Now I really did it :((

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, I am glad you made your decision and resigned. You are very nice to agree to work a little bit longer but like you said; if it gets too stressful or unpleasant you can just say “bye”. The conditions they were expecting you and your patients to deal with are less than ideal. I hate to hear the medical director treated you that way and how disappointing he wasn’t going to try and improve conditions for the other clinicians and patients. Doesn’t speak well of him.
Our company donated all the breakfast food to our local Comea Shelter (it’s a shelter for battered women and their children) which was very much appreciated. The Thunderbirds took off to their next show today. They come here every summer so I’ll see them again.

Hi CJ, Sharon

Austina, that show isn’t ringing a bell with me. Tell me more about it please. Marty does have a corporate credit card but we pay the bill so if we don’t have his reimbursements yet we pay it with our money. I have no idea what would happen if I don’t pay the amount due by the due date; I’d hate to find out so I just pay it. We did get one payment today. The others are still waiting for his boss to approve. Grr. Some of this stuff was from over a month ago. I definitely wouldn’t go back to that car park if the parking was horrid.

Junebug, that’s good news you are accepting an offer on your mom’s house. That will be a big step towards settling the estate. I know you still have many things to do but as you said work on it one day at a time. It’s quite a roller coaster getting through everything but once my parents estate was settled it hit me pretty hard. I guess it was the finality of it set in. Too funny your DH suggested you get larger studs. Did you buy them from somewhere that has upgrades? Do you like having shorter hair? I think about cutting my shorter so I can see my earrings but I keep it at about shoulder length.

Scandi, the food pic looks great but since i love fruit my thoughts immediately went to those oranges look like they are fresh off an orange tree. They look delicious.

Thanks for the well wishes for Marty’s shoulder. He got his X-ray today.

I guess his sister’s son is coming to stay with us next Thursday through Saturday. He’s 18 I think. Marty will take him to the gym and making hiking one day. I took off Friday that week but only because that is the day they are going to take care of the recall on my car.

The retirement home by us asked me if I could give a talk to their residents on the solar eclipse. I will just tweak the program I gave to my club last week.

Have a fabulous evening.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!
I made my appointment for the recall on my Porsche so I'll get it fixed next Friday. Good excuse to go shopping in Colorado that day.

I guess Marty's sister's son is coming here next Thursday through Saturday. He lives in Seattle but is in Denver visiting his mom. Marty plans on taking him to his gym and they can go hiking. The kid is a typical teenage couch potato though so we'll see how that works out.

Tomorrow is Friday. Sweet.
Curby

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! As Marcy said it is Friday and that is sweet!

Junie, woohoo!!! Congrats on the super quick sale! I am so happy for you!!! Hoping the process continues to go smoothly and once this is completed I bet you will feel not only a sense of relief but that a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders. And LOVE LOVE LOVE short hair and having met you IRL I know how beautiful you are on the inside and out and that short hair would be terrific on you! Cannot wait to see your new do!

And you have the best dh ever to notice that you now need larger diamond studs. Hahaha I love Ed he is the best. Tell him the NIRDIs all agree.

I know you are right that at the end of the day what the admin at work thinks about me leaving doesn't matter and that this has been a long time in coming. I didn't make this decision rashly...haha rashly LOL I cannot help myself. Yesterday at work everything went smoothly. I have a lot to start clearing out before I leave. 16 years and I have accumulated a lot of stuff. Not sure how I will do it as I have heavy textbooks there (lol yes textbooks as 16 years ago that is what I often used vs now where we have the internet and the latest research and findings are right at our fingertips). I didn't start doing anything yet as I wasn't feeling up to it this week. Maybe I will start next week or I will just have Greg take me with the car and load it up one day. Traffic there is crazy so perhaps that is not the best idea. Or perhaps I should just leave it since I don't think I will have use it again and it is all out of date by now. I have trouble letting possessions go but that might be the right call here.

Marcy, glad you are taking care of the Porsche recall sooner vs later. Sorry you have to take a day off work to do it but hey it's a day off work and you get to enjoy shopping in Colorado-so not too bad right? That's nice Marty's sister's son is staying with you next weekend for a few days and it sounds like it will be a fun visit. I love hiking.

