Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Levine, Mom's Weekend & OMG - The Northern Quest Summer Concert Series

The dad told me today that I should rename my blog to "Jerry Seinfeld".  wtf?  

WOTY:  "Jerry Seinfeld?"

The Dad: "Yeah.  Jerry Seinfeld." <smiling and gesturing like I should *get* this.>

WOTY:  <again> "Jerry Seinfeld?  Why?"

The Dad:  "Cos you know how your blog is about nothing in particular?"

WOTY:  "Yessss."

The Dad:  "Well that's what the Seinfeld show is."

WOTY:  "Well, that's nice.  But it's not only that it's about nothing in particular, it's about being off of 'the' facebook for a year.  Thus the title."  <eyebrows raised to 'gesture' that he should *get* this.>

The Dad:  "Yeah. I know."

Oblivious.

Need wand.  *Obliviate*

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Adam Levine

Once upon a time I "followed" Adam on Twitter.  Before there was a "The Voice" and at some point I decided his tweets were random and sometimes a little much for me.

This year - I became a fan of "The Voice" and I'm back to following him on 'the' Twitter!  They are all great performers and knowledgable about music - but there's a little something more to Adams' coaching that I can't put my finger on.  My money is on someone from his team to win "The Voice" this year.  Again.

Not only am I impressed with his coaching style - the more I watch/hear him work with his team and give constructive criticism to others, and even the other coaches - the freakin' sexier he is becoming!  I also LOVE how competitive he is!

This morning - I think I figured out that someone could liken my infatuation with Adam now - much to what a 13 year old girl felt when the new Teen! magazines would come out with C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Leif Garrett, etc on the cover.  

Okay... so now that you  know how old I am...

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WSU Moms' Weekend!

Time with blue eyes, mafia house, Munchies, WSU football scrimmage, Wii!, dinner.  Oh and did I mention more time with blue eyes?  Oh, and another fine FIJI article of clothing!   The only thing that could make it better is if there were still Kinn cousins and mom that were going to be there this year!  Go Cougs!

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Darius Rucker, Loverboy, Journey, Rascal Flatts - at Northern Quest this summer!  Every time that Darius Rucker (or Hootie & the Blowfish) have been to The Can, I have been present.  And I will again this year.  August 4th.  Northern Quest.  Good weather.  

I don't know how many countdowns I have going right now.

The "I freakin can't wait til football season" countdown.

The "I have to plan a graduation party" countdown.

The "2013 Cabo Trip" countdown... yes, I just said that.

The "Hoopfest weekend" countdown.

The "Vegas" countdown.

The "Dexter" countdown.

And now the "Northern Quest Summer 2012 Concerts" countdownS, specifically Darius.

Oh Darius... 

Oh Adam...

Need wand.  *Obliviate*

Time To Rally!

I'm running out of time.  I don't get it.

The third child going through college application processes - for that, I was on point.  I had to be... and it paid off.  Not only did he get into the school he wanted to get into, he was awarded nearly 16K in grants for the first year.  If he meets grade expectations, he will be up for them the following year.  So this is good.  

Application - check.

FAFSA - check.

Waiting game - check.

So that's all good.

But now it's April 9th and I'm way behind on the planning process for his graduation party! And a Cinco de Mayo Party (for those who took part in the latter last year, it was known as the "Seis de Mayo" party - where over 120 tacos were devoured and mas margaritas!)  The fiesta for May doesn't have to happen - but it sure was fun.  

I've got the date (I think), but I have yet to even order our "announcement".  I went with something entirely different for Middle Minn Boy when it came time for him to graduate and knew I wanted to do the same with Zach - but somewhere along the way I've been a little slow to order or create even.  Granted the past couple of weeks have been centered around Cabo.  But now is the time...

Tell me - HOW am I supposed to get my act together, get on Shutterfly and create, order and figure out the party time and menu when tonight has given me 2 hours of "The Voice" and now up - my new fave "SMASH!", tomorrow another dab of "The Voice", Wednesday has "American Idol" and "Modern Family", Thursday gives me "Grays Anatomy" and "Private Practice" and Friday sends me to Pullman for Moms weekend!?!?!?  CALGON!  Take me away!

An Easter/Birthday Celebration

First of all, Happy Easter.

