3/19 I'm done

The day started out sad but ended up great. I went to my empty house and put the trash at the curb. Then I went to work, talked to my boss via phone, and turned in my computer equipment and phone. Sad.

Following that I went to a board meeting where the Interfaith Disaster Task Force gave me a gorgeous pottery bowl, made from Mississippi mud. It is fantastic, and I will always cherish it. I promised not to use it for popcorn. :) It came from the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum and was made by a local artist.

Then I went back to my house to put the trash can back near the house and saw that the painters had been really busy already. It's like it's not even my house anymore.

I joined the casemanagers and some other staff at High Cotton for lunch. It was a really nice celebration, and they gave me a lovely piece that has two pictures of the staff on it, and an Irish blessing. I will cherish this as well.

So now I'm back at Caroline's doing laundry and starting to pack up for my trip tomorrow. I'm looking forward to picking up my dogs since I haven't seen them since Saturday.

Oh, I almost forgot. Last night was crazy fun. Our card-playing group met for the last time (with me in it). After we played for a few hours they brought out this HUGE wrapped box. When I opened it, I noticed there were many smaller presents inside. Genia explained the significance of each gift--most of which were hilarious. The one that made me cry is a gorgeous calendar with pictures of Biloxi's Gulf Coast. They also gave me Biloxi t-shirts--one has three drunk frogs on it and it says "Toadally Wasted." Funny. I also got a round pillow that says World Poker Tour on it. Made me laugh, but I'll use it. I got a beautiful glass frog wind chime. And a CD with some memorable pictures on it. Genia also knitted a lovely scarf for me so I can ward off the northern cold. One of my favotie gifts is a placemat with three Care Bears on it. Each one bears a name--Caroline, Genia, and Lorena--and it says Best Friends. I'm going to frame it and hang it up.

What a great group of friends I have. I'm such a lucky bug.

3/17 Happy St. Pat's Day

Yesterday was a significant day in many ways. First, my dad would have been 83 years old. Second, Quincy turned 13 months old and Cookie turned 19 months old. Third, my friends gave me a wonderful party. Caroline hosted it but Lorena and Genia worked so hard too. The food was fantastic, and although the turnout was small, it was perfect. The people I wanted to be here were here.

I slept well last night at Caroline's. She has a marvelous guest room, and it's amazing how well you can sleep when you ahve a good mattress. Guess I have to finally get a new one once I get settled in Quincy.

I ate so much yesterday at the bbq, but we have so much food left that Caroline and I will eat hamburgers (and veggie burgers) again tonight. Yum, yum, yum.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning and got to my house before 7. The packers got there at 8:30 so I had plenty of time to finish up the few things I had left to do. Paula, my realtor and friend, came by at 10 and I signed some papers. There's now a lockbox on my house too.

The movers finished packing at 2, and they will return tomorrow around 8:30 or 9 to load up the truck. I still don't know when they'll deliver in Quincy, but the driver should be able to tell me tomorrow.

This is really happening. My house is a blur of boxes, and no longer seems like my home. It felt good to get it done though, and to get back to Caroline's. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with her cats until she got home from work. Caroline is getting her taxes prepared right now, so I'm taking the opportunity to update my blog. More tomorrow.

3/15 Lots of work

Am getting things done in order for the movers to come on Monday. Caroline came and helped me for a while.

Took the pups to the kennel this morning. It made me sad to realize that last night was indeed the last night they would stay here in the only home they've known. I'll just hope that dogs are as adaptable as children are.

Tomorrow is my going away party, so I have lots to do in the morning before the barbecue at 3.

Am tired and will relax now, and finish up tomorrow.

3/10 What a day!!!!!

We all got up early and began our journey at Waffle House--a real treat for Cindy and Eric since they'd never been to one before. Then we drove west on Beach Boulevard, all the way to New Orleans. What a jaunt!

In N.O. we went to one of the above ground cemeteries and also went to Musicians' Row, a rebuild project spearheaded by Harry Connick, Jr.

