Lori Allison's Blog
September 17, 2019
New York 2019 - Day 3
New York 2019 - Day 3
We got an even later start than the day before, not even cracking an eye open til after 9:00. We weren’t in any hurry, but we did eventually get dressed for the day and walked a few blocks over to Friedman’s for breakfast. My waffle was great but the coffee was terrible! Not enough cream and sugar in the world to make it drinkable. That left us no choice but to stop by the Starbucks in our hotel for our morning caffeine.
We had decided to do less walking today, and the idea of more shopping didn’t appeal to either of us. Even though the crowds were slightly thinner, it being Sunday, the area was still pretty congested. Somewhat fewer people only meant that the scary characters that roam Times Square pestering pedestrians to take pictures with them were even more aggressive. A bit of quiet was what we needed, so we headed up to the room. We had a couple of hours before we needed to be anywhere, and more lazy time sounded like just the thing.
Jeff and I each passed the time with our own forms of entertainment. Jeff watched tv while looking for car parts on the internet while I wrote for a little while before setting it aside to read. Times Square was still blustering below us, the sounds of sirens, revving engines and music penetrating the window into our space, but as long as we weren’t down there in the thick of it, neither of us was bothered.
A little after noon we put away the electronics and made our way to the first floor, out the back of the hotel, across the street and right into the front doors of the Minskoff Theater. We had tickets for the matinee performance of The Lion King. Out of all the Broadway shows we could’ve seen, I chose The Lion King for a reason. When the show first opened 20 some years ago, Jeff was still flying for Mesa Airlines, and was in New York fairly often. I was dying to see the show and we made a tentative plan that I would non-rev on one of Jeff’s flights to New York and he would take me to see it. Before that could take place, however, Jeff changed his base to Phoenix, and no longer flew out to the east coast. So, after 20 years, I finally had my chance to see the show.
First things first, though. I had to browse the merchandise stands, the theater equivalent of a gift shop which is my weakness. I came away with a few things to commemorate the occasion.
The show was amazing! So much to look at with the colorful costumes and brilliant sets, not to mention the ingenious methods they used to turn the actors into animals without putting them in animal suits. It was worth the wait.
After the show, it was moving along toward dinner time and we were starving. Italian sounded good so we got online and found Trattoria Trecolori a couple of blocks away. It was a modest place with exposed brick walls and dim lighting. Our waiter recited the specials in rapid Brooklynese throwing out his recommendations with phrases like “Screw the salad special. The caprese with prosciutto is better. That’s what you want” and “You like veal? No? That’s because you never had it here. If you’re ever gonna eat veal, eat it here”. Honestly, I was a little afraid of him, like maybe if he didn’t approve of my order he would refuse to bring it and substitute something else. I ordered rigatoni and Jeff got the veal special (he might’ve been a little scared too) and everything arrived at the table just as we requested. And it was delicious! Way too much food for us to finish, though. We really need to learn to agree on something and share. Of course that would take the fun out of eating off each other’s plates.
With our bellies full of excellent Italian food, it was time to hit the bakery. We had found our favorite place from our last trip and we were excited! Kayser Maison, home of the chocolate mousse cake miracle known as the adagio! We picked up two and carted them back to the hotel to have later.
The evening was young, so we went down to the hotel bar, ordered drinks and relaxed. It had been a wonderful, low-key day.
That does it for the New York trip. The rest is just our travel home, and nobody wants to hear about that. Thanks for hanging with us through another adventure!!
Love you all!!
We got an even later start than the day before, not even cracking an eye open til after 9:00. We weren’t in any hurry, but we did eventually get dressed for the day and walked a few blocks over to Friedman’s for breakfast. My waffle was great but the coffee was terrible! Not enough cream and sugar in the world to make it drinkable. That left us no choice but to stop by the Starbucks in our hotel for our morning caffeine.
We had decided to do less walking today, and the idea of more shopping didn’t appeal to either of us. Even though the crowds were slightly thinner, it being Sunday, the area was still pretty congested. Somewhat fewer people only meant that the scary characters that roam Times Square pestering pedestrians to take pictures with them were even more aggressive. A bit of quiet was what we needed, so we headed up to the room. We had a couple of hours before we needed to be anywhere, and more lazy time sounded like just the thing.
Jeff and I each passed the time with our own forms of entertainment. Jeff watched tv while looking for car parts on the internet while I wrote for a little while before setting it aside to read. Times Square was still blustering below us, the sounds of sirens, revving engines and music penetrating the window into our space, but as long as we weren’t down there in the thick of it, neither of us was bothered.
A little after noon we put away the electronics and made our way to the first floor, out the back of the hotel, across the street and right into the front doors of the Minskoff Theater. We had tickets for the matinee performance of The Lion King. Out of all the Broadway shows we could’ve seen, I chose The Lion King for a reason. When the show first opened 20 some years ago, Jeff was still flying for Mesa Airlines, and was in New York fairly often. I was dying to see the show and we made a tentative plan that I would non-rev on one of Jeff’s flights to New York and he would take me to see it. Before that could take place, however, Jeff changed his base to Phoenix, and no longer flew out to the east coast. So, after 20 years, I finally had my chance to see the show.
First things first, though. I had to browse the merchandise stands, the theater equivalent of a gift shop which is my weakness. I came away with a few things to commemorate the occasion.
The show was amazing! So much to look at with the colorful costumes and brilliant sets, not to mention the ingenious methods they used to turn the actors into animals without putting them in animal suits. It was worth the wait.
After the show, it was moving along toward dinner time and we were starving. Italian sounded good so we got online and found Trattoria Trecolori a couple of blocks away. It was a modest place with exposed brick walls and dim lighting. Our waiter recited the specials in rapid Brooklynese throwing out his recommendations with phrases like “Screw the salad special. The caprese with prosciutto is better. That’s what you want” and “You like veal? No? That’s because you never had it here. If you’re ever gonna eat veal, eat it here”. Honestly, I was a little afraid of him, like maybe if he didn’t approve of my order he would refuse to bring it and substitute something else. I ordered rigatoni and Jeff got the veal special (he might’ve been a little scared too) and everything arrived at the table just as we requested. And it was delicious! Way too much food for us to finish, though. We really need to learn to agree on something and share. Of course that would take the fun out of eating off each other’s plates.
With our bellies full of excellent Italian food, it was time to hit the bakery. We had found our favorite place from our last trip and we were excited! Kayser Maison, home of the chocolate mousse cake miracle known as the adagio! We picked up two and carted them back to the hotel to have later.
The evening was young, so we went down to the hotel bar, ordered drinks and relaxed. It had been a wonderful, low-key day.
That does it for the New York trip. The rest is just our travel home, and nobody wants to hear about that. Thanks for hanging with us through another adventure!!
Love you all!!
September 15, 2019
New York 2019 - Day 2
New York 2019 - Day 2
I guess you could say we slept in, although with the two-hour time difference, it sure didn’t feel like it. Eight-thirty in New York is only six-thirty in New Mexico, and I woke up needing coffee. We found some, plus breakfast, across the street at Juniors, the place we’d gotten cheesecake the night before. We sat out on the patio and watched the cars, the people and the pigeons while we ate.
After breakfast, we wandered around the area with no real destination in mind. We bought t-shirts for the grandkids and poked around in the must-see places: Disney, Hershey and the M & M’s store. We made a quick stop at Old Navy to find Jeff a couple pairs of ... um ... unmentionables (underwear). The man travels for a living and is the world’s most efficient packer. He never forgets anything. I do. For some reason, I frequently forget to pack pajamas. It’s the reason I have so many. I have to buy new ones when I forget them. Jeff mocks me unmercifully about it. And this is the guy who forgets to pack enough underwear. I expect I’ve heard the last about my packing short-comings from here forward.
Old Navy seems to be operating under the delusion that men want their undergarments to sport pictures of rhinoceroses, banana peels and surf boards. They haven’t met Jeff. Plain and unadorned, that’s his style. It wasn’t easy but we found some without pictures. Mission accomplished!
By this time we’d been out and about for a few hours and were fed up with the crowds so we went back to the room. I did a little writing, Jeff edited a video, I dozed through a “documentary” about 9 Russian hikers who were murdered by a yeti in 1959 (there was photographic evidence), and we just enjoyed being lazy for a while. Finally, we ventured out again and ordered a Lyft as we needed to travel 40-some blocks to the East Village. We had booked a tour with Haunted Manhattan! We’ve done a few ghost tours in our travels. It’s a great way to combine Jeff’s passion for History and my obsession with anything creepy and gruesome. We were looking forward to it!
Jeff had chosen a shared ride for us, and when our car arrived there was another couple in the back seat of the Honda Accord. I got up front with the driver and Jeff squeezed in with the other passengers. As we rode, the other couple was discussing flights and seat availability, terms that are very familiar to anyone who flies “non-rev”, short for non-revenue. It’s a term the airlines use for passengers who are flying for free. I heard Jeff ask, “Do you work for Southwest?” The woman answered that she did. She thought Jeff looked familiar. It turns out she had been based in Denver for a while and had been a flight attendant on at least one of Jeff’s flights. What are the odds?!
We arrived at the meeting spot for our tour, Frankie showed up right on time, and we introduced ourselves around. One other couple would be taking the tour with us, Larissa from Connecticut and Andrew from the Bronx. We started the tour with a story of how the New York subway system came into place and the lesson evolved into a tale of a phantom train car.
Frankie was a fantastic guide! She spouted information and recounted tales of hauntings in the buildings she pointed out, all in a cheeky Australian accent. We even spotted Liev Schreiber, the actor, walking a scruffy little dog down one of the streets we were on. Or I should say, Jeff, Frankie and Andrew spotted him. I was too busy looking at the dog.
Two hours and a couple of miles later, we had been both educated and spooked. The tour ended around 9:30 pm, and we were hungry! Jeff had spotted a pizza place close to where we were so we made a bee line for it. Ray’s Pizza was a tiny pizza-by-the-slice place that seemed to be a favorite of the locals. After a bite of my mozzarella and basil slice I could see why!
When we finished, Jeff called for another car, not to take us to the hotel, but to a bakery called Paris Baguette, which was open late. I’ve told you about our habit of hitting a bakery every night to take goodies back to our room, and we had high hopes for Paris Baguette. We both thought, from the location, it might be the same one we loved so much on our last trip to New York. When we pulled up, it was obvious it wasn’t, but we went in anyway. I found a piece of cream cake with fresh strawberries and my decision was made, but Jeff couldn’t find anything that appealed to him. I bought my cake and we hoofed it the remaining 13 blocks to the hotel rather than waste time and money on another car. With the heavy Saturday night traffic, we could walk it faster. We were pretty happy to open the door to our room and kick our shoes off. We’d walked 8 miles over the course of the day and we were done!
I got into my pj’s and settled onto the couch with my cake. I didn’t even feel bad that I had dessert and Jeff had none. He had his chance!
More to come later. Love you all!!
I guess you could say we slept in, although with the two-hour time difference, it sure didn’t feel like it. Eight-thirty in New York is only six-thirty in New Mexico, and I woke up needing coffee. We found some, plus breakfast, across the street at Juniors, the place we’d gotten cheesecake the night before. We sat out on the patio and watched the cars, the people and the pigeons while we ate.
