Cheap Trick, Poison, Def Leppard Concert

A week ago, my lil sis, Kim, & I joined forces with Kyna & Ryan (& another couple friend of theirs) to go see Cheap Trick, Poison, & Def Leppard in concert. It's awesome that my lil sis, who is only 24, knows songs from when she was in elementary school. She had to share a room with me growing up, & I did love listening to my hair bands, so she knows all the bands & songs from back in the day, when "music was good!" (That totally made me sound old, saying that!) :)

I had a huge stressful week, due to Pepa being sick & in the hospital & not getting to go to school to work as I had planned....& then starting work (on those first 'staff development' days that we can NOT miss), with only 1 day to work in my classroom to plan for the first day. After work, I had to meet my sis at my house, get ready, & then drive to Dallas to meet everyone at Chili's. Too bad there's 2 separate streets w/ this name (like I really remember the name of the street now!) & somehow Kim & I are in the hood, with no Chili's to be found. We followed the directions that I printed from Google Maps. Then I used my GPS on my cell phone & basically they both told us we had arrived at our destination. Too bad we were at that address on that street, but no Chili's! So - Kim & I get back on the main highway & finally find our way. At Chili's, we had the WORST service! I think it took 2 hours for us to eat, & that was just 1 course! The drink order got messed up...Kim & I ordered the special they had - 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, & 1 dessert...we waited & waited on the dessert...all for him to FINALLY come out to say they are out of that one. (He could have told us that 1 hour earlier when we ordered it!). Then we tell him to just credit us for the dessert. He can't do that, blah blah...so we ask for a manager. She credits the tab. On the way out of the restaurant, Kyna & Ryan's friend text's them from the concert, & Cheap Trick just went onstage. None of us were too worried, that's the one band we didn't care too much to see.



Pulling into the parking lot - it's packed! I was really excited to see a bunch of guys with mullets or long hair or feathered hair, along with crazy 80's chicks. I was going to secretly take pictures of them. Too bad everyone looked normal! Oh well. We girls in the car needed to pee - & BAD! From basically when we pulled out of Chili's parking lot. So-we get into the venue & there's the bathroom, by the entrance/exit. YES! Too bad there's a l-o-n-g line! Even guys walking by are giving us all sympathetic looks & saying to go to their bathroom. At least the line went very quickly! At this point Cheap Trick just finished singing their last song. We totally missed them. Anyway, after relieving ourselves we go a few steps over to get in line to get some alcohol! Can you believe they stop serving at 10? & they limit 2 drinks per person? Kyna & I each got 2 glasses (ok, they were small!) of wine. Lucky for me, that's all I needed to get me loosey-goosey! o:) Then off to the lawn area with the other peasants to enjoy the show! We were all the way at the BACK of the lawn - basically up next to the wall that is opposite the stage!

As we were walking to find a spot, Poison came on!! Oh how I had a crush on all those guys & had their posters all over my room back in the day. Yes, I was in 5th & 6th grade (ok & even after that). I sure did love that "Look What the Cat Dragged In" tape (yes, tape!). Poison sang all those songs. I was just so giddy & having so much fun! Kyna & I were singing (yelling) to every song & then screaming at the end of the song...it was just good times. I was glad to see my lil sis joined in as well. There were very few songs she did not know.

There was a group of girls in front of us that we made friends with for awhile. We first started talking when they wanted Kyna, Kim, & me to stand around one of them so she could squat & pee. We did. It seemed like a good idea. If you've watched Brett Michael's on TV I'm sure you'd agree with me & know he'd think that is an ok thing to do. Too bad for the people in front of us on the lawn where the pee flowed down the hill to! (Did that sentence make sense?). So all the girls kept singing (yelling), etc. Then a fight broke out between 2 guys sort of close to us. One of the girls we just met said "I don't want to get involved....." (long pause, like she's thinking)... "but I will!" LOL-the first part of her statement I sort of laughed thinking she's being a funny girl or a tough girl, like I like to think I am. But the 2nd part of her statement makes me think she IS a tough girl!! The fight got taken over by bouncers. Back to the show. Can I even tell you how MAD I got when my throat started tickling & I'd have to cough & rest my voice for a few minutes? I did NOT want to take a break from singing (yelling)!


our friends - what's up with the girl hugging up on me??? :)

Then there was another girl from the group who had to pee again, so we all made a circle around her. The second time of doing this it definitely seemed an ok thing to do. (No, I didn't pee on the grass!)

I was sad when Poison sang their last song. I wanted them to go on forever, singing the same songs over & over, I didn't care!! But alas, all good things must come to an end. Kyna, Kim, & I wanted to buy a t-shirt. We also had to pee (in a bathroom). So we quickly left...I ended up buying 2 shirts. Seriously I had to make it even between the 2 bands. $75 later, I'm on my way to the bathroom. Another long line, but moved quickly. While in line I ran into the orchestra teacher from my school. That's kinda funny. He sits around all day playing..."orchestra" music yet we are there listening to hair bands. :)

We make it back to Ryan & our spot on the lawn before Def Leppard came on. YES! I have never seen Def in concert before & was soooooo excited about it!! Do you even know my favorite song of all time?????

