(43-298) Chat

Luis has now been on vacation for five days and I'm happy to say that he's having a great time and the kids and I are handling his absence, perhaps better than we'd expected.  I have been so touched by my kind, friends who've been calling to check on me and the kids.  THANK YOU all!

Before he left for his trip, Luis set up Windows Live Messenger so that we could video chat, and I believe that this has eased our separation, although it hasn't been working quite as well as we'd expected.  Since I'm NOT The Queen of TECHNOLOGY, you might assume that I was the cause of our technical difficulties, but in fact I was not.  On Wednesday night, Luis had sent me an email via Facebook, telling me what time he could chat.  We got online at the stipulated time.  I sat on the couch, and we IM'd a bit.  He then attempted to call; and although my exhausted, face appeared on the computer, we couldn't see him.   I was a little relieved because I took this to mean that he couldn't see us either and since I wasn't lookin my best, I was a lil relieved.  I thought "tomorrow night I'd better do my make up and sit in a flattering position, so that I give Luis something to want to come home to."  We attempted a couple of phone calls, but it wasn't working.  Luis continued to type his IM's but his English and spelling were not what they typically are.  I commented to the girls, that it had only been 24 hours, but Dad seemed to forget how to speak English; and Luis' next IM read "I can hear you."  Whoops!  My bad!  He then wrote "I do too speak English."  To which I replied, "Well you don't type like it."  He said that he could see and hear us, but we couldn't say the same.  Luis told me to keep talking and he'd type.  I agreed, and then his next comment was "Any gossip?"  Well at least that hadn't changed.   It felt odd to talk  to the computer screen and read Luis' typed responses.
Perhaps if  I could have seen his face while I was talking, it wouldn't have felt so peculiar.  But nonetheless, I was very happy to talk to him.

On Thursday night, Luis was able to get his camera working, so we could see him too; but his audio was still a problem.  Luis took us on a tour of the new bathroom that his dad had built and that was terrific.  We felt like we were right there with him.  Technology is just amazing.  I mean the last time I was in the States and Luis was in Vallarta, we were only able to communicate by phone and letters.  But in the past seventeen years, the Internet, email, Instant messaging, and video chat have all been invented.  I could only imagine that I would have saved a lot of money had this been the case back then.  Not that I'd change a thing.

Only three more days till Luis comes home, and the kids and I are fine.  Besides, this really has been good practice for when Lyndzi and I go to New York in 68 days.  Time is just flying by and I plan to enjoy it all.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING 

(43-297) Fabulous Friday!

Oh Friday, how I love you!  Whether I'm having a date with Luis, or spending the evening with my kids and friends -Friday is usually my favorite day of the week.

This morning  Jenny and I took the kids out for brunch to celebrate the end of the school year.  After that I had a couple of errands to run. I exchanged a pair of flip flops at Payless; then our next stop was Kohl's.  Let me tell you why...  The other day I received the sweetest card from my friend Penny.  Penny is the mom of Rachel S. and I told you about her when I wrote "The Care Package."  Well getting the card was such an unexpected treat, and it really made me feel good.  But as if the card wasn't enough, Penny also included 2 $10 gift cards for Kohl's.  Penny wrote that she had received the gift cards and Rachel had mentioned that I like to shop at Kohl's so she hoped that I would be able to use them.  How kind and generous was that?  Since the cards had a 5/21 expiration date, I wanted to hurry over there so that I could put them to good use.  Now the cards did say "one per customer."  They also said "non-transferable," so I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to use them; but since I knew that I'd have to make two separate transactions, I gave the gift card and  $5 to Jenny and asked her to try and buy this $16 necklace for me.  (It was on sale for 35% off.)  Jenny returned and handed me my change.  She said that the necklace cost me just  .44  How great is that?  Knowing that I'd have no problem using the other card, I purchased a sundress and top for Lyndzi.  Both were on sale, PLUS I had a 15% discount card as well as Penny's gift card, so it was just $10 out of pocket for this purchase.  I couldn't have asked for a better shopping experience.  Thank you so much Penny AND Kohl's!!!

