Monday, June 30, 2008

GGW...part II

Ok, ok...I'll finish this up. I know, I know...I'm a slacker and have been *gasp* working. :)

So, let's see...where did I leave off??? That's right, Saturday at the pool...massages...

Saturday was a pool, massage, relaxing kind of day. As I said, we had a method for the massage. When Sexy Hippy was up getting her massage the girls in the pool (me included) were getting hot so we decided to go back to the room and chat and possibly play games while we waited for The Director to get back. This way we could all get "gussied" up for the evening. While we were waiting a group of us decided (really I decided) that I needed to get my Tarot cards read. The Executive has a talent, she is seriously a medium and I trust her implicitly.

Have you ever done Tarot? If you haven't, you should. Some people don't approve of it, for some religious reason or another, but I'm not religious and I think it's a gift. When you ask a question and open yourself up an answer will present itself in many different forms. Tarot is one of those forms. Anywhoodle...my cards were what I expected. Lot's of decisions to be made about my future...in fact that was my significator card, which is what is happening at the present moment. Now, I wasn't shocked by my cards, after all there is a lot going on, but I was really hoping that the first card (the one that said that I was going to have to make some sort of decision) was in the outgoing spot. But, apparently I haven't fully made my decision yet. Cards are funny, some times they are relative to what is happening right now and some times they take 3-6 months to play out. Usually you'll look back at your reading a while later and go "Ah-hah! That's what they were saying." You can't live your life by the cards, meaning you can't make something happen that is in the cards, just like you can't live your life by what your monthly horoscope says. These things are references, guidance, but not hard decisions, you still have to do the "work" yourself.

After my tarot reading I received a wonderful 15 minute head massage, it was divine, I needed more time, but we were OUT of time. We had dinner reservations at 7:30 at Sam's Cafe`, which was an okay place, not spectacular, but a place that could accommodate the 7 of us at that time. It was also just across the street from the movie theatre where we were going to see Sex and the City - the movie! We got some great shots (pictures not drinks...) at dinner and then headed over to the theatre. We arrived a little early so we had our choice of seats and picked a row not too far up and of course we had our feet on the chairs in front of us. People started filling in and by the time the movie started the theatre was still pretty empty. The Director had her feet on the chair and this couple decided to sit right in front of her...again, the theater was EMPTY, and they looked at her so she put her feet down. Once the movie started she put her feet up again, gently, and the guy turned around and chewed her out! I'm serious, he actually almost threatened her for having her feet up on the chair. Now...if you were in a theater that was not very full...would you really sit in front of a row of SEVEN women? We all wanted to kick this guys ass...and probably would have if he would have tried anything else. What a bastard.

The movie was great, more like a really LONG episode of Sex and the City. There were tears, and not just from us. There were points where you could hear the universal snivel. When the movie was over we walked back to the cars, went back to the room and started talking. Our poor Executive got sick. She's allergic to peppers and apparently at this Sam's Cafe her meal had more than a few. She tried to eat around them...but you know how that goes. Needless to say, we cleared out of the room and went to sleep. Soul Mate wanted to talk so we stayed up talking for another hour or so. I thought that Tiny Dancer was sleeping, but I found out the next day that it wasn't the case. SO, my apologies to Tiny Dancer for keeping you awake darling! (She's pregnant and needs all the Zzz's she can get!) It was a good talk that Soul Mate and I had and it made her feel better about some things that she's been worrying about. I think my dear friends worry about me being "on my own" in Austin. But, as I remind them...this is not the first time I've been on my own.

We went down to the pool for a little last "hurrah" and then went our separate ways. It was sad, but in a good way. Hopefully we'll continue the tradition of meeting once a year. And yes...I realize that this means that I have to go to the desert in the heat of the summer once a year...ugh.

The Saint was tasked with babysitting me for the rest of the day since my flight didn't leave until 7ish that night. We went to Buffalo Exchange (which if you haven't been there lately...check it out!) and she was overly generous as usual. I ended up with a hot looking pair of 7 for All Mankind jeans that I promised to send her in a couple of months. Although, I don't think they'll fit her since she's a skinny mini now. Sexy Hippy had us over for dinner, it was a nice refreshing salad and really hit the spot, but what was even better was spending time with her mini-diva in training. Her little peanut is SO adorable. And after that I went to the airport and waited for my flight to take me home.

