Oh Daddy

Yesterday would have been my father's 77 birthday if he was still with us...

But he's been gone for almost 19 years...and I miss him as much today as I did the day after he passed.

But it's his birthday (plus a day)...so I don't mourn...I celebrate!

He was quite a man...a funny paradox of a man at times, but still quite a man...

He was a man who:

Bought my prom dress without letting me pick it out...and he did ok...

Cried when I showed him my wedding dress the first time...

Loved his steak almost raw...and sometimes blackened on the outside...

Never missed when he shot his gun...

Loved a good glass of scotch...and red wine...

Told me the most perfect thing I had ever done was Ke$ha Barbie...

Sat a horse well but always rode with his elbows flying (we called it "doing the funky chicken")

Called beautiful women "chickipoos"...

Was loved by women and men equally (and by that I mean that he was friend to all)...

Could rope a calf as well or better than most cowboys...

Appreciated Baccarat crystal...

Could make a fried egg sandwich better than anyone...but couldn't really cook anything else...

Loved the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys equally...

Had a lounger chair he refused to give up even though it was horribly ugly...

Spent Sundays wearing horrible jumpsuit things (in the 70's) and taking us for drives in the morning, and swims in the afternoon...

Loved the people who worked for him...even if he didn't always show it...

Drove every car like it was a race car...

Was more stubborn than a mule...

Had eyes that crinkled when he smiled...

Could speak Spanish better than most native speakers...he kinda was as it was his first language...

Taught me to appreciate good champagne and fine red wine (Jordan Cabernet was his fav)...

Always had a pen, his daytime planner, and sunglasses in his shirt pocket...

Was very handsome...

Survived a rattle snake bite...and polio...

Tried every diet known to man...without much success...but he was never obese...

Was always the life of the party...

Could sing really well...especially in Spanish...

Got lost almost every time he drove in San Antonio...

Was sentimental and had no problem crying in front of his children...

Had the most amazing laugh...and a great sense of humor...

Set pastures on fire with his car...

Taught me to be a lady and a fine hostess...

Once ate eggplant off my plate even though he professed to hating it...he had eaten all of his...

Won a world championship on his cutting horse...and she mourned his loss too...

had a bellowing yell that could scare the crap out of you...

must have done something to the Pi Phi's and Kappas at UT because many of them ask me if I am his daughter and then say "oh...."

Could usually be found wearing a cowboy hat...

was quick to anger...and not always quick to forgive...

Would watch "The Grinch" with me every year...

Died before he could know his grandchildren...which is a real shame...

sometimes made me feel like a failure...that I was never perfect enough (I've had therapy)...

Loved Baskin Robbins jamoca almond fudge ice cream with a passion...

Collected western art...and would often gaze at his paintings for hours...

was so very charming...

once slid across the flooded marble bathroom floor of a very fine French hotel...

Here's a photo of me and Daddy...it's actually a photo of a photo so the quality is bad...it's me with him in that ugly chair...

I like this picture...it pretty much sums up me and my Daddy...

Last night in his honor I cooked a meal he would have loved...me and The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) had steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans...and chocolate mousse for dessert...

I remember the first time I had chocolate mousse.  Daddy introduced me to the seductive chocolate silk treat when we were in Washington DC.

We flew up there because he had business.  When we got to the hotel we were all in the mood for a bit of a snack.  It was me, Daddy, Mom, my sisters N and S, and my brother B.

We checked into the hotel and as soon as we got to our suite I went to the window and opened the drapes...I could see the Capitol building from our room.  It was dark outside so it was all lit up.

Daddy told me to look at the room service menu and choose what I wanted.

I saw: "chocolate mousse"...

but for some reason in my 11 year old brain it was "chocolate MOUSE"...

he told me to order 2...and then I placed an order for everyone else's choice...

When it came the chocolate mousse was served in a small bowl that was set inside a larger bowl of ice...

it looked like the most delicious thing EVER...and it was...sweet, creamy, decadent and oh so full of delicious chocolate.

Daddy pulled 2 chairs up in front of the window and we ate our mousse together while gazing at the Capitol building.

I remember it like it was yesterday even though it was 1976...April...

That trip is ingrained in my brain for that and many things...but mostly it is because that is when my beloved sister Susan came into our lives....we got the call that she was born and my parents rushed to pick up my adopted sister who may have been born to another woman but is as much my sister as those born to my mother...she is beautiful and wonderful...

By the time TCBITW and I had polished off our ribeyes and mashed potatoes I really didn't have room for the mousse...but I ate a bite for my dad anyway.

My birthday is coming up soon...whenever I wake up on my birthday morning I remember the time my father tried to sneak my Barbie Dream House into my room so that when I woke up it would be the first thing I saw.

The problem was he ended up tripping a bit and the 3 story plastic monstrosity (complete with elevator you pulled with a string) ended up falling apart a bit and he loudly cursed as he stubbed his toe on my bed.  I woke up but I never told him....I just laid there silently in my bed while he put the thing back together with the help of a tiny shaft of light from the hall.

As soon as he left the room I leapt out of bed and tried the elevator...and I marveled at the love my dad had for me to make my dream house come true...

Years later my very sweet ex-husband bought me one of those ceramic Dept 56 light up houses that was the Barbie Dream House...I cried...and thought of my Daddy.

Every morning, well most every morning, I make myself egg whites "fried" in Pam and put it on those little sandwich rounds.  I use a bit of light mayo, seracha, and light cheese.  But I think of my dad and the fried egg sandwiches he would make for dinner on Sunday nights.

Of course he fried WHOLE eggs in BUTTER and slathered Miracle Whip on the bread and lots and lots of pepper and salsa.

They were fantastic.  They were also just about the only thing Daddy could cook.  But we loved Sunday nights when he would make our dinner and we would eat with the yolks running out of the bread and Miracle Whip and Pace picante sauce dripping everywhere.

Daddy loved spicy food...but mostly he loved his chile petins (or chile pequin)

A chile petin is a tiny itty bitty little chile but it has more fire in it's little berry (about the size of a lady's pinky nail) than a jalepeno does in the whole pepper.  They are potent...not as strong as say a habenero but close.

Daddy loved to eat them with steak.  A friend of his who was maitre'd at a restaurant in Kingsville even did a special steak sauce with them for my dad.  He made hot sauce out of them and he often preserved them in vinegar or sherry.  He also carried around a little pill box of them to enjoy when he ate out.

When we buried Daddy we did so with his beloved chilis in his pocket and his elephant hide boots on his feet.

Elephant hide boots?

Yup...

My dad was an expert marksman and once when he was on safari, back in the day when you hunted the Big 5 with a gun and not a camera, there was an old elephant that kept charging the game camp.  He was dying and the game keepers determined that for the safety of all and to put the poor elephant out of his misery he needed to be "put down".

They came to my father and gave him the honor of killing the magnificent beast.

Elephants can be oh so gentle...but when they are sick...or old...or protecting their territory they can be scarier than a lion.

But Daddy accepted the honor and, even though he said it made him cry, he put down the animal so that all could be in peace.

He accepted a tusk (this was the 60's and ivory was still "ok") and it stood in our den for years.  He used a bit of the hide to make his boots.  Daddy believed in using all of the animal so we had a lot of strange taxidermy at our house...some of you may remember the lamps made from zebra legs and the water buffalo hoof cigarette ashtrays.  I still have both...and thankfully I do not have the "gong" made from wart hog tusks...

