Queen B

Archive for the ‘Serious Fun’ Category

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A good life

In Big time stuff, Serious Fun on August 6, 2011 at 10:43 pm

Isn’t living a good life the best revenge?  I think it is.

I can do one better.  I have a great life.

Yesterday was my 41st birthday, and I spent it with my absolute favorite people on the whole planet.  Doing fun stuff together which ended up NOT including the Lollapalooza festival.  You know, plans change.

It went down like this:

My husband won two tickets for each of the three days of the festival from a local radio station.  We decided quite some time ago that if it was an either/or situation, he would take our son because the two of them know more of the bands and are more interested in that stuff than myself or my daughter.  If we could swing it, we planned on either winning (hopefully) or buying another three-day pass for me and getting a hotel room for the weekend to have a whole weekend birthday celebration (kids 10 and under are free to Lolla so it would have worked out with just three tickets).  Then we saw the jacked up prices on the hotels.  Ridiculous!!  Plans changed and we instead decided to sell off our Saturday and Sunday tickets, use some of that money to purchase a Friday ticket for me and head down for my birthday proper.  The hubby didn’t want to split up on my birthday.

When we arrived, it was a madhouse.  We hadn’t won a ticket for me, and we couldn’t find anyone selling them, either.  The line to get inside looked like it was taking at least an hour.  AND we could see the crowds inside, and they looked brutal, even early.  Oh, add to that the text I had gotten from my mom about flash mob race riots (against my race, incidentally) in Milwaukee and the levels of alcohol consumption by the people not yet inside the festival (very high) and it was an easy decision to sell off those last two tickets.  For a profit, of course.

Instead we kicked around the city on the $$ made from won tickets.  Hit my favorite vegan diner, an awesome guitar shop, and watched a funny movie.  My husband was sweet to me, and has treated the entire weekend as a holiday.  Lovely.

I got the right one.  For sure.  Not that there was ever any doubt.

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New visitor

In Serious Fun, Things we've put the ground on July 25, 2011 at 7:13 pm

Just a quickie today!!

This friend sat for many, many minutes so my daughter could snap the following photograph…

20110725-071331.jpg

It’s the first we’ve found still enough to photograph with the phone or camera, and it made us both far too happy for words.

Happy Monday, everyone!

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Lucky Boys

In Serious Fun, The little roomies on May 25, 2011 at 12:39 am

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but my husband is a very lucky man.

No, not just because I married him, although that was quite a stroke of luck for him if I do say so….

Just in general, he’s a lucky guy.  He’s always winning stuff.  Usually from the radio.  Concert tickets, CD’s, a trip to Vegas, the laptop I write these posts on.  Together we won a photo contest sponsored by Pepsi once from a Chicago radio station that scored me a diamond pendant and my son a good start on a college education ($$) along with a year’s supply of Pepsi.  That was a good one.

By the way, everyone should drink Pepsi.  All the time.

It would appear that my son is equally gifted in the luck department.  His very best friend has just at the last-minute invited my son to go along on his 8th grade Promotion gift trip from the grandparents.

Phew, that was a long one!  Did you stay with me there?

My son’s friend is getting a trip from his grandparents as a gift for passing through middle school and moving on to high school.  A golfing trip, to be more exact.  He could have gone anywhere in the world, done anything he wanted.  He wanted to golf.  Since his trip is decidedly more local than his siblings requests had been (as in he is staying in the boundaries of the US), he gets to bring a friend.  My lucky son.

This Friday they will be leaving on a whirlwind, week +2 day long, all expense paid golfing trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina.  Multiple rounds of golf, Atlanta Braves game, ocean view villa.  Check, check, and check.  His golfing daddy doesn’t get experiences like this (and is quite jealous, I might add).

Holy hell, I don’t remember anyone saying anything about a horse shoe when I gave birth to this one, but he’s gotta have one in there somewhere.

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Rock out

In Badass Ideas, Serious Fun, They're... family? on February 26, 2011 at 9:31 pm

My darling husband made an appearance at the open mic night at our local Borders this Friday.  I love his original stuff, but sometimes a girl’s gotta make a request.