It was a wonderful trip. I loved every minute of it and made me realize how I survived living in Phoenix for that long! Now, there is no way that I'm going back, but I do miss my friends. My friends that represent my heart and soul. The ones that know me better than myself. I miss being there for them in the physical sense, being able to go over when one of them is having a problem with a bottle of wine and a strong shoulder to cry on. I miss being there to encourage them, I miss being there to see their babies come into the world. I miss seeing them happy because that makes me happy. So, all of my dear friends (this includes you Sports Mama and Yoga Babe), remember that you have something in Phoenix that is precious. You have your friends, your support, your hearts and souls that help you live when you can't find the strength. Remember that I'm only a phone call away. Love, Me.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Delayed...

I know, I know...I'm supposed to be onto my third segment of the weekend and I can't even manage to finish the second installment. A funk...that's where I'm at right now.

I had a great weekend this past weekend. I swear if I have too many good weekends in a row I'll never want to work again. I need to get rich quick. The Saint and I need to get our crap-o-la together to make our millions. :) Back to my latest weekend...

Yoga Zen Babe came out to look for a house to buy. Her and her family flew in Thursday, drove around looking at neighborhoods and on Friday they went out with their realtor. And....(drum roll please)...they found a house! It's only 3 miles away from my house and they'll be living behind a really cool park. We took them to some "cool" Austin restaurants (IMHO of course!) and chilled out at the house. The puppies are SO excited to have a little friend to play with. The Zen Baby is adorable. He was actually reaching for the pups and they were happy to oblige. We had them on leashes so they wouldn't overwhelm the poor kid, but I think as the Zen Baby grows they'll be the best of friends.

Monday I came to work to find out that Z's (co-worker) husband was in the hospital. She's on my team and really like family. Her husband has type I diabetes and had a kidney transplant a few years back. They have three young children (3,5 and 7) and just bought a new house in the past year. He's been ill for almost a year now, but the past 6 months he's been in the hospital at least once a month, now it's once a week and for the past week he's been in ICU. His body is failing him and they can't figure out what is wrong, where the problem is. Z's been calling in every morning to give us the update. Tuesday she was numb and sounded normal. Wednesday it was apparent that the numbness was wearing off and reality was setting in. The doctors told her to call his family. He was bleeding internally and they didn't know the source. He's not coherent, but not in a coma.

This morning I received the update call while I was still home. So I just sat and listened, tried not to ask too many questions, I wanted her to speak her mind. I asked what we could do for her and she said, "Just pray...please pray." The funny thing is that on my walk earlier that morning I was thinking about her and her family. I thought about them all morning, even while getting ready and I had a feeling that she would be calling me. So I wasn't shocked to get the call, but it was still hard to hear her hurting. I cried on the way to work, just let the tears stream down my face as I thought about her and how much her heart was hurting.

My husband has done some crappy things in my life, but I can't imagine watching him wither away in a hospital bed, not knowing what is wrong with him. I can't imagine facing the possibility of raising three children on my own. I can't imagine facing the possibility of losing my partner, my best friend, my everything. I prayed last night, probably for the first time in a long time. Prayed for my friend, prayed for her family, prayed for peace of mind. I forgot how good it felt to pray, to talk to something that is bigger than life, to put yourself out there and have faith.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Girls Gone Wild...again!! (A mulit part story)

Wow. Yep, that's all I have to say about the weekend.

Hahahaha, right...we all know me a little better than that. This may be a multi-day post because there was so much fun and fabulousness (is that a word? - Executive? Soul Mate?) that it cannot be contained in one posting. FYI - I'm writing this at 11am on Monday at my kitchen table with a cup of strong coffee and a croissant from P. Croissants that I brought back from AZ. I'm still in my pj's and threw a ball cap on to contain my hair.