Sorry it didn't work out this year with the Thunderbirds show but there's next year and hopefully the weather will cooperate next year. That is so nice you are giving a talk on the Solar Eclipse to the retirement home and it's sweet you already have the talk pretty much ready to go from the other week's program. Nice to be able to use that hard work for more people to learn and enjoy that info. Nice! I forgot to tell you we are invited to my dh's friends Solar Eclipse party in August. He and his wife live in SC and they visited us last year.



I think I told you about them last year since his friend shares a keen interest in Astronomy just like you and Marty do.

Thanks for your support and encouragement about leaving work. The medical director was there yesterday and he came into my office and gave me a big hug and said he will miss me and if there is ever anything he can do for me yada yada yada. So I am glad he has gotten over his initial disappointment and hurt/anger. I totally forgive him for raising his voice on Wednesday when I told him I am leaving just because we are all human and he was hoping I would wait a bit longer till he could see what more he could do. I absolutely understand and I am just glad he seems recovered from that initial reaction. Plus the fact that I am staying for another 4 weeks as he requested shows I want to make the transition go as smoothly as possible. I know my patients will be taken care of and I will probably miss them more than they will miss me.

Thinking good thoughts for Marty's shoulder and Xray results to be A-OK. Please let us know. And hoping he gets fully reimbursed for all his travel very soon.

Austina sorry the new car park doesn't have good access and that isn't a good place to bring Dottie because of that. Thank you for all your good wishes and encouragement. I appreciate that. Work went well yesterday and the Medical Director did a 180 in his attitude (see my reply to Marcy) so we are good.

Scandi, just 3 more days woohoo! Cannot wait for our adventure. Hope our hubbies are up for it LOL and of course I want the kids to enjoy their visit. I think they will love that Broadway show. Fingers crossed. Hope you are continuing to have a terrific time and see you soon! And as for "fake" smiling you have the wrong girl. I cannot fake anything let alone my feelings but I wish I could believe me. Life would be easier in many ways if I didn't wear my emotions on my sleeve...and face.

Sharon I am doing OK thanks for the encouragement. I am hanging in there and then some. One good thing about me is I never identified who I am with what I do for a living if that makes sense. My identity is not tied to my occupation as it is for some people so I think I will be OK though yes it will be quite the adjustment. But less than an adjustment than it would have been if I was working full time. I haven't worked full time for a good number of years so the change won't be too great. Fingers crossed it is a good change for me. Of course I woke up at 3AM feeling I made a mistake. LOL it wouldn't be me if I didn't think that.

How are you? How is your summer going? Any USA trips planned? Anything near NYC? I hope somehow one day we can meet IRL so I can give you a big hug. If that's OK I mean. I know some people aren't huggers. You might have guessed I am a hugger. But only for people I care about. I am a discriminating hugger.

CJ I hope you find a good PT very soon and that you recover completely from whatever you are dealing with and I am sorry you are going through a challenging time.

Dee if you're reading I hope your Xmas in July party is a blast tonight! Have fun and enjoy! We are with you in spirit.


Have a great day girls! Oh and I am going to share a fun photo with you...




It's almost the weekend woohoo!

 

[CJ2008]

@missy This is all harder because you actually love what you do, and you really care about your patients. You didn't want to leave. So yeah, you will have ups and downs and mixed emotions.

But I just know something better is going to come out of this.

In the meantime, we're here to help you through the ups and downs. Hugs.

And excited that @Scandinavian is almost there! Glad you're enjoying your trip so far and Loving the pictures, and can't wait to see ones of you and missy together.

(and did you see? I think we have gotten back all our smileys and some new ones love this one ) (Although there are *still* some emotions that aren't properly represented. Like a muah I don't quite feel it with this one and a hug.) But anyway, glad we got them back. ETA: Hey! the smiley with the laughing face and horns on top doesn't work. It's the same old laughing smiley. Oh well.

