Mario Brother or Bust! Game On!!!!!!!

I got the Wii two years ago. Every Christmas I try and add a game. Last year I didn't at least I don't think I did. There I go, I'm having a touch of the sometimers. Sometime I remember and sometime I don't. Eek! Any who, we played Willifur's Rockband last year. Nothing like having your daughter borrow the Christmas present she gave her boyfriend. This year I bought the New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We played almost all Christmas day. Opposite Boy called and didn't really say anything about missing us until he asked what we were doing and I said we were playing the new Mario brothers. Then he said he missed us. Oh the love.
I think the best part of this whole game is watching La Princessa and Hunky J try to one up on each other. I had to keep reminding them that they were a team not a one man show. I basically suck so I just float around in a bubble and then pop and stay in one spot until they need me to pop their bubble. Long story but a fun game. We are already on level 7. I'm not sure how many levels there are. La Princessa handed me the box to read last night and I couldn't read and she told me, "Come on, you can read it, your not that old." In which I replied, "I guess I am old b/c I can't read it." I couldn't even squint hard enough to make out the letters. Time for some reading glasses. I would just like to mention that me needing reading glasses isn't b/c I am getting old, it is b/c I am on the computer too much. I will blame that on work and not my time on Facebook. LOL

Sweet stuff from Santy Claus and his little Helper

I got some sweeeeeeeeeettt stuff for Christmas. Good thing I believe in Santy Claus. I didn't even send a letter to the North Pole this year. His little Helper was all ears. hehe
Here is the Betsey Johnson jewelry I hinted for to the little Helper. Santy Claus remembered I had inquired about a Kindle from Amazon. He found something that is suppose to be better than the Kindle and that is the Barnes and Noble Nook. I can't wait until I get it. I will be waiting a while, delivery date is February 1st. Talk about anticipation. That gives me plenty of time to get myself organized so I can then kick back,relax and read. Something I haven't been able to do for a long time.
I got a lot of other sweet stuff from family like a Starbucks gift card, can't lose with Starbucks. An AMC movie cards, Snowman with a faux fur stole looking quite fashionable, a super soft blanket that is for the family but I have taken it as my own. La Princessa bought Hunky J and I a Kona Grill gift card for $50.00 so we can enjoy date night. A Nordy's gift card, homemade jams and nuts.
Here is a pic of my jewelry along with a picture of what the Nook will look like.
Thanks Santy Claus and his Little Helper and my family for some sweeeeetttt gifts. I looovvvvveeee you. :)

One Christmas Tree, Two Christmas Trees, Three Christmas Trees, O.K. I'm done.

I started out good this year. I began setting up my trees the weekend before Thanksgiving. I just wanted to get ahead of the ballgame but my plan slowly fell apart. My plan was to do the setup the weekend before and have everything decorated by Thanksgiving weekend. Well, that didn't happen and I can't even blame it on Black Friday. I think what took up the majority of my time this year was the 9 foot tree. I think this puppy will make it out into the yard sale in the new year. See I've become spoiled with prelit trees. This is our first tree that we bought in Arizona. I remember we bought this back in 2002 and Hunky J and I stayed up until 2:30 am hanging little red balls all over it on Christmas morning. We both had been working long hours and neither of us had had the time to put it up. We couldn't have Christmas without a Christmas tree and how sad would it be not to even be decorated. Not that little shiny red balls was a big thing but at least it wasn't bare.
If setup wasn't bad enough I'm dreading when I take this sucker down b/c I geniusly wrapped and wound the lights through out each branch. As you can see in this picture I didn't even have time to put a tree skirt around it this year. Hence the picture not showing the bottom of the tree. And please don't pay attention to the ugly treadmill displayed right next to it. We had to find some place to put it so why not next to the tree that was the biggest pain in the arse. Tis the season to be jolly.

What would you have done?

