Reunion recap

So I went to the old 10 year reunion and it was fun. I saw some folks I really wanted to see, and also got to visit with Jack and Ann, who were also so kind to doggy sit for the evening. All in all, a good experience. I had posted pic of me with my pals Holly and Michael but my computer wouldn't post it last night - I think it was an internet connection thing. Anyway, Michael and I go wayyyyyy back to pre-school, and he currently lives in Boston, so it was really great to see him and his wife Shannon. Gavin was such a trooper; he got all my drinks and took all the pictures.

What else.... going to Salt Lake City, Utah for work this week! That should be fun and latter day saintastic. Woo hoo! Going to do a little marketing, look at some mountains, drink some half-alcohol beer, turn down some marriage proposals... the usual. It should be fun and interesting to see the mountains in the summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Too bad I have to miss both my husband's birthday AND my four-year anniversary (that is correct) but you know, got to bring home that bacon. Well, better scoot. It's getting late, so I'm going to pack it in - I'll fill you in on the visit to Utah later on this week... Cheers!

Time Warp

So tomorrow I head to Pensacola for my 10 year high school reunion. I have to be honest here… I almost totally bailed on this. In fact, a couple days ago I would have told you that I definitely was not going. This is weird, because I had been pumped about it and had even blogged about it. But as it got closer and closer, I started to lose interest, mostly because work has been so crazy and I’m exhausted, but also because I just felt like it would be awkward. Most things are awkward for me. It’s a problem I have that I didn’t used to have but that’s a whole separate blog post.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking. My general philosophy in life is to err on the side of doing things rather than staying home, because you never know when something significant might happen or when you might make a memory. In 10 or 20 years I won’t remember what I did on a random Saturday night, but I will probably remember the reunion, for better or worse. I might think the whole thing is totally lame, but then again, I might reconnect with some folks I used to hang with 100 years ago, and to miss out just to be lazy would be a shame, and I know me, and I know I’d regret it. And there’s alcohol and I’ll see the fam, so it won’t be a total loss. So off we go. Cheers!

Another pro: blog fodder. Stay tuned!

Weekend recap!

So this was a great weekend. I slept in both days, got some yardwork done, hung out with friends, and spent some quality time with the husband!

Friday night we had a big group happy hour at Andrews, which was fun because our pal Joe Grant was in town. I love Joe Grant! He's like my big former-frat-guy-turned-fun-uncle friend. He is starting law school in the fall in Jacksonville but stopped through town to say hey. Here's a pic of Joe Grant at our last Christmas party. He loves singing and Seminole Football. It's true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Saturday night some girlfriends I went to Two Chez for drinks and chow before meeting up with the boys. It was great, but bittersweet because my friend Mary (Taco's madre) is moving away this week. I have one more outing with her tomorrow night and then she'll be living in Gainesville, getting her LLM in taxation. Yes, yawn. Just kidding! I'm sure it will be scintillating, Mary, like one big year-long suspense novel. Although let me tell you how this one ends: the taxpayer gets screwed. Anyway, the good news is she won't be that far down the road and we have some fun football weekend plans to hatch. Here are some pics from the evening:

Above you will see Mary with the Ocean Breeze Martini. I had to take like three pictures to get one with her eyes open. Another round, please!

Rhonda wasn't ready for her closeup but I decided to post it anyway because I think it's a cute picture of my cute friend. That salad was delicious, btw.

Heather showing off her Pink Razr. It is a cute phone, I admit. Heather is my Auburn fan ally in Tallahassee. We are planning on hitting the road back to God's Country together sometime this fall. Woo hoo!

And finally, I wanted to post some new pics I took of the babies! They are soooo photogenic:

Look at that mug!!!

And this one. This is why she gets away with so much tomfoolery.

I love this one - I mentioned Sugarbear's best friend Sable and her ears perked right up.

So tomorrow it's back to the grind. I'll prob post some pics of my last night out in Tallahassee with Mary, so check back!