@marcy I hope Marty starts getting some clients soon. It takes time. I hope there is nothing wrong with his shoulder it's always scary when your body starts acting up and you think it might keep you from doing something you like (or need) to do. I am the same way about change unless it's a change I want of course. But I always feel a sense of loss when the way I'm used to something working changes. Hope that bad dream hasn't come back.

@PierreBear I'm working on it, it's been a bit up and down. Hope you're able to do the race in November how many miles and is it your first endurance race or do you do these all the time. And, my heart sank for you when I saw that you said you had another houseguest I kid you not. But then I saw you were joking.

@junebug17 bigger studs! yay. And how nice that your DH brought it up. (did you get a haircut just to make the current ones look smaller?) And yay also on getting an offer on the house! I know it's still a lot of work and you're just plugging along but just glad to hear things are headed in the right direction. And thanks for your kind words about the PT.

Hi @Austina sorry the new park for Dottie didn't work out. ETA I saw a dog yesterday when I went somewhere that reminded me so much of Dottie. Same coloring, same everything (I felt bad for him though both his eyes were cloudy. So he was probably older than he looked).

Well anyway girls it's Friday!

Have a wonderful day everyone.

 

[rainwood]

Junie, just popped in to say congratulations on the pending sale of the house. That will be a relief when it's done!! And also congrats on your new 'do and your DH thinking you need bigger diamond studs. That man is a keeper!!

Hi, all!!!!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies.

We dropped Dottie off with a new sitter today, she was keen to go in, not so keen when we left. She was absolutely fine, and they said they enjoyed having her. I'm such a bad Mummy, it's her 7th birthday today, and I forget until we were home.

I'm glad things went well at work yesterday Missy, so much better to be leaving with no ill feelings. The photo of Bea and the view

I hope the house sale is stressfree @junebug17 congratulations on the quick offer.

Wow, your DH is one in a million, I've come home with a radically different hair cut and totally different colour and mine didn't even notice I did tell him yours noticed you needed bigger studs but I don't think he heard me!

Hi @marcy they made a live action film of Thunderbirds a few years ago, but the one I watched as a child was puppets.

Jeff Tracey a former NASA astronaut and his 5 sons ran International Rescue. They lived on a private island and had amazing rockets and a space station. When DS saw it aged 3, he wanted to know if they were real people



@CJ2008 I wonder if he was a Spinone, the owners would've been surprised if you'd said, as we often get all sorts, usually a labradoodle, or a Spumoni

@rainwood hope all is well with you.

I have ticked another thing off my bucket list. I've been driving a 40 ton articulated lorry this afternoon




Happy Friday

 

[rainwood]

Austina, look at you go!!! You'll fit right in when you move to Texas!!! Oh, except you'll have to drive on the other side of the road!

 

[Scandinavian]

My darling husband also likes makeup......



Real tribal tattoo pattern, but not real ink. ..

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

CJ you are so right and have hit the proverbial nail on the head. Such a smart cookie. (((HUGS))). That is what is proving challenging for me. Leaving patients I love where I feel I have been making a difference for them however small. Thank you for getting it. (((HUGS))).

Austina woohoo you go girlfriend. You look fierce and amazing!!! I agree with Rainwood-you will be right at home in Texas
Happy 7th birthday to sweet darling Dottie! I hope she ended up enjoying her new sitter yesterday and that it is the beginning of a long and happy relationship. I love your hair style...looks so gorgeous on you Austina! You are a NIRDI babe for sure.

Scandi you and your dh look very cool and very beautiful and handsome too! I want one of those chipmunk makeup masks for our photos together. Perhaps we can get Adam to take a chipmunk photo with all 6 of us kids included.
Of course I am fairly certain the NIRDIs would much prefer seeing the bling pics from our visit with Adam than our chipmunk mugs and I don't blame them!

So after our bike ride yesterday afternoon (and yes the "rash" got exacerbated but I am not letting it control my life) we sat out back and enjoyed the gorgeous afternoon in stark contrast to today's dark and stormy day. And I couldn't resist a few more Bea and other miscellaneous pics from yesterday. Thank you for indulging me and I hope you all have a lovely Saturday. We are still cozy and warm enjoying this stormy morning with coffee and kitties in bed lol.