Friday - I was right, I couldn't sleep Thursday night and probably got four hours of sleep before the alarm went off and I had Trainer yelling, "are you almost ready," every five minutes. I finished packing in the garage because Fido freaks out at the sight of a suitcase. He's a bit of a momma's boy... I get to the airport and find that the security line is insane. Now, Austin is a tiny, tiny airport and we never have to wait in a security line. The most amazing thing happened though, and I wish I was the one who did it... I was standing in the middle of the line that was, again, LONG, and a soldier in full dress came up from the ticket counter, looked at the line and said, "Shoot" (that's not really what he said, but you get the idea). He was obviously cutting it close to catch his flight and again, Austin being a tiny airport, doesn't move it along at a fast pace. The guy standing next to me said, "Hey" and waited for the soldier to acknowledge him and then said, "Take my place." The soldier did and the other guy went to the back of the line. I was almost in tears. THEN a family that was in the ropes already said, "Come over here, come, come..." and they let him cut in front of them. I was just so proud to be in a crowd of people who were so kind and giving. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened at all the airports around the country. I made it through security with plenty of time to spare and sat down waiting to get on the plane...which of course was delayed. BUT, it was okay because I was going to see all my friends in AZ and I was in a great mood.

We boarded with no problems, I pre-board to get the front seat on the isle, and the flight was great. I made it! I call The Saint and she came to pick me up. After I dropped her off I headed out to BFE to see Sports Mama. I had forgotten how big the Phoenix area was. You get spoiled in Austin, as nothing is more than 15 minutes away. We had an awesome visit and the promise of a good home cooked country breakfast was delivered. I had my favorite breakfast of eggs over medium, hash browns and toast. My dear friend is looking for a job in property management at the present moment so if any of you know anyone in the industry...she's have 14 years of experience and is wonderful with customer service! (That's my unsanctioned plug for her!) After breakfast I went over to see Yoga Zen Babe and her little one. He is SO cute and very astute. He looks at you and scrunches his little brows together and looks oh so serious...then he cracks up and the dimples just brighten the room. Adorable. We chatted for a little bit and then I headed to Soul Mate's house to see her and her babies. She has twinkies (twins) and my adorable little Pumpkin. The twins are just 15 months and Pumpkin is four years old today! By the end of the visit I had them all on my lap and they were fighting for my attention. See, trickery, that's how you become popular. ;) HAHAHAHA!

Once that visit was over and I had my two pounds of coffee (thanks to Soul Mate) safely in my bag, I headed back to pick up The Saint. I hit a traffic jam on I-10 and remembered exactly why I love Austin and it's small town/big city vibe. The Saint had printed out directions and we headed to the Biltmore. By this time all the girls were on their way and calling to see when we'd all arrive. It was so exciting, the anticipation of all 7 of us being together at the same time. This hasn't happened since I left Arizona...crazy. We got a little lost, Google maps...sheesh. By the time we arrived we had a caravan of cars and I jumped out to greet everyone. Tight hugs and kisses and 100 degree heat...yes, let's move it inside. The Biltmore is an amazing property, just gorgeous and take pride in their customer service. We made it up to the rooms, which were awesome, and started chatting it up. The volume kept increasing as we were all trying to talk at once and to different people...it was great.

The tragedy of getting older is that while you're having your family and focusing on your career other things slip away, like your time. The priorities are what they are...that made this weekend even more precious, even to the six that still live in the same state. I'm so happy that I booked my tickets, The Saint found a hotel, and we all agreed to make it happen. Not easy with seven busy women. We brought snacks and wine and before we knew it there was an open bottle and I was drinking. The loose schedule was to go something like this:

Friday -
Chill and chat, drink, order pizza, drink some more, fall asleep eventually after playing games.

it really went like this:
Chill, drink, chat, drink, go to wine tasting in fancy bar, drink, go back to the room, chatting, drinking, order pizza, drinking, wait for pizza guy forever, hotel delays pizza guy, drinking, drinking, laughing, pizza arrives we eat and chat, tried to play "Never have I ever" and we don't make it past the first person, more drinking and laughing.

