Sometime Around Midnight

Up close and personal w/ Mikel from TATE

Last week I decided to pull myself off of the couch and go downtown with the girls to see a show at HOB. The Airborne Toxic Event (TATE) was headlining. I wasn't too familiar with the band. I only knew the song that is overplayed on 92.3, "Sometime Around Midnight."

Arrived at HOB and all I can say is WOW. Airborne was amazing. Their music is so raw, so honest. I couldn't get enough of it.

After the show we went for Margarita's at Zocalo. While we were sitting on the patio getting sloppy, we see Mikel and Steven from the band, walking down fourth street. We invited them over to join us for drinks. Learned from Mikel that "Sometime Around Midnight" is about a girl from Cleveland who broke Mikel's heart. Cleveland rocks, yo!

Next, we ventured over to Flannery's and met up with the rest of the band. Beers, beers and more beers. I think there were some shots thrown in there also. Kind of a blur, but here are a few pictures from the night.

Love the drummer's crazy mustache. He was a trip. If you aren't familiar with TATE, I highly recommend getting some of their music.

Hail and Farewell~

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.   Not in a bad way.  Not in a good way.  Just in a way.  Just life.

Easter was wonderful, filled with lots of family time and sugar overload.  

About a week before Easter, a good friend of ours lost his father to cancer.  It brought back painful memories of losing my Dad to the same brutal disease.  We attended the wake and funeral, and while doing so we saw friends from the Army that we have not seen in years.  

We all had so much fun while stationed at Fort Drum,  living day to day as Officers and Officers Wives.  Hail and Farewells.  Tearing up the town, Watertown! Deployments to Bosnia.  

 So every bit of it was bitter sweet.  It was great seeing old friends but unfortunate as to why we were together again.  We always talk about having a Watertown/Fort Drum reunion, and that's going to be something I am going to start working on. So get ready Watertown, NY....we are coming back!

Take Your What Off?

Jen, Jess, Jodie & Carie before the madness began

As soon as Jess picked me up Saturday night I knew it was going to be a goodie.   We couldn't stop laughing and this was pre-vodka and raspberry beer.  It's just what the doc ordered.  You see, all my lovelies are going through lots of crap right now.  Jen is in the middle of a divorce.  Jess and her dude broke up.  Carie's man recently moved to Philly for work.  My husband is addicted to Call of Duty on the Wii (just kidding babe ;)

We started the night at Garage Bar where we consumed one to many of these:

 After some bootie shaking we walked across the street to Bier Market for one then jumped in a cab and headed downtown to Maproom.  Maproom was a blast and a blur.  I ran into one of my favorite Cleveland bloggers from White-Collar redneck.

If you haven't read his blog yet, get off this page and re-direct.  It's some good stuff.

We all made it home Saturday night in one piece.  My stomach still hurts from laughing and my head still hurts from drinking, but it was well worth it.

HAPPY 2009~

Nothing says Happy New Year like a punch in the gut from your buddy in a battle of Hulk Hands...

Or, a nice warm, hug from your sibling to ring in 09...

Wishing everyone the best year ever!

BE OKAY~

Inspired by Nina, this is to my girls who need it most. 

 There is a lot of hurt in my circle of friends right now.  It seems like everyone has some stuff going on that is making for some heavy hearts.  

Also, in a couple of days will mark the two year anniversary of the loss of a dear, dear friend.

This is and now will forever be a hard time of year as we remember the life of Mike, who touched us all in so many ways.  

Click  here and know we will all be okay!

CH-CH-CH-Changes~

Well our day and night without kids is over and it is back to the daily grind.

We went to Stacia's party on Saturday but only stayed for a couple of hours.  She lives kinda far away so a lot of people wanted to get closer to home the later it got.  So we were back in our neck of the woods by 9pm.  Everyone wanted to go out and usually going out is going to a bar.  

I have to realize that when we are kid-less, we don't need to go to a bar, there are other things to do.    For some reason I am still programed that way.  

I am sure it didn't help that I was in a bad mood.  So as much as I didn't want to be around people, I'm sure they didn't want to be around me also.

