Patchy's Blogging

Pulled over by a cop while Ubering

2015-07-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

My god-daughter, Prudence became an Uber driver today. We drove out to Anaheim where they had a Saturday inspection post for her car. It was not organized!! The people at the table were amazing and efficient, but the inspectors were not paying attention to the order people were coming in. They finally had us re-line up and took us from there. There was a girl who was thourough and paying attention and a guy that seemed to do o.k. But one of the inspectors was more interested in his cell phone than in doing his job. But after an hour, Pru's car passed with flying colors! She made her first outing tonight and even took a fare to LAX! She is close to that $100 bonus for 10 rides and then she'll get her $150 after 20.

One of my fares tonight pinned their location as being in a parking lot at the VA hospital where only government employees are supposed to be. They were actually next door at a concert at Cal State Long Beach. So when I realize that I'm not where they are, I pull over and call them to see where they really are. That's when the cop pulls up behind me. I explain to the fare that I will be there as soon as the cop is done with me. He ran my plates (about 3 minutes). Then came and asked me what I was doing on government property. I explained that Waze had routed me to the wrong pick up location and I was trying to reach the person I was picking up. He asked for my I.D., which I gave him. He ran that, came back and told me there have been a lot of car break ins and that since I was stopped, he was suspicious. He then told me how to get back to the road. I called my fare to see exactly where they were. Picked them up. They felt so bad for giving me the wrong location they tipped me $10.

All in an Uber days work. Still having fun!!!!

Uber Driver Referral Code

Lyft Driver Referral Code

$20 off your first Lyft ride

Ooops! Late for my day job!

2015-06-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

I was up early, about 4:45. I get ready for work and decide to drive since I haven't in a few days. I get the cold waters out of the fridge and restock the doors with room-temp waters in the doors.

I remote start my car and let the windows defrost and the temp warm up. Even though it's June in So. Cal., we still have what we like to call "June Gloom". It's cold and cloudy in the morning and beautiful in afternoon. We think of it as natural air conditioning.

It's around 6:00 AM. I have two hours before I have to get to work at my "real job" as a medical secretary in a physical therapy clinic. No problem! I get the ping from Uber and see that it's close, about 12 minutes away in Carson.

I've actually dropped off another Uber driver in this neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. I wonder it that's my fare again. It's not. A young man comes out of his house and gets in. I have to look twice to make sure he's old enough to ride. I saw on another blog that some parents are using Uber and Lyft to transport their kids around town. It's against policy to take an unaccompanied minor anywhere. He is definitely old enough on second look. Just a slim youthful appearance. I must be getting really old myself as I found out later he is actually a Physician's Assistant.

The man has had an interesting life and has just moved back from NYC where he was in school. Along the ride, I find out he is truly homesick for his friends and neighborhood in New York. He works in Santa Monica and got the job just 2 days after moving back, but hasn't found an apartment close to work so is staying with family. He is a Buddhist, a vegan and has decided to go back to school after working for a few years to pursue his love of philosophy. We talked pretty much the whole time he was in the car.

He complimented my driving and said he had a driver the week before that refused to get on the freeway and it had taken over 2 hours to get him to work. YIKES!!! Not everyone is cut out to be a driver! You really have to love both driving and people, in my opinion, to make it a success.

My Waze App routed me around traffic twice. On my way back, I saw 2 different major accidents on the 405. But even with that, I saw the arrival time go from 7:30 (get myself to work on time or 5 minutes late) to 7:59 (a minute until I am due in). I dropped the gentleman off at his job right at 7:58!

I pulled over real fast to check my phone. A text from a co-worker asking me to call her into security as she didn't have the pass with her and 2 calls from the hubby. I call work first, arrange for the pass and let my boss know where I am and how late I'm going to be. Not happy, but not too terrible!

I call my hubby and let him know what's going on and he keeps me company all the way back to Seal Beach! He's so sweet!

I arrive at work at 8:40!!!! I've got a lot of butt-kissing to do and 40 minutes to make up another day. LOL

Uber Driver Referral Code

Lyft Driver Referral Code

$20 off your first Lyft ride

Time for a new phone!

2015-06-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

So, it's a usual Saturday night. I have both Uber and Lyft Apps running. I pick up a guy close to my home and drop him off in Bell and immediately get a call from my favorite type of passengers, 4 girls headed out to party! They're excited that I have cold water in my insulated bags and gum. Yay, gum! As usual, they are cute and funny and razzing each other. One of them is getting married soon, she is in the front seat so we chat about DJs and flowers and venues.

BOOM!!! My iPhone4s shuts down! Completely DEAD!!! YIKES!!! My phone will NOT turn on. I'm using my car charger. I'm switching between direct plug in and the lighter. Nothing! Finally, it's starts to slowly charge, but still will not turn on. Real fun times on the 10 freeway!

These girls are so sweet, they pull up Waze on their phones and get us to the destination without incident. But my phone still wont turn on. I drop them off at the club and assure them I will not move until I can end the ride so they wont get charged for mileage they didn't use. This only takes 15 minutes, LOL.

After I get charged up, I turn the apps back on and immediately get a fare. I accept and 3 blocks later, BOOM no phone again. I give up (I'm in Santa Monica again, of course) and just go home.

I am now the proud new owner a ZTE ZMAX phone from Metro PCS. I LOVE IT!!! it has a 5.7" screen holds a charge forever and is just plain awesome!

UBER Driver Code

LYFT Driver Code

LYFT $20 Rider Credit

My First Rider Story

2015-05-30T21:41:00.001-07:00

My first pick up as an Uber driver was very close to my home. I was so nervous I messed up the pick up and drop off function, but I got my fare from their house and dropped them off at a bar in downtown Long Beach. They were so much fun!!! They were heading out for a birthday celebration and all giggly and happy and so excited to be "busting my Uber cherry"!! I think I love picking up girls heading out to party the most even now. They are always so happy and supportive of each other and full of hope and happiness.

The rest of the night I got to know my app better and picked up couples going out and home, a man taking his in-laws out their last weekend in the States before going home to Ireland and Frat Boys picking up munchies in Belmont Shore.

Ubering and Lyfting In my new Hyundai Elantra

2015-05-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

I got my new car in March!!!!!

This is the back seat!!!!

I started driving for Uber a week later. My friend, Stacy talked me into it. She said it was easy money and she was so RIGHT! After 10 rides, I got $100 and after 20 rides I got another $150 bonus. I told her I'd complete the 20 so she could get her $200 bonus for me joining. But, I have kept going because it's so much fun. If you like people and you like driving, it's a great way to earn some extra cash.

I decided to join Lyft and see if they were any good. I just used a promo code off the internet. I should have looked for someone to go in under. I only got $50 after completing my first 30 rides, but they have a promotion where you and the person who refers you gets $250 after completing 30 rides. Doh!

