You ain't nothing but a hound dog....

Elvis is alive (she says with a "Frankenstein"-esque accent)! Alive!

Don't believe me???

I have proof....well, sort of!

So, in the midst of the obscenely crazy month of June, Hubby came home and said we were invited to go see Elvis in concert.

On stage.....

My first response was obvious: "Uh, Elvis is dead."




Hubby: "No, no, no. Ron and his wife, Gina invited us to go see him at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens Concert in the Gardens Series."




Me: "Uh, Elvis is dead."




Hubby: "Duh, it's an Impersonator!"




So, at this point, I'm thinking...."WHATEVER." I'm not going to some Las Vegas-Cheesy-Elvis -Impersonator-Crap-Show. But, because I'm a supportive wife and the folks who invited us are business clients, and the other couple attending are good friends, I put on my Elvis shades, packed a picnic dinner (with an extra bottle of wine in case it was lame) and pretended to be excited.




We arrived at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, found our table (which was very close to the stage), set up our picnics, popped the cork on some wine and hunkered down, waiting for the hunk-a-hunka-burning Impersonator.




Turns out he was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Elvis died when I was 4, so I have no point of reference to the original, but my Mom was a fan and listened to his music a lot. This guy did a fantastic job. His voice, his moves and his costume were all spot on! I've been shaking my hips ever since the show!!

Elvis, Kim and David Starr (#11 Craftsman Truck Series Driver)

The Mr., me, Elvis, Kim, David and our hosts: Gina and Ron meeting The King after the show!

Summer time and the living's.....CRAZY!!

OMG! June was a very, very busy month. As most of you know I spent the first part of the month in Austin going through Nanny's house preparing it to be sold after her passing. I'm still a little freaked out that you can live 90 years and the majority of your memories end up in a black garbage bag or donated to charity!

While that was a very difficult experience, I also had some fun, fun, fun! While in Austin, I met an old friend for a night of a million laughs! We actually reconnected on Face Book. I was a little nervous meeting him because it's been almost 20 years. Would he still have his mullett? Would he recognize me without my over-teased, over-sprayed Bon Jovi hairdo? As soon as he walked through the door to the cafe's patio area I recognized him! Jeff B....with no mullett!

Me and Jeff

He looks exactly the same and hasn't lost any of his jovial, silly, fun personality! We had such a good time with his wife, my cousin, great food, lots of beers and too many old memories to count!

Jeff and his lovely wife, Brooke!

Thanks for a fantastic evening, Jeff and Brooke! I really needed it after all the trauma of Nanny's passing! You guys are a great couple and we definitely need to do it again.....this time you need to visit me in Ft. Worthiness!

So, for my next post....I'll tell you all about my night with ELVIS!

Best news, ever!

We had a monumental day at our company today. I say "we" but really it's the Big Boss Man that put together an amazing deal that's going to keep our little company alive and kickin' for many, many years to come. And today it was approved!!!! You have no idea how much pressure this alleviates from my shoulders....from our shoulders!!

A lot of my dear friends read this blog, so I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone that has listened to me bitch and moan about the state of our company over the last few months. You guys give me sanity, love and support when I need it the most!

A trip down memory lane....

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing a regular commenter on this blog....she also happens to be someone I went to 8th and 9th grade with many, many, many (OK, I'm dating myself here) years ago. We met for lunch while she was on a lay-over at DFW airport on her way to Cabo (jealous) for a weekend.

After not seeing each other for 23 years, we had a lot to chat about....kids, careers, husbands, divorces, etc. We of course did this chatting over Bloody Mary's that we snuck into the restaurant. You can take the girl out of the high school, but you can't take the high school out of the girl!

Happy Birthday, Bud!

Remember Rudy Huxtable on the Cosby Show? One of my favorite lines of hers was when she said her friends name, "Buuuud." That's what runs through my head when I think of my friend Bud.

Last weekend we celebrated his 40th birthday at Bob's Steak & Chop House. I had never eaten there before, and let me just say, for the record, my steak was one of the best pieces of meat I've ever had in my mouth (ha! ha!)!!

Before dinner we enjoyed cocktails at the fireside bar on the uber-plush leather sofas. Here's Bud using a torch to light up the obligatory birthday cigar:

Ahhh, success! Notice Bud even wore his "grill" to dinner!

The 4 of us at cocktail hour!

Before sat down to eat our beautiful meal and were joined by some of Bud and Amy's neighbors Tony and Rosaria. Aren't we a gorgeous group??

About halfway through the meal, Amy noticed that Jason Garrett*, the Dallas Cowboy's Offensive Coordinator was sitting at the table right behind us. She is a huge fan, so Eric insisted on snapping this picture of them. Doesn't look like he minds a pretty fan interrupting his dinner one bit!

