Our Friends Marty & Amy

Our first friends in Arizona were our next door neighbors, Marty & Amy. Even though we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies when we got here (yes, really), we ended up being the best of friends.

Marty & Amy relocated to Texas a while back because of Amy's job. We really miss them dearly, and hope to visit them sometime next year. Marty sent me this picture of them on their new bike in Texas. I love the pic. They look so happy. We miss you guys!

Why Some Ex-Husbands Are Ex's

Just today my BFF Cyndi sent me a link to check out some photos of her daughter. The only problem: it was a link to check out ALL the photos of her ex's wedding to his new bride! Yes, classless. The photos are on pictage.com and Cyndi sent me the link, so after some technical difficulties, and having to sign up for an account to view them, I saw all the pics. (I hate that you have to sign up for an account just to view pics!) I finally saw the pics, and here were my observations:

1. First and foremost, Talia is beautiful. (Cyn's daughter)
2. Robin looks old and ugly. (the bride)
3. Her dress looks like a dirty dish-rag. (true)
4. Dave looks old. (the ex)
5. Dave looks like a DORK (honestly!)
6. She has absolutely no class sending you the link for all of these when she could have simply emailed you the ones with Talia in them.
7. Cheesecake at a wedding is, well, cheesy! (can you believe they had cheesecake?)

Now as I viewed the pics, I noticed that next to each one there is a button marked "Email this photo". She could have simply clicked on that button next to the ones with Talia in them and sent those to Cyndi, rather than send the whole album.

Sometimes I wonder how these stupid people have survived as long as they have. Do people just figure that they're too stupid to have any tact at all? I'm outraged by the sending of the link...who the hell wants to see all of her ex-husband's wedding photos? My advice to Cyndi: I know you have to deal with them all the time, and play nice in front of Talia, but when she's not within earshot, you DO NOT have to play nice. But, you don't want to waste a lot of energy on an old woman and her dorky husband, either! LOL!

Funniest Damned Dream Ever!!!

One of our friends, who I will call 'Dreamer' to protect the innocent, told us about a very funny dream he had some years ago. It went like this: "We used to have a waterbed with shelves on the headboard. We had just put a phone on that shelf so we didn't have to run downstairs to get the phone in the middle of the night. One night the phone started to ring as I was dreaming. The ringing of the phone fit perfectly into my dream. I was dreaming that I had this new kind of alarm clock and the alarm was ringing. The only way to shut off the alarm was to pick it up (like a phone) and growl into it. (At this point, 'Dreamer' gives us a demonstration.) I picked up the phone and grrrroooowwwled into it and hung up. A few minutes later, the phone woke me up and the person said, "Did I just call you a minute ago?" and I said, "Nope." Now, I need to make a few observations about this dream: 1. I can picture this happening to me, but the caller would be my mother, and she would either a: know my growl - so I couldn't say it wasn't me or b: think I was having wild monkey sex and answered the phone (I would not answer the phone!) 2. I wish I could reveal identities on my blog so everyone could understand how very funny it is that this came from 'Dreamer'! I usually don't recall my dreams, but I do sleepwalk a lot, which is how this subject came up. I was going through a rather difficult time and I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard what I thought was the telephone. I walked downstairs to the spare bedroom, and picked up the alarm clock like a telephone and started yelling, "Hello" into the alarm clock. Daryl woke up and came downstairs looking for me. He shut off the alarm clock (no growling was necessary, just the push of a button!) and put me back to bed.

Happy Birthday To You, K!

Today is Kathleen's birthday. She currently works in hell, though a different one than mine! K - we should get together and trade 'Toxic Boss' stories sometime! I hope you have a happy, happy day! And may the only pain in your life be champagne!

Happy Birthday V!!!

Today is my BFF V's birthday! I won't say how hold she is (not that she would care) but I have a birthday coming up and she has a blog, and I DO care! ;o) I hope your birthday is wonderful V! See you on Sunday!

How Happy Am I?