So again we are singing (yelling) every word to every song. It was so awesome. I seriously wish I could go to that same concert again next week! Anyway-when they started the song "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - WOW I got my camera on video. I was so giddy with excitement, I think I was bouncing up & down & the camera was shaky. I didn't get the whole song on video b/c I wanted to be able to enjoy the song as well (sing/yell/dance/white move of throwing arm(s) into the air, etc). :)



I was a little concerned, since PSSOM is my favorite song of all time, plus my favorite Def song, wouldn't that be their last song to sing? Nope! "Do You Wanna Get Rocked?" was their last song, FYI. Oh how I'll never forget Joe Elliott's last words: "Don't forget about us, & we won't forget about you!" I'm pretty sure he said that to ME ME ME!

I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Before the show was over, we went down the lawn 1/2 way through the crowd to get to a coworker of Ryan's. We were all introduced but I quickly got back to the show. There was no time for small talk! I had some singing (yelling) to do! :) Later the next day, my sis said that at one point I started bouncing/jumping up & down & one of the guys said "whoa-this isn't a Britney Spears show!" lol. I remember one of them wanting to take my picture & I did my best Paris Hilton pose.

After the show, of promising to NOT forget about Joe Elliott or Def, we go to the parking lot. CRAP Ryan - how can you lose the car?! You are a COP & should always know everything!! Anyway we finally got to the car. We stand around & hang out, waiting for the parking lot to calm down. It was funny to look over & see another group standing around their car, doing the same thing we were - & they had Warrant blaring from their speakers. Yep - more great music for me!

I can't remember the guy's name that went with us - part of the other couple that went - but he went up to a group of girls & asked if they would hook up with him or something & they said yes, for a beer. Something like that. Anyway he was joking (I assume) - & his wife was right there. She didn't care. Oh well, it was good entertainment for me! Wait, maybe the girls in the car gave him a beer? I can't remember.

Then we get in the car, go back to Chili's to get in all our separate cars, & part ways. What a great night.

It was one of the best concerts ever!!!! :)

New Post

I finally finished my Vegas blog post - but it's underneath the Nanny post...I guess b/c I started it so long ago. Does anyone know how to change the date I started it, so it will be on top? Oh well...
:(

Update to Summer of Nannyhood Post

DUH-I knew there was something else I meant to put in my last post! I was busy uploading pics I had taken of the kids & heard a sound...thought it was just the kids playing...then thought "I haven't heard that sound before..." so I look behind me & dang it!!! Matias has a PURPLE Crayon & is making lines on the WALL! Crap! I felt so badly about it. At least it was a washable Crayon. Meliss got it off with some water & paper towels. You can still see a shadow of the lines, though. :( Another good thing is that they were planning to paint that room anyway. Whew!

Vegas Vacation #5

My brother & me excited about Nick & Kevin Jonas' handprints at Planet Hollywood.

Who doesn't like Vegas? I mean, who wouldn't want to keep going back, every single summer? Well, apparently only the Wilson siblings wish to return, year after year, to the same city. Some people don't get it & think we should try new places. Hmm.. Maybe. But why not do what you like? When I get tired of Vegas, then I'll try a new place, right? The plane ride is just long enough (although it could always be shorter, but at 2 hours to get there & 2.5 or whatever to get back...it's what I call 'decent' & "long enough", lol).

The beginning of our trip started out a little shaky for me. Before everyone came over the night before, only my sis & I were here. We ordered a pizza & Mountain Dew. Apparently my wittle body is so sensitive to caffeine if consumed at 7 p.m. I was up ALL NIGHT! I think I slept 2 hours. I had my brother Justin here, his friend Dustin, my sis Kimmie, & Mr. L all staying here the night before. (A big shout out to Mr. L for taking & picking us up from the airport!!).

The morning we are to leave, we have to wake up at 4:40 to get ready to go to the airport. Yuck! We needed to leave a little before 6. Too bad at 5:20 my sis had a seizure in my bathroom! It was only about a minute, but it's so scary to sit & watch it & not be able to do anything to help! (Besides keep her from hurting herself). Then comes the questions of...should we go? should we try to get a later flight? what caused it? will she have another? what if she has one on the plane? Anyway, we did call the airline & there were no seats available for a later flight. After awhile my sis came out of the groggy phase, & we headed to the airport. After checking in & being seated in the waiting area, I was able to put on my make up. I didn't have time because of all the madness of the morning! No big deal. I did that while Justin, Dustin, & Kim went to the McD's in the airport for breakfast. Too bad when they got back & Kim unwrapped her sausage McMuffin, it had a hair stuck on it! Yuck! So she didn't eat that, obviously. Then they start calling for people to board the plane. Wouldn't you know it...my brother lost his boarding pass! He looked everywhere & he & Dustin went to ask a lady at the counter. Kim had the bright idea of search his carry-on bag again (even though he just did that). Yep-she found it, in an outside pocket. So I chased him down to tell him that. We get on the plane & take off. I must say...on a scale of 1-10, my nervous factor was maybe a 4. I think I was just running on adrenaline & hadn't stopped since really, the night before I started drinking Mountain Dew! Once we started descending/landing, I did get more nervous. But it was one of my best flights yet! At baggage claim, we found Aunt Lisa who was rooming with us. We all go to our hotel/casino: Planet Hollywood. We were all so impressed with how cool it was! It's more modern & updated, obviously, since it's a new place. Kim & I ended up taking a nap that afternoon. After that I was as good as new! Then I met up with my parents, who got there that day as well, & Aunt Lisa at the Bellagio. It was truly a Wilson Family Vegas Vacation. So silly was my mom when we were walking through the flower/garden area in Bellagio. They had these streams of water going over a sidewalk thing. You are to walk under the arches of water. Mom just HAD to put her finger through the water to see what would happen, I guess! Of course water splashed everywhere, & when she did it a 2nd time, later on, she got my dad's shirt so wet in the back! lol (look below)



Later that night my sis & I went to the Extra bar in our hotel. We were taking it easy, just hanging out, watching people walk by. Justin & Dustin joined us. After that, I went up to the room & they went out for more gambling, drinking, etc. Yes, I'm old. ;)

Friday afternoon was being a tourist...getting our usual matching "Vegas" picture frames, etc. Aunt Lisa, Kim, & I went to the pool. I told them I wanted to go 2 of the days there to hang out in the Vegas sun while listening to the DJ at the pool. Too bad I put sunscreen on my face & shoulders & back. My legs & stomach got SOOOO burned! So-we never went back for a 2nd day. Oh & by the way-interesting that the pool of Plnt Hllywd is on the 6th floor. Of course the grass area was fake. & there was no shade (maybe the problem for my sunburn??) anywhere.

That night we had tickets for the show Le Reve. It's in the Wynn. It's not an official Cirque show, but is the same thing, with the acrobatics, etc. it was really good! I really liked it a lot, & I think everyone else in the Wilson family did as well. It was all done in the water & the stage would come up out of the water, disappear down in the water so it looked like they were walking on water...they had synchronized swimmers, buff guys throwing the ladies around, etc. I highly recommend it! :)

Then Aunt Lisa, Kim, & I went to the club inside the Wynn: Tryst. It had a really big waterfall off the patio. I finally got the Wilson family to understand that in Vegas you can't just get to the club at the time you want to go in. We got in line 10 mins before they were to open, & there were about 100 people in line ahead of us. After about 50 minutes, we got pulled out of line to go in, because we were girls, not because we had made it to the front of the line. It was a fun, cool club to go to, but of course you know me & being snobby about music...it didn't play what I like to hear, but it was still cool, nonetheless. :)

Planet Hollywood's show they feature is "Peep Show" starring Holly Madison. (She's one of the "Girls Next Door"). Because of this, posters of her are everywhere. We all found out my Dad is quite a fan of Holly! Kim & I figured the only reason he & my mom kept coming to our room was so he could keep looking at the posters of her everywhere, lol! ;) Of course he did mention he wouldn't mind going to that show, haha!!

Saturday while walking down the strip, going towards the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, a girl accosted me on the street. She wanted my name & cell so she could send me information on getting 'front of the line' passes to the clubs in the Palms. I give her the information. I knew Justin & Dustin would go out with me that night. Sure enough, my "Vegas contact" came through! I didn't make her job easy, either! I text'd her all through the evening - which line to get in, what time should we get there, now I have an extra person going along, etc. She was very nice the whole time & we got there...saw 150 people in line (I did get a bit nervous)...but once it opened, we got right in! We went to the Playboy Club & stayed there awhile. I saw a girl carrying her high heels & wearing flip flops - YES I swear I invented that. When I told her "oh - I do that too!" she gave me a snobby look. WHATEVER JERK I invented that, not you!! :) After awhile at the Playboy Club, we went to Moon (they are connected). We only stayed there awhile b/c I really wanted to go to Rain. DJ AM is there every Sat. night & he plays real "club" music! Too bad when we left Moon to go there, there were TONS of people in line...actually not even a line, just a mob. There was no way we were getting in at that point. CRAP! My feet were killing me (I didn't take my flip flops) so we decided to leave. Aww well, we had fun at the other 2 places, at least!

Sunday my brother decides we need to all go to the famous Las Vegas sign, & we will WALK! So, we take off from Planet Hollywood. We stop for 20 mins at the M&M Store. Then we stop to use the RR at NYNY. Then we keep on walking...& walking...& walking...& make it to Mandalay Bay. Then we walk 20 more mins & the sign is so close. We are walking on the side of the highway, on a dirt path. In 100+ heat. (I'm not complaining..what else would I be doing...but I'm setting the scene for you). As Yong would say "Lord & behold"...I didn't see that a sawed off pipe was sticking out of the ground about 2" & I tripped over it & it knocked my flip flop off. Then my bare foot came straight down on the pipe! I saw I had blood running down my foot & immediately thought "I'm SO GLAD I got that tetanus shot last month!" I dug a tiny Dora the Explorer Band Aid out of my purse & Aunt Lisa put it on the wound. We walked (limped) a little more & decided to stop at a bench for a bus stop to take a better look. My cutie pie lil bro took over, using water from my water bottle to rinse & then put a new Band Aid on (I always carry tons of those in my purse while in Vegas due to walking everywhere in sometimes uncomfy shoes). There were no casinos/buildings around to get any First Aid..at least we thought so at first until reading the writing on the plain brown building DIRECTLY across from where it happened - & it was a fire station! First we went to the LV sign & got our pic made in front of it. Then we walked (hobbled/limped) back to the Fire Station & rang the bell & informed Alex I needed 1st Aid. How exciting - getting rescued by a fireman! Then sadly being the center of attention had to end, & we left. Limping, limping, limping (I could only walk on the side of my foot - this lasted 5 wks, by the way!) back to Mandalay Bay for a drink. My bro said my face was bright red & looked like I was going to pass out from the heat. Probably. I'm kinda wimpy like that, although I WAS a trooper! So we go in MB for water & guacamole for me, drinks for others. We took a cab back to Planet Hollywood thank goodness!



