ho ho

the last few weeks have seen  me aiming in the decidedly GRINCH direction.  Thanks to Ryan at Pacing the Panic Room, who pointed me at the Bloggess. Not that many people read my blog, but if you happen upon it, please go see what she has done....it will BLOW you away.....She is actually the kind of writer I wish I were, but more importantly, she is the person we ALL wish we could be!

now excuse me, while I go pack up my Grinch-itude and try to have a better outlook on the season....

Happy and Merry

wasting away again in margarita-ville

my phone ring tone is Jimmy Buffet's quintessential chill song...and funnily enough, I am not really a fan of Buffet, and even though I lived in Ft. Lauderdale a while, and my mom has lived there since 1984, I had never been to Key West.  Figured it wasn't much more to fuss about than the New Orleans' French Quarter (been there), San Diego's Old Town (been there); Galveston's Strand (been there), New York's Greenwich Village (been there), San Francisco's Haight (been there), Paris' Latin Quarter (been there) and any one of a hundred other quaint little tourist traps... I have been there and I have the t-shirt!

So, back in June, when mom asked me to go to Key West with her and a couple friends over Thanksgiving, I wasn't too enthused but said "sure".....Something better was bound to come up and I totally forgot about it...until October when she asked when I was arriving...oops... and had I made the hotel reservations she had requested (back in June). Double Oops.  So I got on the stick, cashed in a frequent flyer award and made a triple point earning booking at a nice hotel where I get upgrades and free stuff.

My  mother and me, together.....can we just say that I may not have coined it, but I LIVE the phrase, "if it's not one thing, it's your mother."  She is a strong, beautiful, creative woman, who can handle anything. In fact I have never seen her cry...Indeed, I rarely see her have any emotion at all.  She has the ability to make me cry with just a word and I DO live in fear. I spill water on the floor and cringe that she will say something scathing. I broke a lamp one time and called a friend to see if she could take me to the airport (3 days early). I think it all goes back to when I was about 6 years old and my sister accidentally broke a plate or something, and my mother RIPPED the leg off her dolly and said something like "you don't take care of my things, so I am not going to take care of yours."  

Anyway, I always let these things go and go forward with hope and optimism, and while more often than not, I am punished for my naivete, this time it wasn't so bad.  She only made me cry 3 times in an entire week!!!  it was actually a fun time, and I won't need reconstructive surgery on the inside of my cheek. Nor will my tongue have to be stitched completely back on.....

Here are a few photos of the trip...more to come when I figure out to upload them from my new camera....

me and mom and her friends at thanksgiving dinner - Pier House

Conch Chowder and fruit plate with no honeydew - Give Thanks!

do i really need to write a caption?

we have our moments...

Thanks for a great trip, Margarita....(not that she reads my blog.....thank god)