Fun Monday~ 4th of July

Mama Rehema is this week's Fun Monday hostess. She wants to hear how we spend our 4th of July's...

July 4th is US Independence day, for Fun Monday, please tell how you spend your Independence Day either this year or in the past. Do you have a July 4th funny story you would like to share? Do you have a family tradition for this day? For those who are not US residents, please tell us when your country’s independence day is and share with us how you celebrate/spend it. We would love some pictures too, you can share your stories in pictures too.Please leave your name and your blog address at the comments. Thanks for playing and Janis is hosting July 13th Fun Monday. Thanks Janis.Happy 4th of July.

My family has never made a big deal out of the 4th of July. I don't know why that is, but we never had picnics or parties. In the past few years, we have tried to get out to see some fireworks...sometimes parking at the top of the Metrorail parking garage, sometimes going to the beach, and sometimes just sitting in our backyard watching the 'works going off from our local hospital's front lawn.

Quite a few years ago, I worked at a large marina and we would have huge 4th of July fireworks shows. I got to see how the fireworks were loaded and even got to wire a couple myself. Kind of interesting and a little scary! I think with the current budget, they didn't do the show this year...hard to find sponsors when the economy is low.

Well, this year an old friend of mine, Robert Torra, was playing in a band at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove. Despite the heat and lack of breeze, I really enjoyed the show. It was fun seeing him play his guitar and reminded me of the 80's when he taught me how to play the opening notes of "Stairway to Heaven". I went with my friend Julie, and her family as mine is all spread out at the moment (one kid in Okeechobee, the other in Texas)...we left right after his band finished their set so I didn't see any fireworks last night, though I did HEAR lots of bangs and pops!

If you want to hear the band, check out:RYAN STONE MUSIC.

Fun Monday: Kids say the Darndest Things!

I'm late posting, but here is my FUN MONDAY entry for this week...(sorry, no cute picture. I had to put all my pics on a cd and can't find them right now)


Mariposa stepped up as the hostess and she wants us all to tell about our experiences with the funniest things our kids have said.


Well, having 2 kids fifteen years apart in age has given me LOTS of funny (and no so funny) things to tell about. I actually have a list that I kept of the things my oldest would say. Just words like "centsippear" for disappear, "p tarts" for poptarts, "theeteeer" for theater. I like looking back and remembering how cute it was to hear him trying to say certain things.


Now my youngest..he is a whole different story. He is pretty good about pronouncing words the right way. He really tries. It's more the not-so-nice things that he says that are really kind of funny. I just have to make sure he doesn't see me laughing! Somewhere, and I honestly do NOT know where, he picked up this cute phrase when he's mad at me..."Oh just shut up, you stupid woman!" The first time he said it, my jaw dropped! He has never heard anyone say anything like that, so I am assuming he thought it all out himself. When you think about it that way, it's not bad for a 4 year old. BUT for any kid to say that to anyone, let alone his MOM, is terrible. So I do NOT encourage it (along with his other appropriate, yet wrong usage of the words asshole, jerk, jackass, dumbass, etc.). It can be so hard to deal with at times! And yes, I have washed his mouth out with soap AND put a drop of hotsauce on his tongue. He doesn't like it, yet it doesn't stop him, either).

Ok, now for one of the latest things he said that was actually CUTE...

He woke up one morning and the first thing out of his mouth was, "I need to go up into outer space and get some of those things...not stars...those other things."

Me: What other things? Planets?

Aidan: No. Satellites. I need to bring a bunch of them home.

Me: Um...why?

Aidan: Because I will put them on the roof so I can have free satellite!


Now, I'd say that's pretty good thinking for a 4 year old!

Fun Monday~ The embarrassment of my kitchen

This week's Fun Monday is hosted by Ari at "Beyond my Slab". Her assignment is....

"It's time for show and tell. What does your kitchen counter look like right now? (And no fair cleaning just for the picture!) Do you have any favorite or unusual items on your counter?"

Oh, why this?!?! Why would anyone want to see pictures of my awful, extremely outdated kitchen? UGH! But I am a good sport, so I whipped out my trusty Kodak and took these shots...

First, I want to show you my 4 yr. old son's kitchen. YES, my son has a play kitchen. He likes to cook, so why not? I figure if he continues to expand on his culinary knowledge, my future daughter-in-law will LOVE me! BTW, he took this picture, not me... and the heart stickers all over it were left over from Valentine's Day.

And...well, this is my kitchen. Built in 1968 and never remodelled.