Look how close we were to the sign:


The pic we went to all this trouble for:


& my lovely rescuer:


That night the whole Wilson clan met at Planet Hollywood for dinner at PF Changs & then we split up. My sis & I went to the Heart Bar in Plnt Hlywd for a couple drinks & then back to the room to pack & get ready to leave the next day. I had to buy an Ace Bandage b/c at that point I was still wearing the crazy get-up Alex fixed for me. :) Good thing my sis was a trainer in high school for the football team, she was able to wrap my foot for me! lol

Everyone:


Monday is the sad day - time to go back home (although I did miss my Chloe & Salinas family!). Even flying back was a great experience! My bro & Dustin were hung over & I made those 2 boys sit w/ Kim on one side, then I sat across the aisle from them. I even told Mr. L later that I needed to get on a plane & go somewhere else, & quick, b/c I had 2 great experiences.

So-I'm not even sure how many people read this blog & I went to Vegas almost 2 months ago, but I'm finally finishing this! I'm sure I left out some stuff, but...who cares it should all STAY IN VEGAS ANYWAY! ;)

Summer of Nannyhood

I've been blessed to have a summer job for the past two summers. It involves babysitting my adopted niece & nephew, hanging out with one of my best friends, & making some good extra money!! I think it was when I was a Nanny over spring break a few months ago, within the first 30 minutes Matias had fallen & busted his lip on the windowsill, then Alex had tripped over something & fell on her hand & started crying a bit. I was thinking 'what did I get myself in to & can things just calm down?!' Let me think of what has happened so far this summer....let me start with today since it is most recent. I fed the kids yogurt for their afternoon snack that had expired a week ago. How was I to know I should read the date on the package since it hadn't even been opened yet??? By the time dinner rolled around, the kids didn't have diarrhea & weren't throwing up, so I think I'm safe on that one. Too bad today was a day that Alex had only a few bites of lunch so she was STARVING for a snack & then she & Matias both ate 3 bowls of yogurt! lol

On one of my first days there, or maybe it was my first day, I broke "Sissy". Sissy is a blow up inner-tube thing you put in the water. It had a monster head on it or something..was it a swan? But it was green...anyway the kids always got inside it & I guess chillaxed. Well they were both in it & I used my freakishly strong muscles to drag them across the floor & I heard the thing rip on one of the seams. I'm lol now, just watching it happen again in my mind as the kids slowly dropped a few inches to the floor as the air went out. Lol!! Too bad Alex is old enough (3) to know something wasn't right. At least with Matias I could change the subject or something!!

I was happy to see today that Alvaro broke one of their toys by trying to put it on his head, as if it were a hat. I noticed he quickly avoided my eye contact, put the toy on the ground, & "went back to work" downstairs (it was a 'work from home day' for him). I guess we grownups all have to have a little fun with the kiddie toys, eh? :)

I was thinking I would have more to write about, but I can't think of anything else. Alex & Matias both are so much easier to watch this summer, as opposed to last. Alex is potty-trained. Matias is ALWAYS calm & still for me when I change a diaper (he NEVER was still last summer-he tried wriggling around as much as possible! Not fun when you have turds in the diaper!!). Meliss & Alvaro may be able to remind us all of a few funny Nanny moments of this year...

A Sad Day...

Last summer while Nanny-ing for Meliss, she broke the news to me that Estelle Getty had died - I think indirectly from dementia (?). Anyway she was the first of the four girls to go & Meliss & I were shocked & really sad about it.

Saturday night, while in Graham, I heard the sad news about one of the Golden Girls passing away. Bea Arthur, AKA Dorothy Zbornack. What a sad, sad, piece of information to learn. She died from cancer. I had no clue she even had cancer! :(



You all know how much I love the Golden Girls. I can say I have seen every episode & I can quote from almost every episode as well. No silly, not the whole thing, but random phrases one of the girls says. Meliss is the same way. You know how it is when you watch something over & over, maybe you just feel like you know the person (never mind that they are playing a character!) better...maybe that's it. Anyway I just can't imagine having another of the girls pass! :(

I bought Meliss season 1 of the GG & that is what she watched while going through contractions, before giving birth to Alex. :)

I have a GG t-shirt that I wear sometimes! :)

Here are some of my favorite phrases from GG:
*I'm as jumpy as a virgin at a prison rodeo!
*Uh, Mr. Pfiffer..(then Mr. Pfiffer says) - "no, the P isn't silent, it's Mr. P-fiffer"
*Dorothy gets mad & then tells Mr. P-fiffer that she's going to punch him in the p-face.
*Rose: I just had a thought...
Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche: Congratulations.
*Silly Rabbi, tricks are for kids.

Ok, I could go on & on, but I digress... lol another phrase from the GG! :)

May you rest in peace, Sophia Petrillo & Dorothy Zbornack!