First up during our bike ride yesterday we made it to Days and of course indulged in their sweet creamy ice cream. Bad for me but oh so good for my soul.





When we got back we showered and relaxed in the backyard before dinner. Greg is reading a very good book (I forget the title but it sounded very interesting) and I was of course taking photos and enjoying IG while taking in the fresh sea air. LOL I am connected too much and am going to learn disconnecting and just relaxing and being in the moment. It's a good starting point for the new beginning I am about to embark on at the end of August.











Just want to say it is quite difficult getting bling pics against the sea. It tends to wash out the diamond and the contrast isn't enough to show up well against the sky and sea but I did the best I could for you girls!

And lastly this morning enjoying the stormy sea from the comfort and warmth of our bedroom. With the kitties and strong black coffee. Ahhh coffee.






I love how sweet Fred rests his head on anything and everything. He is such a sweet baby.

Have a wonderful day girls! (((HUGS))).

 

[missy]

Just took a few more pics to try capturing the stormy day. Video would show it much better but from a bling perspective here ya go.





Bea safe and warm inside

 

[Austina]

Oh @missy you are such a sweet soul! I don't think I've ever been a babe, but thank you for saying so

Your view is amazing, it looks so peaceful and calm there.

We are very hopeful the new sitter will workout well, they used to look after another Spinone, so know and love the breed, and we have booked another day visit soon so Dottie can start getting used to going there.

@Scandinavian they do say that couples start to look like each other, I can definitely see the resemblance, same eyes, same teeth and matching tats!

Hi @rainwood - the truck was 'slightly' larger than the Yukon Denali I had as a rental in Austin recently

We have friends coming over for dinner tonight, so I have been busy in the kitchen getting all the food prepped.

Have a great weekend lovelies

 

[junebug17]

Hi Nirdis!

Missy, great news that the director calmed down and was gracious to you! It is probably a relief that you don't have to deal with any awkwardness or hard feelings on his part, and you'll just feel more comfortable being at work for the next few weeks.

Ugh, so sorry your rash is acting up but I'm glad it's not keeping you from doing the things you love Love all your pics - Fred looks so cute with his head resting on the remote! Bea looks absolutely gorgeous, and huge! Wow what a rock . Love the pics of the water, both in sunshine and with clouds -such a gorgeous view.

Sharon, thanks for the good wishes! And yes, short hair does have its advantages - People have mentioned I look a little younger - which infers I looked older previously, but that's ok, I'll take whatever compliments I can get these days haha!

Marcy, it's really nice your company donated the food to a battery women's shelter, what a great idea and I'm sure it was very much appreciated. I like having short hair - I usually wear it pretty short anyway, where it covers my ears, but I noticed I kept sticking my hair behind my ears so I figured I might as well go shorter. It's easier to style and doesn't take as long to wash lol. It's so nice you are doing a presentation for the retirement home - they probably have a lot of time on their hands and having you come speak to them will be entertaining and break up their day. Good to hear your car appointment is all set, and yay for getting in some shopping as well! I bought my studs pre-owned so no upgrade policy unfortunately. I currently have 1 ctw so I'm thinking I'll notice a difference in size if I go to 1.6 ctw. I found a pair on 66mint that look nice and seem fairly priced to me - but after looking on Blue Nile and BC2 I can get GIA certified stones for about the same price, so I'll probably go that route. James Allen seemed a bit more expensive to me.

CJ, lol, I swear I didn't have any ulterior motives when I went shorter with my hair! dh noticing the earrings was just an unexpected benefit I guess haha.

Austina, wow, I'm impressed that you can drive that big rig! And you look so lovely, what a pretty lady you are. Happy Birthday to Dottie! I'm so glad the dog sitter worked out, it makes things so much easier to know you have someone reliable and that Dottie feels comfortable with.

Scandi, you and dh look great! You look beautiful in that lovely dress. I like your temporary tatoos!

Rainwood, thanks for the good thoughts! Unfortunately, they changed their minds - but we have a few other offers to consider. Hope you are having a great summer and doing well!

