The Reluctant Vacartion

Ok, so I just got back from Florida.

I was there for 15 days!! And before you bemoan what a complete b*tch I am for complaining about being in Florida during the snowiest spate of weather MA has ever seen, understand that it wasn't the most convenient or comfortable for me. Get this-three canceled flights! Yes, I swear three of my scheduled flights home were cancelled due to snow. I was lucky enough to have a place to stay, and I got a bonus vacation to boot, but I own my own business and I was very anxious to get back.

So here I am and don't you just love the first day back? Not really.

• Piles of mail at home and at work. Nothing is more anxiety inducing that a big, tall pile of unopened mail. It makes me feel like the little girl who slept through the final exam!
• So many invoices for product! And all that accounting?? I need to make lists of priority and take it slow-otherwise I will have a full on anxiety attack.
• Piles of laundry! Not really. I was fortunate enough to take home 100% clean laundry. Thank God for small miracles. Nonetheless I have piles of clothes to put away.
• Ice dams-if you don't like in New England you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Ice dams are when snow fall after snow fall after snow fall collects on the roof of your home. Ice forms on the roof which when you mix that with the heat from the inside of your home, it causes the most incredible water damage that is sneaky and crazy. 

But rest assured, there is some comfort in the fact that I am back.
On the contrary, there's the satisfaction of crossing all those crazy things off the list and feeling like you are accomplishing something. Seeing my dog's face after 15 days made my heart sing! There is the warmth of the fire and relaxing under my favorite blanket with my dog at my feet and of course, my own bed! I missed my own bed.

Going away for a "surprise" vacation was great, but if you had told me before I left that I would be gone for two weeks I would have said your were outta your FREAKIN mind! I would have said no way-nada-not happening. Yet it did happen, and if I tried to duplicate it again next year it would never be as spontaneous. So this one will go down in the history books as reluctant, yet special nonetheless.

Marketing Strategies

Mike walked into a post office just before Valentine's day, he couldn't help noticing a middle-aged, balding man standing in a corner sticking "Love" stamps on bright pink envelopes with hearts all over them.  Then the man got out a bottle of Channel perfume from his pocket and started spraying scent over the envelopes.

By now Mike's curiosity had got the better of him, and so I asked the man why he was sending all those cards.  The man replied, "I'm sending out 500 Valentine cards signed, 'Guess who?'" 

"But why?" asked Mike.

"I'm a divorce lawyer," the man replied.

http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/valentine/valentine_jokes.htm

Different Strokes For Different Folks

It's a simple fact of life; we are all unique. 

We, as people, like different things and we have different tastes. It's when those differences go outside the realm of what is socially acceptable, that certain problems begin. And when those differences happen to someone with celebrity the problems become headline news. Bruce Jenner is headline news. It is now confirmed that since Jenner and his wife Kris separated last year, Jenner has been slowly transitioning into a woman. Jenner, the patriarch of the all-reality, all-the-time, "branded" family, The Kardashians, has been in the public spotlight for years. He has long been the butt of their jokes, ridicule and total disrespect on camera, so it was no surprise when Jenner and his wife divorced recently. 

What was surprising was Jenner's changing appearance. Despite the divorce, Jenner continued his supporting role on the family's reality show and during that time his hair grew longer and longer. Then he was photographed wearing nail polish and sporting lip gloss. Then a few months ago, Jenner had a laryngeal shave to minimize the appearance of his Adam's apple and the cat was out of the bag..

Bruce Jenner, a gold medal winning Olympic decathlete, buff and masculine father to 10 kids and 3 times married man suddenly reveals he wants to be a woman. It's a stunning admission for a guy whose life is so very public. The transgendered community today are enjoying a much bigger and brighter presence in the public, due to shows like "Orange is the New Black" and "Transparent", and now Bruce Jenner will reportedly get his own TV reality show to document his transition. If Jenner has been unhappy for all these years as reported, at 65 he no longer has to live a closeted life. 