What I've Learned Lately

I haven't written a post lately, but have found humor in what I've learned lately so I decided to share this with my 3 readers.

The other day I was sitting in our office area, eating lunch with Mr. L & the English teacher on my team. I made the simple comment "Wow Johnny is on a terror today!" & started talking about what he was doing & saying in class. Then I noticed Mr. L & English teacher looking at me very strangely. Of course Mr. L couldn't let it slide. He had to inform me that the correct phrase is "he is on a tear". I was totally wrong. I can call a person a "terror" or I can say he is on a "tear". I had no clue. Of course after lunch we all had fun emailing each other different internet links from urbandictionary.com, etc. It was funny to see people's faces as they would come into the office on their lunch break & I'd ask them which is correct & no one was really sure, but when they had to choose, they'd choose "tear". CRAP!

The other thing is about chiclets. Have you ever heard the phrase "wow that person has some chiclet teeth on him!" When you hear this, do you picture someone with oversized teeth or undersized teeth? Well, I always pictured someone with tiny square teeth, like Ben Affleck. Over the weekend, spending time with the Wilson family in Graham, this came up. My brother was insistent that I was wrong & he was right. Well, we went to the #1 source of information, Google. Sure enough, I was wrong, AGAIN! CRAP! It's meant for people with big teeth. I had no clue.

There's so much to learn....so little time....

The Trip Has Been Planned!

Yep-it's that time of year-time to plan for the annual Wilson Sibling Vegas Vacation! The only difference this year is that Aunt Lisa is now joining us! What a fun aunt she is! The Wilson Siblings bonded with her while in Vegas 2 years ago, when we were all there for my sister's wedding. Last summer I wasn't able to go to Vegas b/c I had to go & buy a house. Talk about sacrifices that had to be made! :)

So, the plan is we will be there for July 4 weekend this year! How fun will that be?! This will be my 2nd holiday to be there (I was there for Halloween last October).

I just got off the phone with the ticket office at the Wynn (no silly we aren't staying there, only going to see La Reve). We will be staying at Planet Hollywood & will be there 4 nights.

What is it about Vegas that I love so much? You all know I don't like change & I don't like being out of my comfort zone. All that is true. But I don't know that this really has much to do with the fact I want to continue going to Vegas forever & ever...? I still am sort of touristy about it all (I like getting random pictures made in front of the different buildings, etc.) Scratch that--I like to make my brother pose for crazy pictures! & by "make", I mean I simply say, "Hey Justin, why don't you stand in front that statue & pretend to hug it?" & he says, "ok!" & does it! It's really so easy. I really don't even think alcohol is involved, he just is ok with doing these things.

Back to my infatuation with Vegas. It's not the main reason most people go: gambling. I've never spent more than $30 in gambling in 1 trip. It is just such a waste to me! I'd rather go shopping & have something to show for my money. Of course my mom says it's b/c I haven't ever won. True! Last time my sis & I were in Vegas, we so badly wanted to play roulette but were scared! We weren't sure what to do or say, etc., so we chickened out. My sis & I bought our brother a Craps set for his birthday & he started showing us how to play that. It was really fun, but we were using chips & not my real, hard-earned money! Wow can that game be confusing too-there's so many different ways to bet! Maybe my sis & I will be brave on this trip & try something.

The reason I love Vegas so, has to be b/c of all the excitement in the air. I can stop & have a drink any time I want. I'm not even a big drinker! (Hush all you people that knew me in college & my early 20's-you should see me after having ONE drink now! It's crazy ridiculous how cheap of a date I am!) Everything's always open (I can't even stay up as late or party as hard as my Aunt Lisa!) I guess it just never gets old. Usually by my last day there, I'm ready to come home, but I'd always be ready to go back after going back to 'normal' for awhile! I also love the hot weather without the humidity!

Now let's talk about what I DON'T like about Vegas: FLYING to get there (oh so scary), the sometimes long lines to get into a club, & how expensive those restaurants can be! I never got to experience the 'cheap eating' in Vegas. I think on my blog I wrote after I went for Halloween, I had mentioned that I ate in the food court at MGM & spent maybe $12 (?) for a drink, chili dog, & french fries. Oh well... :)

I haven't posted a blog in awhile, but now I have something exciting to look forward to, so now you know!

PS-on a stress note, the TAKS test is 2.5 weeks away! Yikes!! Stay tuned for that... :(

Spring Break Nanny-time

You all know I just think the world of Melissa's kids. They are, as I say, my adopted niece & nephew. I can't get enough of them! I got especially attached to them last summer, "Nannying" them 3 days a week for about 7 weeks. Well, I came back for more for my spring break this week! I'm writing this entry, mainly just about my first 30 minutes or so alone with the kidson day 1 of Nanny-time.