Sometimes things happen and you don't have much time to think about them when they do. I was at the Fry's grocery store the other day searching for my mega winning lottery ticket so I could cash it in and get my mega winnings of 6 bucks. While I was searching in my bottomless pit of a purse there was this old lady standing next to this elderly man, basically standing on top of this old man. I would say she was maybe in her mid 60's but it was so hard to tell b/c her voice sounded old but her body didn't look that old. She had her hair in a bandana so you couldn't see how long her hair was and she had a visor on top of it. She wore those big sunglasses that you get when have your eyes dialated at the eye doctor. I don't know why people wear those after that because if you ask me they are a big fashion faux pas. Any who, she then took a few steps back and asked an employee who was standing there if she could give her a ride to Tumbleweed park. The employee told her no, mainly b/c she was working, and then the lady saw the next victim, me. I have always told my daughter never to pick up hitchhikers and I had never picked up a hitchhiker in my life. So what do I do? I've never even thought of a situation like this. I mean here is an elderly woman who is saying she is stranded and she just needs a ride to Tumbleweed park which was about 4 miles down the road. As soon as I said O.K. I knew I was in trouble. She was instantaniously glued to my side. I could tell the elderly gentleman that was waiting to cash in his winning ticket was probably the one who gave her the money to catch the bus. I wasn't aware of the whole story until she asked him again where she needed to go to catch the bus. He pointed north and gave her this get away from me look. As soon as she got the directions she was now right on top of me. I mean she made me so uncomfortable. She got right up into my personal space that I had to tell her to wait over by the door while I checked out. I felt like she was doing a complete inventory of what I had in my cart and what I had in my purse. My stomach started to churn as I am telling myself everything will be O.K. I paid for my groceries and the minute I got to the door she was attached to my hip again. We got to the car and I unloaded my groceries and we headed toward the direction of the park. She then pulled out the change and five dollar bill that she had and told me she wished that she had enough money to pay me for my kindness. I told her no need that it was fine. Then she began to ask me if this was enough money to get her to Mesa, which is the next town north of me. I told her yes. Then she asked me if I would mind giving her a ride to her home in Phoenix. I told her unfortunately I couldn't b/c I had groceries in the car and who knows where in Phoenix this woman needed to go. She then proceeded to talk about random things. She asked me if I used an electric razor to shave my legs or a regular razor. She wanted to know where I lived, if I lived in a big house, a small house, a trailer, etc. She then told me that she is a bum and that she doesn't like doing it but she had no choice. She usually gets rides from business men b/c they don't seem to mind giving her a ride. I asked her how she ended up in Chandler if she lived in Phoenix. Chandler is about 22 plus miles south of Phoenix. She told me that she had never been to Fry's in Chandler that is why she was there. She said she was hitching a ride and needed to go to the bathroom and the people who were giving her a ride took her to Fry's so she could use the bathroom and when she came back out they were gone. Red flags started going up and I thought, oh no, what have I gotten myself into.
We pulled into Tumbleweed park where I had no idea of where I was going. The elderly man said there was a park and ride. I pulled up to the Recreational center and told the woman that she was at Tumbleweed park and she should go in and ask where the bus picked up. She didn't want to get out of my car. She told me that this didn't look like the place and asked me again if I could take her to Mesa. I told her unfortunately I had groceries and I couldn't do that. She then saw a lady that was walking into the Center and asked her if this was where the bus picked up. The lady said no, that this was the Rec Center. She then proceeded to ask that lady if she would give her a ride to Mesa and showed her the money she had in her hand. The lady told her no, she was going into the Rec Center. I told hitchhiking lady she needed to get out of my car and go ask someone at the front desk of the Rec Center where she needed to go b/c she was at said destination. She didn't want to get out of my car unless she was guaranteed that there was a way for her to get to Mesa. The passerby lady saw the panic on my face and reassured hitchhiking lady that someone at the front desk could assist her. She told her that they would call someone to pick her up. The hitchhiking lady finally decided to get out of my car and thus attached herself to the passerby lady whom I mouthed three Thank You's to. She gave me a knod and said she would take care of getting her inside and helping her find her way home, where ever that was because I couldn't figure out if it was Mesa or Phoenix. Hitchhiking lady kept asking her over and over if she would mind giving her a ride to Mesa. I just wondered if once she found someone to give her a ride to Mesa if that would turn into getting her a ride to Prescott and then to Nevada or California, and so on and so on. Maybe that is why the people who originally gave her a ride, thanked the Lord when she had to relieve herself thus giving them an opportunity to press the pedal to the metal and get the heck out of dodge before their perma passenger got back into the car.
All I can say is after she got out of my car and I let out a big sigh of relief I realized that this lady was really in good shape and she had the most flawless, beautiful, wrinkle free,golden skin, at least what I could see of it under those gi-normous glasses she was wearing. She was in excellent shape as far as physical appearance but her voice sounded like an elderly woman's voice. She had no groceries in her reusable grocery bag just clothes that she said she was originally wearing but someone gave her the skirt she was wearing b/c it was too hot to walk in.
I then thought to myself. What would my daughter do in this situation because I never thought I would find myself in this situation. I called her up and asked her. If she was in a grocery store and there was an elderly woman stranded and she needed a ride about 4 miles away would you give her a ride. She said, "yes". I told her that was the wrong answer and then began telling my story. I told her the only way that she should say yes is if the woman has groceries, thus a reason for being at the grocery store, and she has a walker or cane. I hope I never find myself in that predicament again.

