Southern Comfort

Photos coming soon.

Jerome and I took a flight down to Mississippi over the fourth from his family reunion. The difference this time than any other is that we brought Tink with us. I was a little worried about the flight. I hoped that she wouldn't scream uncontrollably. She thankfully fell asleep on our first flight which was our longer one of the two. She even remained asleep until we were walking off the plane. On the second flight she just played, colored, and looked out the window a time or two.

We picked up our car and were on our way to Jerome's parents house. For some reason Tink had a very disgruntle look on her face for most of the way... perhaps that's from being awake at 3am... who knows but it was funny to us.

We arrived and quickly settled in. Jerome's mom and dad were amazed at Tink... how big she got, what she could say and how she acted. We figured out who would be watching Tink Thursday and Friday. We packed her a bag and also ourselves and we were on our way to New Orleans Thursday.

We checked into our hotel - The Holiday in the French Quarter called Chateau LeMoyne. It was a beautiful hotel, nice and clean and only a block off our Bourban Street. After getting settled in we made our way out into the French Quarter for some sight seeing. We had dinner at The House of Blues. We made our way down to Cafe Du Monde for a fantastic dessert of beignets... ohhhhh so delicious! We had hoped to get to the French Market for some shopping but it was already closed for the day.

We headed back towards the hotel, stopping at Pat O'Briens per two people's recommendations for a hurricane and a bowl of gumbo before tromping through the puddles on Bourban Street. Yes, it was raining. But it was fun... or perhaps that was the hurricane talking for me! :) We got back to the hotel and settled in for the night.


View French Quarter, LA in a larger map

The next day we awoke, packed everything up and checked out of the hotel. We then took a trolley down Canal Street and then walked a few blocks to Mother's Restaurant. I had the early bird special: eggs, grits, too spicy for me sausage, a biscuit and OJ. Jerome had an omelet with grits and a biscuit. I'm not sure if I would go back there again, but at least I can say I was there and say it was fun... packed... but fun.

After breakfast we took another trolley down the Riverwalk to the French Market. We walked through... I picked up a fan at the first booth... it was sweltering hot there! I wish now that I would have picked up the purse that I debated on... oh well... guess I'll have to get it next time :)

We made our way back up to Jackson Square, where we found a tour guide in a horse and buggy. For $12 each we were taken all around the French Quarter horsey style... Ha! We shared the buggy with a family from Florida. The guy in that family knew a few details too as he was originally from New Orleans so it's almost as if we had two tour guides for the price of one.

After the tour we went for a sammie at a place that the tour guide mentioned and then headed across the street for one last round of beignets before heading to my sister in laws house.

We got ourselves dress for the Essence Music Festival that night. We jumped in our car, my sister in law and her boys in theirs and went to the Superdome. We parked and had hoped to jump right in line to get inside. Too bad I had ALL the tickets! Yeah... we weren't thinking. I had the tickets for my other sister in law, her husband and her daughter plus Jerome's parents. UGH! They were running late and the show had already started by the time we got a hold of them.

Man oh man. We missed most of Salt and Pepa... one of the groups I really wanted to see :( I did manage to hear just a bit of them singing but only saw them for about 1/2 a song. Neyo was on, then John Legend and the Beyonce herself. Yeah ugh... I could toss out Beyonce any day... but whatev.

After the show we headed back to Jerome's parents house. I could not keep my eyes open though. So I dozed off here and there and everywhere! Thankfully my hubby is a night driver and had no issues until we pulled into the driveway. We both passed out in the car because Jerome's parents were actually behind us in driving. When they arrived I woke up, nudged Jerome and we went inside to sleep.

The next day we awoke, got dressed and had to go pick up Tink at her Great Aunt's house. While walking out to the car I fell. I sunk into an ant hole up to my thigh! I screeched, Jerome came around the car and saw me on the ground. He kept asking if I broke anything. I didn't but I was full of dirt and saw red ant swarming all around. UGH. It put me in a mood.

We drove over, met Jerome's mom to get the car seat and let her know about the hole in the yard that I fell in. I was still in a mood.

We picked up Tink, stopped in the house for a bit for a sip of water and chat. I of course, still in a mood. Ugh. I had to get out of the funk. We drove back to Jerome's parent's house. We put on our family reunion shirts - red ones this year, and headed into town for the festivities.

Tink didn't get a nap in... and boy could we tell. She didn't want to listen, she didn't want to sit, and sure didn't want to be told to come by us. She knew we would try to rock her to sleep. Boy oh boy did she run around with her little cousins.

After we ate we headed back to the house to grab a few items and then headed over to Jerome's Grandmother's land. People were set up outside playing cards, watching movies and just plain chatting. We took up a spot and joined in on the discussion.

The host family has a home right near where we were. They were going to be shooting off fireworks over their pond that night. We of course were going to watch from where we were. We pulled our chairs out from under the trees to see the fireworks as they started. I started to complain of mosquitoes biting me and thankfully the show was done so that I could go inside. Ends up I must have disturbed a red ant hill... and had those biting me instead of mosquitoes. Yeah... 20 RED ANT BITES :( Ugh. I was miserable.