Not much going on here - yesterday was DS's birthday so we took him to his favorite restaurant. Dh is golfing and I'm trying to get motivated to exercise lol - as I just mentioned, the people backed out on the house but there are several showings lined up this weekend, and we have a few other offers on the table. I am not enjoying this process lol - but it's temporary and I'll get through it.

Have a good Saturday everyone!

 

[CJ2008]

OMG @Austina I loved seeing those pictures of you. So cute and fierce and gentle at the same time. You are a total package! And LOL at the Spumoni. I'll see the same dog again probably because it was a place I frequent. I'll make sure to say Spinone and I'll secretly laugh to myself they'll think I'm so smart. I hope Dottie likes the new sitter!

@missy I just love Fred so much. I love all your fur babies but Fred is just so cute. I love his eyes. Glad to see you enjoyed the day so much, even with the rash. And that ice cream! What flavor is that?

hi @rainwood! I've missed you.

OK @junebug17 sure sorry to hear the potential buyers backed out. Seems like there's definitely interest in the house, so it will happen soon hopefully. Glad you had a nice time for your DS's birthday.

@Scandinavian are you still in Hawaii. And your husband looks so much like you! (@marcy, I beat you to the punch! ) (although I'm sure your joke would have been so much better, you're so much wittier and funnier than I am!)

Everyone else, hi! I'll be back in a few.

 

[azstonie]

Austina, LOVE the pics, gettin' down with your bad, bad self!!! Where/how did you learn to drive a semi truck???? Great manicure and bling at the wheel, LOVE IT!

Great pics, Scandi, fun temporary tribal tats! Your new dress turned out great on and really in style for your location too!!

Hi Everybody! I'm just putting one foot/front of the other through this horrible summer here in the metro Phoenix area.

CJ, did something get injured in the car accident? (Your physical therapy thread.) I hope you're feeling better. I'm with you re too much noise and too many people/safety. I should have found another place when I was in PT/rehab after my leg/knee break.

Junie, congrats on the sale. You're almost done

Missy, love Fred and his willingness to get comfy on anything whatsoever!

Marcy, LOL to Marty taking couch potato nephew to the gym and then for a hike! Get the ice ready!!! One of my friends in Juneau hosted a bunch of family last summer, up to see Alaska. The teenager in the bunch, 19 year old guy, he didn't even want to get out of the car/train/boat to see things or stretch legs. Very frustrating for my hyperactive friend who had planned ACTIVITIES for the kid!!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, ha ha rashly. Good one. Glad work went well yesterday. I think I’d leave most of those books at work since they are out of date, heavy and makes it way easier to pack things out. I tell my boss I’m leaving everything but my teddy bears. I’d probably grab my 2 good pens and Snoopy notebooks too. I doubt we’ll take a vacation this year so I might as well take some days off and hey if that means driving my Porsche and going shopping how bad can that be? Are you going to the eclipse party? I am thinking 12:30 am is wrong though. I do remember you mentioning your friend who is interested in astronomy. I am glad you had a nice talk with the medical director; that will make leaving a little easier and smoother for everyone. I am sure your patients will miss you. I know you have enjoyed helping them and you will miss them. I don’t think there is anything wrong with being honest and open with your feelings and emotions. I hope you and Scandi and her family have a nice time. Your pictures are gorgeous but Bea is the definite star. She looks huge on your finger. Fred is enjoying life and Greg looks comfy and content to be reading. Marty would be very jealous if I showed him those pictures.

CJ, I noticed some of the emotis don’t link up to what they show. I hear you on change; I usually go along kicking and screaming but I try to remind myself whatever it is; I’ll deal with it when I get there. Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Too funny you beat me to telling Scandi her DH looks just like her. Good one!

Rainwood, are you still taking a lot of pictures?

Austina, I hope Dottie likes her new sitter. Good plan to get her used to the new sitter so it won’t be so stressful the next time you and your husband travel. Marty is like your DH - I don’t think he’d notice if I came home with blue hair - he just says “it’s hair”. I did get my hair cut today but sadly my ears don’t show so there’s not a chance in heck Marty will say I need larger studs. I don’t remember the animated Thunderbirds. Too funny. You look fabulous driving that lorry. Cool! I was getting grief this afternoon I’ve never driven Marty’s F150 pickup. How was dinner with your friends? What was on your menu?