No Hitchhiking signs provided off of Wikimedia.

This LOL Cat Pic Speaks to Me

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I have been such a slacker lately. I can't seem to get caught up on anything that I am trying to do. I have no excuses really other than I get distracted very easily. I picked this LOL Cat pick of the week because it reminded me of my kiddos when they were younger. The one with the halo over her head would be La Princesa. The one saying, "Sheesh!", would be my son, Opposite Boy. Oh, this so reminds me of when they were little and La Princesa would start screaming that Opposite Boy did something to her. Well, one day the cat got let out of the bag. I had expected it for sometime. I'm sure there were true times when her brother was driving her bonkers because isn't that what brothers do.
She was in her bedroom, I was in the kitchen and Opposite Boy was in the living room where I could see him. She came running out screaming that Opposite Boy had done something to her. I stopped her dead in her tracks letting her know that I knew what she was up to because I could see that Opposite Boy didn't do anything to her. Busted! She had no words to say and if you know La Princesa that is almost impossible.

One of My Favorite Pics of Hope

This picture was taken when we were walking back to my sister's cabin. I just love this place. No bears to be seen. Thank Goodness!

LOL Cat Pic of the Week

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A Quaint Little Town called Hope

I love this town. It's peaceful, beautiful and best of all it is the best place to escape from big city life. There isn't a Target or Starbucks on every corner. Even though I like Target and Starbucks. There isn't even a traffic light. They don't need them there is no traffic. No hustle or bustle of city life here. Here are some pics of downtown Hope and a few scenery pics. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Livy in her rain boots

I just love these pics of Livvy in her rain boots. She wore them at Quartz Lake. She wore them in Hope. I guess she is just making sure she is prepared for rainy weather. After all she does live in Alaska. I'm glad to say that the whole two weeks I was there, there wasn't a drop of rain. Yippee!!!!!!

Messy but Cute

How about a little brocolli with that ranch dip. Here is a pic of my darling nephew when we were out camping in Quartz Creek. He kept trying to wipe it off but it just kept getting messier and messier. Despite the mess he still is a cutie.

Happy Father's Day

Here is a pic of me and my Dad back in the day. I'm not quite sure how old I was in this picture. I lost my Dad to cancer when I was six years old. I don't have a lot of memories but the ones I do have are wonderful.

