Here's the quick version of how I know Heather.
When we moved to the small town we live in we went exploring. It is a quaint town afterall. In this town there is a lovely antique shop. We got to talking with the proprietor one day and eventually became friends--a woman in her mid to late 50s. Subsequently, this woman's parents had moved from Vegas to our little town to be near their daughter and family because they were getting older. My hubby started doing handy man work for both families. We adore the older couple too.
A few months later, around Christmas, my brother was headed home for the holidays from NYC when he was chatting with a NY friend of his. He happened to mention that he was to be visiting his sister in their small little town outside of Lansing. When his friend inquired into the name of the town, her eyes grew big at his response. "That's the town my family lives in."
Turns out Heather my brother's friend, is the daughter of the antique store proprietor, the grand-daughter of the older couple.
Now, how small world is that?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A Bite of Irony
I was fortunate enough to meet up with an old friend yesterday. We went to high school together--he moved in our junior year, he reminded me--and even the same community college. We acted in the same shows and worked on the same sets in our theatre department. Yes, I'm a 'theatre' snob. You won't see me spelling it 'theater' unless I'm referring to the movie type.
We grabbed some lunch in Chelsea and then did a little walking around. Okay, I admit it, we were trying to find a cool, and by cool I mean cold!, spot for a nice drink. It was definitely a sweaty day here in the city. In our quest we happened upon a designer dog store. Did you know those existed? Me either. I believe somewhere I have mentioned that I'm a sucker all things small and furry so I couldn't pass up this display of cuteness. In the window were five or so puppies milling about playing with one another; chewing ears, kicking bellies, tail-wagging pounces. When we realized this store was air conditioned we hopped inside. Along the far wall of the building was a line of crates. In those crates were more puppies. And were they ever cute. I really could have rescued them all and taken them home. That is until I overheard the salesman (um, are you really called that when you work in a puppy mill???) tell another customer that the dog he had his eye on was, minus the $300 discount, now at a stunning $12,000 price point!
Bring your jaws back up to closed-mouth position, I have more to say.
All these dogs were miniature versions of their breed. The ones that caught my eye were the Australian Shepherds. And were they ever adorable. Like, stick one in your over-sized purse and run cute.
I will say, I did not take the best photos but I was seriously worried that the salesman was going to thwart me upside my head and confiscate my camera.
We grabbed some lunch in Chelsea and then did a little walking around. Okay, I admit it, we were trying to find a cool, and by cool I mean cold!, spot for a nice drink. It was definitely a sweaty day here in the city. In our quest we happened upon a designer dog store. Did you know those existed? Me either. I believe somewhere I have mentioned that I'm a sucker all things small and furry so I couldn't pass up this display of cuteness. In the window were five or so puppies milling about playing with one another; chewing ears, kicking bellies, tail-wagging pounces. When we realized this store was air conditioned we hopped inside. Along the far wall of the building was a line of crates. In those crates were more puppies. And were they ever cute. I really could have rescued them all and taken them home. That is until I overheard the salesman (um, are you really called that when you work in a puppy mill???) tell another customer that the dog he had his eye on was, minus the $300 discount, now at a stunning $12,000 price point!
Bring your jaws back up to closed-mouth position, I have more to say.
All these dogs were miniature versions of their breed. The ones that caught my eye were the Australian Shepherds. And were they ever adorable. Like, stick one in your over-sized purse and run cute.
I will say, I did not take the best photos but I was seriously worried that the salesman was going to thwart me upside my head and confiscate my camera.
Really, did you not just contemplate finding this place and opening your purse and running?
On the way out of the store we looked at the window display pups from the inside. Here's where I think it's funny. There was this miniature dachshund playing with a cardboard/paper tray...you know, the ones you might get food from a ballgame or a fair in? One you might transport french fries, or a burger, or a hot dog?
On the way out of the store we looked at the window display pups from the inside. Here's where I think it's funny. There was this miniature dachshund playing with a cardboard/paper tray...you know, the ones you might get food from a ballgame or a fair in? One you might transport french fries, or a burger, or a hot dog?