Scandi, after seeing the picture of your DH I notice it’s true what they say - married couples start to look like each other. Fun to do some temporary tribal tattoos.

Ooh Scandi and Missy are visiting Adam. Pics please.

Junebug, I’m with you; I’ll take any compliments I can get. People usually way under estimate my age but I attribute that to my maturity level. That’s great you hair is easier to take care of when it’s short. I always pull my hair behind my ear too but it’s so thick it just fall forward again anyway. I think you would definitely not a jump from .50 carat studs to .80. That’s awesome you were pricing out diamonds a few places. Maybe check prices for expert selections on Whiteflash. I have no idea how they compare to Blue Nile and BC2. I like how much info you can get on diamonds on BC2. When I was looking for my EC studs I exported the list to Excel then filtered down to the specs I wanted. James Allen sometimes has discounts on loose diamonds. It’s always fun to look. Darn that the buyer changed their minds but it sounds like you have some other offers. Hope one of the offers works out for you. Happy birthday to your DS.

Kristie, I noticed Austina’s ring too as she’s handling that giant semi. Sorry your summer has been so awful. We were visiting with a lady earlier up here from Phoenix. We were setting outside with 85 degree weather and she was cold. Interesting your story about your active friends in Alaska trying to get his teenage relative up and out of the house. I am a bit weary about this kid staying here. He is one of the nephews that was so stinking lazy at the beach house last summer along with assorted other things. I mentioned to Marty he’s going to need to keep an eye on him; Marty answered “you don’t think I know that?” He was supposed to graduate this year but I’m thinking that didn’t happen because neither his mother or my in-laws flew out to see him graduate. I know my SIL kept saying she didn’t know if he’d graduate. He wants to be in a band.

We went out to supper last night then went shopping. Today I have been cleaning up stuff around the house since my cleaning lady is coming tomorrow. I counted out the eclipse glasses for the boys and girls club and made them a cheat sheet for times to watch the eclipse. Marty was done with golf about 1 pm so we had lunch over there and ended up visiting over cocktails until about 3:30. The lady from Phoenix was visiting with another lady who turned out to be one of my students about 10 years ago. Small world.

I got interviewed about the solar eclipse this afternoon by a reporter that has stories on ABC, Forbes and Whoa Science. She is calling an astronomy club in every state that is the path of totality.

Have a great Sunday.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie happy birthday to your DS! Sorry the house deal fell through and hopefully one of the other offers works out for you. As you wrote the process is temporary and once you have sold the house you will feel a huge sense of relief I think. (((HUGS))). Thank you for all your lovely comments.

CJ the ice cream flavors I had were coffee and moose tracks and I cannot remember what Greg had that day. He is on a conference call right now (it started a while ago at 7AM Sunday can you believe it lol) so I cannot ask him but if I remember I will tell you later. It was yummy though. We won't be getting ice cream with Scandi and her family though as we won't be at the Jersey Shore so we cannot visit Days. Next visit however! Fred says puuuuurrrrrrrr and he loves you right back CJ!

Kristie yes, Fred is a willing love bug. Sorry the heat by you is oppressive and remember whenever you want to visit (though remember here in summer our humidity is quite oppressive) you are more than welcome. Starting very soon I will have a more open schedule.

Marcy I didn't even notice the time on the invite LOLOL. Yes that does seem wrong doesn't it? I will have Greg ask him. No we aren't going. I also thought (and forgive me if this sounds bitchy) that it is sort of cheap to say BYOB to a party one is throwing. The chairs OK maybe they invited a lot of people though again that sounds off to ask invitees to bring their own chairs but the drinks? IDK that isn't how I throw a party but ok people vary.

How cool you got interviewed about the solar eclipse. Please send us the article once it comes out. I would love to see it (via email of course vs here).

I'm with you. I will take compliments any way I can get them at this stage and like you people generally underestimate my age but like you I think it is more related to (lack of) my maturity level. Greg is the adult in our relationship.

Thank you for all your kind comments.