It's hard to explain, but I feel like a lot of things are changing around me.  I always thought that I embraced change, but now I am not so sure.  There are new relationships, new break-up's, new people,  and it's harder for me to get used to than I thought it would be.  

R.I.P. BCBG~

Oh man...
Imagine your favorite shoes.
A beautiful pair of BCBG's that you have eyeballed in the store many times.

Finally you decide to treat yourself to the shoes because you are that in love with them.

My dear friend Jessica came over Saturday night and left her shoes in the living room while we all chilled in the sun room and relaxed over some wine.
A couple of hours passed and Jess was getting ready to leave. She went to get her shoes and could only find one. So her and I began to look under couches, tables, chairs. We were even lifting up cushions.
No luck.
Then Jess asked the dreaded question..."What about Archie."
In most instances of a missing shoe, Archie would be the first thing we'd turn too. However, this evening, we were all out in the sun room (including the dog) all night, so I assumed there was no way Archie could of got them.
I took a look in the back yard and there was a trail of shoe. A trail of glorious brown leather, other parts and pieces. Then I saw the remains.
Damn, did I feel like shit.
I offered to buy a new pair of shoes, I offered to kick the dog a few times, anything to help ease the pain of the loss.

I can not wait for Archie to get out of this psycho puppy stage. He will be 1 next month, and I think another 6 months and we should be good.
Hopefully I will still have friends by then.

B.F.F.

Wednesday night I met some of the girls for Sushi and drinks. Simone was in town from Florida and Jen was out in rare form, ready to party. In a nut shell, the night was...

Non stop talking; non-stop listening.

Lot's of laughter. Lot's of love.

Open hearts.

Admitting our faults and what we need to fix.

Tears for the loss of loved ones.

Celebrating our lives.

Making plans.

Making up.

Looking ahead and looking behind.

Consoling a friend who just lost their Mom.

Covering up a friend who was done for the night.

It was supposed to be just dinner, and become so much more. Good times. Love my gals always.

I've been up since the butt crack of dawn. Went out first thing and voted. I then had a lovely lunch with Jen, Chippy, Tracy my kids and their kids. We talked about our crazy night out on Saturday, filled in some blanks for one another. I am blessed with the best of friends. I know I say it all the time, but I am so appreciative of it.
I will share some pics of our night out when I get back to blogging.
I may be away for a few days. We have a family emergency in Florida. Bob's Dad's wife Donna had a massive heart attack and stroke on Friday. She has taken a turn for the worse and things are not looking good. She is in a coma and is only alive through machines. We are going to be heading to Daytona in the next couple of days. Please pray for our family and pray for strength for Dad.

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD...

I look at this picture, and all I imagine is us following the yellow brick road. Of course I just finished reading Wicked, so that may have something to do with it.
Now that I am done with Wicked, I have moved on to The Bonesetter's Daughter. My Mom just finished reading it and loved it, so she passed it along to me. I am also eagerly awaiting 2 books that I recently bought on Ebay. The first is John, by Cynthia Lennon and the other is Cynthia Lennon's other book about her life as a Beatle wife, A Twist of Lennon.

I am on my Beatles kick again thanks to my friend Correne. I used to work with her at Safeguard and we spent many work hours talking about books and music. Her and I are very simialr in our love of reading, writing and music. Last Friday Bob and I went to Correne and Scot's house for dinner and cards. They had the best Beatles memorabilia which included books and amazing photographs. Every room you walk into in their house has something Beatles in it. I loved it.

Before I sign off, I want to give a Dirty 30 Birthday shout out to my beautiful friend Jen in Watertown. Happy Birthday ( i know it's tomorrow) and I wish I could be back in Watertown NY with you guys to celebrate the big day! Have fun.

Tray's Birthday Bash

The girls

Judie, Jen, Tracy & Me

The gang all got together Saturday night to celebrate Tracy's 32nd birthday. It was a night full of hugs, laughter, dancing, photo ops, planning, and occasional drama. It wouldn't be a night out without some drama. We don't save it for our mama's, we save it for each other.