On the way home we stopped at High Cotton Grill for a very late lunch. By the time we got back to my house it was almost time for Lorena, Genia, and Caroline to come over. We played cards for a few hours. It was a good time. And after they left, Jan, Cindy, Eric and I played euchre. It had been a long time since I'd played, but it came back to me pretty quickly.

And one of the best parts of my day was getting my car detailed. No dog hair, at least for a few days.

Tomorrow we're driving to Mobile and will take the car ferry over Mobile Bay and drive to Pensacola, Florida. Lots of beauty on the way.

The most important thing is that Eric is having a great time. And he's taken some wonderful pictures.

Oh, I almost forgot--Genia knows Eric's girlfriend. She went to high school with Genia's daughter. Un-freaking-believable.

More fun tomorrow.

3/8 Preparing

Last night Caroline called and said she and Genia were on their way to the Ruby Tuesday's near my house and why didn't I join them. Why not indeed. I threw away my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and said good-bye to the pups. Because I'd taken a few bites of my sandwich I wasn't extremely hungry, so I got the salad bar and a margarita. Yum on both.

Got home and vegged, knowing that the weekend would involve lots of cleaning. This morning I took the dogs to the kennel because I'd planned on shampooing the carpet. However--the only grocery store near me (where one usually rents carpet shampooers) is Walmart and they don't rent them. Yikes. So I'm doing the few "baddest" parts with my spot cleaner, and my carpet looks like it has some disease that causes spots.

I hated to spend money on it anyway, because all the carpet is going to get torn up very soon when the new stuff is installed. Ah well...at least it's only mud and not yucky stuff.

Genia and Caroline are coming over tonight to play cards. I wanted them here instead of going to their houses because that way I can work longer. Yeah, I know I'm not working now...quit being such a smartaleck.

Okay, back to the lovely carpet. (Do you recognize sarcasm when you hear it?)

One day until my family arrives. Nine days until the movers arrive. Things are happening.

3/6 A few changes

First of all I changed my last day at work. It's now Wednesday 3/19 instead of Thursday. I want to leave Thursday morning when I pick up the pups at the kennel and just head on out.

And Genia might be riding with me. She's from Belleville and the dogs love her, so she is strongly considering going with me. It would be such a big help with the dogs, and my stress level will go down about 80%. Hope it works out.

Caroline called and she's having a goodbye barbecue for me on the 16th. I'm looking forward to it, providing my house is ready for the movers. They come the next morning, so I'll have to have everything ready so I can enjoy the party.

2/25 Some things are done

Well, I'm having the movers pack me. The price was right. They're packing on the 17th and loading on the 18th. I'll stay at my friend Caroline's house from the 17th until the 20th. Then the puppies and I will take off.

Elliptical guy has to return during the first week of March to install a new motor.

Paint guy didn't work out. Have to find another one.

Realtor was awesome, but I knew that. She's the one I used when I bought this house.

Floor guy will be here at 5:30 and friends will be here at 7 to play cards. Two of them have to work tomorrow night so we switched our card playing to tonight.

Guess that's it for now. Lots to do. Have to file a homestead exemption. Forgot to do that. It will help the next owner on their taxes.

Then there's my actual job. :) Guess I have to keep working.

Something cool happened though. I got interviewed last week by the local TV station--I think I wrote about that. Well, the reason I got interviewed is because I asked a question of the main speaker at another conference last week, and I invited him to a conference this weekMississippi Gulf Coast. Well, the bigwig is actually going to show up. Chutzpah pays sometimes.

2/18 Home again

Yesterday it rained most of the day. The wind blew and we had tornado watches all day until 8 PM. But we had a short period of time when it was nice, so we walked along the beach and picked up shells for Genia.

The rest of the day we played cards, read, slept, and ate. All in all a perfect day. Yeah. I needed relaxation, and yesterday filled the bill.

We left Florida around 9 AM because I wanted to be at work by noon or so.

It was a near-perfect weekend. I'm so grateful to Caroline and her aunt. What a beautiful home, and Aunt Webbie is a beautiful lady.

But I'm glad to be home, with doggies all over me. It feels good.

