Hello from Greece!

Hi all, this will be a short post because it is 1:00 am, I am tired, and we have to have the bags outside our room by 7:30 am to head off to Delphi.

So far here in Athens, it has been Houston hot during the day! The evenings have been nice however.  The Hotel Amalia has been wonderful and in a perfect location.  From our balcony you can see the Parliament building on one side and the temple to Zeus on the other with the National Garden across the street.  Here are some photos so far:

The Parlement building and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (night view from our balcony):

G2 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:

The National Garden:

We also went up top of the Acropolis today and here are a couple of photos:

There are a few more photos in our flckr just click on to see. I’ll see if I get a faster internet connection tomorrow evening in Delphi, because the few I uploaded took f – o – r – e – v – e – r here in Athens.

Lovely city, lovely people, great food!!!

Thursday Already?

My goodness!  What a busy week!  Let’s see, I had to prepare paperwork and counsel bosses so they could fire someone.  I got a raise (that’s a good thing). I am learning some extra responsibilities to help cover the desk of one of the secretaries who is having surgery.  To top it off, this is our busy season at the firm.  Three out of four days I was greeted at the door before I could put my purse down and get my coffee by bosses who “want this done IMMEDIATELY!”  Yes, that is in all caps for a reason.  Say it like you mean it.  IMMEDIATELY!

The fam and I and Suz and her son went to Cirque De Soleil.  Wow!  Very awesome.  If anyone ever asks, yes, Suz and I have as much trouble sitting still as the kids.  I think is was because it was so hot!  To top it off, Suz and I were nodding off right before intermission.  Not because the show was boring, but because we have both been SLAMMED (yes, again with the all caps).   I think that was the longest that we both sat in one place without taking care of 10 things at the same time.

I’m taking tomorrow off.  Of course, that meant staying til 7:00 to get stuff done so I can take off.  Oh, and I will be working by phone tomorrow to take care of a few loose ends that I couldn’t have taken care of today.  I will also have to go into the office Saturday to reboot the server and power on the workstations.  Other than that, this should be a nice, relaxing weekend.

Finally, Suz leaves Saturday for Greece.  Can you believe it?  It’s finally here.  I will be living vicariously through her.  Check back, she may be posting updates!

In case I don’t get back to the blog before Monday, have a great weekend!

Weekend Freedoms

Weekends.  I love them!  This past weekend was spent doing some things I don’t do on a regular basis.  You know, like relaxing.  No schedules. Nothing.  Just relaxing! 

Now the relaxing wasn’t entirely my idea.  A few things played into my plans.  The first being the lack of funds.  I love living on a cash only basis.  Really, I do!  It makes me be a little more creative about how I spend my time. 

For instance:

I attempted to make a cake….from scratch!

My mother would be disappointed.  I guess when your baking powder expires in 1999, it won’t help the cake rise!

Daughter called me up and asked if I could babysit.   How could I say no?

Oreo, however, was not amused!

Could you say no to such a cutie?

This is what I charged for babysitting.  She had to bring some “chic flicks’ over.

By the end of the night, I may have had a little of this!  Yes, that is my bed side table.  When you have drinking aged children in the house, you hide the good stuff!

Other than that, my weekend was restful.  I may have acquired an addiction to Farm Town.  Yes, I think that’s what you call it when you are harvesting crops while brushing your teeth before church!

Have a great week!

Sit Down. Let’s Talk.

Talk about what?

This and that.

Where to start? 

I’m in a rut!  I’m not going on vacation this year.  I’m not even taking a vacation day this summer.  My hubs gets to travel on business which will at least break up the monotony! 

Me?  Nope, I’ll be home doing the same thing I did yesterday, today and will be doing tomorrow. 

I’m tired.  I’m bored.  I’m feeling a little trapped in life.

Yes, I’m whining.  See, this is where you encourage me to look at the bright side, or give me ideas as to what I can do to get out of this rut.  At least tell me to “suck it up butter cup cause this is what you applied for when you ran from home at 18 thinking you knew more than anything you could learn at some college.”

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m thankful for my health, my family and friends.  I’m thankful that I have a job to complain about.  I’m thankful that my bills are paid.  I’m just in a rut!