My belly hurt Sunday morning from laughing so hard. My head hurt from drinking too much. My calves hurt from dancing so hard. It was perfect.
Tracy, I know you had a great time and that's what matters most. Happy 32nd birthday!
Click here for many more pictures taken by Carie.

Bob & the Birthday Girl

HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES

We had our annual Halloween party on Saturday. I have to say, there were some really great costumes this year. Here's some pic's from the night:

Woody Hayes & Hippie

Deputies

Bret Michaels & Heather from "Rock of Love"

Bonnie & Klyde

Back to the 80's

Playmate and Hugh Hefner

ANOTHER FUNNY BOOB STORY

Tracy (rockin' the new bob,) Stacia and Me

This picture was taken Sunday at Stacia's birthday celebration. Even though this post is about something funny my darling daughter said about boobs, the photo relates. How do I put this in a "family friendly" manner? Umm, well, us 3 girls in the picture always had the biggest boobs of the group. You know how high school boys are about boobs, so in high school, the three of us had nicknames given to us by the boys. If the 3 of us were walking down the hall together, names would be shouted and it was embarrassing. It sucked, but 15 years later, I think we are all over it.

Moving on...

I caught Grace trying to put one of my bra's on. When I asked her what she was doing, she replied, "I want to be Monkey's momma, so I need boobies. Monkey really likes big boobies."
Then she was getting frustrated b/c she couldn't get it on. She kept asking me, "How do I get these boobies on?" She thinks bra's are boobies. At least I think that's what she thinks. Maybe it's time to have a little sit down with her.

A FEW DAYS OF REALLY, REALLY GOOD PEEPS

My wild little boy

We had the best holiday weekend. Good friends, good family, good times.

Usually labor day isn't a time i celebrate. I dig fall, but I always get a bit sad saying goodbye to summer.We did Oktoberfst this weekend. It was a waste of money and time, as most of the event was focused on beer. Bob and I weren't drinking, so we just kinda walked around and let the kids people watch. Me and Grace did do a little dancing to the German band, so that part was fun.

We also went to the Air Show. Denny was in heaven. I had no idea he would love it as much as he did. Stupid me forgot the camera. Denny was literally spitting on himself he was so excited. That may not sound cute to a lot of you, but it really was.

Sunday I made it out to a new club downtown on the water, CYRUS, to celebrate Carie and Judie's b/days. The Websters were playing so the dance party was in full effect.

Jess, Me and b/day girl Carie

The best was yet to come when Pete and Becky came over on Monday. I finally saw her engagement ring and it is GORGEOUS! Love it and I am so excited for the wedding next June. We played some cornhole to prepare for the tournament that we are having this weekend.

I'm feeling super blessed lately with all the people who are in my life.

LITTLE OF THIS, LITTLE OF THAT

random morning shot of D

Bob started his new job on Monday. Can't say much about it, as the first day is always filled with paperwork and other nonsense.
The kids and I spent the morning at Pump it up . If unfamiliar, Pump it up is an indoor playground filled with huge blow up jumpy things and enormous slides and rock climbing walls. Very cool, especially because the parents are allowed to play too. We had a blast. Then the kids and I went to lunch and did some shopping. It was a busy day except for the 2 hour afternoon nap break (which only Denny partook in.)
This morning was breakfast with Tracy and Mia. I'm trying to stay busy as can be so I think about cigarettes less. I need to get back to the gym. I plan on starting that routine again this week some time. It's been 8 weeks and 8 lbs since I've worked out and it shows. I know how much better my cardio will be with clear lungs.
This weekend is a double b/day weekend. Judie and Carie both turn thirty-one-derful and I hope to get out to celebrate with them.

SOMETHING ABOUT TATER TOTS

I don't have much to blog about, so I thought I'd share a picture of a Napoleon Dynamite look-a-like that we ran into last weekend at The Garage. These pictures don't do him justice though; in person he looked, sounded and acted like that geek we all love.
Happy Friday! Hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

THINGS I LEARNED ON SATURDAY

The girls

Carie, Judie, Chippy & Jess

1. Renting one of those big, blow up, jumpy things are a great idea for a kids birthday party. My babes slept until 10am on Sunday morning.