You can't tell, but the FORMICA countertops are a swirly avocado green color. Aren't you getting envious?!? And what can be said about the lovely dark brown FORMICA of my cabinets? Timeless & classic, right?

Um...don't answer that...

I guess I could say my favorite things on my countertops are my canister set and that blue cat cookie jar on the windowsill. I've had both for a very long time. Oh, can you see my little expresso maker? The authentic Cuban kind? Can't live without it.

Note my fully stocked Baker's rack, complete with my reusable shopping bags!

Refrigerator decor compliments of the 4 yr. old...

I'm actually very curious to take a peek into everyone else's kitchen. I'm hoping someone out there will actually make me feel better about mine. Oh, that was a bad thing to say, wasn't it? Bad, but...yeah...I'm hoping someone out there in Fun Mondaydom has an older and more outdated kitchen than me! Time to check it out, catch ya later!!

Fun Monday~

I haven't signed up for Fun Monday in ages and decided to try to get back into it. This week's hostess is the very talented Gattina. Here mission, should we decide to accept it, is the following...

"As nobody wants to give us work for our Monday's Fun, I sacrificed myself to find a new challenge. After I racked my brain I found the following :Please show us what you wear on your feet inside your home ! Do you wear slippers, flip flops, shoes or nothing ? just take a picture and show us your feet !"

Well, this one is an easy way to get back into the swing of things! What do I wear on my feet around the house? Nothing. My feet go bucka$$ nekkid!

The barenakedness of my feet against the floor of my living room.

I do admit, though, that when the temps go below 60, I tend to wear either socks or these awesome slippers I have. And sometimes I wear my wonder Crocs. But most of the time...nada. I even like to drive barefoot. If I could go to work barefoot, I probably would. Maybe it's because my feet are the only part of my anatomy I can stand to look at naked!

So there you have it. Now go check out what everyone else is wearing these days and have a very Happy and FUN MONDAY!

Fun Monday~ The High Points

Mariposa is the hostess of this week's Fun Monday.

First, I want to congratulate her on her 3 year blogaversary! Way to go!!!

Now, for this week she wants to know about the high points in our lives...

If you could share to us 3-5 high moments in your lives...this could be funny moments...the you can't believe you did it moments...the "I told you so" moments...or the times we asked the ground to go open and eat us moments! You need not write a book to explain them, the highlights will do.

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I can say the highest points in my life have been the births of my two sons. I mean, how can any mother say that anything tops that?!

Other things that have happened in my life that I guess I could say were high points were:

1. My weddings (both of them)...

2. The time I saw a Black Bear in Fakahatchee and last year when I saw a panther in Big Cypress (MAJOR adrenaline rushes!)...

3. When I was a Park Ranger and a Marine Patrol Officer jumped in my car and told me to chase a car that was getting away (MAJOR, MAJOR adrenaline rush!!)...

4. The first time I saw my son play his saxophone in a concert...

5. The whole "Yes" concert experience that I've talked about before...

I know I'll think of more things later, but right now, those are the only ones that come to mind. This may be boring, but most of the best times of my life were nothing more than just hanging out with my family and friends and simply just being happy!

Fun Monday~ Halloween fun!

I've been out of the Fun Monday loop for a while, but this week's assignment was to fun to pass up!


My friend Sayre over at Sayre Smiles was the brains behing this week's assignment. Here it is:



Your assignment:Tell us about your favorite Halloween as a kid (pictures, if you have them!), and show us your costume for this year. If you're not dressing up, show us a picture of a pumpkin carving that really tickled your fancy or how you decorated your house.

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention (duh) that not everyone celebrates Halloween. Sometimes I forget the international flavor of Fun Monday! So for those of you who do NOT celebrate Halloween, please show us or tell us about any holiday you celebrate that requires dressing up. It doesn't have to be a costume per se, but wearing something that is out of the ordinary for you.


I can't remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween. I love Halloween, though, and having kids makes it all the more fun. I was going to post some pics of the kiddos in their past costumes, but I can't find them!! I must be losing my mind because I can usually find evey picture I want. So, instead of my kids, you get to see me in a couple of past costumes.

First is 1978. I was 13, awkward and with terribly big glasses. I was a mess, but I think my Mom did a great job on my costume! Can you guess who I am?



The only other picture I could find was this one taken in 1988. I was 7 months pregnant with Sam. Not a great costume, but I do remember the party and it was great. Oh, and yeah...that's my ex.

I really wanted to post a picture from my favorite Halloween ever, but alas, I can't find the dang thing. It was...oh...1983 or 1984 and two of my friends and I dressed up as characters from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was Magenta and had a killer costume. I had bought an actual maid's uniform and my Mom (of all people) actually put a somewhat slutty slit in it for me. I had funky boots, torn stockings and a frizzed out red wig. It was awesome! Going to see that movie on Halloween was definitely a memorable experience. Tons of fun!

This year I didn't really decorate. Fighting bronchitis and other home life problems has left me without much enthusiasm. I did get Aidan the cutest costume and I'll post some pics of those after he goes trick-or-treating. Anyway, the funnest thing I ever did, decoration-wise, was to put a large wooden crate on my front porch. It was tall, about 5 feet. I put bloody handprints on it. I dropped a green glow stick inside it. Then, and this is the good part, I dropped in a tape player that was continuously playing a tape of a dog growling. It was AWESOME! So simple and yet SO effective! The little kids wouldn't come near it! Even the adults were wary. It was great!

Now be sure to go to Sayre's place and check out all the other Fun Monday participants and read about their Halloween tricks!

No Fun Monday Here

I had to pull out of Fun Monday this week. My camera died and I won't be able to replace it for a while. I'll be taking a peek at everyone else's closet, though!

Fun Monday~ UNDEFEATED!

The wonderful Heather of "Heather's Recipes" is our hostess this week and her question is one I definitely haven't seen come up here before!


The topic: Sports. More specifically, the sports team that you are rabid about. Maybe you love the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe you never miss a Cincinnati Reds game. Perhaps you follow every goal of the Fighting Illini Water Polo team. Or maybe nobody can tear you away from a Manchester United game. I want to hear about whatever sports team(s) that make you cry tears of joy when they win and tears of sorrow when they lose. And on the flip side, I also want to hear about the teams you love to hate and why you hate them so much. You know what I mean. Like when you meet a new friend who is really cool and fun, and then you find out they root for your most hated rival team and you actually consider for a moment that you can't be friends anymore. Those teams.That's it. And if you don't like any sports at all, I don't know what to say to you. Tell us something else you are impassioned about



In Miami, we have the Heat (NBA), the Marlins (MLB), the Panthers (NHL) and, of course, the Miami Dolphins (NFL). I am not a big sports fan because, morally, I think it is just WRONG for men to get paid astronomical amounts of money just for playing a game. Teachers, Firefighters and Police should make the salaries of all those professional jocks out there!


Our various team members have not always been the most upstanding of citizens, thus being poor role models for kids. Drugs, murders, etc... the guys who get screwed up in those things...well, I just want to smack them upside the head with a 2X4! There are people who have to scrape pennies together to buy milk, and here they are with MILLIONS running around blowing it and being just plain dumbasses. Makes me so mad.


Sorry for my little rant. I'm through now because I'm here to talk about one of the only two professional sports teams I have ever given a rat's butt about. One being the Boston Celtics of the 80's with Larry Bird and the second being....*drumroll, please...........

THE UNDEFEATED MIAMI DOLPHINS OF 1972!

I was only in second grade when they went undefeated and won the Superbowl, but I REMEMEBER!



Now, take just a few moments, if you choose, to watch these videos. They're short and I think they're worth a look. No football team can compare to this one.

Click below to hear the famous Miami Dolphins song!

No other team has gone undefeated!

My brother in law taught Jim Langer, Center on this great team, to fly. The first plane I ever went up in belonged to him. I remember one weekend my sister and her husband were over at our house and the phone rang. A man asked to speak to my BIL. I was in 2nd grade and being very polite on the phone, asked who was calling. "Jim Langer." I freaked! I was what...7 years old? and I freaked OUT!

(of course, we all knew the Giants came awful close to breaking the 72's record...)

Look down this roster and see how many names you remember:

