  I'm sure I would have won that leg of The Amazing Race!

TJ and I headed to NYC on Wednesday last week.  We were meeting our LG on Wednesday for dinner.  I was very excited about seeing her so imagine my surprise and disappointment when I arrived at the airport only to be told our flight was cancelled.  Not delayed....cancelled!  All of the options they gave us put us in NYC around 11 p.m. or midnight.  Too late for dinner with our LG.  As much as I wanted to, I did not cry in the airport.  I shifted into "momma bear needs to see her cub" mode.  TJ even suggested going home and flying out the next day.  No way, I was on a mission!  We chose the option that routed us through Chicago.  With a more than 3.5 hour layover I thought maybe, just maybe, we could get out earlier and  see our LG.  We landed in Chicago, exited our plane and I started looking.  Our original fight was going to Newark.  Right next to our arrival gate was a flight going to Laguardia in an hour.  I didn't really care which airport I flew into, I just needed to get to NYC.  I asked if there were seats available and there were.  We were put on the standby list which got us on the plane and into the city before 8 p.m.!!!  We managed to have dinner with our girl and there was peace and happiness once again!  Won another leg of TAR!

Rockefeller Center was jammed!  

The next leg of our race was to find TJ's grandmother's grave.  It is in Queens.  Easy.  Take a 40 minute subway ride to the second to last stop on the line.  Then catch a cab to the cemetery a mile and a half away, no problem.  Well maybe one problem.  When you get off at the second to last stop in Queens there are no cabs, we were not in Kansas anymore.  If I had known this I would not have worn my stylish riding boots.  Yeah...walking 3-4 miles in stylish riding boots is not that much fun.  I see comfortable walking shoes in my future!  Another complication was that the cemetery was huge!  It was also covered in snow.  We had a section number and plot number.  The section was easy to find but the plots numbers were under 2 feet of snow.  The nice cemetery worker helped us find the grave site and we tromped through the deep snow to find a historic landmark.

Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, Grandfather and Grandmother

The rest of the trip involved melting snow, eating, drinking, and Carol King. NYC got a ton of snow this winter.  When it warmed up the snow went from white to black and melted quickly.  Underneath it all is a lot of ugly!

A lot of ugly snow.....

and a lot of just plain ugly.....

 We went on a quest for Broadway tickets and managed half price tickets to see "Beautiful, The Carol King Story".  All of us, "being of a certain age", really loved the music.  The play was beautiful...it made me feel like a natural woman and then we went up on the roof and felt the earth move under our feet!

Stay tuned as TAR goes to Steamboat Spring this weekend.  I hope I don't have to do a half pipe or a ski jump!

Creativity Rediscovered

There is something to be said about spending a day creating something.  I used to be a crafty person.  I used to sew and make stuff....a long time ago.  When I look back, I did most of my crafting when I had young children.  Somehow that just does not compute!  Who had time back then?  Somehow though, I managed to sew plenty of clothes for my girls, curtains for my windows, and create other needle crafts over the busiest years of my life.  What gives, besides the fact that I've become a lazy slob and the invention of the internet which seems to suck up a lot of my free time?

I know a lot of crafty people.  Some of them knit, some are artists, some sew, some do paper crafts and some are just generally crafty.  Crafting isn't dead I guess.  It's just been dormant in my life for a while.  I guess I haven't needed any new curtains lately and all of my girls are grown up and all of my grandchildren are grandsons who really don't wear smocked dresses.  I recently had the opportunity to smock a dress for a special little girl.  I agreed, hoping I would remember how to smock!  It's been a little while.  Well, it's just like riding a bike!  I also forgot how much I enjoy smocking!  I enjoy having something to keep my hands busy at night instead of a wine glass or food!

Today was one of those dreary, rainy, south Texas winter days that starts out 20 degrees warmer than it ends up.  I thought it was the perfect day to stay inside and finish putting the dress together.  I played CDs fresh out of the 90's and had myself a rockin' day making something!  My trusty dog never left my side....she didn't want to go outside either!  By the end of the day, I had listened to some of my favorite music and had something very pretty to show for my efforts.  Hmmm, maybe I should do more of this because there really is something to be said about spending a day creating!

A day or two or three.... well spent!