It's not going to be easy, but whoose to say living all those years uncomfortable in your own skin was any easier? I know society will have issues with his transformation. Bruce was America's hero in the 70's. Our gold medal winning athlete that stood for everything sport and now we need to see him as a woman? But it's not up to society. It's up to Bruce Jenner and his family. 

What ever he decides to show the rest of the world is up to him too. And whomever decides to watch his journey. 

Weighing My Options

So get this...

I'm on vacation in Florida with My Guy and my famliy when the winter that wouldn't quit just wouldn't quit. I was supposed to leave last Monday, but the last snow storm (just about 14") squashed my plans. Because we changed the flights the Saturday before, we were able to get out on Tuesday. Great, ok we planed to stay here in Florida for a week.

So here I am enjoying the nice weather when we hear about the next storm, Snow Storm Marcus- which is now hitting my region with a vengance. Now my flight home for Tuesday has been cancelled, and I'm not able to see any way out until Friday at the earliest. Hmmm, I find myself in a unique position that leaves me with a few options: 

PROS:

-No children at home to worry about. No one to get back for besides our dog-who is in GREAT hands and our perspective businesses-which are in GREAT hands. 

-The weather here. I have been in flip flops all week and yesterday we enjoyed a beach day with gorgeous high temps. 

-Golf, fun, shopping and sun. Did I mention that flip flops are better than snow boots? 

-Family time. This extended stay gives me plenty of quality family time- the only ones missing are my kids and heck, they wouldn't have been here or at home anyway. This empty nest thing is turning out not too bad at all.

-With all this quality vacation time, I've decided to start watching "Breaking Bad". So glad I did.

CONS:

-

-

I can't come up with any..

Both mine and My Guy's businesses are closed today due to snow and mine most likely will be closed tomorrow. Aside from a few commitments that I can reschedule, I think staying here is definitely in my best interest. This is certainly a unique position to be in indeed! 

It's kind of a no brainier don't you agree?

Wikid PISSAH!!!

I'm beside myself...What. A. Game! 

Probably the most exciting thing I have ever seen...and I'm still not over it. 

This win was especially exciting and sweet! So while I let this marinate for a while, I invite you to watch this hilarious Jimmy Kimmel beauty by a couple of characters from my home town!

SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!!!!!

GO PATS!

It's GO TIME!

I'm all business. It's time to squash all those naysayers, haters and trash talkers and go out there and play the game. Win or loose-we have waited 7 years for this and our time has come. I stand behind My Team. No matter what the NFL finds-and I believe they won't find anything because there is nothing to find-I stand behind this team. My team and My Tommy. We are ready! We are New England. Win or loose, I still wear the flying Elvis proudly.

In honor of my hometown team I re-post this-because no matter where I am, I will always be a Boston girl:

GO PATS!!!!

Notes From The Bunker

Hunkered down inside my house with the wind blowing and the snow still falling, I have become a news junkie. When I am home, the TV is a constant companion, but usually Bravo is streaming live on my TV. Due to today's "historic storm" the TV has been left on the local news channels that have been bellowing emergency information and snow fall totals all morning long. As of now,12 noon EST, in my part of the state we have recieved over 20" of snow with no indication that it's stopping. 

I say bring it! I just made a beef stew in the crock pot and I'm about to make some spiked hot chocolate! We are lucky because we still have power so the play list is qued up and the backgammon board is at the ready. Even Buddy has his storm provisions. He's got a gorgeous bone that he's been happily devouring at my feet for the past hour. 

The govenor has issued a state of emergency warning as well as a driving ban. It's a winter wonderland and I'm curious, so maybe later this afternoon I will venture out into the majestic surroundings. It's not so bad here. In fact, it's a quite cozy sense of community with all the neighbors checking in on each other. With the entire state is virtually shut down, it puts us all in the same boat if just for a day. It is a uniquely New England experience, and one that brings us together. A safe, warm feeling, so I can't resist but state the obvious:

While the weather outside is certainly frightful, my fire is definitely delightful! And yes, we've no place to go, so why not let it snow?