Happy Fourth Of July!
From Illinois! Tinley Park Benches 2015! The theme is “Heroes and Villains”. Me and the BF walked the empty streets this afternoon and came across this one (out of twenty) that I thought would be perfect as a post today and a good way to pick up where I left off. As this site becomes more and more random, I still like to try and make the occasional effort for purpose and meaning. Remember why we celebrate even if it’s just for a minute or two while waiting for the fireworks to start. My son will soon be out there as part of the bigger picture. This time next year he will be far from here, doing things, and going places he can’t even begin to imagine yet. He’s excited for his life to keep moving forward. I’m excited for him (and just a little bit nervous because life does keep moving forward). But more about that later. Graduation and going away. Plenty of news to come, and a Really. Big. Party. But for today, just this. Have a safe and happy holiday! Later.
The Kids Wanted To Touch The Mississippi River
So I let them. I let them climb down a rocky, steep embankment, to lean over and touch the freezing cold, fast moving, dangerously currented big river. I was nervous they would slip and fall in and be lost forever. They swim good, but this is a big, fast, scary river even when it looks slow from the side. I know because I also climbed down there like a dum dum to touch that cold ass water, and I don’t swim as good as them so I probably really would have drowned if I fell in. Tourists. But I was fine. And they were fine. And there’s the picture.
November Near The Mississippi
We went to Memphis for Thanksgiving. It was really nice actually. That’s where the BF’s family lives. We went to Graceland. We took the tourist picture. I’m going to post it as a bonus, just for you, my special friends, who actually take the time to read this sketchy blog every few months or so. Please enjoy this piece of American culture!
Happy Father’s Day!
Another year. I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by great dads my whole life. My kids are equally lucky. I don’t know how I managed it, but I am thankful. To all those daddies out there putting in their time, it’s worth it, keep at it, you got this! You are making a difference. And of course, I can’t let an opportunity go by to post my favorite picture. One dad. Standard issue. Military grade. I see you more and more every day when I look in the mirror at my wrinkly forehead and my squinty pale eyes. It’s weird, but it’s working.
Fall Flower Close Ups For My Family On Friday
I am really working the “F” thing. Sorry for that. But I mean, what the hell. I have the pictures. Now I have to go to work but still try to stay relevant in the blogger world. If all goes according to plan, this will be my last day as a floor nurse and a PM shifter. It’s kind of slippery to slide work news in between fancy flower pictures, but, bombshell info, I will be switching to days next week and also becoming the manager of my unit. Pause for applause. Thank you. And did I mention that it’s Monday through Friday with no weekends, except for on-call every 4 weeks?? Taking the next steps in an upward position. Kind of scared actually, but I think I can do this job. And I think I can do it well. It’s a boatload more responsibility dealing with patients, families, corporate and state regulations and regulators. My new boss, who used to do the job that I will be doing, has been asking me every few days for the last few weeks if I still want to do this. Will I sign? Am I sure? Not in a negative way, but in the positive way to be sure that I don’t change my mind. How bad can it be when you have the support of the previous job holder? I type, so naively. My coworkers are already calling me boss, and I have been working on a clever post-it note system of employee relations that I want to incorporate for when I have to discipline or encourage any of my former co-workers. Everyone loves post-it notes, and wouldn’t it be less of a blow to get yelled at via post-it note? I think so. I’m going to color coordinate and everyone gets to pick their own. It’s also interactive! And that’s all there is to it right? Hahahaha. Soooo delusional. Anyway, more on that later. I will also be going back to school. Corporate has already heavily advised me that it would be a good idea. So, as usual, let’s jump in the pool, both feet forward and off the ground. No turning back, cause it’s too late when you’ve already signed on the dotted line. In even more news, I have to get my first mammogram next week. Also something I am nervous about. So, welcome again, !, and happy October. We have job news, school news and boob news. This site really has everything! Please share and share and share! Now, let’s see if any of my family still reads this. Just kidding. I’m gonna call all those crazies personally in the next hour. But in the meantime, here’s another picture. It’s orange. Later.