Perhaps next weekend when Suz leaves for Greece and hubs leaves on his business trip I will pack my bathing suit, a good book and an ice chest full of something cold to drink and head somewhere with sand and water.  I will ask (tongue in cheek) the kids if they want to go.  I may take the dog.  But I think I’m just going to go!

“Skinny Bitchin”

I’m reading this “book”.  It’s really a journal.  Why?  Well when you see the words “A Get off you Ass Journal to Help You Change Your Life, Achieve Your Goals and Rock Your World!”; wouldn’t you read it too?

I’ve had it for a seven a few months and just got past the introduction.  Yeah, the first task had to do with relationships.  With this book, you don’t just read a bunch of “feel good” shit, there is space for you to write what you need to change, or what you could have done differently.  Then I think you’re supposed to act on it or something. 

Look, let me be honest.  I’m not good at facing reality.  I run from anything that screams conflict.  Don’t believe me?  Then why did I run from PA to TX at 18 with no place to stay and only 3 boxes of my worldly belongings?  I’ll tell you why, because my family is (was) bat shit crazy!  At the time I didn’t realize that just about EVERYONE’s family is crazy and the only dysfunctional family would be one that claims to be completely normal and, well, functional!

Anyhow, I picked the journal back up because maybe at 41 I should perhaps grow up.  No?

Don’t answer that!

So I picked it up yesterday and the 2nd page says “Know this and be okay with it:  NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LIKE YOU!”

Crap.  There goes any other delusion I may have.  Guess what?  I’m not good with people not liking me.  That’s why, if you look up the words enabler, people pleas-er, and the likes, my picture may be right there as a shining example of such phrases. 

Why am I boring you with all of this?

Simple, I am looking for ideas and suggestions to  deal with my little problem.  How does one simple become “okay” with the fact that not everyone will like them?

Come on friends, anty up.  Ideas?  Suggestions?  Lay em on me!

I’m A Grandmother Again!

 

OK, so it may be a grand dog, but still!  Look what Jessica adopted over the weekend.  He is a Yorkie.  He is 12 weeks old.  He weighs 4 lbs. and will get to about 6 or 7 lbs. full grown.  He is so freakin cute!

I asked Jess where he slept the first night.  He slept in bed with her!  He may be a bit spoiled; OK, he may be a LOT spoiled!

Onto other news, did you know that you can spend all day shopping for a suitcase and not find one?  Well, we found some, but they were either too big, too short, too fat, to wide, too expensive, too black, too boring, etc., etc.   Good thing Suz has 3 more weeks before she has to pack. 

Did you also know that shopping with Suz when it’s 104 can be adventurous?  Yup, sho is.  She will try to pull out of the parking spot……with the sun shade still up!  Fun times!

On that note I’ll say farewell!  Have a great day!

A Huge Part of My Growing Up – Gone!

When I was little, I’d say six or so, I wasn’t allowed to stay up and watch TV, but my sister was.  Even then I didn’t take “no” as an appropriate answer.  I was such a rebel. I used to sneak out of bed and hide on the stairs at night to get a glimpse of Charlies Angels through the banister.   I also sported the Farah Feather!  She was a very beautiful woman.  RIP Farah.

I used to know how to work it, even when I was little.  My dad worked the 3-11 shift at the post office.  I wasn’t allowed to stay up and wait for him to come home.  I used to tell my mom to let me sleep on the sofa cause I wanted to wait for daddy to come home so he could carry me up to bed.  Dad told her to let me so that he could tuck me in and give me a final kiss.  I usually would wake up when he came home.  He would eat his supper and enjoy his two beer limit.    Everyone else was asleep.  That was our time.  I would sit with him and we would watch Johnny Carson.  Ed McMahon was my favorite part of the show.  RIP Ed.

When I was FINALLY allowed to watch MTV (or rather, when my mom figured out the fight was useless and gave in) Thriller was HUGE!  When I think MTV I think Michael Jackson.  I haven’t seen many videos since that time that were as brilliant as Thriller.  Michael Jackson – you were a bit wacko, but you were a brilliant artist.  RIP!

Spinning

I went to a spinning class last night.  Wow!  What a workout.  I think I could have filled a bucket with my sweat.