LOL Cat Pic of the Week

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What's Bed Head?

Where Did My Lips Go?

My Favorite LOL Cat Pic of the Week

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Doggy Kisses

Here is a pic of Precious getting a nice juicy one from Rye. I don't think she liked it too much.

I Love LOL Cats from I can has cheezburger

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I Couldn't Resist

Okay, I know I'm going to be in trouble for this one but I couldn't resist. There is always a good blooper in a set of photos. That is why I always take extras. Hey, if she didn't have me to make fun of her then who would she have?
Work the camera baby. Work the camera.

Prom Night for My Little Princess

Yes, the big night has finally arrived. She woke up this morning with butterflies in her stomach and just couldn't wait for the big night. She had her hair appointment and make-up appointment all set for the day. Her nails were done last night. I thought she did a really good job in getting everything under control. Then, yes I said then, she realized she didn't have a clutch to put her things in. So, we made a mad dash to Walmart, Payless, Ross, Dress Barn and TJ Max. There was absolutely nothing. She ended up just grabbing a silver purse she already had and used that for the evening. I met her over at Val Vista Lake Country Club to take some pictures. What a crowd. There is a total of 30 in their group. What a great looking bunch of kids. They are heading over to B.J.'s for dinner. I can only imagine what that lucky waiter or waitress will be put through. She will be cruising in style too. One of her friend's got to borrow Mom's car for the night so they will be in an Audi convertible. Nice.
Here are some pics that I took of La Princesa and her friends. The guys she is with is not her boyfriend but only a friend. He was a good sport in being her date for the evening. Long story.

Gorgeous Easter Table and Muy Delicioso Treats

Wow. I can't believe Easter has come and gone. Time is really flying by. I think days go by quicker as we get older. Seems like when I was younger time just always ticked by. Now it seems like I get home from work and by the time I get everything done it is bedtime. Well, whatcha gonna do.
Any who, La Princesa had to work that Easter Sunday, which kind of bit the big one, but she didn't have to work a double shift. We ventured on over to the west side to enjoy Easter with La familia. All of my in-laws grandkiddos were there.
I didn't get a lot of pics from Easter, big regret, so I just decided to post a couple. Here is a pic of the beautiful table that the chicks sat at while the roosters sat at another table. Funny how my MIL likes seperating everyone. Of course the women talked about family, kids and life and the men were all about business. I liked her plan. Who wants to here about business on Easter Sunday. Yawn!
The next pic is of the muy delicioso treats my SIL made. They looked great and tasted yummy. If I wasn't rolling myself out of there when we left I probably would of hijacked a few for my secret cabinet. hehehe

The Shack

Books don't hold up too well in a teenager’s backpack. I bought this book new and then decided to let my daughter read it and now look at it. I was hoping to pass it on b/c it is such a good read but not sure how much longer it can hold up.
I would highly recommend this book. I finished it in a week. I know, not a record holder but in my life it is. I love the use of imagery in a book and this definitely has it.
I picked it up on a whim when I was passing through Barnes and Noble. Bad thing for me to do b/c there is always too much temptation for me there. Anyway, I saw it and read the back and thought this will be a good book to add to my pile of books that are waiting to be read. Well, this went from bottom to top b/c curiosity got the best of me. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion about this book but it made my top ten list. Definitely a good read.

Wife Swap?