I'm going to insert the promo codes here in case someone would like to give it a go. I plan to talk about some of my specific rides in later blogs so stay tuned!

Here is my Uber Driver Referral Code:

Pattie's Uber Driver Code

https://get.uber.com/cl/rideshare500?invite_code=lqaac

This is my Lyft Driver Referral Code:
Pattie's Lyft Driver Code

https://www.lyft.com/drivers/PATTIE409802

This is my Rider Code for $20 off your first ride!
Pattie's Lyft Passenger/Rider Code

https://www.lyft.com/invited/PATTIE409802

Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T07:48:00.002-07:00

I know it's been forever since I posted anything new. Haven't really been feeling like writing much. Plus, with Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, I feel like most people I care about know what's going on in my life.

My daughter and her husband have been happily married for over 1.5 years now. They are still living in Hayward so I don't see them anywhere near as often as I'd like to. No grandchildren on the horizon yet. My daughter is a total fitness nut right now. She worked hard to get her body into great shape and then had a monkey wrench thrown into her routine when a drunk driver hit us on the 15 freeway right before Christmas. No broken bones, but a few months of recovery until she could get back to where she could work out again. I'm very proud of her dedication and devotion to her routine.

This is my first Mother's Day without my mom. She passed away last September. I thought I would feel really bad. But, I'm actually doing o.k. I guess I really did know that she was ready to go and that she is no longer in pain. Plus, the last 3 years of her life were the best I'd seen. She really blossomed at Alamitos Belmont. She made new friends her own age, became quite social and the staff loved and cared for her.

It probably helped that was able to see 2 of my 4 sisters on Friday as well. We still have eachother even after she's gone. We've never been particularly close. I really thought after she passed we would just fade from eachother's lives. Luckily, that hasn't been the case.

On the great news front, I have a new god-son! He is 5.5 months old. He makes my world new again. I am really enjoying the time his mom lets me spend with him. I'm also grateful to my husband who indulges me and let's him come over and occupy my time.

That's all for now. Love your mom's while they are here.Love your kids while they are close. If you didn't have a great mom, you can still BE a great mom! Surround yourself with people that not only love you, but that genuinely LIKE you.

Grandma Won First Prize at the Halloween Contest AGAIN!!!!

2011-10-30T18:09:00.000-07:00


Grandma Sparring with another resident before the contest.

So, the winner is..... Grandma Evelyn! Two years running!

They have a little costume contest after lunch the Friday before Halloween. Then they have a carnival that starts at 5:15 where the staff's children come in and go trick or treating room to room. Everyone loves it. The kids get to interact with grandmas and grandpas and the residents really love seeing children especially in costume.

Sorry I haven't been able to upload the pro-pix yet. I'm trying to get some books done at Snapfish and Walgreens before the specials end so I've been neglecting my blog.

Randy outside of Binion's

Randy and I went to Vegas last weekend. We had such a good time! We stayed at La Quinta near the airport. And I mean we could watch the planes take off and land at McCarran out our window. But I really never heard them and the room was so nice. We got one with a hot tub in the bedroom and let's just say we made good use of it. We gambled on the strip and down town, watched the light show on Freemont Street, and went to a K9 competition at the Orleans. I discovered a new favorite slot machine. Based on the movie, The Hangover. It's multi-screened, loud, obnoxious and I couldn't stop winning on it. It was soooooo much fun. I even got a progressive jackpot at the Statosphere ($65 it wasn't a big one, LOL). But not bad for a penny machine. This is the only pic I have of the whole trip.

Here are the rest of the pix from Mom's Halloween.

Wedding Recap. Pic / Video Heavy

2011-10-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Bouquets

I've gotten a couple of requests to do a re-cap of the wedding. I posted TONS of these pix on my facebook, but I was reminded not everyone uses FB. So here are my favorite pix from the casual shots taken by friends. I am still waiting for the pro pix to come back.

I tried to include pictures that highlighted the venue, Cabrillo Beach Bath House. I know there are not a lot of pix out there of the venue in use. I was very please with the results! Yes, it's work, but it's a great choice for a beach wedding on a budget. I haven't run the final figures, but I think we were right around $12,000. And I bought everything including the brides maid dresses. (I'm including the price of the bartender that the groom's side paid for.) It was a truly lovely wedding and I've gotten compliments over and over again on how fun it was and how beautiful. Please feel free to message me about my vender's, etc.

Bridesmaid Dresses

Dresses bought on sale at Macy's for $80 including shipping.

The arch (Thanks Fresh Blossom!

Flowers by The Fresh Blossom

The Dress

A view from the site.

The Cabrillo Beach Bath House that evening

Thanks, to Donny at D N D Party Rentals we decided to set up at this angle!

Jillian Risigari-Gai Harpist extrodinaire!

Groom's family by the volley ball court.

Cocktails on the "Patio"

Round tables.

Cake Table

Getting Ready to cut the CAKE!!!

Gunner playing on the arch top at the rehearsal

Groom's family before the ceremony

Posing for pix after.

Getting into positions

Dress at David's Bridal. Corset Back added by Frances Boutique in Wilmington.

Cake was by Rossmoor Bakery in Signal Hill

Money dance. View of East end of hall

Catering was Stonefire Grill in Fountain Valley

Deejay was D.J. Tempoe in Long Beach

More money dance

View with some of the decorations showing

The Amazing Day of Wedding Coordinator is Candice Acosta.

The Groom and I.

More dancing and decore

Throwing the bouquet.

On Stage, the sweetheart's table

The groom with the lifeguard tower in the background

Grandma Evelyn and Alex

Harold and the MOB (me).

Prudence (My god-daughter)

Pru

Connie, my niece

Ummi, the Maid of Honor

Gunner and Karina

The FOB and Bride

Giving her away. Good view of back of the dress

Randy and me

He swears he's not crying!

Joined together

Laughing at the minister's joke. My favorite pic so far.

The Kiss! (It's o.k., it's legal now.)

Walking away, back of dress.

Conner and Harold

Pru and Alex

Proud parents

Grandma Evelyn

Joan, Randy, Mirtha and Pattie

Randy and Pru at the rented house

Pru and Patchy

Parental Units

Getting ready in San Pedro

Christa and Grandma

Showing off her train

Under the Arch.

Sisters, two of whom didn't think their niece's wedding was important enough to wear a dress.

Ummi and Connie. A little bit tipsy!

Joel took this pic. So lovely!

The Ruger Girls

Group family shot.

Amazing pic. Thanks, again, Joel!

I will post again when I get the Pro Pix and Video!

Below are YouTube Videos that show off the venue:

Four Days and COUNTING!