My feet instantly began to itch and swell. Of course, we are out in the sticks and nothing is open. I suffer through the night. The next day, being Sunday, everything was still pretty much closed. Jerome's mom, his sister and I headed to Dollar General. Of course... they didn't have what I was looking for either, but I did manage to get some Benadryl that had more symptoms than I had to take. It knocked me out.

Monday we got our stuff packed up as we would be leaving around midnight to drive back down to catch our early morning flight Tuesday morning. We talked and shared stories and then headed to bed. Thankfully Tink was in the mood to sleep when we went.

When we got up and ready we picked her up to take her to the car and she woke up... wide awake. OH BOY :( Well, thankfully on the car ride down she fell back asleep. We checked our car into the rental lot and headed to the airport with all of our bags and baby gear and Tink. Someone should have checked (hey... I can't be expected to do everything right!) but the airport was closed until an hour before our flight. So there we sat... at the entrance to the airport... waiting on someone to open the doors. Of course, by the time the doors opened Tink was wide awake from all the commotion.

We headed in, checked our baggage and went to find our departure gate. We grabbed a little breakfast and hoped Tink would sleep on the plane. We left out... and yes, she fell asleep... but about 10 minuets before we landed. Ugh.

On our second plane we had an unattended child sitting in front of us. She was about 11 or so and turned around and started playing with Tink to keep herself entertained. We of course were a little ticked since she needed to sleep. When it came time for us to take off Tink became mad, screaming bloody murder because the girl had to sit in her seat for take off. Tink wanted to sit in the seat next to her, we told her no, and she threw a fit. Ugh. We were those people. I'm sorry anyone on that flight.

She finally calmed down. I hung up her blanket so she couldn't see the girl in the seat in front of us (thank you for the tip internet!). She was calm and content coloring. Whew! She was so sleepy though. Eventually I pulled her into my lap and she fell asleep. And continued to sleep for the landing, departure of the aircraft and getting our bags from baggage claim. Holy cats.

We were glad to be back. To sleep in our own beds. To give Tink back to her mama... but of course work came way to soon for us. Thankfully we did take an extra day off just to have a break from our vacation before heading back to work. It still came too soon.

Glad to be home.

Crazy weekend

So I headed to Chicago last weekend for the first full concert that I've seen of NKOTB in 14 years... and this time, Jon was there! Tiff and I took the MegaBus at 7am down to Chicago, stopping in Madison, two places in Milwaukee and two places in Chicago, finally arriving shortly before 4pm.

Once we arrived in Chicago we split ways. I headed for the Metra train station. I took an additional hour train ride to Melba's house. I was staying at her house for the night. We ordered some fantastic pasta, calzones, and pizza from a place near her house and then went out to the corner bar. Yes... the corner bar :) We had $5 drinks that put us in the best dang mood :)

The next day was concert day. We went out to breakfast with Mel's mom and Mel's daughter. Then we headed over to Kohl's were I picked up a super cute purse. We also stopped at the Jelly Belly factory before we left for home. While in Kohl's I received a text/phone call from a few of the girls who were from MN that were also down for the show. A few of them met the guys outside of the arena :( I'm happy for them... I just wish I was there too.

We made our way home and waited for Mel's hubby to come home so we could leave little Nicole in his hands and head to the show. I helped Mel get her afro puffs in order and we were on our way. We listened to the greatest hits on our way down.

I don't want to give too many details about the show here... so if you want to know more about the show you'll have to go to www.returnofnkotb.com.

How's that for a cliff hanger :)

Southern Needs

Monday, July 7th we were on the road back to Minnesota by 11:30. We stopped at the local grocery store to stock up on our “southern needs” – grits in a bag, moon pies, chico sticks, and Stage Plank cookies. Jerome chose to drive so we are on our way.

We stopped at Boomland, a favorite apparently of Jerome and the girls… or at least it was. Apparently Boomland has been revamped and is no longer as fun as it use to be. Needless to say there is no need to stop there ever again on our way through.

We stopped for a few hours at a rest area… but that’s about it. We drove and drove and drove and arrived back to Minnesota around 10 am Tuesday morning. My feet are the size of watermelons they are so swelled up from the heat, the drive and all the salty southern food. Ughhh. If they don’t go down over night I’ll be heading to the doctor to see if there is anything wrong.

Trip in review Part II

I’m not sure what time we left the rest area… but Jerome was in the driver’s seat and took off. I woke up and my guess is that we already passed the St. Louis arch… yet again I didn’t actually see it. This time not even a glimpse.

All the girls were asleep and Jerome and I were supped up on candy. We did decide to pull over for McDonald’s breakfast around 6:30am which woke everyone up. Jerome and I went inside and I took Tinker in to get changed while the girls stayed in the van. We hung out there for awhile and got some coffee and sweet tea.

I took the drivers seat and took us onto Memphis around 10 am when we had a melt down. We had someone who had to pee, someone who was annoyed that we were stopping and another one screaming. I exited and tried to pull into a Wendy’s but they weren’t open yet. We went down the road a bit further to a nasty gas station and filled up.

Jerome took over driving and we’re on the road again. We stopped just short of our final destination to stop at a Sonics for lunch. Yum… a sonic burger, tots and a chocolate shake. Delish.

We arrived at Jerome’s parent’s house right around 3pm. Jerome’s dad and brother were there waiting on us to arrived. They met Tinker for the first time… I’m pretty sure that June is in love with her!