13 Minutes On The Oven Timer That Rules My Life
And these children, who periodically shout out to me, from the other room, to go take a shower because they want me to drive them someplace before work. At any rate, this is the only picture I will ever be using of myself and the kids for a very long time. They are good looking and photogenic. I am not. I am breaking my cardinal rule of never having myself in a picture, because I actually kind of like this one. My daughter took it and BW’d it so I would appear more attractive. Also I am in the back, stretched a bit. This should give me a few more years play before I have to take another picture. This was from the Zoo Day that I still haven’t posted from. It’s coming I promise. And below, are 3 more pics, that you will also be seeing in the “About Us” section, if you ever look there, which I really don’t anymore, but have to, because I desperately need to update it. I was saving these just for that, but I was feeling like I needed something fast, and this was ready, and extremely general as a subject. Plus, my kids like seeing themselves when they open my page. The color version:
Not too bad of us. That’s the same zoo, just another angle, and in color. Here is an action shot, also the zoo:
But the really risky one is below. From the beach. The beach. This is the morning we let our snake go free. I should prob post the zoo and beach pictures next, now that I have brought it up again because it’s a good chance to clear out another folder. But that damn work bell is calling. I have off tomorrow, and I am going to try to post more, but it’s school registration day, which I think I already talked about, and I have an entire list of things that I need to do before the weekend, that I have to work. Bummer. And speaking of lists…I figured out how to post the BF’s weekend list he texted me. I’m going to give it it’s own separate posting so I can add the pictures to accompany all the fun we had. We did the entire list, plus more. I think I said that already too. It will be much more exciting for you, and you will really feel like you were doing all these things with us, if you can see the pictures with the words. It’ll be like a virtual reality, activity, participation, picture thing. Now you know you want to hang around for that. Plus it’s 100%, completely and utterly, no strings attached, FREEEEEEEEE!!! And you can jump off the fun bandwagon, if it gets to be too much, or take a potty break whenever you want, at any time, by just clicking away from this site! YOU control the adventure! Now in case you forgot, here is that beach picture of me and my kiddies. First and last. Have a great day!
Memory Intermission
As opposed to the “Daily Life Intermission” I was going to do. My mom just brought over this CD that my brother found at a garage sale somewhere. This was my favorite book as a young person for a very long time. And it was the first book that I ever spent my own money on. And it’s also the book I used to read to my brother when he was little. If you don’t know, it’s a book of seemingly funny, rhyming, short and long, poems. Easy to read and so lighthearted that you don’t even realize that you are getting some serious, touching, emotional, and real-life views, without being bogged down in somberness. I did not even know there was a CD. And I did not know that he remembered about all the time we spent going through this book. It was a lot. And a long time ago. I will be listening to this, in my car, on the way to work, in about an hour or so. I hope it’s good. I’ve never heard the author’s voice or even heard anybody else read these poems out loud except my teacher in 4th grade who read it to me. Well, not just to me. The whole class, but it felt like me alone. So, anyway, even if the CD is complete crap, it will stay with me now. Thank you so much Tom! Even though you probably hate to admit it, or recognize the very small amount of mushy I am about to throw out right here, I guess you will always be my little brother. Love and hugs.
Fleur Deux
Back from CPR. All renewed. Certified to save lives. Went to a late lunch with the kids. Bought a few groceries to make a dinner, but we’re all to full to eat anything else. Went to buy bird seed but they rearranged the Menard’s by our house and we couldn’t find any. Came home. Put cozy clothes on. Kids are lounging. The girl finished all of her thank you notes from the party last weekend-ago. 11 days. Not too bad. Will mail in the AM. Laundry is laundering. Will finish the extra chores tomorrow. That will be the last day off for me before the kids leave to go to Kentucky like they do every year for the Fourth of July. My number one thing to do tomorrow is…dunt dunt dunt….The Benches!!
My son hates hates HATES doing this yearly walkabout. Hates it. Hates it. I could never type it enough. But I make him go because I am creating memories. This is what I am talking about:
The Village of Tinley Park decorates park benches every year with a different theme then places them out on a main road in front of the businesses for all the people to see. We go every year and take pictures of them. We go every year. We walk. And take pictures. It was a free, and what I thought was a fun thing to do, with the kids when we were very poor. It’s still free. But now we get ice cream or some food after we walk. Even so, my son hates it. Hates doing it. Hates walking. Hates stopping to take pictures. He complained almost the entire time we were out last year. And I do mean, literally, complained and pissed and moaned for the ENTIRE time it took to walk up and down that main street. My daughter just goes along. And it’s only one time. When we are done, we’re done. It’s not like I go see them every week. Such hard lives. Lots of people walk the area to see them. It’s not like I am the only one, dragging listless, whiny, crying near-adult-teenagers along behind me. Anyway, these (above and below) are from last year:
It’s nice right? And HA! I just double-extra-bonus posted. Flowers/Nature AND The Benches. (They have their own category to the right there. Just click on “Big Benches” or here, and you can see all the different ones throughout the years.) It is additional credibility for my argument to continue our fine tradition, these pictures, posted online, for everyone to see and enjoy. In case you can’t get out or live too far away. It’s a public service we are providing. Now my kids can’t say that I, “never put them on the site anyway, mom, so what’s the point??” Ca c’est fin. That’s the end. Later.
Pictures.
I wanted the sunset. I got 50 pictures of the same 2 girls standing in front of the sunset. Or kneeling in a field. Or standing or bending or posing in some way. I totally want to do one of those multiple-picture-boxes-in-one type things, so you can see that I am not exaggerating. But according to Stevie, I don’t have the app or the time to get this together in the next 20 minutes. Bummer. I will work on that. I could probably save a lot of time posting all the pictures at one time in one big picture. And FYI, that’s the underwater pictures I have. A collage type shot. Still coming. Not forgotten. Then you’ll see what I mean. Anyway, these two are my favorites, one above, one below.
And then I threw in the only, single, un-peopled picture of the sunset taken.