By the time I fished my camera back out of my bag the little guy had moved a bit. The picture I intended was of the pup completely laying inside the tray. Like, "Order up!".
Clearly though this dog knew what was going on and he was telling the tray we he thought of that idea!
Completely changing gears here, remember me mentioning how my room view was going to change? It certainly did...and I love it. I'm guessing not many people would request a Broadway view with all the sights and sounds of NY...but I love it. My entire life living at my parents' house was street noisy. We lived next to a major interstate, not to mention one that is the main artery between Chicago and Detroit, and the hum of the cars lulls me to sleep at night. Here's the view from where I am now.
Clearly though this dog knew what was going on and he was telling the tray we he thought of that idea!
Completely changing gears here, remember me mentioning how my room view was going to change? It certainly did...and I love it. I'm guessing not many people would request a Broadway view with all the sights and sounds of NY...but I love it. My entire life living at my parents' house was street noisy. We lived next to a major interstate, not to mention one that is the main artery between Chicago and Detroit, and the hum of the cars lulls me to sleep at night. Here's the view from where I am now.
Tonight I'm off to dinner with another friend. Maybe when I get back I'll tell you the very small world story about how I know her. Au revoir!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Bumpy Ride
I'm on the road again. I'm back in my favorite big city (in the US) and am currently holed up in my room avoiding raindrops.
My first flight this morning was on a teeny tiny airplane that went bumpity-bump-bump all the way across Lake Michigan. Once I arrived in the Windy City I had to hike from the F gates to the B gates. After, what seemed like forever, 45 minutes of waiting for a seat at the gate I finally managed to secure one facing a TV that was reporting about the storm outside Detroit last night. I only caught the tail end of the story when I heard, "...the gate for flight 689 with service to LaGuardia has now changed to gate B10". Which I should have known. The flight to Orlando, that was sharing our gate, had not begun to board because their plane had still not arrived from wherever.
I shuffled myself over to the next gate and sat down to enjoy my coffee and cinnamon scone. Across from me were two ladies enjoying apples and a view of the TV. Now, I'm a scone dipper. I like to break off pieces of my bakery treat and dip them into my hot cuppa joe. I was nearing the end of my breakfast when I happened to look up and realize that one of the ladies was still eating her apple a good five minutes after she started.
As I studied her, while trying not to stare, it looked as though she was just very slow and thorough in her apple eating. She even had a napkin tucked closely to catch any juicy apple drips.
Um, no. Not even close. She was taking a bite at a time, chewing the apple, and spitting back out the skin! I literally almost yacked my scone back up.
And then there was the cast of the traveling Wizard of Oz. How do I know they were the cast? They made sure to let everyone know. One gentleman (oh, excuse me, his sign clearly said he was a munchkin) was sporting a bright pink shirt and a gold lame fanny pack and was rather 'boisterous'.
Guess who sat behind me on the flight?
On this not-so-small plane the ride wasn't any smoother. We went bumpity-bump-bump over Lake Erie and all the way into the Big Apple. And then came the herky-jerky cab ride from LGA to the Upper West Side; I am certainly glad to be in a stationary position now.
In my short while here I've checked into the hotel--and checked out my view:
Now, what to do this evening...
My first flight this morning was on a teeny tiny airplane that went bumpity-bump-bump all the way across Lake Michigan. Once I arrived in the Windy City I had to hike from the F gates to the B gates. After, what seemed like forever, 45 minutes of waiting for a seat at the gate I finally managed to secure one facing a TV that was reporting about the storm outside Detroit last night. I only caught the tail end of the story when I heard, "...the gate for flight 689 with service to LaGuardia has now changed to gate B10". Which I should have known. The flight to Orlando, that was sharing our gate, had not begun to board because their plane had still not arrived from wherever.
I shuffled myself over to the next gate and sat down to enjoy my coffee and cinnamon scone. Across from me were two ladies enjoying apples and a view of the TV. Now, I'm a scone dipper. I like to break off pieces of my bakery treat and dip them into my hot cuppa joe. I was nearing the end of my breakfast when I happened to look up and realize that one of the ladies was still eating her apple a good five minutes after she started.