My sister in law Stacy and her boys arrived shortly after with their dog Max. I tried my hardest not to think about Pork Chop – but it was hard with Max there barking constantly.

Friday was July 4^th. Jerome’s mom had to work and had left early in the morning. Jerome, June, PST and the boys left to set up a tent at Jerome’s Grandma’s house. While they were gone doing that we (Stacy, JST, Tinker and I) had planned to run to Ward’s for breakfast, but once we got there we were quickly reminded that it was the Forth of July as they were closed.

With Ward’s being closed along with the grocery store there wasn’t many options in Liberty for us. Off to McComb we went. We stopped for lunch at a secret location before heading to Walmart. Stacy bought up some outfits for Tinker and then we headed back to the House.

Once we returned JST, Tinker and PST left with their aunt from their mom’s side of the family. My other sister in law Jackie and her daughter arrived just before we did. They too were in love with Tinker. The rest of us got ready to head to the meet and greet at the family reunion location.

The family reunion was held on someone’s land. They had a huge tent in the back. They had little finger sandwiches and bags of chips for us to munch on. There were issues with the tee shirts… but since we had our order placed ahead of time we were good to go.

Saturday was the main family reunion day. We had breakfast at the house and then headed over to the family reunion again. We were pretty much the first family to arrive to claim a spot under the tent. And it was HOT. Jeeze. So freakin hot.

We stayed to a good bit. They had burgers, hotdogs, cake and watermelon. I got to say, that was some of the best watermelon I’ve had in a long time. Of course we took pictures just like last year with each family.

After the pictures we headed back to the House to change and head over to Jerome’s Grandmother’s house. Jerome and I drove over to his Aunt Mary’s house before stopping there to chat for a bit. Most of the people that we knew were already at Jerome’s Grandmother’s house when we arrived.

We set up the volleyball net and played a few good rounds. I ended up being on a team with most of Jerome’s aunties and his mom. It was fun… a lot of fun… probably the most fun of the entire trip to me. We were on a roll and would have kept playing but the sun had gone down and we couldn’t see the ball so well.

Trip in review

The day started off not like any other. At 12:01 am I was wide awake thinking of all the things that I did or didn’t do yet and if I forgot something or needed to remove something to lighten the load. I stayed awake debating on if I should just get up and go check the luggage or stay in bed and make myself go to sleep.

I opted for staying in bed because I had just finished painting my toes in a bright shade of pink and didn’t want to have to redo them. I tossed and turned. Jerome was snoring away.

I’m not sure when I feel asleep but I suddenly woke up to find Jerome with Pork Chop outside. He came inside the house and cooked himself an egg and a bagel and I did the same for myself. Jerome left for work, Pork Chop went back in his crate and I went back to bed.

I was awaken by my alarm clock, jumped up and headed for the shower. I let Pork Chop out one last time, scooted him back to his crate and gave him a treat.

I ended up leaving early and was to work all too early. So early that Richard asked me if I came in early just because of the move. (Our team moved from one floor to another yesterday – but our computers and boxes never made it to our new floor by the time I left yesterday.) Ughhh I hate it when people notice what time I come and go!

I set up my desk to my liking. Putting up pictures and notes, my white board and posters. Everything was just right. I notice it was almost 1pm when I looked up. I had planned to leave at 1:30… but that didn’t happen… 2pm I was out of there. Wishing everyone a great holiday weekend.

I went home, checked the mail and gathered Pork Chops baggage. We were off to drop him off at the Puppy Hotel – his vet and also place where his puppy class was held. Pork Chop is spending a week at the puppy hotel and suite where he will be pampered beyond recognition I would guess. Thankfully the tech told me to call any time I wanted to check in on him. Poor guy… momma misses you!

Then it was off to the grocery store to purchase a bag of ice for the cooler and cash a check that came in the mail the day before for Pampered Chef. Back home I went. I carried all the bags into the garage when I noticed our neighbor across the street leaving. I went to the end of the drive to let her know that we would be out of town to watch over the place and call me if anything goes wrong. She of course said she would.

Then the wait began. I was waiting for Jerome to show up with our rented Mini Van to haul us away… us being the two of us, PST, JST and Tinker. Yup, all of us are heading out of town to Mississippi for his family reunion. This will be Tinkers first extra long trip and first time down South.

When the girls arrived I took a look at both of their extra large suitcases and wondered what could possibly inside of them. Were they packed correctly? Would they all fit? These were all good questions.

I started loading the van, first the pack and play for Tinker, then PST hard sided suitcase that I got her for her graduation a few years ago and then Jerome and my carryon rolly suitcases. JST’s wasn’t fitting. Ughhhh. It was so large and flat vs. wide. We ended up switching out her bag for one of our other ones… everything fit just fine – even though I’m sure she’s upset that we just tossed her stuff into the new fitting suitcase.

And we’re off. I was driving, Jerome was shotgun. Behind me was Tinker and behind Jerome was JST. In the way back was PST and the cooler. We turned back around before we even were a block away double checking to see if the door was locked.

We stopped at Stout to fill our bellies on Wendy’s and stretch our legs. Back into the van we were loosing daylight. I drove until about 10pm when I decided that I should get my night vision checked and we were at a ½ a tank of gas!

