Friday, September 30, 2011

Viva Las Vegas??

I did not see the ghost of Elvis (not sure if I was on Union Avenue?), but I did pass through the gates of Graceland...then hoovered round his tomb...and I'm pretty sure I was the pretty little thing, waiting for the King, down in the Jungle Room...and I was walking in Memphis, walking with my feet 10 feet off of Beale...


Yeah, I know Elvis sings "Viva Las Vegas" but I took my mom to Graceland for her 60th birthday instead. I think she had a pretty good time. You can be the judge...

Sorry dad, I've never seen mom smile this big before..she clearly loves Elvis, even if it's NOT Elvis
I didn't go with JUST my mom (love you mom, but you know how 3 days with just us can be sometimes - I get crabby, sorry for that) - we took some of the sisters along for the ride too!
Cindy, Becky, me (drink in hand, duh!), mom (Elvis purse in hand, duh!), Deb and Tina
We took a few hours on Friday night to hit up Beale Street....
Me and mom on the top deck at Alfred's on Beale St. And yes, she is wearing a Disney princess Birthday button!

Tyler sent us with a fruit roll up box sealed with pink duct tape full of sideburns...he scored some major points. 

duh, can not go to Memphis and NOT get my picture with Elvis

After a good night of $5 big ass beers..and shots from syringes. 

Then toured Graceland on Saturday...
I had no idea he was actually buried in his backyard...

Please notice the shirt...$5 big ass beers will make you purchase silly items. 

Mom is in such awe right here..time for her own plane Frank!

ELVIS



Then headed BACK to Beale Street....
Never without a beer in hand...

or at the table. Mom said "look down" before taking this...

Coyote Ugly, had we been here Friday night, Deb and I would have been on the bar for sure

We left our mark on the wall at Coyote Ugly..this is why you should always carry fingernail polish!

Then we said good bye to Memphis (after stopping at several more souvenir shops) and headed back home. Luckily my dad was there to get a few more pictures of the gang together...

One last picture on the red velvet couch

Yes, I'm rocking a minivan and Elvis sunglasses, be jealous


We're pretty much models....

See what I mean!?!?

As my dad would say, a good time was had by all. I'd book this trip again in a heartbeat, it was just that much fun!

And as my mom's heart throb would say...

Thank you, thank you very much!

My advice: Take your mom on a vacation, I promise you won't regret it. My mom already wants to know where we're going for her 70th bday. Well mom, most likely the nursing home cafeteria for lunch...kidding, maybe a return trip to Graceland?? 

Monday, September 26, 2011

My Opinion Monday - countdowns on facebook...

I'm so happy for all my Facebook friends when they get married...mostly because I'm so damn tired of seeing their countdown on their status update like every day. It's really annoying to keep reading "893 days until I'm Mrs. New Last Name" and "In 394 days, I get to marry my best friend!"

Chances are, I'm not even invited to your wedding, do you really think I need to see a constant countdown to a day that means nothing to me? How about you do it the old fashioned way: get your paper calendar out, get a red marker and just cross off the days as they are over. Then you can keep a tally for yourself, in the privacy of your own home, of how many more days you have left of being able to break up without a lawyer. mmkk?

I will get married one day, and I promise you that I will not inundate my status updates with countdowns. Mainly because the people that really need to know how many days, already have an invitation on their fridge, along with the "Save the Date" magnet and a Facebook event invite as reminders. A daily status update reminder is unnecessary, and frankly, very annoying. Many times I've wanted to comment on those when they get to like "9 days left" with a "thank god, I'm so friggin sick of seeing this on your status everyday...if you starting counting up like how many days you've actually been married, I'm defriending you."

I may start counting down to retirement though...if I can retire at 57, I only have 10,950 days left!! Now that is something worth keeping track of!

Monday, September 12, 2011

My Opinion Monday - Going back (for the 3rd time) to the gym....

So I'm back to the gym this week. Hopefully I can make it a full week before I decide that I really hate it.

I'll be honest with you, I haven't been in a steady workout regime since March....like the beginning of March. Then I jetted off to Jamaica for 6 days of fun and sun. I managed to lose a half pound while I was there, so I dropped my WW membership and decided I could do it on my own.

I.WAS.WRONG.