Second of all... dangit!  I forgot to send half of the colored, hard boiled eggs back to WSU with my blue eyed, now 20 year old.  Not that you needed to know that. But they'll never all get eaten here.  And I HAD to have my family (which, with two boys away at college) consists of an 18 year old and The Dad, who is a lot like having an extra 18 year old in the house much of the time, take part in coloring the eggs.  So you can imagine the excitement and joy in our house when I pulled out the hard boiled eggs, vinegar and dye packets on Saturday.

Third: - I think I've found a great idea for next years "Easter" celebration.

I have a friend, that instead of hiding plastic colored eggs outside for Easter, she hides the mini bottles of alcohol.  You know, the ones you get on the airplane?  So that way, if she doesn't find them all on Easter, she has little bonuses throughout the summer while doing yard work.  I think that's BRILLIANT!   What might even be better is hiding them and then telling the boys to get out and do some spring yard work for their old ma.  THAT might be the more brilliant plan.  I'd get them home every Easter and they would look forward to YARD WORK!

And while they're doing that, perhaps I hide some inside and then tell The Dad that I need the upstairs toilets cleaned, the bookcase dusted and the basket of all of his magazines  cycled through for recycling.  If I were to hide mini's for him, that might be all the incentive he needs to help out with the pre-party, cleaning "festivities".  Perhaps.  If it doesn't work though, at least I would have little bonuses while I'm doing the chores.

Now... what sort of a business could be had from this?  

The Hunger Games

I'm going to see "The Hunger Games" tonight.  Let me just say, that after looking through one of the weekly magazines The Dad gets in the mail (Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Men's Fitness, and... US, yes... US.  That's all him baby!) I saw a picture of the actor that plays "Peeta" and I'm a skoche disappointed.  I was actually hoping he was going to be more, say, "Jake"-like from the vampire movies - whose names escape me right now.  But for the record, even though I can't come up with the vampire movie names - I'm totally split on which team I'm on.  Sometimes Edward.  Sometimes Jake.  Before ever seeing the vampire movies, I was dead set on not thinking anything about Taylor Lautner, and then he not only turned into a ginormous wolf (pretty cool), he took off his shirt.  Ooh la la!

So anyhow - when I was reading "The Hunger Games" on the plane to Cabo and the first day on the beach (when I finished the book) I didn't quite imagine Peeta to be who Peeta is.  I'm not as anxious about seeing the flick as I was when we got home and seeing a movie at our favorite AMC Theaters was in the forecast.  <sigh>

Let me back up for a minute.

If you're going to be traveling and decide you are going to give in and read this bloody book - buy all of them.  Especially IF traveling to another country where say, they sell books, just not in ENGLISH.  Leaving you to be dying to read the next one after hearing it picks up pretty much right where it left off... oh, and about how the first one left off?!?!?  Good gravy!  Talk about teasers.  I knew I was not the only person in the world who "gave in" on their way out of town for spring break - as on our return - every book store/shop we walked through at the San Diego airport said they were "sold out" of the second book. When we got to the Seattle airport, The Dad slinked into one shop and found me a copy which I proclaimed I couldn't read on the Horizon flight back to The Can since the noise those things make is too loud to concentrate.

But I did - and I managed to knock out a good portion of the book too.  I have about a quarter of the second book to go.  How's this - I don't even know the name of the second book because I just wanted the damn thing so bad I couldn't stand to even take note before delving into it!  I know it starts with a C.  

Okay, a foot is getting tapped at me because I'm on here and not getting ready to go.

Until tomorrow.  Easter Sunday.  Birthday celebration day for Middle Minn boy.  And what a feast it will be.  Prime rib, potatoes romanoff, pea salad, rolls, cake and ice cream, asparagus.  Of course when I said this was dinner, Zach said "Why does Ryan get prime rib for his birthday dinner?"  To which MOTY retorted:  "I will GLADLY fly over to Seattle for your birthday next year and take you out for prime rib."  The soon to be UofW college freshman replied "That's okay..."

I figured it would be!  Now... off with your head!  Oh wait, wrong movie/character!

Happy Birthday Blue Eyes!

20 Years ago - I spent the night in the hospital with Dr. Marynell Meyer keeping a watchful eye over me.  Only two days earlier, had I been in for my checkup with just over 3 weeks until your due date and all was well.  Then I got a good case of the "fake" contractions and went in to Sacred Heart.  She was the doc on call and came in to check it all out... and in two days, you had switched position.  You were now with your head up near my sternum and pressing pretty hard down on my ribs.  She and the nurses spent a good deal of time pushing you - on the outside, manipulating you, to turn head down again and when she got you where she wanted you, she rolled up a towel placed it on the side of my stomach and wrapped some big belt-thingy around me to make sure you couldn't/wouldn't move again.  And then she induced labor three weeks early.  

