Love Calling....

This weekend found me making the pilgrimage to Ossineke to visit family and attend the shower and 'Bachelorette' party for my beautiful niece, Laurel.

The festivities began with yummy hors d' oeuvres and cocktails while Laurel answered questions pertaining to her groom while he played along via computer screen. Door prizes were liberally given out and I was thrilled to get some great goodies. My sister knows better than to force me to play 'bridesmaid bingo' for a dishcloth! Then the opening of the gifts where Laurel scored quite the loot for her new home. Very cute and staid activities as per the usual shower custom...

But then.......A bus pulled up and it was all aboard for the official 'bachelorette party'. No chances for the PoPo to pick up a drunken bridesmaid--or Auntie Jodi! Now at this point, I would like to point out that I am too 'experienced' for this kinda nonsense. Thank you blog friend Erik (Erik's Choice) for sweetly pointing out the difference between old and experienced. xo!

But when in Rome....

Laurel gamely sported a t-shirt with hard candies that invited dudes to 'suck for a buck'! She netted 96 bucks from the eager 'suckers'. Her tiara and veil were cleverly festooned with tiny penises. And a giant, 8 foot inflated penis appeared from somewhere and was anointed as the official mascot. I think you get the theme of things. Much female bonding occurred while drinking shots and toasting the bride-to-be. I escaped the whole thing with a smile and most of my pride intact.

But, oh to be a groom. Skip the shower thing and just head out for the bonding and debauchery, with out the care of matching rugs and towels. There may even be some nudity for the lucky guy, in case he never sees a naked woman again. So much easier when the groom isn't forced to wear a crown or clothing sporting female body parts. Just buddy's, beer and booze. I've heard the girly version be called very unflatteringly-- I may add, a 'hen party'. Does that make the guys party a 'cock party'? No. I think WE had that covered!! Congrats to Laurel and Ben--Oct. 17 will be here soon!

Congrats also for my Godchild Nicole and her new baby Evan. I got to hold the sweet pea when he was a scant 24 hours old. What a darling addition to our family! Kisses to Mommy and Baby.

Happy Fall to all and enjoy this lovely weather! xoxo

These are Days.....

Happy Labor Day! What a long, hot glorious summer it's been. Cheryl and I have celebrated the hell out of it..But it's over (sigh). Kiddies are back in school and the nights are gettin' chilly. And it was great fun while it lasted.

Last week I read an article encouraging us to 'start now to get done before the holidays.' Really? Like, now? Why? Micheal's is helping us by putting out the Christmas decorations. Already.

Years ago, I alleviated most of the stress by eliminating the gift buying thing. I love to shop, but hate the deadline pressure thing. I shop and buy all year round, but am more liable to give it to the person right away instead of on Christmas Day. I prefer a kind of 'treasure hunt' approach to the whole thing. So, no real stress there...

It was hinted at that we could bake our sugar cookies now and then freeze them till December. I can't even imagine missing out on the lovely smell of cinnamon and chocolate on a snowy day while enjoying a hot cup of cocoa. O.K., I've never really DONE that, but it sounds cool. I can, however, be counted on to simmer up some mulling spices. And eat Mom's cookies.

So, my big plan is to let fall unfold the way it should. I'm gonna admire the changing leaves, drink fresh cider and maybe eat a caramel apple. I adore looking at Halloween costumes and planning out what this years 'get up' may be. That's about as far as I can plan ahead. Why rush things? Live in the moment and somehow it all just 'happens'. Have a good week--it's gonna be a short one! xoxo

I Heard a Rumour......

Today I am taking a page from the lovely Michelle, (Michelle's Spell-as if ya didn't know!) and doing a little listy kinda thingy. Please bear with me tho, because Michelle is INFINITELY more interesting than I.... Give me some feedback, okay?

1) I am currently loving the Dos Equis commercial with that cool dude doing cool things. I think I want to hang out with him..

2) I do not know how to use 'Word', which will be evident in the form this post is taking on.

3) There were 3 Jodi Lynn's in my graduating class and I was friends with the other two.

4) I am a hairdresser by trade, but hate my own hair which refuses to be thick and luscious.

5) I have favorite words that are fun to say, such as luscious, Metamucil, Papadapoulous, and pumpkin pie.

6) I love slang, but usually sound ridiculous when using it. At least my son things so. I also love to swear. Too much.

7) I like to go to bed early and rise early too. I adore my 2:00 p.m. 'lay down' with Lola. It took awhile, but I now do it without guilt.

8) I am a serious crossword addict, and pretty good too--if I do say so myself!

9) I hate to houseclean but love a clean house. This I will pay good money for....

10) I wish I could capture a perfect photograph, but do not have the patience to learn how to do it.