My BFF - V now has her own blog, and she gives me all the credit! YAY! ;o) The blog looks great, V! I promise to read it every day! And, I have added a link to it on my favorite links list.

Goodbye & Good Luck Jackie!

Today was my co-worker (and good friend) Jackie's last day at work. She is heading to a better job in greener pastures with a nicer boss! I had planned on taking her out to lunch today. I had a Transportation Coordinators meeting downtown this morning. When I got back, she was gone! I was very surprised to see her desk empty so soon! So, here are some of the things I would have said to Jackie if she had stayed just a little longer:

• Good Luck
• Hope you don't have another Toxic Boss
• Thanks for the laughs
• I'll ask Kramer if he wants to buy your monitor (sorry I keep forgetting!)
• Thanks for having my back with the Toxic Boss
• Thanks for speaking your mind on all these 'issues'
• Goodbye
• I'll miss you
• I'm going to make you a tie ;oP

Take it easy, Jackie. Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you! Good luck at your new place of business! We'll do beers some Saturday by the pool - soon!

Our New Toy & Two Of The Nicest Peeps Around!

Last night, Big D got the title to the coveted 1988 Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster in Candy Brandywine. See Random Photo. He is totally stoked! I'm really happy for him, it's been a long haul! In our usual fashion, it was right down to the wire! About 3 months ago, we put the '65 Fury up for sale. Big D wanted a bike. Then about two weeks later, he found this Sportster. Our neighbors Ted & Julie were selling it. Big D talked to Ted about it and explained that he wanted to buy it in time for the Laughlin River Run (which happens to be this weekend). Ted stopped running the ad for the bike, and even turned down a few offers on it because he knew how badly Big D wanted it. Now, when you think about that for a minute and let it sink in, you figure out that Ted is a really good guy. Well, Ted & Julie are great people, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Read on. Naturally, we had trouble selling the Fury. Big D would go and check in with Ted every once in a while to make sure the bike was still there. He thought for sure that Ted would sell it before we sold the Fury. Then, we are contacted by Toon (yes, that's his name) from Holland. Toon wants to buy the Fury. So, last Friday, I opened a paypal account and Toon sent the money. In the meantime, Big D went to Ted's house to tell him the car was sold and he'd be back to buy the bike in a few days. Ted told him to take it home that night. He would hold the title until Big D gave him the money. On Saturday, Ted & Julie were having a yard sale, so we went over to say hi. Ted gave us a few chromed parts for the bike, and we bought a better seat and some saddle bags from him. We invited Ted & Julie over for steaks on the grill that night. Everyone had a good time. On Sunday, I checked my paypal account and they had "limited" my access because it was a brand new account and they didn't know what the large sum of money was for. I called them and told them what it was for, and also that it really wasn't any of their business what it's for. They told me the account would be under review for 24-48 hours. Ok, fine. But the issue was: the bank transfer took 3-4 days after the 24-48 hours. So now it would be too late to get the bike registered and ready to go to Laughlin. Big D was absolutely frantic. Monday morning I found that our paypal access had been "restored". I initiated the bank transfer immediately, and after countless hours of Big D getting hysterical about it, the transfer went through on Wednesday morning! O Happy Day!!! Yesterday afternoon, Big D went to the bank, and got the money. Problem: Big D was short some cash because paypal took their cut. I told him to relax and just talk to Ted. Maybe they could make a deal. Big D went to Ted's house about 3-4 times yesterday. They weren't home. He just kept doing drive-bys. I told him Ted's neighbors were going to call the cops and have him brought up on stalking charges if he kept it up! Finally, he left a note on the front door with his phone number. Ted called at 8:30 last night and they came over to the house. Julie and I sat out on the patio talking, and Julie told me that Ted said, "If Daryl doesn't get the money by tomorrow, I'm just going to sign the title over to him and put myself down as the lienholder, so he can take it to Laughlin." Remember when I said they were nice people? We've never met people this nice in our lives. They stayed a while, and Ted, Big D and Aaron (our motorcycle mechanic extraordinaire) worked on getting the bike ready for the trip to Laughlin. It was a good night. But, in true Nelson family style, it was down to the very last minute! We're used to it, though. Note: Big D wasn't going to take the bike to work this morning, but when he started the Honda, his headlight was totally out and it was dark. So, off he went on the HD. I heard him stall and thought it sounded funny so when I talked to him, I asked about it. He forgot to turn the fuel on!

