Flying

Flying to Lexington this morning to attend my son's college graduation. I leave at noon and arrive at 5:00 pm. 

It seems like just yesterday, I was packing his lunch for his first day in Kindergarten. And kissing his boo-boos. 

And now I have to ask them to please shave because Mom expects a ton of hugs and kisses. 

And please stop posting comments on my blog using fake names or anonomously.

Le Sigh!

Grapes

My entry for Wordless Wednesday.

Da Flat - II

So yesterday during lunch, I went out to do some errands. I had very little time and a long list of things to do. But I knew these stores inside out and I was confident that I could easily drive, hit 3 stores, shop and get back to work within an hour. Been there done that.

But when I reached my first destination - Walgreens, I noticed that my car had a flat tire. Yuck. And my hubby is out of town. Double yuck!

 Why do these things happen when he is out of town? Le Sigh!

So I went into the store, called AAA for help, shopped and sat in my car. I wanted to cry but considering how things are going on in the world, I could have been in a worse situation. I replied to a text message from my girlfriend  Alex and told her what was going on. Then I fantasized that Brad Pitt was going to come in a big red truck and rescue me from all this.

The AAA guy finally came. It wasn't Brad Pitt. 

But guess what his name was? Romeo. Yep. Romeo. He was handsome and charming. He changed the tire and commanded that I go and get the tire fixed right away. He must have thought I was a bimbo because at that point, I could barely speak a coherent sentence. I kept telling him, "I am driving my hubby's car and he is going to kill me!!!! This is the second time I have done this to his car!"

He assured me that my hubby would not kill me. Flat tires is not the end of the world and it could happen to anyone. Before leaving, he gave me a survey card and said that if I gave him a good rating, he would get free movie tickets and he would love to take his grand kids to the movies. Boy that guy was a charmer!

But wait! The story gets even better. 

Did I do as Romeo suggested and drive straight to get the tire fixed? Of course not! I went to work since it was on way anyways.

My girlfriend Alex called me up and asked me to get an appointment with Discount Tires. They fix flat tires. For free. Yep. I got an appointment and numerous people told me that they would only fix a tire if it was purchased from them. So I kept my credit card handy and showed up. 

Alex was waiting for me there. With a gift for me. It took all my control to not burst into tears.

Everything went great after that. Discount Tires fixed and changed my tire for free. Yep.

What I realized by the end of the day was that the most important thing is life is kindness. Being there for someone when they are overwhelmed. And helping others when they are down.

Romeo and Alex, when I was completely deflated, the two of you, in your own way made my day.

Thank you!

Exciting May!

This month is exciting for me for all sorts of reasons! My older son graduates from college next weekend. Yeah! What a huge accomplishment! I will be flying down to Lexington on Thursday and returning to Austin on Tuesday. I get to spend time with my boys on Mother's day.

Double yeah!

Although the major Kentucky derby happened last week, I still plan on drinking a mint julep or two. You may not know that Kentucky is the producer of 80% of the world's bourbon. I am hoping to visit one of the distilleries at the very least.

Of course I will take tons of photos and continue to post them.

So that's my exciting plan. What are your plans for this month?

Simple Things

It is the simple things in life that matter.

Having a box of tissues handy when you are about to sneeze. 

A friend you can call late at night to just chat because you are lonely. Or asking them to change a light bulb for you because they are tall and you would need a ladder. Or think you have an intruder/animal in your house and need them to come and take a look in the middle of the night. And know that they won't take this as an invitation for something else.

A friendly bone-crushing hug when your world is crashing. Or at least you think so.

Someone who will go to Luby's with you even though they hate it but you love it.

Asking your boys to please shave because you need to give them kisses. And them complying.

Or calling your Mom everyday to see what she ate that day. And sharing recipes that neither one of us will ever cook.

I remember many years ago, I would save pennies, clip coupons (God I miss those triple coupon days!)... and buy a lipstick for 1.09 cents. Or an exciting shade of nail polish. I would plan it for months, drool over them and pontificate whether red or pink was the way to go. Change my mind over and over again. And then finally, when I had enough money to buy it, go to the store like an excited little kid who has the first snow cone of the summer. For the record, I went for a blue polish. But I digress...

Today, I can easily drop 20-30 dollars for a nail polish or a lipstick. If I want to. But the thrill is totally gone. It doesn't matter now.

What matters is not being able to hug your son when his 26 year old friend dies. Or be able to hold his hand and wipe his tears.

What matters is love and friendship. A smile, a hug, someone who will hold your hand and someone who will smack your butt during exercising and say, "get your butt moving girl!"

Only simple things matter. The rest? Eh...

What things matter to you?

New Lens!

About an year ago, I entered my first juried show. The theme was Flower Power. I absolutely love taking photos of flowers. Flowers are my favorite subjects. I worked very hard and took tons of very strong pieces. I thought I would get into the show.

But I did not. The rejection was brutal and what made it worse was that some of the photos that were selected were not that great. Let's just say cows in a field. Anyways. I moved on and got over it.

What does this have to do with buying a new lens you ask? Absolutely nothing. Nada. Just want you to know that I am planning on taking a ton of flower photos and publishing them on my blog. So please be kind cause I am needy.

So what did I get? Nikkor AF-S Micro 85 mm f/3.5 ED VR. Yeah baby!

I am off to shoot some photos. You guys have some fun this saturday and keep me posted!