To Be Old...

This past week my dad and my step-mother both turned 70. They’re the cutest old people I know and I love them. My very generous uncle purchased tickets for a harbor dinner cruise for 12 people to celebrate the occasion. (Those things aren’t cheap!) Best of all, it was a surprise for both of them.

My aunt and uncle had my parents believing they were just going out to dinner. Then they thought the surprise was that it was that it was the cruise. Good thing my dad wore a suit jacket. When they got on the ship the rest of us were already there trying to hide behind our napkins while they got their complimentary glasses of champaign. My brothers are both over 6 feet tall, it didn’t work.

We had such a great evening cruising around the bay and dancing to the live band. My parents even got out on the dance floor. Did I mention that they are adorable? The best part about the whole evening was being able to see the joy on their faces and knowing that they knew they were loved. They smiled ear to ear and laughed from their bellies at “old” jokes.

When I’m 70 I want to be just like them.

Thursday Rant: In Between Sizes

I hate being in between sizes. People who say they are “in between sizes” do, in fact, have a size. They just don’t like it.

There are two types of in between sizes: For people who are actively striving to lose weight and consistently lose inches week to week it doesn’t make sense to buy new clothes. They won’t fit you in a month anyway. Nothing in your closet fits. Good for you.

I believe the majority of us, myself included, fit into the second type of in between sizers. We just have a bunch of fat clothes from before we started losing weight and a bunch of skinny clothes that we bought when we lost the weight and before we put half of it back on. And we still have nothing that fits. We are literally the size in between all the sizes we own.

If you’re like me, the skinny clothes depress you because they used to fit. The fat clothes depress you because they used to fit and you hated yourself when they did…. But they are slowly starting to fit again.

The summer is nearing its end in Southern California and the extreme heat has finally taken a break. I was able to wear jeans for the first time since March. Scratch that. The weather permitted jean wearing. I actually could not because I only own “in between sizes” jeans and none that actually fit.

I’m going to a wedding next week and the Marine Corps Ball is coming up. I just tried on every dress I own, even those inappropriate for said events. Every one of them either fell right off or didn’t zip. Looks like I need to go shopping.

Thursday Rant: Flies

I live in a part of the country that has beautiful weather 95% of the year. What makes it better than other beautiful parts of the country? No bugs. We like to leave our back door open when we’re home so the dog and Mister can come and go as they please. It’s a luxury we wouldn’t have anywhere else.

This summer is different. We have flies. In the 5 years we have been in California we have never had flies. Maybe it’s because we live a little further inland now or maybe it’s because we never had a door we could leave open before. I’m telling you the flies are taking over my house. Ok, just the kitchen.

The Captain just bought an electric fly swatter. Imagine the voltage of those outdoor hanging bug zappers in the shape of a small tennis racket. You don’t have to wait for the fly to land, you just swing mid-flight and ZAP! Dead fly. It’s actually a lot of fun and I’m getting really good at my backhand.

Pumpkin Porn

I love Autumn. Love it. I grew up in Michigan where it not only means the start of school (I’m a nerd and I loved this too) but also cooler temperatures and crisp air, scarves, boots, sweaters, apple picking, cider mills, changing leaves, football, and pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins.

Pumpkins are one of the few things you get with the season all over the country, even in places that don’t really have seasons. California does not have “Fall” but we have pumpkins and they’re everywhere. I get excited when I see them in bins outside the grocery store and when the back corner of Target is filled with décor in all my favorite earth tones. I’m drawn to it and I want it all. It is for this reason that a friend of mine calls it pumpkin porn. It’s not just pumpkins but everything that embodies Fall and the good feelings you get inside from it. She loves it as much as I do.

As much as I want to get into the spirit of the season I find it very difficult when it’s 104 degrees outside. I really want to take my son to the pumpkin patch. I don’t want to do it in flip flops. I would love to sip on some stove top apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte but the thought of drinking anything hot makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

I know it’s only September but it doesn’t last long. Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year and I’m losing precious time. Im holding out hope for cooler temps in October so I can actually enjoy the pumpkin porn before I feel the need to put up my tree and decorate the house. That’s a whole different level of crazy and a major event for me.

Thursday Rant: Parking Garages

It really doesn’t matter how slow you go or what kind of tires you have; it is impossible to drive through a parking garage without squealing your tires. I’ve tried everything. I’ve gone slow. I’ve gone fast. I’ve taken the turn tight and wide. Without fail every single day when I go to work I create one of the most awful noises known to man. From the very first turn into the structure all the way up to the top where employee parking is my tires scream like they’re being murdered. What do they shellac that floor with that makes it do that?!

Did You Forget About Me?

We are home from vacation!! Ok, we’ve been home for a week and I still haven’t updated. I missed another Thursday rant AND I swore I would never blog about not blogging. I’m bad at this. Time to play catch up.

“Vacation” was great. It’s never really vacation when we go back to see family. Often times it’s more stressful than anything else. It’s really hard to split your time between families and friends who all want to see you while you’re in town. There are a couple people I didn’t get to see and some that I didn’t get to spend as much time with as I would have liked. Overall, it was a nice trip.

My sister got married (the initial reason for the trip). The ceremony was in her backyard, very simple, very short and very casual. The bride wore denim capris. It’s what they wanted and it worked well for them. Congrats to my sister and new brother-in-law.

Spending time with my sister-in-law and her family (we crashed at their house for the week) makes us want to move back home. There are about 5 houses in her neighborhood that are for sale. I’m only half kidding when I say I’m considering it.

Mister started school today! It’s a preschool class one day a week that he went to last year also. He loves it. We made some friends (friends for him and mommy friends for me) so we decided to do it again this year. Mister was SO excited when we got there and saw some of his friends that he hasn’t seen all summer. Couple of new kids too. It’s going to be a good year.

It’s still hot. It’s September and I’m over it.