Looking for Dad's Car

Recently, Mom told me that the person who bought my Dad's car after he passed, sold it to someone in Phoenix, Arizona. The car is a Ford Galaxie 500XL Convertible. It is white with a new black top and a red interior. It is gorgeous. Dad kept this car in great condition and it was always kept in the garage. This particular car holds a lot of good memories for me; we were in several parades with it in the town I grew up in. Dad belonged to a car club and there were metal license plates with the club name on it that only members could get. Dad had me paint the plate red and the raised lettering white so it would match the Ford. He loved the paint job, and put the plate on the dashboard because he didn't want it to be "out in the elements" where it would have been ruined. After Dad's funeral, Mom gave me that plate, knowing how much it meant to me. Dad had other cool cars, too. He had a 1930 Ford Model A with a rumble seat. That was before the '66 Ford. We did a lot of parades in that one, too. I can remember throwing candy from the rumble seat in the Christmas parade for many years. I also recall towing it with a tow rope and Dad's jeep, too. Good times. We had towing down to an art. We mastered our hand-signals, and after we had towed either the Model A or my car five or six times, Dad didn't even have to yell at me any more! ;o) Dad's Jeep was a 1977 CJ7 with an AMC 304 and a 3-speed tranny. What a ride! Dad was teaching me to drive a stick in the Jeep one day, and I played along. What he didn't realize was, my boyfriend had already taught me how to drive a stick shift about a year before. So we went through the motions, learned about the clutch, etc. Then I was allowed to start the Jeep and try her out. I pulled out of the driveway very carefully and headed down the street. Stopped at the stop sign, and when I pulled out, I burned up the tires for about 20 yards. Dad knew he'd been had. He told me to turn around and take him home. Thank God he had a good sense of humor! Dad also had a 1970 Ford Pickup that we called "The White Ghost". There were many weekends on Cape Cod when Dad would say, "Everybody in the truck" and we would all pile in and go to the beach or somwhere. We probably looked like the Beverly Hillbillies riding around in that truck. On one occasion, my best friend Donna and I were riding in the back of the truck when it broke down on top of the Sagamore bridge (Cape Cod). This was a fairly normal occurrence to me. I got out and Donna just looked at me. She said, "What are you doing?" "I'm going to push the truck," I replied. Donna was absolutely horrified! She told my Dad she wasn't going to push the truck, and my Dad told her in no uncertain terms that she was going to push it. Well, she did, but she wasn't happy about it and it took a long time before she would get back into that truck again. But she did. She was also with us when the motor went out on our 17-ft ski boat, and when Dad handed her an oar, I thought she would die. But she rowed. And she never went out on the boat again! Anyway, my whole point is that now, Dad's car is somewhere in Arizona. I will be combing the auto shows, gatherings, show & shines, and swap meets for his car. I just want to see it again. Maybe take a picture of it, if the owner lets me. There are just so many good memories associated with it. I wish I could buy it back.

Because You Are My Friend

This was contributed by my friend K (not to be confused with Kramer!). Thanks K! When you are sad........................ I will get you drunk and help you plot revenge against the scum- sucking bastard who made you sad. When you are scared.................. I will laugh at you and tease you about it every chance I get. When you are worried................ I will tell you how much worse it could be and to quit complaining. When you are confused............. I will use little words to explain it to your dumb ass. When you are sick........................ I will hold your hair while you pray homage to the porcelain God. When you fall....................... I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass. This is my oath.................. I pledge till the end. Why you may ask?.................. Because you are my friend