2011-09-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

Who knew the toughest part of being the Mother of the Bride so far would be all this ironing? I don't iron. Everything I own is wash and wear! I am NOT good at ironing. It didn't help that I had the iron setting way too low for the first 5 tablecloths. That I had to go over them more than 4 times each. SMH! There are 22 tablecloths. I still have 8 to go as of this writing. I just realized before I went to sleep 5 hours ago, I could de-wrinkle them in the dryer to make it easier. The Maid of Honor, Ummi, offered to help me on Sunday and I turned her DOWN! What was I thinking? I'll tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking a couple hours of ironing shouldn't be too bad. But it's been over 10 hours now. I am in Ironing HELL!

On other fronts, Randy and I dropped off the Out of Town bags at the hotel yesterday. I still have about 5 left for people I'm not sure where they are staying. I did the candy buffet mock up and got all the ribbons changed. I couldn't find the decorative tags I ordered so I used some pretty business cards I had laying around. We went to Sam's to get the last of the candy and the makings for S'mores (for the pre-wedding fiesta). Got the cutest platters there for the cheese buffet with tiny little forks! Also, hit up a nursery and bought some vines to cover up the chicken coop. Firmed up with rental guy for all the party supplies at the venue. Tried to firm up with the Taco Cart Lady, but she was at a Labor Day party, so I will do that today.

Today on the rest of the agenda is getting Grandma over to the seamstress to get her dress fitted better, as well as fixing Pru's dress - zipper ripped and it's too tight and getting my dress. Picking up a ceder chest from one of my patient's and cleaning off the patio the rest of the way since no more rain (yes, rain in September in Cali!) is predicted. Mirtha wants to finish my beauty stuff either today or tomorrow. Oh, yeah, and there seem to be more IRONING!

Debating on whether to rent a larger car for transporting all this stuff to the ceremony site. But I wont do that until Thursday. Trey's parents are due in sometime tomorrow. Joel is coming in Thursday night as is Connie from Hawaii and Trey and Christa are due at 4:30.

Let the countdown continue!

Eight Days! And Alex and Pablo Recap

2011-09-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

It's 8 days until the wedding!

I'm picking up my dress and my mom's dress today. Fingers crossed. The wonderful lady, Frances that's been doing dresses for me, my friends, and friends of my friends really messed up BIG TIME on the dresses for Alexandria's wedding. The dresses were just not usable. Crooked hems, misplaced linings, seams ripping, zippers breaking. A total nightmare! They wound up hunting for bridesmaids and MOB dresses 3 days before the wedding! They found truly lovely dresses 2 days before the wedding and if you hadn't known about the problem, you would have never guessed it wasn't planned that way.

Randy and Corina, MOB

But I'm very anxious about picking up the dresses (and vests for the ushers) today. Frances has been wonderful in the past and, truth be told, I'm worried about her. She doesn't remember conversations we've had, is losing measurements and having to re-do them or be reminded that they are on the back of someone else's chart and I can't believe she let Corina down like that! It's so not like her! She showed me the lace and the fabric when I was there last time and it's just LOVELY! I really hope she can pull this off!

I have the rentals arranged for the pre-wedding fiesta next Friday! Yay!!! Going to have a bouncer for the kids and a Taco Cart! Everyone is responding so positively. I'm looking forward to having a great night with friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers!

I need to firm up with the van rental company to get the guests to and from here and the venue and the hotel. Trying to firm up with the rental company, but the man's mom is ill and he is in Canada. Another worry, but I'm sure it will be o.k. Flowers are good. Coordinator is good. Christa sent the music list to the D.J. last night. Catering is good for both events. Just need to confirm with Coco's Tacos on Monday. Harpist is set, Minister on board, Photo Booth set, Videographers fine, Photographer great. One more trip to L.A. for lights for the lanterns. Still need to get cheese and fruit for the cocktail hour. Candy bar needs labels. We are ready!

Alexandria and Pablo

Candy Buffet

Speaking of the candy bar, it went over so well at Alex and Pablo's wedding! Got so many comments about how great it was from the guests. People really liked it. It was just extra fun! A great addition to the cocktail hour. I took about 150 lbs and didn't bring any back. Of course, it didn't hurt that some people were taking 5 bags at a time, LOL.

Alejandro, Corina, Pablo and me, hijacking the pic!

Alex was a truly beautiful bride. The service was performed by her cousin, Ray and he did a wonderful job. So personal and just the right amount of humor and sentiment. It was very touching! The music was great (since we're using the same DJ, that's a good thing)! The food was actually good. Surprised after some of the weddings I've been to. Corina looked so lovely! The picture perfect Mother Of the Bride! Good times were being had by all! So sad that we had to leave early, but Randy is going through another round of kidney stones.

My last day at work until the Tuesday after the wedding! Will try to update more this week!

Hair Trial Progression

2011-08-20T21:34:00.000-07:00


Finished product					Here are the pix from my hair trial for the wedding. I think I really like it! Starting with the wet hair all the way to the finished product.

Thanks, Mirtha!!!! The Sands Salon

T.V. or Not T.V. That Is The Question

2011-08-20T05:16:00.000-07:00

I've been awake since 3 a.m. (again) so I decided to update a little. We were contacted by a new reality show called "What Are You Worth". It will be on the A&E network and stars the guy from Storage Wars, Berry Weiss. Apparently they help out families that are trying to do something special for their children. Sports, music, academics, etc. Well, they wanted to do someone with a wedding and I had left my profile open on a casting site when Christa was thinking about doing a wedding show to help pay for the wedding. So, they contacted me. We've done a phone interview and filled out an application, sent pix of us, the house, my blog (Hi Sarah & Kate), my Facebook, etc. The major complication is that Christa is in training in Florida. Then she starts her jobs in the Bay Area. Plus the wedding is 21 days from now.

So, they wanted everything by 8 AM last Thursday. But now I haven't heard anything back. Part of the "story" is the party we are throwing the night before the wedding. I'm not sure how much to work on getting the yard and such ready vs. how much they want to shoot before it's ready. Or whether to go through the stuff I want to have appraised on the show and digging it out for them. Do I need to get a storage locker for all of Christa's wedding stuff that's in the front room and bedroom? A little crazy-making. But I'm really excited to think that all the relatives that couldn't make it, might be able to see some of it on T.V.

Trixie, the wayward Kitty and great Mouser!

On a side note, Trixie, our black kitty, came home last night after being away for almost 2 weeks. She was quite hungry, skinny and thirsty. She must have gotten trapped somewhere! So happy to have our great huntress home! She was happy to have the other cats gone, LOL. The mother cat really tortured her.

Alex and Pablo

Tonight is Alexandria and Pablo's reception dinner. They are having a bar-be-que and I'm bringing my famous dip and a fruit platter. Should be lots of fun. One week until their wedding. Everything's moving so fast! They are using the same D.J. as us and I'm excited to hear him at a wedding.