After breakfast, we wandered around the area with no real destination in mind. We bought t-shirts for the grandkids and poked around in the must-see places: Disney, Hershey and the M & M’s store. We made a quick stop at Old Navy to find Jeff a couple pairs of ... um ... unmentionables (underwear). The man travels for a living and is the world’s most efficient packer. He never forgets anything. I do. For some reason, I frequently forget to pack pajamas. It’s the reason I have so many. I have to buy new ones when I forget them. Jeff mocks me unmercifully about it. And this is the guy who forgets to pack enough underwear. I expect I’ve heard the last about my packing short-comings from here forward.
Old Navy seems to be operating under the delusion that men want their undergarments to sport pictures of rhinoceroses, banana peels and surf boards. They haven’t met Jeff. Plain and unadorned, that’s his style. It wasn’t easy but we found some without pictures. Mission accomplished!
By this time we’d been out and about for a few hours and were fed up with the crowds so we went back to the room. I did a little writing, Jeff edited a video, I dozed through a “documentary” about 9 Russian hikers who were murdered by a yeti in 1959 (there was photographic evidence), and we just enjoyed being lazy for a while. Finally, we ventured out again and ordered a Lyft as we needed to travel 40-some blocks to the East Village. We had booked a tour with Haunted Manhattan! We’ve done a few ghost tours in our travels. It’s a great way to combine Jeff’s passion for History and my obsession with anything creepy and gruesome. We were looking forward to it!
Jeff had chosen a shared ride for us, and when our car arrived there was another couple in the back seat of the Honda Accord. I got up front with the driver and Jeff squeezed in with the other passengers. As we rode, the other couple was discussing flights and seat availability, terms that are very familiar to anyone who flies “non-rev”, short for non-revenue. It’s a term the airlines use for passengers who are flying for free. I heard Jeff ask, “Do you work for Southwest?” The woman answered that she did. She thought Jeff looked familiar. It turns out she had been based in Denver for a while and had been a flight attendant on at least one of Jeff’s flights. What are the odds?!
We arrived at the meeting spot for our tour, Frankie showed up right on time, and we introduced ourselves around. One other couple would be taking the tour with us, Larissa from Connecticut and Andrew from the Bronx. We started the tour with a story of how the New York subway system came into place and the lesson evolved into a tale of a phantom train car.
Frankie was a fantastic guide! She spouted information and recounted tales of hauntings in the buildings she pointed out, all in a cheeky Australian accent. We even spotted Liev Schreiber, the actor, walking a scruffy little dog down one of the streets we were on. Or I should say, Jeff, Frankie and Andrew spotted him. I was too busy looking at the dog.
Two hours and a couple of miles later, we had been both educated and spooked. The tour ended around 9:30 pm, and we were hungry! Jeff had spotted a pizza place close to where we were so we made a bee line for it. Ray’s Pizza was a tiny pizza-by-the-slice place that seemed to be a favorite of the locals. After a bite of my mozzarella and basil slice I could see why!
When we finished, Jeff called for another car, not to take us to the hotel, but to a bakery called Paris Baguette, which was open late. I’ve told you about our habit of hitting a bakery every night to take goodies back to our room, and we had high hopes for Paris Baguette. We both thought, from the location, it might be the same one we loved so much on our last trip to New York. When we pulled up, it was obvious it wasn’t, but we went in anyway. I found a piece of cream cake with fresh strawberries and my decision was made, but Jeff couldn’t find anything that appealed to him. I bought my cake and we hoofed it the remaining 13 blocks to the hotel rather than waste time and money on another car. With the heavy Saturday night traffic, we could walk it faster. We were pretty happy to open the door to our room and kick our shoes off. We’d walked 8 miles over the course of the day and we were done!
I got into my pj’s and settled onto the couch with my cake. I didn’t even feel bad that I had dessert and Jeff had none. He had his chance!
More to come later. Love you all!!
September 14, 2019
New York 2019 - Day 1
New York 2019 - Day 1
Hello friends! We have embarked on yet another trip. It hasn’t been quite three weeks since we had a family vacation to California where we spent four days at Disneyland with our kids and grandkids. Three weeks! Whew! Time for a get-away!!
Kidding aside, we’ve had this trip planned for over a year. We thought seriously about canceling a few months ago when Jeff broke his ankle and was grounded for six weeks. No work means no money, so we really wrestled with the decision, but we had already paid for the hotel, so here we are.
The first 2/3rds of the day were spent in airports and on airplanes. Boring! Not much more to be said about that. We were keeping in contact with our son-in-law, Will, between flights, checking on our daughter, Jenny, who was having her gall bladder removed. The surgery was a success and she was home and tucked up into bed before we reached our destination. Upon getting that news, we were able to relax and look forward to the rest of the day. We landed at La Guardia at about 5:00 in the evening, ordered up a Lyft, met our driver, a pleasant man named Boubo, and joined the thousands of other cars crawling toward Manhattan. Boubo refused to take the slow moving traffic as a matter of course and repeatedly found detours that kept us moving - sometimes in the wrong direction - but we were in motion! He would occasionally ask us, “Am I good, or what?” We would respond with effusive praise which seemed to encourage him to find another detour, sometimes through some pretty sketchy areas.
Finally, we arrived at the Marriott Marquis, our home for the next three days. We said good-bye to Boubo and went inside. Once we were checked in and had found our room, we dropped off our luggage, checked out the view of Times Square from our window, and headed back out onto the street to find some dinner. Jeff had googled nearby pubs and restaurants, and had chosen a place called Lillie’s Victorian Establishment on 49th Street. We found it with no trouble and went in.
It was a charming little place, very atmospheric, and very crowded. The long marble bar against the wall was swamped with men in suits and women in skirts, obviously people enjoying drinks with friends and co-workers at the end of their work day. Being a fairly small place, there weren’t many tables, and the few they had were full. But, we didn’t have any place better to be, so we put our names on the wait list for a table and elbowed up to the bar to order a drink to enjoy while we waited. Leaning against a railing for a closed-off staircase, sipping our drinks, we passed the time admiring all the antique pictures, as well as the elaborately painted ceiling and original architecture. In less time than we had thought, our table was ready. We noticed that the place was starting to clear out a bit and the noise level had lowered enough that we were able to hold a conversation comfortably. Jeff ordered the Shepard’s Pie and I got a really amazing cheeseburger. It was perfect, but huge, and I was only able to eat half.
After dinner, we decided to look for a bakery. It has become our tradition when we travel to take some kind of a sweet treat back to our room to eat while we relax. We found a nearby restaurant called Junior’s that had signs advertising their cheesecake. Jeff and I are both fans of cheesecake, so I got the raspberry marbled and Jeff got brownie explosion. Neither of us had room for dessert then, but there was plenty of evening left. The time would come!
After our long day of travel and with our bellies full, we were feeling pretty tired, but we had one last errand before we could go back to the hotel. We needed to find a drug store. I had forgotten face cleanser and Jeff needed shaving cream, so we waded into the throngs of people crowding Times Square in search of a CVS. We found one, but it was still under construction. However, the Walgreens up the block filled the bill. We found what we needed, then discovered that the line to check out was depressingly long. I mean, we were at Disneyland just last month and we had stood in a lot of lines, but this one didn’t have a fast pass entrance or a sign saying “the wait time from this point is 30 minutes”. Oh well, what are you gonna do? We waited. I did wonder why Walgreens was such a popular place at 9:00 on Friday night.
Finally, we headed back to the hotel, went to our room, got comfortable and ate our cheesecake while we watched Battlebots. That’s what I call vacation!
Hello friends! We have embarked on yet another trip. It hasn’t been quite three weeks since we had a family vacation to California where we spent four days at Disneyland with our kids and grandkids. Three weeks! Whew! Time for a get-away!!
Kidding aside, we’ve had this trip planned for over a year. We thought seriously about canceling a few months ago when Jeff broke his ankle and was grounded for six weeks. No work means no money, so we really wrestled with the decision, but we had already paid for the hotel, so here we are.
The first 2/3rds of the day were spent in airports and on airplanes. Boring! Not much more to be said about that. We were keeping in contact with our son-in-law, Will, between flights, checking on our daughter, Jenny, who was having her gall bladder removed. The surgery was a success and she was home and tucked up into bed before we reached our destination. Upon getting that news, we were able to relax and look forward to the rest of the day. We landed at La Guardia at about 5:00 in the evening, ordered up a Lyft, met our driver, a pleasant man named Boubo, and joined the thousands of other cars crawling toward Manhattan. Boubo refused to take the slow moving traffic as a matter of course and repeatedly found detours that kept us moving - sometimes in the wrong direction - but we were in motion! He would occasionally ask us, “Am I good, or what?” We would respond with effusive praise which seemed to encourage him to find another detour, sometimes through some pretty sketchy areas.
Finally, we arrived at the Marriott Marquis, our home for the next three days. We said good-bye to Boubo and went inside. Once we were checked in and had found our room, we dropped off our luggage, checked out the view of Times Square from our window, and headed back out onto the street to find some dinner. Jeff had googled nearby pubs and restaurants, and had chosen a place called Lillie’s Victorian Establishment on 49th Street. We found it with no trouble and went in.
It was a charming little place, very atmospheric, and very crowded. The long marble bar against the wall was swamped with men in suits and women in skirts, obviously people enjoying drinks with friends and co-workers at the end of their work day. Being a fairly small place, there weren’t many tables, and the few they had were full. But, we didn’t have any place better to be, so we put our names on the wait list for a table and elbowed up to the bar to order a drink to enjoy while we waited. Leaning against a railing for a closed-off staircase, sipping our drinks, we passed the time admiring all the antique pictures, as well as the elaborately painted ceiling and original architecture. In less time than we had thought, our table was ready. We noticed that the place was starting to clear out a bit and the noise level had lowered enough that we were able to hold a conversation comfortably. Jeff ordered the Shepard’s Pie and I got a really amazing cheeseburger. It was perfect, but huge, and I was only able to eat half.
After dinner, we decided to look for a bakery. It has become our tradition when we travel to take some kind of a sweet treat back to our room to eat while we relax. We found a nearby restaurant called Junior’s that had signs advertising their cheesecake. Jeff and I are both fans of cheesecake, so I got the raspberry marbled and Jeff got brownie explosion. Neither of us had room for dessert then, but there was plenty of evening left. The time would come!
After our long day of travel and with our bellies full, we were feeling pretty tired, but we had one last errand before we could go back to the hotel. We needed to find a drug store. I had forgotten face cleanser and Jeff needed shaving cream, so we waded into the throngs of people crowding Times Square in search of a CVS. We found one, but it was still under construction. However, the Walgreens up the block filled the bill. We found what we needed, then discovered that the line to check out was depressingly long. I mean, we were at Disneyland just last month and we had stood in a lot of lines, but this one didn’t have a fast pass entrance or a sign saying “the wait time from this point is 30 minutes”. Oh well, what are you gonna do? We waited. I did wonder why Walgreens was such a popular place at 9:00 on Friday night.
Finally, we headed back to the hotel, went to our room, got comfortable and ate our cheesecake while we watched Battlebots. That’s what I call vacation!
August 17, 2019
WEDDING WEEKEND
Last month, on Friday, July 19th to be exact, our whole family travelled from New Mexico to Portland, Oregon for a very special occasion. Our daughter, Jennifer, was getting married!