Oh… I didn’t tell you… the Mini Van that we picked up had 15 miles on it when we left… yup… BRAND NEW! It even has a DVD player in it for watching movies which everyone did while I was driving for the most part, until everyone fell asleep. It’s funny because I called it a movie on tape since they were watching movies that I hadn’t seen yet and I was making up my own pictures in my head of what was going on.

Anyways… back to the switch. We stopped at a gas station to top off the gas and empty bladders and garbage from the van. Jerome started the drive and I became the co pilot. We were good to go… until we remembered that we didn’t bring any change for the tolls. Shoot. Thank goodness PST knew that her pop would forget the change and brought some with her. The girls fell back to sleep and Jerome and I chatted.

I made us ham and turkey sandwiches with tomatoes and cheese from stuff that I knew wouldn’t last at home. It started to rain… and then we got sleepy. We pulled over to a rest area to go to the bathroom and maybe take a snooze. But since it was still raining when we came back from the bathroom we both felt pretty revived… but then again became sleepy.

It’s time to pull over… and since I’m writing this in the van as we drive it’s 2 miles to the next rest stop where we will be stopping for a brief nap. We’re about 70 miles away from St. Louis.

Honestly... nothing

Nothing much is going on... I know... pitiful.

We're getting ready to head south for Jerome's family reunion. We being myself and Jerome and his girls PST and JST and Tinker. A full carload going down. Yes, we are driving. So I know once I return there will be things to post! Pork Chop isn't attending the reunion with us though... he's going to be safe and sound at his vets boarding facility.

I worked outside a bit this weekend, cleaning gutters and such. I didn't get around to trimming the bushes.

We've finally met our backyard neighbor, a single woman who adores Pork Chop. Her daughter and son-in-law and brand new grand-baby have moved in with her while they search for a house in the area. Come to find out they have a pup that is Pork Chops new friend. They play in the backyard chasing each other along the fence. It's pretty cute.

Tomorrow my team will move to a different floor - not the entire department... just my team :( Sad. I'll still have a window view from cubeland and will even face the window this time. That's about the only selling point.

Wooot woooo

Well I'm not going to update both sites... so if you want to know what's going on that is so exciting please visit my other blog: http://returnofnkotb.blogspot.com/.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow...

So the cities are under a winter storm watch. We could get up to a foot of snow by Sunday...

To make it a bit more like the holidays the girls should be coming over for the weekend all three: PST, JST, and Tink. I plan to make Christmas candy this weekend and put up the tree and other decor. I'm even planning on wrapping up the presents for shipping out (oh to be ahead of the game... you think it will happen????).

I think I'll also put together some lasagna this weekend... with all the mouths we'll be feeding it will probably go quickly.

Sorry!

Two weeks pasted just like that?!?!? Whoa.

Sorry to my people who are looking in each and every day to see if something new has come up. I honestly can't say I was doing much of anything special. Let me ponder on the last two weeks and find out what I was really doing...........





Okay... here's something. Jerome, JST, Tinker and I went to Jerome's other daughter PST's apartment for Thanksgiving. The story goes that Jerome and I left home right when we got home from work. Jerome was in the driver's seat of the Neon... he decided that he didn't want to take the main highway that runs all around the cities because he thought it would be packed with rush hour and all. Then the phone rang. JST was wondering when we were going to be picking her up. Jerome thought she wasn't coming with thus why we had already left - without picking her up. He got off the phone and I told him he should go get her. That if he didn't he would be feeling it later.

We turned around and picked up JST and Tinker. Yep, we were still in the Neon. But now I know what it'll be like with a little one in the back... hopefully when we have kids ours will be as calm as Tink was. She didn't make a peep the whole time... and when I say whole time it should have been only three hours... but it ended up being a five hour tour. Ugh. It was rush hour, it was the day before Thanksgiving, it was snowing - only flurries though.

We arrived around 12:30 or so at night. Whew. We made it. Jerome and I claimed the couch while PST and her boyfriend CT claimed their room. I'm not actually even sure where JST and Tink ended up honestly... ? The girls stayed up giggling and talking while Jerome and I dozed off into sleep.

When we woke in the morning I let Jerome know that I needed a paper... for the BEST HOLIDAY paper EVER. Yup... Black Friday. True, not a real holiday... but I celebrate it none the less! Jerome left to pick up my paper and came back to pass the sacred paper to me. It smelled of fresh printed ink. Tasty! I studied each and every paper. Searching for the must have deals. I had already looked online at some of the ads thru Black Friday websites... but it's something about the actual paper. Once I had gone thru we decided to shower and pack up to head back to the Cities.

When I got out of the shower I was informed that PST was coming back to the Cities with us. Wha? How? Oh my... will we all fit in the Neon???? Truth be told, yes... we all could fit. Now were we all comfortable... that I can't say. I bet Tink had the best spot in the car! We made it back and dropped off all the girls at JST and PST's mom's house. Jerome and I headed to a gas station to pick up a City paper to view and make sure we received all of the same ads as in PST's neck of the woods. Then we headed to Lisa's husband's family feast.

We weren't sure if we were going to make it, so we hadn't prepared anything. I felt a little bad until we walked in and saw all of the food. Most people had already eaten and people were getting to the point of making their "to go" plates. Jerome and I piled our plates, ate, and then piled up our own "to go" plates.