Who would of thought that the blog that I posted on 5-3-08, I'm a Cheer Mom, would of sparked the interest of Wife Swap. Yes, I said Wife Swap. I posted the same blurb on our family website. The Hunkmeister reads all comments submitted on our website before publishing. Last week he received a submitted comment from the Casting Director from Wife Swap with information about the show and wanting to know if we were interested in submitting our story and if picked possibly audition, to be on Season 5. I thought the idea was totally hilarious. I asked him if he was going to publish the comment but he said he couldn't because it has her contact information plus there is a confidentiality statement below the e-mail.
If you’re curious to see what they are looking for you can Google: Wife Swap Casting Call for Season 5 Cheer.
We chose to pass with submitting our story. I told him that it would be pretty doubtful if we would be picked b/c I'm not an extreme Cheer Mom. Okay, I may be extreme in the fact that I wouldn't let my daughter quit in the middle of cheer when things started getting tough. She needed to be taught about perseverance and you all have heard of that old saying, "When Things Get Tough, the Tough Get Going. Not only that I forked over mucho dinero but that's beside the point. If I thought it would have been detrimental to her mental or physical well being I would of let her quit in a heart beat. I just knew that things started getting tough and the pressure was on. I told her once she got on that stage and made it through her first competition, she would be hooked. I was right. She loved it; after all she takes after her mother as far as the thrill of performing. Besides, she can't be a quitter. Cheer has been good for her. I know it has taught her a lot about team work and has given her a great sense of pride. She should feel very proud b/c I know I am very proud of her.

Trash Can Jenga, A Game The Family Can Enjoy

If you are looking for a new fun-filled game to play during these hard economic times, Trash Can Jenga is a game for you. It is suited for all ages, as long as you can reach the trash can. You can play solo or with as many players that wish to participate. Object of the game: Stack as much recyclable trash as you can without toppling the whole load. The player who places the last piece on the top and causes it to crash down is the loser and gets to take the trash out. This load lasted almost a week and came down last night, the night after this picture was taken. Warning! This game can go on for days so if you are planning a party or if you are a neat freak, this is not the game for you.

The Culprit

Here is the culprit that is responsible for my wine facials. My rabbit must be on the fritz. I now feel that I must take the blame away from the flimsy particle board type cork that is in the organic wine and place it on my opener. I guess if the blame can’t be placed on the opener than it must be placed on the user. Although I must say I haven't had any other issues with opening a bottle of wine in the past.
I bought a regular bottle of wine, Dancing Bull, and had the same result. AT least this time it thrust the cork all the way through. It still shot the wine up in the air. So, after experiencing my third wine facial I decided to Google wine facials to see if they exist. Well, they do exist and if you must know they make your skin glow. Indian women who are opposed to liquor have been getting wine facials and they say it makes the skin glow and relieves headache and tension. So not only can you drink your wine you can also slap it on your skin the next time you have a headache or feel any kind of tension. Goda di buona salute, vino della bevanda. Translation: Enjoy good health, drink wine.

Free Cup of Jo

Nothing is more embarrassing than getting somewhere and realizing that you forgot your purse. Yes, I was scrambling out of the house to go and run errands and I forgot to do the check. You know what I mean.
 Cell Phone
 Car Keys
 Purse
 Sunglasses(definite must for Arizona)
 Grocery List (I usually forget this one)

While I'm driving I was contemplating on whether or not to go through Starbucks. I was playing in my mind whether I should get it to enjoy while driving to run my errands or wait until I went grocery shopping at Target and enjoy it then. Well, thank goodness I decided to get it to enjoy while driving. As I was waiting in line at the local Starbuck's drive thru, I pull up to place my order and reach for my purse. I'm looking on the floor, in the back seat, on the side of me. Nothing. I couldn't believe I forgot my purse. It was at that moment in time I was wondering what I should do. Should I take the chance and back up all the way out hoping that no one would pull up behind me or just wait my turn and tell the wonderful Starbuck's person what I had done and just own up to my embarrassment like a real person. So, I drive up and the wonderfully, fully caffeinated Starbuck's girl asks me for my order. I then have to tell her that I forgot my purse. How embarrassing. She said, "No Problem, let us treat you." I told her, "No that is quite alright, I couldn't do that." She said, "I insist, let us treat you." I said, "No again, that is O.K. I will just go home and come back." Then once again, she said, "it is really no problem and they would love to treat me." So, I finally said, O.K. I ordered my usual without the extra shot b/c I didn't want to seem too greedy. I was then very grateful b/c not only did I get a free cup of jo, I also realized that I had forgotten my purse only 10 minutes away from my house versus 30 minutes away had I not stopped at Starbucks. Thank you Starbuck's.