Well, I guess I'll get my day started.

Quick post about the candy buffet - Pic Heavy

2011-08-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the progression of the Candy Buffet. I did a mock up of this one for my friend's daughter's wedding which is 2 weeks before my own daughter's wedding. I will do a similar one for Christa, but with her colors. Luckily they are both using silver accents so I can use the same ribbons and just change the display cards.

I have been assembling the jars since I found out about the wedding. Garage sales, Ikea, T.J. Max, gifts from friends (thanks Gillian and Annalisa), etc.

I couldn't find a template that I liked from the paper/scrapbook stores so I ordered them off Esty. Thanks, Maria! (Her website is http://www.mariapalitousa.com/) I used organza and satin ribbon and tacky glue to hold them on. It took me about 5 hours from start to finish (washing the jars, figuring out which jars I wanted figuring out where to place everything, which candy to use in which jar, making the labels and so forth).

Here are the pix along the way:

Busy Saturday - 4 weeks until the wedding.

2011-08-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Christa is happily attending JetBlue University, again. They let her miss her orientation since she had it before so she could fulfill her obligation to Ikea and work her last day there. Thanks, JBU! There is some kind of basketball tournament between the various airport provisioning teams taking place in Orlando so she has been cheering on the LGB team. Sadly, they lost yesterday.

Saturday was sooooo busy. I went to Sam's Club to buy the last of the candy buffet items for Alex's wedding (2 weeks, YIKES!), then did regular grocery shopping at Stater's, unloaded everything (thankfully Randy has a few hours of surplus time off work to help me) then I went to drop off the flower girl's dress and tiara.

Kids grow so fast during the summer! We may need to buy yet another dress, LOL. It fits her now, but just barely. We are going to try it on her a week before the wedding. If it's too small I will be picking up one more thing in L.A. that week.

Then off to the 99 cent store to finish off the Out Of Town bags. I was able to get razors and toothbrush kits. As well as some stuff for Gunner (ring bearer) and his baby sister, Rowan. Later, I worked on the labels for the water bottles and got them put on. The template I posted on here was for a different brand. I tried using all kinds of different templates, but wound up just making my own, ARRRRGGGGGHHH!

I had lunch with DeeJay, the videographer. We caught up on what was going on in eachother's lives. He was one of my Drama Babies at Long Beach Poly. He also attended the YMCA Youth Institute (CORAL) like Christa did which is where he learned the videography. He and one other Y kid will video the wedding and then Christa will do the editing herself.

After I dropped him off I took Christa's dress back to Francess. After trying on the dress again, Christa decided that, while she wanted to be bold, she didn't want to be so bold as to show her booty to all her guests. So, she is installing a modesty panel about half way up the back. Still showing skin, but not her ghetto booty!

Then to Staples. Got the label paper and a paper-cutter. I've been using the one at work in my off time and decided to just go for it. With two weddings in four week, I will probably need it again!

Got home and worked on the labels (see above) for a few hours. Checked out the pictures of Randy's niece, Shauna's wedding being posted by folks in Wisconsin. Then off to meet the photographer, Zack, at the venue.

Lanterns

Long tables - We're using rounds

More of the ceiling

Showing with the doors open

We got there ahead of the photographer and were able to sneak upstairs and peek at the way they had it set up. Randy took some pix before the ceremony ended and we had to leave. Unfortunately, Zack didn't get there til just after that.

While waiting for Zack, we bumped into a bride I've corresponded with, Camile, from the wedding bee boards www.weddingbee.com She and her finace were just adorable! They are looking for a venue and are considering the bath house at my suggestion. It was so great to meet someone from cyberworld IRL and she was such a nice lady!

We walked around with Zack and his assistant, Dawn, and looked at sites for where he wanted to get pix, talked about the various events and then went over to the vacation house I rented for Christa to get ready in. Unfortunately, it was rented so we only got to look at the outside.

All in all, a very productive day!

Sunday I'm going to do a mock up of the candy buffet and get the wedding stuff in the front bedroom organized!

On a parting note, I thought I would share this photo of my co-worker, Maiko (pronounced like Mike with and O), with you. She was heating up some curry in the "Maiko-wave" and when she pulled it out, she tripped a little. Curry went EVERYWHERE; walls, table, floor, but somehow it missed HER. This is a pic of her cleaning up the last of it off the blinds.

Maiko and her curry!

For Sarah!

2011-08-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Randy making faces at the cat

Randy and Pattie at the Skirball

Randy and Pattie at the Huntington

Here are some pictures of Randy and Pattie and a few of Christa for your consideration. Nice to talk to you, Sarah!

Randy

Pattie at Noah's Ark

Randy and his friend, the best man at our wedding, Joel

Pattie

Randy

Randy pointing a skunk at Joel

Pattie

Trey and Christa the night they got engaged

Randy and Pattie's Mom, Evelyn

Randy and our God-son, Josh

Randy with our god-children Corina and Josh

Pattie with a bunch of stuff from her sister in Tucson

Pattie in her David Meister Dress

Another dress purchase

Pattie and Christa with friends at Christa's Shower

Pattie with her sisters and Mom

Christa with her shower cake

Christa and Pattie with Grandma Evelyn

Our cat, Amber Lynn Kromrey

Pattie with her friend, Sonia

More Updates

2011-08-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

I took one of the groomsmen, Alex, to the dressmaker with me to get measured for his vest for the wedding. I picked up Pru's dress and left Ummi's there for her so she could try it on before she took it home. I also picked up my dress for Alexandria's wedding (the purple designer $500 dress I got at Bloomingdale's for about $50) and the rehearsal dress I got at Norstrom's.

Since I was there, I asked if she had started my dress yet. She hadn't so I had her re-measure me. I had lost 4 inches off my waist, 6 inches off my ribcage, 2 inches off my bust and 6 inches off my hips. WOOT! I'm so happy that my hard work has been paying off. Can't wait to find out the test results for my diabetes A1C!

Alex and I headed over to the house I'm renting in San Pedro for the girl's the night before and for Christa's wedding night with Trey. Wanted to make sure I knew where it was in relation to the venue (about 5 minutes away right across from Point Fermin and down the street from the Korean Bell) and to see if it would be suitable for an after-rehearsal party. Unfortunately, it's not. Looks like we'll be having a party in my back yard. It's a little far from the venue, but at least I know it will hold everyone comfortably.

The kittens are getting so BIG! Seven weeks yesterday. They should all be gone by next Saturday! The house will seem so empty without them. But, I will be glad to have some peace in the house again with the cats. The mother cat has just caused so many problems with my other kitties. Amber's great attitude has really changed and I haven't seen Trixie in days. I'm sure because of all the drama the Mom-Cat caused.