As I studied her, while trying not to stare, it looked as though she was just very slow and thorough in her apple eating. She even had a napkin tucked closely to catch any juicy apple drips.
Um, no. Not even close. She was taking a bite at a time, chewing the apple, and spitting back out the skin! I literally almost yacked my scone back up.
And then there was the cast of the traveling Wizard of Oz. How do I know they were the cast? They made sure to let everyone know. One gentleman (oh, excuse me, his sign clearly said he was a munchkin) was sporting a bright pink shirt and a gold lame fanny pack and was rather 'boisterous'.
Guess who sat behind me on the flight?
On this not-so-small plane the ride wasn't any smoother. We went bumpity-bump-bump over Lake Erie and all the way into the Big Apple. And then came the herky-jerky cab ride from LGA to the Upper West Side; I am certainly glad to be in a stationary position now.
In my short while here I've checked into the hotel--and checked out my view:
Which looked like this for about an hour. I could tell a storm was a'brewin' so I went for a quick bite to eat and some groceries (bottled water, grapes, Wasa crackers).
This is a Gray's Papaya...It was tasty...but not tasty enough to try again.
And when I got back my view looked like this:
Tomorrow my view should be completely different. Despite thinking this view is lovely, the size of room I have to endure to enjoy the scenery is not worth it. This girl packed her yoga mat and two workout dvds...I can't even spread the mat out in here. The oh so lovely and sweet ladies at the desk are going to move me into a bigger room tomorrow. Very very kind of them.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
A Regular Saturday Night
Right? Well, mostly.
Today was a normal day--yoga, breakfast, hanging out with the family, dinner, watching tv while the hubs plays a show, trying on my wedding dress...What?
Due to a combination of factors (really over the past two days) I got the bug to go revisit my wedding dress. I really started to worry that three years later I no longer loved my dress. In my head it looked dated and cheesy. There was really a moment that I was scared to look.
In between episodes of Say Yes to the Dress (yes, yes, okay--this show was my breaking point!) I tip-toed upstairs and snuck up on the oversized garment bag hanging in our spare room's closet.
A good 20 minutes later I had wrangled myself into my dress again (it's a lace-up-the-back kinda dress) and scooped up my camera for this momentous return-to-the-day photo op.
Although the pictures are cheesy and in terrible lighting I didn't think it would be very nice of me not to share.
Oh yeah, check out those hot tan lines!
Today was a normal day--yoga, breakfast, hanging out with the family, dinner, watching tv while the hubs plays a show, trying on my wedding dress...What?
Due to a combination of factors (really over the past two days) I got the bug to go revisit my wedding dress. I really started to worry that three years later I no longer loved my dress. In my head it looked dated and cheesy. There was really a moment that I was scared to look.
In between episodes of Say Yes to the Dress (yes, yes, okay--this show was my breaking point!) I tip-toed upstairs and snuck up on the oversized garment bag hanging in our spare room's closet.
A good 20 minutes later I had wrangled myself into my dress again (it's a lace-up-the-back kinda dress) and scooped up my camera for this momentous return-to-the-day photo op.
Although the pictures are cheesy and in terrible lighting I didn't think it would be very nice of me not to share.
Oh yeah, check out those hot tan lines!
So...Did I purchase a dress that could stand the test of time?
Did I still love it?
Absolutely!
Did I still love it?
Absolutely!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Funk That
Remember that terrible song? I thought of it today as I got ready to take the dog for a walk. And it's my new proclamation. Funk That!
I am so sick and tired (and flippin' hot!) of hiding a body that I think is not attractive. I've been wearing long pants and jeans for YEARS hiding my legs and all the while I'm completely suffering.
When I was working out two days ago in our living room no one else was home yet there I was in my long black stretchy pants about to pass out from heat stroke. Are you kidding me? Why do I torture myself? Oh, because I might offend someone with my cankles and chunky legs.
So, it's time to get over it.