I got here on Monday morning around 9 a.m. Meliss & I had some breakfast & coffee together. Once she started her conference call, I took the 2 kids upstairs to play. Wouldn't you know that the 2 kids & I are at the window, looking outside & then having toys on the window sill, playing, talking, singing, etc. I'm sitting on the floor & the 2 kids are walking to get toys & coming back. Well, Matias falls& starts crying like crazy! I pick him up & he immediately hangs on to me like he's really hurt. I keep hugging & trying to soothe him & his cries get louder. I pull his head off my shoulder to look at his face & I see some blood coming down his chin! WTF?! I look around & there are no Kleenex, paper towels, etc. up here. I look to my computer, but it's not hooked up to the internet yet b/c I didn't get to ask Meliss for the code to get on her wireless. She was on a conference call. CRAP!! I was just starting to get Alex's hand so we could walk downstairs together so I could get a towel or something & Meliss meets us on the stairs. She knew her baby's cry was something real. So-Alex says she needs to 'tee tee'. I take her to the potty while Meliss takes care of Matias. Meliss brings Matias back to me with an ice cube & instructs me to have him suck on it to help w/ the swelling on his lip (he did bust his lip open, poor thing!). She goes back to her conference call & Matias is sucking on the ice & Alex is getting ready to get on the potty.

I didn't know, but she does this little kick thing with her panties on her ankle to kick them off, before sitting on the potty. Well wouldn't you know that as I'm holding the ice for Matias I look over as she does her kick-move & she falls off the stool, next to the toilet! She kind of hurt her hand & my mouth just dropped open! Her face started to crumble a bit but I quickly started talking to her & distracted her, kissed her hand, & she got on the potty & did her thing. No big deal! Whew!

THEN I go back to Matias & the ice. Wouldn't you know (I'm really liking this phrase!) he sucks the ice out of my hand & into his mouth. I freak about that, thinking he's going to choke on that & I'm just having some back luck, in so little time! :(

Anyway I got the ice out of his mouth, Alex got dressed again & we all went upstairs for a full day of playing & singing & such. Whew!

Now as I write this, I have completed day 2 of 3. Today was pretty uneventful, which is good, after the start I had yesterday! Of course I'm even more attached to these kids, if that's possible. I can't wait to hang with them 3 days a week this summer as well!

Best Club Ever!

I've been meaning to write an entry about this night for awhile - because I went to the BEST CLUB EVER 3-4 weeks ago. Yong is supposed to write her version of this night on her blog. She's just now learning how to use Facebook, so it may be awhile before she does that. ;)

So Mr. L & I go to downtown Dallas & eat at Iron Cactus, & planned to go to Obar, my favorite bar ever! (They play some dance music & have fashion shows on the TV screens). Yong & Stan met up with us for dinner-& by that time Mr. L & I found out that Obar had closed! WTF!? I was so sad. I really liked that place. Well, Mr. L had heard of a new place down the road - walking distance - called Plush. While we were waiting in line outside, I heard some remixes of 80's music. YES! That is just my style! We are waiting in the long line..waiting...& the door guy sees Yong in her gloriousness & asks how many are with her, blah blah, & lets us in. YES! Then I realize this place is more like a club than a bar. I thought I was too old for clubs, unless you are in Vegas, but whatever! Then the guest DJ, STARKILLER, comes on, & plays house music! Well, I had to hurry & drink my wine. Then I got another glass. I had to hurry & drink that b/c I didn't want to keep holding it. Then the 2 kicked in & I started dancing the night away! I had to have Mr. L hold my purse for me so I could dance more!

Yong & Stan decide to explore the new place. I was wishing she'd come back & dance with me. Once she came back with her 2nd glass of wine & asked where mine was. I made fun of her for being so slow (finally I beat someone at drinking!). Then she & Stan walk off again. I keep dancing..blah blah...then it turns to techno music apparently (Mr. L tells me this later). Maybe that's when I started dancing harder. Anyway, Mr. L & I stayed in the same basic spot all night. I was so sad Yong wasn't around me. I did get a text from her that they left. :( What a loser, leaving so early when I was having so much fun dancing by myself.

Later I speak to Yong on the phone & she & Stan had some drama which is really hilarious. I'll let her tell you all about it. I seriously can't believe we were all at the same club!

So - my story about this is boring. It's just the best club ever b/c they played DANCE music & not stupid rap music!

Now, Yong, HURRY UP & write what happened to you!

Me, Take a Sick Day?!

I'm writing this at my house, as I take a dreaded sick day. You know I HATE missing work. Maybe it's the control freak in me. Maybe it's the fact that it's more work for me to leave work than to just stay at work & do my job. Anyway-I was left no choice when I thought I could really contaminate all the innocent students at my school.

This started last Monday night, after a shower, I noticed my tummy & back were so itchy & red & sort of blotchy. The next day was the TAKS test (perhaps I'm just allergic to the test!!), & after work I bought some Dove soap, for sensitive skin. That didn't help b/c still the next 2 nights, the same thing - really itchy in the shower & so red after. As the days went on (ok, I'm only on day 3 now) the rash has moved up to my neck & is starting on the inside of my elbows. I decide to use the school nurse to my advantage & get her (free) advice. Well, when I raised my shirt for her to show her my tummy, her mouth fell open. Then I showed her my back & her mouth got even bigger! She told me to go to my Dr. She then asked for my name (she's new & I don't think I've ever spoken to her before) & wrote it on her list of kids she sees for the day, "just in case". CRAP! I don't want the fall of my school to be traced back to me & the mysterious rash!! In the meantime, I have been slathering on the Gold Bond anti-itch cream. Ohhh how nice that stuff is! Too bad I smell like a grandma b/c it's soooo 'medicine-y' smelling! :(

I woke up this morning around 1:45 scratching my neck like crazy. It was so itchy! I decided it would probably just continue spreading & I sure didn't want it all over my face, visible to everyone!