So when we lost Daddy my stepmother charged me with the task of taking his boots to the funeral home.

I presented them to the director there and he questioned whether or not he could get those boots on my Daddy's swollen feet (he had been in a coma and had a lot of fluid).

My Dad wore an 8.5 EEE...and he had strange shaped feet so all of his boots were custom made.

I told the director "I don't care what it takes and what you use back there in those tools you have, you just make sure that when I look in that casket tomorrow I see these boots on my Daddy's feet!".

And yes when my sisters and I put the chilis in his pocket we checked and sure enough the boots were on.

My Daddy went to heaven in his elephant hide boots...and I sent my Mama to heaven in her Manolo Blaniks...very fitting for each of them.

Daddy always wore boots.  Even to formal dress occasions...

Even with his white tie and tails for my wedding...and he argued with the tux guy endlessly until they called me and I assured the poor man that my father did not need formal dress shoes because he would walk me down the aisle in his boots....no matter what...as would my brothers.

My brother B looks so much like him that there are times I almost call him "Daddy" and at times I think I have a ghost at my front door.

Towards the end of his life my father suffered a lot of business reversals...gone were the private jets and trips on the Concorde...the fine artwork...many expensive cars...the ranch in Montana

A year or so before he died he once came to my office and took me to lunch.  As I was getting out of the car he looked at me and said "I'm sorry Nicey...I failed you...".  He had tears streaming down his face...

It broke my heart...

He looked broken...

I looked at him and said:

"No you didn't...and you never will...you are my perfect Daddy!" and I kissed him and got out of the car.

And the only thing he ever did to fail me was to leave me too soon...

And despite all the crazy...despite the doubts he gave me...despite the times I wish he had defended me when my stepmother unjustly accused me of something...despite his financial losses...despite sometimes making me feel like I wasn't perfect enough...

He was my perfect daddy...and I will forever be the little girl in his lap...in that ugly chair...watching the Grinch try to steal Christmas...

Inspiration Song: "Oh Daddy" by Fleetwood Mac.  I don't think it's really about her Daddy at all...at least not in the sense I mean...but for this, it works...

Bye Darlings...I have lots of Daddy stories to tell...but I can't give them all away at once or what else will you have to laugh at!  Remind me sometime to tell you about the time he blew up a deer...or about how he didn't learn to speak English until the first grade...

Dead Man's Party

So last night was GOTT and GOTTESS's annual Halloween Bash...

Mind you this is not a party for the faint of heart or shy...this is a real-live-honest-to-goodness Halloween Bash that those lucky enough to be invited to plan for and go all out for...

GOTT and GOTTESS decorate the house to the nines and pull the furniture out of the den to make room for the DJ and dance floor...complete with flashing lights and black lights, etc.

Choosing a costume for this party is a competitive sport.

One year GOTT and I went as "Lucius Malfoy" and "Bellatrix Lestrange" respectively...and if you don't know who they are---they are Harry Potter characters.  GOTT was perfect (because I helped him with his costume) and I was...well, I wasn't a BAD Bellatrix but I think my friend LovelyLydia got it better.

(BTW LovelyLydia was otherwise occupied this year and therefore I lost my best dance partner...sigh...we always do the Time Warp together and boogie on down to many of the best disco songs...at parties like this it is usually more fun to dance with a girl...)

That was the year I was about midway through my weight loss so between that and spraying my hair black as coal I went unrecognized by many.

I had friends who doubted that my hair would ever return to its golden sheen after that experience but after 5 shampoos all the black came out...just not too much fun to do at 2 in the morning but I wasn't taking chances.

When I showed up for church the next morning with my blonde hair back to it's regular color GOTT breathed a sigh of relief for me...

Last year I joined GOTTESS and our friends Susu and KuteKari and MarvelousMandy and IttyBittyMisty as...showgirls...

I think I blogged about how it is not a good idea to try and bedazzle a corset while swilling wine lest you end up with a costume that looks like a 4th grade macaroni art project...which mine did until Ke$ha Barbie fixed it for me...thank goodness I have an artist in the house...

We put on monster heels, a metric ton of makeup and eyelashes, enough feathers to rob several chickens and ostriches of their feathers, and outrageously tall feathered (and very heavy) headdresses that we rented from the costume shop.

We looked pretty girl...almost like girls in a real Vegas show...or at least some of us did...and some of us (me) came close...

Between the heels and headdresses we all pretty much almost ended up with whiplash as we maneuvered through the house and by midnight our feet and heads were aching.  At one point I abandoned the headdress and heels altogether....you can dance very easily in it nor can you clean up the kitchen after the party like that.

GOTTESS even had a very large bruise on hear head from her headdress which was the heaviest and most complex...

I do not recommend wearing a showgirl costume unless you have:
great neck muscles
a REALLY good body or at least body confidence
the ability to tolerate wearing horrible heels
the grace and carriage of a queen
quick reflexes (to get through doors)

GOTTESS was a Moulin Rouge girl the year before...while I was Bellatrix she was outfitted in hot pants, corset, fishnets and monster heels...

So this year when she suggested our costume I was on board because it meant "no stillettos"...not that I mind wearing them...I love them...they are my shoe and drug of choice...but when you know you are facing 6 or more hours like that...well...notsomuch...

She also liked the "not having to wear high heels" aspect of it...

So what were we?

Well, if you have seen the viral video of the Harvard Baseball team performing and dance and lip synching to "Call me Maybe" then you will get it...if not Google "Harvard Baseball Call me Maybe" and you can understand...

yup...we were the Harvard Baseball team...but a sexified version...

Tight t-shirts, most of us in white tennis skirts, ponytails and pigtails, hats perched perkily on our heads, and...thankyouverymuch---athletic shoes.

I had toyed with getting a pair of those wedge heeled sneakers but then I realized I was not a:
hooker
stripper
silly teenage girl

So I would likely never wear them again so why buy them?

Yes, me and my Asics were quite happy all night long.

GOTTESS and I kept saying "I love the tennis shoes" all night long.

I helped GOTTESS set up for the party...it is part of my duty as sister wife...because poor GOTT had managed to get himself overscheduled with doing radio announcing for a football game (the night before the party) and then the night of the party he had a matinee and evening performance of a play he directed.

So he was out...

Tag to the second wife...I was in...

So I helped GOTTESS with some of the chores he usually does to prep for the party.  I never mind helping her because she is one of my dearest friends and I know she would do the same for me in a heartbeat...plus it meant that I got to spend time with her and got to hear all about the night she spent in Bangkok on her last business trip.  I can't tell you what she and the group she was with did but suffice it to say she had a glorious "One Night in Bangkok" (a song from the musical "Chess"...) the night before she returned home from her 2 week business trip there.  I laughed so hard about her story that I almost cried...

So even thought it was work, it was painless work...

The only thing I feel bad about is that I didn't get to go and see GOTT's show...I almost never miss a show he directs or is in but as sister wife my first duty was to help her.

We got the house set up and decorated perfectly and even had time for a drink before all the guests arrived.

All sorts of costumed characters show up at this party...in the past there has been things like:
Underage Chinese Gymnast (the year of the Bejiing Olympics...that was Susu)
Oscar the Grouch
The BP clean-up crew (they were good)
Navy Seals
The Village People (they won last year...they cheated...they danced...we should have danced but the headdresses were impossible)
Characters from Mad Men
Katy Perry

This year we looked great as the Harvard Baseball team...and we even did the dance but we were outdone...by most of the husbands of the girls in our group...

not me!  nooooooo husband!