Pictures later.

2/17 Having fun and I won

First of all, for those who couldn't get to the video--it aged out. Just go to wlox.com and do a site search on Krystal Allan. The video I'm in does show on the list. It's the one with the name Donald Powell in it.

Yesterday was a really good day. After a nice relaxing breakfast, and a few moments of enjoying the surf breaking outside the windows, we took off. Genia, Caroline and I went to Niceville where Caroline used to live. We saw the condo she still owns, plus her previous homes--all lovely. We met up with her friend, BJ, and got haircuts. (She's a retired hair stylist.) Went to lunch at Camille's at Destin. It was a quaint little spot with great sandwiches. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Afterwards, BJ had to leave, and the three of us drove to Grayton. It's a beach village with trendy little shops. Bought a few cards and that was it. As we were walking back to the car we heard some awesome bluegrass music coming from a bar. We peeked in, and it was a live band, so we sat for a few minutes and listened to their last two songs.

Driving home we stopped at a fish market to get red snapper for everyone's (but me) dinner. The parking was weird and Caroline got the car stuck on a median. So I "unstuck" us while they bought the fish. We do have pictures of both driving incidents. I just don't have the connector with me to get the pictures on my computer. Will upload them when I get home. Pretty funny! Poor Caroline.

We had a marvelous meal, and Aunt Webbie loved it too. Pan seared red snapper, baked potatoes, salad and garlic bread. Yum. Tonight they are having steak on the grill. I'm making grill potatoes and asparagus. Yum again.

Last night we played cards again, of course. I did indeed whup Genia's butt. I won at both spades and Spite and Malice. The first night was Genia's, last night was mine, so tonight must be Caroline's turn.

Right now Caroline is sitting on the deck, alternately reading and watching the surf. I'm in the living room doing this, and watching the surf. Genia is upstairs in our bedroom, reading and watching the surf. Aunt Webbie is working on Sudoku--which I'll do when I'm done here.

As you can tell, we decided today was going to be total relaxation. No "have to's." Just enjoy the beautiful ambience of Navarre Beach and our lovely temporary home. Tomorrow it's back to reality, and I don't really want to go there. Sigh.

2/16 Florida notes

Arrived yesterday afternoon to Navarre Beach, where Caroline's aunt lives. Before going to her home, we stopped to eat at Sailors' Grill. Unfortunately the driver of our vehicle turned too quickly, and instead of going into the parking lot, drove into the sand. Even though it was an SUV we couldn't get out of the sand, and in fact kept digging in deeper. We decided to leave the car there and see if someone in the restaurant could help us.

We ordered our food and drinks, and noticed a handsome man sitting at the table next to us. One of us asked him if he could help. He said yes right away. Caroline and I went outside with him, and two young men stopped by just as we were trying to decide how his truck should pull us out. They helped the other guy (retired Air Force guy named Bob), and in just a few moments we were on solid ground. We were extremely grateful that it was so easily done, and we promised ourselves we'd be a lot more careful in the future.

We then arrived at Aunt Webbie's, and I was (and still am) flabbergasted at the beauty of her home. First of all it's right on the beach and it's absolutely gorgeous. Aunt Webbie is 94 so she stays on the first floor in a really nice bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Upstairs is the real master bedroom, but they turned it into a dorm for all the visitors they get. So Genia, Caroline, and I are sleeping in twin beds in the master bedroom. It's got a HUGE deck overlooking the Gulf, and the biggest bathroom I've ever seen. Can't even begin to describe it, but it is ultra cool. There's another bedroom upstairs with two double beds in it, and another private bathroom.

Everything is tastefully decorated with a definite beach theme throughout. Aunt Webbie is delightful and so bright and "with it." A lot of fun, and very gracious. We all had cocktails together, and after she went to bed the three of us played spades. Genia won every game. (I hate her. Hate her.)

Tomorrow I'll post about today and another driving faux pas. Hilarious. And later tonight, I'm going to whup Genia's butt in spades. My turn to win. Yes, it is.