Not So Random Today

I wasn't going to update the blog today, but I promised my best friend in Massachusetts that I would. You see, she's going through a minor crisis right now, and I can't be there for her because I'm 3,000 miles away, so, I blog. I don't understand it when people tell me that there are only 2 kinds of men in this world: the kind that marry and the kind that don't. Well, I disagree. There are the kind that jack you around for years, telling you they'll marry you, and they never will. There are also the kind that will tell you they are never getting married, but still expect you to stay in a relationship with them forever, and take care of their every need. (sounds like they need a mother, not a girlfriend!) What about the kind that can't make up their minds? Or the ones that have violence/aggression issues? Those are the worst; trust me. But there's also the kind of man that will always be there. The one who takes his marriage vows seriously, but doesn't take himself too seriously. He's funny, kind, loving, caring and not afraid to laugh at himself. You know the kind I'm talking about; he loves life and enjoys every minute of it. Maybe you don't know that kind. He's a hard worker, really invests himself in his family. He's loyal to his friends, he's a true man. This is the man we dream about as little girls. He's 'The One'. 'Mr. Right'. And we look everywhere for him. Some of us find him the first time. Some of us think we find him, but find out later that he's an imposter. Sometimes, we give up looking. And that's usually when we find him. I went through an unusually bad marriage and a traumatic divorce. There was abuse and a criminal case involved. It was not the kind of experience you'd expect after 1-1/2 years of marriage. After I had him physically removed from our home by the police, I took some time for me. I decided that I could do anything I wanted. Well, I was young, and a little bit self-destructive, so I started hanging out in bars with friends. This wouldn't have been bad all by itself, but then I started going every weeknight. And the weekends. I would stay at the bar until closing time 7 nights a week. And I wasn't drinking club soda. I was not looking for a man. I didn't want any more complications in my life, and that's what I thought a man was: just one giant complication. One night, I was at the bar with my friend George. George was one of the very best friends I had at the time. He kept me sane. We usually just sat, drank and talked. But on this night, we were playing pool. A man walked into the bar, walked by me and sat down next to George. I felt an electric jolt when he walked by. I still can't explain it to this day. It was clear that he and George knew each other, and hadn't seen each other in quite a long time. As they talked, I kept looking at the man, and though I didn't want any 'complications', I could not keep my eyes off him. We finished our pool game, and sat at the bar. When George's friend got up to leave, I decided to throw caution to the wind. I said, "Hey, George, who's the cowboy?" (He was wearing nice cowboy boots.) George replied, half jokingly, "Oh, that's Daryl, but you don't want any of that!" Well, I did want some of that. We started dating shortly after that night and got married the day after my divorce was final. This year will be my 10th year as Mrs. Nelson. Or, Mrs. Daryl, as Kramer likes to refer to me. Big D pulled me off of the path of self-destruction that I was on and loved me like there was no tomorrow. I can't tell you where I would be right now if it weren't for that chance meeting in a bar, of all places! I am telling this story for a very specific reason. I told my friend that she needs to just do what she loves doing, and eventually she will find someone. And she's not self-destructive, so she won't be hanging out in bars. I am of the opinon that we cannot go out looking for a man, or looking for Mr. Right. He will find you. I believe in fate. How can I believe anything else? Hang in there, girl. He will find you, I promise! But until he does, please remember that life is short, so ENJOY IT!!! Oh, and remember the electric jolt that I felt when Big D walked by me in the bar that first time? He felt it too. That is the power of fate.

Introducing: Kramer

I thought I posted this yesterday, but for some reason it didn't post. Kramer is our neighbor that lives 2 doors down. He will be blogged about often, so I thought I should introduce him. A few quick facts about Kramer: He has too many vehicles (just ask the City of Peoria) He has some neighbor-relation issues He doesn't care what others think - to an extreme He is NEVER late for dinner He has become a very good friend to us For those of you that know Corey; Kramer has become something of our Corey in Arizona. He also takes Corey's place at our dinner table most nights. That's ok, except some nights he argues with Vicki and it feels like we have Eric & Sam (oil & water) living with us again! Kramer, you are a good friend, so don't take offense to anything I may say or write. It's just my normal sarcasm; nothing more, nothing less.