Although I would like to lay claim to my friend Sir Todd (called that by me in this blog because he always gallantly rescues me by entertaining me at parties or helping me find a cab stand).

Trouble is....he is gay...

And no it's not the gay part that is trouble for me...I love my my gays...it's just that I don't think he wants to marry ME...but I think he might go for being my "gay husband" at parties and keeping me company...

and he makes the most EVIL delicious corn dip ever...I call it "corn crack"...

He was "Dopey" and walked around the party in his Dwarf costume with a giant "joint" tucked behind his ear.

No you might be asking yourself at this point if these men were really dwarves or regular sized fellas...and yes, they are all "regular" sized not "fun sized" but there is a reason it worked...

Because Snow White...

was a 6ft. 8 inch British man

and yes, his wife is just about my size...a bit taller but quite petite next to him nonetheless...

everyone is petite next to him...

And he looked amazing...and if I only had his permission I would post his picture here...but I don't post photos of anyone on this blog without their permission and I forgot to ask...

There was no way we were going to win...even with sexy costumes and cute dancing...when you have a giant Snow White in your midst...

Two other costumes really caught my eye...one was "Effie" from "The Hunger Games" (and she looked pretty darn good)

the other...

"Dick in a box"

you know...from the Saturday Night Live video sketch with Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake?

If you don't know it...youtube it...hilarious...

it even won an Emmy...not kidding...

One gal came as "Honey Boo Boo" complete with her parents "June" and "Sugar Bear"...they looked pretty darn good too...

So it was a great party even if we lost to Mr. Ginourmous in his princess costume...heck I ALMOST voted for him myself...but I had to stay true to my "team'...

It was a good/evil night for me as well...I did good on the alcohol (as I had to drive home) so I limited myself to just a couple of glasses of the vodka punch (and no wine) and like Cinderella I cut myself off at midnight and drank water and Fresca for the rest of the night.

The evil I did was with the corn dip crack and my own very excellent queso...recipe at the bottom...it is KILLER QUESO and I make GOTT a vat of it any time he wants it.  It is always one of his Christmas presents...a vat of KILLER QUESO

It was also great to not have my feet hurting at the end of the night and to not need to shower out black hairspray from my hair.

I helped with the cleanup and got home at...3 am...my usual time...

We are toying with costume ideas for next year...

"Already?" you might ask...

uh yeah...it is a competitive sport!

I'm in for whatever doesn't make me wear a head dress, killer heels, or anything that pales in comparison to an oversized Disney Princess...

Here's how you make my KILLER QUESO...I shouldn't give away my trade secrets and this is definitely NOT healthy but I like to share...

KILLER QUESO:

meat:
brown ground beef and drain...add in a package of taco seasoning and cook according to directions (no magic there...).  I usually do a pound of ground beef or turkey and because I want the flavor strong, I use 1 1/2 packages of the taco seasoning.  SAVE the 1/2 of the remaining seasoning!!!!! You will put it in the queso


Now in a crock pot you put:
One oversized (the 28 ounce size) can of Regular ROTEL, do not drain
1 10 ounce can of Lime and Cilantro Rotel, do not drain
2 large bricks (is it a pound?) of Velveeta, cubed
1/4 cup half and half (and have a bit more on hand if you need it)

Now turn on your crock pot and stir every once in a while to get it to start blending as the cheese melts. When it is mostly melted stir in the remaining 1/2 package of the taco seasoning.

add in the meat...

voila...incredible queso...

its the addition of the half and half that smoothes it out and the taco seasoning gives it a bit more kick and flavor...

It makes a really good enchilada casserole too...but do it the easy way and just layer it with corn tortillas...or use it to top rolled up beef or cheese enchiladas instead of enchilada sauce...if you do that soften the tortillas in a bit of broth first...

OK, next time I promise a healthy recipe...

Inspiration Song: "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo...fun fun fun!

Bye Darlings...have fun trick or treating...and stealing candy from your kid's treat sacks...for me it's all about the Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's Pieces....I always stole those from my kids...thankfully Ke$ha Barbie hates peanut butter so she handed hers over...

Somethin Bout a Truck

So Ke$ha Barbie is up at school in Boston and therefore doesn't need her big ass truck.

So I'm driving it...

It's a Ford F150 double cab King Ranch edition...waaaaay too much truck for either of us but the ex and I decided to put a lot of metal around her when we were looking for a set of wheels for her (she wanted a MINI COOPER) and we got a great deal on it because it was used and we bought it from a friend.

Those of you who know me should find some irony in the fact it is a King Ranch edition...

Those who knew my father should find that VERY ironic as my father never drove a Ford (that I can recall...although we did have a few for the ranch) and my Daddy at one time had a GMC/Chevrolet dealership down in Kingsville.

I also find it ironic that if ever there was a man who was meant to drive a truck it was my Daddy and I can't recall him ever driving one.

He had a lot of cars...but I don't remember him behind the wheel of a truck.

Suburban---yes
Jaguar---yes
Mercedes---yes (he abused it)
Cadillac---yes
Porsche---yes

and various other silly cars...

But I don't recall a truck...but maybe some of you can enlighten me...

He bought my sister N a huge Dually (is that how you spell it?)...that thing was HUGE.  It was a diesel and it was LOUD.  I was never as comfortable driving it as she was...heck she even pulled a big horse trailer with it.  N has a lot of skills I don't have...like her ability with horses and trucks...

Once a car dealer brought a truck and trailer to one of my father's horse sales.  He had it specially painted with our ranch brand and colors so my father was pretty much compelled to buy the thing.  That thing was LOUD but not because of the engine...but because of the obnoxious paint job (Lovely Linda---you and Scott should remember that rig).  Daddy called it "the calliope"...maybe because it was loud and obnoxious.

When I was little I used to ride around in Chale's truck.  Chale worked for my dad and was like a second father to me.  He had grown up with Daddy (they were born 4 days apart) and would remain a permanent fixture in my father's life until Daddy's death and he was a permanent fixture in my life until his death.

Chale always had on the "Mexicano musica" (his words) on the radio.  I SAT on the armrest on the passenger side.  N was often found standing in the middle of the big bench seat with Chale's arm wrapped around her to keep her from flying around.

There were no carseats in those days so Chale's arm was pretty much it.

The fact that I once had a "caboose" small enough to perch on a built in arm rest still amazes me...

Everyone who was friends with me at one time or another rode in Chale's truck...makes you smile doesn't it (those of you who did)?

So back to me and this big ass truck...

I waited a while before taking it out for a drive...

It needs to be driven but for a long while I was unable to get inside that truck and be reminded of just how much I miss Ke$ha Barbie.  I still can't go into her room...in fact I have yet to climb those stairs and look at that empty bed.  Only my housekeeper goes there now...and the cats...but I think they have given up looking for her up there.  We can't say her name without a cry from our big fat Bengal cat...he mourns her going away the most...

The Cutest Boy in the World ventures up there occasionally.  He has toyed with the idea of moving up to that room but I told him it was up to him and his father to move the furniture up there and repaint the turquoise walls and take down the crystal chandelier...

Needless to say NONE of that has happened.

So I got into her truck a few weeks ago and started it up and noticed something on the floor...

No, not a vodka bottle...