2/10 A near-perfect day

Yesterday was wonderful. It started with a relaxed morning playing with my dogs. Then I took them to the kennel to stay overnight. I wanted to spend the day doing things with my friends and I knew I wouldn't be home until late. It was cool, and my guilt was relieved, when we got there. Two of Q and C's playmates were there and were spending the night too. Maya is a beautiful Weimereiner, and I forgot the other one's name but she's a combination of a yellow lab and a pit bull. She's quite lovely and very friendly. So the four "girls" were going to have a slumber party.

So that freed me up to have a day out with friends. Caroline and I went to the driving range and it was great. It had been a while since I had my golf clubs out. It felt good to be doing it, and I look forward to playing golf with her.

Then she and I met up with Lorena and Rosemary at the Vietnamese Seven Martyrs Catholic Church for a Vietnamese festival, celebrating their new year. Oh my, we ate so much food. I had a vegetarian soup with noodles and vegetables. These huge piles of vegetables came on the side and I added them bit by bit and savored every morsel. The others were able to share their dishes and seemed to enjoy everything. Rosemary then ordered three desserts that we all sampled. Interesting and very different. Fried bananas (yum), a sesame seed encrusted bean paste (very good), and a pudding-like substance with four different kind of potatoes in it (I didn't like this one).

Also there--a sight to behold. A Vietnamese priest sang. He got up with a microphone and really got into. Found out afterward that he was selling his CDs there as well. Wonder if he was a performer prior to entering the priesthood, or if he still did this. The pictures on the CDs didn't show him in his Roman collar.

It was such a beautiful day that we didn't want to go home yet, so we went to the Hard Rock Cafe to sit outside and have coffee. Oh my, it was absolutely lovely.

Okay, have to get ready for church, so I'll finish this post when I return.

2/8 Another miracle

I was gone for five hours tonight and I'd left Cookie out of the crate again. Once more the dogs were perfect. I'm so grateful. Guess they behave better when I'm not here. Kind of like when my kids were little.

Played cards with Genia, Caroline, Lorena, and Rosemary at Genia's house. We certainly laughed a lot, which is exactly what I needed.

One of the funny things (and you probably had to be there to appreciate it): Genia is ALWAYS saying completely random things. While playing cards she looked at one of the cards on the table (it was a jack) and said, "I've never known a guy named Jack, and I think I need to meet one." She then issued a challenge, but started by saying, "Don't say no; it's a waste of time. You know I'll eventually convince you to do it."

So here are her rules:

1. This has to happen after dark.
2. Most of us have to be there.
3. We have to be drinking.
4. We must go up to a guy and ask, "What's your name?"
5. If he says his name is Jack we must immediately say, "Want to buy me a drink?"
6. Only then can we explain the contest.
7. First one to find a Jack and ask for a drink wins.

What does she win? Oh, there's no prize.

Yeah, that's our Genia.

2/5 Mardi Gras and I was scared

No, I wasn't scared of Mardi Gras. But, until today, 5 1/2 hours was the longest I'd left the dogs in the house alone. Today it turned out to be more than 7 1/2 hours, so yes, I was scared. Plus, I'd left Cookie out of the crate because I don't like to leave her caged up for that long.

So I said a prayer as I opened my bedroom door. And guess what--they were nearly perfect. Certainly no bathroom accidents. And was I ever pleasantly surprised! The only thing they did wrong was take a few things out of my bathroom wastebasket. And one of them (I'm sure it was Cookie) chewed on the toilet paper.

It was a perfect ending to a super day.

Mardi Gras was a riot. Five of us (me, Genia, Caroline, Lorena, and ) met up with Angie and Paisley on the parade route. We got there very early and had lunch. Then we sat and people watched. What a hoot.

This was my first Mardi Gras parade and I loved it. I had so many bead necklaces on that I almost lost my balance. Really. And when I tried to take them off I couldn't do it. Laughed so hard that it made the task impossible. Lorena finally helped me and it felt great to get those beads off. But I was still laughing.

Now I'm home and am going to do my last night of wallowing. Will post parade pictures when I get them from Genia.

