Pretty in Pink is not just one of my all time favorite movies anymore…now it is also the color of my hair. Well, part of my hair.
I never knew pink hair could be so subtle.
It’s not exactly how I had imagined it, but I really like it. And I love the cut, my hairdresser is the best!
I don’t know how these guys kept their hands off me. Somehow they managed. I’m sure it had everything to do with the fact that Fishdog was standing right there…Right? (work with me people…)
Yes, this is Del and Rob…the two British coaches who stayed with us last week. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. I will volunteer to host as long as Challenger continues to sends quality coaches to the states…
Here’s the whole crew…plus Fishdog… Rob, Chris, Del, Fishdog, Danny, Eddie, Blaine.
The last night they were with us, we went dancing…Well, Fishdog and I danced, the lads spent time with a couple of tennis players. I guess my continuous rejection was just too much for them so they had to lower the standards. Poor lads.
Okay, so we’re having a good time… Chris, Clay (local boy) Blaine, and Mel
After camp Friday, the lads said goodbye to Rader with a loving hug.
They packed up their roomy car…
And drove away.
They were great guys. We hope to cross paths with them again. Soon. Very soon. 🙂
Yeah yeah, I know. Bad Mel.
Sorry.
I’ve been really busy. REALLY busy.
Mark had his 20 year reunion, so we were in Little Rock for that. We were busy all weekend long and frankly, I could’ve used another couple of days to recover.
The next weekend we drove the boys to camp, also in Arkansas. So we drove to Little Rock, spent the night, then drove to Subiaco to drop the boys off. Rader for 1 week, Ian for 2.
During the week without kids, we started working on the house…because we’ve decided to move and we want to put the house on the market by the middle of July. Where are we moving? you ask. Well, back to Arkansas, of course. It’s not like we’re not really living there already this summer.
Since Rader was only going to be at Camp for one week, we had to go back to pick him up the next weekend. Mark went so I could stay and paint trim and clean.
We had to clean because that next week, we were hosting the British Soccer Camp coaches again. Remember last year?
So, all last week we hosted Rob and Del. They were super great guys. I’ll be posting some pics soon. I faltered in my British Lad blogging this year. I feel like I failed our newest family members. Sorry, guys. There were 6 coaches this year, and one night, they all came over for pizza. (we were supposed to grill out but Mother Nature had other plans, so Papa Johns came through with some online ordering and pizza delivery…) The other guys were Blaine, Danny, Chris, and Eddie. A good lot, but not as rowdy as last year’s group. Probably a good thing since I never quite recovered from last year. LOL
I left early Friday to head back to Little Rock (seeing a pattern here?) I did a little shopping because I am one size smaller and don’t have a lot of clothes. (Yay me. Like how I worked that in?) On Saturday, I picked Ian up from camp and we had lunch with my BFF from high school and her son, then we went to the liquor store to pick up some economy size booze for my other friend here in Oxford (not good prices here in town) then drove the 6 hours home–where we proceeded to have a Die Hard movie marathon to prepare ourselves for hitting the late matinée today for Die Hard 4.
Next weekend I drive back to Little Rock for a baby shower for my college roommate and then fly to DFW for RWA’s National Conference. I will be blogging much more regularly, I promise.
So–if I have any readers left, tell me, what’s new?
After our tour around the great penis in the sky Coit Tower, the crew headed to a little Italian cafe in North Beach. We sat outside and enjoyed a bottle of wine while we regrouped and planned for the evening. Andrea’s sister Liz and her hubby Charly had planned to take the kiddos back to San Jose while Andrea, Joan, Lucinda and myself stayed in the city.
We started off at the San Francisco Brewing Co. We had been trying to meet up with a couple who were friends of Lu’s. They were apparently VERY tempted by all the bars between us and them, but they finally made it. When they got to the bar, they were very happy. 🙂
We enjoyed a couple of pitchers of beer then headed back to the hotel to change clothes and prepare for the evening ahead. First stop: Haight-Ashbury and a little Caribbean restaurant called Cha Cha Cha. OMG. The food and Sangria were phenomenal.
Haight-Ashbury was dead that night. It was really strange. It wasn’t even that late…but nothing was going on. No stores were opened. No vendors were out. No bands were playing. Nada. So we decided to catch a cab–and that’s where the adventure began…
Stay tuned. 🙂
Coit Tower:
After China Town, we headed straight up a giant neverending 90 degree hill toward the great penis in the sky Coit Tower.
The view from Telegraph Hill was breathtaking. We even had sun for a while.
We began our trip of Northern California in Half Moon Bay. Lovely little town. Great beaches. The water was very “refreshing”. LOL (No, I did not get into the ocean. Even I know that the water is much colder in Northern California. sheesh!)
On Saturday, we drove into the city. Take a look at the fog over the city as we near San Francisco.
Isn’t the architecture beautiful? That was the thing I enjoyed the most…the character of the city.
We had lunch at the House of Nanking which was fantastic, then we walked around the corner to China Town.
You’ll see a picture of Grant Avenue. Had to take the picture in honor of my wee Scottish lad.
After China Town, we wandered past historical City Lights Books.
The newest fad–color-coordinated scootering.
More to come…
Sorry I haven’t posted in a week. I was sick after my San Fran trip and I still haven’t downloaded my pics from my trip.
And sadly enough, I’m not about to really blog now because The Fishdog and I are headed to Little Rock for his 20 year high school reunion.