The night before, we organized, packed and hit the hay early, hoping for a good night’s sleep before our drive to Albuquerque that would start long before dawn even thought of cracking. You can probably guess how that turned out. A lot of tossing and turning, checking the clock, counting sheep, and repeatedly running the phrase, “I can still get 5 hours in if I can fall asleep now,” through our heads, with the number decreasing depressingly fast.
Finally, sometime after 1:00 am, I dropped off only to be awakened by my phone ringing at 3:30 am. It was our youngest son, Joshua, who had shown up almost 2 hours early because he couldn’t sleep, wanting to know if the house alarm was set. He didn’t want to wake us up by having the siren on the alarm go off if he opened the door. He’s considerate like that.
Jeff and I tried to go back to sleep, but no such luck, so we got up and got started on what was to be a very long day. Middle child, Jacob, showed up, bleary eyed but ready to go, so we packed the car and pointed it toward the Albuquerque Sunport. Three hours later, with the car tucked into a space in long-term parking, we were in the security line. Jeffery breezed through in his line for VIPs. His status as a KCM, or Known Crew Member, means that he barely has to slow down on his way through. Josh and I were given TSA pre-check, so we were in a very short line with a few other special people. Jacob had to wait it out with the other poor slobs in regular security. He was a bit disgruntled, but we were nice enough to wait for him on the other side before heading for our gate.
Before long, my in-laws, along with three of Jeff’s brothers and our niece, Raelyn, arrived with breakfast burritos for everyone. We filled our stomachs while we chatted and got caught up, then we boarded our flight and we were off.
After a three-hour flight, we landed in Portland. We immediately went to the rental car counter and Jeff took Josh with him to fill out the paperwork since they would both sign up as drivers. I found a chair and called my daughter to let her know we had arrived. We arranged to meet up in the parking lot of the Ikea just down the road from the airport.
We pulled into the parking lot minutes later and found Jenny, or at least, I think we did. The woman waiting in the parking lot looked like my Jenny and sounded like her, but the agitated, wild-eyed person in front of us was nothing like our usually calm, unflappable oldest child. We are talking about someone who juggled a demanding job and a new family while completing a doctorate degree, and made it look like a walk in the park. Wedding stress is in a category all its own.
She was terrified that she wouldn’t have time to get the tables and chairs picked up from the rental place and delivered to the venue before they closed. After putting our collective heads together, we split up, with Jeffery and mother-in-law, Debbie taking the luggage to the hotel we were all staying at to check in and unload, and all the young, strong brothers and uncles headed off to get the tables and chairs and deliver them to the venue. Jenny and I, with the oldest two of my new granddaughters, Lissa and Isabella, went to Costco to finish up the food buying. Crisis averted.
The rest of the evening was spent at the wedding venue, Hooper Hill, which is located in Washougal, Washington, about a half hour’s drive from Portland. What a gorgeous place! Set back from the road in a clearing covered in green, green grass and surrounded by mature trees with a breath-taking view of the Columbia River valley, it was the perfect setting for a wedding, as everything about it spoke of longevity and permanence. What is a wedding if not a promise of permanence?
The rest of the family was already there, my parents, sister, Lisa, and brother-in-law, Gary, along with the soon-to-be son-in-law, Will, and our two youngest grandchildren, Chloe and Owen. We were introduced to Will’s lovely mother, Mary, and sister, Danielle, and Danielle’s daughter, Lily, and we were excited to welcome them into the family. Jeff’s mom, Dee, and step-father, Alan, showed up soon after we arrived. It was a chatty, happy group! When stomachs began to rumble, we looked online to see what was close and found a small burger place. Joshua took everyone’s order and called it in, and Jeff and I drove into town to pick it up. When I say it was a small burger place, that may be a bit of an understatement, but they gamely put our massive order together while keeping up with the line that went out the door from their local clientele. We were impressed!
We drove back with the odor of garlic fries as our backseat passenger, distributed the food, and tucked in. While we ate, we were entertained with a story telling session by 7 year old grandson Owen, or “Owen, the Scarer” who told a five part tale of a massive goo monster called the Colosaurus, (pronounced col-ah-ser-us) who waits in dark caves to set upon the unwary, leaving only their bare skeletal remains in a puddle of slime as proof of the encounter. (Shudder!) There was a quick rehearsal with the wedding officiant, Dalena, a “take-charge” gal if ever I’ve met one. She bustled around, arranging us, giving us instructions, telling us where to stand, what to say, all while joking and making us laugh. She knows her business. Then, with darkness setting in, our bellies full and our bones thoroughly chilled thanks to Owen the Scarer, we headed to the hotel to catch up on some of the sleep we’d missed. We would need our rest. The next day was Wedding Day!
We all slept in a bit the next morning. Jeff was up before me and met his dad, JR, downstairs for coffee while I kept my eyes closed a little longer. Finally, the guilt got to me and I threw back the covers and zombie walked to the shower to soak my head until I was fairly sure I could stay awake. When I emerged, my sweet husband had a bagel and coffee waiting for me in the room. I knew there was a reason I married him!
With everyone awake and dressed, we all left the hotel. We split up again, with JR and Debbie hitching a ride with us, as they had left their car at the venue so all the boys, Jeff’s brothers, Jonathan, James and Justin, as well as our two sons, would have transportation if they needed it. They are all very close in age, and bunked in the cabin on the property. Jenny had a short list of items we needed to pick up for her, so we found a nearby Fred Meyer and went shopping. After checking each item off our list, we drove to Hooper Hill to begin setting up for the wedding.
I found my sister, Lisa, busily going through boxes of wedding supplies, organizing and arranging what Jenny had collected and deciding where everything should go. I’m convinced there is a special gene that some people have that gives you a talent for throwing a kick-butt party. In our family, Lisa received that particular gene. She got the whole thing, with not even a speck of it left for me. Ah, well. I was content to fetch and carry for her as she marched around the property, pointing fingers and giving orders, whipping everyone into shape. Debbie was also given the gene – I can attest to the fact that she has hosted some pretty spectacular get-togethers – so, between the two of them, they had the place transformed in no time. The flowers Jenny had ordered arrived and were beautiful and perfect with peacock feathers inserted into each bouquet, arrangement and corsage. I forgot to mention the two peacocks that roam free on the Hooper Hill property, Inigo Montoya and Princess Buttercup. It was not their feathers in the arrangements, but the addition of the feathers to the flowers was a tribute to them.
We all headed back to the hotel to get gussied up. Jenny had snuck off earlier in the day to have her hair done, but the rest of us required some cleaning up after the morning’s sweaty work. Our boys used our room to shower and change as we had taken their dress clothes to the hotel with us, and the two of them looked so handsome in their dress shirts and sport coats! I don’t often get to see them dressed up, and it’s always a treat. Jeffery, as the father of the bride, wore a suit for the occasion while I had gone shopping and found a floral chiffon knee-length dress in navy blue and lavender. We all looked pretty darned good, if I do say so myself!
Back at Hooper Hill, I found Lisa doing Jenny’s make-up with my mother supervising. The two of them own a Merle Norman Studio, so Jenny was in expert hands. When her make-up was done, I helped her into her wedding dress, an off-white, floor-length, lace dress with short sleeves and a lace bodice that Jenny and I had found at a bridal event in February. Seeing my girl looking so lovely in her dress, it was obvious we had chosen well. Guests were arriving and finding seats in the chairs set up on the lawn. It was nearly showtime!
We lined up in our assigned places. I would be escorted by Owen, who also had the task of Ring Security. He carried a case with the rings inside, taking his job very seriously. Will would escort his mother to her place, and they were in line behind us. Next was Joshua and Bella, followed by Jacob and Lissa. The main attraction, the bride, with her proud dad were last in line. When Dalena gave the signal, the music started and Chloe, in her pink tulle dress, began the procession, dropping her rose petals along the path leading to the alter.
Once we were all in our places, Jeffery gave his daughter to her groom and he joined me in the front row. Each of the girls read a statement they had prepared, which was lovely, and Jenny and Will exchanged vows they had written for each other. Then, they were pronounced man and wife. They were married!
The guests went through the food line while the family stood for a nearly endless number of pictures, then we were cut loose to enjoy the reception. Debbie was our official photographer, and was everywhere, aiming her camera at the action and documenting everything for Jenny and Will. As mother of the bride, I was like a frog on a hot plate, nervously checking the food, circling among the guests to make sure everything was running smoothly, which it was. Jenny had done an outstanding job with planning her day, even if it nearly killed her in the process.
Night was falling and the sounds of conversation, laughter and children playing in the grass filled my ears. It had been an unforgettable day.
We had a bit of drama when our six year old niece, Raelyn, was stung by a wasp as she played outside with the other kids. Her ever-attentive dad, Justin, cuddled her as she cried out, “Why did Jesus have to make wasps and why does it have to hurt so bad?” Awww. Every heart within hearing distance broke a little bit at that.
Finally, absolutely drained and exhausted, we piled into our cars and went back to the hotel, where we fell gratefully into bed.
The next morning, we took our time getting around. There was still work to be done, but we weren’t on a timeline so we slept late and lounged around a little before we finally got serious about going over to Hooper Hill to clean up. After a couple of hours, the place was ship-shape and the rest of the day was for relaxing. We had planned an informal birthday party for my dad who would be turning 89 the following week, and around mid-afternoon, everyone gathered in the dining area of the hotel to have leftover wedding food and cupcakes and to celebrate this special man. The kids had all come wearing swim suits and took full advantage of the hotel pool. We visited, ate and enjoyed each other’s company before everyone separated to rest and have a quiet evening. We had to say good-bye to Jenny, Will and the kids as we would be flying out early the next morning, but we’ll be seeing them again very soon at Disneyland, so it wasn’t as hard as it normally is.
I flew out of Portland the next day, having gained a son-in-law and four grandchildren. What a weekend!
The night before, we organized, packed and hit the hay early, hoping for a good night’s sleep before our drive to Albuquerque that would start long before dawn even thought of cracking. You can probably guess how that turned out. A lot of tossing and turning, checking the clock, counting sheep, and repeatedly running the phrase, “I can still get 5 hours in if I can fall asleep now,” through our heads, with the number decreasing depressingly fast.
Finally, sometime after 1:00 am, I dropped off only to be awakened by my phone ringing at 3:30 am. It was our youngest son, Joshua, who had shown up almost 2 hours early because he couldn’t sleep, wanting to know if the house alarm was set. He didn’t want to wake us up by having the siren on the alarm go off if he opened the door. He’s considerate like that.
Jeff and I tried to go back to sleep, but no such luck, so we got up and got started on what was to be a very long day. Middle child, Jacob, showed up, bleary eyed but ready to go, so we packed the car and pointed it toward the Albuquerque Sunport. Three hours later, with the car tucked into a space in long-term parking, we were in the security line. Jeffery breezed through in his line for VIPs. His status as a KCM, or Known Crew Member, means that he barely has to slow down on his way through. Josh and I were given TSA pre-check, so we were in a very short line with a few other special people. Jacob had to wait it out with the other poor slobs in regular security. He was a bit disgruntled, but we were nice enough to wait for him on the other side before heading for our gate.
