but... what about Ben?

This day has held a series of misadventures all around me.

Take this morning at the Savannah VA. I had an 11:45 AM appointment for blood labs, as I see my PCP next Friday. I was there at 11:38, so good for me! However, there I sat... and sat... and sat.

I tried to be patient, I did. I even entertained myself with the song from my mental jukebox that had cued up upon my waking: "Video Killed The Radio Star". Very cool tune for doing knee flexions and knee extensions, especially in the tall chair I had chosen.

 

But enough was enough.

At 12:20 PM, I snagged one of the staff as she called yet another newcomer into the lab. I asked her what was going on, as I'd been waiting for more than thirty minutes. 

She looked surprised at that, but took my name and said she'd find out what the problem was.

Then I sat... sat... sat, another 15 minutes, until another staff member ushered me inside.

She was one of Ms. Barker's assistants and she'd recognized my name at once when the other woman has asked.

So she had come to my rescue.

Someone else on the staff had marked that they had me in their booth...but they did not... and the other staff had just accepted that I had been called in earlier and was still there, getting blood drawn.

She had to print out my name labels again, as the others were past time, and that took a few minutes.

Thankfully, only blood was needed this time, not urine, so she had me out of there by noon58.

My late morning appointment had taken almost 75 minutes.

As I walked toward the bathroom and stepped past the reception desk in the main lobby, I saw this colorful sign: "Game Time! The 4th and 5th Wednesdays of each month, at 1300"!

I mean to remember that for next week and the week after!

Chances are I would have missed that sign if my blood draw had been on time.

 

What was next on my agenda?

Brunch at Texas Roadhouse, that's what!

Melaness had given me a gift card there, and, as I'd told the nurse, "they will feed me now!"

The problem was, they did not.

The usual first course of dinner rolls never came.

The hostess did not bring a basket of them with her when she seated me, nor did Marquis ever ask me about them.

Not that he was a bad waiter.

He probably assumed that I'd deferred on the rolls, as he saw me eating the bagged roasted peanuts on the table.

My Tater Skins came out quickly, and he checked on me several times to make sure all was well.

And the food was great!

I held the Skins like pizza as I ate them... yum!

Half the order went home with me... as well as a bag of four dinner rolls.

As I departed, I stopped by the front desk and asked for the rolls, as I'd not been given them.

The hostess and scheduler were flustered, but I got the rolls!

Then I was off to AMC for the 2:15 PM screening of "The Room Next Door".

The synopsis said Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton were two old friends who hadn't seen each other in many years, until circumstances brought them back together.

What it did not say was that Tilda had terminal cancer and wanted to find someone to be close by when she took the euthanasia pill.

Julianne had been quite a few choices down on her list, but the others had been aghast and refused to be present for the suicide.

Julianne had been aghast, too, at first, but had relented.

But it wasn't until after the fact that the situation got to me.

The police were determined to arrest Julianne for aiding and abetting the suicide, which was illegal in that state.

Suicide was considered to be a crime???

What the fresh hell???

I needed a hug.

As it was almost 5 PM, I knew just where to go: Jalapenos in Sandfly.

The Smiths and Kamerons would be gathering there, with hugs a-plenty.

Plus, I could deliver the Christmas cards for my brothers that Aunt Linda sent to me.

Smitty and Mary were there, surprised to see me, as I'd said last week that I would not be able to join them this time around.

So I explained about the movie and got hugs.

Then Betsy and the Kameron brothers came and I got more hugs.

Tony and Laura didn't come tonight.

That's probably for the best, as we talked about suicides in our lives.

I seem to know many more than they do: Jean Marie; David Kopek in 2013, then his brother, Brian, a few years later; and now Kal, who killed Barbara, too.

What an odd night.

 

True to my word to Smitty and Mary, I didn't stay long, as I had a dance performance to attend.

As I had written on my fb page earlier this week, "Movement In Motion: Where Art Meets Emotion" sounded like exactly the kind of show I would love!

