All My Bags Are Packed...

...I'm ready to go...

Yup, this is my final blog entry before I take off for the UK and Ireland. I am a bit apprehensive about going now, as I have built it up so much in my own brain, that I am afraid that I will be disappointed. Why do I do this?

I'm sure that the trip will go effortlessly, and will be much more than I expected---the weather lovely and the people charming. We won't get lost and won't have to spend hundreds on taxi's because we can't figure out the train or bus system. We will find great eating places for a small amount of money and they will all take my charge card, so I don't have to have my money exchanged and carry cash. I'm sure that I will bounce right back from the jet lag and want to walk and walk and walk to all the sights of London, with a huge smile on my face.



Then, as we travel to Ireland, I just know that we will be able to find a great, cheap car to rent and Bret won't forget to drive on the wrong side of the road.... They do drive on the wrong side in Ireland, don't they? Hmmm, never thought about it. Then, I'm sure that we will be able to see lots of countryside and maybe a few castles and make a trip to the Isle of Man---where my relatives are from. The Cannon's, don'tcha know. Maybe we will even spend a night there...





We do have a friend that lives there,----we are staying with her---and she asked us what we are planning on seeing while we are there, and I actually don't really know. I guess that I am a bit laid back when it comes to these things and just wanted to get a map and then decide what to see... I'm not a "driven" tourist, just want to mix in with the locals and soak in the ambience of the country---get the feel of what its like to live there.

Well, I guess I am ranting. Thoughts are like that, I guess.

So, "Bon Voyage" to me, my three readers. I will return a happier and more knowledgeable person and will report of my days as a world traveler when I return.

I am hoping that there will be lots to laugh about and fun stories to tell... I'm sure that there will be---cause that is how my life is----its how I roll.

The Seven Deadly Sins

Now that I got your attention...

I was tagged a few months ago by my lovely daughter, Hailey, in her blog. I must admit that it got me to thinking about my life and what in the heck should I write about----in regards to the seven little known things about me.

Now, those of you two readers that know me, know that I basically "wear my heart on my sleeve", am all about "what you see is what you get", and you know "where you stand" with me, and every cliche saying that describes a person that doesn't hide much.

So, that said, I had to think long and hard, but finally came up with seven little known things about me:

1. It bothers me that the number is seven. Why? I am a bit OCD and have to have pictures and rugs straight, as well as not being able to go to bed unless my coffee table and my living room and dining room are clean and straight. (Have I said straight enough?) I also go crazy if the volume on my radio in the car is not an even number, as well as numbers in general. I really like to have an even number on EVERYTHING!

2. I love to go camping! I used to go camping with my family when I grew up and they were the best times ever. I don't mind sleeping in tents even, but now that we got a trailer----a 1968 gem---its even better. Last year we camped out on the beach and it was some fun times. There's just something about sitting around the campfire, especially with family---singing and laughing---being silly. And yes, it brings out the silly in me... I even managed to last through a camping trip to Montana a few years ago at my families reunion. It was cold and wet, yes, VERY wet, so I must admit that my patience was a bit tested,...but even that didn't put me off of camping.

3. I was in Playboy.
Ok, so I guess I have to tell you a bit more about that one, so you don't get the wrong idea!
I modeled for many years and did ads for just about every department store, restaurant, airline, clothing line, and beauty/hair product. So one of my ads got picked up by Playboy---it was actually for western wear and was not at all provocative, but it was kind of a cool shot, and I guess if the store pays for the advertising, they don't really care...

4. My big break into show business was playing the part of Cinderella in fourth grade. But, since I was kind of a small skinny kid, they cast me as the "ugly" Cinderella. (Of course there had to be two, as there was a puff of smoke and the ugly one disappeared and the beautiful one appeared---center stage---it was quite brilliant for elementary school!) I did get to sing one of my favorite songs of all time, "In My Own Little Corner"---which has been my mantra for the rest of my life, so I guess it wasn't all bad.

5. While I am dwelling on childhood memories, I might as well let you know that I was a tomboy when I was a child. I loved to climb trees, ride my bike, ride horses, and spend as many hours out of doors that I could. I used to wish that I was a boy so badly! I even wore dog tags and preferred my hair short for most of my young life. (Well, that part hasn't changed---the short hair, not the dog tags.) I don't know exactly when I changed and became the fashion diva that I am now, but I think that it was between Freshman and Sophomore year in High School,----I discovered make-up and realized that if I took care of myself and my clothes, I got more attention from, yes, the opposite sex. I was doomed from then on to be vain.