So I got a Dr. appointment for this morning. I proceeded to tell the Dr. before he saw it that, "in my professional opinion, based on my research on Google, I think I have scabies." Then I show him & he is taken aback for a second, gathers his thoughts, & says "no, that is not scabies." Ok...great...so what is it, & how did I get it, & am I contagious? He said it looked like something internal was going on in me & it's like I had an allergic reaction to a food I ate. Well, I haven't tried anything new - you know I don't like freak food, so I guess I'll never know what it really is.

Are you wanting to see a picture? I'm glad - b/c I have one to show you! Yes, I took it myself. I'm great at self-portraits! :)



Then I met up with Regina & Nicole for a lovely lunch at McAllister's. How nice to pretend to be a part of corporate America & take an hour lunch, or maybe just a bit longer, & not worry about anything! It was fun to hang with them, even if only for a short while. I did show them my tummy & they both did the gasp sound. :) Yep, I have that effect on people! ;)

So, here I am, writing about it & showing you some self portraits. I have 6 days of steroid pills to take. The Dr. assured me it wouldn't bulk me up. Too bad ;).

Let me know if you want to see more pics - I'll email them to you, lol

Weekend Trip to Austin

Our great friend from UNT, Mina, had a baby about a month ago. The girls decided to get together to take a road trip to Austin to see her & the new baby. It happened to fall on the weekend before my birthday, so it was like a party trip & see the new baby trip all in one! :) Regina, Nicole, Yong, & I met at Yong's house Saturday morning. Lucky for me, Nic made Yong make us breakfast before we made the 3.5 hour drive. If you know anything about Yong, she is the best cook ever!!!! We had bacon, sausage, biscuits, and an omelet that had potatoes & asparagus in it. Maybe other crazy things, I'm not sure, but it was definitely excellent! :) On the way to Austin nothing really exciting happened. The only crazy thing was when Yong pulled out her iphone & wanted us to watch a video on the tiny screen (Regina & I were in the backseat & Nic was driving!). Then, instead of listening to the radio, Yong asked if we wanted to hear any songs from her iphone (like it could even really get that loud). Her choices were Mariah Carey, Beyonce, & Christina Aguilera, & I think only 1 or 2 songs from each. So silly! Needless to say, we stuck with the radio.

Then Yong got on a kick of talking about Nic's feet. "Skeletor feet" she calls them. Then Yong realized how small Nic's hands/fingers are & now Nic has become a midget in Yong's eyes. I'm actually surprised Nic didn't get mad b/c I don't call her Ninja Nic for nothing! :) But Yong did all her smack talking in the nicest way possible, or it was just so funny, what she was saying, that it made it ok to say. I'm not sure but I'm glad I to witness it all b/c it was entertainment for me! Here's a pic of Yong showing Nic how to choose smaller glasses of drinks to hold while in bars, so that her midget hands can hold them better:



The first time I'm holding Mina's baby:


Once in Austin we went straight to Mina's. Her baby, Nicholas Preston, was (is) adorable!! We hung out for awhile, all taking turns holding the baby. Too bad I was with 3 other girls that like to hold babies! It's not fun at all having to share! :( Mina was planning to meet us out for dinner so after a few hours we left to go to the hotel to check in & get ready for the night out. On the way to the hotel we stop at a liquor store so Yong can get 2 bottles of champagne for us to have in the room. First, she & I walk into the wrong door - & realize we are in the convenience store & walk back out, then walk next door & go in the correct store, the liquor store. We immediately get what we want & wait & wait at the counter...all for no one to even be in the store! I think if there weren't cameras, we could have stolen the bubblies & no one would have known! Of course we aren't that way, & of course I saw myself on the TV behind the counter...but where are the people that work there? Kinda spooky if you ask me! Finally I tell Yong we need to walk next door & ask the guy in the convenience store what's going on. As we walk in, they both walk out & apologize. So we finally pay & are on our way to the hotel. We check in, find our room, & GREAT - hear we have 30 more minutes of happy hour. Yong was so pleased to know she was correct & all of us were WRONG - happy hour was FREE! So we all had a glass of our favorite drink in the lobby area of our floor. We all got a little tipsy I think...maybe b/c of the lack of food in our system.

Then we get back to the room & get ready. Nic's cousin Melissa showed up. Mina showed up. We all had a glass of bubblies before heading out. I decided we should ask the concierge guy where we can go to eat out on 6th Street. Great-he tells us about a place & says there is everything on the menu & he made a reservation for us. We get there at 9:00. It takes maybe 10 minutes before we get our first drink. We notice it's a 'fancy' place for 6th Street, but whatever. Then we finally order awhile later...& it takes OVER AN HOUR to get our food! We kept waiting & waiting...Yong asks the waitress if we can at least have some bread. "of course!" did we ever get it? Nope! Then a manager comes by & asks if he can get us anything & we ask for bread. We get it immediately. Then we wait & wait...actually I'm surprised that no one at our table said anything about the slow service. We have Nic who I call "Ninja Nicole" for a reason! We have Mina & Yong who are my 2 loudest friends...& Regina, well, she is just a nice girl, I guess! ;) Finally, at 10:20 or so, Yong & I go to the bathroom & I say "we just have to leave, & the food will come". Sure enough, we get back to the table & our food is there. Yes, it took OVER AN HOUR! Crazy. At least we could all agree that the food was GREAT! Too bad it took OVER AN HOUR! :) The manager kept checking on us. At the end we said we didn't want dessert. I think we just all wanted out of there! Well, the manager brought us a bottle of champagne to share, & also a dessert. At least we got that but geez! So, we didn't get out of the restaurant until after 11!