Plus, the show was free!

However, it never happened, as it was postponed for some undefined future time, according to the student there at the door at the Savannah Arts Academy.

She couldn't tell me or the others waiting why, just that it had been announced that morning at school.

Well, hell's belles.

I could have gone to the Jepson for their screening of "Steamboy", had I known.

Drats.

So I returned home, finding absolutely naught of interest.

Peacock to my rescue for the third time this week!

They had Hallmark's "Ruby Herring Mysteries" mini-series and they'd proved enjoyable.

The premise was this: the widow of a Seattle cop, Ruby (Taylor Cole) hosts a "news you can use" segment on a local TV station, and helps Jake (Stephen Huszar) solve homicides.

Not that he wants her to, but he's a transplanted NY cop and she knows folks.

In the first movie, "Silent Witness", a friend of Ruby's mom gets killed before a cooking convention and that's how Ruby gets involved in the case.

In the second movie, "Her Last Breath", a famous health guru dies in an auto accident, but it's found to be homicide by the coroner.

In both movies, we see Ruby visiting the grave of her late husband, Ben, and having talks as if he were there.

Very nice!

Then, something skips a note and throws off the melody of these movies.

For "Prediction Murder", which concerns a five-year-old cold case of a fortune teller that was killed in her shop, no mention is made at all - not once - about Ruby being a widow.

Not once, not even by her mom.

Instead, there's this supposed "left at the altar" story of her, with the high-school sweetie, and now famous cardiac doctor, back in town for their class reunion.

Say what???

I can understand now why that 2019 series only had three movies.

I'm sure I wasn't the only viewer who wanted to know: What about Ben???

Such an odd day this has been.

first friday fiesta of the year!

I thought briefly about taking a photo of the Smiths & Kamerons, but didn't. 

Then that idea fluttered right out of my head!

Maybe it was because Addison was still home on winter break from UGA and was there by her dad on this occasion.

Maybe it was because Mark had switched seats with Smitty and was sitting beside my youngest brother, down at my end of the table.

I know I brought up the "Dining In The Dark" event, mentioning that I'd entered a drawing for two of the tickets to it.

It's a fundraiser for the Savannah Center For Blind And Low Vision, and WRHQ was hosting the giveaway.

Winning tickets would be the only way I could go, as they were $150 apiece.

Hey, it's a fundraiser!

Anyway, as I said, I told Laura that if I won, I'd like her to go with me.

Then she says, "I think you should take Mark with you!"

Ever the matchmaker, she is!

So I asked him and he didn't want to be served in the dark by SWAT personnel wearing night-vision goggles.

LOL!

What a sight that must be!

I couldn't even imagine eating Sopas Caseras in the dark, much less gourmet food.

Still, maybe one day I'll give that a try... but I'll wear clothes that are already stained!

(smile!)

ho-ho-holy shiite!

What a treat it's been to watch Santa Claus in action against those who have been naughty!

Just looking at him here, after he's hoisted a few pints in England, it's clear from his expression that he has had his fill of greedy children and naughty, naughty, people.

Then he's off to make his deliveries to the few children on the "Nice" list, eventually getting to Connecticut, for one gift on an estate full of naughty, naughty people.

Well, save, one, a little girl named Gertrude, who goes by the nickname Trudy.

She even baked cookies herself for Santa... and even gave him a candy cane.

The 1100 year old man really enjoyed all that!

Trudy is such a sweetheart that when the machine gun-toting naughty people have beat up on Santa and have him surrounded in a shed, she asks him what one wish he would wish at that moment, because he deserved some Christmas magic, too.

Nice, right?

That wish to see his wife again and tell her he loved her led to him finding a sledgehammer in that storage barn... 

and, with Trudy's encouragement, he proceeds to make it a "Violent Night" for the naughty, naughty people by reverting back to his Viking past as Nicomund The Red.

Not that he relied on the sledgehammer alone.

Oh, no.

