What Is Your Extravagance?

Doc is in no way a wastrel when it comes to spending money. His head is not turned by flashy cars or fancy new clothes. He can tell me to the penny what the cost is of every household expense (though I try not to ask). You would think that a man who has never bought a cup of coffee at Starbucks (more in a minute about what he does buy at Starbucks) would want to keep his money in his pocket when it comes to parking a car, but car parking is exactly where he starts flashing the Gold Card. Specifically, airport parking. More specifically, valet parking at the airport. Valet parking, that over the top expensive spot right across from the airport door is the only place he will leave his not so new truck. I'm pretty sure that he has paid more for valet parking at times than for the actual airplane ticket. He says it is worth it not to have to deal with bags, and shuttles and snow when he comes home tired from a trip. It's just his thing.

If I was paying, I would be dragging my bags through the snow onto the shuttle. My thing is a bad Starbucks habit. I'm sure I spend as much, or more, in a year at Starbucks as Doc does on valet parking. I rationalize it by being a Starbucks stockholder and telling myself that since I'm still working I deserve that little extravagance. Not a good excuse, but it is what I tell myself. The good news for me is that any gift giving occasion includes a healthy Starbucks gift card from Doc to me. The bad news is that it is still a pricey addiction. It's just my thing.

I have a friend who buys all her clothes and shoes at discount stores and consignment shops, but all of her purses are very expensive designer bags. It's just her thing.

I know people who will drive far and wide to find the cheapest gas, won't pay for a meal in a nice restaurant, or make sure they have coupons for all their groceries, but wouldn't think of foregoing their weekly massage or pedicure. It's just their thing.

Do you have an extravagance? What is your thing?

There Were No Children Hurt In The Making Of This Video

My 4 year old grandson Wil

As his Dad said, the vault may not be Wil's strongest event. He also said that if he had let the video run a few seconds longer we would have seen Wil jump up with a smile on his face looking oddly proud of himself.

Six Word Saturday

Basketball today-three grandkids have games

To participate in 6WS visit Cate at Show My Face

The Right Supplies, A Great Time, And Back To Reality

Patty and I had a great time on our trip to Puerto Vallarta. The right supplies for the ailments we left with, a positive attitude, some sun, sand, and a couple of margaritas all made for a very positive and healing trip.

Starting with the right supplies,

we were able to enjoy the sun and the beach.

We enjoyed the sculptures done in sand

and the more traditional kinds of sculpture.

We got into the wild life, that is nature's wildlife

by meeting the hotel's resident Iguanas

and sharing our lunch with a visiting friend.

The sunsets were gorgeous.

The people were interesting,

and sweet

and beautiful.

All vacations end with a return to reality. Our reality was snow that started just as we were driving home from the airport.      Sigh!

Hola y Gracias

One of the things I like to do when I travel is visit internet cafes. They are always interesting and fun places to me. I often end up meeting and talking with interesting people, and of course there is always the "cafe" part for a little snack. The keyboards are sometimes a little strange and I'm not skilled enough to upload pictures on a computer that is not my own, but since it is the hot part of the day where I am today (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) spending a little time e-mailing home and reading blogs seems like the perfect thing to do for a while.

Patty and I are having a great time. She is still struggling a bit with her recovery from pneumonia, but we are taking it pretty easy for the most part and a few more margaritas and she should be farther down that recovery road. (I talk big,  don't I, but the reality that is one margarita pretty much puts me away).

I was very pleased when I logged on to see that I was fortunate to receive some very nice blog recognition.


From Linda at Wander To The Wayside, the Happy 101 Sweet Friends Award. This award asks that I tell 10 things that make me happy and that I pass it on to an unspecified number of bloggers.

So, 10 things that make me happy:

1. Being a grandmother ..

2. Having grown children that are my friends .

3. That my grandchildren all have wonderful parents.

4. Spending time at an internet cafe in a foreign country.

5. Waking up to the sound of huge waves outside my window.

6. E-mails from home when I am traveling.

7. A good friend like Patty who I can travel with and know we will both have a good time.

8. Our dog, Dodger, who I know is having fun at home with Doc while I am gone.

9. Listening to the woman at the computer next to me telling someone how beautiful it is here.

10. Blog friends who are such nice people.

I would like to pass this along to Betty at A Glimpse Into Midlife and to Sonia at Gutsy Writer because the are both kind and generous bloggers.