2. It's always a good idea to take the babes home to the sitter by 8pm, when you see peeps arriving with bottles of vodka instead of gifts.

3. Never, I repeat, never, have a cartwheel competition when you are over 30 and intoxicated.

4. When your mom is at the party, it's probably not a good idea to speak of what happened in Put-out-Bay.

5. Cornhole is fun for everyone, but it is especially fun when you are doing well. Or, it is extremely fun to watch really drunk people play.

6. I'll never get sick of seeing Bob's crack, especially when Tray is riding on his back.

7. When Chippy and Josh come around, you are pretty much guaranteed a good time.

8. Calling a cab, even if it is only a 5 minute drive home, is the smartest thing you could ever do.

9. When you share that cab with other friends and all smash into the backseat (even after getting barked at by the driver,) it's even better.

10. Refusing to have a 2am after-hours party at the Keeler's house, I still felt like I was being a "responsible" adult, even though I knew we should have been home hours before.

11. We have the best friends anyone could ever ask for.

Donna (stacia's momma) and Stacia

Judie and Chippy

TOURNEY TIME

D on the slip & slide at the reunion

We had one of those weekends where you are sad to see end. It overflowed with family, good friends and lots of laughter. The perfect mix.

Saturday was a family reunion and I was excited to meet some of Bob's family who I haven't met yet. After being a couple for 12 years, there weren't too many, but still a few. It was also nice catching up with those out-of-towners who we only see every few years.

G at the pool on Sunday

Then we were off to Becky and Pete's for their 2nd annual cornhole tournament. We'd been looking forward to this day for months now. Bob's mom and Joe were brave and kind enough to let G&D stay with them at the reunion and sleep over, so Bob and I had some kid-free time.

Pete & Becky always throw the best parties. This time was no exception. I think we ended up playing 4 tournaments. Pete won the first one, then Bob won a couple. It was nice coming home on Sunday with more money then we came with! After the kids got dropped off, we headed to the pool for some relief of the 95 degree heat.

Bob & Amy after a win

Pete & I don't know her name, but she was so sweet

Thanks again Gma Debbie and Papa Joe for babysitting. And thanks Pete & Beck for a great time!

ARE YOU GIRLS THE DIXIE CHICKS

What? I've been asked a lot of random questions while out, but this one was definitely a first. And the man who asked it, well, he is one of a kind. Picture an older biker dude, with a frothy beard. Carie and I compared him to a dog foaming at the mouth. It may have been one of the most disgusting sights I've seen, and one that I will have a hard time shaking from my memory.
This occurred on Sunday. There was another fundraiser/event in memory of Mike. It was definitely a different crowd, lots of leather, lots of black, but regardless, we were all their for the same reason. That being to raise money and to remember our good friend. I have to say, I had a great time. My brother and I went b/c Bob had a job interview early this morning (which, by the way, went very well.)
The drinks were flowing, people watching was in FULL effect, and we even got to dance a little. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday evening. Here are some pics:

carie, me, judie and tracy

tracy, me & kate

judie and tracy

tracy, carrie, my brother and me

For more pics, go here.

DRIVE IN LOVIN'

Friday was a first. We took G&D to the drive in and saw Shrek the 3rd. They were so excited and both of them stayed awake for the whole movie. We had a great set up in the back of the mini with lots of pillows, blankies and snacks galore. No juice boxes on this outing.


Saturday we spent the morning in the pool and the afternoon/evening at Tracy's for a cookout. All the gals and guys and kiddies were there, so it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday. We left around 8 so D could go to bed and we could watch the CAVS. You all know how that ended and let's just say GO CAVS! We are so excited here in C-town.
I have another engagement to announce. My cousin Jason is getting hitched next fall. He is in town from Boston this week and I hope to get together with him and his wife-to-be for some cocktails on Wednesday, which also happens to be my brothers 38th bday.