Numerical Roster
No.
Name
Pos.
1
Yepremian, Garo
K
7
Lothridge, Billy
P
11
Del Gaizo, Jim
QB
12
Griese, Bob
QB
13
Scott, Jake
S
15
Morrall, Earl
QB
20
Seiple, Larry
P-TE
21
Kiick, Jim
RB
22
Morris, Mercury
RB
23
Leigh, Charles
RB
25
Foley, Tim
CB
26
Mumphord, Lloyd
CB
28
Jenkins, Ed
RB
32
Ginn, Hubert
RB
39
Csonka, Larry
RB
40
Anderson, Dick
S
42
Warfield, Paul
WR
43
Howell, Mike
S
45
Johnson, Curtis
CB
48
Stuckey, Henry
CB
49
Babb, Charles
S
51
Ball, Larry
LB
53
Matheson, Bob
LB
54
Kindig, Howard
C-T
56
Powell, Jesse
LB
57
Kolen, Mike
LB
59
Swift, Doug
LB
60
Jenkins, Al
G-T
62
Langer, Jim
C
65
Moore, Maulty
DT
66
Little, Larry
G
67
Kuechenberg, Bob
G
68
Kadish, Mike
DT
70
Riley, Jim
DE
72
Heinz, Bob
DT
73
Evans, Norm
T
75
Fernandez, Manny
DT
77
Crusan, Doug
T
78
Dunaway, Jim
DT
79
Moore, Wayne
T
80
Fleming, Marv
TE
81
Twilley, Howard
WR
82
Stowe, Otto
WR
83
Den Herder, Vern
DE
84
Stanfill, Bill
DE
85
Buonticonti, Nick
LB
86
Briscoe, Marlin
WR
88
Mandich, Jim
TE
89
Noonan

Now go see who everyone else is rooting for (or who they HAVE rooted for ;) and have a great week!

Fun Monday~ Your "Space"

Gattina, despite her Writer's Cramps is our FM hostess this week. She wants to see all of our writing/blogging spaces.

So, here ya go....

This is my computer. The hub of my blogging and all-around time wasting.

Yes, that is a pink flamingo. I wasn't supposed to keep it, but somehow, did.

Leaning on my paper shredder is a post card from Alaska, sent to me from my cross-country, geocaching, blogging friends Marc and Eliana.

Below is my keyboard, in case you want to see where such brilliance is typed out for your viewing pleasure. *ahem*

And this is where my butt is perched while said brilliance is being typed.

Yeah...it ain't comfortable. I gotta get a new chair. If you know of one, let me know!

If I turn my head to the right, this is what I see, right next to my computer:

A Key Deer skull, The Beatles first album (framed, of course), a stuffed rattlesnake head (gag gift from my sister), and it is hanging from a framed certificate that was given to my Dad for catching rattllesnakes during WWII for the "war effort". I love that thing. He was only 12 years old and was out catching rattlers! Amazing... anyway, next to the Beatles is a little carved guy from Alaska, carved bears from Canada, and various odds and ends. I am a great collector of odds and ends.

The globe on top of my desk is usually stopped with Australia facing me. One day...one day I'll go there!

An overall view. Yes, the computer is sitting on top of the desk. Why? Because it makes it that much harder for my four year old to turn it off and on!

Well, that's my "time wasting, blogging, email-reading, book mooching, geocaching, plurking, andwhateverelse" place. Now, check out the rest of the Fun Monday crew and see what their's looks like!

Fun Monday~ A Wealth of Useless Knowledge

The Dramatic Mama's over at Mama Drama are our hostesses this week. I love the different things that the hosts come up with and this is no exception...

Remember way back in elementary school when you had to do a report on James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States and you told the class all about how he was shot after only four months in office? You also remember that he recovered after a week, but doctor's continued to probe at the healed wound causing complications and resulting in his death almost three months later? Okay, we all knew that about Garfield, but you also remember that James Garfield could write with both hands at one time and in different languages.!!! Why do you remember that? Maybe for you it wasn't James Garfield, but somewhere in your past education, you picked-up some little bit of useless information that you've never forgotten.
What funny trivial fact do you remember that you probably should have forgotten a long time ago?

This one was easy for me.

Who is the "Babe Ruth" of Japanese baseball? SADAHARU OH

Why do I know this? I have no clue, I just do!

Fun monday~ Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The lovely and extremely talented Lisa of Lisa's Chaos is our hotstess this week. I love the ideas she came up with!


What is one thing you would like to ask your readers? Come up with a question to pose to your visitors and throw it out there on Monday. As we’re all visiting each other’s Fun Monday posts we should answer the various questions we come across.ORShow&Tell me about a bird, I’m easily made happy.



Although I love birds, I have chosen to ask a question of you FM players...


Do you believe in extraterrestrial beings, aka... aliens?
Do you think, as does former astronaut Edgar Mitchell, that aliens have been here for years, right under our noses?


I thought it would be fun to here everyone's thoughts on this. I am one that tends to believe things until proved otherwise; therefore, sure, I believe in aliens. Have they been among us? Who knows! Could be... I have always thought it would be pretty presumptuous to believe that the only life in this infinite universe of ours is here on Earth.

