Virtual Travel

I have a very bad case of wanderlust.  Thankfully, Vol Fan’s work requires us to be on the road quite a bit.  But during the down times, I still long for the road.

When I can’t travel in real life, I do so virtually.  Here are a few of my favorite places to travel:

Yellowstone – One morning as I opened this webcam, there were a couple of people standing on the viewing platform.  They looked around furtively, looking like they were up to no good.  Soon I realized why.  The wind was blowing, causing the steam from the geyser to blow off to the side rather than go straight up.  One of the people moved close to the edge of the platform and bent over, sticking their ass out to the side.  The other took a picture – making it look, I’m certain, like the steam was blowing from their butt!  If I ever make it to Yellowstone and if the wind is blowing, I will definitely take the same picture:)

Times Square – Because one year (hopefully one year soon!), I will be at Times Square for New Years Eve.

Hog’s Breath Saloon in Key West – Because I really enjoyed drinking at that bar:)

French Polynesia – Just look at it.  Does it really need an explanation as to why I watch?  Could it be any more beautiful?

Moab, Utah – If this ankle ever heals, I will be hiking here!

Grand Canyon – Usually to see the sunset:)

Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park – Great memories of a camping trip here!

Paris – Doesn’t everyone want to be in love and in Paris?

Alaska – In season, bears catching salmon.  ‘Nuff said!

So where do you travel?

Tongues And Parties

If you are taking pictures at a birthday party, what is the most important thing to photograph?

The birthday girl?

The blowing out of candles?

 

Or AB and Cousin Lily  refusing to smile and sticking their tongues out instead?

It all looks pretty important to me.  What did you think this post was about?!?

PS – Since you guys liked Tracey so much, I’d like to introduce you to another friend from high school, Becky.  She is new to blogging and her posts have been fantastic!  Drop by and say hello!

The Day I Traumatized My Nieces

So there we were - innocently driving home. Just me, Pita, and AB. And as we were making a left turn at the red light, I noticed the oncoming car pull off to the shoulder. I wondered what in the world he was doing. And continued on my way.

And that's when I saw it. Blue lights.

And they were after me!!

So I pulled over. And that's when the fun began!

The girls asked why we were pulled over and I told them that we were being stopped by the police. So they immediately started wailing. And by wailing, I mean WAILING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS! Saying things like "I don't want to get caught" and "I don't want to go to jail"!!

But the good thing? Children crying at the top of their lungs = pity from the police officer which leads to only getting a warning to slow it down!

How Do You Deal?

Everyone has someone in their life - someone that really gets under their skin.

The someone that I have to deal with doesn't do anything overtly horrible. But when you are constantly dealing with a million small jabs, it adds up. Usually those small jabs are on the sly and never in front of other people.

Example #1: This person came to see our new house. When other people were in the room, it was all "Oh this is nice" or "You are going to love this place" etc. But when we were alone, it was "Boy there really isn't much cabinet space" and "I really don't like those floor to ceiling windows". Even if your house had zero cabinets and I hated large windows, I would never say such a thing to someone that had just purchased the house!

Example #2: At Pita's birthday party, I was discussing the number of trick or treaters that had visited our house. I said that we had so few that I was giving handfuls of candy so we wouldn't have a huge amount of leftovers. This person's next sentence was "Etiquette says that you should only give one piece of candy to each." What the hell kind of made up crap is that?

See, it's nothing horrible. But these little jabs are never-ending. And I really don't know how to deal with it. Or how to respond. So I end up biting my tongue to keep the peace. And the frustrations of that eat me up inside!

Should I just say screw the peace and be the biggest smart-ass ever? Do I keep biting my tongue and blog about it to relieve my stress? Help!

One of My Most Favorite People

I ran into one of my most favorite people at Wal-Mart today. Let me tell you about her - Mrs. Ellis, my best friend's mom.

Back in the day, I was a very bad girl. You know the kind - I drank, I smoked pot, I skipped school, I was fast, I was wild. You know, the kind of girl you tell your kids not to run around with. I know I would tell my kids to not run around with me!

But anyway, Mrs. Ellis would welcome me into her home - at any hour, in any condition, for any length of time. She even welcomed me for about 6 weeks during my senior year of high school but that's another story.

She was always kind. Always patient. Always loving. She would never judge. She would encourage me to walk a straighter path. She would listen to my troubles. She would hold me as I cried.

I have never known another woman with such compassion and such strength. I love her deeply.

How did she gain such compassion? I'm not sure but I think it had something to do with the fact that she has been through hell. She had a husband that was abusive. She lost a son in a tragic accident when he was 20. She lost a daughter (my best friend) to drugs - had to have her declared unfit and is now raising her grandsons.

And through it all, she kept moving forward. Never let those things stop her. Never let those things make her bitter.

Now she has been given another blow. It is her young granddaughter that is battling leukemia. But even with this, her strength is apparent. Her outlook is positive.

I wish there was some way I could blink and make everything better. But I can't. So I'll just keep her and her family in my prayers. And hug her tightly every time I see her.