Big Day

It's a big day around here...Princess A drove solo (meaning no mom or dad in the passenger seat)--M was in the passenger seat instead. There she went at 635am zipping down the street in the little blue Toyota towards school. One hand I bit my nails, with the other I swept up King Ralph's falling hair--as if it were a ceremony we stood watching from the front door glass.

It's also the first day to the end of the summer--marching band rehearsals commence, 7am-530pm of instruments, flags, marching, conditioning training...

Although M has been at practice twirling her flags and sabor now for three weeks this is her first day with everyone, from freshman to seniors, really feeling like she in high school. She left wearing "Helga", with the plan in mind to dump her in the car when the long beginning of director talk ends. She'll learn the arduous routine and figure out how to get her 18 hours of torture managed.

I really don't know what is harder to accept, Princess A with a driver's license, Princess A being a senior in high school or M being a freshman in high school? I might just have to have a stiff drink tonight to help soak it all up and in!

AAAAHHHHH

how the $%&^ do you get this twitter on the side!?? HELP! I hate being computer stupid!

Cholesterol

King Ralph had his yearly physical. The king, has high cholesterol. We are now on a chicken diet.

I may have to reinvent the shrimp scene from Forrest Gump with chicken...there's chicken soup, broiled chicken, baked chicken, chicken with rice, chicken with broccoli, chicken stew, rosemary chicken...

Chances are we will all start to cluck and grow feathers behind our ears.

War of the Roses...

...that is how you can imagine purchasing new furniture with King Ralph was like.

At one store we actually had two salesman; one who understood to be on the woman's side meant a sale, while the other was rallying behind the man--bad salesman! No sale here.

After a dozen stores, a refueling with a Lion's Choice roast beef, a diet coke and a badgering from our daughters (I needed some extra neck turning power) King Ralph finally decided that compromise means meeting in the middle, not getting his way.

I really think next time we need new furnishings it would be easier to just shoot myself in the foot.

Dog pulls a Trix move on the Lucky Charns

It came to be known that our little puppy prefers a bowl of Lucky Charms to her morning portions of Purina Puppy Chow. To make things worse I had just prepared this somewhat healthy-nutritious- magically-delicious breakfast for myself with the last bit of the milk--pretty much any hope for a bowl of cereal was dashed away. If only I could train the kids like the dog (has trained itself) to drink all the milk in the bowl. I then scooted Uli out the house to the yard while I murmured something to the affect of... get out there, go crap out magic shapes in 8 colors, silly dog Lucky Charms are for humans...really, it was more like this, @#=$%^&*

The following should be read realizing the quality of sarcasm and annoyance in my tone. The tone only a mother can pull off.

Then top it off M who keeps her room in such impeccable shape offered Uli the option of an evening snack-- M & M's or a Hershey chocolate bar...she took both, consumed one. UHG! That would be a double UHG, one for the room and one for the dog.

On another note, of the musical kind. M has told me to stop singing. That I sing all the time. I am assuming that it is either a bad thing because, my voice sucks, or that she feels threatened by my untapped talent. So now I am surfing YouTube for the perfect Happy Birthday video to send to my brother-in-law--diverting from the usual phone call with moi's voice booming out the celebratory tune.

So now I have loaded the dishwasher, dusted the living/dining room, grilled some meat, cleaned the windows, and well, I feel nostalgic over this summer's road trip...I need another get away. How 'bout another hand full of my favorite picks? Ya? Okay you got it!

Father and daughter climb the incredible red rocks in Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

The "Balancing Rock" at Garden of the Gods

Watermelon night at the campground, 1/6 of a melon for $1...cleaned it to the rhine

The last of our self timed family pictures, about 3/4 of the way down Pikes Peak Barr Trail

Brain-on-Pause

I have successfully managed to do nothing today...unless watching TLC's marathon day of Little People Big World counts as doing something...I'm thinking it does not!? Oh wait, how 'bout that grilled cheese I made the hubby before he put on the blues turning into Sergeant Sausage Fingers, headed out the door to bring home the bacon for his fam...that kind of Sunday supper counts for something. Doesn't it?

I did however spend time with the laptop resting on my, ummm, lap, while stretched on the couch picking out what I think are my favorite vacation pictures. I am so daunted by the volume of photos I took that I can't begin to allow myself to load the shots into an online viewing album. Instead I will just post a few here. Enjoy.

The girls taking in the beauty of the Badlands

The girls at Tower Falls in Yellowstone's Grand Canyon

Driving into Gardiner, Montana we crossed this geographical mark

The buffalo (and A & M) that roamed daily in the campground in front of our camper

The Rocky Mountains from The Seven Falls trail...this is the view Helen Hunt Jackson took in while she wrote her novel Ramona

Maybe tomorrow I will post a few more favorites...but it seems Lifetime Movie Network is hosting a Christmas in July movie marathon...as long as I am in the marathon spirit......

A New Twist on the Pick Up

Last night M's orthodontist treated his patients to a screening of the new Harry Potter flick. M was in hysterics when I picked her up. Seems the lad next to her tried to (these are M's words) pick her up via his Blackberry. He typed in "Hi my name is Alex, this is my Blackberry, do you have a Blackberry, HAHAHAHA", stuck it in the cup holder and turned it towards her.

M swears it was a lame attempt to pick her up. I am of the belief the young lad is more in love with the Blackberry than he could be in like with a living breathing human of the opposite sex. However, if it turns out that that was a pick up move-- this generation of young men will be striking out often.

Greatest Movie Line Ever

Ever since we watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding while on our vacation we girls can not refrain from often saying this line to King Ralph--the man may be the head of the house but the woman is the neck (then in unison we continue) and she can turn the head any way she like.

I love that line. We love that line. The king, well, not so much.

It must be hellish (at times) to live in a house of total domination. Even if you are a king, of sorts.

But we still love the king!

The Dog had a Brittany moment

Uli got her first doggie makeover--a day at the dog spa, the beauty parlor.

Like a true female her day of beauty ran two hours over; causing an aggravated delay in our Sunday plans.

When we picked Uli up from the dog groomer she was...bald. We have a bald dog. Now Uli is having an emotional break down. Her once sparkling puppy eyes look sad. I think she feels a bit like we all did when Brittany Spears shaved her head. It may be cause to call in Dr. von Zimmer (remember the shrink in Down and Out in Beverly Hills) to realign Uli's yin and yang.

Maybe she just needs a ball cap and a pair of dark glasses so none of the pooches in the neighborhood recognize her.

We've all had the hair cut that was to short...I guess a dog has to have a moment in time like it also.

A sign it might not be a party

I entered another dimension this evening,a dimension I have actually not entered till tonight--despite its occurrence every year. Wayne's World.


Julie and I strolled through the galaxy with our children and a mojitos...the hubby's trailed behind with a Styrofoam cooler of beer...till we crossed the street and entered "Wayne's World".


Most of the "grown-up" parties I attend have a variety of morsels to choose from to A. soak up any consumed alcoholic beverage in an attempt to keep some what sober or B. because a party always has tasty treats (at least some cocktail weenies for goodness sake). Near the end of the our time in this new dimension Julie spotted a quarter bowl of Doritos. Party? The deck bar--which was tended by a babe in Daisy Dukes and a knotted T-shirt--was plenty stocked.


So I ask, if there is not morsels to consume is it a party? Or is the goal of the evening, after the backyard firework display--which was actually produced more for a sound effect than visual effect; with its 4 half sticks of dynamite blasting sonic booms--more to see who will get drunk enough to sit in the hot tub and get alcohol poisoning first?


That my friends is a STL neighborhood Independence celebration.


Happy Fourth of July!