6. Now this little known event is perhaps the most embarrassing one of all. About 20 years ago, on a visit to Jamaica with my sister, the amazing Margy, I....well....I....wet my bed...
Now, I don't know if any of you have ever had dreams about going to the bathroom and in your dream, you just...well....let it go. I woke up and yes, you guessed it, I had really just....let it go!
Of course, this just happened to be on the first night of a week long stay and we weren't getting the sheets changed for the whole week, unless we requested it, so I had to sleep the rest of the week on the bed without sheets. So, why didn't I request my sheets changed? Well, would you have? I was just too embarrassed to request clean sheets----I mean, how would I explain that away?
Now, before you go and think that this is something that I do all the time....I want to set your mind at ease... That was the only time that I did that as an adult, and a few days after I got home from my trip, I discovered that I was pregnant, which, believe it or not, affects a persons bladder.....what? It does!

7. I first honed my comedy skills in Junior High. I had just moved to a new city and when I went to school, I, of course, wanted to fit in and be popular. But there was one problem----I was pretty strange. I was very skinny, as I mentioned before, and had not yet begun to develop. The styles at that time were short skirts, and long hair, and I, of course, had my dresses that went down to my knees and short hair that was crooked, because my Mom cut it....and not very well. I wore knee socks because my parents wouldn't let me shave my legs, so I tried to cover up the dark hairs. Now, if this picture isn't bad enough, add to that a pair of "cat-eye" glasses that I had had since I was 8 years old. They were so out of style, but my parents wouldn't let me get new ones because mine were perfectly fine. I wasn't even devious enough to "accidentally" break them---what was I thinking? It even got so bad that when I used to go to the lunch room or try to hang with the cool kids during the break after lunch----I would walk up to them to try to be friendly and have a chat-----and they would ignore me, then, as one, turn around and walk away.

Ummm, and you wonder why they weren't thinkin I was the bomb?

So, I decided to try to make them laugh. Now, I had already spent my life so far doing funny things to make my older sister laugh, so I had had some experience at doing it--and I was obsessed with Jerry Lewis movies, Danny Kaye movies, and the Marx Brothers, so I had good teachers.
And you guessed it, thats how I survived Junior High and most of High School, for that matter...

Well, there you have it. My seven secrets have now been revealed. I am sure that there are many others, but it took me a month to come up with these, so don't ask me for any more!

Oh yeah, and I tag Brinna Jones and whoever else reads my blog to do this. (Which is why I don't have to worry about any one else.)

Honeydew

Yes, that's the name of my new baby...

She is sleek and cute, clean and smells nice, and better still, she doesn't consume very much....ah....gasoline.

Yes, folks, I have traded in Lit'le Blue Ice for this much newer and efficient style of vehicle.
I know, I have sold out to the Hybrid myth and gone green...literally.

But....I must admit that as I was driving a few days ago and looked down at my consumption monitor to see how many miles per gallon that I was getting, I was surprised to see that it was 55 mpg! Ok, so it only lasted for a bit and then went back to 48 mpg, but it was exciting, nonetheless...

It is interesting how different that you drive when you can see how much gas your car consumes. I used to accelerate every time I merged on the freeway, even if there was no one to get ahead of as I was merging... Well, I did it once just to see how the acceleration was on my little car (by the by---its excellent!) and noticed that the gas usage went way down, or rather, I was using a lot more gas so the mpg were not very good. I immediately checked myself and have been very good about reminding myself that I shouldn't accelerate if at all possible!

Now, for those of my three readers that are "tsk, tsking" about the fact that I shouldn't have gotten a new car, when my Matrix was only 5 years old and had a measly 114,000 miles on it,
I have to rationalize back my reasons:
The payment is pretty much the same.
I travel...alot...and my hubby wants me in a car that he doesn't have to worry about.
I travel....alot...and with gas prices where they are, I needed to get some sort of a break.
I have a friend that has had a Prius since they first came out and she loves hers and that was before they had worked out the "kinks" and she hadn't had any trouble with hers.
I really like the look of them and love the fact that I can still carry a bunch of gear, or antiques, or stuff I get when I shop or whatever if I need to!

Now, I must confess that I felt a bit guilty and started wondering if my vanity had been taken to a new level, as I was spraying three coats of Scotchguard over the entire inside----yes, the ceiling too----and was covering the front seats with plush beige/gold seat covers that go so well with the color combination of the green outside. (Silver pine, don'tcha know...)

Here she is...

..and her cute back end.

Oh, those lush seat covers---so chic!

But then, I made myself feel better by telling myself that it's not like I bought a convertible BMW or a vintage convertible mustang, or that really sleek convertible Solara that I love.
Man, I would look really chic driving that car... (and did you notice that I am a bit obsessed with convertibles---its that Hollywood bad influence image of the perfect woman that keeps creeping back into my brain)

Well........maybe in another 5 years.