Destination Vacation

Destination on the Magical Mystery Tour Part 3???

Key West, Florida!! It was an amazing weekend with lots and lots of sun, fun and the usual debauchery that comes along with being part of the Toxic Trio. A quick recap?
Thursday night, we arrived around 7PM after a day of flying and immediately had dinner in the hotel restaurant which is situated on the beach at the southernmost point of the state! Key West just happens to be 90 miles from Cuba, and is indeed the farthest south you can get in the USA. The Southernmost is also the name of our hotel! The thing about Key West is that even though you are in Florida, you really don't feel like you are in Florida. Key West has this awesome island feel that makes you believe that you are somewhere in the Caribbean.

The pool bar just to the left in that photo was our next destination on Thursday night, and we closed out the evening in perfect Trio fashion: cocktails, friends, photos and fun! Friday was a spectacular day, weather wise, it was in the high 80's and we spent the day at the pool relaxing and making merry. The sun was strong and hot and we got plenty of sun kissed color on our bodies. We had arranged a sunset booze cruise, so we told the Trio to be ready by 5:45.

After some Pirate photo ops-complete with earrings and eye patches, we boarded the boat. The band on board was the first indication of the next two hours of fun and safe to say that the Trio ladies hijacked the boat and held court on the dance floor! We held a limbo contest and even dressed other people up as pirates with our props. Some people even thought that we worked for the cruise company! The scenery was perfection and the sunset didn't disappoint! We left the boat and retired to dinner on world famous Duvall Street. (remember the clue:Robert Duvall?) So many bars, restaurants to choose from, we chose outdoor dining and engaged in people watching for the rest of the evening.

Saturday was another gorgeous beach day and the guys managed to find a new obsession: Wallhooky!
Who would have thought the men could find so much fun with a hook, a brass ring and a piece of string? We then rented an electric car that seated six, perfect for the Trio and we were off to explore the island.

First stop was lunch at El Siboney Cuban restaurant for the locals favorite and then off to the Hemingway House. Earnest Hemingway was a very famous Key West resident whose home has been turned into a museum of sorts, and we toured the old home complete with the many cats that reside there. FUN FACT: the many cats that roam the property freely are direct descendants of Earnest Hemingway's first cat, Snowball, that was given to him by a Massachusetts fisherman decades ago. Hemingway was a complete dog-we found out-as he was married 4 time in his life, seemingly to women his wives had introduced him to. We had a wonderful dinner at Louie's Backyard, which is smack dab on the beach. The fine dining was some of the best food we experienced on the island and the atmosphere was incredible!

Sunday funday was another great beach day! The Trio spent the day playing Wallhooky with the world famous champion, Barcode-who was touring the coast trying to promote the sport. It was Sunday Funday for sure because the Trio got very tipsy spending quality time at the pool bar with Barcode and the boys and almost missed our dinner. We made it of course, and because it was our last night we just HAD to experience some Duvall Street night life and we chose, of course, Sloppy Joes, as our final destination for Key West night life.

Sloppy Joe's is a historic bar in Key West and its most famous patron was Earnest Hemingway himself!
The drinks and the music were flowing freely by the time we got there and I'm not quite sure we ever left the dance floor! The band was awesome, the patrons were just as crazy as one would have thought they would be in Key West and we danced until the wee hours in the morning.

Monday reluctantly came and the Trio boarded the plane to head back home, but not without heavy hearts.
We were just grateful that no one came home from vacation on probation..

The Magical Mystery Tour:Part 3

Hey bloggers! It's that time of year again..
Time to embark on our storied tradition of mystery travel with the Toxic Trio. This is our third year of the mystery trips and it is our turn to plan the events of the long weekend. In case you aren't familiar with what I am talking about I'll give you a quick bit of background:

• The Toxic Trio are a group of 3 couples that we are a part of and spend lots of quality time together making merry and crazy wherever we go. Believe me when I tell you we have been kicked out of only the finest establishments.
• This tradition started back in April 2013 and you can read about our first trip HERE and HERE.
• The next trip which was last April 2013 and was a great success! You can read about that trip HERE and HERE.
• The idea of the "mystery" is to provide the other couple with clues, so as to try to understand where we are going without really knowing where we are going.