We headed home. We went downstairs to watch TV and I sat in my chair to study. I got out the flags to tag the pages in the ad. And stuck a post it note on the front of each place where there was something that I wanted with what that item was, the store name and what time the store opened. I also circled the item in the ad. I was set. The only problem was that a few of the stores where I wanted to go were opening at the same time... I enlisted Jerome to help me out. What a great hubby!

Here's the run down:
4am:

• Kim at Kohl's for the opening (standing in line) for an 18 qt. roasting crock pot (didn't get - they sold out on Wednesday b/c they were apparently open then - GRRRR), ear muffs, and flash lights that don't require batteries.
• Jerome at JC Penny for the opening (standing in line) for Queen size air mattress with pump and Adidas sweat pants (didn't get since they didn't have the right size and color combination)
  

5am:

• Kim at Toys R Us for the opening (standing in line) for a few Xmas presents for my nieces and a little something for Tink to borrow when she is at our house
• After Toys R Us Kim heads to Walmart for 2 pk Gerber sleepers for Tink, digital picture frame for my xmas present to myself, a portable DVD player (which was returned later on in the day after I thought about it a bit), GWM Xmas present, a few DVDs and a fry daddy for Jerome (was returned - see Kmart)
• After Walmart Kim heads to Kmart for Xmas presents for Nieces and a Grand Daddy Fry Daddy for a dollar more than the Walmart Fry Daddy
  
• Jerome at the small Best Buy for the opening (standing in line) for a 500 GB external hard drive (which was returned - see Target) and either blank CDs or DVDs
  
• After Best Buy Jerome headed to Target for a different 500 GB external hard drive that was $15 cheaper and either some blank CDs or DVDs. Jerome calls Kim to say his card isn't working. WHAT? Kim heads to Target to make his purchases with her card and also pick up phones for PJM. (More details in the next post)

Now since we had to meet up we are off schedule. Not really that big of a deal. We both head to Office Max to pick up some Anti Virus and also a Wireless Router which we aren't sure if we are keeping yet or not.

Then we went to Menard's for some light and cheap snow shovels, and a few other things. We thought we were done so we went to Perkins for breakfast and to discuss our purchases. We got everything that was on our list with the exception of the roaster at Kohl's and the Adidas pants. Pretty good I think.

Then it was off to bed. We both took a good long nap. When we woke up Jerome headed over to see PST and Tink and I headed out to Walmart to make returns. We met up afterwards and headed to Lowe's to see about ladder that was on sale as well.

I found out when I went to work on Monday that one of my co-workers was in my dust trail. She started her day at the same Kohl's and Toys R Us. Funny! She should have picked up the phone to call since I started with my phone calls to Lisa at 4:10am and receiving a call from PJM around 4:30 am! It was so much fun! I can't wait till the day after Christmas :)

Meet and Greet

We had Jerome's mom in town this past week. She was here visiting JST and Tinker and helping her learn about being a mom. It was good to see her again!

We took her to the airport on Saturday and headed our way to Wisconsin for a meet and greet with Delaney. She such a cutie. We brought her a present to welcome her into this big ol world.

We will be heading back to see her again in November for her baptism, but we will see her parents a few weekends before that. Yup, the Monty Crew adults are coming to our shin dig!!! Yeah!

A quick Sconnie Trip

Friday night we set the alarm clock to wake us up around 4:45 am. Yes, that's right on a SATURDAY! Jerome woke up some time around 4 am and started his shower. Once he was ready he woke up the bear, I mean me, and tossed me in the shower. We were headed to Sconnie for the day/night mainly to pick up our wedding photo album.

We left around 5 am and saw the sun starting to rise - that's the first time in a long time for me. And it was such a red sky that got me thinking of Dad's old sailor saying... red sky at night sailors delight, red sky in morn sailors be warned.



We stopped for breakfast at McDonald's after I woke up from my sleep and also to fill up the tank. We were back on our way and made it to my parents house around 9 am.

Once we were there I immediately went into the photos. Ughhhhh! There was no picture of us with Anna, there was the black and white photo of Jerome that turned out way grainy, there was one of me and my family that when blown up didn't fit that framing of the page thus white strips around the photo - ummm no... fake the wall and carpet or crop it different! Not to mention all of the ones that were out of focus! And then our large wall photo had totally different coloring from the same photo that was in our book. What the heck?

I will say it again, never do business with Together Photography. Their customer service sucks. Their contract is worded funny, and they chose to pick out our photos - even the blurry ones! Ugh.

So, I took the book and Jerome and I headed down to their shop. Of course, no one was there because it's a Saturday and they are out taking awful pictures of someones wedding. So I called my mom to have her look up the phone number for their New London location, perhaps someone would be there. Nope, that number isn't listed. Grrrr. So I called the owner at her home - but she didn't answer either. I left a message at their location in town saying I wasn't please with my photos and that I am only in town today and tomorrow, that someone should contact me asap.

With that said and done we left and went to The Monty Crew's house for lunch. We had planned to BBQ for lunch, but before that Jerome and Andy were going to build some shelving units for Delaney and Maddee's room while Trisha and I were going to head off to Target for some baby food that was 2 cents a jar.