The Secret Cupboard

No it's not the prequel to Indian in the Cupboard, it's my hidden stash of goodies. No, I'm not a bulimic who has a hidden stash to go on a secret binge. I just have my hidden stash to keep away from the muncha-saurus rex's that lives in my house. These are good for you goodies. O.K. maybe not the chocolate or the vegan cookies but they are healthier than the regular stuff. I can slowly munch on this stuff but if it goes into the regular pantry it will be gone in a blink of an eye.
I know I can't be the only one in the universe that has a secret hiding spot. You know who you are. You can't tell me that you have never hidden the last cookie or a the last chocolate bar so the minute you were alone you could just kick up your feet and enjoy, relishing every bite. Mmmmmmm. To our defense, I think we are left with no choice. I place blame on the men. Men are the King of muncha-saurus rexs'. O.K. I know I have my moments where I can't put down something but have you ever seen a man sit down and have a couple of bites of food and get up and say he is done. No, men swoop in and inhale like it's the last supper. The thing that pisses me off the most is my husband can eat 3000 plus calories of bad for you food and beer not gain an ounce and I eat an apple and it goes straight to my thighs. Ugh!
PS: For all of you secret stashers, if you would like me to post a pic of your favorite hiding spot send me an e-mail with a picture to: sheila-rita@live.com. Come on, join in the fun.

Organic Wine Buyer Beware

While I was reading Skinny Bitch I decided to go and find an organic wine without sulfites. For some reason I didn't think it was as hard as it was going to be. I went to Whole Foods first and they didn't have anything. I then went to Sprouts and by golly they had one brand, Frey. It wasn't like they had a huge selection so I chose the Red Wine and the Cabernet. Well, this picture is the result of me opening up the Red wine first. I guess when you buy organic wine, or at least this brand, they use a type of recyclable cork. It kind of reminded me of particle board when it gets wet and just crumbles and breaks apart. So, when I went to open this bottle just like I open any other bottle of wine it didn't turn out the way I expected it. I grabbed my rabbit wine opener and put it in position and started to push the lever down and I got splattered with wine that shot up through the crack as the cork shot down the neck of the bottle. Of course the cork didn't go all through, no that would of been too easy. Instead it got stuck. I then reached for my jackknife wine opener and managed to start pulling it up but couldn't get it to come all the way up. Then I tried the rabbit again and it did the same exact thing. After getting a facial with this lovely organic, sulfate-free wine I began to start having a mini-nervous breakdown. I was determined that this bottle of wine was not going to beat me. I tried poking and stabbing the cork through b/c I just knew this wine was going to be absolutely delectable. This went on for about 5 minutes until I chipped the side of the bottle. At that point I felt beaten. I held it upside down and saw a little trickle drip out of the bottle. I decided to taste what little I could get out the Fort Knox of all wine bottles. Blah! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! I cast that bottle aside and started working on the Cab. The exact same thing happened with the second bottle with the exception of not chipping the mouth. I did manage, after a lot of hard work, to get the cork out of this one though. I finally got to have me a glass of vino. This tasted a little better but not worth the effort of taking a wine bath or drinking cork in the bottle. I have to put this all behind me. That was the only glass I tasted because wine without selfites has to be drank quickly or it will spoil. I guess I should of drank the whole bottle that night but I didn't. So, the money along with the wine got poured down the drain. I'll keep the sulfates and just drink in moderation.

Warning! Low Levels of Caffeine Are Dangerous.