Crisis averted

In Serious Fun on November 26, 2010 at 8:15 pm

I figured out a way to get rid of that black pre-holiday cloud that has been hanging over my head.

Works every time.

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No pictures

In Punishment for what?, Self-deprecating humor, Serious Fun on November 1, 2010 at 3:11 pm

So…. I may have over drank a bit on Friday night.  I had a blast right up until that moment when I realized that my fun was about to end abruptly.  OK, I definitely over drank on Friday night.  It wasn’t pretty for anyone involved.

I’m praying there is no photographic evidence of the evening, and since I’m usually the one with the damned old camera I’m guessing there is none.  Although I’m sure the swan avoid the photograph much more gracefully than I would have.

On another note, today is my husband’s birthday.  I have recovered JUST IN TIME.

Happy Birthday, Craig… and happy Monday to the rest of you out there!

P.S. Don’t forget to vote tomorrow.  Just because you care is reason enough.

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The odd couple

In Serious Fun on October 26, 2010 at 7:41 am

My husband is 100% hooked on the television.  It has been his friend since childhood.  He says it’s the brother he never had.  He has a brother.  That’s a whole different story.  He knows it, he can quote nearly anything that’s been on it since 1970, he loves it.

Me, not so much.

I’m not saying that I hate television.  Quite the opposite, really.  I like it.  I just don’t LOOOOVVVVVVE it like my husband.  I’ll watch certain shows regularly, a couple of shows if I’m really bored and happen to be flipping channels, some for information purposes (HGTV).  However, when my husband isn’t home, it doesn’t usually occur to me that the television would need to be on.  My kids will even ask for permission before they turn it on to watch.  Is that odd?

Recently, when I came home from the grocery store, my kids had the Beastie Boys jamming on the Blue Ray player through the television and speakers in the family room.  Exactly as I would prefer, and when I walked in it brought a smile to my face.  It was surprising, though.  It’s not often I get to walk in to music.

My husband was slaving (because of course I am a TYRANT) in the basement.  We’re trying to finish it, you see.  Sometime before my demise would be nice, thanks.  I went down to tell him I was home and commented that the kids were completely rocking out, and he said happily “It reminds me of when we were dating.  Whenever I would come up you would have the Beastie Boys playing really loud at your townhouse.”

I also had a beer in my hand, but that was neither here nor there.

Which brings me to the point that I get completely irritated by the amount of television watched in this house.  Increased tele = decreased accomplished.  THIS is why I am regarded as a TYRANT.  Why, o’ why would you want to do something that decreases your motivation and simultaneously irritates your mate?  I can’t answer that.  When something as simple as turning on the stereo takes you back to “the good ol’ days” when things were simpler, and easier, possibly happier, would you do it?  It was a time that was certainly less stressful, at the very least.

Music in the house makes everyone happy, everyone productive, everyone pleasant.  Especially me.  I’m not always a tyrant.  I even danced in my family room for a bit.

I don’t remember ever dancing to the television.  Sitting, yes.  Sleeping?  Definitely.  Find me the upside to that.

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Rise up

In Big time stuff, Serious Fun, The little roomies on October 15, 2010 at 10:01 pm

We started a new running circuit today.  Our distances were varied, rather than all the same, the walking portions shorter and the running portions longer.  It was time to increase our distance.  As we drove to the track (yes, we run on a track for measuring purposes for now, that will end eventually), CC was quiet.  When we got out of the car, she was pouty, too.  She whined when I asked her if she wanted to start by running into the sun, or end running into the sun.  Serious attitude coming out of the not-even-a-teen-yet girlie.  It was pitiful.

I told her how I had plotted the distances we had to get in.  Of course she had to change up the plan!  She wanted to do the longest running portion first, to get it over with while she had the most energy.  I could tell that she didn’t have confidence that she could run it.  We stretched and started running at her pace.  I could run it much faster if I had been alone, but this isn’t about me.  We’re in this together.  A. flew ahead because he’s already a good runner.  CC has given him the nickname “The Rocket” because he can run so much faster than the two of us that he totally laps us..  It’s almost comical, he makes it look like we’re standing still.  We chugged along together.  We were behind, but we were together, and I was encouraging her the whole time.