Picture it...

.... Pensacola, 1994 through 1998... a high school student comes home from school and watches the Golden Girls every single day with her sister (and roommate) Nikki.

.... Auburn, 1998 through 2002.... a college student comes home from school and watches the Golden Girls every single day with her roommates, Emily, Kristin, Sudan, and Robert.

.... Tallahassee, 2002 through 2004.... a law student comes home from school and watches the Golden Girls every single day with her roommate, Ashley, and their Kato, Sal.

Well guess what. That student was me. And this week, every one of the above named people emailed me to send their condolences about the death of Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) the best Golden Girl ever.

I thought it was funny (laughter through tears of course) that all of these people I lived with remembered fondly my fondness for the show and how I drew them all into it with me. I've always said that the Golden Girls is just a funny show that transcends race, gender, and social background. So, this bud's for Sophia and all the hilarious and sarcastic jokes she cracked. She helped make me the smartass I am today. *(clink)*

Hmm... what else. Well, the babies and I are kickin' it solo tonight, since the man in our family is out of town on business. Sad. We miss him!! Hurry home beeby! He'll be back in time for happy hour tomorrow, so yay!

Think I'm going to do some yardwork this weekend. Maddie has learned how to remove her own collar (not the bark one, the regular one) and I can't find it anywhere in the house. I think she disrobed in the back yard so I might as well trim some weeds while I hunt for it. Stay tuned for updates.

Reviews of the midwest and Cloverfield.

Well, I'm here in the wilds of Cincinnati. Obama was also here today; apparently he follows me from town to town on my business trips.

As expected, no time for a Cincinnati Reds game or a visit to the zoo, or even a night out on the town. I did, however, have time for a lonely singleton dinner at Cracker Barrel. Ha cha cha!



I liked the Cincinnati airport - very clean and efficient. My favorite part? The aviating pig sculpture. See below.




I'm sure there is a story there, but I was a woman on the go, and didn't get a chance to inquire about the huge metal pig with wings and a fuselage growing out of its hindquarters. I certainly did admire it in passing, though. My favorite aspect of the pig was its graceful pose and pointed hooves, like a pig ballerina.

The rental car is great - a red Toyota Rav4 - see below. Nothing wrooong with that.

HOWEVER, I have one major complaint with National rental car company. They gave me a defective GPS that worked fine for about ten minutes, then froze up every two or three minutes thereafter during the forty-five minute drive from the airport to the hotel. This translated into near death experiences every two to three minutes as I careened through downtown Cincinnati rush hour traffic, frantically trying to restart and reprogram the GPS while trying to drive at the same time.

Yes, normally I would pull over. However, I was in a situation where I was on an interstate with nothing but exits leading to other interstates, and no idea where to get off. It was like driving in downtown Atlanta at rush hour, but without the charming southern hospitality. People drive like maniacs.

Well, I generally try to learn from my brushes with death, so here's the life lesson I have gleaned. Always bring backup mapquest directions when traveling in a new and unfamiliar place, just in case your car rental GPS screws you.


I made it, though, and the folks at my hotel are all very nice. I'm actually staying in the 'burbs, which explains dinner at Cracker Barrel, and I have seen farms everywhere. It's very interesting to see new parts of the United States. My only previous experience with the midwest was when I spent a summer working at a tennis camp at the Univ. of Notre Dame, but that was many moons ago, and I spent most of my time on campus.

So, while I'm not planning on leaving the South EVER, the midwest as a region gets a solid thumbs up from Bets. See how I judged a region comprised of 12 states based upon one two-day visit to one city? I am so efficient.


Also, Gavin and I watched Cloverfield the other day. I have resisted renting this movie for a long time because I heard the handheld camera aspect of it can make you seasick. I have to say, though, the movie was pretty good. It was about an alien attack on New York City, and it is told from the perspective of some twenty-somethings with a camcorder. That's all I will tell you, because I don't want to give too much away, but all in all, it was an entertaining movie. It kind of reminded me of the Blair Witch Project. The other movie we rented was Transamerica, which looks very interesting. I'll review that one too, once I get to watch it.