NO MORE COFFEE! NO MORE COFFEE! Imagine the Mommy Dearest movie when she says, "NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!!!!! That is what I felt like this morning when I tried going without my coffee. I tried, I tried. I couldn't do it. I almost had it done too. I woke up and made my strong coffee and added soy milk to it. Remember baby steps. I had a couple of sips but wasn't really feeling it. No problema. I made myself a fresh glass of iced de-caf green tea for the road along with a glass of regular black tea for security. I was kind of sleepy during the commute but I made it. I must also mention that this was my first Monday to work since I started on the floor. I think I'm allergic to Mondays. I know I'm really allergic to them when they are a hell-a busy and I have low levels of caffeine in my body. I felt like my brain was mush and that I was the biggest air head in the world. I suffered through work with catching some of my mistakes. Lord only knows how many I didn't catch, but I made it. I should of been rejoicing when I walked out of work but instead all I did was feel deprived. So you want to know what I did? I got in my car and drove to the Starbucks that is located right next to where I work. I went through the drive-thru and ordered and a Venti Non-fat Iced latte. It was sooooo gooooood. Of course I felt bad because I was close but yet so far from being one step closer. Oh well, I told myself maybe tomorrow will be a better day. I then eased my guilt with the thought of that at least I didn't get the extra shot. Maybe I have made a little bit of progress. I'm not giving up. Let's see how far I can get tomorrow.

Skinny Bitch is an Eye-Opener

I just finished my latest read on Saturday. The book is titled, "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I admit I saw it about 6 months ago and just looked at it and walked away. I had no clue as to what it this book was even going to be about nor was I the least bit interested in finding out what it was about. My friend Lisa had mentioned it shortly after I had seen it in the store but she never did elaborate on what is was about so I never gave it another thought.
Well, with my quest of trying to lose weight lately I decided to pick it up and find out what this book was all about. To tell you the truth I thought it was about what you turn into when you starve yourself to be thin. Never in a million years did I think it was a book promoting healthy eating and animal cruelty. I'm sure there are quite a few books out there that tell about our low USDA standards for our food and she goes right down the list. Now I guess I could go on and say she is another one of those radical people that are standing on their soap box but she did mention the strict guidelines regarding Japan's food inspections compared to our US inspections that made my ears perk up a bit. Now since I am a Customer Service Rep for an International shipping company, I can say that Japan is one of the countries that have very strict guidelines. Foreign foods are prohibited. Nothing made from or containing any meat, plant, poultry, eggs, seafood or dairy products can go into their country. So, if you know someone in Japan and wanted to pay a fortune to ship them a chocolate candy bar for their birthday, you better think again. Basically what it will boil down to is that you just flushed your good hard earned money down the toilet. Japan customs doesn't care if there is just a microscopic drop of dairy in it b/c it is listed in the ingredients it will be stamped return to sender. I just had an irate customer who flipped her lid b/c she sent over animal feed and b/c it had the word animal in it, it was returned to back to them. She claimed that it didn't contain any animal products but that it was feed for animals. When I asked her what it was made out of she couldn't tell me. I told her it couldn't be made from animals, dairy, poultry, eggs, seafood or plants. So unless it was made from the soil of the earth, there were probably restriction on that as well, there was no way of getting it through customs.
I do have to put a warning out there though. It is not for the faint of heart nor someone who gets easily offended with four letter words. She really lays it out there and sometimes it does get a bit extreme with the cuss words that she throws out here and there. I did enjoy the book and found it a real eye opener so much I am beginning my journey of becoming a vegan-vegetarian. I say vegan-vegetarian b/c last week I still put milk in my coffee which is baaadddd!!!!! I also went to a birthday party where they served italian beef sandwiches and little barbeque cocktail weinies in which I did not take part in but I did eat some cheese. Plus when everyone got the late night munchies and were stuffing their faces with footlong Sonic Coney dogs with cheese I opted for Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream. Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. So far it hasn't been too bad as long as I put soy milk in my coffee and add soy cheese (no added casein or whey)to my salad. No more blue cheese with my walnut and cranberry salad. Sniff Sniff. I would have to say my biggest obstacle at this point is giving up caffeine. My favorite drinks are iced coffee and iced tea. Don't know how I'm going to tackle that mountain. Will keep you posted.