Austina thank you and I hope your visit with your friends went well and that you all had a lovely time. You and your family are invited here to enjoy the view anytime you want to make a trip to the Jersey shore.


Have a lovely day girls. As soon as Greg finishes his conference call this AM we are off to cycle and then back to NYC early this afternoon (to hopefully avoid the Sunday traffic back to the city from the beach) because we have a very important date tomorrow.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs! I hope you are having a fabulous Sunday!

Missy, it's hard to say how many people they invited to the solar eclipse party. Is it just your friend's party or maybe his astronomy club or something? If I am having a party at our house I'd rather supply everything - it's easier to plan and prepare for it. Even when we do the family Christmas here I always try to say "don't bring anything" but everyone wants to contribute so what can you do?

I think our maturity level is directly related to our easily amused trait.

I hope you had a lovely ride this morning. Safe travels back to NYC. Have a great time tomorrow.

I got up a little before 7. I went and had breakfast and picked up a few groceries. I met Marty for lunch at the golf course then I drove over to the only Safeway gas station in town to get my 70 cent per gallon credit on gas. It runs out tomorrow. I wasn't the only one out taking advantage of their discount. But hey I got to drive my car around for about 40 minutes extra. It's raining right now so I got to see quite a bit of lightning on my drive. COOL!!!

I picked up steaks and corn on the cob to grill for supper. My goal today is very few dishes and keeping Marty from messing up the clean kitchen until tomorrow morning.

Take Care.
Marcy

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone!

Hope you enjoyed your bike ride and had a safe trip back to NY! I love Moose Tracks ice cream, so good. It's really exciting that you're going to get to meet Scandi and her family! I can't wait to hear about it. Yeah, it seems a bit chintzy to have a party and ask people to bring their own drinks And chairs lol! Although if they invited a lot of people I guess I can forgive them about the chairs.

Marcy, looks like WF is a bit more expensive than BN or BC2 jewels but I just looked quickly so I'll go back and look some more. I'm going to take a better look at James Allen too. Thank you for your suggestions. It really is fun to look! Sorry you're not feeling that great about Marty's nephew's visit. Hopefully it will go quickly and smoothly! Hanging out at the golf club sounds like fun, and how funny that you ran into a former student! Very cool that you were interviewed about the eclipse too.

Austina, hope you had a nice time with your friends!

Kristie, ugh, sorry about the horrid weather and I hope you, Bob, Maggie, and Finn are hanging in there and making the best of things.

Not much going on here - went grocery shopping yesterday so just cooking some things today for the upcoming week...and doing laundry and odds and ends around the house. Took a walk around the neighborhood with dh, nice to get outside and enjoy the lovely weather we had here today.

Oh, I have been meaning to post my non-bling anniversary/birthday gift - a Cartier tank Francaise watch - I mentioned a few weeks ago to dh that I would like to get a nice watch at some point and he jumped right on board - he's really into watches. We went together to buy it, which was fun. I ended up getting the small size, it just seems to fit my wrist better. I'm really enjoying it, I have loved this style since seeing it here on PS!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Classic watch JuneB! Looks great on you and congrats!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, You ought to become a diamond photographer! The picture you take of Bea ALWAYS turn out fantastic. Fred is so sweet. I am so jealous I don't get to spend time with you and Scandi. I can't wait to hear about your shopping adventure.

Junie, I'm hoping for a fast sale on the house. It will feel like a weight has been lifted when you don't have this to be concerned about anymore. Your new watch looks fantastic on you. Such a classic style. I can't wait to see what you chose for your new earrings. I'm with you on loving the hunt. What a fun project.

Austina, I loved seeing the pictures of you. You look beautiful and I would kill to have your beautiful head of hair. You are one brave woman. I would be scared to even attempt driving the truck. I'd have that truck jack knifed in a matter of minutes!

Scandi, You look lovely in your dress. What a pretty sundress. It sounds like you are having a lovely vacation with your family. My husband wants to go to Hawaii and I know I'm going to have to give in and make this trip soon.

Marcy, I'm sorry to hear about Marty's shoulder. Hopefully they will get to the bottom of what causing his shoulder pain. I would ask him to go easy on it until they figure out what is going on and causing the pain. How did you weekend with your nephew go?