Of course she did it, and with much less effort than she had anticipated!

Watching my daughter rise up to meet a challenge is quite a sight.  The quiet confidence that comes when she’s conquered something that she didn’t expect to accomplish is enough to bring a mama to tears.  Needless to say, she was a completely different child on the way home from the track.  Talking fast, and excitedly telling me everything that came to her mind. She actually said that she could do anything that she put her mind to.

I knew that she could do it all along.

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The ivy

In Big time stuff, Nothing to it but to do it, Serious Fun on September 29, 2010 at 8:47 am

I was lucky enough to attend a Cubs game last weekend. Bleachers, no less. My cousin had a friend with tickets they couldn’t use, and we were the first ones who were available and willing! Lucky us!! We had to do some rearranging of the soccer schedules, but it was well worth it. We’re always up for a Cubs game.

My girlfriend’s late father was a huge Cubs fan. HUGE. He had forced a trimming from the ivy at Wrigley (back when the bleachers weren’t quite so policed by security crew) and grew it on his house. After he passed, the family had to sell the house and the new owners RIPPED IT DOWN.  They obviously had no idea what they were doing. Stupid, stupid people.

My friend was always upset about that. She didn’t think about what it meant to her until it was gone.

When I realized that I would be in the bleachers over the weekend, my girlfriend and I  devised a plan which included me grabbing a piece of the ivy from the wall without being ejected from the park.  So that she could plant it in on the farm to remember her parents’ house, and her family, but mostly to remember her dad’s love of the Cubs. It was a BIG LOVE. I went to the game prepared. I wet a paper towel and put it into a baggie in my backpack so that the cutting wouldn’t dry out and die before I could get it home. I researched online what I needed to do to get it to take root once it was home. My friend and I planned the best place for the ivy to grow on her farm once I got it to her.

Oh my word, they have the bleachers locked up like Fort Knox these days! There are two separate fences to keep the drunks in the bleachers and off of the field, and subsequently away from the precious ivy. Additionally, who knew they were so damned meticulous about trimming that fucking ivy, anyhow? Not one tiny little tendril was out-of-place. They couldn’t let ONE PIECE grow up to the bleachers? We walked the wall from one end to the other and not a single piece of ivy was within reach. I was bummed.

We eventually left the park (read: got kicked out by security), and I was hoping that the ivy they had planted a few years prior had taken hold on the outside of the park. I thought it might be better than nothing. We walked ALL THE WAY AROUND the ballpark. No ivy at all. Apparently the ivy on the outside didn’t get enough sun because of the overhang from the bleachers above. WHATEVER!!

I found a gate that was at field level, and the maintenance door to the field was just inside and open. I stood there for a long time looking in and onto the field, wondering what I was going to do to pull this off. I admit that I was sad, thinking that I was failing, when I saw some guy walking down the corridor.

Texting. Completely disinterested.

I got his attention, but he acted like he was going to just keep on walking by. His texts must have gotten pretty interesting though, because he stopped right next to where I was standing. I waited for a second in disbelief before I asked him if he could do me a favor. It would mean a lot to me. Could he get me a piece of ivy from the wall? Something with some leaves on it?

Holy Cow!!!  Like, for real.  I apologize for the crappy cell phone picture, but I was so excited I was near tears.  It is a piece of ivy, from the actual wall, from within the field.

Oh, and the Cubs won 7-3.  Against the CARDINALS!!  Mr. Maher would’ve loved it.

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No fair

In Badass Ideas, Serious Fun on September 23, 2010 at 10:51 pm

Here is the deal.

I was riding in the car with my kids and my parents, showing my mom the trampoline pictures in my camera.  There were about three hundred.  She said that it looked like the pictures that they take on America’s Next Model.  Of course she meant the jumping for a shot, not so much the looking like supermodels.

*** In case that was unclear ***

I looked over her shoulder at the photographs to try to see what she was seeing, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.  My friend looks like she is posing for the camera in midair.  Me?  I look like I’m pooping.  For real?  Whenever I am in the frame, something comes over me.  It just doesn’t seem fair.

Be good, everyone.  Be happy.

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