The fun part of all that was during dinner, Yong talked about how it would be scary to surf b/c of the sharks. She now has a plan for when this happens. Let me fill you in so you can help protect yourself the next time you hang ten. First, wear a backpack & put a live chicken in it. Then when you see a shark, simply pull out the chicken & throw to the shark. Apparently that gives you enough time to swim or surf away. Oh yeah, let's not forget that you should have a gun as well. Keep it in a Ziplock bag since guns aren't water-proof. As I mentioned to Yong that sharks can smell 1 drop of blood from a mile away (thank you, TAKS passage, for teaching me that!) she said she would also stab the chicken with a knife so that the shark would go to the chicken instead of her. She didn't realize that would attract more sharks but whatever. As I type all this I realize it's not funny at all...but at the time she really had all of us laughing so hard!!

Yong shooting a shark:



Here's a pic of Yong looking scared if she were to see a shark:



After dinner we went to a couple different places on 6th Street to hang out & have some drinks. There was nothing really exciting that happened that night. I think we were all so full from a late dinner. Too bad Yong & I tried to keep tradition & bought a slice of pizza to share on the walk back to the hotel. Nope, it was cold & we were still too full from dinner. oh well.

The next morning we enjoyed our free continental breakfast, making a few trips from the room to the lobby area since all the tables were taken (& there were only about 5 of them!). After checking out we went back to Mina's to see her & the baby one last time. Then came the long drive home. Doesn't it always seem longer when you are driving home...tired from the night before & just wanting to be home??? On the way home Yong came up with a game where she rated the 4 of us in the car. She rated us on everything from jewelry to cooking to jeans to tv watching (I needed a category where I was #1!).

(Our 2nd trip to see the baby, on the way back home):




When we stopped for lunch we all were trying to agree upon a place to eat. Regina didn't want Taco Bell. Chick-Fil-A was closed, Nic didn't like Arby's, so we agreed to eat at Wendy's (I personally don't really like Wendy's, but didn't want to seem picky-haha!). We all go to the bathroom first & come out. I ordered first & as I'm getting my change back, Yong looks scared & says she saw the "biggest cricket ever" & used her fingers to show me a width of about 4" long. I pictured that & said "no way - a cricket that big?!" Of course I peeked down the hallway by the bathrooms & it was a dang cockroach! Yuck! I even hate typing that word! Well, as I'm being handed my food, I notice that NONE of the other 3 girls bothered to even order! The bam girls decided they didn't want to eat there. What the buck!? I walk out & decide to let them know "I don't even like Wendy's & I'm the only one with food from here!" I will admit that they offered to buy my lunch at the next place we stop, but I declined. I decided to tough it out & I know all restaurants are bound to have them. "Yes," Yong says, "but not all are out in the open, in the hallway by the bathrooms/kitchen!" Crap. So they all stop at Whataburger & get food & I just eat my kids meal from Wendy's. Oh well.

Back on the road...Nic & I try to convince Yong to make us wontons once we get back to her apartment. Yong was having no part of that. Too bad. Those are the best wontons I've ever had! Wait-they are the ONLY wontons I've ever had! :)

So, we make it back safe & sound & that's it! As I said, there wasn't too much craziness, but I had so much fun with the girls!!! :)
(I'm sure I left out something...but maybe Yong will post a blog & add in anything I missed!)

Birthday Surprise

Thanks to everyone for the cute cards you've sent me in the mail for my birthday! I had a great 33rd birthday....I went to Austin the weekend before with the girls to hang out, although the real reason was to see Mina's new baby boy. Throw my birthday into the mix & we killed 2 birds with 1 stone. Another entry on the Austin trip later, though. Until then...I just thought I'd write a quick post to tell you about the birthday surprise I received once I got to school on Monday.

After getting into my classroom around 7 a.m., I grab my coffee pot on my counter & hold it under the sink to fill with water (they are right next to each other). As it's filling up, I notice something in the water, INSIDE the coffee pot!!! What the crap?! Freak!!! It's a bucking cockroach the size of...well, you know the size of those that are found in schools. HUGE! It's alive too! Or maybe it's not, & it was just taking a little bath in my coffee pot & the water was moving him around?? Anyway I somehow didn't drop & break the pot, but put it on the counter, turned off the water, & ran to the middle of my classroom. I'm so glad I didn't have a class at this point! After being in the middle of my room for a minute & surrounding myself with space while looking around me to make sure he didn't have a friend...I called Mr. L & said "I need you...right away!" He knew what was going on. He came & rescued me. Whew! Needless to say I have disinfected my coffee pot so that I can use it again. I told myself my anxiety/phobia over these will NOT allow me to buy a new coffee pot. See? I'm not that crazy!

Anyway...as mentioned I plan to write an entry about our Austin trip but wanted to put this quick story in first! So gross, I know. :(