This year it is up to us! My Guy and I have planned a fab vacation destination for the Toxic Trio to converge on and enjoy some quality drinking/fun time together. Last night we had our kickoff dinner, to get our Trio Trip vibe on, and as always it was a wonderful evening for all of us! We are definitely getting pumped for the weekends events!

Before I try to tempt you to solve our Mystery Tour riddle, I need to let you know that I will be leaving on our Mystery Trip tomorrow, April 9th, 2015. I will not be returning to the bloggersphere till Tuesday, April 14th, 2015. On Tuesday you can all find out if you guessed the right destination.

These are the clues we provided:

• We will be traveling in the United States-no passports are required.
• The destination will be warm, so beach attire and light clothing are a good bet. 
• We will be taking 2 planes to reach our destination. (remember-I live in Boston)
• And the last clue was this:
  

Good luck guessing bloggers! I'll see you on the flip side!! That is if I survive...

A Gem Of A Tool

After the longest/ snowiest winter on record, I can report that everyone is feeling dry all over. The most obvious place would be our skin. Yes, the skin is tapped out from the climate conditions but our hair has also take quite the beating with all the cold. Dry, brittle hair that lacks any moisture from the atmosphere has left my clients complaining about the look and condition of even the glossiest and most supple hair. Conditioning treatments are great and can nip your hair dryness right in the "split end" bud, but the best way to combat the brittle fly away's is to incorporate a tool into your daily routine that actually uses patented technology from a gem stone to make hair it's healthiest.

The T3 Line of hair care tools are the most technologically advanced that money can buy and they use one ingredient to actually produce healthy hair. Tourmaline.

Tourmaline, a semi-precious stone is also known as the "electric stone". When heated, it produces negative ions that translate into healthy heat. T3 Hair tools use crushed tourmaline which they infuse into the internal tool components, resulting in the healthiest way to style your hair. It actually cuts your drying time in half! Along with a patented technology called  SoftAire™, T3 Hairdryers use negative ions in the air flow to cancel static and quickly seal the cuticle. The results are amazing! You will see a reduction in frizz, and increase in body and shine, and hair that is easier to comb through and manage.

And who doesn't want greater, more manageable hair? Shed the winter dull and dry hair and try something that can actually produce a shinier, healthier looking hair. This one is a true gem!  It's a bit more than you may expect to pay for a hair tool, but the life expectancy of the T3 product will guarantee your money's worth.  I highly recommend it.

It's A Really Good Friday

Three blondes died in a car crash trying to jump the Grand Canyon and are at the pearly gates of heaven. St Peter tells them that they can enter the gates only if they can answer one simple religious question. The question posed by St. Peter is "What is Easter"? 

The first blonde replies, "Oh, that's easy! It's the holiday in November when everyone gets together, eats turkey and are thankful..." "Wrong!, you are not welcome here, I'm afraid. You must go to the other place!" replies St. Peter. 

He turns to the second blonde, and asks her the same question: "What is Easter?" The second blonde replies, "Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus." 

St Peter looks at the second blonde, bangs his head on the on the pearly gates in disgust and tells her she's wrong and will have to join her friend in the other place. She is not welcome in Heaven. 

He then peers over his glasses at the third blonde and asks, "Do YOU know what Easter is"? The third blonde smiles confidently and looks St Peter in the eyes, "I know what Easter is." "Oh?" says St Peter, incredulously. "Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the last supper and Jesus was later deceived and turned over to the Romans by one of his disciples. The Romans took him to be crucified and he was stabbed in the side, made to wear a crown of thorns, and was hung on a cross with nails through his hands and feet. He was buried in a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder." St Peter smiled broadly with delight. The third blonde continued... "Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out and, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter." 

source: http://www.jokes4us.com/holidayjokes/easterjokes/threeblondesjoke.html

Happy Easter Bloggers! Here's to spring!