I forgot to mention that Christa had a corset back put into her wedding dress. Apparently, it is the style to have the skin show through the corset lacings. We had never heard of that! I feel so back-woods now. If it weren't for a post on Wedding Bee I would have never known. We were going to take if back to the seamstress to have a "modesty panel" installed when Christa changed her mind. She said, "I wanna be BOLD!" So she will be, LOL. I'm not 100% sure how feel about it, but I'm just going to go with it.

Randy's brother and sister-in-law are going to make it to the wedding! Yay! So excited to see them again! We have all our A-list RSVPs back and are waiting on the B-list. Looks like we stayed within our 135 target! Christa still has a few people from work (so do I) that we might invite if we get a few more regrets.

I'm starting to work on the Out of Town bags. I purchased sunglasses, t-shirts that have California Logos on them, first aid kits etc. for the tote bags. I'm working on a cute little card for them and labels. I also want to print up labels for the bottled water. Found a great template! (Wedding Water Bottle Lables) Also, from my friends on the Bee!

Christa's last day at Long Beach JetBlue is tonight. She is still trying to work out if she can delay her flight on Tuesday to Wednesday so she can finish out Ikea on Tuesday. If not, tomorrow is her last day at Ikea. She was originally told that she would be flying out on Wednesday by JetBlue personnel and they changed it last Friday. They also told her then that she would have to be in class on Saturday, August 13th. WHAT?! She was planning on flying out Saturday morning to get to her Bachelorette Party and flying back Sunday. Now it looks as if the girls will be having the party without the bride! So SAD!!! My heart really aches for her. She's had so many things come up at the last minute.

Moving, getting transfers in place, not getting RSVPs, having the rehearsal party up in the air, not getting the bar info until the last second, freaking out about her dress, not having one of the bridesmaids get the alterations done, figuring out hair and make up. She's having a rough month!

We went out to dinner with her at Hoff's Hut after she got off work last night. It was nice to connect with her one last time before she goes off to start her new life. We're lucky that she's only 45 minutes away via plane and that we still have free flight benefits!

It's all happening too FAST!

2011-08-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

It's day T-minus 34. Christa and Trey have moved to Hayward, just outside of Oakland. They are back in Long Beach until the 9th when Christa flies to Florida for training. Trey is moving into the apartment with the cats on the 10th and starting his new job on the 14th.

We made it through the bridal shower! Very nice time. Toilet paper bride, the Panty Poem and the Household Goods Love Story were played. Lots of nice gifts. Great food and great fellowship.

I'm going to look at the house I rented in San Pedro today to see if it's acceptable for the rehearsal dinner. Trey's family wants to make the rehearsal lunch only for the bridal party so I thought it would be nice to include everyone at a party where we can get to know one another in a more casual setting with a taco cart. Should be fun!

I'm also picking up the altered dresses today for myself for Alex's wedding and for the rehearsal. As well as the bride's maids dresses. Connie finally got her dress to the tailor in Hawaii as well. And Alejandro, one of the ushers, is coming with me today to get measured for his fuchsia vest. He's really excited. Or maybe not, LOL.

I'll try to update this evening, but the morning's just gotten away from me and I need to get a lot done.

Ebates is Awesome! Already earned over $7 cash back!

Changing times of my life.

2011-07-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks there have been many changes in my life and more to come in the next few months and years.

Christa, my daughter is getting married in SIXTY DAYS!!! How did that happen? LOL But even before that, she will be moving to the San Fransisco/Oakland Area. Trey, her fiance got a job at the Oakland Airport and will start on August 15th. About 3 weeks before the wedding. Christa's prospects are to either move in with me until after the wedding and then find a job in the area or, if one of jobs she's applied for come through, move up at the same time as Trey or maybe even before.

She is up for the same job Trey landed at the San Fransisco Airport. She flies out on Thursday for a "Meet and Greet" there. She is also up for a promotion with Ikea in Paso Robles or Palo Alto. I forget which, but close to Oakland. They found a couple of places in Hayward they are looking at, but don't want to put down a deposit until they are sure where she is working. They may actually opt for the SFO side of the bay.

Little Krysta thought she was moving back to Cali, but after just a week, has realized that her life is really now in Michigan and the opportunities for schooling are also much better there. We will truly miss having her around, but are very proud of the difficult decision she is making to better her future.

I have been diagnosed with Diabetes since September of last year. I have been monitoring my diet and losing about 3 pounds a month. I am down 3 dress sizes. I started a program at work called Calories In, Calories Out. I feel better and have more stamina, but seem to be losing the weight about the same. I'm not going to stop though! It's really helped me correct some major mistakes I have in the way I move. So I am able to move for longer periods of time. It makes me wonder if I had gotten help earlier if I would have led a more active life.

The kittens are finally out of my closet! I made the mom take them into the living room. She's moved them 3 times since then, but still in the living room. They are acting like kittens now instead of the "veal" they were in my closet. Very cute. But they will probably be the things that change the fastest. Growing, playing, eating then moving away in early August. My sister is taking the Mother Cat and at least one of the kittens. People are fighting over the girls and one of the boys is sort-of taken. The white one is promised to a guy at Christa's work, but he can't make up his mind if he really is ready for that responsibility.

I'm getting a new student in September. Her name is Monica. She'll be with us from September 26ish to December 15thish. I've corresponded with her via e-mail and FaceBook. She seems very nice. She will be doing her Clinical at our clinic. She may be bringing a cat with her as well.

My mom really likes her place. The people there really treat her well and she is very happy. But I see her slipping away. She still has more good days than bad, but even on the good days so many memories are just plain gone. I do foresee many changes with her in the next few months and years. Most of them NOT good.

Randy is doing so much better with his kidney pain and that is truly a blessing. But now that he's stopped taking his pain meds for that, he's really noticed how painful his rheumatoid has gotten. The unusual humidity this summer is not helping either. His joints are swollen.

I'm hoping that with my blood clots and his restricts we will still be able to go out and do things now that we will have a little more time for that. I hope that we will be able to enjoy our empty-nest and fill it with outings, dates, vacations etc.

We had a great time with our friend, Joel last weekend. We love Joel! He makes us get out and do the things we want to do but never make time for.

We went to the Skirball Center for their Houdini Exhibit and looked over the whole place. The guys really enjoyed the Noah's Ark exhibit. It's made for kids and is interactive. But the guys thought it was the best part of the museum. The animals were made out of unusual items like the purse-bird crane, the house-key Yak, the ceiling vent zebra, the pasta sheep - you get the idea.

We were done by 2:00 and were hungry so we drove off down Sepulveda in search of a restaurant and realized we were right next to the Getty. We decided to eat at the sit-down restaurant there. It was very nice. Beautiful views and great food.