The things that man could do with a candy cane and a pair of ice skates - wooo weee!!!

Sheer artistry!

Many thanks to Comcast for the $1 Movie Night Reward!

Many thanks to David Harbour for truly bringing home the meaning of Christmas by his tender interactions with the little girl who still believed in magic!

I can totally relate to that.

I'm going to enjoy that message for the next two nights.

ending the year on a high note!

Quite literally, as we all were at a musical matinee of "Mufasa"!

How better to see a movie about family than with family, n'est-ce pas?

Quite a good movie it was, too!

All four of my great-nieces of Hinesville stayed put for this one, so that means it definitely held their attention!

Here are Miyah and Chloe, both holding their baby dolls that Santa brought them.

Poor Chloe is still a little sick, but I hope her new meds will soon kick her headache to the curb.

Alyssa and Leila didn't have baby dolls with them.

Here they are, respectively, to either side of their Papa.

Alyssa did have a stuffed critter, though!

Leila brought a big blanket to keep the cinema chill off, as well as the hooded coat she wore.

I wonder if she might already have thyroid issues?

I'll have to remember to ask Michael about that.

I remembered to give Michael the three shot glasses I'd set aside for him in September, plus a new Star Wars coffee mug with Yoda on it.

I'd received two for Christmas, so he was the first person I thought of for sharing!

 

So where's that first niece of mine?

There she is, absolutely beaming!

She is finally the owner of that art print by Renoir that Mama had so enjoyed!

I approached her about taking it a few months ago, but she wanted to make sure I was ready to part with it.

I'd assured her that "Dance At Bougival" had been with me for plenty of time - 

I didn't want to wait until I died for her to have it.

This way, she has it death-free, a memory of her beloved Grammy, and the many good times they shared for the first eighteen years of Christina's life, to enjoy every day.

i thank You, God, that I could do this for her.

 

Now, off I go to Olive Garden for dinner with Christina and her girls!

Michael and the twins are off to Chelsea's for a year-end party, so I'll have to catch them another time.

What a wonderful Tina Tuesday this has been!

thanks, schomburg!

"Schomburg? You mean John and Sherry were in town?"

 

Yes, they were!!! And they weren't the only Schomburgs at Jalapenos, either.

 

"Oh, sweet, they were there for the Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta!"

Well, sure, kinda sorta. They were here to visit with the parents, but also to catch up face to face with friends.

"That's wonderful! So his brother was there, too?"

Yes, Brian was. That's him on the left, with older brother John. I didn't remember him from back in the day, but I don't recall much from my high school days, and even less from those at Myers Middle School. I mostly know John from my years of working with Smitty. Anyway... I was saying that both Schomburg brothers were there, as were their wives. I actually spent a lot of time chatting with Regina, Brian's wife, and their daughter Delaney. She goes to Savannah Arts Academy!!! She's in the choral program there, but is hoping to get into the Skylarks group next year, when she'll be a junior.

"I see. I'm so glad you were able to connect with them and help them feel like part of the group. They hadn't been there before, had they?"

I don't believe they had. They weren't familiar with the menu. It didn't matter to the girl, as she just got a cheese quesadilla. But the mom wanted something else, something different. I recommended the shrimp ceviche, as that's what I had promised myself, and Regina loved it! She ate every bit, just as I did.

"I am so glad you were able to steer her to that! Maybe she and Brian might come out again some time for y'all's Friday gatherings."

Maybe so! As it was, she and I were at the end of the fourth table, so we really didn't hear anything going on at the other three tables. Like, right here, where Smitty was regaling all with a story of stupid things in the past - we had no idea which story it was. LOL! Tony was missing, but all of the rest of our usual group were there, plus The Kameron girl was still home from UGA. All total, there were 13 of us. Claudia was kept quite busy!!!

"Oh, my!!! Quite a crowd!"

