November 24th, 2009 |
Personal
So, I’m 34 years old and I have no idea how to parallel park, ok? Whatever! It’s never been an issue for me until recently. When I took my driver’s ed. test, we were allowed to fail one thing and that was exactly what I did. Everyone told me how difficult it was to parallel park – even my driver’s ed. teacher. No one bothered to try to teach me and actually I was told that it wouldn’t really be an issue in my life, so I took the “F” in parallel parking, got my diver’s license and moved on with my life.
I know that you’re probably thinking that since I’m currently in the big city of Las Vegas that this parallel parking handicap finally struck me now. No! I just haven’t had the time to share my joyous experience until now. My parallel parking hell struck me in the grand old not so big town of East Stroudsburg, PA.
I was driving Arianna to an after school activity one day, which is on a one way street with only on street parking. It had never been an issue before because the street was not packed, but due to road construction every spot was filled except for one. What did that mean? I had to park in between two cars! OMG! I instantly broke out into a sweat! I put my blinker on and a car came up behind me. I assessed the situation looking desperately for another place to park. There were none. I looked in my mirror again and now there was a car, a bus and then multiple cars behind the bus, just waiting for me to park so they could get by. More sweat…
I rolled down my window when I saw a familiar Mom and reminded her of a conversation we once had about how I’d be screwed if I ever needed to parallel park. I begged her to do it for me. She smiled and said she’d talk me through it. Great! What a fantastic time to be talked through it when there’s a line of traffic behind me!
I pulled forward, put on my blinker, turned the wheel this way and that way and pulled forward and went in reverse and turned the wheel this way and that and pulled forward and went in reverse and turned the wheel this way and that………… for about 7 minutes……
One car drove on the sidewalk to get around me…… but in the end, my car was parked!!!
Yippee for me! Now I just need to find a parking garage near by so I never have to do that again. Hey, I tried it once. That was enough!
July 29th, 2009 |
Humor
You know how you feel when you invite someone over to your house for the first time? You wonder if it’s clean enough, big enough, decorated nicely enough and so on. Or how you feel before you go to a new restaurant for the first time. You wonder if your outfit is too dressy, too casual. I think you get the idea. That’s the same way I feel about my glasses when our dear friend Jim comes over. No, not reading glasses – drinking glasses. Let me explain….
One of the first times our families went out to dinner together he asked the waiter to bring him an empty glass. He specified which kind of empty glass he would like and then proceeded to pour his drink from its original, substandard container into the new and improved one. Clearly something must have been wrong with the first glass. You see, here is what Jim knew that I, and apparently many others, don’t understand…
- Certain drinks have appropriate glasses
- Glasses can be either masculine or feminine based on size, shape, color and texture
- Women can drink from a masculine glass, but it is an insult to present a man with a feminine glass
- and finally that size does matter!
So you see, the waiter had served Jim his very Manly beverage in a tall, slender glass that was obviously meant for a woman. Duh!!! I understand that now and since Jim is my elder, I shall continue to study and learn all about glass etiquette. ( I wonder if he thinks my martini glasses are too feminine!!)
May 7th, 2009 |
Family
Times are really changing around here. Arianna’s favorite color isn’t pink anymore. She hung her first poster in her room. It is a poster of a cat, but I know all too well that posters of boys will soon follow. She is no longer into the Disney princesses. She writes in script, is pretty good at her times tables, is no longer a brownie – but a junior girl scout. Not to long ago, I noticed that her shirt wasn’t laying perfectly flat! Ahhhhh!!! No one else would notice, but I certainly did!
The good news is that she still wants a piggy back ride to bed each night, still wants Lenny and I to tuck her in, still believes that someday she’ll be able to fly. The best news of all is that she still really loves us! About an hour after we tucked her in the other night she came downstairs with a gift for both of us. It was a book she entitled, “My Family is the Best Family – The Ultamet Rock Stars”. (Yes, that’s how she spelled Ultimate)
Here’s a little piece of what she had to say:
My Mom
_________
My Mom is awesome, sweet and fun to hang around! She could never get any better! My Mom and I always have fun together. She is a shoulder to cry on. There are so many good things about her, I can’t even list them. You are caring and wonderful to be around. Thank you for making me and thank you for everything you have done for me!
She then dedicates a page to her Dad, one to our times in Las Vegas, one to “the rock stars in us” and then closes the book with this…
Thank you
__________
Mom and Dad, this book is for you, saying thank you for all that you have done. Some of my favorite things about my family. These are a few of the things I could think of. Please take this as a gift to remember I was just thinking of you.
by,
Arianna
What a beautiful gift!!! What more could I ask for!!! :)
February 2nd, 2009 |
Family,
Personal
Friendship can be a tough thing sometimes. Over the years I have had many friends come in and out of my life. I have however, had one long lasting friendship that I am proud of.
We're so odd...
My best friend is somebody that I have a long history with. Somebody I’ve known since I was a teenager. Somebody I’ve grown up with. Somebody that I can laugh with, cry with and just be down right silly with. My best friend will support me and stand up for me when no one else will. If we have a small disagreement or a huge blow out, I know that he will be there after the fall out with open arms. I know that my best friend won’t walk away or turn his back on me for any reason. He has been by my side through the absolute best and the worst of my life – picked me up off the floor and glued my pieces back together. Our true friendship is based on love, laughter, support, forgiveness and more love and more laughter. It’s what true friendship should be all about. My best friend will watch American Idol with me even though he hates it and rub cream on my dry, cold feet!! He also knows that in the end, I’m always right. (Ok, that part isn’t true. Only mostly true! LOL!)
I’m happy to say that my husband is my best friend. Always will be. I love you, Babe. 