I should be spanked twice…
Speaking of spanking…
While I’m gone and still not blogging, you should totally check out this hot new read by Eden Bradley
The Dark Garden
A deliciously potent tale of one woman’s quest for self-discovery
Rowan Cassidy likes to be in charge—especially in her personal life. As a mistress at Club Privé, the most exclusive bondage/S & M club on the West Coast, Rowan can live out her dominant fantasies safely, and with complete control—until the night Christian Thorne walks in. Self-confident and sophisticated, he’s a natural dominant if Rowan’s ever seen one. Yet she can’t stop thinking about him and imagining his touch.
Christian has returned home, hoping to break free from his dissatisfaction and malaise—and discovers the cure in Rowan. He’s dying to get his skilled hands on her and watch her surrender, to unlock the mystery of her that captivates him. Determined to be her master, he makes Rowan a daring proposition: give herself over to him for thirty days.
Rowan finds Christian’s offer terrifying—and impossible to resist. But abandoning herself to Christian’s power might be more than she can handle…. Or it might be the realization of her true nature and the dark garden within her. There will be only one way to find out. And once the game has begun, there’s no turning back.
About the Author
Eden Bradley has been writing since she could hold a pen in her hand. When not writing, you’ll find her wandering museums, cooking, eating, shopping, and reading everything she can get her hands on. Eden lives in Southern California with a small menagerie and the love of her life.
While I’m at home trying to heal myself, I thought I’d order you guys to buy my friend’s book. We call her Naughty Kate for a reason, you know…. Buy it now:
Where Have all the Cowboys Gone? (Cheek) (Paperback) by Kate Pearce (Author)
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless you’re Lauren
Redstone. In her case, a little klutziness at a hotel bar turns into an unexpected opportunity to indulge in her most erotic fantasy – sex with a real, honest-to-goodness cowboy. When Lauren wakes up the next morning, she discovers she’s gotten more than a night of incredible passion – she’s also sporting a brand new, sparkling gold wedding band.
Grayson Turner never expected a woman like Lauren to literally fall into his lap. He may have only recently traded his pinstriped suits for a dusty Stetson, but if the lady wanted a cowboy, he figured he fit the bill well enough. This was Vegas, after all, and marriage to this sexy woman fits his goals even better than a single hot night in the desert.
But Lauren’s plans don’t include a lifetime commitment to one man. Not when she has a nice safe life with her retro props business and a firm desire to stay far away from controlling men like her father. Love isn’t even a factor in her game plan. But her sexy cowboy isn’t ready to fold his hand just yet. Can he convince her that true love always wins the game in the end?
I’ve returned home from my first ever San Francisco trip. I not only managed to bring with me a bagful of useless SF souvenirs and some great new clothing…I also managed to bring home a stomach bug. I wasn’t feeling well on the plane from SFO to DFW. When we landed, I ran to the bathroom, pulled my phone out to check the time, realized the plane was boarding and rushed to make my flight…promptly leaving my phone in the bathroom.
Sigh.
I realized my error after they had closed the doors. I spoke to the flight attendant and he told me it happens all the time and instructed me on what to do when I landed. We landed. I talked with the attendant at the desk and he gave me the number for Lost and Found in DFW. He wasn’t as optimistic as my flight attendant but he said maybe I’d get lucky.
I headed to baggage claim thinking “Oh well. that’s what I have insurance for.”
Fishdog and Rader pick me up and we head to a restaurant. I’m starting to really feel bad, bad enough that I don’t even want a beer. I order soup and eat only a couple of bites before we head home. While we’re there, Mark receives a call from me. LOL Someone did find my phone and turned it in to AA. He instructed me to call Lost and Found in the morning, and they would help me get my phone back. (I did just that this morning, and my phone is heading toward Oxford as I type. Thank you to the person who turned in my BlackJack!)
I realize I’m shivering when we get to the house, so I take my temperature: 101.1
Of course it is. Well, at least I’m at home now.
I call and talk to my rockin’ boss and let her know that I definitely won’t be back at work on Tuesday. She’s cool with that, as she doesn’t want me bringing my bug infested self to the office. Then I throw on three layers of clothing and an afghan, drink some hot tea, and watch the season finale of LOST that my family tivoed for me while I was gone.
Wow. That was an awesome show.
Pictures and SF stories will come soon. I hope I’ll be feeling 100% tomorrow so I can head back to work. Right now, that’s debatable.
It’s good to be home.
I realized last night when my oldest son smiled with pride and squeezed my neck cuz he was so pleased with himself for bringing up his dismal grades and when my youngest son put in the Weird Al CD and began to sing along word for word that I have a small crush on my children.
Which is actually a nice change of pace for me, since in the not too distant past, I’ve contemplated killing them several times.
I guess that fine line between love and hate applies to motherhood as well.
And then there’s the Fishdog. Sometimes I wonder how I deserve him. Last night, when I was completely tired and cranky, he fixed me soup and offered to pack for my San Francisco trip. A trip he’s not even going on. Honestly, that was just the sweetest thing. I was tempted to take him up on the offer, but then I realized his good intentions would backfire because he’d probably pack nothing I would want to take. So, I declined and packed for myself this morning.
Anyway, it just dawned on me that love really is a funny thing. (could I fill this blog with anymore cliches today? I mean, really?) A day comes along like yesterday that makes me forget all the stupid things they do and all the reasons I want to smack them and abandon them on the side of a dirt road in the middle of Deliverance-land.
In honor of Rader’s fascination with Weird Al…I give you Close But No Cigar(hey look, another cliche!)…there’s nothing quite like watching your 9 year old sing this… what a goofball.
Bitchin' Fiction: Musings by author Melissa McKenzie / Melissa Francis 