On our way there though, my phone rang. It was Jerome's daughter JST who is due in September with Jerome's first grand baby. She was having some tightening and she thought contractions. Oh boy. Ends up it was nothing out of the ordinary and the baby is still inside for the time being!

Trisha, Baby M and Baby D and I left for Target. Funny thing happened... we ran into my sister P, brother-in-law J and their kids MJM and GWM. Too funny. They were off to buy glue sticks for MJM's first school year in kindergarten. We split ways and headed to the baby section.

I asked Trisha what Delaney needed, since you know, she's already got three kids! Apparently crib sheets are in order. Can do. Next. ;)

We headed to baby food land and stocked the cart. We headed for the check out and the cashier flicked her light on and called a manager over. Apparently Target's coupon won't work at her Target... how annoying. We even spoke with a manager who said that "corporate" sent out a statement that said to limit people to two coupons... COME ON! Needless to say, I'll be trying at my Target here in the cities.

When we got back the guys were wrapping up the shelving unit and we started the food. It was delish! My compliments to the chefs :) We hung out for a bit longer as I got my baby fix knowing the next time I see Baby D he won't like me, but then again there will be a new Baby D that will "hafta" like me!

We headed home and ate dinner with the family. Mashed potatoes, caramel carrots, beef roast... YUM! Then it was time for cards. PJM, mom and I played 500 solitaire. Mom ended up in first place, I got 2nd and PJM... well she lost. And then PJM and I played 100 solitaire and I won. Yippy!

We woke up the next morning and took showers. We came downstairs and said that the clock in the bedroom doesn't keep time... since it was 11am and the clock said 9am! Jeeze! We had breakfast and then hopped in the car for home. We planned to take the long way home so that we could stop at our favorite cheese factory - too bad they aren't open on SUNDAYS :( Grrrr.

So we kept heading the long way instead of turning around. We went through Green Bay when Jerome said something about taking a picture of Lambeau field. Why taking a moving picture, instead we went and actually went inside. It was first trip inside the stadium... you could totally feel the love. We hopped back in the car and were on our way when someone stated that he should have found the bathroom before leaving. So we made a pit stop for an ice cream cone and potty break at the McDonald's down the street from the stadium - it was even decked out in Packer attire!

We drove home and ended up stopping at our other cheese factory stop for some curds and a brick of cheese - and gas and switching of drivers. Once we were in the cities we stopped for dinner. We unpacked the car after and then Jerome left to see how JST was doing. All is good as far as we know now.

Novel California...

Well, we are back from the city of Angels. Los Angeles, California.

We left out on Thursday afternoon to the airport around 5pm after having the entire day off from work, (and the day before for the Fourth, but who’s counting?). I had checked us in the night before online so we went straight to the security checkpoint. Of course, I got pulled over so they could inspect both of my bags. Not me personally, just my bags, and yes, I was told I was a great packer!!!

I ended up in the very back row of the plane in the aisle seat… which apparently always gets hit with every cart or stewards that heads to the back galley. Thankfully I was sitting with two little teenagers who were busy playing cards so I could read 7 chapters in my book during the flight. Jerome was two rows up from me with a mom and her daughter. I didn’t hear any complaints.

We got into Cali around 9pm California time, 11pm Minnesota time. We didn’t check any bags on the way there so we headed out to feel the Cali air in the ground transportation area. We found the spot where we were suppose to stand to hail down our hotel shuttle which arrived about 5 minuets after we did. We hopped on and were on our way to the hotel… which was all of a hop, skip and a jump away from the airport. Seriously, like two minuets!

We checked in at the front desk and headed up to our room. Our king size bed awaited us along with our view of the airport and an office building. No biggie. We headed downstairs to check out the main floor of the hotel and decided to order a pizza for “dinner”. We got a BBQ Chicken pizza that was divine. It was cooked in a stone oven and the crust… oh the crust. Yum. The only request we could have made was more sauce, but I knew that was the Cali way of making pizza and informed Jerome.

We headed back upstairs and tried to go to sleep as we were picking up the other Thompson’s from the airport in the morning. Every time the a/c would kick in I would wake up. Every time I moved to get more comfortable something would bug me about the sheets. It was a rough night trying to sleep. I found out later that I wasn’t the only one having a tough time sleeping as Jerome complained as well once we awoke.

We got up and showered and ate a slice of pizza for breakfast. We jumped on the shuttle bus to the airport. We found our way around eventually and staked out a place to stand near the luggage belt. Jerome’s mom, dad, sister Jacqueline and niece Taylor showed up in no time. On the same flight were a few other relatives. We exchanged our hellos and hugs and then turned as the luggage belt started up.

We gathered all the luggage and headed out to the ground transportation spot again. We waited for the shuttle and eventually it arrived. Once we got to the hotel they other Thompson’s went to see if they could check in, but it was too early, which we already knew… so, we hauled their luggage to our room.

We got ready to go on a tour or explore the city. We headed down the elevator and talked with the concierge. He explained that the tour we had wanted to go on was fine, but that we would need to make arrangements on how to get to and from the pick up location of the tour. He stated that basically there was another tour that would pick us up and take us on a tour and return us to the hotel. We ended up going with convenience – the one to and from the hotel.