And after talking to some of my cousins at the party, they requested that I post MORE flower pictures. I guess they really love them. So I will get on that for you guys! There is an entire summer of blooming beauties to be found! Thanks for all the feedback and creative input! I have to get in the shower and get out of here. But here is a shot of the flowers in front of my house to keep you busy with until I get back. Love you guys. XO. Later.
Let’s Take It Down A Notch With My Third Pic From The New Phone
Life is not all that serious. But you know, I get caught up in the typing and before you know it, a five paragraph essay on mortality appears. The above picture illustrates the life-shortening things we did on my last weekend off. First we went and saw Fast 6. It’s a good movie. If you like those kind of movies. And we do.
Spoiler Alert! Seriously. I will be typing info of the spoiler variety right now. If you have seen any of these movies, you know they tease you at the end. Well, guess what? There’s gonna be a Fast 7. I won’t say how they do it, but if you are like me, you might say to yourself, “You know who they should get for these movies? Jason Statham.” And you would tell all the people around you, right away, at the beginning of the movie, because it’s a British, military-type bad guy in this one, and be really annoying about it. But then you’d be totally validated at the end and all self-satisfied ’cause you’re so smart. You could totally be a movie producer person. Whatever.
After the movie we went and got my new phone. Yay! Not gonna lie again. It’s awesome! It’s a beautiful phone. Samsung Galaxy S4, in case you missed that bit of info in my last mush post. It’s all Otter Box’d up so I don’t ruin it at work or in life. Plus it’s not very recognizable in it’s case so bitches can’t steal it! Ha. I also have it functioning now the way I like it, except for a ringtone. I am still trying to figure out if I should go back to my previous one (PriceTag–Jessie J or Peace Of Mind–Boston) or pick a new one altogether. Life is sooo hard right?
Then we went to Sam’s Club for alcohol and hot peppers to bring over to the BF’s mom’s house, because she was making dinner, roast beef sammy’s, because the BF’s brother, was in town from Oregon where he lives now. Whew. Got all that? I could have summed that up better, but I have a little time here to spread my typing wings. So obviously we got wine. Apothic Red–the best mixed red, for the best price, hand’s down, in my opinion, of all the brands that I have tried, right now. I posted about it before. The other wine. Ehh. It was OK. I think we got a bad bottle. Smelled and tasted almost like it was spoiled. Compromised. The cork was really dry and it had that sharp vinegar whiff to it. We drank it though. No ill effects noted. And since we were at the big warehouse center for giant, low-cost items, and we needed more Jack, we bought the economy size bottle. I mean, come on, that’s just smart money. And the peppers. Which were tasty and pretty hot actually and pretty much the smallest jar you can buy there. And a pair of jeans for the boy. He can never find Levi’s in his size, because most stores only get, like, 2 pairs of his, per shipment. But there they were, on the giant table of Levi’s, just waiting for him to come along and riffle through the pile. If you have ever been to Sam’s, you know they check your receipt and your items before you walk out of the door. So we were all carrying something; the wines, the giant Jack, the giant pepper jar; and the lady that checked our stuff said, “Ok, you got, what…wine, bottle, peppers, OK, well yeah, it looks like you got everything you need right there, uh huh.” And off we went. Layed everything so nicely in the trunk and snapped the pic with my new toy. Then we went to the dinner (delicious) and drove the kids out to their dad’s for an overnight.
Sunday was kind of lazy but chore driven. Laundry. (Which honestly, got done, completely–folded and put away–but is now back with a vengeance. I HATE laundry so much.) Breakfast. Where I met the 102 year old lady and her younger sister, a sprightly 95. Then more laundry when we got back home. (This was a before and after session of laundry. There was a lot.) Then we had pizza for dinner and waited for the kids to get home. That was their first and last week of summer vacation. Athletic camps are now in session, starting today, and they will be busy for the duration. I believe school starts for them about August 11 or 19. Yet to be determined. I don’t have a schedule yet anyway. So it’s a mystery. Well, it’s not really a mystery. I could spoil the surprise for them by looking on the school website, but I will let them dream of long, lazy, summer days and nights for a few more weeks.
And that’s it for now. Exciting re-cap of a day-in-the-life, huh? Now do you see why I fear getting old? Boring. Laundry. Breakfast. Alcohol. Oh. Alcohol. That must be the key. Drink and you will forget that you are getting older. As I said yesterday, I really do have a doctor appointment to get to. So I need to end this. My hip still hurts, but I think alcohol could probably fix that little problem too. Hmm. I suppose exercise might achieve that same result. Build up some strength to stave off the decaying process. Maybe I’ll try both. Drinking would probably make the exercise easier and more enjoyable, with less pain. Or send me to the ER with a dislocated hip ASAP. Still, with less pain. Did I mention that I have to get weighed, along with the B/P check and whatnot? That’s what is really going to cause me pain. I will follow up. Expect a new series of exercise-healthy-losing-weight-live-forever-type posting to start appearing in this lazy space. Later.
just shy of pretty 