mdrai

TGIF! Enjoy! :Dancing_biggrin:

I know you'll do well, Pammie!!! :Dancing_biggrin: I love farmer's markets!! Juan does bathrooms?! Wowza. He's a keeper! I couldn't believe that call, Judy! Poor guy. At least he knows in his heart that he did it. I'm avoiding work... bleh... ok, back to it...

Good morning, Vi's, How is it that there is 1 member (me) and 5 guests viewing this thread? Are we really that exciting? Guess so! he he he. Lots of work on tap today, because tomorrow I'm giving myself the day off -- coffee in the a.m. w/a friend, and then "Mom's afternoon" at the pool... it's the only afternoon it opens early when the kids are still in school & the mom's can be there by ourselves! 1-4pm, nirvana! I'm there! Make it a great day... even you lurkers! :biggrin:

Haydee, please rest assured that your wedding celebration weekend has been the single bright spot in my otherwise wacked-out year!! An entire ginormous suite all to myself? Lounging by your parents' pool? Cheap & tasty 'ritas @ Cheddar's? Shopping w/the Vi's? Driving through torrential downpours? Seeing your beaming faces? Meeting the Bobster? I'd do it again and again and again! Laura, that is so cute! Yay Judy!!! Janie, thanks for the vi lovin'! Pam, hang in there baby... just a few more days!!! Love you all!

Difficult times... ...but trying to make the best of it all... to enjoy the little, simple things... man this year is kicking my butt.

Oh my, Judy! Total knee replacement! Yikes! You're braver than I! You know we're with you all the way!! xoxo

Oh my gosh, didn't even put that together, I'm so discombobulated! So funny!! I wish it were you! Rather than someone he says he's been friends w/for 29 years -- and yet no one has ever heard of her! We're just worried for him -- that he's moving too fast, making rash decisions, and getting screwed financially, etc. That, and I'm worried about my poor dh, who really doesn't do well w/emotions... so far this year his mom was sick, then dying, then dead; he's really frustrated w/his work; and now he's losing the only home he's ever lived in/known for 47 years. I'm afraid he's going to pop! And with that... gee, all of you have a good day!

Ds's team won yesterday, so we were up @ 5:30am this morning for the championship game... which they won! Yay team! Then went to the diner for brunch... had something I haven't had in years... eggs & corned beef hash! Mmmmmm. MIL died just 2 months ago and last night FIL called with some wacky plan to sell the house & move in with someone named "Pam" whom we've never heard of... so we've now got that to deal with, ugh. Will the weirdness ofthis year never end?

Am off to one of my bf's (the one who's dd had to go to that treatment school in Utah (and who's doing great now!)) master's grad party... I made a mocha bundt cake and crab dip... mmm... DS & dh are at another soccer game... if they win this one, then the "prize" is that they get to play for the championship @ 8am tomorrow! Um, how is THAT a prize?? :cursing: Am wearing capris that I couldn't pull 1/2 way up earlier this year! Still a bit snug, but they're up & zipped (& I have a long peasant-type blouse over them), so I'm calling it a win! Enjoy the day!

:cool: Happy Happy Birthday Bob! :tongue2: :cursing: :w00t: :scared2:

MORE mulch? It truly doesn't seem possible! Why were you docked, Pam? Wasn't it vacay time? Here's a fire pit pic... will try to get one of the whole patio later today... Off to take dd to a slumber party & then go to ds's 2nd soccer game of the day! Ta Ta!

Oh -- and now we all smell like a camp fire -- I love that smell!

DS and I have been working on sprucing up the patio this spring... so today I bought a fire pit and chair cushions... we got a new big umbrella a few weeks ago... planted flowers in the barrels... and tonight we actually hung out on the patio! Amazing! The kids played board games out there while I made dinner, then we bbq'd and ate out there, then we had a fire in the fire pit and toasted marshmallows & enjoyed s'mores! It was so relaxing, sitting out under the stars by the fire... mesmerizing! Maybe there's hope for my yard yet! Baby steps...

Wah I'm still not feeling well... not bad enough to curl up in bed all day, which is what I'd like to do... but cruddy enough to make me cranky. My ears are stopped up and the right one won't pop and has been driving me crazy since last night! And my neck feels all swollen & sore. Wah. We had spectacular thunderstorms last night... lots of lightening and rolling thunder... dd crawled into bed w/us... ds didn't hear a thing! Loads of errands to do today and I'm moving so slllooowwwlllyyy... Everyone have a great day!

Last week ds had a sore throat/headache thing for a few days... I gave him meds, tea, etc. & he recovered... on Sunday dh started complaining and ended up being home sick from work on T & W w/sore throat, cold, cough... I even slept in the guest room the past 3 nights so I wouldn't get sick... so guess how I feel this morn? Sore & swollen throat, popping ears, headache! Wah! Glad I don't have any work today & can veg out 'til later when I have to take kids to activities...

Interesting... thanks for posting it, Laura! Sorry about your trip -- or non-trip, really -- Judy. But yay yay yay on the loss! Ya'll are doing so well, I may be tempted to check it out... Look what tease was on Twitter: SpaResortCasino Taking of the Waters signature spa treatment-steam, sauna, eucalyptus inhalation and mineral waters. Amazing! ...ok, off to soccer practice.