I was a little intimidated at first, but the instructor was good and two of my neighbors that do this class regularly were there to enjoy the watching the torture encourage me.  Through out the whole class the instructor made sure my form was good, told me “we are doing this for 30 seconds, you do it for 15″, etc., etc. 

It must have been a good workout as when I went home, I sat down to watch the College World Series (go Horns), and fell sound asleep!  I woke up this morning and was RAVENOUS!  I even felt skinny this morning (until I tried to put on a skirt I haven’t worn for a while-grrrrr!)

I’m not sore in a “my body is rejecting itself” type of way.  My nether region however feels a bit bruised!  Those seats are not very comfortable.

Will I try this class again?  Yes.  Will I go buy an extra padded seat and bike shorts?  Abso-freakin-lutely!

Times, They Are A Chang en’

I’m not even sure if I spelled that right.  Whatever.

I know it’s been a week since there was an update.  I know that today is Tickle Tuesday.  I just don’t have my act together.

I was thinking about the lack of posts the other day and got this sudden feeling that my life has become boring.  We used to post daily.  Our posts used to be funny or full of info about our lives. 

SuZan has been swamped!  No time for her to post.  My schedule has it’s ups and downs.  Today, I have some time.  But there has been nothing exciting going on.  I mean, well, there are things that I can’t post about, but nothing that makes me go “I really need to blog that”. 

I think part of the reason is that two of my children as well as SuZan’s son are adults.  Yes, there are happenings.  Out of respect, I don’t feel that I should post a lot of what is happening. 

Never fear.  SuZan is about to go on a liberating adventure to Greece with her son.  I can not wait to live vicariously through her pictures. 

Me?  Well, let’s see.  I am going camping in July with daughter and her boyfriend.  Yes, camping in July in Texas.  No worries.  As per my camping instructions we will be staying in an RV with a bathroom, a/c and a coffee maker.  I told them I’d throw in a blender to assure that consumption of many margaritas is an option (I don’t drink beer-the beverage of choice of many campers). 

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t give up on us.  Pop in occasionally.  There will be updates.  There will be some exciting things coming up.  Really, check back. 

You know what they say about life?  Yup, it’s like a box of chocolates……..which is much like this blog…..you never know what you’re going to get!

I Totally Forgot What I Was Going To Blog About

I guess I’ll have to pull something out of my ass!  Lucky you it’s a big ass so I should be able to come up with something.

Thinking, thinking……Oh, I know.  My neighbor taught me a new phrase that her and her family use.

She’s got a gajillion kids, grand kids, spouses of kids, sisters, cousins, nephews, nieces, neighbors, etc., etc.  She is a very kind woman.  She is also very wise.  You can imagine that people call her regularly for advice, to vent, for recipes (this woman can cook), etc., etc.

I was sharing with her that now that two of my kids are grown, our relationship has changed.  I’m still mom, but they are adults, not children.  Sometimes they call for advice, sometimes to vent, sometimes just to say hey.  The only problem is, I’m still mom and I don’t always like to hear what they are telling me.  On that same note, I still feel that I need to solve the world’s problems (including theirs). 

Having an adult child is much like having a small child, the difference is the stove just gets hotter and the toys more expensive.  When your child is small, you tell them repeatedly not to touch the stove, it’s hot.  We all know the more you tell a child not to do something, the more inclined they are to do it.  Eventually they touch the stove, get burned and learn not to do that again.

In a certain sense, you can tell your adult children that they shouldn’t do this or that because…….you know the rest.  Usually our adult children think they know better, usually try whatever it is and occasionally end up getting burned.  Lesson usually learned.

My neighbor has a rule with her family.  If they call needing advice or wanting to vent, they will say “can I dip into your bucket”. 

If she is tired or going through a difficult situation she’ll say, “no, my bucket is empty, but I’ll be glad to listen.”  Sometimes that’s all it takes.  People feel better just talking about a situation and aren’t always calling to get a solution.

Sometimes she will say “my buckets full, do you need a suggestion or just an ear?” 

I think that’s awesome.  What a great way to communicate.  She (especially with her children) is distinguishing if she needs to be worried and help come up with a solution, or if she just needs to be the “go to” person, someone they know will listen without judgment.

So now you know, if I ever call (or email) and say “Can I dip into your bucket”, you will know that I’m not being nasty!  Bwahahahaha