On the tour we started off and drove through Fisherman’s Village, basically a boat yard – seen one, seen them all, especially since there weren’t any “star” boats in the yard to see. Then we headed off to Venice Beach. This is a shot of the court from the movie White Man Can’t Jump. Jerome and I headed to the beach to stick our feet in the water to prove that we had made it all the way to the Westside of the U.S. (Mind you, we’ve already made it to the South and now just need to go East!) By the time we had dried off our feet it was time to head up the hill to catch the bus… it was only a 15 minuet stop there. The other Thompson’s had picked up something to eat, and we were hungry and ran in to grab a quick burger for the ride on the bus.

We ran to the bus, not wanting to be late or left behind only to find out that two people were missing from the bus… there’s 10 minuets down the drain!!!! We ate while we waited for them to arrive and then we were off to see Santa Monica Pier. We didn’t stop unfortunately. But Jerome and I knew that we both would like to come back and see more of Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier as soon as we were back on the bus… perhaps on Saturday we said to each other.

We drove around and around seeing the “Hotel California”, (which isn’t the real one…but hey, it was funny!), the UCLA campus, Boulmiche (the store that Julia Roberts went into and was turn away at in Pretty Woman), and eventually getting us to Rodeo Drive. We drove around much of Rodeo Drive and took pictures and then we were left out to walk around for 15 minuets… WHAT?!?!?! Why? We’re on the cheap tour, and like someone can shop and purchase something in 15 minuets, especially on Rodeo Drive. HELLO!??!?!?!

We packed back up into the tour bus and started driving again. We saw the “hot spots” for young Hollywood party goers (if you check your Star magazine these spots are mentioned) Spago, The Rainbow Club, and the Roxie. We only saw one plastic surgery place, but we weren’t really looking until this one was point out to us! And of course, we got a photo of the Beverly Hills sign.

We spotted the first house that Marilyn Monroe supposedly lived in Hollywood but I have yet to find a site that says so. We also saw the Laugh Factory, the church where Sister Act was filmed, and the place where Julia Roberts lived in Pretty Woman where Richard Ghere rides up on a horse.

We had another pit stop near the Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater where we were able to take our only pictures of the Hollywood sign. I gotta say, I wasn’t to impress with the size of any of these places… they seemed “so big” in my mind… and then to see they’re just these rinky dink little places. This is the same area where the Roosevelt Hotel is. That’s where Marilyn Monroe’s ghost supposedly still haunts.

We boarded back on the bus and headed out after about 30 minuets. One place that I had wanted to stop at was Pink’s. It’s a local hot dog stand known for celebrity sightings… all I got was a picture of us driving by it on the way to the Farmer’s Market. While we were at the Farmer’s Market we picked up some fruit for the next few days for breakfast and some soda for mixing drinks later on. And back onto the bus we headed…

We went past the La Brea Tar Pits… nothing too much to see there and also the Staples Center. When all was said and done the driver forgot to drop us off at our hotel. What a jerk!

When we were back at the hotel we knew that we were cutting it short for the family reunion gathering that was suppose to happen that night. We thought that it was going to be held at the hotel, but none of the hotel staff knew anything about it. Ends up that the gathering was being held near Fisherman’s Village, where we had just come from! There were cabs taking people where they wanted to go – of course at a price. Jerome and I opted to skip out on the gathering part and let the other Thompson’s take the cab (car) to the gathering. We instead walked to the Marriott and had dinner – chicken wings and mini burgers with cheese fries. YUM!

Once we got back I slipped into my swimsuit and headed to the outdoor hot tub. I was only out for a bit before Jerome was too cold to be sitting out in the air and we had to go back to the room. Grrrrr.

The next day we got ready to go out on another tour or site seeing of the city. Jerome and I had eaten some of our fruit and breakfast bars and were ready to go. But, the other Thompson’s hadn’t had breakfast yet… so we walked “forever” to Denny’s. Then we turned around and walked all the way back. Ugh. I did get a little crabby I admit it. WHY DIDN’T WE RENT A CAR?

Then we decided to take the free trolley to Manhattan Beach. Not much there honestly. We walked the pier and at the end of it was an aquarium that made me think of Free Willy or that one zoo that Melba and I went to on spring break in Florida! It was bad. We walked back and Taylor stated she wanted to put her feet in the water. She couldn’t go by herself so Auntie Kim came to rescue and went with her. We hung out there for a good bit and then headed back to catch the trolley back to the hotel.

Once we got back we were told by some passersby that there was a fish fry going on at Mavis’s house. We ran upstairs to drop off some things and then off to Mavis’s we went in a 16 passenger van that someone had rented for the weekend. Once we were at Mavis’s I met a few other members of the family. There was Tammy and her daughter (didn’t catch her name but she’s cute as a button!), Fifi and Willie, and Tat. There were others there too but I don’t recall their names.

Anyways, Fifi came in the room where Jacqueline, Taylor, Jerome and I were sitting saying she was headed to the garment district and was wondering if we wanted to go. HECK YEAH! Jerome stayed behind while just “us girls” went shopping. He was in good hands and had a heck of a time with Tat explaining just who he was.