American Movie Idol

Scott Eastwood

So I'm watching TV the other day and a trailer comes on for the new movie, "The Longest Ride". And I stop dead in my tracks for a second. All of a sudden I'm mesmerized by the male lead in this movie. Like I really had to stop and look at this guy. I thought, 'who is THAT?' because I couldn't believe how handsome this kid was. The movie, aimed at the younger than I generation, looks to be another hopeful contender to be the modern day "The Notebook", but my curiosity got the best of me. I Googled the movie and quickly found out that this handsome kid, whom I have never seen before in any tabloid or on TMZ.com, is none other than Scott Eastwood. Yes, that same Eastwood of the Clint Eastwood fame because he is his son.

I then text the authority on the subject, Frick, my daughter.

MOM: OK so Scott Eastwood "the longest ride"? Seriously? The dude is like Tom Brady handsome and I never thought anyone could ever come close

FRICK: HES SOOOOO HANDOME

FRICK: LIKE WOW

FRICK: LIKE HES SO BEAUTIFUL

MOM: Umm yaaa

MOM: WOW

MOM: It was a Zac Effron moment.

FRICK: I feel YA

FRICK: I feel the same way. Three of the most handsome men ever.

The Zac Effron thing is a reference to a time not so very long ago when Frick was a little girl watching "High School Musical" in her bedroom. I came in to her room to discuss something important with her and while I was speaking I glanced over at the TV and completely lost my train of thought. I went silent and I said, "Who is that? He's so handsome."

Silly me-I get distracted by beauty.

And a beauty he is. Just like his father, Clint Eastwood, who was at one time an American movie idol and  not just a two time Oscar winning director. In fact, back in the day Dirty Harry was positively swoon worthy and a major Hollywood sex symbol.

The legendary Clint Eastwood

Yes, good genes run in the family because it would seem that this kid has what it takes to take it to super movie idol status....and I'm an old lady and he stopped me mid blink.

Jive Turkey

Just quietly sitting here going crazy. 

But one can literally drive themselves crazy, can't they? I mean focusing only on what's wrong is easy, and detrimental to any chance of positivity. I swear, this dark and dreary winter has done just about all it can to depress even the happiest of people. But I'm done with it. I'm done complaining about it and I'm done feeling helpless. There's power in change! Turning over a new leaf means accepting whatever life hands you and that despite it all you know that you will be ok. I will be ok. The snow will melt-the dirt and salt will get cleaned up, the sun will come out and the world will look new again. Renewal is inspiring. I will look for action in that inspiration. 

Elanor Roosevelt once said that "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I say, "Can't let the turkeys keep you down!" Down is not where I belong. 

I found my funk and funny, it is precisely that same funk that pulled me out of one. 

When Did The Flip Phones Flip Flop?

So lately I've been binge watching "Breaking Bad" on Netflix. It's quite possibly my favorite TV series of all time, but I've noticed a curious fact while watching.

Everyone on the show has a flip phone...

So I thought about this for a second and I realized that not only do they have flip phones on this show but NO ONE texts each other. In fact, I am currently on the very last season of the 5 season blockbuster and so far there has been only one text message read in context to the plot and it was on Season 5 circa 2013. I then looked back at the air dates of each of the seasons and I started to understand the flip phone thing a bit better. The Pilot episode first aired in January 2008 and the series then progresses over the next 5 years to it's final episode that aired on Sept 29th 2013. The iPhone didn't launch till 2007 and it revolutionized the mobile device industry over the next few years.                    

So then I got to thinking...where are the "smart phones"on the show? Where are the iPhones and why aren't the cast constantly checking their emails and Facebook updates on their phones during the episodes? Why are they not texting each other incessantly like we all do now? I had to think about it. Not even in the later episodes dating 2011 and later, does the phone become a central part of the plot?

When did the "smart phone" revolution start? There's no question that we are now a mobile device driven society. Do you check your email on you cell phone? Do you use a social media site on your cell phone? If you answered yes to both of those questions then you are a living, breathing adult that functions in the world today. Even my dad, just this morning, texted me something important. So much a part of our everyday society today that 48% of all online sales come from a mobile device.

So I gotta ask again? When exactly did the smart phone revolution take over?