The volume level was out of control. I think I saw a boob or two, got mounted, learned some new tricks, drank a boat load of wine, and then got to fall asleep on a heavenly mattress with Soul Mate. I didn't sleep very much since I drank about a liter of water before going to bed and my body was on Central time getting me up at 4:30am, then 5am, then 5:30...you get the idea. Finally I just said 'eff' it and got up, got dressed and went for a walk. I made it about 20 minutes when The Saint called me, she wanted to walk too, so I went around and got her and we walked for a good 45 minutes. I was pretty proud of myself for even getting the work out clothes out of the bag! HA! We got back and showered up and found a nice breakfast place off the property. I had this dish called the "Wolf Pack" and OMG...heaven! It was eggs, bacon and cheese layered in hash browns. SO delish and it hit the spot after consuming at least a bottle of wine (each of us that were drinking) and some champagne.

As soon as we got back we all changed into pool gear. We also hired a masseur to come to the room for the day and give massages. We had a method, as soon as the person that was getting a massage was done she would call down to the pool and send the next one up. The Director had to go first because she was being a good mom and had to leave the 'girls weekend' briefly to go see a dance recital that her daughter and husband were in. But she got some pool time in before she left. We ate bad food and ordered drinks as soon as we got down there, which was about 11am...right when the bar opened. I love vacation... The Executive found herself a floating device, it was one of those long thin blue rafts and she sat in the middle of it. She had a blue 1940s sheik swim suit on with a floppy hat and looked like a movie star. The floating device became "the blue taco" and she almost bit it a couple of times. Oh, fun... We were all so good about sunscreen, hats and being staying in the shade when possible. Had we really matured???

This is where I'm going to stop for today. I know, it's not really a cliff hanger, but seriously I need to shower, find more coffee and then wait for Trainer to get home so I can have some...lunch. ;)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

I'm exhausted...yet excited

I know I've told you all this before...but my boss is a NUT JOB! I've been working my ass off and I'm so ready for this little mini-vacation with my girls.

Setting: Phoenix, Arizona. The Biltmore Resort and Spa, boasting 8 pools, a full service 'state of the art' spa facility, and within close distance to Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Characters: The Diva girls, with appearances from Sports Mama, Yoga Zen Babe, and The Enigma.

Plot: Girls weekend away from the cares of the world. No kids, no husbands, no bosses or headaches (except for the self-induced ones that involve loads of alcohol), yummy food, no worrying about thighs or bellies...and did I mention Booze? A little bit of self-indulgence, a little bit of self-healing, Tarot readings, gossiping about Hollywood...and seriously...did I mention booze?

I arrive at the airport around 8am, The Saint is picking me up, then I'm dropping her off at work and she is graciously letting me use her car! I'll go have breakfast with Sports Mama, who by the way could use all the good thoughts in the world as she happens to be going through a very tough time. Then I will drop by and see YZB and her little munchkin. After that I'll spend some time with Soul Mate at her home until I meet up with The Enigma for his lunch. I doubt I'll eat since I'll be eating and drinking plenty once I get to the resort. Then...the fun will begin.

Trainer is very excited as well. For one, he gets to go on his own mini-vacation (even MORE mini b/c he's doing 24hrs in Vegas - and really that is all that the boy can handle) and two, he doesn't have to go see Sex and the City - The Movie with me. Oh...the little things. Yes, people...I'm sending him to Vegas. While one on hand we have absolutely no money (who does these days?) to spare I decided that we should each get one last hurrah as we go down the path that will leave us eating beans, rice and salad for about six months. It's not so terrible though...maybe I'll actually lose those FIVE fricken pounds that I've been vowing to take off?? It could happen...really, it could.

In preparation for my trip I have a list of things to get done.
- Arrange the dog sitter (check!)
- Get pedicure (on the way home tonight!)
- Get bikini wax (check!)
- Call Soul Mate for official countdown (on way to Pedicure!)
- Print SW ticket (check!)
- Print Hotel Confirmation (doing now, good thing I'm making a list)
- AND...pack, the dreadful packing that makes my puppies sad (later, as late as possible!)

So, that's what I have to do between now and midnight when I fall asleep...I'm usually in bed by 10, but I have a feeling I'll be doing something silly...like lying awake anticipating the alarm going off at 5am! (Take note you AZ peeps, that is 3am your time!) I can't wait to see my adoring fans...hahaha, my only fans in the blogging world. :) Peace out Yo!