We had a great time celebrating your birthday, Bud! Thanks for including us in your special day and for being a great friend!

*And then there is Jason, who grew up to play for the Cowboys and returned this season as offensive coordinator. At 41, he's the red-headed, freckle-faced wunderkind whom network television cameras lovingly dote upon along the sideline. There is Jason mouthing plays into a headset, talking on the bench with Tony Romo or patting Terrell Owens on the shoulder after yet another touchdown.

Despite having coached only three years, Jason appears destined to be the first in the family to ascend to the pinnacle – head coach in the NFL.

Fox analyst Troy Aikman practically guaranteed Sunday to a national audience that it would happen before the start of next season. CBS analyst Phil Simms, who will work today's Cowboys-New York Jets game at Texas Stadium, was already filing away Jason Garrett stories last week. - source: Wikipedia

Happy Blog-iversary, House of Jules!

To the blog that inspired mine, I would like to give a "special shout out" to celebrate a milestone: House of Jules turns 1 today!

Read the blog-iversary post here.

House of Jules, we've been friends for 23+ years (and you still put up with me)! You're not only an amazing person with a steel-trap memory, humor to spare and a heart of gold, but you're also the classiest, sassiest broad I know! I cherish our friendship, our memories, our laughs, our dirty talk, our silliness, our no-holds-barred commentary, but most of all.....I cherish you!

Here's to many, many more years of good bloggin'....

Doesn't happen often.....

I've been married for 10 years. In that time, my husband and I have made many friends. Some are still in our lives and other have moved on (or we have). It's a very rare thing, as any married person will tell you, to find friendships with couples that you BOTH like. Normally, I'll invite some new folks to the house because I've hit it off with the wife, but Eric won't be thrilled with them for whatever reason. He's a little harder to please than I am sometimes!

About a year ago, we met a great couple (A and B) with similar life circumstances. We've been hanging out a lot recently and have so much in common and we genuinely enjoy spending time with them. It's the first time in a very long time that's happened!

Thanks A and B for being the great people you are! We look forward to many more fireside chats in the future!

U2 3D

My friend had a very blonde moment today that I had to share:

I asked her if she wanted to go see U2 3D with me this weekend and possibly enjoy some dinner and drinks afterwards. She kind of paused and said, "How much does it cost?" I replied, "I don't know. Whatever movies go for these days. $9.00?"

She started laughing....."I thought you meant they were in town and we'd go see them in concert." To which I promptly replied, "Ah, if Bono and the crew were in town for a show, I'd be waaaaaay more enthusiastic about it!"

Then, trying to quickly change the subject so I wouldn't focus in on her faux paux, she asked me, "Hey! You want to go see Chong (of Cheech and Chong) on March 7th?"

Maybe she's had too much Chong!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, here it is again. That wonderful day of the year that gives us the opportunity to measure how much we are loved by the size gift we receive. In year's past, I really bought in to the whole Valentine's Day thing. I wanted the usual gifts.....flowers (but not red roses because they were too un-original), candy, a sexy lace nightie and a huge seduction scene where Sade is playing in the background and my partner and I are dancing around the candle-lit bedroom over a sea of rose petals before we fall into our luxurious bed and make mad, passionate love.
Isn't that what everyone does on Valentine's Day?

Fantasy almost never mirrors reality (unless we're really, really lucky). I've learned to accept that my seduction scene isn't going to happen (it only took me 12 years to catch on to that) and that I need to appreiate those red roses, no matter how un-original they are. I am loved and that is what we all really want to be on Valentine's Day!

For those of you who aren't in a relationship, take note: the grass may look greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed, too!

To my friends.....
When I need a friend, you are here with me. When I need help, you are here with me. When I need someone who cares, You are here with me. When I need someone to love me for who I am, you also are here with me. That is true love!

And now for some of my favorite love quotes:

Where there is love, there is life.
-Mahatma Gandhi

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip.
-Jonathan Carroll

It's not the men in my life that count -- it's the life in my men.
-Mae West (1892-1980)

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
-William Shakespeare, Mid-Summer Night's Dream, 1595

The course of true love never did run smooth.
-William Shakespeare

And THE BEST LOVE POEM EVER
i like my body when it is with your body by e e cummings

i like my body when it is with your
body.
It is so quite a new thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows.
i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss,
i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur,
and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh . . . .
And eyes big Love-crumbs,
and possibly i like the thrill
of under me you quite so new

Whew.....!! Now that's HOT!

YOU ARE LOVED! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

UPDATE: The flowers I received did not contain one red rose! Yeah!!

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm!

You know when you're having a down day and you get an unexpected phone call from someone you haven't talked to in a while, and didn't realize how much you wanted to talk to them until they called? It's a great high! Especially when that someone really brightens up your day with their kind disposition, positivity and encouraging words!


Ahhhhhhh.....much better now!