You were smaller than your older brother - he 9 lbs 12 ounces and 2 weeks overdue... you came into the world at 8 lbs 4 ounces with 3 weeks to go!  You may well have surpassed him and re-broken my tailbone if you had "waited".  Thank goodness for "smaller" miracles!  But just look at you now!  At 6'3", lean, and oh how those blue eyes twinkle!

You have giggled, written, hugged, loved, your way into everyone's hearts over the past 20 years.  You have led, performed (my god that dance at the Mr. Saxon was amazing!), worked, been brave (from dorm to the land of FIJI with barely a moments notice), taken extra math entrance tests for friends (shhhh, I won't tell if you don't), drank more cran-raspberry juice, traveled to St. Louis and Lake Tahoe, supported others and yourself along the way.

I snapped at you the day before Thanksgiving in 2002 and knew, just by looking in your eyes, that my career, my feelings, my clean house - needed to come last.  Must.  Come.  Last.  (But... not like "mema's" last...).  :)

I worried about you most when basketball came to an end for my blue eyed late bloomer and wondered how you would weather the storm.  I watched as you took that experience and turned your life into exactly what it's supposed to be.  You make lemonade out of lemons.  You always have.  Your heart is full and giving.  You give the gift of laughter and smiles and love to those you hold  near and dear to you.

I often wonder what I did in my life to deserve having been given the gift of you boys and I will likely always wonder that.  But I did, and you are - and I'm forever grateful.

Happy Happy Birthday to my Ryno Minn.   

 

April 6, 1992

8 lbs 4 oz

20" long

Blonde hair, blue eyes


April 6, 2012
180 lbs (ish)
6'3"
Blonde hair, same blue eyes
Best personality
FIJI Ruler!
WSU Cougar
Brother, friend, boyfriend, grandson, cousin, son (dad) and to mom...
still my baby boy.

Slow Going on Alaska Air with The Tourist

Cabo 2012 - Part I

I had every intention of making my posts while we were in Mexico, but it's all The Dad's fault (what isn't?) that this didn't happen.  He didn't take his beloved Mac.  He always takes his laptop or Mac.  But this time, he didn't.  And I didn't.  As if!

The weather was nice in Cabo - but not as hot as I would like.  I have more Arizona blood in my veins than I do Washington and I LOVE the heat.  Last year it was good and hot.  This year it was upper 70's with maybe a day or two in the low 80's.  Add the ocean breeze to those temps and it's not quite as warm.  I didn't pack pants or sweaters this year because The Dad kept telling me it was going to be closer to 84.  I was watching the weather and I never saw that, but somewhere, inside me... deep deep deep deeeeeep down inside of me, I wanted to believe he knew what he was talking about (this time).  I should have trusted my weather site.  <sigh>

The first day was a travel day on Alaska Airlines.  Our flight to Portland was delayed.  Our flight to San Francisco was uber delayed.  Our flight home was marred with my husband and son being treated as though they might be terrorists.  I have never known Alaska this way but I can tell you - I will look to other airlines for our June trip and ALL of our football trips next fall.  Noooowwww.... I will say that Jeff being dressed like a tourist - is likely what pointed them in their direction.  I was told today, that they actually look at "those people" the most when travelling as drug dealers/runners will often times pick the most touristy looking person to use as deflections.  Soooo... that's swell.  Zach was just an innocent bystander - well, with the exception that his t-shirt read:

One Tequila

Two Tequila

Three Tequila

FLOOR

Uhhh - I suppose that kind of screams "tourist" as well.  But when I made a comment about discrimination I was told it was all random and chosen by the airlines.  Random enough that 2 of the 4 people, out of 329 that were screened like this in Cabo and again in San Diego, and then had to show their boarding pass from Cabo to Seattle when they showed their Seattle to Spokane boarding pass to get on the flight home... are from the same FAMILY? That's random?  

I filmed most of Jeff's search until I was asked to turn it off and they were not happy I was doing it.  It was appalling.  I was really much more angry about Zach's search - but he wasn't wearing the stupid hat.  He was dressed like a teenager, not a 60 year old.  I do like the option of being able to choose my seats though, so that in the future, I KNOW not to sit myself next to the guy who wears a fidora, dress shirt, shorts, white sport socks and sandals.  Gads.

At least, if I do, it won't be a guy I KNOW.