Now, who's to say that the other life forms are more intelligent? They could be slugs for all we know. They could be peaceful. Or they could be like the aliens we have all come to know and love (?):

The SETI Institute is a real place that is devoted to searching the universe for signs of life. Below is a picture of some of their receivers. It's a pretty interesting website, if you "want to believe".

The truth is out there, and so are LOTS of other Fun Monday entries to read! So head over to Lisa's place and check 'em all out.

Have a great week!

No Fun today

I'm really sorry about this, but my scanner isn't working, so I can't download any pics for this week's Fun Monday.

I will still check out what everyone else has posted!!!

(Damn Vista is not compatible with my scanner/printer...I'm not loving Vista anymore.)

Fun Monday~ What's the Word?

Jennifer and Emily of Mothers of Brothers volunteered to be our hostesses for this week's Fun monday. The following is our assignment this week:


So here is your Fun Monday Topic: Wordly Wise
Words are our building blocks, our stepping stones, and, for many of us, our salvation. We string them together so quickly at times, we often lose sight of how precious they are. So tell us about your favorite word… or if you can’t pick just one, tell us about a few. Are there certain words that feel good the way they roll of your tongue? Do some words make you feel smart? Or silly? Or happy? Which words do you find yourself selecting to put in your posts? Since this response could be a short one, feel free to poll your family and friends and include some of their favorite words as well. If you think a definition is required, please share one. Please keep the words rated G for all audiences. Any language is acceptable, but please provide a translation. And stick to real words as opposed to ones made up along the way. We then challenge everyone to visit the posts on Monday and try to use other bloggers’ favorite words in your blog next week. We can’t wait to expand our vocabulary



Well...this is my pet-peeve word for the past two years -


as·phalt /ˈæsfɔlt or, especially Brit., -fælt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[as-fawlt or, especially Brit., -falt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. any of various dark-colored, solid, bituminous substances, native in various areas of the earth and composed mainly of hydrocarbon mixtures.
2. a similar substance that is the by-product of petroleum-cracking operations.
3. a mixture of such substances with gravel, crushed rock, or the like, used for paving.
–verb (used with object) 4. to cover or pave with asphalt.
–adjective 5. of, pertaining to, or containing asphalt: asphalt tile.


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[Origin: 1275–1325; earlier asphaltos, -um <>

It's pronounced ASS fault not ASH fault unless you're British!

My boss can't seem to pronounce it right and I have been biting my tongue for TWO YEARS now and it is driving me insane! I am waiting fo the right moment to "enlighten" her as to the proper pronunciation of the word.

She is NOT British, BTW.

At this particular moment in time, my favorite word is MOJITO. Sounds nice and makes my mouth water.

Other words I like, for different reasons:

• Truth
• Honesty
• Believe
• Faith
• LOVE
• Peace
• Ocean
• Platypus
• Kayak
• Caribbean
• Island

Fun Moday~ World Domination?

This week, Mommy Wizdom is our hostess with the mostess. She wants to know the following:

Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Guten Tag! Yes, it's true, Irish Coffeehouse passed the torch to me, I am the next host of Fun Mondays! I have thought long and hard...

The topic for Fun Monday for 7/28 is:

If you were ruler for a day/week/month/year (your choice on the time) you would...

ex...make coffee free to all citizens. Or you'd abolish the penny. You may also specify if you're ruler of the world or just your country. Have fun with it; be creative.

If you like to dress up, you may also choose to take pictures of yourself in your "ruler" outfit(s) and post them up with your entry.

After thinking about it, I've decided I do NOT want to rule the world. No, no, no...that just would never work.

I'm thinking maybe my country... The first thing I'd do (and this comes from my daily frustrations, mind you) is reinforce the simple fact that English is the language of my country. No more billboards, store fronts, or anything else in any other language. TV and radio stations? Sure, but no more overrunning my FM dial with anything other than English! No one will be required to be bi-lingual in order to get a job. It's all very simple: You come to this country, learn about this country and assimilate yourself. You don't like it? Go somewhere else!

Now, since I am only going to play ruler for about a month or so...ya know, just to feel it out...I think I may also abolish any use of gas powered engines one day a week. That's right - no driving of any cars, trucks, boats, buses, etc. Exception being emergency services and airliners. One day a week of such quiet! Plan ahead for it and get anything you think you might need the next day if you're too lazy to walk or ride! Think a minute about it. Would it really be so terrible? Thingk of the fuel we'd save!!! Now, those of you who have horses would be able to ride them down the streets on that day...wouldn't it be kind of cool?