Yesterday I went to Wal-Mart (good, cheap workout clothes!) and purchased two new tanks and a pair of--get this--capri leggings. Not only do they not go to the floor, they're also skin tight. And I love them. I wore them to yoga last night (um, I did, however, wear my other black pants over them for the walk to the studio and back; baby steps people) and then today I wore them to workout. It was so much more comfortable and practical.
And after my workout (which is now the P90X Cardio, super good!) I took the dog for a walk--in my leggings. And it felt great.
I might not look so hot but I don't care. Why have I been worrying about everyone else in life and not my own comfort?
Funk that!
Monday, June 21, 2010
A Shirt
Since losing some weight I've been able to shop at "normal" clothing stores. And it's great. Well, mostly great. One store I shop at often tends to be snobbish and cold but what's a gal to do? (Yep, I know there are many things I could do...but I haven't)
This one shirt I really, really liked. I liked it on the hanger. I liked it on me more. But I did not like the price. And so I played the waiting game. You know, I'm getting good at that game. This time it paid off. A week later this shirt was 40% off. Nice.
Of course this shirt is blue tones...lovely blues that I don't often wear. So this presented the first set of problems, pants and shoes. What do I wear with this shirt?
After I got home I dug through my shoe cabinet. This literally is a cabinet that I shove my shoes into on a daily basis. I happened to have a lovely pair of bronze heels to rock with this shirt. But which pants? I found myself at a point where all my pants were either black or super big.
But, ah ha! I could wait until Friday. On Fridays we can wear jeans to work. That would be fantastic.
And so Friday finally came. Unfortunately for the record books, it happened to be this Friday. A Friday I'm sure I won't forget for a very long time. I remember thinking as I dressed that morning that this shirt was going to help me cope with the day. I'd look fantastic and feel the same despite what was happening inside me.
And all Friday long this shirt stuck with me. It kept me cool in the warm, humid, sun. It made me feel put together as I watched many a people walk past me in pajamas and other lounging clothes. Every once in a while I remembered the great deal I got on that shirt. And that was my problem...I put too much emphasis on this damn shirt.
Even now, one month past the whole ordeal, whenever I see this shirt that's all I can think of. The poor shirt is ruined to me. No matter what I try to pair it with, no matter how many times I try to convince myself it's just a part of my wardrobe, I only ever think of that Friday full of tears, red-stained cotton gauzed elbows, and a small, very small, loss (emphasis on the actual size...).
I really am passed all the emotional baggage of the event, but why am I still stuck on this stupid shirt?
Saturday, June 19, 2010
New Beginnings
This post will be short and sweet. I know it's been forever since I've posted--egad, so out of a routine. Summer break has officially begun for me but I'm still finding myself busy.
This morning I woke up to the return of Aunt Flo. Perfectly on schedule. I was amazed. So, here I am, at the beginning of thinking about pregnancy again. It's exciting. Too bad there will be a very small window of opportunity for this right now. When I'm finally ovulating, I will be leaving for NY. Can I bottle that stuff up and bring it with me? Only kidding.
This morning I also started attending a yoga class. It was nothing like I expected and it was completely delightful. The others in the class were so kind and helpful. A friend of mine and I went together and my friend had never done yoga before. After class we all walked to breakfast together and continued having a great time. I'm looking forward to continuing this on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday basis.
Now I must get ready for a wedding today. I'm going to be hostess/bartender extraordinaire. Let's hope the weather holds out.
Happy Saturday!
This morning I woke up to the return of Aunt Flo. Perfectly on schedule. I was amazed. So, here I am, at the beginning of thinking about pregnancy again. It's exciting. Too bad there will be a very small window of opportunity for this right now. When I'm finally ovulating, I will be leaving for NY. Can I bottle that stuff up and bring it with me? Only kidding.
This morning I also started attending a yoga class. It was nothing like I expected and it was completely delightful. The others in the class were so kind and helpful. A friend of mine and I went together and my friend had never done yoga before. After class we all walked to breakfast together and continued having a great time. I'm looking forward to continuing this on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday basis.
Now I must get ready for a wedding today. I'm going to be hostess/bartender extraordinaire. Let's hope the weather holds out.
Happy Saturday!
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