Yes, it was. I'm thankful that the guy at the bar saw me and helped move in that fourth table. You know the guy I mean? The one who always teases Smitty? The one I talked to about the tall chairs giving me sciatica and he mentioned his mom had that?

"Sure, I know who you mean! The one who comes up and kind of flirts with Smitty!"

Yeah, that's the guy. I don't know his name, but he is almost always there.

"Maybe you can find out next time. Anyway, you haven't said why you dedicated this post to Schomburg. I'm assuming you mean John, not his brother?"

That's right, John, not Brian. So there we all were and I'd been chatting with Regina, then she left and John moved over to me. And he proceeded to tell me a story about Mama, one I didn't know. You see, when he was younger, it was considered nice to give a token of appreciation to companies for their business. So, he took a turkey and a ham out to Union Camp for the mill manager... and Mama was the manager's secretary. Well, she invited John to the company dinner, so he went. And Mama called out to him and had him sit with her at the manager's table, introducing him to all the bigwigs there. Next thing you know, the folks at Union Camp have quadrupled their orders with John's company! John said his orders went from $20,000 to $30,000 per month to $100,000 per month!!! And everyone who placed an order asked him, "How do you know Sybil? How do you know Sybil?"

"What a wonderful story!"

Right? And he told it to me apropos of nothing. No segue in the conversation, just off the cuff. I regarded it as an unexpected gift, with due gratitude for the telling of it. It really made my night, it did. Like a Christmas present from the past.

i thank You, God.

not Christmas gifts, just presents for the kids

That's what I told Tony and Laura as I set the bag of items under their tree.

I'd made sure the local great-nieces and great-nephews knew that no Christmas gifts would be forthcoming from me this year.

My budget's been that busted.

However, the "Gift Closet" in my living room still held items that had been intended as birthday presents for Tony's grand-kids, so I'd brought some of those.

 

For great-niece Carissa, I had a book from DEEP Center full of writings from Fall 2023 students.

Amazingly, she knew all the writers from her school, Oglethorpe Charter Academy!

I pointed out that I chose the book because it had

stories from Myers Middle School, which I went to

when I was her age (14).

I also gave her the Elephant Joke bracelet I'd brought for her in 2014, so many years ago.

That meant I had to tell her Mama's jokes about pachyderms painting their toenails so they could hide in jellybean jars and apple trees and watermelon patches and blueberry bushes.

For Bert and Sebi, ages 11 and 8 now, I had a box of "Super Mario Brothers" movie items which included a game they could play.

That had been a reward from Comcast.

As well as the game, there was a poster, an activity book, a popcorn bucket, and a package of microwave popcorn.

I added about ten packages of candy from the NCG kid-packs; they all have strawberry as the candy base.

That box of movie goodies was not all the Gift Closet 

had for them.

It allowed me to add two activity books.

Those were both from Disney movies.

Lots of pages to color, lots of mazes to solve!

There are even puzzles to find differences in pictures, 

as well as scrambled words to set right!

That should keep them busy during this winter break.

Then there's little Olivia, who's maybe 3.

The Gift Closet held the cuddly toy dog, in hopes that it

will soothe her fear of the overly-friendly -

but very large and muscle-bound - Dane.

For her, there are also tiny books for her little hands

to hold and look at while her mom reads them.

I have a Braves bobblehead of Spencer Strider for

great-nephew Dylan, but I knew he would not be there,

so that gift remains here, in the closet, waiting.

i thank You, God, to have that magical Gift Closet.

on christmas day, on christmas day!

Bonnie, here are some photos from today's family gathering at Tony and Laura's!

 

Here we have Sebi and Bert (Hope's sons), Carissa (Damon's older daughter), and Tony.

 

Sebi is 11, Bert is 8, and Clarissa is 14.

 

Clarissa loves spicy food, so Grandpa Tony gave her a box of different hot sauces... and she loved it!

 

She was letting her cousins try them, too.

 

It was quite funny!

 

Here's a photo of Hope!

She's 35 now, and quite a live wire!

