The Train Wreck........I mean "The Limo Ride"

I received an amazingly fun gift this year from an even more amazing parent: a gift certificate for a 2 hour limo ride. I decided to maximize the fun factor of the gift by sharing it with my friends. We had the night planned out. It was fantastic! BUUTTTT it wasn't quite what we had planned.........

It began with the limo coming to my house to pick up me, Kenny, Nancy, and Brian. As soon as we met our driver, we knew an interesting evening was about to begin. Meet Fred, the limo driver.....


Fred is 77 and a former pilot and mechanical engineer. He had LOTS of stories to tell. He is even an author. Whitney can't wait to pick up his latest at Barnes and Noble.........something about sheep and a girl named Karen??? ANYWAY, we got acquainted with Fred and started piling in the limo.

As soon as Nancy sat down, she was surprised to find a wine glass under her. As I took it from her to put back on the wine rack on the side panel, we noticed a few wine glasses............that were partially full of red wine! Wine that wasn't ours!

Yeah, look at the glass on the far right..........

Although disgusted, we cracked up! What in the WORLD? Whatever! We had friends to pick up and fun to have. On to Andrea's and Whitney's. We stopped at Whit's for a photo opportunity!


After everyone was piled in, we headed to Big Willy's for some refreshments. We'd been seated for about 20 minutes when Fred came in. He had a "limo emergency" and would need to abandon us for a moment! He promised to make it up to us later and would be back in time to get us to Nakato. We went with it. Looking back, I should have been more assertive and said, "Heck NO, you're not taking off!" But I didn't because I'm not quick on my feet or confrontational.

So we were stranded at Big Willy's for a bit. Conversation was good, and in no time Fred reappeared! We were on our way to Nakato. On the way, we picked up another friend, Julie, so the crew was complete.

At Nakato, Fred PROMISED he'd be back to get us at 10:15 or 10:30. He promised to take us "downtown to watch the crazies" from the comfort of the limo. So we trusted Fred and went to eat dinner. We had a table all to ourselves. The food was great, as was the company.

Around 10:15, we headed to the lobby. No Fred.

We waited 5 minutes. No Fred.

I called Fred...........Fred had gotten stuck by a train...........Fred would be there SOON.

Ten more minutes go by..........the only people left in Nakato were US and the EMPLOYEES! The employees wanted us to leave...........we could tell. We wanted to leave TOO!

15 minutes go by. No Fred.

Luckily we all had planned ahead, and our cars were there. The crew was tired of waiting on Fred. The crew started to disperse.......there would be no going downtown to watch the crazies.

I, however, had to wait for Fred. I still needed to give him his gift certificate. But since WE had waited on Fred, we decided that Fred could wait on US. So we went to drop Julie off at her car. When we came back, Fred STILL wasn't there!

About 5 minutes later, Fred pulled in. Fred wondered where everyone went! I told Fred that he was 45 minutes late and people got tired of waiting. He stated, "But I was going to take you downtown!" Oh well, Fred........oh well.

Despite the issues with the limo, we had an AMAZING time. I can't wait to do it again, but you can be sure that none of us will request Fred as our driver!

Or ride in his plane (even though he offered).

Or read his book.

Ashley tagged me in a little blogging game so I thought I would participate. Here are the rules...

1) Go to your fourth folder of pictures

2) Choose your fourth picture

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag four people

Ta-da!!!!! My new dishwasher! Mom and dad bought it for me for Christmas the year I bought the house. The house came with a vintage, circa 1970's rust colored dishwasher, but it wasn't in operating order. I was very excited because my first house and the duplex didn't have a dishwasher. This was my first experience having one, and boy, it didn't disappoint! It is pretty much the best invention ever. To top it off, dad built the surround for it.......the cute bead-board side. Next on my to-do list is new countertops. I have them picked out, just need to get with it and order them!

Okay, I did my part Ashley! Now I'm tagging Andrea S. (we need a new blog about school), Whit, Andrea P, and Jill! Jill, I'm calling on you to blog! We wanna know all about retired life!

Yoga - Round Two

Class is back in session.........yoga class, that is! This last class I found to be extra fun! We've learned some new stuff this time around, and we have LOTS of buddies joining us!

I was disappointed tonight when it was time for relaxation and our instructor said we didn't have time to do "sparkles." It's probably our fave relaxation sequence, mainly because we crack up and have to muffle our giggles for the entire 5 minute narration. Something to look forward to for next week, I guess.

That reminds me of a Yoga Haiku I wrote in honor of last year's class:

Gold, Silver, Copper
Floating, drifting, hovering
A cloud over me

Next week, during sparkles, take a moment and recite this haiku while you're relaxing.....then try not to explode with laughter, while the sparkles are floating down around you.

Trivia

Did you know that you can tell if a dog has worms by looking it in the eyes?

A direct quote by "Fred" after returning from recess, where a dog happened to be loose on the playground.

Something Else I Like

Disclaimer: My friends know I like old, funny, strange stuff..........so what I'm sharing won't phase them...........I like weird stuff!

I love local folklore and urban legends. Ever heard of the "albino farm" or drive by "Dinky's" on your way to Silver Dollar City (the Reeds Spring way)? How bout Dogpatch USA? I found a website that offers explanations and information about lots of local spots......including photos!

I discovered that the albino farm did NOT exist...........and that Dinky's was, well, dinky!

2009

So every year I contemplate a resolution or two, even though I've NEVER been successful at keeping them. The ONLY resolution I've ever kept wasn't even for the new year. After my first year of teaching, I resolved to keep my desk clean at all cost, so at the end of a long day, I wouldn't have to dig through piles. For some reason, that one stuck!

Other resolutions, however, are quickly forgotten within weeks of making them. For instance, I have a stack of random dvd's devoted to exercise. I buy them with very good intentions.........watch them once from the comfort of my couch, to see what I'm getting myself into, and then I maybe try them once or twice. They are collecting a nice layer of dust, as we speak!

I also try money related resolutions.......like NO more shopping, using my Express credit card, or getting take out. None of those ever seem to stick either.

But THIS YEAR I'm putting it in writing! I am REALLY gonna try to stay away from the mall! I DO NOT need any shoes! Or sweaters! Also, I am gonna MAKE food at home and enjoy only the occasional take out treat! As for work, I'm really gonna work on planning ahead! I already have next week planned in reading and social studies!

You might check back in a month to see how I'm doing. And as a precaution, I'm going freeze my Victoria's Secret and Express cards in a block of ice!

Oh wait, they can look up your card number for you at the store ;)