Next up... we'd go back to the old way of things and 95% of the stores and businesses would be closed on Sundays. Deal with it!

Cable/satellite would be FREE, as would all internet services.

Because of all we'd be saving by have a "no gas" day and Sundays much slower, I would make the electric rates be cut in half. We need electricity. It's not right we should have to pay out the ass for it. Give a little and get a little...

I would give tax breaks and incentives to anyone who gardens in their yard. That's right! You grow your own tomatoes and zucchini, you get a tax break. The more you grow, the bigger the break, too. Of course, subject to inspection (thus creating jobs!).

And finally, ALL left turn lanes at intersections would be controlled by an arrow light. You can only turn left at an intersection when you have an arrow and that's it! No more creeping out into the middle of the intersection waiting for the light to turn yellow or red before you complete your turn. It would keep the guess work out of it and would help curb people's penchant for running red lights (at least down here!).

I guess that's about it. I think my changes would be big enough and drastic enough without adding anything more to the pot. And who knows, maybe after only one month under my rule, the people of my country might start to actually "get it" and enjoy it!

Or maybe not...

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Don't forget to click on the link above to visit Mommy Wizdom and read all the other FM participants!

Also, check out my Google Earth Challenge #14 (below) and take a guess!!

Fun Monday~ Tell us how you party!

Totally unrelated to Fun Monday: What the F is THIS about??? Very upsetting. Very UnAmerican. This is a travesty!!!

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Well. Penny from Dungarees Ablaze is planning her father's birthday party and needs some ideas. This is what she said: This week assignment: Let's hear about your favorite “Birthday”, it needn’t be your actual birthday just a "birthday" celebration. You can use one you planned, one you attended, one you crashed, just a fun time for this FUN MONDAY

You know I love you, chica! You are my bestest friend in the whole wide world! Sorry you got sick that night :( So what do you want to do for your next birthday??? Will it involve coconut bras and MOJITOS?


First, why did you change you layout, Penny? I liked the nice pic you had beforeOh well, to each her own and change is good. Ok, so on with my birthday tales.



I've never been one to have birthday parties, so I can tell you about all 3 of the ones I've had. The first one was when I was in elementary school. We had a pizza party at the place next to my Mom's work. Quite a few girls showed up and I was really excited and happy. The only thing I remember getting was a doll. Do girls in 5th grade even play with dolls anymore?



Next was my 16th Birthday. I was anti-"sweet sixteen" and all that crap. I wanted to go camping! So my mom and dad took myself and a couple of my best friends up to Zolfo Springs where my uncle had a huge piece of land on Charlie Creek. It was December and it was COLD up there. We pitched our tent on this little spit of land that stuck out in a pond, not far from where my parent's would be sleeping (in my uncle's place). Well, it got dark and it was freezing. We kept hearing noises. My uncle had cattle on the land and suddenly, we were terrified that the cows would decide to stampede through our tent and kill us. SOooo, we ran over and told my dad that we HAD to sleep in his van for our own SAFETY! He relented and drove it over and parked it right next to the tent. We piled in and slept like babies. The next morning, there were no signs that the cattle (or anything else) had come anywhere close to us. Better safe than sorry, though! That day we took the canoe out and flipped it on the creek. Not fun since the water was like -20 degrees! After we dried off and warmed up, we went on a hike. We came across a large (bloated) dead cow and when we approached it, a head popped up from behind it. The another...and another. Wild dogs. Maybe coyotes. We freaked out ands tood perfectly still. The only weapon we had was my leather whip (Hey, I was in my Indiana Jones phase. what can I say?). We backed away slowly and thank God, none of the dogs bothered us. Man, we were really scared to walk around after that.



Then there was my 19th birthday. My friends and I had been hanging out in the local bowling alley bar for the past year. They never carded us...it was assumed we were already 19 (the drinking age back then). So when my birthday came around my friends decided to have a party for me at the bar, but to call it my 20th birthday! It was fun. My future ex-husband was there. We weren't even dating yet. They gave me this hug card that everyone signed and I still have. They went out of their way to say "Happy 20th!!" it was funny.



So that's about it. Pizza + wild dogs + beer = my ideal birthday party. Somehow I don't think your dad would enjoy any of them. Well...maybe the beer and a few 16 year old girls??? Oh God, did I just say that?!? Bad, I am very bad....



As always, go and check out the other folks and their idea of a what a good birthday is by going to http://www.dungareesablaze.blogspot.com/. Have a great week!