11) I don't know how I lived before Lola. She brings the love!

12) I cannot stand an interruption in my routine, but consider myself spontaneous.

13) I could read all day, but NOT without guilt.

14) I cook rudimentarily, but do not care to improve my skill.

15) Tolerating racism, bigotry, homophobia, and chauvinistic opinions is impossible for me.

16) I come from a long line of 'know it all's'--just ask us!

17) I wish I could have had more children and I can't wait to be a 'Nonny'.

18) I wouldn't trade my life with anyone.

19) I have one tattoo and do not want another one.

20) I adore clothes but hate actually wearing them...

Riveting stuff, heh? May I suggest that all of you fellow bloggers take a moment and do this, so I can get to know you better. And thanks dollface, Michelle, for the inspiration. Kisses. xoxo

Running on Empty.....

Hey honey, I'M HOME!!! Yes, after two weeks-nearly to the hour, we are home. It went something like this 2 marathon days of driving at the beginning of the vay cay, followed by 10 very chill and relaxing days, followed by 2 more marathon days of driving.

And as Dorothy returning to Kansas once said, "There's no place like home." If I could only figure out how to 'click' my flip flops like she did!

Given my overall aversion to fast food and roadside hotels, this is a minor miracle.

Road food has always left something to be desired. I managed to avoid a Stuckey stop, the 'Awful" House, and Shoney's. Thank the good Lord. I am happy to report that McDonald's now accommodates me with yogurt parfaits and grilled chicken salads. Subway will do in a sandwich pinch also. Lola caused quite a commotion yesterday outside of the Subway in Ocala, Florida, by screaming her fool head off when we went in for 8 minutes to get subs. Upon arriving at our vehicle, we were met with 3 police cars and a crowd of onlookers, deciding what to do about the 'cat in distress' call that was put in by a little old cat-loving lady. I explained that she wasn't that hot, just merely pissed cuz she didn't get to go into Subway and check things out. She is always totally insulted when she must wait in the car. When we were kids, we regularly got banished to the car while Mom stopped for errands and it was easier to go it alone than drag the three of us along. And not once, did anyone call the cops concerning our welfare. Luckily I did not end up in the pokey with Lola in foster care. Lesson learned...

We didn't stop at Ruby Falls, Mammoth Cave, Disney, or any of the bajillion antique markets along the way. No Georgia pecans or Florida oranges. Again, thank the stars and satellites. However, I did snag a nifty Hello Kitty key chain when we had to stop by an Auto Zone.

We were in Key West the day the idiot managed to steal the 5 pound gold block. I too, have stuck my hand thru the plexiglas at the Mel Fisher Museum, hoisted said block, but never once did it occur to me to STEAL the thing. I don't care if the thing is worth $550,000! They got him on video camera so it won't be long till he's hearing the "Bad Boys, Bad Boys" theme!

Driving over the 7 Mile Bridge in Marathon will always be a wonder for me. My very favorite tourist attraction. I never get tired of the beauty of that view.

So, will I do the drive again? Hell yes, tho this time, when driving thru Georgia, I AM stopping for a pecan roll........xo

Coastal Confessions.....

Cheers from the sunny Keys. As predicted, I am on my deck (tan lines optional!), enjoying an afternoon recovery cocktail. The ride was not too bad--I don't want to do it again soon, but not too bad. We all survived nicely--even Lola.

I remember road trips growing up. My grandparents lived in Detroit, so every so often, we would pile into the station wagon and hit the road. Efficiency was the name of the game. My Dad would announce, "if ya have to go to the bathroom, go now, cuz we are NOT stopping!" Us three kids would answer in unison, "WE KNOW!" The speed limit was 70 and we were probably going 85 in order to 'make good time'. Off we would go till we hit Standish, where we would would stop for gas and a very quick bathroom break before getting on the expressway. You can bet the clock was running. At last we were officially 'down below'. I75, now this was really something. Growing up in Ossineke, there was not a four lane, a one way, or an exit, so we were really excited for this action.

All three of us were prone to car sickness, so my Mother would make a giant bag of dry popcorn in hopes of quelling our stomach acid. Sometimes it would even work, but we didn't care--we were off to the city. We played the licence plate game, the alphabet game and slug bug, and had to avoid reading or checking a map lest the 'queasies' set in. Somehow we survived without a G.P.S. or a television playing movies or an ipod with earphones in our ears! Quelle horreur! And don't even ask the dreaded 'how much longer, and are we there yet?' questions. A mere 3 and a half hours and we were there, enveloped in Grand-parental love. My Grampa's first question would be, "didja make good time?"