They had a wonderful photo exhibit on Cuba. We also looked around a bunch of the galleries. We've all been there several times and enjoyed just poking around. There was a big concert there and one of my co-worker's girlfriend was there for it and spotted me, but didn't say hi. She apparently told my coworker who texted me "Are you at the Getty?" Not stalkerish at all, LOL. We didn't stay, it was already so crowded! There was a back up for well over a mile to get in.

To round out our cultural experience, we went to the Paramount Swap Meet on Sunday. Then we ate at a Brazilian place called Amazon Churrascaria. It had nice ambiance and they bring out meat on swords to serve. We have one in Long Beach called Greenfield's which I like better. But the meat was great except for the garlic steak which was only o.k. Randy had the quail and they both tried the alligator. Not my cup of tea. Oh yeah, they also only had Pepsi products. YUCK!

We got Joel on the Amtrak right on time and I am enjoying my new purse purchased for $10. Real leather.

Fourth of July

2011-07-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing Fourth of July! Great food, great company, great fireworks.

I've been having Diana, Corina's sister come and help me get my house in order for the last two weeks. So, we cleaned and organized for two days before the Fourth. And then I started prepping all the food. Marinated about 10 pounds of tri-tip and 5 pounds of steak, and 10 pounds of chicken, 5 of lemon pepper and 5 of Italian. We also had about 40 burgers. I made a fruit salad with watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, raspberries and strawberries. Rounded it out with salad, bread, tortillas, chips and dips. Oh and for dessert cookies, cakes and Pru brought a pie from Polly's - Ban-Berry. A huge hit.

We got my mom around 2 and she had the best time. Christa and Trey were here for about an hour and a half; between Christa's jobs at Ikea and Jet Blue. Grandma was very glad to see them. We had a good time chatting about all the changes coming up. More about that later in the post.

Both April and her mom, Wanda, brought Gabriel Jr. over for my mom to see. What a good baby he is! April had him at the beach party Christa had for her birthday and everyone just loved passing him around and he was eating up all the attention. Never got fussy or cried. A truly good baby!

The kids came over from across the street and had fun with some building pads that Randy drug out. We also got out the canned whipped cream and squirted it into their mouths to see who could eat it without losing it or using their hands. Harold had a little mishap with that, LOL!

The fireworks were truly awesome this year. While I don't buy the "illegal in California" types, my neighbors have no such qualms and we got a 360 degree view of some really beautiful displays. My mom enjoyed them very much and could talk of nothing else for the next several days.

It was great to see Little Krysta again. She flew in from Michigan the day before. She is moving back to Cali to be near family and friends again. But her mom and little brother are still in Michigan. Not to mention the college and work friends she made there. It's hard to make these kind of decisions at 20.

Randy's LAST Kidney Stones Graphic Pix , Medical Descriptions

2011-06-23T01:02:00.000-07:00

From the last procedure! Inside Randy

Great news today! Randy went in for his ESWL (Extracorporial Shock Wave Lithotripsy) today at the Reagan Surgery Center. He brought his x-rays that showed the 2 mm and 3 mm stones that have been lodged in his kidney for basically 3 years. They were what was left over after his last procedure and after the ones over the past 2 years. He wanted to wait until after his colonoscopy so it's been about 6 weeks since his laser lithotripsy..

Before they were shards!

About 2 weeks ago, he had a small stone that passed without too much incident. Then for about a week, he's been uncomfortable and could feel a fairly large stone traveling and then right at the top of his bladder for about 2 days and yesterday, he passed it! He was able to retrieve it to take to the doctor. Here are the pix:

Pretty gross, right?

Well, I walked Randy to his appointment. The surgery center is right across the street from my work. I left my number and Christa's number with them as Christa was picking him up for me.

They took him back. Got him ready. Gave him the meds to make him sleepy. Started the scope and .... No kidney stones! They were gone. Completely. No sign! The doctor help up the one in the plastic bag to the x-ray. The profile matched! After all that time they picked the day before the surgery to come out. Randy didn't get the procedure as he no longer needed it!

Thanks to all our family and friends who kept him in their prayers! We feel truly blessed today!!!

Mother of the Bride's Dress picked! Father's day weekend.

2011-06-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

I finally picked out my Mother of the Bride's dress! This is the general style, but the color and fabric will be a little different. I also had them take the dress my mom wore at my wedding as a template for her dress. In a different color and length.

It was so good to see Frances again! She is just the BEST. I'm having my dress for Alexandria's wedding (2 weeks before ours) and my rehearsal dinner dress taken up at the shoulders. Pru went with us and she's getting the dress they got at Macy's altered to fit and Ummi will take hers in on Monday.

Christa brought her wedding dress in and they are going to put in a corset back as well as shorten it to fit her outrageous heels. They are also going to put in a way to bustle up the train. Looks VERY pretty!

They also have the vests that Christa wants for ushers! A bit of a contentious bone when I had bought a set of patterned pink vests after consulting her only to be told the groom didn't like them after they arrived. My real problem with that was he was very fast to say he didn't like them, but not willing to help find replacements. I was going to stand my ground on that one until Frances came up the exact ones Christa liked. Crisis averted.

I picked my mom up from her SNF and got her ready. Put on make up and curled her hair. The girls met me there, but we decided to take 2 cars to make everyone more comfortable. My mom is pretty good with everything except getting into and out of the car. She has the strength and ability, but the concepts are gone. We have to show her every time how to scoot back first then bring her legs in to get into the car and how to hold on to our necks to help lift her out. She can walk with her walker, but gets tired easily and prefers her chair.

When we go to Frances' whom should we meet, but my friend Corina and her daughter, Alexandria. They were bringing a straggling bridesmaid to get measured. It was a great time hanging out with each other as we planned our daughters' weddings!

After, Christa, Pru, Grandma and I went to lunch at Polly's. My mom is so funny now. Whenever we go out to eat, I have to remind her to not say anything about the prices and to find something she can eat on the menu without complaining. She usually likes the chicken pie, but she doesn't want it today. The girls decide what they want and I know what I want. I show her several things on the breakfast menu since she doesn't seem to want lunch items. I point out her favorite soup. Nothing is good. Christa tried to help and shows her a few things; she shakes her head. I say I'm really surprised that you don't want the chicken pie. She says, "They have chicken pie? That sounds great!" We all stifle laughs. The waitress comes and takes our order. She doesn't want anything to drink. Not even water. I order a water and a coffee for her. When the coffee comes, she adds 4 creamers and 2 sugars. Tastes it and says she needs more. One more creamer and 3 more sugars later and she loves it. We had a good time eating with each other.