Before long, my in-laws, along with three of Jeff’s brothers and our niece, Raelyn, arrived with breakfast burritos for everyone. We filled our stomachs while we chatted and got caught up, then we boarded our flight and we were off.
After a three-hour flight, we landed in Portland. We immediately went to the rental car counter and Jeff took Josh with him to fill out the paperwork since they would both sign up as drivers. I found a chair and called my daughter to let her know we had arrived. We arranged to meet up in the parking lot of the Ikea just down the road from the airport.
We pulled into the parking lot minutes later and found Jenny, or at least, I think we did. The woman waiting in the parking lot looked like my Jenny and sounded like her, but the agitated, wild-eyed person in front of us was nothing like our usually calm, unflappable oldest child. We are talking about someone who juggled a demanding job and a new family while completing a doctorate degree, and made it look like a walk in the park. Wedding stress is in a category all its own.
She was terrified that she wouldn’t have time to get the tables and chairs picked up from the rental place and delivered to the venue before they closed. After putting our collective heads together, we split up, with Jeffery and mother-in-law, Debbie taking the luggage to the hotel we were all staying at to check in and unload, and all the young, strong brothers and uncles headed off to get the tables and chairs and deliver them to the venue. Jenny and I, with the oldest two of my new granddaughters, Lissa and Isabella, went to Costco to finish up the food buying. Crisis averted.
The rest of the evening was spent at the wedding venue, Hooper Hill, which is located in Washougal, Washington, about a half hour’s drive from Portland. What a gorgeous place! Set back from the road in a clearing covered in green, green grass and surrounded by mature trees with a breath-taking view of the Columbia River valley, it was the perfect setting for a wedding, as everything about it spoke of longevity and permanence. What is a wedding if not a promise of permanence?
The rest of the family was already there, my parents, sister, Lisa, and brother-in-law, Gary, along with the soon-to-be son-in-law, Will, and our two youngest grandchildren, Chloe and Owen. We were introduced to Will’s lovely mother, Mary, and sister, Danielle, and Danielle’s daughter, Lily, and we were excited to welcome them into the family. Jeff’s mom, Dee, and step-father, Alan, showed up soon after we arrived. It was a chatty, happy group! When stomachs began to rumble, we looked online to see what was close and found a small burger place. Joshua took everyone’s order and called it in, and Jeff and I drove into town to pick it up. When I say it was a small burger place, that may be a bit of an understatement, but they gamely put our massive order together while keeping up with the line that went out the door from their local clientele. We were impressed!
We drove back with the odor of garlic fries as our backseat passenger, distributed the food, and tucked in. While we ate, we were entertained with a story telling session by 7 year old grandson Owen, or “Owen, the Scarer” who told a five part tale of a massive goo monster called the Colosaurus, (pronounced col-ah-ser-us) who waits in dark caves to set upon the unwary, leaving only their bare skeletal remains in a puddle of slime as proof of the encounter. (Shudder!) There was a quick rehearsal with the wedding officiant, Dalena, a “take-charge” gal if ever I’ve met one. She bustled around, arranging us, giving us instructions, telling us where to stand, what to say, all while joking and making us laugh. She knows her business. Then, with darkness setting in, our bellies full and our bones thoroughly chilled thanks to Owen the Scarer, we headed to the hotel to catch up on some of the sleep we’d missed. We would need our rest. The next day was Wedding Day!
We all slept in a bit the next morning. Jeff was up before me and met his dad, JR, downstairs for coffee while I kept my eyes closed a little longer. Finally, the guilt got to me and I threw back the covers and zombie walked to the shower to soak my head until I was fairly sure I could stay awake. When I emerged, my sweet husband had a bagel and coffee waiting for me in the room. I knew there was a reason I married him!
With everyone awake and dressed, we all left the hotel. We split up again, with JR and Debbie hitching a ride with us, as they had left their car at the venue so all the boys, Jeff’s brothers, Jonathan, James and Justin, as well as our two sons, would have transportation if they needed it. They are all very close in age, and bunked in the cabin on the property. Jenny had a short list of items we needed to pick up for her, so we found a nearby Fred Meyer and went shopping. After checking each item off our list, we drove to Hooper Hill to begin setting up for the wedding.
I found my sister, Lisa, busily going through boxes of wedding supplies, organizing and arranging what Jenny had collected and deciding where everything should go. I’m convinced there is a special gene that some people have that gives you a talent for throwing a kick-butt party. In our family, Lisa received that particular gene. She got the whole thing, with not even a speck of it left for me. Ah, well. I was content to fetch and carry for her as she marched around the property, pointing fingers and giving orders, whipping everyone into shape. Debbie was also given the gene – I can attest to the fact that she has hosted some pretty spectacular get-togethers – so, between the two of them, they had the place transformed in no time. The flowers Jenny had ordered arrived and were beautiful and perfect with peacock feathers inserted into each bouquet, arrangement and corsage. I forgot to mention the two peacocks that roam free on the Hooper Hill property, Inigo Montoya and Princess Buttercup. It was not their feathers in the arrangements, but the addition of the feathers to the flowers was a tribute to them.
We all headed back to the hotel to get gussied up. Jenny had snuck off earlier in the day to have her hair done, but the rest of us required some cleaning up after the morning’s sweaty work. Our boys used our room to shower and change as we had taken their dress clothes to the hotel with us, and the two of them looked so handsome in their dress shirts and sport coats! I don’t often get to see them dressed up, and it’s always a treat. Jeffery, as the father of the bride, wore a suit for the occasion while I had gone shopping and found a floral chiffon knee-length dress in navy blue and lavender. We all looked pretty darned good, if I do say so myself!
Back at Hooper Hill, I found Lisa doing Jenny’s make-up with my mother supervising. The two of them own a Merle Norman Studio, so Jenny was in expert hands. When her make-up was done, I helped her into her wedding dress, an off-white, floor-length, lace dress with short sleeves and a lace bodice that Jenny and I had found at a bridal event in February. Seeing my girl looking so lovely in her dress, it was obvious we had chosen well. Guests were arriving and finding seats in the chairs set up on the lawn. It was nearly showtime!
We lined up in our assigned places. I would be escorted by Owen, who also had the task of Ring Security. He carried a case with the rings inside, taking his job very seriously. Will would escort his mother to her place, and they were in line behind us. Next was Joshua and Bella, followed by Jacob and Lissa. The main attraction, the bride, with her proud dad were last in line. When Dalena gave the signal, the music started and Chloe, in her pink tulle dress, began the procession, dropping her rose petals along the path leading to the alter.
Once we were all in our places, Jeffery gave his daughter to her groom and he joined me in the front row. Each of the girls read a statement they had prepared, which was lovely, and Jenny and Will exchanged vows they had written for each other. Then, they were pronounced man and wife. They were married!
The guests went through the food line while the family stood for a nearly endless number of pictures, then we were cut loose to enjoy the reception. Debbie was our official photographer, and was everywhere, aiming her camera at the action and documenting everything for Jenny and Will. As mother of the bride, I was like a frog on a hot plate, nervously checking the food, circling among the guests to make sure everything was running smoothly, which it was. Jenny had done an outstanding job with planning her day, even if it nearly killed her in the process.
Night was falling and the sounds of conversation, laughter and children playing in the grass filled my ears. It had been an unforgettable day.
We had a bit of drama when our six year old niece, Raelyn, was stung by a wasp as she played outside with the other kids. Her ever-attentive dad, Justin, cuddled her as she cried out, “Why did Jesus have to make wasps and why does it have to hurt so bad?” Awww. Every heart within hearing distance broke a little bit at that.
Finally, absolutely drained and exhausted, we piled into our cars and went back to the hotel, where we fell gratefully into bed.
The next morning, we took our time getting around. There was still work to be done, but we weren’t on a timeline so we slept late and lounged around a little before we finally got serious about going over to Hooper Hill to clean up. After a couple of hours, the place was ship-shape and the rest of the day was for relaxing. We had planned an informal birthday party for my dad who would be turning 89 the following week, and around mid-afternoon, everyone gathered in the dining area of the hotel to have leftover wedding food and cupcakes and to celebrate this special man. The kids had all come wearing swim suits and took full advantage of the hotel pool. We visited, ate and enjoyed each other’s company before everyone separated to rest and have a quiet evening. We had to say good-bye to Jenny, Will and the kids as we would be flying out early the next morning, but we’ll be seeing them again very soon at Disneyland, so it wasn’t as hard as it normally is.
I flew out of Portland the next day, having gained a son-in-law and four grandchildren. What a weekend!
February 19, 2019
WEDDING DRESSES, PANCAKES & SPIDERMAN
Last Friday morning I rose around 5:00 am, dressed, loaded my suitcase in the car and hit the highway for the 3-hour drive from my house to the airport in Albuquerque. I was spending the weekend with my daughter in Portland, Oregon. She is getting married in July, so we had a day of dress shopping planned.
I left, fully prepared for a full day of travel. I had Nora Roberts loaded on my Audible app and a book written by my friend, Addison Carmichael, on my Kindle. I had my iPad with me so I could do a little work on my own book, writing a few scenes I had in my head that would be included later in the story. I had snacks in my purse and excitement in my heart. I was going to see my girl!
Nora kept me entertained during my drive, and the three hours flew by. Before I knew it, I was on the plane and on my way. I had a plane change in Oakland – just long enough to find my gate and grab a sandwich, then I was back in the air.
We landed in PDX right on time, and I made my way out of the secured area to find my Jenny, future son-in-law, Will, and my four brand spanking new grandchildren waiting for me. Ten year old Chloe, who does not suffer from shyness, was the first to hug me, with Jenny close behind. Then, I was engulfed in so many arms it was like an overly friendly octopus had been let loose in the Portland Airport.
With the hellos and hugs done, the McEvoys loaded me into the car and drove just down the road to the Embassy Suites, where I would be staying. They all accompanied me as I got checked in – Owen and Chloe killed the time watching the fish swimming in the lobby pond – then we all rode the elevator to the top floor and found my room. Jenny and Lissa, my oldest granddaughter, left immediately to pick up a friend of Lissa’s at the nearby Max station. Bella, the second oldest, settled onto the sofa and found a movie to watch while Chloe and Owen, the two youngest, cavorted around the room while Will continually reminded them to keep their voices down.
Jenny and Lissa were back within minutes with Alex, Lissa’s bestie. It was then that the activity level got turned up to eleven. They all found whatever private space they could squeeze into to change into swim suits. See, originally, I had booked a room across the street at the Hampton Inn. The Hampton Inn has an outdoor pool. Outdoor pool and February in Portland = unhappy grandchildren. Rookie grandma mistake!! So, I had righted the wrong, booked a hotel with a toasty warm indoor pool and now just sat back while the chaos reigned in my suite.
I went downstairs and pulled up a chair, relaxing from my long day while the grandkids swam. I was tired, but content, and had a chance to catch up with Jenny. Living so far apart, we talk often but don’t see each other nearly as much as I would like, so I reveled in the time with my child. Soon, the subject of food was brought up – swimming is hungry business – so they all trooped back up to the room to dress. We decided on Red Robin at nearby Cascade Station, so we piled into the car and drove the short distance to the restaurant. It was snowing by this time, and the wind was icy cold, so I did the logical thing and ordered a root beer float. I followed up with some sweet potato fries and called it dinner.
