Prepping for vacation

Weeks before:
Double checked our passports to make sure they weren't expired.
Bought a converter and surge protector for our electronics.
Bought plane tickets.
When people asked where we are staying, admitted that we hadn't booked anything yet. Received judgment.
Told Joseph we really needed to book some hotels. Procrastinated some more.
Looked up data plan to see if we could use our cell phones overseas.

Within week of trip:
Checked out travel books from the library.
Reviewed, analyzed, and then booked hotels.
Bought train tickets.
Made a list of things to pack. Made sure all of J's things were included, because he forgets things and it ends up being a problem.
Signed up for VPN so when we used wifi our information was encrypted.

Day before:
Cleaned the house.
Cleaned the leftovers out of the fridge.
Washed all dishes.
Laundry.
Cleaned out the kitty box. Put out second kitty box since housesitter would be staying with cat.
Threw out trash.
Backed up iPhones in case they are stolen.
Painted my toenails.
Made supplementary amended to wills to include both dogs.
Made a list of all financial institutions where we have money, our life insurance, and a list of bills in case we die.
Balanced the checkbook and transferred money to make sure we have plenty of cash to pull out.
Posted on family FB page about where to find will and other documents. Didn't tell them where the key is. Laughed a little as I pictured my family searching for key, filled with sadness that I am gone, but cursing my name because they can't find the key.
Reflected on morbid sense of humor.
Went out for lunch. Celebrated that this is our last "American" lunch. Realized we will be eating lunch in Miami tomorrow during our layover. Shrugged it off.
Worried about pick pockets. Made plans to thwart their efforts.
Downloaded books for the plane.
Bought snacks for the plane.
Loved of my fur children because I am going to miss them.
Dropped off dogs at parents' house.

Jett's Chicks

Sometimes my Mom gives me a project to do. It's hard to tell which ones she's serious about and which ones she's not. Sometimes I'm ready to go, and I tell her I'll come over on Saturday, and she's like, "Nah, never mind." So that keeps things interesting.

She recently got some chickens. She got a chicken coop from Costco and she wanted a sign for my little nephew Jett. She wanted an actual jet airplane on the sign. I thought that might be a little confusing, so I wanted to put his name in the jet.

I wanted to use the vinyl cut from my Silhouette machine as a stencil. So I painted everything white and the put down my stencil.

Due to a cutting error, there are two chicks that didn't cut out properly and were added later. That was the first problem.

You can buy transfer paper, but I read online that Glad's Press N Seal works just as well. And it does.

But it looked like crap. I was irritated. Problem two.

So I painted over it. And could still see the outline and it needed to be sanded.

So I sanded it, decided I liked the distressed look, and put the vinyl right on top. then I polyurethaned over the top so the vinyl wouldn't peel up. It is going outside.

Lilly the cat was not happy about her special napping place being my workspace.

Of course the board split when I screwed the (supposed to be self-drilling but it was LIES) screws. So I glued it and clamped it and left it overnight and that took care of problem three.

Conversations with Katelyn

Me: I am on my period and I am grumpy.
Katelyn (currently pregnant): You know, when you are pregnant, you don't have your period for a year.
Me: Yeah, but then you're stuck with a baby.
Katelyn: WE HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR SEVEN YEARS.
Me: I TOLD YOU I WAS GRUMPY.

Conversations with J

J and I were sitting on the couch. J was working on his computer and I was watching the Netflix show Grace and Frankie. It's about two women who don't like each other, but their husbands are business partners. And also gay lovers. So the first show starts with the two men meeting their wives in a restaurant and announcing that they are leaving their wives. A scene ensues.

Me: If you ever decide to leave me and you do it in a public restaurant, I will stab you with a fork.
J: (Hysterical laugher)

Me: Why are you laughing? This is serious.

J: Because I was waiting for you to say something! Whenever you watch a show or read a book where a man is being a jerk to a woman, you take it out on me.

Me: But you won’t ever leave me?

J: I won’t ever leave you.

Me: Promise? You won’t fall in love with your business partner Cody?

J: Ew. If I were gay, he’s not my type. Will Smith is my type. You know, hypothetically, and I’m not gay, this is just hypothetically…I’d like to think that if I were gay, we could still be friends.

Me: Yeah, I feel like we could still be best friends if that happened. Except I would be pissed with you because that meant you’d been lying the whole time.

J: I could have turned gay.

Me: YOU DON’T TURN GAY.

J: Hey, did you know one of our neighbors has a wifi name “Tell my wifi love her?”

Holding off Summer

The trellis we made for the grape and blackberry vines is holding up (blog found here).

The blackberry is on the left and the grapevine is on the right.

Joseph has things growing in other areas too.

The baby dog loves to check it out when the gate is open.

And the planter is looking good too.

The weather has been unbelievably cool. It's going to hit over 100 degrees for the first time next week.

Well, you don't have to shovel sunshine.

Climbing Stairs

My sister works at Dolce. The one at Arrowhead closed down, so I had to drive to Scottsdale. I wasn't familiar with the area, so I tried to pay attention when I parked in the parking garage and then walked to Dolce.

Got my Brazilian Blowout Keratin treatment done (for my frizzy, uncontrollable mop), and then walked back to the parking garage. Couldn't figure out where the stairs were to get up to the second floor. On the outside of the building, I could see the stairs, but it wasn't the entrance. There was a cement wall that was eye-level, and then the stair railing was above that.

I weighed my options. Could walk around and try to find the beginning of the stairs....or I could just grab the stair railing and hoist myself up the wall.

I hoisted.

I was doing pretty well until I swung my second leg over the stair railing. My black flat slipped off my foot. I checked the floor, hoping the swinging motion was enough momentum to carry it over to my side of the railing.

No such luck. It was five feet below me on the street.

I stared at the shoe for a moment. Tried to levitate it with my mind. I still don't have telekinetic powers. Bummer.

I weighed my options again. Ask for help? Leave the shoe?

I started to climb back down to retrieve my traitorous shoe. A nice gentleman walking past yelled that he would get it for me, ran over, and tossed it up. I thanked him. He told me what I was doing was a "neat trick."

Yep, and I was doing it with fabulous hair.

The Backyard

The big BBQ was this weekend. I took no photos. I was too busy running around playing hostess and holding babies.

But the backyard looks pretty good.

The day of the BBQ we ran to Singh Farms for the fourth Saturday in a row.

We picked up a ladder ball game from Tempe, ran to the store for last minute essentials, pulled some weeds, cleaned the house, and then showered.

I am so tired. But the backyard looks fab-u-lous.