This Could Be My Family

My friend Sue sent this to me today and I must share. Except for nobody getting one upside the head with a wooden spoon I think this could be me and my siblings. Enjoy!

Our Travels Continue

After a blissful week of sun, beaches, good food, lots of cool refreshing cocktails and some much needed "alone time" with my hubby, we are off to Providence for the Synchro Nationals. For the next 18 hours or so we will be flying from Lihue, Kauai to Providence via Honolulu and Chicago. What a bitch to have a layover in your home city. Oh the cost of being a world traveller.

I don't know a whole lot about Providence except that they have good lobsters for cheap. Is there anything else a girl needs to know? Lauren is already there preparing (along with her team) for competition on Saturday. Then it's an early flight home to the Windy City on Sunday morning. Once home I promise to blog all about our great Hawaiian Adventure.

COCK-a-doodle-doo

We had read about the wild roosters on the island of Kauai and we were told/warned of them by our timeshare, but quite honestly, you cannot believe how annoying they are! Not only do they "COCK-a-doodle-doo" in the wee hours of the morning, it goes on pretty much all day and night. I think they know exactly when your head hits the pillow then the party really starts. It is 4am now and since I got out of bed I have not heard a single rooster. As for Rick, he can sleep through anything. God bless that man. Perhaps a nap on the beach is in order today. Or by the pool. For now I'm just going to kick back, try to enjoy the wildlife and have a mimosa! Aloha!

Day 31

That's right. 31 days and no cigs. I can't even believe it myself. There are so many things that I have noticed/realized since quitting smoking.

• I can now purchase sweat pants and pajama pants without pockets.
  
• My cute little "dress" bags have much more room in them without the cigs.


• I don't smell like an ashtray anymore and neither does my car or house.


• There is more to most restaurants than just the bar area.


• My purses no longer have to have an inside pocket.


• My sense of smell is incredible.

These are just a few. Today when we fly to Kauai (woooohoooooooo!!!!!!) I won't have to rush outside to smoke while Rick waits for our luggage. And I won't have to worry about stashing my lighter before going through security. This non-smoking thing gets easier and easier. I think vacation will be a challenge. Cocktails, beach, good food. All of those things used to include my cigs. Should be interesting.

Off to Kauai then on to Providence to see IllinoiSkating whoop some ass at Nationals. And to eat some yummy lobsters. Thanks to Al and Mary Ann for the lobster recommendations!

OOPS!

After entering our subdivision (I hate calling it that because unlike most subdivisions the houses are all different and our lot sizes are quite large, ours being over 3 acres) one must travel down a big hill (like the one near Grandma's house in Jay, for the NY readers) before turning left at the bottom of the hill to get to our house. For years we have joked with the neighbors about the fact that nobody has ever run into the guy's house at the bottom of the hill when the roads are snow covered. Until a few years back when our good friend and neighbor Sue took out the guy's mailbox with her Explorer. Needless to say some good-natured teasing ensued.

Well Sue, you are no longer alone. The kids came home from work last night to inform me that there was a car stuck on the berm of this home. Turns out the car belongs to another of the neighbors. When will they learn?

I, for one, will always drive an Escalade, or the like, as long as I live here. I will also go slow down the hill in the snow!

Going to Nationals

Tough competition this weekend but they pulled it out. Fifth place finish for IllinoiSkating. Enough to make it to Providence for Nationals in three weeks. We have gone to many skating competitions over the years but this one was quite bizarre. The venue was actually an Agricultural Expo Center that they brought an ice rink into. The locker rooms were trailers. It was in Tennessee after all. But what a difference college makes. We were able to spend some quality time with Lauren (and the other girls) in Nashville before they competed. This was absolutely forbidden with the Chicago Jazz. There would be no fun on the Jazz trips. Just skating 24/7. I like this much better. Keep up the great work girls!