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From Sonia at Gutsy Writer the Kreativ Blogger Award which asks me to list seven things people don't know about me. Thank you, Sonia.  I don't know who knows what about me, so some of this will not be new to everyone.

Seven things people don't know about me.

1. I love Mountain Dew, but don't drink it very often.

2. I don't bake cookies very often because I don't have much self control on how many I eat when they are fresh out of the oven.

3.  I have a degree in journalism and used to write a weekly newspaper column. I've said this before, but blogging is sort of like that, without the circulation and the paycheck.

4. When I am fortunate enough to be able to travel, I have a hard time deciding between going somewhere new or returning to a favorite, comfortable place.

5. I like to say I can speak Spanish, but the truth is, my vocabulary is just okay and my grammar is awful.

6. I drink way to much coffee, but never drank it at all until I was over 40 years old.

7. Blog awards, like compliments, are hard for me to take....I don't feel at all deserving, but I am nevertheless appreciative.

I will pass this on as requested when I return home.

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From Oh My Goddess a Toasting The Posts of The Week recognition. Thank you so much, Goddess. Visit her for fun reading every time.

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This keyboard which has a very fussy space bar and a few other keys that are also a little grumpy is getting the best of me. I'd better go before it completely turns on me and erases everything.  

Vacation/Recuperation

My friend Patty and I have had a beach vacation planned to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a few months now.  We are leaving Friday morning. Patty and I have traveled together numerous times over the last 20 years or so to beaches, foreign cities, Disney, campgrounds, and islands. We've had mishaps, miscalculations and missed planes, but we've always had a good time. A really good time.

This trip is starting with a bit of a twist. In addition to swimsuits, shorts and flip flops, we are both packing brand new antibiotic prescriptions, nasal spray and and some horrible sounding concoction called Mucinex. Patty is recovering from pneumonia and I am recovering from what I am calling the worst and longest lasting cold I have ever had in my life. We both visited a doctor today (by coincidence, same doctor an hour apart) to get the okay to travel and not spread disease far and wide. With the above mentioned supplies we are good to go. The doctor said the tropical environment and a few margaritas offered an excellent healing environment. Well, the margaritas were our idea, but the doctor didn't object so we are going to go with it.

Now don't  get the picture in your mind of two sickly old ladies slogging around at the beach. Patty, who is my age less about a year, is a marathon runner and wilderness trekker. I can't keep up with Patty, but neither am I a slacker. We will keep our nose spray in our room and we will be looking good as we down our pills with an umbrella drink sitting at a palapa bar. Don't doubt it!

Patty and I have made it through a camping trip with a bunch of kids that featured our van stuck in the sand up to it's axles, our cold food left at home in the refrigerator and a thunder and lightning storm that was literally hair raising and tent toppling. This trip will be no problemo.

Give Me That Old Time Religion

Let's all stand and open our song books to number 129. That has always been my favorite part of church, the part when everyone sings together. I especially love the old time hymns. Some of them are foot-stomping, some are comforting, some are powerful and inspiring and some have ingenious harmony. They are all a balm to my spirit.

I didn't grow up in a church going family, except for  when I was 7 or 8 and  my family attended a Unitarian church for a while. When I was around 11 years old I started attending church with a neighbor family....I think I was their "project". If so, I guess I was a successful project. I continued to attend that church three times a week through high school. Though I am not at all musically talented, the songs I heard week after week during that time came to mean a lot to me.

I was a regular church attender through much of my life. I don't attend regularly now and when I go it is with my youngest daughter and her family to a church that features very contemporary Chrisitan music, rock band and all. I like it, but I still love the old church songs best.

Some of my favorites are....

The Old Rugged Cross

When The Roll is Called Up Yonder

Abide With Me

Mansion Over The Hilltop

Beautiful Isle Of Somewhere

Precious Memories

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

Just A Little Talk With Jesus

And of course.....

Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art

I just wish I could carry a tune well enough to sing them the way they deserve to be sung.

Do any of these songs bring back good memories for you?