TATER TOTS

yes, I told her to clean up the truck before we left but somehow getting the old sonic bag and the various tater tots strewn about the cab of the truck did not manage to find their way into the trash can...

EWWWWWWW...

say it with me...I know you are thinking it...because that is what I said...

EWWWWWWW....

I stopped and got the dead tater tots out of the truck before I fully pulled out of the driveway.

She has an awesome stereo system in the truck...and I can plug my iPhone into it and listen to my own music (and yes, I did change all of her preset music channels...what the heck is "Chill"?)

Or rather I WOULD plug in my iPhone to listen to my own music but I decided that before my old iPhone died an untimely and ugly death I would go ahead and upgrade my phone to the new iPhone5.

And therein lies the problem...

Because Apple saw fit to change the PLUG for the phone...so now I am waiting for a converter in the mail so I can connect the phone to the stereo...

("Dear Apple...thank you for making my life more complicated than it was supposed to be with this new phone...sincerely, your only-slightly-happy-with-her-new-phone customer")

The truck makes me feel...

a little


BADASS....

I see why she liked driving it.

It's not really any bigger (well a bit bigger) than by suburban...but it feels..."beefier"...

And I feel like the ranch girl I was born and bred to be when I hop out of it.

Even if it is a Ford and not the Chevy's I am used to.

I feel a bit sexy in it...

Until I try and park it.

When Ke$ha Barbie was in school the powers-that-be realized that she was not great at parking.  She knew it too so she was always at school early...so she could shove that thing into the space she was assigned before the other two cars beside her made her have to thread the needle.

Her high school, like most in Texas, has a parking lot full of big ass trucks and SUV's.  It may be a private school but the kids at her school favor trucks for hunting and sport.

She fit right in.

But most of those trucks are driven by boys...I think she may have been the only girl who drove a real truck...in fact I am pretty sure she was.

Once her college counselor saw she was having a bit of difficulty parking the truck and she went outside to help Ke$ha Barbie.  She ended up parking the truck herself.  She (the college counselor...who I shall name "GODDESS" because she got Ke$ha Barbie into a fabulous college...and I plan to erect a statue in her honer) told me and her husband this story one night at dinner.  Her husband began to laugh and turned to me and said: "your daughter must be a terrible driver if my wife, who is not the worlds best with a big truck, had to park the truck".  I reminded him that his wife drives an SUV that is on the same wheel base as Ke$ha Barbie's truck...college counselor and I clicked our glasses in a toast at that comment...

My daughter was given a GREAT parking spot her senior year...one easy to park in and no one on either side of her...I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

So none of this was lost on me last week when I drove that truck (shall I call it "MY" truck?) to the school to watch my son play his football game...

I drove around a bit until I saw a truck the same size exiting a parking spot and I took that (and prayed) and managed to park the truck just fine.

(The spaces at the high school are TIGHT even for a Mini Cooper)

My biggest issue now is if I decide to sell my suburban in favor of driving the truck for a while (The Cutest Boy in the World wants to inherit it) will I be able to handle it?

And will my pet valet men at Nordstrom know me in my new vehicle?  Now THAT worries me...

But I do like feeling like a sexy badass in the truck...

And since I haven't managed to find a man who drives a big ass truck to squire me around I might as well do it myself...and just wait until TCBITW can do it for me.

But in the meantime, I think I like the truck...

even if it is a Ford...and the King Ranch stuff unnerves me a bit...

And hey, maybe there is some man out there that drives a very nice sedan that would like to date a woman who drives a big ass truck...

I'll hand him the keys...

Inspiration Song: "Somethin Bout a Truck" by Kip Moore.  OK, those of you who know me well know I pretty much loathe country music...but this one fit...and it's not TOO bad of a song...and since Aerosmith hasn't gotten around to recording a song about big ass trucks this will have to do...Toby Keith has a song about a woman driving a truck called "Big Ol Truck" but I liked this one better...

Bye Darlings...I may drive a bad ass big ass truck but I'm still just a suburban housewife...

Safe and Sound

So all of you out there in blogland and facebook are probably wondering what the heck has kept me from blogging for over 2 months...

I hadn't realized it had been so long until I tried finding a link to my blog on my facebook page and couldn't find it...not that I have been on facebook much either...

So it was the end of July that I last blogged and sooooooo much has happened in my life since then...

I took my daughter to college at Tufts

My son started high school

I gained 8 pounds I can't seem to lose

I have some new workout obsessions

I have learned more about Renaissance artists in Florence than I have ever wanted to know about Renaissance artists in Florence

That's about it...but it has been plenty...

So let's start with the hardest one to talk about...taking Ke$ha Barbie to college.

Wow...hardest thing I have done since burying my mother.  Getting into the cab and driving away from Tufts after settling her into her dorm was like leaving my heart on the sidewalk...because I did...

When Ke$ha Barbie came screaming into this world I took one look at her gorgeous face and beautiful blue eyes and my immediate thought was that I never wanted her more than an arm's reach away.

In fact when they took her to the nursery I cried and insisted on them wheeling me by her to gaze at in the window when they took me to my room.  Every time the nurses brought her in to me I just stared at her as she nursed and I couldn't believe that the gorgeous creature in my arms was my baby.

As she grew that feeling of needing her close was always with me.

But she had other ideas...

In fact, I'm pretty sure that if she could have walked out of that delivery room on her own she would have and she would have kept going.

She has ALWAYS been fiercely independent.

Never had a second of separation anxiety...I did but she never did...NEVER...

When she was a toddler sometimes I would look in the rear view mirror as we were driving and I would see her and have to pull over to kiss her sweet little face.

I did not have that same feeling when I once drove her home from  a party where she had decided to try taking shots...thank goodness her friends called me but as she was moaning and slumped over in the seat next to me I wondered where that cute little toddler that would sit in her car seat and sing was...certainly not the drunk teenager I had in the car next to me.

I felt like a failure as a mom that night...but then I remembered I didn't pour that liquor down her throat...she did...and she was probably going to do it again...and at least that time I was able to take care of her.

Now she is at college and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE IS UP TO...

And it's almost 19 years since the day she pushed her way into this world and it went by like a minute...

My Aunt Jane flew up to Boston with us because I needed someone to hold me and help me get thru it. It was always something I had planned to do with my mom so having Jane come with me meant more to me than she will ever know.

We flew up together and got up to Boston just in time to meet some friends for dinner.  We went out for some delicious Indian food and had a great time.  Our friends were old friend's of Jane's but new friends for Camiel and I and we loved getting to know a wonderful mom and daughter...and I am happy Camiel has a mom she can call up there in New England.

The next day we went shopping on Newbury Street in Boston.  Yeah I spent too much money at lululemon and H&M but what the heck.

Ke$ha Barbie found a resale shop she wanted to look in and left with a pair of Christian Louboutin blood red patent pumps that fit her like the ruby slippers fit Dorothy.  Her's for less than 1/5 of what they usually cost.  I still don't have a pair...but she literally danced when she put them on and since they didn't cost any more than the ugly Doc Martens she had just purchased I was game to pay for them.

We also found this great little shop that sells olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  That's all they sell...and Jane and I ended up buying 24 bottles of stuff between us...not kidding.

Best.Olive.Oil.Ever

Flavors like...butter (yes, and it tastes like butter)...chipotle...harissa...lemon...sage and wild mushroom olive oils.   And balsamic vinegars in flavors like: blueberry/ginger...chocolate...espresso...