Gosh, I love my dogs. They were such a surprise!

2/5 Fat Tuesday

It's odd to be off work today. But because Mardi Gras is such a big deal down here, the employees voted to have this day as a holiday and forgo Memorial Day. It felt weird to work Memorial Day. But the payoff happens today, so it all evens out.

Last night I went to see The Bucket List with Caroline and Genia. It was hilarious and touching. Just loved it.

In an hour or so I'm leaving for the Mardi Gras parade. We're all meeting at Genia's and car pooling because parking is at a premium. Will report later.

2/4 Work is good for the soul, and the psyche

I feel much better today. Working is a great medicine.

Pampered Pets is closed today so the pups were home this morning, but this afternoon I brought Quincy with me to the office. She's a lot more antsy than Cookie was. Drove by the vet's to get some meds and weighed Quincy. She's only gained 2 pounds since Rob was here at the end of November--she's 78 1/2. I sure thought she'd be more than 80 by now. But what was funny is that she's 20 pounds heavier since the last time I brought her to the vet's.

Just gave her an almost empty jar of peanut butter. That should keep her busy for a little while.

Tomorrow is the last day of Mardi Gras. Am going with friends to the Biloxi parade. We're having a picnic so I get to use a really cool little cheese board set that I got from Jim and Karen at Christmas. I'm taking cheese, crackers, and beer. Genia's taking wine, chicken salad and something else. Others will fill in the blanks with chips, bread, and other items. Should be a fun day. I just hope Doggy Day Care is open so I don't have to worry about going home to let the dogs out. Everything is closed here on Fat Tuesday.

Not this weekend but the following one, I'm going on a road trip to Florida with Genia and Caroline. I absolutely can't wait--a totally relaxing weekend with no responsibilities except to have fun and relax. Yay.

2/3 Blah....

Today I slept, watched movies, slept, played with my dogs, and slept. I'm awake now to watch the Super Bowl. A very blah day.

Last night was fun though. It was just Genia, Caroline, and I at Caroline's house but we laughed so hard we all three cried. That's what I call a good laugh.

Back to work tomorrow.

2/2 Groundhog Day

On my brother Joe's blog people are posting quotes from this movie. We have many cult favorites in our family--the most notable one being Tombstone. But I'm watching Groundhog Day right now and laughing--at the same old stuff. :)

Today I had lunch with Caroline and tonight we'll play cards at her house.

But other than these items, I'm feeling depressed. There it is.

Like I said yesterday, I've definitely decided to stop being depressed and only look forward as of Ash Wednesday. Will it work? I sure hope so. It has in the past; but it's been a long time since I've been depressed like this. 1992 to be exact. It worked then....

2/1 Can you believe it's February?

I sure can't.

It's Mardi Gras season here but I haven't felt much like celebrating. But Fat Tuesday I'm going to a parade with Genia and Caroline. We're going to do some drinking and dancing, and I said I'll threaten the floats, "If you don't throw me some beads I'm going to show you my ----." I think that threat definitely ought to work.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and in the high 60s. Instead of going to a parade, I'm going to work on my taxes and maybe have lunch with Caroline. There's a new restaurant nearby that is my favorite--High Cotton. I love their fried green tomatoes.

Then tomorrow night some of us are getting together for games, so it should be a good weekend.

I decided I'm going to begin serious job searching and serious "thinking about selling my house" on Ash Wednesday. Seemed appropriate.

12/16 Christmas presents

Just returned from Caroline's. It was fun, and I made out like a bandit.

Genia me a beautiful blue silk scarf. Can't wait to wear it--it's gorgeous.

Cyndi gave me the cutest stone coasters--they have Texas Hold'Em and cards on them. Love them.

Caroline put together a bag of goodies--what a nice surprise. Bones for my dogs, candy, a Christmas kitchen towel, two decks of cards, a huge cookie, some chilli sauce, a magnetic shopping list, Santa earrings, and a "casino collection" which included six hors d'ouerves picks and a holder for them.

What a fun evening!