One of My Favorite Pics

I've been going through pics to post on Facebook of friends and family. I can't remember if I had this one in my album or if I found this one last year when I was going through my Mom's photos in Alaska. This is a pic of my older sister Joyce holding me at South Padre Island. I have no idea why I have my red tennis shoes on other than I found it to be safer in her arms than in the water. I loved those little red tennis shoes of mine and I love my family too.

Pics of the Haunted Hotel Vendome

Haunted Hotel Vendome

Yes, we got to stay in a haunted hotel on our road trip. I can put that on my list of things that I have done. It wasn't intentional, I just waited until the very last minute to book our stay in Sedona and Prescott. I was trying to keep our overnighters reasonably priced b/c we really weren't going to be in any one place for very long. I wanted both places to be within walking distance of the downtown areas so we could walk from place to place without having to worry about parking. I found a really cool hotel called the hotel Vendome that is marked as a historic building in Prescott. Well, after booking I started reading the reviews. I guess it is helpful to read reviews before booking versus after considering everyone wants a 48 hour cancellation notice. Anyway, I started reading and realized in a couple of the reviews they were mentioning a ghost. Yikes! The good news is that the person who wrote the review was very disappointed b/c he did not see any ghost. The ghost that supposedly haunts the Hotel Vendome was a former owner of the hotel, Abby Byr and her cat. I had spaced out the particular room number when we got there but I thought it would be pretty funny to tell the Gabster and get her all worked up. Well it worked. Was it worth it? Yes!!!!! It is a really cool place and it has lots of charm. We had two bedrooms connected by a bathroom. Did we see any ghost? No. We did have a weird experience with the bathroom light. It had an old fashioned bathroom with the clawfoot bathtub and the toilet tank hung above you so you had to pull a chain that hung down to flush. Anyway I don't know why I described the bathroom other than that is where the light incident happened. While I was in there the light went from dim to really bright. Of course as soon as that I happened I was trying to get out of there as fast as possible. Then I tried turning off the light. I couldn't get it to turn off. I tried both switches and nothing. Then I messed with the timer knob to the ceiling heater and nothing. I then told my story to JL and she said she had tried turning it off and couldn't get them to turn off either. I asked La Princesa if the timer had anything to do with the light and she didn't know so I gave it a try. It finally turned off. I then went to lay down on the bed while everyone changed into their pajamas. La Princesa went and turned off the light and was trying to convince Mama Mia to come and sleep with her. I got up to turn down the thermostat in our room when La Princesa caught me and asked me why I had turned the light back on. I told her I hadn't I was just turning down the thermostat and was no where near the bathroom. That is probably when she began panicking. Especially after her boyfriend researched it on the internet and confirmed our story.
She convinced Mama Mia to go over to her room. So I moved to the other room which worked out well b/c JL and I began working on a plan to scare the living daylights out of her. Well, before we could even come up with anything La Princesa called me on her cell phone. Yes, her cell phone. I guess she wanted to ensure the safety of Mama Mia back to the other bedroom and to convince me to come back to her room. She had decided that she would be better protected if I were over there. So she sent poor Mama Mia packing, back to the room she was originally in, and I went back to the room I was originally in. I then had to listen to La Princesa tell her story of hearing strange noises in the room. Which totally got me freaked out. Talk about a plan backfiring. Finally La Princesa drifted off to sleep after her boyfriend convinced her that the majority of ghosts are friendly ghosts. I think he even gave some kind of percentage which was probably totally made up but it made her feel better. She fell asleep and I was wide awake. I only heard one noise while I was still awake and then I fell fast asleep. We all survived the night. We woke up a bit stiff from the rock hard beds but the experience was a great one.