I gained 6 of the 10lbs I'd lost for said trip to Jamaica and well, my pants are fitting anymore. It wouldn't bother me except for the fact that I have a full time co-worker now. So when my bosses are gone, I will still have someone in the office. Essentially, I can't sit at my desk with my pants unbuttoned anymore. And with the temps getting cooler, I MUST drop some weight.

So today I was back at the gym. More disheveled looking than bright eyed and bushy tailed. I learned one very important lesson today though. If you can get to the gym with Ellen is on, you should go then. That way, when you're about in tears because it hurts really bad and you're mad at yourself, everyone will think you're crying from watching Ellen! I think I perfected this today.

But you know what they say, working out sucks! no pain, no gain. And something else about blood, sweat and tears...I got 2 our of 3 today - because Ellen was on though people! And if I'm bleeding at the gym, it'd better be because I'm on my period, not because I've taken a tumble on the treadmill and busted myself all up. Doesn't matter how thin you are then, you just look like a mess when your hair gets caught in the belt....

Now go watch YouTube videos of people falling on treadmills, promise it'll make you laugh!

Monday, September 5, 2011

My Opinion Monday - on Salvation Army having 50% today!

Holiday weekends are good for several things. First, you get an extra day off work - and who doesn't love that?? I know I do. And secondly, EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE is on SALE! I may be a bit of a shopaholic. But I feel like it's okay now that I shop more at thrift stores than I do at the mall. I did go to the mall yesterday, but not before I went to the Goodwill outlet. I spent $13 on a Jessica Simpson dress that was originally $98 - I feel good about that.

But not as good as I feel about this:

My loot from Salvation Army today - 2 stores and all this for $22.00...yes, twenty-two dollars! Let me break this down for you:

22 pieces for $22.00 - and some items I only paid $.30 for!

All the items are in excellent condition and most are name brand. I got sweaters, a couple dresses, a skirt (the green one), long sleeve shirts, and a belt! I'm ready for fall  after I lose those 6 lbs I gained and make it impossible to put jeans or pants on other than pj pants.

I did spend 3 hours of my day looking for this stuff, but I've spend much more time in the mall, spend way more and got much less. 

I can't wait for someone to ask me where I got the super awesome (insert clothing item here) from...it's just too bad I work with only 2 other people...

Any other thirft store junkies out there? Anyone else score a good deal this weekend? 





Friday, September 2, 2011

So what are you reading right now?

Here's what I picked up at Goodwill a few days ago after practically having a withdrawal...

1. Better Homes and Garden's Handyman's Guide circa 1960. This was more of a purchase for the man of the house...he's not the most skilled when it comes to the mechanics of having a home. Even though we won't be wallpapering or laying 4x4 ceramic tile in the bathroom (since it's already there, ugh), this still can serve as a nice guide on unclogging drains and patching your fireplace. And truth be told, I bought it because it was old, looked cool and was only $1.29. He's never going to read it...(sigh).


2. Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing circa 1980. This is a me purchase. I sew but only learned by someone teaching me on a few patterns and I've just figured the rest out on my own since then. I looked through this book the other night and smiled the entire time. I can make ruffles, do French darts, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It's a nice reference material and it does look good on our coffee table too. It also only cost me $1.29 too.

3. The Autobiography of Merton Boswell Greene. I couldn't resist this book. I always feel bad when I see family pictures or other really personal items at Goodwill. I imagine that no one took the time to either take the pictures out of the frames or just didn't care or know what to do with whatever it was. I was drawn to 'ol Merton and his fancy bow tie. He clearly had put some time, energy and probably money into writing his own story. On the first page I learned that Merton had written this when he was 87 years old, with a typewriter, and would be including some of his father's own writings as well. His father had written something similar when he was alive, I assume Merton felt the need to write his story and include his father's story as a way for his family to remember him. His family clearly didn't care as it ended up at Goodwill. I'm hoping that someone just wanted to share his story with others. So for $0.89, I picked this up. I'm a few pages in so far, it's his father's story that I'm currently reading. Grew up in England, they had a successful shoe making company until machines took over. He (Merton's father) moved to America just two years before the business went under....I know it doesn't seem like an interesting read, but this is true reality. I find it nice to read something that someone put their heart into. I just hope when my family throws all my old pillows, refinished furniture and other things I've done to Goodwill, someone else will pick those up much like I did with Merton's autobiography.

So what are you reading? It's getting to be fall and that's when I like to go to bed around 9 or so and read until it's my official "bedtime." Any good suggestions? And if anyone wants to read about Merton, just let me know!
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