AMAZING

I have been making amazing salads with the lemon olive oil with the blueberry/ginger vinegar and...and I know this sounds weird but it is awesome: chipotle olive oil with chocolate balsamic vinegar.

here's the website...order some now!

bostonoliveoilcompany.com

And get that wild mushroom and sage and drizzle it over pasta or navy beans or make risotto with it...

My next purchase is pumpkin vinegar to mix with the sage and wild mushroom olive oil to drizzle on butternut squash ravioli...

yeah I will pay for that sin later...

That night we ate an amazing dinner at a restaurant near our hotel and celebrated Ke$ha Barbie's new life at Tufts.

The next day we grabbed a cab and moved her into her dorm.  It took a while to arrange and re-arrange the room but Jane came up with the perfect arrangement for the furniture and the girls (Ke$ha Barbie and her roomate) were happy.

The school served lunch to all of the new freshman and their families...it was a lovely lunch on the lawn and hill in the middle of campus and I was blown away by how pretty the campus was and how friendly everyone was.

They had a "Matriculation Ceremony" to present the new freshman to the deans and the university bigwigs.  It was a very proud moment for me...yes, I cried...and I sent an email to here college counselor pledging my undying love for her getting Ke$ha Barbie into such an incredible college.

16,500 kids applied...they took 1350...one of them was my kid...wow...

The dean of admissions (who was introduced and welcomed by a huge roar of approval from the crowd of kids and parents) told us a bit about the class that Ke$ha Barbie was part of: 10 kids are awaiting patents...34 kids are Chinese nationals...someone is a professional MIME (yeah that's weird)...one student was nominated for a Grammy...

And they took my little artist...

So then it was time to go...to leave my heart there on the Tufts campus...if not for Jane I'm not sure I could have gotten in the cab...

But I did...

And then Jane and I went to a great dinner where I drowned myself in an ah-may-zing tequila drink...or 3...I lost count...

The next day Jane and I spent a blissful day at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (I highly recommend a visit there) and then it was time to get on the plane and head back to Houston...and leave Ke$ha Barbie behind in Boston.

Getting on that plane took all my strength and a bit of vodka...

And as we took off I cried thinking that as proud as I was of her, I was still worried...because in my mind she was still that little toddler I dropped off at "Mom's Day Out" and I wasn't ready for the separation...

But she was...and is...and she is doing great...

Back here at home I had my incredible boy to look after.  He started his freshman year with a bang---the coach put him and a few of his friends on the sophomore football team and as proud as I was of that I also don't love him playing against older, bigger, and more experienced boys.  But he has proven himself as starting middle linebacker and I just hold my breath when he is on the field.

And he has a girlfriend...

she is a darling girl and aside from being beautiful and smart, she also has managed to organize his locker and gotten him to dress in clothes that actually match...at least at school...

As I walked the halls of the high school on parent night I was reminded of Ke$ha Barbie's first year there and how well she had turned out...so I have great faith in the school for my son.  And a few of her teachers told me how proud they were of her and how happy they were to get to know her brother.

And since he has the same college counselor as his sister I know that 4 years from now when he is at college he will have been guided well to make a good choice...and the college counselor will have a much easier time with my son than my artist daughter...

Um...now about the 8 pounds...what the hell?

It won't budge...it won't...so I have sworn off the scale for a bit and I'm eating healthy and still working out like a fiend...

it will come off...and I'm not gonna let it keep me from being happy...or having my red wine...

And one thing I have taken up is a new obsession that JayVee has me hooked on...indoor rowing on a water rower.

JayVee is not only one of my dearest and closest friends but she is also the group fitness director at my health club.  She is constantly on the lookout for the newest, best and latest ways to get us moving and grooving...and now she has brought us "indorow".

It's a rowing machine but it is not electronic...although it has a little computer attached that counts your strokes and "meters rowed".

It is hard as hell.

And fun to do...

60% of it is in the legs...20% your core and 20% your arms...all good...

She also has me doing this class called "Shock Wave"...

yeah the "shock" part is how freakin hard it is...I almost threw up the first time...as have other friends who have tried it.

Talking about kicking butt...it's a group class where you rotate to different stations...things like "core" or "legs" or "squats" or "tricep dips" and 2 stations of rowing like mad...you can't move to the next station until the group on the rowers hit their "goal" (like 200 meters).  You end up PRAYING that the strong and fast ones are the ones on the rowers when you are holding a plank...trust me on this...

And I'm still loving my spin classes and JayVee's "Total Body Jam" (yea!  that one is tomorrow's punishment du jour).

All good and I may be carrying around 8 extra pounds but my clothes still fit and I can hide the extra in my tummy but my shoulders look awesome...

As for the Renaissance artists...I have been helping out our Art a la Carte program at my kids' former school by revising the power points that the moms teach the program with.  I have had fun but frankly I'm sick of Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael...and I'm not talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles here but the real deal...but hey, if you need an art history lesson---I'm your girl....

So that's what has been going on with me....next time I will blog about some fun stuff and maybe by blogging I will keep myself busy with something other than worrying about my kids and explaining how Brunelleschi designed the dome of the Florence Cathedral (real name: Basilica di Santa Marie di Fiore...yes, I told you I know too much about Renaissance artists...)

Inspiration Song: "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities.  Fun song...in the "alternative" music category but I like my Alt Nation on Sirius XM...

Bye Darlings...I am safe and sound...and next time we will have a bit more fun here...unless I digress into a discussion of sfumato in the Mona Lisa...be safe and sound yourself...

Run

Hello friends...

Longtime readers are looking at the title of my blog and asking "did she start running again?  Wasn't she like banned from that?"

The answers:
No
and
Yes

No I am not running.  I value my knees too much.  And yes, I am still banned.

How I wish my knees had not been so abused by 300 pounds...but they were...and some days I feel it more than others.  I know Dr. Harvey will happily fix my left one up as good as my right but frankly if I am going under the knife I would prefer it was for a tummy tuck and not my knees...only because selfishly I want a flat stomach that no amount of crunches will take care of...only Dr. Bonnie Baldwin can do that kind of magic...and it requires surgery...

So I take care of my knees.

I don't run...

I do however modify things in exercise class so I can continue to WALK...and since I am so obsessed over this class that JayVee teaches I modify so I can keep doing it.

What? I haven't blogged about my obsession with her Total Body Jam (TBJ) class?

Oh dear...or maybe you are just lucky because I am OBSESSED with it.

I'm also doing her Strike class which I like but do not LOVE like I do the TBJ class...mostly because I am sooooo uncoordinated in Strike which is a cross between kickboxing and being a samurai warrior.

Not kidding...

And they both kick my bootie...but in a good way.

The first time I took TBJ I texted JayVee that it literally hurt to turn my steering wheel and I had to ask The Cutest Boy in the World to help my pull my top off.

Speaking of TCBITW...I just have to share...cause this is funny...so the other day he is playing Xbox and linked up through the DevilBox (my name for it) with his friends...he is playing "Call of Duty" and I go in and kiss him and he says:

"Um Mom...don't kiss me!!!!  I'm trying to assassinate people here!!!!"

Yeah...I texted that to DragonLady right away...

Words I never want to hear uttered again by my 14 year old son...

But I digress...and I have wandered off topic YET AGAIN...I do that alot...my children have threatened to crush their ADD meds into my coffee...