The family dropped me back at the hotel and off to bed I went, full of ice cream and fries. I set my alarm for 5:00 am because Jenny and I had business to see to first thing in the morning. Then, it was lights out.
I woke the next morning to find Portland covered in a deep blanket of snow. From my window I could see the traffic creeping by on the icy streets and worried that Jenny would have trouble driving on the dangerous roads. However, she arrived right on time in front of the hotel to pick me up. We were going to an event called “Brides for a Cause” which collects donated wedding dresses from local bridal shops and some from former brides and sells them, giving the proceeds to various charities. Every dress is sold for $150.00. We thought it was worth checking out.
After a quick stop for coffee, we made our way across town with Jenny trying to avoid routes that would involve hills. She’s an excellent driver, even in such nasty weather, and we arrived without a hitch, found a parking space and joined a long line of future brides and their entourages, all braving the bitter cold in hopes of finding the perfect dress. I had not packed adequately for the Portland Snowpocalypse, so Jenny had lent me not one, but two coats that I layered on to my sweatshirt, and still I shivered and stamped my feet, trying to keep my circulation going. I’m not lying, people, it was COLD! I might have complained – just a tiny bit – but my Jenny just patted me on the back and smiled. She knows me.
Then, a cheer went up from the crowd. They were opening the doors! We were going in! There would be heat inside, and my cheeks would thaw out. Hooray! But, no. They were letting people in about 20 at a time. I was disappointed but I supposed it was only fair. They had been out there freezing much longer than I had, so I tried to be happy for them. We were in the fourth group to be guided inside, and my relief was intense – for a minute.
Let me describe for you the scene we walked into. Dresses were hung according to size on long racks throughout an enormous room. Women were riffling through the racks, bumping into each other, and rushing into a sectioned off back area with dresses slung over their arms where they stripped off their clothes right there in front of God and a room full of strangers. Clouds of white fabric and shrill female voices filled the space. But, we were on a mission, so we waded into the mayhem.
I soon discovered that the most dangerous area in the entire building was the return rack. Jenny had picked out three dresses and joined the throng of semi-naked women to try them on, rejecting them one after the other. I was there in the role of assistant, so it was my job to take them back to the main room after she had tried them on. As I approached the return rack, I was suddenly surrounded on all sides, with hands grasping the dresses I carried, people trying to get a look at the sizes and styles before I was even able to rehang them. I gave them up and ran.
Just when we thought we were wasting our time with this whole thing, Jenny pulled a simple off-white, lace dress from the rack that we had missed before. On the hanger, it didn’t look like much, but we decided she should try it on anyway. And, there it was. Her dress. She looked absolutely beautiful, and it fit just right. Mission accomplished, so I took it to the cashier while Jenny dressed, then we got the heck out of there!
Whenever I go to Portland, there is one restaurant that is my very favorite place to eat breakfast. Slappy Cakes! Each table is outfitted with its own griddle and you make your own pancakes. Now, being the mother of 3, I’ve made a lot of pancakes in my day, so you’d think going to a place where I had to cook my own breakfast wouldn’t hold a lot of appeal, but it’s just so quirky and fun, I go back time after time. I knew the kids would love it, so we swung by and picked up the family and headed for the restaurant.
Due to the Snowpocalypse, the restaurant did not have much of a wait, and we were seated at a long table with 2 griddles. We ordered buttermilk, chocolate and peanut butter pancake batter with a variety of fruits and toppings, some potatoes and bacon. I sat next to Owen, who had me make pancakes for him in the shapes of a sword, Mickey Mouse and a chocolate/peanut butter worm. My favorite is buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and lemon curd, and I ate my fill. We weren’t done until all the batter was gone and we were so full we had to waddle back to the car.
Later that afternoon, we left Will and Owen at home, and Jenny, the girls and I made a trip to David’s Bridal. Even though we had found a dress, Jenny had tried on two other dresses there that I wanted to see, and the girls wanted to try on dresses as well. Chloe immediately found a fluffy pink dress with miles of tulle that she wanted to put on. She came out of the dressing room looking like a frosted pink cupcake, and spent the next half hour twirling in front of the mirror. Bella and Lissa both found dresses they liked, Bella’s was black and Lissa’s was pink and black. The color coordination with Chloe’s dress worked pretty well and the style of each dress suited each girl perfectly. Jenny tried on the two dresses she had found earlier, but neither of them had the magic of the dress we had bought that morning. We left the store feeling good about our decision.
Jenny and Will had planned to take me to an outdoor festival of lights that night, but with the snow and the cold, we opted to take the kids to a movie instead. Bella suggested “Spiderman – Into the Spiderverse”, and since nobody had any better ideas, that was what we saw. I love superhero movies, I see all of them, but this was animated, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It turned out to be a really entertaining two hours in the warm theater lying back in my reclining seat with popcorn and a soda. It was a very relaxing way to end our day.
We had thought we would find someplace for dinner after the movie, but we were all so stuffed with popcorn we decided to skip it. We were reluctant to let the day end, I would be leaving early the next morning, but everyone was tired from all the activity so they drove me back to my hotel. Saying goodbye is always hard. I hugged Will and the kids, and Jenny walked me to the hotel entrance. We hugged and cried, not wanting to let go, but finally, we had to and I watched them drive away. I went up to my room where I took a hot shower and collapsed into bed.
I was so happy to have been able to be there when my daughter picked out her wedding dress, and I’ll be there in a few months, to watch her marry the man she loves. I left Portland the next day feeling so blessed!
I left, fully prepared for a full day of travel. I had Nora Roberts loaded on my Audible app and a book written by my friend, Addison Carmichael, on my Kindle. I had my iPad with me so I could do a little work on my own book, writing a few scenes I had in my head that would be included later in the story. I had snacks in my purse and excitement in my heart. I was going to see my girl!
Nora kept me entertained during my drive, and the three hours flew by. Before I knew it, I was on the plane and on my way. I had a plane change in Oakland – just long enough to find my gate and grab a sandwich, then I was back in the air.
We landed in PDX right on time, and I made my way out of the secured area to find my Jenny, future son-in-law, Will, and my four brand spanking new grandchildren waiting for me. Ten year old Chloe, who does not suffer from shyness, was the first to hug me, with Jenny close behind. Then, I was engulfed in so many arms it was like an overly friendly octopus had been let loose in the Portland Airport.
With the hellos and hugs done, the McEvoys loaded me into the car and drove just down the road to the Embassy Suites, where I would be staying. They all accompanied me as I got checked in – Owen and Chloe killed the time watching the fish swimming in the lobby pond – then we all rode the elevator to the top floor and found my room. Jenny and Lissa, my oldest granddaughter, left immediately to pick up a friend of Lissa’s at the nearby Max station. Bella, the second oldest, settled onto the sofa and found a movie to watch while Chloe and Owen, the two youngest, cavorted around the room while Will continually reminded them to keep their voices down.
Jenny and Lissa were back within minutes with Alex, Lissa’s bestie. It was then that the activity level got turned up to eleven. They all found whatever private space they could squeeze into to change into swim suits. See, originally, I had booked a room across the street at the Hampton Inn. The Hampton Inn has an outdoor pool. Outdoor pool and February in Portland = unhappy grandchildren. Rookie grandma mistake!! So, I had righted the wrong, booked a hotel with a toasty warm indoor pool and now just sat back while the chaos reigned in my suite.
I went downstairs and pulled up a chair, relaxing from my long day while the grandkids swam. I was tired, but content, and had a chance to catch up with Jenny. Living so far apart, we talk often but don’t see each other nearly as much as I would like, so I reveled in the time with my child. Soon, the subject of food was brought up – swimming is hungry business – so they all trooped back up to the room to dress. We decided on Red Robin at nearby Cascade Station, so we piled into the car and drove the short distance to the restaurant. It was snowing by this time, and the wind was icy cold, so I did the logical thing and ordered a root beer float. I followed up with some sweet potato fries and called it dinner.
The family dropped me back at the hotel and off to bed I went, full of ice cream and fries. I set my alarm for 5:00 am because Jenny and I had business to see to first thing in the morning. Then, it was lights out.
I woke the next morning to find Portland covered in a deep blanket of snow. From my window I could see the traffic creeping by on the icy streets and worried that Jenny would have trouble driving on the dangerous roads. However, she arrived right on time in front of the hotel to pick me up. We were going to an event called “Brides for a Cause” which collects donated wedding dresses from local bridal shops and some from former brides and sells them, giving the proceeds to various charities. Every dress is sold for $150.00. We thought it was worth checking out.
After a quick stop for coffee, we made our way across town with Jenny trying to avoid routes that would involve hills. She’s an excellent driver, even in such nasty weather, and we arrived without a hitch, found a parking space and joined a long line of future brides and their entourages, all braving the bitter cold in hopes of finding the perfect dress. I had not packed adequately for the Portland Snowpocalypse, so Jenny had lent me not one, but two coats that I layered on to my sweatshirt, and still I shivered and stamped my feet, trying to keep my circulation going. I’m not lying, people, it was COLD! I might have complained – just a tiny bit – but my Jenny just patted me on the back and smiled. She knows me.
Then, a cheer went up from the crowd. They were opening the doors! We were going in! There would be heat inside, and my cheeks would thaw out. Hooray! But, no. They were letting people in about 20 at a time. I was disappointed but I supposed it was only fair. They had been out there freezing much longer than I had, so I tried to be happy for them. We were in the fourth group to be guided inside, and my relief was intense – for a minute.
Let me describe for you the scene we walked into. Dresses were hung according to size on long racks throughout an enormous room. Women were riffling through the racks, bumping into each other, and rushing into a sectioned off back area with dresses slung over their arms where they stripped off their clothes right there in front of God and a room full of strangers. Clouds of white fabric and shrill female voices filled the space. But, we were on a mission, so we waded into the mayhem.
I soon discovered that the most dangerous area in the entire building was the return rack. Jenny had picked out three dresses and joined the throng of semi-naked women to try them on, rejecting them one after the other. I was there in the role of assistant, so it was my job to take them back to the main room after she had tried them on. As I approached the return rack, I was suddenly surrounded on all sides, with hands grasping the dresses I carried, people trying to get a look at the sizes and styles before I was even able to rehang them. I gave them up and ran.
Just when we thought we were wasting our time with this whole thing, Jenny pulled a simple off-white, lace dress from the rack that we had missed before. On the hanger, it didn’t look like much, but we decided she should try it on anyway. And, there it was. Her dress. She looked absolutely beautiful, and it fit just right. Mission accomplished, so I took it to the cashier while Jenny dressed, then we got the heck out of there!
Whenever I go to Portland, there is one restaurant that is my very favorite place to eat breakfast. Slappy Cakes! Each table is outfitted with its own griddle and you make your own pancakes. Now, being the mother of 3, I’ve made a lot of pancakes in my day, so you’d think going to a place where I had to cook my own breakfast wouldn’t hold a lot of appeal, but it’s just so quirky and fun, I go back time after time. I knew the kids would love it, so we swung by and picked up the family and headed for the restaurant.
Due to the Snowpocalypse, the restaurant did not have much of a wait, and we were seated at a long table with 2 griddles. We ordered buttermilk, chocolate and peanut butter pancake batter with a variety of fruits and toppings, some potatoes and bacon. I sat next to Owen, who had me make pancakes for him in the shapes of a sword, Mickey Mouse and a chocolate/peanut butter worm. My favorite is buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and lemon curd, and I ate my fill. We weren’t done until all the batter was gone and we were so full we had to waddle back to the car.
Later that afternoon, we left Will and Owen at home, and Jenny, the girls and I made a trip to David’s Bridal. Even though we had found a dress, Jenny had tried on two other dresses there that I wanted to see, and the girls wanted to try on dresses as well. Chloe immediately found a fluffy pink dress with miles of tulle that she wanted to put on. She came out of the dressing room looking like a frosted pink cupcake, and spent the next half hour twirling in front of the mirror. Bella and Lissa both found dresses they liked, Bella’s was black and Lissa’s was pink and black. The color coordination with Chloe’s dress worked pretty well and the style of each dress suited each girl perfectly. Jenny tried on the two dresses she had found earlier, but neither of them had the magic of the dress we had bought that morning. We left the store feeling good about our decision.
Jenny and Will had planned to take me to an outdoor festival of lights that night, but with the snow and the cold, we opted to take the kids to a movie instead. Bella suggested “Spiderman – Into the Spiderverse”, and since nobody had any better ideas, that was what we saw. I love superhero movies, I see all of them, but this was animated, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It turned out to be a really entertaining two hours in the warm theater lying back in my reclining seat with popcorn and a soda. It was a very relaxing way to end our day.
We had thought we would find someplace for dinner after the movie, but we were all so stuffed with popcorn we decided to skip it. We were reluctant to let the day end, I would be leaving early the next morning, but everyone was tired from all the activity so they drove me back to my hotel. Saying goodbye is always hard. I hugged Will and the kids, and Jenny walked me to the hotel entrance. We hugged and cried, not wanting to let go, but finally, we had to and I watched them drive away. I went up to my room where I took a hot shower and collapsed into bed.
I was so happy to have been able to be there when my daughter picked out her wedding dress, and I’ll be there in a few months, to watch her marry the man she loves. I left Portland the next day feeling so blessed!
November 22, 2018
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I have so much to thank God for, but first on my list is my family. I am truly blessed!
Thinking about my family brings to mind the Thanksgiving I got it in my head I was going to make an authentic pumpkin pie - from a big orange pumpkin! I was a young wife with three children, busy with work and school at the time, and wanted to do something special for the people I loved. How hard could it be, right?
I had the pumpkin. There it sat on my kitchen counter with absolutely no instructions printed on it anywhere. This was long before I could go to the computer and pull up detailed step by step directions on 100 different sites, so I tapped the only source I had. I called my Granny.
My grandmother, Dorothy Bingham, was a farmer’s wife, the mother of five and a phenomenal cook. I knew I was placing myself in capable hands. I had absolute confidence she would guide me through the complicated process and I would be a Thanksgiving hero!
She was happy to hear from me and we spent a few minutes catching up before I got down to business. “Granny,” I said, “I need to know how to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. Do you know how?”
“Oh, sure,” she said. “First, you pick up your pumpkin with both hands. Make sure you have a good hold on it. Now, for this next step you have to go outside.” I was all ears. Should I take notes? What tools would I need?
She continued on. “Take that pumpkin over to your garbage can and chuck that sucker in. Then, get in the car, drive to the store and buy a can of pumpkin purée.”
My Granny is a wise woman. I did just what she said and made a beautiful, delicious pumpkin pie - from canned pumpkin!
I wish you all a world of blessings to count today and lots of loved ones to count them with!!
I love you, Granny!!
Thinking about my family brings to mind the Thanksgiving I got it in my head I was going to make an authentic pumpkin pie - from a big orange pumpkin! I was a young wife with three children, busy with work and school at the time, and wanted to do something special for the people I loved. How hard could it be, right?
I had the pumpkin. There it sat on my kitchen counter with absolutely no instructions printed on it anywhere. This was long before I could go to the computer and pull up detailed step by step directions on 100 different sites, so I tapped the only source I had. I called my Granny.
My grandmother, Dorothy Bingham, was a farmer’s wife, the mother of five and a phenomenal cook. I knew I was placing myself in capable hands. I had absolute confidence she would guide me through the complicated process and I would be a Thanksgiving hero!
She was happy to hear from me and we spent a few minutes catching up before I got down to business. “Granny,” I said, “I need to know how to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. Do you know how?”
“Oh, sure,” she said. “First, you pick up your pumpkin with both hands. Make sure you have a good hold on it. Now, for this next step you have to go outside.” I was all ears. Should I take notes? What tools would I need?
She continued on. “Take that pumpkin over to your garbage can and chuck that sucker in. Then, get in the car, drive to the store and buy a can of pumpkin purée.”
My Granny is a wise woman. I did just what she said and made a beautiful, delicious pumpkin pie - from canned pumpkin!
I wish you all a world of blessings to count today and lots of loved ones to count them with!!
I love you, Granny!!
November 4, 2018
Vegas - Day 4
The four of us got up and around early this morning. We were all heading over to the convention center for the SEMA show. Jeff left before the rest of us. He needed to be in the booth before the show opened to have the car ready, windows rolled down, trunk and hood open so the public could view all the features on the car.
Amber, Robin and I were about 45 minutes behind him. We ordered an Uber and went down to catch our ride. The traffic was unbelievable. Police and security had all the curbs blocked off to keep people from parking on the street so we had Terrell, our driver, drop us off in the street in front of the Westgate Hotel, which attaches to the convention center. Robin had his pass for the show but Amber and I still had to get ours. SEMA is cracking down on the spouse passes this year, and you must show id to be able to obtain your pass. I guess they were tired of huge men walking around the show with passes that said Mary Jones.
We joined the sea of people moving toward the building, but had no idea where we were supposed to go. Finally, we got smart and asked one of the security people who pointed us toward an enormous sign that read REGISTRATION. That might have been a clue.
Once we were official, we made our way into the building through the entrance at North Hall. The Ron Francis booth where we needed to be is located in Central Hall, so we were tasked with finding our way to it. Our first obstacle was locating a way out of North Hall, easier said than done. To understand why this was so difficult, you would have to know what SEMA is like. There is a carpeted walkway, leading around thousands of booths with cars, car parts of every variety, paints, audio equipment, and on and on and on. It is total chaos, with people everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Robin had a map and was trying to navigate us through the throng, but we kept getting turned around. Finally, we caught sight of the doorway and began weaving our way toward it. We were out. Whew!
Central Hall was easier to find, and Jeff had given us instructions on how to find the booth. That orange paint job on the car was visible from 100 yards away and drew us like a beacon.
We stayed for a while, visiting with Jeremy and Melody, the car’s owners, and watching people walk by and admire the car. It didn’t take long before Amber and I were done with the whole thing, though, so we said goodbye, leaving Robin behind and wove our way to the front doors of the convention center, through all the outdoor exhibits and up the escalator to the monorail station. We were going back to the strip to find lunch and shopping!
We exited the monorail at the MGM station and walked all the way up the strip to Caesar’s Palace with a specific goal in mind. Amber was set on having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, due to the fact that we ate at the one in Albuquerque a couple of months ago and, since then she has had a craving for their strawberry lemonade. I was good with it. I mean, cheesecake, right?
We had a delicious lunch of honey chicken with mashed potatoes and asparagus, strawberry lemonade – of course – and a to-go bag full of cheesecake. We were happy campers! We did some window shopping as we made our way out of Caesar’s, but Louis Vuitton, Prada and Cartier were just a hair above our price range. We went across Las Vegas Blvd to the Miracle Mile where we did a little shopping and a lot of browsing before giving up and heading for the condo. It was time for a nap.
We lounged around the condo until Jeff and Robin showed up, then we all changed clothes and prepared to leave for dinner. We were meeting a large group of people Jeff has become acquainted with over the last few years, along with Robert Kibbe, our dear friend and the owner of the first SEMA car Jeff built.
Jeff ordered a Lyft car and we piled in. Dinner was at Battista’s Hole In The Wall and as we pulled out into traffic, our driver told us how the place got it’s name. Apparently, the restaurant, which has been open since the 60’s, was the frequent lunch spot for a group of gangsters who would eat there before heading out to rob banks and jewelry stores. To enter their targeted buildings, they would blow a hole in the back wall. They became known as the Hole in the Wall gang.
The restaurant was packed when we entered, and the music and voices raised in conversation and laughter assaulted the ears. The atmosphere was completely unpretentious, walls covered in years and years of collected memorabilia from law enforcement patches to autographed pictures of celebrities. I loved it! We were set up at a table for 20 where we all chose seats and perused the menu, which is posted on the wall. With each entrée you are provided a carafe of red and white house wine, minestrone or salad, and your meal comes included with a cappuccino to finish things off. The waiters were frighteningly efficient, and in no time at all, we were shoveling in really excellent Italian food. My spaghetti and meatballs was, hands-down, the best I’d ever eaten!
The party eventually broke up, but we weren’t done for the night just yet. Jeff wanted to go check out Freemont Street, so we called for another Lyft and off we went. If we thought the restaurant was loud, we were soon feeling nostalgic for the serenity we had just left behind. The air throbbed with the noise of competing rock bands and the fans enjoying their music. With the lights flashing and the music blasting, it was a full-on sensory assault.
We waded in, heads swiveling on our necks, trying to take it all in as we walked. If our day hadn’t already been so full of activity, we may have enjoyed it more, but after a few minutes, we had seen enough and called for another car to take us back.
As soon as we were through the door of the condo we separated and fell into bed, exhausted but satisfied, having enjoyed a really great day!
More to come!
Lori
Amber, Robin and I were about 45 minutes behind him. We ordered an Uber and went down to catch our ride. The traffic was unbelievable. Police and security had all the curbs blocked off to keep people from parking on the street so we had Terrell, our driver, drop us off in the street in front of the Westgate Hotel, which attaches to the convention center. Robin had his pass for the show but Amber and I still had to get ours. SEMA is cracking down on the spouse passes this year, and you must show id to be able to obtain your pass. I guess they were tired of huge men walking around the show with passes that said Mary Jones.
We joined the sea of people moving toward the building, but had no idea where we were supposed to go. Finally, we got smart and asked one of the security people who pointed us toward an enormous sign that read REGISTRATION. That might have been a clue.
Once we were official, we made our way into the building through the entrance at North Hall. The Ron Francis booth where we needed to be is located in Central Hall, so we were tasked with finding our way to it. Our first obstacle was locating a way out of North Hall, easier said than done. To understand why this was so difficult, you would have to know what SEMA is like. There is a carpeted walkway, leading around thousands of booths with cars, car parts of every variety, paints, audio equipment, and on and on and on. It is total chaos, with people everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Robin had a map and was trying to navigate us through the throng, but we kept getting turned around. Finally, we caught sight of the doorway and began weaving our way toward it. We were out. Whew!
Central Hall was easier to find, and Jeff had given us instructions on how to find the booth. That orange paint job on the car was visible from 100 yards away and drew us like a beacon.
We stayed for a while, visiting with Jeremy and Melody, the car’s owners, and watching people walk by and admire the car. It didn’t take long before Amber and I were done with the whole thing, though, so we said goodbye, leaving Robin behind and wove our way to the front doors of the convention center, through all the outdoor exhibits and up the escalator to the monorail station. We were going back to the strip to find lunch and shopping!