Due to my Dunkin' Donuts fetish, bathroom stops are quite a frequent necessity. And if I see a store that looks interesting, we will stop. I had my first Dairy Queen since about 1994, at a truck stop along the way--and it was luscious!

I don't mind taking it a little more slowly these days. We made terrible 'time' and I'm okay with that. What's that they say about enjoying the journey as well as the destination? I can honestly say that I did.

Take the time to smell coffee and look around, maybe get a Dairy Queen. Life's too short not to enjoy every moment--if ya gotta stop, it's all right. And that's my words of wisdom on this hot, steamy Keys night. xoxo

Burn Rubber......

ROAD TRIP!!!!!

After a harried week that included work snafus, truck air conditioning issues, boat registration stuff and a double surprise 40th party for friends, we are FINALLY on our way to the keys for Lobsterpallooza 2010. A week later than usual, but I'm good with it. Sorta.....

And we are doing it the hard way.

This year we are driving. Yessireee. And pulling a 17ft. Zodiac. With Lola. I'm sure American Airlines won't be too devastated to miss out on their smallest passenger, where she manages to hog all the attention away from the pilot and annoy the flight attendants.

Plan to leave after pizza tonight, 7ish or so, and drive till we drop. Where we will land I am not sure. Part of the adventure, I guess. It's 24 hours from door to door, but I will NEVER make it non-stop. To me, it's about a 3 day drive--if we are lucky.

I hate car rides and usually struggle with the 3 hour and 40 minutes it takes to get to my parents, so this oughta be good. It simply tests my patience on every level. I must admit, however, that it was nice to be able to take whatever I wanted in the line of packing--usually I do with just a carry on. Plan to leave the boat there and head home with a cooler full of lobster and fish. And Lola.

So wish us Godspeed and hopefully there will be no incidents--speeding or otherwise. I will try to be romantic and picture the Smokey's in the morning and truck stop food. Uh, okay... I will be back at you from my deck with the verrrry necessarrrry cocktail in hand--recovering. (I am too old for this shit)

Happy Birthday to dear buds, Billy and Bobby who got the party going last night, amidst the Harrison Twp. Festival of Lights. Beautiful night and ROCKIN' party! xo

Poundcake.....

It's been a long time since I've went to a movie, at the theater, the old fashioned way--before premium cable came along and granted us access to a bajillion channels. I never rent movies because of the commitment of returning them and I'm sure they will eventually turn up on cable.

So this past week I rounded up the three little musketeers and commandeered them to Partridge Creek mall and on to the MJR Theatre. "Ramona and Beezus" was the flick choice and I couldn't wait to see one of my favorite childhood characters on the big screen. I avidly read EVERYTHING author, Beverly Cleary wrote as a kid and often gift those very books to children now. And they seem to love the stories too.

First of all, I had to hit up Timmy Ho's for a large iced coffee to keep up with the little chickies. They of course had to have some beverages too. Then in a stereotypical summer happenin', Lexi blew out her flip flop. So, we darted into Wally World, with Lex in the cart, and grabbed her up some new flops. Made it outta there otherwise unscathed. Oh wait. Some idiot put in an arcade that, of course, the girls were familiar with. A few bucks later, in quarters, I was able to tear them away and get over to the theatre.

Now, little girls physically CANNOT just walk by a Claire's store. So, in we went and spent some time tryin' on hats, snappin' compacts, and admiring all the makeup possibilities. But, thankfully we really DID need to get going, so the time factor probably saved me fifty bucks or so.

Upon entering MJR I forked over $27.50 for my adult and 3 children's tickets. For a matinee. Okay then. Next we posed for the pic taken by cute usher guy before ripping our tickets in half. Refreshments come next. Now this took some serious time and debate. Three slushies for sure and an H20 for me. We settled on a large popcorn with free refills, some hot pretzel bites with fake plastic cheese product to dip them in, a bag of some time of colored sugar candies, and yet another bag of different shaped colored sugar candies. This loot would all be ours for the low everyday price of $29.00. You've got to be kidding me. Don't anybody drop ANYTHING!!

Once seated, we all happily munched thru 20 minutes of previews in a stadium style, recliner seat. Most definitely an improvement. The movie was cute and kept us all entertained for the next hour and a half. They did Beverly Cleary proud.

Finally all bloated and sugar buzzed, we stepped out the the bright light of day and walked to the car. But not before passing Bar Louis, were the little money eaters asked, "Can we go there? Bar Louis has the BEST chicken tenders ever!" No kiddies, not today. Aunt Jodi has sticker shock and simply must go home and have a little lay down. And maybe a wee adult beverage to aid in said shock recovery. Till the next time, little ladies, thanks for the fun day.. xoxo to Layne, Lexi, and Elle, my little partners in crime......