Fun Monday~ Fish Tales

This week's Fun Monday is a fun one, thought up by my good pal, Olive .

Hey, we are starting a new month and will be celebrating our Day of Independence soon in the US so let’s make the next FM a fun time. I would like to hear about your *whopper* of a fishing story. Yes, you heard it correctly whether it is fictional or non fictional I want to hear a fishing story from you. An example would be if you catch a minnow and tell it that you caught a swordfish (exaggeration is the operative word here). Did you hear me say show your photo(s)? Of course you did – be creative.

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I love fishing! My 12 years working at a marina afforded me many times to wet my line. It also gave me the opportunity to come face to face with some famous folks.

I could tell you about the time I went out to the ledge and fished for grouper with David Boreanaz. He got SO seasick on the way out! The seas were about 8 foot, which isn't so bad if you're used to it, but man... he wasn't. He chummed the water for about 30 minutes, but as soon as he had a fish on his line, he snapped out of it. Watching his muscles pump as he fought what turned out to be about a 150lb. Jewfish...ah....*slap!* Back to the story...


Or the time I sat on the jetty in the rain with Brendan Fraser, and showed him how to tie a blood knot. Hehehe, yup, that was a fun day. You should have heard him whoop and holler when he FINALLY hooked jack that was swimming by (garbage fish that are no good to eat, but try and tell him that!). We drank Coronas and watched the sunset... ah.... *slap!* and again, back to the story...

There was the time Mike Rowe landed in a seaplane in the basin, asking directions to Bimini. I told him, but he said he'd feel much safer if I just went with him. I locked up the office and jumped in! 20 minutes later, we were landing on a smooth inlet on the island of Bimini. I soon found out that Mike was out for sharks! Cool!!!! We jumped in the inflatable Zodiac he had in the back of the plane and sped out about a mile and started chumming. It didn't take long for a feeding frenzy to start! Blacktips, Tigers and Lemon sharks were all around us. Their crazed attacking of the chum we threw out soon turned dangerous when they started bumping into the Zodiac. Mike no longer wanted to catch one. He just wanted to get away safe, as did I! He pulled the old Mercury 9.9, but nothing happened. Seems Mr. Dirty Jobs had forgotten to fill the 3 gallon gas tank! D'UH! I was seriouslly worried when I started to hear music. I looked behind us and saw our hero approaching...

Yes, it was Jimmy Buffet. He came cruising by in his sailboat. He was standing at the wheel humming something about "fins to the left, fins to the right..."

He tossed us a line and towed us back to the islands where we sat around a fire, drank Coronas, ate conch fritters and told some whopper fish stories! Ah....*slap!* BACK TO REALITY!!

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Ok. In. My. Dreams. But the following tales are real. Not nearly as yummy, but they are real.

My old boss from the marina also took charters out now and then. One day, he took a couple guys out. They had a good day, caught some good fish. The guys were real funny. When they got back to the ramps, one of the guys took off to their truck and pulled out a couple t-shirts to bive my boss. He didn't bother opening them up right then, just thanked them, shooked their hands and "adios!". When he got home that night, he unfolded the t-shirts. They were promo, concert-like shirts for Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White. The two guys he had taken out fishing. D'OH!

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Now I'll tell you a couple of my own fishing tales. I started fishing young, as this picture proves. Yes, I used peanuts as lures back then. (Can you believe I still have that hat? I no longer fish in it, though).

When I was in 1st grade, we went up to Orange Springs where my uncle had a nice house on his own lake. That was where I caught my first fish! I found this stuck in the photo album.

I was so artistic back then!

Here I am holding up that bass. (My scanner isn't working, so excuse the reflection of myself taking a picture of a picture).

I was ecstatic that day. I remember it well.


For Sam's 9th birthday, we went out fishing in the Everglades. I don't do that Chuck E. Cheese crap, no ma'am. It's a fuzzy pic, but wasn't he cute in the rubber boots? Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything that day, but we did have fun and it was memorable.

Well, those are my fish tales, hope you enjoyed them. Now be sure to go to Olive's site and click on all the other folks who signed up for this whale of a Fun Monday!

Fun Monday~ What's your quirkiness?

The chaotic and wonderful LISA is this week's host of Fun Monday. It figures Lisa would pick an assignment that, at first thought would be easy, but turned out to be kind of tough.