We exited the monorail at the MGM station and walked all the way up the strip to Caesar’s Palace with a specific goal in mind. Amber was set on having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, due to the fact that we ate at the one in Albuquerque a couple of months ago and, since then she has had a craving for their strawberry lemonade. I was good with it. I mean, cheesecake, right?
We had a delicious lunch of honey chicken with mashed potatoes and asparagus, strawberry lemonade – of course – and a to-go bag full of cheesecake. We were happy campers! We did some window shopping as we made our way out of Caesar’s, but Louis Vuitton, Prada and Cartier were just a hair above our price range. We went across Las Vegas Blvd to the Miracle Mile where we did a little shopping and a lot of browsing before giving up and heading for the condo. It was time for a nap.
We lounged around the condo until Jeff and Robin showed up, then we all changed clothes and prepared to leave for dinner. We were meeting a large group of people Jeff has become acquainted with over the last few years, along with Robert Kibbe, our dear friend and the owner of the first SEMA car Jeff built.
Jeff ordered a Lyft car and we piled in. Dinner was at Battista’s Hole In The Wall and as we pulled out into traffic, our driver told us how the place got it’s name. Apparently, the restaurant, which has been open since the 60’s, was the frequent lunch spot for a group of gangsters who would eat there before heading out to rob banks and jewelry stores. To enter their targeted buildings, they would blow a hole in the back wall. They became known as the Hole in the Wall gang.
The restaurant was packed when we entered, and the music and voices raised in conversation and laughter assaulted the ears. The atmosphere was completely unpretentious, walls covered in years and years of collected memorabilia from law enforcement patches to autographed pictures of celebrities. I loved it! We were set up at a table for 20 where we all chose seats and perused the menu, which is posted on the wall. With each entrée you are provided a carafe of red and white house wine, minestrone or salad, and your meal comes included with a cappuccino to finish things off. The waiters were frighteningly efficient, and in no time at all, we were shoveling in really excellent Italian food. My spaghetti and meatballs was, hands-down, the best I’d ever eaten!
The party eventually broke up, but we weren’t done for the night just yet. Jeff wanted to go check out Freemont Street, so we called for another Lyft and off we went. If we thought the restaurant was loud, we were soon feeling nostalgic for the serenity we had just left behind. The air throbbed with the noise of competing rock bands and the fans enjoying their music. With the lights flashing and the music blasting, it was a full-on sensory assault.
We waded in, heads swiveling on our necks, trying to take it all in as we walked. If our day hadn’t already been so full of activity, we may have enjoyed it more, but after a few minutes, we had seen enough and called for another car to take us back.
As soon as we were through the door of the condo we separated and fell into bed, exhausted but satisfied, having enjoyed a really great day!
More to come!
Lori
November 2, 2018
Vegas - Day 3
Once again, I stayed behind while Jeff and Jeremy took an Uber to the Convention Center. I am planning to spend some time at the SEMA show to see the car Jeff built in the sponsor’s booth, but I will wait until my friend, Amber, gets here and can go with me. I’ve been to SEMA multiple times, and it’s not something I feel a burning need to ever do again, but I’m really proud of what Jeff has accomplished and want to see it first-hand. That’s for tomorrow, though, so I stayed in the room and took my time getting dressed. I had scheduled a room cleaning, and as the time approached, I gathered my things and left the condo so housekeeping wouldn’t have to trip over me.
I hadn’t planned to be gone long, so I went up the street to the Paris casino and played some more slots. Using the techniques from the day before, I came out $41.00 ahead this time. Again, I quit before I could get cocky and take out a second mortgage on our house to pay my gambling debts. Besides, with nearly $80.00 in winnings, I could do a little shopping!
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until Amber and Robin arrived around 6:30. We had tickets to see “O” at the Bellagio at 9:30 and wanted to get dinner before the show, so we helped them get their suitcases and bags of groceries up to the room and immediately started badgering them to change and get ready to leave. No rest for those two, it was time to hit the town!
Because we were a little late getting out of the room, we opted for the buffet at the Bellagio. We waited in line about 20 minutes before being seated and turned loose on a room full of incredible food! We were all starving and the four of us spread out among the different stations, piling a little of this and a little of that on our plates, scared to death we were going to miss something delicious. When we all met back at our table we spent a few minutes pointing at each other’s plates, asking “where did you get that?”
Once we had stuffed ourselves to capacity, it was time to walk over to the “O” theater for the show. We were shown to our seats, in the orchestra section just to the right of the stage. The show began and we were swept away for nearly two hours. Or, most of us were swept away. During the performance, I kept looking over at Jeff, who sat with an impassive expression through the whole thing. When the bows had been taken and the curtain had come down, Amber, Robin and I were gushing to each other over how wonderful the show had been. I turned to Jeff and asked, “What did you think?” He drew his eyebrows together and said, “I didn’t get it.” I can’t take that guy anywhere. He was like a cranky toddler who needed a nap.
We still had the walk back to the condo ahead of us, so we headed that way, stopping to watch the Bellagio water show, as it was just starting. Finally, Jeff was impressed. Two hours of the most visually stunning stage show and he gets excited by water shooting up in the air in time to a Sinatra song. I could’ve saved a lot of money on his ticket if I’d just deposited him outside in front of the Bellagio so he could be entertained every half hour.
On the walk back we were treated to a show of a different kind. It happened to be Halloween night, and Las Vegas turned out for the occasion! We wove through groups of superheroes, monsters, pirates, witches, etc., some covered appropriately, many letting way too much skin show. Oh, to be young again!
We all hit the hay soon after we walked in the door of the condo. Rest was needed. Tomorrow, we go to SEMA!
More to come!
Lori
I hadn’t planned to be gone long, so I went up the street to the Paris casino and played some more slots. Using the techniques from the day before, I came out $41.00 ahead this time. Again, I quit before I could get cocky and take out a second mortgage on our house to pay my gambling debts. Besides, with nearly $80.00 in winnings, I could do a little shopping!
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until Amber and Robin arrived around 6:30. We had tickets to see “O” at the Bellagio at 9:30 and wanted to get dinner before the show, so we helped them get their suitcases and bags of groceries up to the room and immediately started badgering them to change and get ready to leave. No rest for those two, it was time to hit the town!
Because we were a little late getting out of the room, we opted for the buffet at the Bellagio. We waited in line about 20 minutes before being seated and turned loose on a room full of incredible food! We were all starving and the four of us spread out among the different stations, piling a little of this and a little of that on our plates, scared to death we were going to miss something delicious. When we all met back at our table we spent a few minutes pointing at each other’s plates, asking “where did you get that?”
Once we had stuffed ourselves to capacity, it was time to walk over to the “O” theater for the show. We were shown to our seats, in the orchestra section just to the right of the stage. The show began and we were swept away for nearly two hours. Or, most of us were swept away. During the performance, I kept looking over at Jeff, who sat with an impassive expression through the whole thing. When the bows had been taken and the curtain had come down, Amber, Robin and I were gushing to each other over how wonderful the show had been. I turned to Jeff and asked, “What did you think?” He drew his eyebrows together and said, “I didn’t get it.” I can’t take that guy anywhere. He was like a cranky toddler who needed a nap.
We still had the walk back to the condo ahead of us, so we headed that way, stopping to watch the Bellagio water show, as it was just starting. Finally, Jeff was impressed. Two hours of the most visually stunning stage show and he gets excited by water shooting up in the air in time to a Sinatra song. I could’ve saved a lot of money on his ticket if I’d just deposited him outside in front of the Bellagio so he could be entertained every half hour.
On the walk back we were treated to a show of a different kind. It happened to be Halloween night, and Las Vegas turned out for the occasion! We wove through groups of superheroes, monsters, pirates, witches, etc., some covered appropriately, many letting way too much skin show. Oh, to be young again!
We all hit the hay soon after we walked in the door of the condo. Rest was needed. Tomorrow, we go to SEMA!
More to come!
Lori
October 31, 2018
Vegas - Day 2
It was the opening day of SEMA, so Jeff and Jeremy were up and dressed fairly early. I slept in for a while, but got up in time to visit with them over a cup of coffee before they left to catch their Uber to the convention center. I had no real plans for the day, so I dawdled, looking at emails, sales numbers, Facebook, etc. before getting dressed and venturing out.
I walked the opposite direction today, out the front doors of the resort toward Las Vegas Blvd. and made a left, heading up the strip. I wandered through some of the shops, looking at nothing in particular until I came to Hershey’s Chocolate World. Probably a place I should avoid at all cost so, naturally, I went in. See, in the past year I have acquired four grandchildren. I mean, they aren’t officially my grandchildren yet, but in my heart, they are mine! Three beautiful, smart, sharp-witted girls – Lissa, Bella & Chloe, and Owen, the youngest at 7-years old, who has the cutest little round face, a body that is perpetually in motion and a mouth that has no filter. I’m brand new to the grandparent game, but I believe the first rule is that you must spoil them. Since they live clear across the country from me, I’m forced to do my spoiling long distance, which means presents!
I circled the store at least five times, choosing and rejecting items, second guessing my decisions and choosing again. Lissa is an animal lover like me, and dyes her hair in bright, happy colors. Must find something dazzling for her. Bella is thoughtful and ambitious, a little more low-key in personality, but a girl who knows her own mind. She may be the hardest one to choose for. It has to be exactly right! Chloe is just a tiny ball of sunshine, petite as a fairy with the sweetest heart. She likes girly things, so I could buy for her all day long. And Owen, well, I could just have them wrap up the whole store for him. He would be happy with anything.
In the end, I left the store having purchased nothing. I snapped some pictures of a few possibilities, but more browsing and thinking is needed. And, just across the street are M & M’s World and the Coca Cola place. I will need to repeat this whole process over there! How come nobody told me this grandparenting thing is so complicated?
Because I was there, I entered the casino at New York New York and found myself sliding a fifty-dollar bill into one of the penny slot machines. My father-in-law has a system for winning at slots that I thought I would try. First, he says, you have to set a limit for what you’re willing to lose. I wasn’t willing to lose at all, but fifty dollars seemed reasonable for my experiment. I played for a while, losing, losing, then winning just enough to keep me playing. It wasn’t going well, so I employed his second piece of advice and cashed out at $30.00, scouted around and found another machine. Right away I began winning, slowly racking up credits until I was back to my original $50.00. Soon after, I hit the button and the machine started making bing bong noises. I won 3780 credits, which equates to $37.80. I was a winner, Baby!! I had the fifty I started with plus $37.80. Which brings me to J.R.’s third piece of advice. Quit while you’re ahead. I was done.
I returned to the condo for my afternoon nap, a habit I could really get used to if I didn’t have so many noisy dogs at home. The condo is 100% dog free, so I enjoyed the quiet and got a little rest. I spent the afternoon working until my tummy began telling me it was dinner time. I hadn’t eaten anything but a peanut butter sandwich all day and I was ready for Jeff and Jeremy to get back and take me to dinner. They showed up around 6:00 or so and I announced that I wanted food and a margarita! Jeremy pulled out his phone to search for restaurants in the area that serve good margaritas and one of the places on his list happens to be right across the street, visible from our window. A place called Nacho Daddy! Sounded good to me so, off we went.