After some shopping, we headed for the park.   The weather was beautiful and a terrific time was had by all.  The kids enjoyed playing, while Jenny and I chatted away.  We left the park a few hours later, and I went home to get ready for Mari's, surprise, birthday dinner at  The Cheesecake Factory.  There were eight of us there including Mari, who would have been surprised had she not seen my minivan in the parking lot - arrghh!  We joked and laughed A LOT!  We had a very attentive waiter, delicious food, OK,and dessert (though I shared with Lisa B.)  Not wanting the night to end with dinner, five of us decided to go to Charming Charlie,  (the MOST phenomenal accessory store that I've ever seen.)  Huge fan of color that Iam, I was in heaven when I saw all of the different sections of the store, arranged by color.  It was like a rainbow had exploded and dropped all of the brilliant, purple jewels in one area, all of the green in another, all of the aqua to the left and the orange to the right. etc. etc. etc.   Oh my goodness, it was just glorious.

I'd been wanting to go to Charming Charlie for a while, and even though they had some very reasonable prices; there was no way that I was going to be getting a necklace for just .44 so I convinced myself that if I purchased anything it would have to be either a very special ,piece OR an irresistible price.  Well the special piece won out, and I must say that for as artful as it was, the price was very fair. ( Just under $15.)  I can't it and do it justice, so I'll just have to take a picture of it when I wear it. 

What an absolutely, fabulous Friday.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  From start to finish it was just exceptional.  It's days like today that make the more mundane days seem worth it.  Days when I can just realx with my family and friends.  When we can eat and chat and shop.  It just doesn't get much better than this.
I am so grateful to have had another day.  And not just ANY day, but a delectable  day.  Thanks to everyone who was a part of it.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-295) Famous Friends

As I started getting busier with my blog, there were two things that I found I had less time for. One as you know (especially if you've seen me), is the gym and the other was spending time at the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out website.  I missed both (REALLY.  BOTH!)  But I found my way back to SFTIO a few weeks ago and I'm so glad that I did.  (I'll be making my way back to the gym next week, now that the kids will be out of school and my schedule will be different.)
 
Anyway, since I began working with Rachel on the "CRAFT Beach Retreat"  and creating the song playlist for this month's "FRIENDSHIP Kit" it seemed like an opportune time to reacquaint myself with the SFTIO online community. I don't spend a lot of time there, but I do try to check in a couple of times a day to see new posts.  I'll play the word association game, or look at the new lay outs that people submit for the monthly challenges; and yesterday when I stopped by I was delighted to see that my friend Kai had resurrected a lil game that I enjoy; called Gimme Five.

The name of the game basically says it all.  Whatever the topic is; you list five.  This time Kai posted, Gimme Five Favorite Famous Friends.  Her list included, well, the cast of "Friends," as well as Sully & Mike (from "Monsters Inc." Will & Grace (and Karen & Jack), Lavinia & Suzette (from "The Banger Sisters"), and Pooh & Piglet.  Others posted everything from Oscar and Felix ("The Odd Couple") to Dora & Boots.   Of course they mentioned Lucy & Ethel, and Thelma and Louise.

I added my two cents; OK, five cents and  wrote the following: "How bout Laverne & Shirley?  And while we're in our time machine, I'll go with Richie Cunningham & The Fonz. There's Mary & Rhoda, And for a lil Comic Relief (Billy Crystal, Robin Williams & Whoppi Goldberg) Lastly, they're the 3 best friends that anyone ever had; the wolf pack, the men of "The Hangover"!!! "    OK, I'll admit it; I crack myself up sometimes, and this was definitely one of them.

I came up with that list in no time at all; and if you think about it, most TV shows or movies revolve around friendships one way or another.  Friendship is such a crucial part of life. A friend lends an ear and a shoulder.  A friend has your back and will save your ass.  A friend is someone that you can laugh and cry with.  They help you through your struggles and celebrate your successes.  How empty life would be without our friends. 
I've said it before (many times); but I'll say it again.  I am SO grateful for all of my AMAZING friends. I could just go on and on (you KNOW I could), but instead, i'll just say, if you feel like weighing in, I'd love for you to Gimme Five.  You can post your five favorite, famous friends as a comment here, or even on Facebook.  Getcha Game on.  Play a little.  C'mon friends, let's have some fun! 
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING