Fond Vacation Memories

Remember when I reported Robin's snarky comment upon noticing that John and I were holding hands on our beach walk?  I swear, those girls act as if we are such an embarrassment to them.  I doubt anyone on that beach was even looking at us:

Ringo Finds True Love

Yucky weather today, 

so I'm doing a post on a recent development with Ringo...

You remember Reese, don't you?   She is the 120-pound or so Rottweiler who lives next door.  Reese's parents fenced in their backyard, and through the safety of chain link, she and Ringo have begun what I like to call "The Dance of Love"...   

Although Lola stands at the fence and barks her fool head off to get Reese's attention, Reese only has eyes for Ringo:

I think Reese and Ringo would make an awesome power couple, along the lines of Brad & Angelina, Will & Jada or Tom & Katie.  Oh, who am I kidding?  In human form, they would most likely bear a striking resemblance to these two:

P.S. - You'll be glad to know the sun came out while I was working on this, so I hustled my buns down to the beach for a lovely afternoon of sun and a good book.  The only bad part of the day were the two whale turds that washed up on the beach where I was trying to relax.

The Bickersons' Family Vacation

Yee gads....for those of you who have little ones, enjoy them while you can.  One day,  (it will come sooner than you think, completely blindsiding you) they will be teenagers.  I distinctly remember a cute little girl with big brown eyes telling me in all earnestness:  "Mommy, I will never be a big ugly teenager."  She lied.  

We're on vacation in Pensacola Beach, Florida.  The girls didn't even have to travel down with us, instead being afforded the luxury of air travel.  Due to a miscommunication (translation:  John doesn't listen), the girls weren't available to leave on Friday, so John and I headed out on the 12-hour drive together.  Just the two of us.  In the car.  Together.  As much as I wish I had some funny stories to tell on John, it really wasn't bad.  We rolled into PB on Saturday mid-afternoon, checked into the condo, had a little beach time, then made our way to the airport to pick up Robin and Lily.  Robin was pretty excited because she met Jake from the Bachelorette at the Atlanta airport.  I don't watch the show, but if this guy is who the Bachelorette is NOT selecting, I can't imagine what those other guys are like!

Anyhoo, they arrive in a good mood and the first day goes well.  In retrospect, I should have known Lily was up to something because she was being particularly nice, wanting to take our picture together every five minutes. 

 Then she starts in on getting her tragus pierced.  John and I both say "no"...

Following that was a flurry of Facebook statuses that read:  

• Robin Reyes honestly just wants to go home.  
• Lily Reyes is p*ssed that she can't get her ear pierced.  
• Robin Reyes' family is exhausting.  
  

Seriously.   We're on vacation with surf, sand and a great forecast.  How rough can their lives be?

Oh, I also heard a snide comment regarding John and I holding hands when we were walking on the beach:  "I don't know whether to jump for joy or puke."

The Awe-summmness of Moi

Sarah K. over at Randumb was awarded the Queen of ALLL Things Awe-summm!!! award and passed it along to me.  Wow, I am incredibly honored!

Here's what I have to do:

1. List 7 things that make me awe-summm!
2. Pass the award onto 7 bloggers that I love 
3. Tag those bloggers to let them know they are now Queens too (and link back to the Queen who tagged you)

In addition to being awesome, I'm humble, so I asked a few friends to share one awesome thing about me and here's what they came up with:

7 Things That Make Me Awe-Summm!

1. I am SASSY!

2. I have excellent oral hygiene.

3. I put up with two chihuahuas and John.

4. I am an awesome mom.

5. I have mad baking skills.

6. I will come get your pathetic, post-partum carcass late on a Sunday night, take you to the ER, wait 3 hours while you get checked out, then deliver your pathetic, post-partum carcass safely home.  I won't even say, "I told you not to have a third kid."  Uh, actually I can't promise the last part.

7. I am very funny.

Here's where I'm NOT so awesome...I don't really have the blogdom to pay it forward, so I think I will just selfishly wallow in my victory.  

Thanks, Sarah!