Jeff and Jeremy texted the friends again to give them our location. The group from the night before were already engaged in other activities, but we were joined this time by Roger, a close friend of Jeremy and Jeff, along with his girlfriend Kayla. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas to share amongst the five of us and got a basket of chips and guacamole to share as well. We made short work of the guacamole and gave our orders to the waitress when she came – a burger for me, a burrito for Jeremy and something called fajita nachos for Jeff. Roger and Kayla had already eaten, but got a basket of chips and salsa to munch on while we talked and drank. The food was good, the margaritas were excellent, but the company was the best thing about the evening!
Finally, as my mother would say, our tired was hangin’ out, so we said good night and walked back to the condo, heading for bed almost as soon as we got in the door.
More to come!
Lori
I walked the opposite direction today, out the front doors of the resort toward Las Vegas Blvd. and made a left, heading up the strip. I wandered through some of the shops, looking at nothing in particular until I came to Hershey’s Chocolate World. Probably a place I should avoid at all cost so, naturally, I went in. See, in the past year I have acquired four grandchildren. I mean, they aren’t officially my grandchildren yet, but in my heart, they are mine! Three beautiful, smart, sharp-witted girls – Lissa, Bella & Chloe, and Owen, the youngest at 7-years old, who has the cutest little round face, a body that is perpetually in motion and a mouth that has no filter. I’m brand new to the grandparent game, but I believe the first rule is that you must spoil them. Since they live clear across the country from me, I’m forced to do my spoiling long distance, which means presents!
I circled the store at least five times, choosing and rejecting items, second guessing my decisions and choosing again. Lissa is an animal lover like me, and dyes her hair in bright, happy colors. Must find something dazzling for her. Bella is thoughtful and ambitious, a little more low-key in personality, but a girl who knows her own mind. She may be the hardest one to choose for. It has to be exactly right! Chloe is just a tiny ball of sunshine, petite as a fairy with the sweetest heart. She likes girly things, so I could buy for her all day long. And Owen, well, I could just have them wrap up the whole store for him. He would be happy with anything.
In the end, I left the store having purchased nothing. I snapped some pictures of a few possibilities, but more browsing and thinking is needed. And, just across the street are M & M’s World and the Coca Cola place. I will need to repeat this whole process over there! How come nobody told me this grandparenting thing is so complicated?
Because I was there, I entered the casino at New York New York and found myself sliding a fifty-dollar bill into one of the penny slot machines. My father-in-law has a system for winning at slots that I thought I would try. First, he says, you have to set a limit for what you’re willing to lose. I wasn’t willing to lose at all, but fifty dollars seemed reasonable for my experiment. I played for a while, losing, losing, then winning just enough to keep me playing. It wasn’t going well, so I employed his second piece of advice and cashed out at $30.00, scouted around and found another machine. Right away I began winning, slowly racking up credits until I was back to my original $50.00. Soon after, I hit the button and the machine started making bing bong noises. I won 3780 credits, which equates to $37.80. I was a winner, Baby!! I had the fifty I started with plus $37.80. Which brings me to J.R.’s third piece of advice. Quit while you’re ahead. I was done.
I returned to the condo for my afternoon nap, a habit I could really get used to if I didn’t have so many noisy dogs at home. The condo is 100% dog free, so I enjoyed the quiet and got a little rest. I spent the afternoon working until my tummy began telling me it was dinner time. I hadn’t eaten anything but a peanut butter sandwich all day and I was ready for Jeff and Jeremy to get back and take me to dinner. They showed up around 6:00 or so and I announced that I wanted food and a margarita! Jeremy pulled out his phone to search for restaurants in the area that serve good margaritas and one of the places on his list happens to be right across the street, visible from our window. A place called Nacho Daddy! Sounded good to me so, off we went.
Jeff and Jeremy texted the friends again to give them our location. The group from the night before were already engaged in other activities, but we were joined this time by Roger, a close friend of Jeremy and Jeff, along with his girlfriend Kayla. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas to share amongst the five of us and got a basket of chips and guacamole to share as well. We made short work of the guacamole and gave our orders to the waitress when she came – a burger for me, a burrito for Jeremy and something called fajita nachos for Jeff. Roger and Kayla had already eaten, but got a basket of chips and salsa to munch on while we talked and drank. The food was good, the margaritas were excellent, but the company was the best thing about the evening!
Finally, as my mother would say, our tired was hangin’ out, so we said good night and walked back to the condo, heading for bed almost as soon as we got in the door.
More to come!
Lori
October 30, 2018
Vegas - Day 1
Howdy Readers! I have embarked on another adventure – this time to Sin City! My husband, Jeff, built a car and is showing it at SEMA this week. I’ve been asked several times recently what SEMA stands for and, since I had forgotten, I looked it up. It stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association. There. Now you know and can forget too!
Anyway, two days ago we loaded the car dubbed Orange Evolution into the car trailer and set off for Vegas, which is about an 8-hour drive from our place. Jeff was exhausted after staying up very late the night before to finish the last few details on the car so I kept an eye on him as he drove. He was doing pretty well … until he wasn’t. The droopy eyes and almost constant yawning told me I was going to have to take over. I’ve pulled a lot of trailers in my time – horse trailers, tool trailers, boat trailers – but never a 24-foot trailer behind a long bed crew cab Ram truck. But unless we were going to park on the side of the highway while Jeff caught a couple hours of shut-eye, I was up.
We switched off at a truck stop just outside Gallup, NM where we topped off the tank with gas and made use of the facilities. I took my time adjusting my seat, fiddling with the mirrors and the A/C vents, then pulled out into traffic, all 5-ft of me piloting nearly 50-feet of vehicle. I-40 is nearly always wall to wall semis, and I found that day to be no different. Jeff reclined his seat and passed out, leaving me with only my self-doubt and anxiety for company. I needn’t have worried, though. I soon found that I was pretty good at it, and spent the next 3 hours weaving smoothly through an obstacle course of trucks traveling at inconsistent speeds.
We rolled into Vegas around 8 pm, found the Polo Towers Resort that we were booked at and moved in. Jeff’s brother, Jeremy, wasn’t far behind us, and when he arrived, he and Jeff went out to have a beer with a friend. I opted for bed and a book until my eyes grew heavy.
The following morning, I made use of the small kitchen in our two-bedroom condo by making a pot of coffee. We had brought a few groceries with us, so Jeff and Jeremy toasted English muffins and slathered them with cream cheese before they headed out to the convention center to wash and set up the car in the sponsor’s booth. I stayed in my pajamas while I had a couple of cups of coffee and alternated between people watching from the balcony and noodling around on my iPad. It wasn’t long before I was itching to get out and move around, so I showered, dressed and moseyed across the street from the back of the resort to the Miracle Mile. I wasn’t shopping as much as stretching my legs and racking up steps toward my daily 10,000 step goal. I did take note of places I may want to revisit later in the week when our friends, Amber and Robin, come to stay with us for the last few days of our trip.
Before I headed back to the condo, I bought a lobster grilled cheese sandwich from a place called Lobster Me to take back for lunch. I now believe lobster should be a staple ingredient of every grilled cheese sandwich I have in the future. I killed time, took a nap, washed up the morning dishes and worked a little until Jeff and Jeremy came back. They were tired and ready to sit for a while. When evening rolled around, the three of us went out on foot to find a place to eat. We wandered the strip, meandering through some of the hotels and casinos as we went. We finally settled on a place called Rock n Reilly and the guys sent out messages to some friends who are in town. We were joined by Jeremy and Melody McClellan, the owners of the car Jeff built and a couple of their friends as well as a high school classmate of my brother-in-law’s and his boss. We sat out on the patio, enjoying the desert breeze, and had a really pleasant evening with dinner, drinks and conversation. Melody is from the Philippines and I learned that it was her first visit to the United States. I assured her that Las Vegas is not typical of our country and that most of our cities do not have mobile billboards advertising prostitutes driving up and down the streets.
The party broke up after a couple of hours and we headed back to the condo, ready to call it a night.
More to come!
Lori
Anyway, two days ago we loaded the car dubbed Orange Evolution into the car trailer and set off for Vegas, which is about an 8-hour drive from our place. Jeff was exhausted after staying up very late the night before to finish the last few details on the car so I kept an eye on him as he drove. He was doing pretty well … until he wasn’t. The droopy eyes and almost constant yawning told me I was going to have to take over. I’ve pulled a lot of trailers in my time – horse trailers, tool trailers, boat trailers – but never a 24-foot trailer behind a long bed crew cab Ram truck. But unless we were going to park on the side of the highway while Jeff caught a couple hours of shut-eye, I was up.
We switched off at a truck stop just outside Gallup, NM where we topped off the tank with gas and made use of the facilities. I took my time adjusting my seat, fiddling with the mirrors and the A/C vents, then pulled out into traffic, all 5-ft of me piloting nearly 50-feet of vehicle. I-40 is nearly always wall to wall semis, and I found that day to be no different. Jeff reclined his seat and passed out, leaving me with only my self-doubt and anxiety for company. I needn’t have worried, though. I soon found that I was pretty good at it, and spent the next 3 hours weaving smoothly through an obstacle course of trucks traveling at inconsistent speeds.
We rolled into Vegas around 8 pm, found the Polo Towers Resort that we were booked at and moved in. Jeff’s brother, Jeremy, wasn’t far behind us, and when he arrived, he and Jeff went out to have a beer with a friend. I opted for bed and a book until my eyes grew heavy.
The following morning, I made use of the small kitchen in our two-bedroom condo by making a pot of coffee. We had brought a few groceries with us, so Jeff and Jeremy toasted English muffins and slathered them with cream cheese before they headed out to the convention center to wash and set up the car in the sponsor’s booth. I stayed in my pajamas while I had a couple of cups of coffee and alternated between people watching from the balcony and noodling around on my iPad. It wasn’t long before I was itching to get out and move around, so I showered, dressed and moseyed across the street from the back of the resort to the Miracle Mile. I wasn’t shopping as much as stretching my legs and racking up steps toward my daily 10,000 step goal. I did take note of places I may want to revisit later in the week when our friends, Amber and Robin, come to stay with us for the last few days of our trip.
Before I headed back to the condo, I bought a lobster grilled cheese sandwich from a place called Lobster Me to take back for lunch. I now believe lobster should be a staple ingredient of every grilled cheese sandwich I have in the future. I killed time, took a nap, washed up the morning dishes and worked a little until Jeff and Jeremy came back. They were tired and ready to sit for a while. When evening rolled around, the three of us went out on foot to find a place to eat. We wandered the strip, meandering through some of the hotels and casinos as we went. We finally settled on a place called Rock n Reilly and the guys sent out messages to some friends who are in town. We were joined by Jeremy and Melody McClellan, the owners of the car Jeff built and a couple of their friends as well as a high school classmate of my brother-in-law’s and his boss. We sat out on the patio, enjoying the desert breeze, and had a really pleasant evening with dinner, drinks and conversation. Melody is from the Philippines and I learned that it was her first visit to the United States. I assured her that Las Vegas is not typical of our country and that most of our cities do not have mobile billboards advertising prostitutes driving up and down the streets.
The party broke up after a couple of hours and we headed back to the condo, ready to call it a night.
More to come!
Lori