I'm sure she's the life of the party wherever she goes!

There she was in a gorgeous brocade dress and what was on her head?

One of those silly animal face toppers!

I loved it!

Here's a father-daughter shot for you.

 

There's Carissa with her dad, Damon, as he is opening the gift from Tony and Laura.

 

Damon is 39 now and will be 40 in March.

 

You can see that Carissa is quite tall, and she's the head of her middle-school basketball team.

 

Bonnie: "Good for Tony having Damon and Hope with him."

Tony has his kids over almost every Sunday for dinner! That's gone on most of this year.

 

Bonnie: "It is great they are close enough to do that."

 

They've really been working on it. Really gladdens my heart, Bonnie!

 

Back to the opening of presents.

 

This time, it's Mary and my brother Smitty.

 

I'm not sure what else is in that basket, but I know that two different types of sangria were!

 

Apparently there's now a white one as well as the typical red one.

 

Laura did such a nice job with those gift baskets!

 

This is one of the few photos I got of her, as it seemed she was always in motion.

 

I call this "the hustle and flow of Christmas"!

 

I can't believe I managed to catch her in focus!

 

She was constantly pulling gifts from under the tree and calling out a name to come get it!

 

Reminded me of Christmases in the past.

 

Oh, here's a nice one, too!

 

Grandpa Tony gave Sebi a beautiful baseball bat and was pitching to him in the front yard.

 

It was great!

 

Smitty was watching them while Mary and Laura were talking in the foreground.

 

Such a wonderful family moment!

 

I'm so glad I was there for this gathering!

 

Good low country boil, too!

 

flashback: 9 December 2012

This was at the annual Christmas Tea held at Bible Baptist Church.

 

It was a time for mothers and daughters to be together, all dressed up.

 

The tables were decorated lavishly, welcoming centers for families to be united.

 

The women would be served tea, as well as delectable noshes, by men that night.

 

I had been fortunate to be invited to share the table hosted by Robin Maddox, maternal aunt of my first niece.

 

That meant I shared that bonding time with Christina, her mom (Melinda), her Nana (Venita), and her Aunt Robin, and her Aunt Tammy. 

I am so blessed to be so loved, and included, by that family!

thanksgiving 2024!

First, I'm thankful for all the wishes of the day sent to me!

This was received from my first niece, just moments after the Peanuts gang went by in the Macy's 98th Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Plus, I'd watched "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" last night, so those characters were fresh in my mind as well as my heart.

Right place, right time!!!

Second, I'm thankful for all the wishes of the day that I shared with others!

Sherry Moore was the first to send me this, and I promptly moved it along to others that I know and love.

So very festive, isn't it?

Third, I'm thankful for the food Smitty brought over yesterday for this day.

He and Mary were to be at Tyler and Hannah's in Rincon; Tony and Laura, as well as Dane the dog, went down to Tampa to be with her two middle sons, Cole and Alek.

With the food given to me, I had ham and pasta soup to start my day.

Fourth, I'm glad to be such a regular face at AMC that I get treated like royalty.

I went to the cinema for the 1000 bonus points for getting a ticket to "Wicked, Part 1".

That wasn't what I wanted to see, though.

Santa and his brother Krampus were on my list!

So, they told me which screening room held "Red One" and there I went!

How lovely that the two movies had the same starting time!

Fifth, I'm thankful to have continued the tradition of watching the Detroit Lions play.

Most years, that game is a loss for them, but not this year!

Sure, as Jeff the ex said, it was a real nail-biter during those last two minutes of play, but the Lions managed to keep their edge over the Chicago Bears.

Whew!!!

Sixth, I've been blessed to have gorgeous weather.

Rain is forecast in a day or so, and the yards both needed a trim.

The front yard won out and I mowed at least two-thirds of it before the Ryobi stopped.

Perhaps I will finish it tomorrow, perhaps not.

Seventh, after all was done, I feasted upon smoked turkey breast, baked sweet potato, and deviled eggs. 