The Concrete Lady

For the past 20 years, whenever John and I traveled through southern Indiana via I-65, we would pass The Concrete Lady.  This is a magical place that manufactures and sells concrete statuary and lawn ornaments.  What caught my attention all those years ago was a giant polar bear that I wanted with every fiber of my being.  How fun would it be to put that fellow on my deck and dress him up for the holidays?  I don't think that's asking too much, do you?  A certain someone who shall remain nameless (but it's John, in case you were wondering) never wanted to stop and take a look because we were on vacation and that's not what he considered fun.  Oh, occasionally he'd get lucky and I'd be asleep as he whizzed past Exit 4.  That's when he'd nudge me and say, "Did you want to stop?  Oh, I think we missed the exit."  So, I finally took matters into my own hands and planned a day trip with my sister specifically to go see The Concrete Lady.  Today was the big day.   We arrived around 11:00 and were so excited about our shopping trip that we didn't even mind the soul-crushing heat.  We started off in the fountain section.  I would love to have a fountain; I even have the perfect spot for it.  I'm just not sure I would know how to go about setting it up and, quite honestly, I don't want to learn.  I just want some helpful person to come do that for me. 

Yes, the 12-year-old boy in me thinks this is funny:

Sadly, the polar bear I had admired from afar is no longer available.  

However, I've found a new love:  a concrete, flesh-colored, hand-shaped chair.  

Is that awesome, or what???  

The ONLY reason I didn't buy one today is that it would not fit in my car.  Keep in mind, though, John owns a truck.  That chair will be mine.   

Now, I realize a lot of the stuff there is tacky, but something deep within me really likes it.   

Not this, though:

Instead of Native Americans being offended by sports teams with names such as the Chiefs, Braves, and Redskins, I think their time and effort would be better spent putting a stop to things like that.

Here is the sponsor for tonight's nightmare (shivers):

He didn't scare Sarah.  She's a dental hygienist and always looking for new patients.

Here she is with King Kong.  

She stayed in this position for quite awhile after I took the picture,

 but I'm not really sure what that was about.

I'd really like to meet the person who would buy this one:

The always funny nose-picking troll:

Finally!  Something with class and sophistication:

I guess two living/breathing pugs aren't enough for some folks:

There were so many awesomely tacky items that it is a little overwhelming.  I couldn't even begin to photograph them all, but if you visit their website, you can see a broader selection of what's available. There's also a gift shop with lots of stuff you'll never need or want, but it's interesting to stroll through.  Plus, it is air conditioned.  Their prices are excellent.  I ended up with a reasonable facsimile of the Bird Girl of Savannah for $26 and two planters for $22 each.  

After we loaded up the car, Sarah bought me lunch at Logan's Steakhouse.   What better way to spend a Sunday than tacky lawn ornaments, acting goofy with my sister and a good meal? 

Face in Hole

So, the other day I was reading  Sarah K's blog, and decided to check out her profile picture. I knew it was her face superimposed over Audrey Hepburn's, but I wanted to see how she did it. I enlarged the picture and in the lower right hand corner were the words Face In Hole. Being extremely internet savvy*, I typed faceinhole.com into my browser and it was there that I found heaven on earth. Thirty-seven pages of different scenarios in which you can insert your own mug. MORE.FUN.THAN.A.BARREL.OF.MONKEYS.

Here's a sampling of how I spent the next hour (possibly more, but I'm not telling).

I think my face looks weird(er than usual) in this one, but I GET TO WEAR A CROWN!

Not everyone call pull off this look.  I think I can handle it.

This was back when Troy Aikman and I had a thing.  DAY-UM!  I look good.

You know that we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.

Don't I wish this was real!!!

Insert swine flu jokes here.

I almost peed my pants when I found this one.  Sigh....

Not to mention the fact that it doesn't snore, complain about your driving  or fill up your DVR with Matlock episodes.

*Now, I must be honest here.  I'm not THAT internet savvy.  I actually misread the website in the picture and typed in facehole.com.   Word of advice:  don't do that.

Happy Birthday, Lily!

Lily Rebecca turns 17 today.  I can hardly believe it. Oh, it's not her advanced age that stuns me.  It's the fact that I actually let her live this long.   LOL  She has always been quite the character.  I used to tell her when I was pregnant with Robin I drank fine wine and listened to classical music and when pregnant with her I drank beer and watched The Beverly Hillbillies.   Whether getting in trouble (ask her about the Silly Putty Incident sometime) or out of the blue telling me how much she loves me, she never fails to keep me entertained.   She has brought so much laughter and fun to our lives.  I'm glad she's here.