tina tuesday this month!

I celebrated with company from Hinesville!

 

"Oh, so you waited until they got out of school?"

 

Nope, didn't have to! No school for them since Friday! Remember that Armstrong always had a Fall Break about this time?

 

"Oh, sure! You went to Las Vegas for the Aloha Festival during that in 2013! The break was timed for Columbus Day as I recall."

Yes, and no. First off, I wasn't in Nevada just for that, but also the other Groupon deals I had for that trip: "MJ Live", "CSI: The Experience", and meals for most of the time I was there. I'm glad I took full advantage of DRI then - I really loved staying at Polo Towers. And I loved getting to see Meat Loaf on their dime - so very magical!

"Oh, my, yes... maybe one more trip out there? Maybe next year?"

Maybe next year. 

"So, tell me about today with your first niece! Did Michael's girls come, too?"

Nope, Christina wanted to keep it simple! Me, her, and her two little blondes! The twins aren't so little any more, acting more like tweens these days, even though they're still 9 years old. Well, they'll be 10 at month's end, but, still. They're not "little blondes" now. They don't want to get excited about anything, and they dampen the reactions of Miyah and Chloe, who both watch Alyssa and Leila so as to follow their reaction cues. 

 

"Oh, what spoil sports!"

It is what it is. Today was just about us!!! What a good time it was, too! Luncheon at Cici's, with a table near the front, so the game room there wouldn't be a distraction - hooray!

"Oh, good idea!! That was a nice change!"

That was a conscious choice, is what it was. (smile!) We all got to talk together while we munched on pizza. Plus, we were on time to head for the movie!

"Oh, yes, luncheon and a movie!!! What a nice outing together!!! What did you see?"

"The Wild Robot"! This was my third time and their first. And we all loved Rossum-7134! And, yes, before you ask: I did cry again, as I have each time. Christina did, too!

"That's so sweet. What about the two little blondes?"

No, they didn't, but they're only 7 and 6, so they don't have the experience yet to catch all the nuances of the story about the robot who adopts a gosling. But we two older girls certainly understood about that.

"Did y'all have your own private screening?"

There was another mother and child there, sitting several rows up. I made sure Miyah and Chloe knew not to go up there. Then, after the movie, Chloe made a move to go up the stairs and I stopped her short. I told her we would not be running up and down the stairs, as that was a bad habit the twins had started, one that could get the cinema in trouble if anyone got hurt. And you know what? She didn't even question me! It's as if she recognized that was bad behavior and chose to not do it. I was so proud of her!

"Very good! She and Miyah are both growing so fast..."

Yes, they are. Chloe's birthday party will be on Saturday, as her actual birthday fell during the hurricane Helene days. She wants to have a Halloween theme and said we all needed to wear costumes. But, while we were at Texas Longhorn picking up her mom's Family Chicken Dinner - my suggestion last week! - Chloe told me I didn't have to wear a costume if I didn't have one. Wasn't that kind of her? And totally unexpected!

"That's wonderful! So... will you wear a costume?"

I will not, but I will wear some Dia De Los Muertos tattoos. I'll have to take a photo, too, so I can share it with Ruthie. 

"I know she'll like that."

I do, too. Speaking of sharing, I had asked Christina if she knew what to do with extra coffee cups, as I was getting rid of some. She said she'd take them! During the hurricane, when she had 8 people at her house, she only had one coffee cup. So, now she'll have seven more!

"Let me see. That's the carousel mug from Okinawa, the Avogadro's number cup that you won at chem nerd trivia, the one from the Pirates' House - that's three. The red one from Gordon State College's teaching conference in 2012, one of the two FSU Cheminoles cups that Sabitra Brush gave you, and "The X-Files" cup. Hey, that's only six!"

The seventh wasn't in that line up, but it's also from Okinawa. It's the one that simply says "COFFEE" on its front.

"Perfect!"