That was a meal I didn't have to cook or prep, thanks to my brothers.

Eighth, I'm now being treated to "Mary Poppins" - the 1964 musical with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke - on the telly.

i thank You, God, for this day of gratitude.

flashback: 27 november 2011

Thanks, fb, for this memory of a trip made to Augusta for Thanksgiving 13 years ago.

I'd somehow managed to convince my middle little brother to come with me to share the feast and meet our paternal cousins, who he did not know.

Afterward, Ronnie and I crossed town to see our other relatives from Mama's side.

Here's the photo of him with our maternal cousin, Sharon, who lives up there.

 

Then came all the comments on fb between cousin Penny, cousin Sharon, and me. 

Penny Walker Bos
Ronnie looks more like grandpa Lee every time I see him! Sharon doesn't ever change -- how does she do that???

Faustina Smith
You really see Grandpa in him? I see grandpa in Smitty and Tony. I see Daddy and Uncle Jimmy in Ronnie.

Penny Walker Bos
Funny how the eye of the beholder thang works, huh???

Faustina Smith
You betcha! Oh, and Sharon doesn't age... wonder how THAT works??

Penny Walker Bos
I don't know but I don't think my Oil of Olay is working anymore!!!

Sharon DuBose
Unfortunately I am way aging...I feel it every time I get up after sitting down too long...

Faustina Smith
I second THAT motion! (warning: all puns intended)

bday10 of twins: Part 2

Here Leila and Alyssa are, preparing to open the "8" part of my two-part gift to them, as cousin Miyah looks on, dejectedly, even though she knows it isn't her birthday. 

Isn't she so funny?

Alyssa is even wearing the jacket she received from Nana, who wasn't able to make the party.

 

I prefaced the opening by telling them my gift could be used as a timed game, or as art for their walls, or for solving together.

 

Nice riddle for them to puzzle out! (smile!)

 

And here is the trio of girls again, with Alyssa ripping the wrapping paper off and excitedly showing the gift to her sister.

I was thrilled!!!

Winner, winner!!!

Now I know they love jigsaw puzzles!

 

I already knew they would love the ocean-life populating the eight different puzzles in the box.

 

Next up was the number "2" of the two-part gift from their crazy G'Aunt Tina, who makes them do math on their birthday - lol!

That salmon-colored item is "Ocean Duets", a 2007 winner of best books.

"Duets"... get the joke? For twins? (smile!)

The book is even autographed by the photographer, Michele Westmoreland, who is now in the Hall of Fame of Women Divers.

 

Poor Miyah papaya, she should look at this page by the diver as I know it would make her smile!

Where was Chloe in all this?

Oh, she was definitely there, to the other side of Alyssa and right beside me.

At 6, she is definitely the youngest, and had to resort to playing a cat when the foursome played a pretend game of 'family'.

Melinda and I were talking and agree: the twins, now in double digits, and moving away from their days of playing with Chloe, and will soon move beyond Miyah, too.

It's all just part of growing up!

How wonderful to have time to learn from Matt about his hunting license and the different types out there!

Maybe next time he'll have grilled venison for the ribs!

That's the reason these pictures seem a bit blurry: grease on my fingers.

Well worth it!!!

bday10 of twins: part 1

As I explained to Leila, tonight wasn't the birthday party, it was the birthday dinner.

The party, with cake and gifts and all that, will be on Sunday!

By the way, that's Leila on the right, having changed up her hairstyle again.

Good for her!

That makes it easier for folks to tell her and Alyssa apart, without anyone having to search out the birthmark on the forehead of the other.

So what was going on?

Well, in that photo, we were all singing "Happy Birthday" to them, embarrassing them good and proper there at Cici's!

 

They were getting used to that, though, as Christina sang the song to them at school earlier today, right in front of their class!

That's what happens when you're right there and attend the school where she teaches!

Here, in this photo, are the two aunts of the twins.