Randy has to work this weekend so I took him to see the Green Lantern in 3D for Father's Day. I give it a C+. I really had hoped it would have had better 3D effects. It just wasn't that great. But there was a lot of eye-candy.

I also got him a cover for his Nook which he loved. Unfortunately, they messed up the rest of the order and sent Kindle accessories. But it was still cheaper than just the cover would have been at Barnes and Noble. And he can still use the light and the ear buds, so not a total loss!

T-Minus 3 months!!! & Wedding Stuff Arriving

2011-06-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today is T-minus three months! YIKES!!! We are two-thirds of the way there. Where did the time go? I guess when your daughter only gives you nine months to plan, it really does go quite quickly. But, I mean, it's long enough to make a baby, so it should be long enough to plan a wedding, right?

All week long all the stuff we ordered over Memorial Day has been arriving. The dishes that look like china, but are plastic (the venue doesn't allow any glass) arrived first. Then the box of napkins. They were cheaper to buy than to rent even with shipping. The non-personalized items from Oriental Trading Company (mostly stuff for the candy buffet and some pew clips) were next and then the vests for the groomsmen. It's like Christmas every time I come home and there's another box!

My dress from Bloomingdale's arrived. I was so excited, but sadly, it's too large and would need too many alterations to make it work. So back it goes this Sunday when I can get to South Coast Plaza again. I also got two pairs of shoes from after6.com. One of those needs to be returned as well. Also, the first set of vests from Overstock.com were the wrong ones, but I got the corrected order two days later, before I could even ship back the wrong ones. I also wound up exchanging the multi-colored dress from Nordstrom's for the one I wanted originally. They had my size in Cerritos, YAY!

So far we have the venue, the florist, the photographer, the videographer, the caterer, the bartenders, the party rentals, the photo booth, the D.J., the day of coordinator, the decorations, the linens, the candy buffet and most of the supplies, the wedding dress, the bridesmaid's dresses, favors, the overnight accommodations.

We still need some more candy, my dress, my mother's dress, a place for the rehearsal dinner, lights for the paper lanterns, transportation firmed up from the hotel to the venue and back for the guests, finishing up the OOT bags. I think that's about it. Still very doable!

In other news, still waiting for Fluffy to pop. She is so pregnant! According to Google (the giver of all knowledge) She should have been done at the VERY latest by last Wednesday. She just started looking for little hidey places last night. I'm hoping that's a good sign. It should be fun trying to find homes for kittens just before the wedding. Maybe I'll give them out as shower prizes?

We will be having our second and last garage sale for the year tomorrow. I could do probably two more, but I just don't have time. So, the garage and storage will just have to wait until next year.

I started a new program at my work called Calories In, Calories Out. I completed my initial evaluation on Monday and my first work out on Wednesday. It will be three times a week for then next three to six weeks. Alicia and I are their guinea pigs, along with a former patient. I'll let you know how it goes!

I spent time with Gillian this weekend. It was so good to see her! I dragged her to my company party at my boss' house. They won the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in both the men's and women's categories. Seventh year in a row for the men. First time for the women. It was quite a victory celebration!

Shopping for Mother of the Bride's dress and Memorial weekend. Or How I bought a $600 dress for 50 bucks!

2011-05-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am still tunneling through the things I brought back from Tucson as well as all the stuff I need to get rid of from here! We are going to have another garage sale on the weekend of the 11th. Trey and Christa came over and helped us get ready by moving things around since the stuff was just dumped where ever when I got back last week. Trey thought we should empty Grandma's living room, give it a thorough cleaning and put everything back in. I have to admit it was a good idea, but very tiring.

They also brought wonderful food and we had a really nice family bar-be-que with them. Very yummy and lots of left overs. Trey puts oil on everything he cooks and it does make it taste yummier.

After that, since Christa was here, we put in huge orders on line for various wedding stuff at Oriental Trading, Wedding Accessories.net (for all her Cherry Blossom items), and Smarty had a Party (for disposable china since we can't use glass at her venue. We charged so much that when I went to order a dress at Nordstrom's, they wouldn't take my debit card. I had to call fraud prevention and get it reactivated. I guess I'm happy that they are looking out for unusual activities, but a call would have been nice Chase! I mean, what if I would have been out shopping? THAT would have been so embarrassing!

Nordstrom's Dressing room with #1

Our friend's son, Siva, is going to UCI and occasionally we meet up to Auntie and Uncle him a bit. He decided we should go to South Coast Plaza. Good for me, I

need to pick up my dress! I think he might have been sorry for suggesting it, LOL. I wound up needing the dress in a smaller size. I'm not sure weather to say "Yeah, I'm toning up!" or "Yeah, Vanity Sizing!" Because I can believe I went down a dress size, but TWO dress sizes? I'm not so sure. They had it in the size smaller, but not any smaller than that. Dress Number One Picture.

Norstrom's Dressing Room Dress #2

They had the dress that Christa liked in my new size, so I tried that one on. Just didn't fit quite right. Then I tried on one that Randy picked out. I wound up getting it.

We had lunch with Siva at Macy's Wolfgang Puck's Bistro. Caught up with each others lives and had a great time. Sive, like me is not an Apple fan, so we snubbed them and went to the Sony Store. I didn't realize until after the mall closed, that there was also a MicroSoft Store. Oh well, next time. We bummed around for a while and then I saw it. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn in. BLOOMINGDALE'S.

$598 dress for $50 Not bad!

Big Brown Bag Sale. I picked out a couple of dresses, but didn't really like them. The sales lady, Lauren, was so sweet and so expert, she picked out things I would have never thought to try on. I had never even heard of David Meister. But I tried on this dress. Wrong Color! Short Skirt. Lots of Bling. I'm just doing it to be nice to her since she is so nice. It was fantastic on! I didn't notice the original price, but it was marked down to $99. I thought that was the sale price.

I hope someone has this in my size!

I tried on a halter dress she brought me in a size too small. Randy said I took his breath away in it. Well, when my husband says that, I don't care how much it costs, find me that dress in my size! Lauren checks. It is no longer on line. She says it is in one store in New York and 2 in New Jersey and they are both closed due to the time difference. She will call me tomorrow and let me know the results of her looking. Keep your fingers crossed!

I tell Lauren, I'm going to take the purple one regardless. She says, I know, that's such a deal on a $600 dress. I'm like what? She said, yes, it's David Meister. LOL I still don't know who he is, but I love his dress! So I ask timidly, Do I get 40% off the mark down or is that with the mark down? She lets me know that not only do I get the 40% off, since it's on clearance I get an additional 20% on top of that. I walk out of the store with that dress for $50.98 including sales tax!!!! Steal of the DAY!

I will probably take the Nordstrom's dress back. Or I may wear it for the rehearsal dinner.