Ok so back to TJB and Strike...I burn mega calories and it makes me feel a bit like an athlete to do it.  I mean spin is awesome and fun and still my favorite form of cardio but TBJ and Strike make me feel like I'm you know...kicking some butt....

You see I am sooooooo not an athlete...

I was literally the last person picked for teams during PE...always...

I'm a good dancer...particularly ballet and contemporary...and drill team stuff...and I was a cheerleader but I have no skills when it comes to hitting things with a stick or catching things or throwing things...

Epic fail...

and I do mean EPIC FAIL!

I think I may have mentioned the day one of the lacrosse coaches tried to teach me how to throw a ball into the net and was in danger of losing valuable body parts...my son experienced the same thing trying to teach me the same skill...

I can't play golf...I even had a golf coach once tell me "close your eyes and pray for the best"

I can't play softball...

I can't play basketball (heck I even have trouble with the tiny bit of "dribbling" JayVee has us do in TBJ)...and tossing and catching the 4 lb ball...fuhgetaboutit...

No skills...no skills...

I just can't do anything that requires handling balls...

Oh go and get your minds out of the gutter because as I typed that I came to the same conclusion about that sentence but I am leaving it because I can't handle them...

or should I rephrase to...

I can't do anything that requires handling SPORTS balls...

as to the other...well, that is just TMI...and right now we are discussing TJB....

So as I meander along writing this blog you are wondering just where the heck is she going to end up?

First it was running...then exercise class...then TCBITW and video games...then sports...

Well...that is where we are ending up...

SPORTS

Because it is my favorite TV time of all...the Olympics!

Actually I like the Winter Games better but I honestly can't get enough of the swimming and diving and running and gymnastics...

I'm not going to dissect the Opening Ceremonies here (yes, they were good...loved Sir Paul...loved the big house with the video screens) or the fact that Ryan Lochte is hotter than crap...you can go elsewhere for that...

although every once in a while I might have to spontaneously bust out with a "Ryan Lochte is hotter than crap"....

I bet he can drive a big ass truck...too bad he's too young and out of reach for me...

He.Is.Hot.

So I plan on od'ing on sports watching since I obviously can't play any sports.

I DID try to do gymnastics but I found I had 2 major hurdles to overcome that I just couldn't seem to get myself over:

1) I am deathly afraid of heights (and yes that balance beam is HIGH and so are those bars)
and
2) I am afraid of going backwards...

yes, backwards...

I was flexible enough and I have good rhythm...and I am strong...and I can launch myself pretty high...but when it came to getting on that damn beam and doing flips...

fuhgetaboutit

So I never mastered a back flip flop or a back flip...

I even tried to take some gymnastics classes at the high school in Kingsville when I was in the 7th grade.  The head coach at the high school was Coach Lewis.  He called me "Little Miss Won't Bo Backwards".  I love him anyway...

7 years later when I was at A&M I worked in the computer lab in the Ag department.

My boss was a woman named Carol Lewis.

I loved her...she loved me...so one day she got her husband to come up and meet us for lunch.

Yes...you guessed it...

He walked in...Coach Lewis...looked at me...started laughing and with tears streaming down his face he said "well if it isn't Little Miss Won't Go Backward"...I loved them...they were great "extra" parents for me when I was in school.  And try as he might, he could not get me on the beam or to go backwards...

(And we stop now and take a little commercial break from this blog so I can say once again that Ryan Lochte is hotter than crap)

So yes, I have utterly failed at every sport I have ever tried.

It's just not in me...

Unless you count cheerleading (not the competitive crazy ponytail and glitter competitive kind but the basic high school cheerleading), I am not an athlete.

I was a cheerleader my senior year of high school.

I did it to tick off the drill team coach.

My plan backfired when I made cheerleader.

I loved the rest of my cheerleading team and once I got over being laughed at at cheerleading camp because everyone thought our team name (The Antlers) was hilarious, I sorta enjoyed it.

And yes, Antlers is a stupid name for a team.

But hey...we were in a district with the likes of the Billygoats, the Gobblers, and the Unicorns.

I'll take Antlers thankyouverymuch...

Ok so Lochte is getting ready to swim.

Have I mentioned that he is hotter than crap?

So no...I don't run...and no I don't do sports...

But I do enjoy watching the Olympics and I do especially enjoy the swimming and the track and the gymnastics...

And in my dreams...I can swim like Dara Torres...flip like Gabby Douglas...I'm as gorgeous as a member of the Dutch Field Hockey team (have you seen those girls? As Daddy would say...chickipoos!)...I look as good in a bikini as Misty May-Treanor...I can throw a javelin and look as gorgeous doing it as Leryn Franco (look her up...OMG)...

And I can run...and I run like the wind...like Malibu Barbie running like the wind...and my knees don't hurt...and my flab doesn't jiggle...

But in real life...well I am no where close to that...but you know what?  I don't care...

I got JayVee and Total Body Jam...

And that, my friends, is as good as it gets...and I'm just fine with it...

Because when you can have fun while burning calories and one of your best friends (who is awesome) teaches it...

Well, that is a gold medal in my book...

Because from where I came from (not being able to go up the stairs without losing my breath) to being able to do 17 "burpees" in 45 seconds and not puking...

Um yeah, that is winning a medal...at least to me...

Now get me to that podium, throw that gold around my neck, and hand me those flowers...

and cue that National Anthem...

Because any day you can push yourself and work hard...well, you may not be in London at the Olympics but you are a winner...

Inspiration Song: "Run"...soooooo many versions of this song...I first heard it in Body Pump...but then I heard the original version by Snow Patrol and loved it...and then I heard Leona Lewis' version and I became obsessed...but my favorite version was sung by Katherine McPhee on the tv show "Smash" but stupidly NBC did NOT release that version on iTunes...but if someone knows how I can get it I will be grateful...it is a GORGEOUS song...makes me cry...pick your favorite...for me until I can get Katherine it is Leona...heartbreaking and beautiful song...

Oh, and did I mention Ryan Lochte is hotter than crap? Even if he didn't hold onto the lead in the relay he is still hotter than crap...

Bye Darlings...enjoy watching what the best athletes in the world are doing in London...but be a gold medal winner yourself...try something new...try something that scares you...(shout out to RadiantRita...I'm holding your hand baby girl...you know what I 'm talking about )...like Nike says...just do it...

tomorrow...I'm gonna go backwards...maybe just a back roll...but I'm gonna do it...

You Get What You Give

The other night I came home and found THE MOST PERFECT GIFT on my doorstep!

I like gifts just fine, but I'm a giver so I am usually happier when I GIVE a gift than when I receive one...but when someone find you THE MOST PERFECT GIFT...well, you just have to LOVE LOVE LOVE it...

And blog about it...

So let me tell you...and show you...what was on my doorstep...

(I apologize now for the poor quality of my photos...I need a new lens on my camera...gonna get to "Fix Your Gadget" (yes, they will fix your iPhone here in Houston) and get it taken care of)

Yes, that is a real, honest-to-God, vintage Barbie case!

Inside...

Yes, that is MALIBU BARBIE!!!!

I don't keep her in the case...she lives on my nightstand so I can see her every day...see...

She is so perfect and beautiful!  She even has her little towel.

I'm considering getting her some clothes so I can play dress up with her...

So where did she come from?

I have a nickname among some of my friends...yup, you guessed it...Malibu Barbie.