Chelsea had come straight from her nursing clinicals.

She told me she really thinks she wants to work in pediatrics or in the "Mommy and me" programs.

That's the beauty of internships: you get to test-drive the different departments to find your future!

And here we have the father of the birthday girls!

Yes, he's put on a goofy face, just as Ronnie would have!

That's Shauna with him.

That's good, since the girls have liked her for years.

She seems to have a steadying influence on Leila and Alyssa.

Now that they're a decade old, they need that to keep them out of trouble and off internet sites that are too old for them.

Oh, and now the girls know a new word: decade!

I asked Alyssa if she felt like she was a decade old, and she said, "I'm not a decade, I'm ten!"

Sweet child, that's how many years a decade has!

I wonder if she'll share that new word with her class tomorrow?

After all, there was another child that had her birthday today today, and that Christina sang for!

That child is also a decade old now.

And here's one more photo before I go!

Here are all four of the cousins, the ones I used to call the "four little blondes".

They're growing up fast.

Maybe the two older ones will slow down a little so Miyah and Chloe can catch up?

Yeah, that's not how time works, is it?

Red-shirted Miyah now misses two teeth, with a third on its way out, and Chloe bounces around like she's on springs!

I just barely caught the 4 of them in one shot!

(smile!)

bday6 for miss chlo!

It's hard to believe that little blonde running around is six years old now!

Was that first birthday party truly five years ago?

No 'bout a doubt it, as her Grandpa Ronnie would have said.

That's her to the left of the yellow table, with her Mom in the red dress, her Grammy in the chair at the end of the table, and her Uncle Michael heading toward the sidewalk where her cousins, Alyssa and Leila, are playing with her sister, Miyah. 

In the foreground is Mousse, getting his head petted by one of Nieve's hijas.

With a slight shift in perspective, here's a continuation of the scene just a moment later.

Chloe is helping Nieves with the heavy wooden chair from my first niece's kitchen.

Michael had started the grill, but Coach Willie has taken over and is cooking the burgers and franks.

Moussie is in heaven, still getting head scratches and neck rubs from the little girl.

As for me, I'm just enjoying the view!

The tables are all covered with cloths, the air is full of good smells and the sound of kids playing, and now I can visit with Christina and Melinda!

This was taken about an hour later.

We've all eaten to our stomach's content of burgers, hotdogs, chips, and even chili - yum!

Now it's time smack a piñata... or two!

That's become the highlight of the birthday parties these days, as the kids each take turns whacking the hanging container until it spills its candy guts all over the ground!

Miss Chlo, as the birthday girl, got the first three smacks, then everyone else took their turn at giving the rainbow piñatas three whacks.

In fact, everyone had taken their swings twice before the candy was freed!

By the time they were done with the second one, another hour had elapsed and it was time for me to head back to Savannah.

Daylight was fading fast and I have Dane Days!

As I told Alyssa and Leila, the dog is their  age and, like them, he doesn't like being in the dark, either.

They completely understood that, as they have been sleeping with the TV on since before their time living with me!

I would have liked to have stayed for cake and ice cream - I even had Lactaid with me! - but that's okay.

I'll just be sure to have double helpings next time!

But what I missed most was watching Chloe open her gifts and seeing her face light up. 

"Hope you enjoy the gift and that it reminds you of our vacation in Florida."

I do hope she enjoys the Minnie Mouse puzzle!

It has 24 pieces, so that shouldn't be too complex.

Plus, it will help her with spatial orientation as well as problem solving.

All good skills for everyone to have!

Okay, time to give Dane his "ice cream" treat for being a good boy while I was gone!

What a wonderful day!

And tomorrow I'll have pizza for breakfast!

That's because today was the third Saturday of the month.

In Papa John-speak, that means FREEDAY!!!

So my choice tomorrow will be either the Spicy Italian or the Fiery Buffalo Chicken - I'm a winner no matter which I choose!

Hooray!

(smile!)

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!"