Lisa's assignment:

A quirk is defined as a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism. We are all unique individuals, having quirks that help make us who we are. I would like to know what your quirks are. Confess to one, confess to ten, you decide. Just come back Monday ready to spill the beans, the rest of the world may look at you like you are from Mars, but you‘re among friends here. We won’t laugh, in fact that eccentricity just may endear you to us more.


I thought and thought...but am having a really hard time coming up with something! The one thing that came to mind immediately was that I don't bite my nails, I "peel" them. Yeah, it's gross, but it's one of my quirks. I have yet to come across anybody else who does it.


I used to let my nails grow, pre-Aidan. Now, with running after a 4 year old and geocaching, nice painted nails are a thing of the past (or maybe distant future?).

Oh Gawd! My toes look so ugly here!!! They're really not that bad.

I used to be a bit OCD, but again, with Aidan, all orderliness, neatness and...well, cleanliness has gone out the window. My house is in constant need of vacuuming and mopping and dusting. My bed is rarely made. I usually have a pile of laundry to do. Little floating fluffs of cat and/or dog hair drift by and find their way to the baseboards or under the couch. Yeah, I need to clean, but at this point I could do it 24/7 and never get it all done. It's kind of like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time you finish, it's time to go back and start all over again! Spending time with my family and friends is more important right now than sweating over the perfection of my house.

Where was I? Oh, yeah...quirks. I love my Starbucks and start to get the DTs if I go more than a week without any. But that's not really a quirk is it?

Um...ok, I got one! I like to use things up 100% before I go by more. One example: shampoo. The bottle has to be completely empty before I'll go buy more. My hub drives me nuts because he never uses anything up and opens up new stuff all the time. That's so wasteful!! I squeeze every last drop out of the tube of toothpaste and use my deodorant until I hit the plastic at the bottom of the solid stick. I even add a bot of water to the last of the shampoo, conditioner and hand soap just so I'm sure to get every bit out of it.

I have to have my kitchen counter CLEAN at all times. Not one crumb or drop of juice! I have been known to go insane after cleaning to come back in the kitchen and find a nice new stain from a drop of coffee on the old formica. GRRRRR!!!! WHY, WHY is it so hard for men to clean up after themselves?

My son said to say that I fart in my sleep. This is not true and he bases it on one night of camping a few years ago. A complete falsehood and NOT a quirk at all.

Someone else said I have a thing for taking pictures of people's butts. Again, not true. It's just that when and if the situation arises and I have a camera nearby...yeah, I'll take a picture. It's usually for alterior motives, though, NOT because I have a need to do it! And that same person who accused me of said "quirk" has a penchant for mooning me..SOOOOooo I think THAT quirkiness falls on her! (Lisa, you may have an idea of who I'm talking about!)

Ok now, go and read about everyone else's strange little habits and compulsions. There has to be someone out there stranger than me and my nail peeling habit!

Have a Fun Monday y'all and an even better week :)

Fun Monday~ Off the Wall

This week's Fun Monday is hosted by Jan and she wants to know about our favorite walls:


We all have walls of some sort. What I want to hear about and see, if you're going to show off your amazing photo skills, is what is on your walls, what color are your walls, what is special about them, what is your favorite or least favorite, is it inside or outside. You get the idea, let's show and tell about walls.




This is the one and only wall that I ever got artsty-fartsy with. My Mom had just returned from a trip to Hawaii and had 100% Hula on the brain. I decided as a surprise for her to fix up her bathroom with prints she brought back from Hawaii and add some tropical looking things. I sponged the wall, and if I do say so myself, it turned out great. I made a custom towel rod out of a piece of bamboo, hung a fishing net over the window, added bamboo trim around the sink, changed the knobs on the cabinets to silver starfish, etc. My Mom loved it (and still does). It's my favorite wall.



This is my dining room, and the wall itself ain't nuttin special, but I've always loved the picture that's hanging there. I bought it in Texas when I was missing the beaches of Florida, and here it is, 20 years later and I still love it.



A long time ago I decided to frame old family pictures and hang them in our hallway, so I did. This side is my Dad and his family...





these are Sam when he was a baby...



and this is my Mom and her side of the family.

The worst part about having all those pictures up is CLEANING them!!!! Please don't tell me you can see the cobwebs and layers of dust on them...please...

So, I suppose those are my favorite walls, if I had to choose favorites. But really, I love all the walls in my house. They have all seen and heard alot of things, good and bad, happy and sad. They have protected my family through quite a few hurricanes and have stood strong. I think now I need to go do some cleaning and let my old house know how much I love and appreciate her.

Y'all have a good week!