Nordstrom's dress that might be going back

Siva in his new shirt. NICE

Although he really didn't want me to, I got Siva a cute shirt at American Eagle for all his patience! He's quite handsome in it and, ladies (around 20) he's single!

We did manage to stop by and see my mom. It was after hours so we only visited for a few minutes. How come everyone I've told in person that I just bought a $600 dress has asked, "For how much?" Am I really that predictable? LOL I think the answer is yes. My mom, Corina, Christa and even Alex all said exactly the same thing. I get such a rush out of getting deals!

So much done. So much to do!!! And Arizona Recap

2011-05-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

107 days to go. WHAT?!?! O.K. I'm done freaking for the moment. The menu is chosen. Catering contract signed. The venue contract is so confusing, but I think that's done as well, including the rehearsal the night before. Still looking for a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. The bridesmaids dresses are bought. Two of them fit perfectly, Christa is mailing the other to the third to try on. I still have no idea what I'm going to wear! Wedding invitations ordered. Save the Dates sent out. Trying to decide on plates, since we can't use china or anything glass. I am thinking of these. Or maybe these?

I have been trolling weddingbee.com for their classified and have found the napkins and overlays there. YAY!!! Still looking for other stuff including a DOC wedding planner. If anyone's use someone good, let me know!

My sister and I made it back with a TON of stuff from Tucson. My hubby is particularly happy with a leather recliner. Still trying to coordinate stuff to make it fit and decide what to keep and toss of my things.

Ginger in front of a cactus in Gila Bend on the way to Tucson

I left my house at 5:15 AM on Saturday morning and made it to Ginger's house around 6:30. I got used to the huge cargo van driving to her and was pretty comfortable controlling it. It was LOUD. Basically a tin can, but comfortable enough. Ginger, however, has control and anxiety issues I wasn't really aware of before this trip. She really didn't take too kindly to me taking an exit by changing across 3 lanes of the highway and hitting the exit at a speed she was not comfortable with. She say I hit the exit doing 80. I didn't. I was going about 45 when I hit the exit. She said the posted speed was 35. I pointed out that it was in yellow and was only a suggested speed. She claims she never heard of a "suggested speed". I pointed out it's in the California Driver's Handbook so it's a good think I'm driving since I'm apparently the only one in the car that had read it.

Why is there a bull in your neighbor's yard, Carole?

To add insult to injury, she insisted on paying for breakfast at the McDonald's I had spotted, hence the lane change and exit. Only to have her card turned down. She had transferred money the night before, but it hadn't gone through. Needless to say, it was not great for about the next 25 miles. But we got over it fairly quickly.

The next few hours were quite wonderful. We truly enjoyed ourselves. Talking, catching up, making jokes. Planning which casinos we were going to stop at. Close to the summit on I-8, we passed a bunch of beautifully restored classic cars. I don't know what was wrong with me on this trip, but I barely took any photos. I'm really sad now that I don't have much to post.

We hung out for about a half hour with my Aussie buddy, Johnny. There was some issues with actually meeting him so our time was short. But it was so good to catch up with him. He has such an exciting life. And he's single, girls!! He is in Yuma getting flight training for the defense contractor he works for. It's a Canadian company that hires Canadians and Australians to work in Afghanistan.

Gas really is cheaper in AZ

Back on the road and we got to Carole's around 3ish. Waited for her guy to get there and help us load, got everything in and got to catch up with her and Phil.

We had a nice time hanging out at dinner, but Tim had plans with his co-workers. He got home just as Ginger and I were going to bed. I got up and after much prodding from his mom, Tim decided to go see if he left his credit card at a bar he was at the night before. It's called, "Mr. Heads". Apparently because they serve beer, not because it's a gay bar. I'm just saying.

The only pic I got of Tim this time, his feet, LOL

Tim and I really had a nice chat about his life, graduating with his Master's, his new job, his new girl, the long summer without her, his new roommates. Two of them are archeologists. The kind that dig, lol. He's really looking forward to having quirky roommates.

We were out the door by 6:30 the next morning. The I-8 is a a lot scarier going back into California then coming out of it. Especially when you have a screamer sitting next to you. But we made it back. Well, we did stop at a casino for 2 and a half hours, but we were doing so well. We even left $10 richer than when we arrived. So not too shabby!

Fully loaded van, side view.

Pepper the Wonder Dog

Fully loaded (we could have taken more) van

I'm afraid I was not too social when we got to Ginger's. I would have liked to visit more with my nephew and grand-nephews, but I just didn't have it in me. I left after they unloaded her stuff and came to my house. Luckily, Randy had help for us here as well. We unloaded the sofa sleeper and leather chair and cedar chest with their help. They were on their way to church so we had some well-dressed movers. Then Randy and I finished. We then went to Christa's to take advantage of the van and got her futon and dining table and chairs she wants to sell at the next garage sale.

This Memorial Day Weekend, we will be getting ready for our garage sale on the 11th of June. Gotta pay for this wedding somehow!

Arizona here we come!

2011-05-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to pick up the cargo van today from my friend, Elliot at Enterprise Rentals. Should be a fun lunch. Christa and Trey are picking me up at work running to the rental place, driving the van home, then having them drop me back at work. Oh yeah, and finding something carb-friendly to eat along the way. No problem.

Tomorrow I will be on the road around 5 or 5:30. Pick up my sister, Virginia in Temecula and then off to Tucson to pick up some furniture from my sister, Carole, who is moving to Savannah. Can't wait to see my now credentialed and Master's Degreed nephew, Tim. So proud of him! He is going to be a GREAT teacher!

Still trying to get the final details worked out with the venue. The lady that runs the events is very nice, but is also very concerned with covering her um... self. So she runs everything by her supervisor. We are trying to get enough time in to get the rentals there the day before as well as most of the decorating and get a rehearsal in too. Trying to figure out the timing is interesting to say the least.

My patient, Tess, suggested that we try restaurant.com to see if we like the food at the restaurants that have been suggested for the rehearsal dinner. We are going to try Raffelo's and J.Trani's. We are also looking at using Hotel Current's patio/pool area and hiring a taco cart. YUM! I love taco carts and it's very So. Calish.

Since I'm out of town this weekend, I started a community page for my mom on www.lotsahelpinghands.com It's a place where friends and family can coordinate care for people, organizations and events. Since I can't get over to see my mom, I listed Visiting Evelyn as an event and almost immediately my friend Corina picked up the weekend visits. Thank you, Corina! But the idea is that if people know what is needed and it is shared with lots of other people, more things will get done without burning people out. It is great because you only commit to what you want to do at times/days that are convenient for you. The needs of the person are listed so nothing gets over-looked and no one takes on more than they want to or feel comfortable doing. I'm really an advocate for this site!

Well, time to get dressed. I hope to have lots of pix and video of our weekend adventure to post on here soon!