I'm rather fond of my tan and my bleached (from the sun) hair.  If only I had her figure...but I'm working on it.

So my friend Marvelous Margaret...who I am renaming "Dragon Lady" on this blog for reasons known to her and me...spent most of June calling me Malibu Barbie when she saw me...she still does...

So she was at a vintage store and voila...she found the doll and a case.

Now I have to tell you, it is one of the BEST gifts ever...because it was given for fun...and love...and friendship...and because I totally LOVE LOVE LOVE Malibu Barbie!

I cried when I saw the case...and then the tears would not stop when I opened up the case and saw her inside...and I knew that Dragon Lady is a very special friend indeed.

You know you are really blessed when a good friend gives you a gift that is simply PERFECT!

And this one is perfect...

It's just like my 1/2 birthday gift that GOTT and GOTTESS and GOTTSON gave me 2 years ago...my favorite coffee mug that says "Don't make me call the flying monkeys"...it is a statement I often tell the kids at school...and every time I drink coffee from it I love GOTT and GOTTESS and GOTTSON even more.

Last year for my birthday GOTTESS gave me the sweetest card about being friends and a little book about friendship...I keep them both in my nightstand so that I can smile and feel the love with which they were given.  She is a special friend indeed...

And as you can see my nightstand is my treasure place...

I also keep a gift that my friend SuperSue (she was one of my camp counselors) gave me...it is a joke gift but it reminds me of camp...

what is it you ask?

(of course you want to know...)

well, this one is unusual...

once upon a time at Friday Mountain Girls Camp someone decided that when Julie (the best camp director ever and who's love and approval I want and treasure as much as my own mother's) said we should SHARE...well, that camper decided to SHARE...

the stomach bug....

Yes, about 60% of the camp fell victim to a vile form of the stomach bug...

And so one of the campers decided that while she was locked up in the infirmary cabin that she would write a manifesto about the ills of the stomach bug...

she wrote it on toilet paper...

SuperSue ended up with it...and she sent it to me...and I treasure it...because it reminds me of camp and even though I fell victim to it, I remember the year fondly...

I even wrote a play for us to perform at camp about it...I called it "The Wizard of Kidd" (the camp was owned by the Kidd family).  It was a take-off on The Wizard of Oz.  The wicked witch was named "Montezuma's Revenge" and she was killed when Dorothy threw Pepto Bismol on her...

I thought it was a pretty clever play...I myself was not Dorothy but the scarecrow...

So I keep the toilet paper manifesto there in my drawer...

The best wedding gift I received was a handmade quilt lovingly stitched by LovelyLinda.  I treasure that quilt.  When I packed up for the hurricane it went into a plastic tub for safekeeping.  I sleep with it when I don't feel good.

The marriage didn't last but the quilt did...and I'm lucky that LovelyLinda is still my friend.

My Aunt Jane (the Best Person in the World) gives me a lot of amazing gifts.  But one of the best is a photo collage that reminds me of how far I have come with my weight loss.  And a photo frame that she managed to buy when I wasn't looking when we went to Oprah.

My friend D-nice gave me the best gift for Christmas...she got me a beautiful apron and some herbs de provence as a promise that we are going to cook our way through Julia Child together.  Even if we don't get through all the recipes I will treasure getting to cook next to one of the people I love most in this world.

I gave her a bottle just like they used on "I Dream of Jeannie"...she keeps it in here bedroom...it cost next to nothing but it symbolizes a mutual love we have...

My friend Angel Amy gave me a great gift when she made me apply for the Oprah show...

And Twirler Girl knows the way to my heart because she gave me a Rabbit...no not the "naughty" kind like on Sex and the City...but a Rabbit wine opener!

(hahahaha...I got you there!  I did the same thing to D-nice when I texted her and told her I got her a Rabbit...she wasn't sure if I meant the wine opener, the "toy" or a bunny...)

So you see...a REAL gift is one that touches you in a way you can't forget...

I try and do that when I can...

I gave GOTT a mug that reminds him of how special he is...he likes to drink his hot tea from it.  I also got him a hot water boiler to use at work so he could make his tea...he likes tea...

I've got something special picked out for GOTTESS this year...but I'm not telling cause she reads this...but hey GOTTESS...I know what you want!!!!!

I have a friend who had a bunch of t-shirts that he was holding on to but no longer wore.  He asked me what I thought he should do with them.  I told him to give them to me if he trusted me...he did trust me and he gave me the shirts.  I had a quilt made out of them for him.  He teared up when I gave him the quilt and declared it the nicest thing anyone had done for him.  It was a simple gift but a lovely way for him to remember what the shirts meant even if he can't wear them...and now he doesn't have to part with them.  I did it as a gift but it was also a test run because I want to do the same thing with my son's camp t-shirts.

(www.campusquilt.com)

The other day a friend mentioned that after her grandmother died she had a lot of chenille blankets that they were trying to figure out what to do with.  They had teddy bears made from the blankets and she treasures hers...what a great idea!  What a great gift...

Ke$ha Barbie collects old vinyl albums...I found "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys for her...we love that album and how it changed music...she framed it...but to me it represents our mutual love of music and that I taught her that some of the best stuff comes from the past...

The other day I ordered JayVee something for her new house...it's not much and it really is just something for her pantry but I knew she would appreciate it and I knew that every time she opened the pantry she would appreciate having it there.  It's not what you spend, but it is about thinking about what the other person NEEDS sometimes...she was going to get it for herself but it was more fun to surprise her...and she does so much for me that I loved doing it...

But really I think one of the best gifts we can give is our time...be it to help a friend move...or to listen when someone needs you...or an afternoon to just laugh together.

But the BEST gift of all is love...not a thing...just to give your love...freely...

I read "The 5 Love Languages for Singles" (all of the books are good but that one applied to me best).  But the 5 languages are the same whether you are single or not: Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service and Receiving Gifts.

For me, the languages I NEED most are Words of Affirmation and Physical Touch.

Because of that I freely give them...I love to tell people how much I love them and support them and I meant it each and every time.  And I'm a hugger and kisser...you are gonna get hugged whether you like it or not with me....

What I don't need to be given to me is Acts of Service and Gifts...but when they are given to me, I really do appreciate it.  Funny thing is that I love to do acts of service and I love to GIVE gifts.  And I always appreciate Quality Time because I freely give it.

But I DO need words of affirmation from those I love...it was a problem in my marriage and the man who wins my heart (and hopefully drives a big ass truck...still holding out for that) will be one who gives me those words of affirmation...and his physical touch will be one that sends a thrill through me each and every time.  It's not about "that" (you know what I mean...but yeah that's good too)...it's the holding of a hand when walking in a parking lot...or a kiss because dinner tastes great...or rubbing my back while we watch tv...those little touches...

So I speak all 5 love languages...I give freely of each...

I'm a giver...I love to give little gifts and big ones...I love to listen for 5 minutes or 5 hours when a friend needs me to...I love to help out when someone needs a hand.

And in return I have amazing friends...

If you get what you give...well then I get a whole lot...not because I'm so great...it's just that I chose to love freely and give freely...and in return I get a lot...

Inspiration Song: "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals.  It's a great song...I have always loved it...not really a song about giving but it's still good...

Bye Darlings...today I am giving you a blog...because I have to celebrate my Malibu Barbie...you should all be as lucky as me to have a Dragon Lady in your life that knows you so well that she gets you the perfect gift...I love you friends...and I love you Dragon Lady!!!!