When we got down to the garment district Mavis told us that it was 20 blocks of shops. Whew! We picked a spot for where we should meet up at later and we were on our way. Pretty quickly Jacqueline, Taylor and I were separated from Tammy and Fifi. Then I was separated from Jacqueline and Taylor and was shopping by myself. I eventually caught up with Fifi for a bit and then lost her again. It was so much fun and I got myself a “couch” purse and wallet…. (Coach), another smaller purse that was a “no-name” and a shirt for Jerome.

We headed back over to Mavis’s house after cruising Crenshaw for kicks and giggles… I ducked over as we went through a bit per Mavis’s request for Fifi and me as we were both in red shirts! As we went down Crenshaw Mavis pointed out the church where Johnnie Cochran’s funeral was. When we got back the fish was fried and ready to eat. Boy was it good! After eating and chatting for a bit we got a ride back to the hotel.

Once we got there all Taylor could talk about was going swimming, so again she and I went at it. Jacqueline joined us out there until she was too cold and then we all went in. We had a few drinks and went on our way to bed. I packed up our bags as the next morning Jerome and I had to check out of the hotel.

The next day we brought our bags to the other Thompson’s room and checked out of our hotel. We called a taxi van to pick us up. We were headed back to the garment district, some for the first time, others that we veterans from the day before.

We picked a place again to meet up and a time. After everyone was there we called the same cab company back to pick us up… only they didn’t show up when they were suppose to. I called them back and was put on hold. I called another cab company and they said they would have someone out there in 15 minuets. As we were waiting and it was getting to be the time that the actual reunion was suppose to start a cab car stopped near us to let people out. I told the other Thompson’s to go back to the hotel, since they needed to change and that Jerome and I would go directly to the reunion in our own cab car. The left.

We called around and found a cab company that would take credit cards in the cab. Great since we had spent most of our cash at the garment district. They showed up and we let the cabbie know our destination. He plugged it into his navigation system and we were on our way. I told him that we were paying with credit and he got a bit of an attitude. Ughhhh. He ended up not taking us the way that I thought we should go, because he said that there wasn’t an entrance that way… bull-loney! He had slowed down as I yelled out the window to someone who was washing their car outside...yup, I was right. JERK! We went back the right way and entered the park. Not knowing how big or where the park was I told the cabbie to let us out since I didn’t want to pay him any more. I figured we could find where it was suppose to be since everyone was going to be in the same color shirts.

As I was paying the cabbie, Jerome went to talk to the park entrance people to find out where the reunion was going to be. A mile up the hill. Shoot. Oh well, I’m sure someone will notice us and bring us up… and just that happened! Mavis’s husband was heading out of the park and saw us walking. He whipped around his vehicle and took us up the hill. I don’t think we would have made it, or at least if we did we wouldn’t be happy once we arrived at the top! Whew!

There was singing and dancing and excellent BBQ. We had a great time and took lot of pictures. Remember the guy who was the police officer on CSI Miami that is Jerome’s cousin, well he was there and I was sure to get a photo with “my cousin”.

When it came to the time when the reunion was suppose to end we wondered how we were going to get back to the hotel. We ended up getting back into that 16 passenger van and heading back. Good thing too because Jerome and I were already looking at the time for when we needed to be at the airport to catch our red eye flight home.

We left around 10:15 pm Cali time and headed to the airport. Our flight was suppose to leave at 12:30 am. I had printed out our boarding passes ahead of time again but we needed to check some bags as we had accumulated some items on the trip J Then we went through the security screening and then sat our tushies down while we waited for the plane to arrive. I wasn’t looking forward to the flight since I was going to have the middle seat in the row, but the only comfort was that I would be next to Jerome. Before the flight took off I think I dosed off a bit, but I know once we were stable and in the air I was out like a light. Jerome says he was bumped by everyone walking by… I didn’t even notice.

We arrived back in Minnesota around 7 am and had our two bags by 7:30am. We took the light rail over to my job where we had parked a car to get home. Once we were home we both jumped back into bed for our first real sleep of the night, I mean day. Whew… what a trip.

We're going, going, back to back to Cali Cali...

My small tribute to the Notorious BIG there :)

It's true. Jerome and I have finally purchased our tickets and hotel for Jerome's family reunion in California. We'll be there after the Fourth of July (so if anyone has a party for us to possibly attend on the 4th we will be around!). Of course, since this is blogland I won't be giving out the exact dates, but if you email me I'll tell ya... and hey... once we're back you'll know anyways :)

So here's my quest... what to do in LA while we aren't at the family reunion. We will be getting in around 9 pm the first night we're in town - kinda blows, I know... but it worked out best for us. The following day the rest of the family will be getting into town early and they would like to do some touring/site seeing that day. Since I don't recall the last time I was even in the state of California I've got no real clue as to what is a must see in the LA area. The day after that more touring/site seeing possibly an amusement park kind of day. The last day we are there is the actual BBQ day for the reunion from noon till 6pm or so. We fly out that night on the midnight flight and get back into our home state around 6 in the morning our time.

So, for those who've been to LA where do you suggest we go.

I'd like to see the Hollywood sign... the walk of fame (or shame), the Chinese theater, perhaps the Sana Monica Pier?

ALL SUGGESTIONS WELCOME :)

And if my family from CA is reading this, I'm not sure if you'll be around the LA area or even how far it really is from you, but if you are, I'd love to "meet" you again!