V.I.P. in July

Donarie, SYTYCD, Wicked.

Growing up, I watched boxing because my dad was totally into it.  I don't remember much; I don't remember having a favorite.  But I did learn a lot about the sport.  So sitting in the second row of the Donarie fight this summer was a simple treat.  The day trip to Los Angeles in Irish's  G- ride and dinner for Scone's #1 was a perfect way to spend QT with good peeps.  We even got to watch Kelly Pavlik woop on some guy with a loud girlfriend, which made it that much more memorable.  A second row seat, with no one in front of us = some great seats for a great fight.  Good times with good friends.  Mrs. MM sure is a hottie... although she was over dressed for the occasion .  (Ha, so was I.  Note to self:  Jeans are appropriate for the next fight we attend.)

The same week as the fight, Sissy, Lei Bear and I went to LA (again) to visit Trashley.  She has worked on So You Think You Can Dance since the first season.  She went from Mother Hen to producer and now has her own cutie pie office in the NBC studio.  Each season, Sis and I make the trip to West Hollywood to hit up the Grove and (not) stand in a long line for a seat at a live taping.  Lady Gaga was the guest judge last year, we've seen Katie and Suri, Portia and Ellen, and have met all the dancers, judges, and choreographers.  We get a really cool VIP pass that we wear on our necks.  We go backstage and take pictures.  But the honest highlight is always driving up with Sis, hanging with Ash, and eating, shopping, and getting dolled up. The highlight this time around was watching Sis and Lei Bear go paparazzi on the cast of Dance Moms.

The night we watched Donaire fight, No Neck had purchased tickets to Wicked for Sissy's birthday.  A great surprise for her that I did NOT get to engage in.  No worries though because I was presented with two surprise tickets to the show the closing night in San Diego.  The seats were dead center.  The seats were in the orchestra section.  The seats were A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

Needless to say, I feel like a VIP.

BFF's

The little guy always tells me, "Mommy, you are my best friend."  That is the best feeling in the world. When sissy's oldest was a tad younger, she once told me that we could be best friends.  And the front of the wedding invitation that I sent out more than ten years ago said, "Today I marry my best friend..."

When I was in the 5th grade, I met a girl that would indeed become my "BFF" growing up.  In fact, we did everything together until the day that I lost her and her daughter in 2007.  That was hard time for me.  But as I fast forward to today, I have some realizations about friends that I think I would only know through the experiences that I've had over the last few years. 

Big lesson learned:  Some friends come and go.  Some become the causal coffee date twice a year, some become Facebook friends (my knowledge of them is limited to what I see on FB), some become situational  (my football season friends, my jiu jitsu friends, my workout friends, the neighborhood friends) and some kind of just disappear. 

Then there are the ones that simply pick up where we left off, regardless of time.  I love those friends.  

Of course, there are the friends that are there whenever you need them.  One phone call, one text message, one reach and they appear.  In fact, I know they are true friends because I don't need to reach out; they are simply there for me. 

 There are also the "friends" that betray because they have ulterior motives and selfish intentions.   Although that is a tough and painful situation, it shouldn't be hard to let go because things like trust and honesty are replaced with manipulation, deception, and ill intent.  Even as an adult, it is sometimes hard to figure out which friends you can trust and which ones simply do not have your best interests at heart. I tell my students all the time that "it gets better after middle and high school," but I don't know if that's true.  Friendships, relationships are complicated things.  Even as adults, we need to be careful and cognitive of the choices we make.  By indulging in selfish and self serving choices, we could be harming someone else in a painful, drastic and permanent way.  Without details, I'll say that through painful experiences comes epiphany.  It was hard to bury my BFF and her daughter, but through that pain, I learned a valuable lesson:we must cherish the relationships we are given.  Keep them close to our hearts and don't jeopardize trust and honesty for selfish purposes.  It isn't worth it to gamble no matter how much we justify it in our minds, apologize later, or engage in acts of service to try to counter the selfishness.  

I'm thankful for the lessons I'm learning regarding relationships.  

I'll end by telling you about one friend that has always been loyal, faithful, honest, and serving.  His name is Tony.  Tony has always had my best interests at heart.  He has always had my back.  He always has time to spend with me and I know that when we are together, he values that time.  In fact, he makes me feel like I am the highlight in his day.  It feels good to be able to talk candidly about things and know that Tony is listening and will not violate my trust by retelling the story to someone else.  Heck, he'll even keep my feet warm in the winter.  Gotta love that.

Yup, he's a mutt.  But he's the real thing. 

Pandora

My new favorite station on Pandora is the Coldplay station.
Beautiful sounds throughout the house to lift the spirits and calm the nerves.  I'm working on not being anxious for anything for there are few things in life that we actually control.  The rest is fate.

For you: the one that needs a lifting of the spirit and calming of the nerves.  Here's some something beautiful from a lovely Oasis.

Zombies...

The new obsession in my house:  No Zombies.

We are all addicted to killing zombies, using the supplies (that come in forms of boxes when a zombie is shot) to stock the stores that are built, and generating money from the sale of supplies to make more businesses.  I know, I know.  But we are addicted.

It's funny that I wait and wait and wait for summer vacation to arrive, only to fill the "free time" with games that don't make any sense.  But it is fun competition in the home and we all like to laugh about how "stupid"it is (yet none of us can put it down)   I'm sure it won't last long, but how can I give up when there are still citizens that need my help?

Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming...

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach, VA.

My boys are water people.  I learned this very early when, at age three, my 11 year old got in the water without a floaty to "swim."  Of course, he hadn't had lessons yet, so he couldn't swim.  But he was fearless and soon learned on his own.  Since then, it's hard to keep the boys out of the water.  Little fish, I like to call them.  They also love sea life.  

We visited the aquarium on a recent visit to Virginia.  It's a hands on, interactive museum complete with an IMAX theatre and great examples of sea life.   All my boys enjoyed seeing the sharks, jelly fish, and turtles.  We watched a quick file on the life of a polar bear and I almost cried.  Love those furry killers.  

Watching Tanked and Fish Tank Kings has given me a better appreciation of what kind of care it takes to take care of a fish tank.  We've had a tank in our home for 14 years, but it hasn't been until recently that I have really come to appreciate the time, commitment, and passion it takes not to kill all the little Nemos. 

 Equipped with my fantastic plastic (aka the Nifty Fifty) , I was able to capture a few images.  Enjoy.