The Good Life

My sweet little precious 93 year old Grandma passed away last Friday.

I am named for her...Anice.

But her name is pronounced "Aa-nis" and I am "Uh-neice" (like "hello, I am Jane's niece Anice" and it rhymes.   So my name rhymes with "niece" and her name is like Janice without the "J".  I much prefer her pronunciation...more elegant...more southern...

She fell and hit her head...but the way I look at it, it was her time...it was her time to go and be with God and her husbands.  She had Alzheimer's and had it for quite a while...but I can tell you that she managed to live a long good life even with the Alzheimer's...

Yes, note the plural on "husbands"...

My awesome Grandma outlived 3 husbands!

Her first husband, who was my biological grandfather died young and left my Grandma a young widow.  My mother was only 16 years old.  He died when his plane crashed into the Atlantic.  Ironically they found the plane when the investigators were looking for the remnants of TWA Flight 800 which crashed into the Atlantic in July of 1996...but at least my family had complete closure even though it was a shock for them to find the aircraft so long after he crashed.

When I was about 2 my Grandma married the man I refer to as my Grandpa.  His name was Bob...but for me he was always Grandpa.  I was totally spoiled by him...and my Grandma.  Being the oldest grandchild I got more than my fair share of doting upon.  Uh yeah...like taking me out to eat a footlong hot dog when I was 10 even though I could only eat 6 inches of it...but yeah, they let me have it anyway.

Spoiled rotten...that was me...

After Grandpa passed away Grandma came to live with my mom for a while...but in 1998 she married her high school sweetheart who was named John.  Yes, some 50+ years later they reunited and got married.  John waited a long time to have his Anice...and they were very happy until he sadly passed away several years later...but they had about 6 lovely years together.  I'm bad with the dates and years details...

When Grandma was living with my mom Ke$ha Barbie spent a great deal of time with her.  Mom and I would look for Ke$ha Barbie and then we would realize she was upstairs with her "Gigi" (great grandmother).  We would find them having a grand time together in my Grandma's little apartment that was attached to my mom's house.  Ke$ha Barbie loved loved loved her Gigi...and when she was little she spent time playing with Grandma's various collections...like her bell collection...which I also played with as a child.

Once summer I spent several weeks up in Overland Park, KS with my Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Jane and Aunt Gayle.  We had the best time...my sister Noel was with me and we had a blast every day being up there.  Gayle grew some strawberries and Grandma taught me how to make strawberry shortcake.  I can't have it for dessert without thinking about her and the shortcake!

I also learned what saccharine was.  She and Grandpa would put the little saccharine tabs in their coffee and I would try and sneak some...at first it would taste good and then it got a bitter taste...but when I see saccharine tablets I think of my grandparents.

My Grandma was a secretary.  And a darn good one.  She would often type letters to me...last Christmas my aunts found a letter she had typed to me but for some reason never sent.  I think the reason was that I needed that letter more 32 years later than I did when she sent it to me...it was about my parents divorce and to be brave...and that letter helped me stay brave through my divorce even though I knew I was doing the right thing.

Once time my ex and I (while we were still married) took Ke$ha Barbie and The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) on a road trip to Florida.  Along the way we stopped in Laurel, MS to visit Grandma and Grandpa John.  They lived in a cute little apartment complex in Laurel.  There was a pond by the mailbox area and some geese lived there.  For some reason one of the geese HATED my Grandma.  I don't know why...but John told us the goose (or maybe it was a duck but I'm pretty sure it was a goose)  would see Grandma and go after her.  Sure enough that goose saw my sweet little Grandma and he started flapping his wings and running after her as we stood by the pond.

Dumb goose...he should have chased me...

Grandma loved to sing...especially to Frank Sinatra.  Even at 93 she could still carry a tune and would sing her favorite songs.  She taught me some songs---the one I remember most was "Marzy Doats" (you know...mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy...").  I loved singing that with her when I was little...

One of my favorite stories about Grandma didn't happen to me...it actually is a story about my sister Susu (Susan) and Grandma.  Once when Grandma was visiting and Susu was about 6 they were outside by the pool.

Grandma pointed to the gate (that led to the front yard) and asked Susu "Susan, where does this gate go?"

Susu answered (quite matter-of-factly my grandmother said): "Nowhere Grandma!  It just stays here!  It doesn't GO anywhere!!!!"

Gosh but I love that story...

This Christmas was my last with my sweet Grandma.  When I arrived on Christmas day to my Aunt Jane's house Grandma looked at me curiously and I could tell she wasn't sure who I was.  I think sometimes she thought I was my mother (once I lost my weight)...and I think my weight loss did confuse her a bit.

We sat down to Christmas lunch and I scored the spot across the table from Grandma.  There were several people at the table and we were all chatting.

In the middle of the meal Grandma looked up from her plate and smiled at me and said "Hi Nicey!"

And she's back!!!!!!!

Woo hoo she knew who I was...I got about 5 minutes of her knowing that it was ME sitting there across from her.

Best.Christmas.Present.Ever.

Truly was....

Grandma was loving her lunch that day...we were all having a great time.  I loved eating that last meal with her that way.

In the middle of the meal my wonderful Aunt Evelyn (who is married to my uncle) came in and was kissing and hugging everyone.  She kissed Grandma...and after she walked away Grandma said "Who is that ?" (lest you think she didn't love my Aunt Evelyn, I assure you she did...she asked "Who is that" about EVERYONE because she was 92 at that time and had Alzheimer's).

I said "Grandma, that's Evelyn!"

she still looked confused...

Jane said "Phil's wife!"

Grandma looked across the table and said to us "Who would marry Phil?"

We lost it laughing...and when you are 92 you can say whatever you want...

And lest you think she didn't love my Uncle Phil I can assure you she did...but he didn't get married until he was in his early 50's...but that is just because he was waiting for the right one to come along and that right one is my Tia Evelyn (I call her that because she is Puerto Rican...and I love love love her!).

So what else can I tell you about my grandmother?

She cut the heads off of almost everyone when she took a picture...

She loved the color blue...

She loved my father even after he divorced my mother...

Losing my mother broke her heart and I have to say I'm glad she had Alzheimer's so she didn't have to have the pain of remembering she lost her oldest child every day...

There wasn't anyone who met her that didn't love her...

She had beautiful eyes and an amazing smile...

She had a great sense of humor...

She loved Burger King Chicken Sandwiches...

She hated sushi but gamely tried it every time we went to the sushi bar...

She loved cookies...especially chocolate chip ones!  I gave her a special cookie jar one year for Christmas and she always kept her cookies there...

She was born in Laurel, MS and was a southern belle in every sense of the word...

She was a tiny petite thing...but in my eyes she was always mighty...

Once when my mom was "frosting" Grandma's hair I told Grandma that it looked like "her hair was worms"...she wasn't all that happy about what my mother was doing anyway so she answered me with "Nicey, that is not helping..."....I still laugh about that...

She loved to dance...she and Grandpa spent a lot of evenings dancing their hearts out...in fact we lost my sweet Grandpa one night to a heart attack after they had been out dancing...

She always called me "Nicey" (rhymes with piecey)

She was the best grandma ever...she was wonderful...

Inspiration Song: "The Good Life" by Frank Sinatra...I think it's perfect...

Bye Darlings...I hope you were all as lucky as me to have the best grandma ever...I know I was...she was simply the best and I was blessed to have her...