Ok, more info from the paper... "Books for Grads Setting Out on that Next Big Adventure"... or really, anyone trying to figure out what they want to be/do when they grow up! "What Should I Do With My Life?," by Po Bronson. A collection of stories from people who have "found bliss in every setting." "Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It," by Marshall Goldsmith. The book is designed to get you into the "make it happen" zone. "101 Things I Learned in Business School," by Michael Preis. This is "ideal for the liberal arts grad" who skipped business-school.

Hey girlies... I finally had a chance to read Sunday's newspaper last eve, and came across this in the Travel section... thought it was good info for those of us who may be tracking flight fares, etc... "Want to find out the likelihood of missing your connecting flight? Or the true price of a flight, with baggage fees and drink tab included? InsideTrip.com, which launched last week, promises to figure it out for you. Most aggregator and booking sites, such as Kayak and Expedia, search flights by price and times, but InsideTrip is "price-plus," said founder Dave Pelter. "Those other guys do a great job, don't get me wrong, but they're really presenting prices and schedules," he said. "We're really going deep on the qualitative side, and they're assuming price always matters." The site gives each flight a "TripQuality" rating based on three categories: speed, comfort, and ease. Among the factors taken into consideration are number of stops, security wait time, legroom, aircraft age, and lost-baggage ranking. A recent search of flights to Detroit Metro Wayne Co. Airport, for instance, rated a $321 round-trip flight from BWI a 93, and a $299 round-trip flight from National an 89. The highest possible score is 100. The Web site also tracks historical TripQuality scores to give travelers an idea of what to expect on any given route. Consumers can also search by business class, first class, and multi-city itineraries." Enjoy the day!

Hey... m sitting in the car @ state soccer practice listening to my new itunes download... Carole King & James Taylor Live at the Troubadour. Fantastic! The soulfullness and harmonies are classic... music sure is different now! I sound like I'm 100 yrs old. Oh well. I was not a big Lost watcher, but did catch it enough to follow along... I, too, just want to have it be a clear cut ending & not all this philosophical theoretical analyzation... I DVR'd the Kimmel show but haven't had time to watch it yet... I hope it explains it!

Welcome home, Haydee! I love seeing pics of Juan, now that I know him! :thumbup: & you, too, of course, Haydee!! So glad you two had a magical time... I'm sure your doggies are glad you are home! Did your sis re-arrange your things while you were gone? Or unwrap -- & then re-wrap -- your gifts? lol! A long weekend here... I just want to sleep. The final Lost is on tonight... TTFN.

Happy Happy Birthday, Janie! :thumbup:

Hey girlies... quick check in... so busy!! Janie, my kids are done school on June 11. They're counting the days! Of course, so many of those days are "fluff" days... today is "Under the Sea" day for dd, where they don't have regular classes, but some sea program all day. Then there are 2 field trips, the 3 concerts, etc. & so forth. DH just left for the weekend's MS 150-mile bike ride over on the Eastern Shore of Md. I think there are 10 or so folks on the team, bikers & walkers. My sister is a walker. They raised about $10,000! Proud of him that he coordinates that each year. My bil has MS and it's starting to become more disabling for him, especially w/walking. ((Judy)) I can't imagine how hard it must be to let your bird fly away from home... can't imagine. Hugs & purple power to you & Bob. Ugh Laura, what a situation. I'd let every parent group, daycare, etc. know about it. Pam, will you be done the move today? Then you can get settled. It's FRIDAY! Your last one of the school year, yes? Yay! That's one of the things I look forward to most each summer, Heather, is having more time to go to the library and read books for enjoyment rather than because I have to! I'm tempted to read that one, but it IS big & tough to lug to the pool... we'll see. Right now I've just barely started "The Last Time I Saw You" about different characters going back to their 40th HS reunion... will report once I'm done. Ok, time to finish up this batch of chapters & send out the invoice -- my favorite part! Well, my second fav part... finding a check in the mail is definitely #1! Thinking of you perfecting the art of lounging by the pool, Haydee! Make it a good day, everyone!

I'll be thinking about you, Judy! At least one way or the other, by tonight you'll have a final answer as to what you're doing, right? I know you're ready for that peace of mind. My poor cat! So funny! She keeps laying on her placemat and meowing as if to say, "Hey lady! Down here! Forget something? food. NOW." Now she's followed me into the office and is laying on my left arm nudging me. I'm going to keep her here in the office w/me so that when the vet arrives, I know where she is/can contain her. Somehow she knows the sound of the vet's RV and always tries to run away and hide! That + cleaning the house/getting the guest room ready + grocery shopping + making a nice dinner before the concert + the concert + mom spending the night + a little work thrown in for good measure... my day! I'm having these weird shooting pains in my head. I took some Tylenol. I'm thinking they're barometric pressure/allergy related. I hope! If it's not one thing, it's 10 others!

Good morn, Vi's, Another busy day in paradise... my remaining cat, Chai (yes, like the tea, because she is so relaxing like the tea), has to have her left canine tooth (or is it a "feline tooth" in a cat?, lol) removed this morning. It's been something we've been putting off pretty much all year w/all the other things going on. Her gum is hard & swollen around it, but it doesn't hurt/bother her. Odd. So out it comes. The vet arrives @ 9am. I can't feed her this morn because of the anesthesia... she's going crazy meowing and circling me like if I don't feed her soon, I might be b'fast! Everyone make it a good day!

Mmmmm... tonight after soccer & the middle school's 5 Guys fundraiser, we're having yummy Michigan chocolate sauce!