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A Post a Day APAD Day 25 …. The sun will come out…tomorrow

~ msgracefulnot ~ 3 Comments

I think I have mentioned before that I talk to everybody right?  If I haven’t told you, let me assure you now that that is definitely the case.  Most people that know me will tell you that I make friends every where I go.  Everytime I make the trip to Colorado, people ask me if I think Colorado is beautiful.  I respond, “to be honest, I haven’t seen much of it other than the inside of my daughter’s house or the view of  her backyard.”  (Remember they moved out here as the Covid lockdown was beginning.)  We’ve been to a couple of parks, we took the boys to the zoo one time, but other than that my time consists of being a Grandma gym and crawling and climbing with the boys on everything possible.  Trust me, I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!!!

As usual I digress.  What I have seen of Colorado is beautiful!  When I walk onto the deck in the backyard the mountains seem so close that you can touch them.  It almost…ALMOST makes you forget that all of the houses look the same and are right on top of each other.

It’s been cold and overcast since I have been here this week, and I could have sworn the mountains had moved.  I am hoping to see a better view before I go home and maybe catch a sunset like this one from last time I was here.

If not I will keep my fingers crossed that everyone becomes afraid of flying again and I can enjoy this view on the way home.

This was my flight home the day Illinois was shutting down for the first time. LOVED IT!

**** Update: The mountains came back

A Post a Day APAD Day 24… How to Babysit a Grandma

~ msgracefulnot ~ 5 Comments

When the boys were first born, I bought them a book called How to Babysit a Grandma. There is also a book called How to Babysit a Grandpa which includes activities that are more my style…but it is what it is. While we have read How to Babysit a Grandma a few times, I don’t think they learned anything from it. In fact, since they day they were born they have been “writing their own stories”.

If THEY were writing a book called How to babysit a Grandma, todays chapter would have been called something like, “Fetch”. The game begins with one of them asking Grandma to go down the stairs into the yard to get a ball for them (because they aren’t wearing any shoes.) Grandma happily obliges them by descending 1000 steps and throwing a ball up onto the deck. Points are earned when you tell Grandma it’s the wrong ball 187x until she has thrown all of them up onto the deck for you. Bonus points if you manage to enlist your brother into helping you drop all 187 balls off the deck before Grandma can climb the steps to the top of the deck.

Surprisingly, I managed to stay in the game and keep them entertained for almost an hour. I think we all get points for that one. Climbing up the stairs was completed in a crawling like fashion, but in the end I think we all won.

Although I didn’t ask for it, I am kind of grateful to their dog, ATLAS who helped by popping a couple of the balls.

I believe the next chapter in the book is called, Getting Grandma to fall asleep first.

A post a Day APAD Day 23…. Not what I expected

~ msgracefulnot ~ 4 Comments

My mom has been asking me to take her for a manicure for 100 years ( or close to it). I have offered to take her and drop her off many times, but she wants the bonding thing too. The girls and I have gone a couple times in the past to celebrate our birthday week, but to be honest pedicures are not normally my cup of tea. (The bonding time is though, which is why I go). I have a really really hard time sitting still. If you get stuck with someone who is having a bad day or doesn’t speak English, sitting there feels like imprisonment. In December, I finally broke down and made an appointment for my mom and I. I told the receptionist that the purpose was mother daughter bonding. I was getting a pedicure and my mom a manicure. ( I really should show you what I did to my finger soon). The experience was horrible. No one was on time. The girl who was doing my feet, was constantly complaining about her husband. They didn’t even start my mom’s manicure until they were almost done with me. (She was waiting in the lobby during my treatment)…Overall a total joke. Of Course I fake smiled alot and agreed to try again sometime in the future at a different salon. 😦

When I got home from the salon that day, I called Thing One and told her about the experience. She told me that she was making us an appointment for pedicures at “her place” when I came to visit. Of course my first thought was, “Oh, joy!…smh”, but the whole bonding thing….OK.

C’mon we’re going to the bar

When I woke up yesterday morning, Thing One said, “We’re going to the bar today.” I have not heard that phrase in over 20 years. (I quit going to bars in whatever year they made smoking in them illegal.) I honestly don’t remember if I have ever gotten an invitation to go to a bar at 9 am either, or from my daughter for that matter. But hey I will take a bar over a pedicure ANY DAY.

Not your usual bar

Little Did I know the bar and nail salon were the same place

This was our Bartender. I don’t remember her name, but she was a stitch. She definitely likes her job!!!!

The girls doing our pedicures were both very friendly and good at their jobs. This is the first time I have ever enjoyed a pedicure. I can honestly say I would go again…. (not just because of the company and the alcohol.)

I can never decide on a color, so today I didn’t. I just asked for one of each, or a rainbow. I got exactly what I asked for 🙂

A Post a Day APAD Day 22 Off the hook

~ msgracefulnot ~ 1 Comment

Before I leave on a trip, I sign into any account on my phone or laptop that I may need (airlines, hotels, movie accounts etc) just to make sure I don’t have to remember a password or get locked out when I have no way to look it up. I was signing into my United app and the message came up that I was signing in from a new device…bullshit, but whatever. The next thing that happens is the dreaded secret questions to make sure it’s you pop up.

After I entered my answers, and signed in, I looked at Einstein and said, “you know the make of my first car isn’t really a secure answer, nor is what I wanted to be when I grew up, Anyone that went to high school with me would know those answers!!!!” He didn’t. Yes I was a bit put off. ( we have known each other since we were teenagers)

When I arrived in Colorado, I was repeating the story to Thing One, and said….. “Ok, you get to decide If I am mad at your dad. If you know the answers to these questions he is in hot water.” I think she knows me better than anyone and she didn’t know the answers either, so I guess Einstein is off the hook? 😉

A post a day APAD Day 20 Up in the Air again?

~ msgracefulnot ~ 3 Comments

Leaving on a jet plane

At the end of March 2020, just as the world began to lose it’s fucking mind because of Covid, Thing One, her husband, and my twin grandsons moved to Colorado. (that’s another story for another time though) From that time, until May of last year, I have been flying or driving (mostly flying) to Colorado every 6 weeks to see them. The last time I was there was for Halloween last year. I was supposed to go again the 2nd week of December, but at the last minute decided to try to cut the tip of my finger off. ( Again another story for another time. )

When this post goes live, I SHOULD be on the airplane on my way to Colorado. Please cross your fingers all is going well!

As much as I have been traveling, you would think I would be a pro at it by now. The only things I can almost guarantee about the day is that:

  1. It will be a long one
  2. the rules will have changed from yesterday
  3. the waiting times will be enormous
  4. some one some where will cause a scene about something
  5. it will be different from my last flight
  6. I am sure that I will be using YAIS

Update**** on the ground safely. Truly the best travel day I have had in a long time. Not one instance of yais. Two infants that slept the whole flight. Almost no lines for anything. In The fact the only thing I was correct about is that it will be a long day and it would be different than my last flight