Well folks, I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow (I don't return home until 10 pm) so I should probably sign off and snuggle down. I am reading a really good book right now - Broken For You. It's my latest book from Jana, who is basically my personal library, and it is excellent so far. Thanks J!

Facial Fur

Everyone knows that my baby Maddie is the light of my life. But Maddie has the most peculiar facial fur. Most dogs, like Sugarbear, have normal fur on their faces that reaches a certain length and then stops growing. Not Maddie. She has a beard, mustache, and eyebrows that grow and grow. When I first got her from the shelter, they had grown to frightening lengths. Once, as an experiment, I let her eyebrows grow untouched for a few months, just to see how long they would get. After a few weeks, I swear it looked like she had bangs. When I had to start combing them back and parting them on the side I realized it was time for a trim.

Initially, I would trim Maddie with scissors. When Gavin came into my life, we got an electric trimmer, and he took over grooming duties. I'm not allowed to trim her since that one unfortunate time I cut her snout fur too short (also known as the "needle snout" incident). So basically, I have to wait until he is good and ready to trim her before I see it happen. Anyway, she has been due for a trim for a while, and Gavin finally broke down and trimmed her today. Here are some before and after shots.....

BEFORE:

Note the breadth of the mustache here, and the height of the brows.

AFTER:

Great job Gavin! Can't you tell she feels so much prettier? Before you go, one final pic. Here is what Maddie did when I told her it was time for her post-furcut bath, which she hates..... awwww...

I guess she thinks that if she rolls over and looks cute that I won't bathe her. Awww.

So what else... I leave for Cincinnati on Monday, so I'll let you know what I think of the midwest. I probably won't have time to do anything really fun, like see the Reds play or go to the zoo, but I will have a rental car to review. One weird thing: I keep thinking of the theme song to WKRP in Cincinnati.... I loved that show. Anyhoo - see you soon!

High School Reunion and Scuba Diving

Well, the time has finally come for the Pensacola Catholic High School class of '98 to reunite! This has always seemed so remote but the big event actually happens in just a few weeks. (Above, please note 18-year-old me. Ready to take on the world, armed with ambition, boundless energy, and big bushy eyebrows for protection.)

Well, I've always said that as long as I wasn't really fat, I'd go. I'll make sure to take lots of pics and report the details. I may also post more about this later as the date draws nearer and I start to reminisce and freak out about how time is marching on. I'm surprisingly calm now, but the freak out is inevitable.

So, next topic. Gavin has always said that he would like for us to learn how to scuba dive together. I would love for Gavin and I to have more of the same hobbies, but the idea of scuba diving has always terrified me.

I grew up in Pensacola, going to the beach every weekend and swimming in the ocean amongst our marine wildlife brethren and living in harmony all summer long, so it's definitely not the water that scares me. No, it has always been the idea of swimming deep under the water and being totally dependent on the plastic breathing apparatus and the compressed oxygen that could blow up your lungs if you don't breathe in and out correctly. Admittedly, I'm pretty ignorant about the whole process, and that's obvious, but I know just enough to be freaked out.

Then tonight, my fears were validated by this story on Dateline! This couple went on a diving trip on the barrier reef, drifted away from the tour boat, and were left in the shark-infested waters all night long. They developed hypothermia and started hallucinating! It was just like that movie Open Water, and I finally have justification for all my fears. I think I'll probably always stay on land and boats from here on out. I love validation.

What else, what else. .. So work is picking up - I have two trips planned in the next few weeks - one to Cincinnati and one to Utah - sounds like fun! I love marketing trips! All I have to do is go, dress nice, and be my charming schmoozy self. I'll keep you posted on all that. Ta for now!