CJ, I hope you were able to find a great physical therapist. Are you feeling any better?

My dad's wife was recently diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. We have been very worried about her and my dad and trying to figure out the best way to help them. It was my SIL birthday this week so I took her granddaughter (my grand niece) out to get cake and balloons for her birthday. That child is so much fun. She was the perfect distraction from everything sad that was going on.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

 

[Austina]

Morning lovelies.

We had a busy day yesterday, had to leave early for the Southern Italiam Spinone Sociery AGM, BBQ & Funday. I've somehow become a committee member Oh well, it shouldn't be too onerous. I've been tasked with coming up with games for the dogs st the Christmas party

I'm so sorry @junebug17 that the housesale has fallen through, I hope one of the other offers proves to be more successful, and the sale goes through smoothly. Your watch is lovely, classically elegant and the size looks just perfect on you. Have you decided on what size studs you're looking for, and the setting?

@marcy , Saturday's menu was, French onion soup with a cheesy crouton, filet steak with peppercorn soup, dauphinois potatoes, Parmesan roasted cauliflower, julienne carrots, asparagus and mini corns, followed by a lemon roulade with fresh berries.

Yay you on the interview Teenage boys can be a trial, hopefully Marty will be able to keep him occupied and the time will pass quickly.

Hi @Calliecake I'm so sorry to hear your Dad's wife is so ill, what a terrible worry for you all. Your little grandniece sounds a cutie, and how lovely for you to be able to spend time with her and enjoy her company.

I hope you see the Spumoni again @CJ2008 and impress the owners with your dog knowledge. You will be able to say, oh yes, I thought so as soon as I saw him/her!

Hope @Scandinavian and family have a safe trip to NY, can't wait to hear all about the fun.

How is your toe now @missy ? Hopefully on the mend and less sore. Thank you for your kind invitation, it's so very sweet of you. I do so enjoy seeing your photos, they're very atmospheric with the grey sky and dark seas.

You ladies, only true bling babes would look at a photo of me in a big truck and notice the jewellery You are all too kind with the compliments, DH says stop now, otherwise my head won't fit trough the door anymore

Happy Monday, hope it's a good one for you.

 

[Austina]

Hi @azstonie forgot to say, I hadn't previously driven anything that large, it was an 'experience day' gift from DH. The only difficult thing was the reversing, it was counter intuitive, trying to remember that the trailer had to get around the corner before the cab and turning the wheel the opposite way to what is normal.

I think my next challenge will be a tank!

Big wave out to @canuk-gal and @rainwood

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Marcy yes I am with you. It must be our easily amused trait. It is self preservation for me as if I wasn't easily amused I would be way more easily pissed off all the time. Better to laugh than cry. I don't mind when people want to bring something when we entertain but I don't want anyone but Greg (and I am his sous chef) in the kitchen. Too many chefs make for a complicated kitchen environment and stress level increases for each person "helping" in the kitchen in our experience. I have long learned Greg does best as the main chef when we entertain. Nice discount on the gas. Love a sweet deal. Seems like you had a good weekend Marcy! I am sending good wishes for Marty's shoulder to heal completely.


Junie, what a great watch and it looks terrific on you. Always a stylish classic for a stylish beautiful woman! Happy Anniversary/Birthday! Sending you lots of good luck dust for a quick sale on the house. Hope your errands this week go smoothly.

Callie LOL thanks so much. You are too kind as I am a horrible phone-tographer but my enthusiasm counts for something I guess. I wish you were joining us today. Sending your step mom lots of positive thoughts for the best possible outcome and I hope they caught it at a relatively early stage. I am so sorry sweetie.

Austina, happy Monday to you too. Thanks for asking about the toe. It is still toeroubling (I couldn't resist and at least I still have my sense of humor right?) . Red and irritated and just looks not right. I have an appointment next Monday with the new podiatrist and believe me I just want it to either heal or for him to know what is going on and fix it and I just hope whatever it is it can wait till next week.

We had a lovely morning bike ride yesterday and our trip back was relatively easy for a Sunday and I think it is because we left at 1PM. Any later and as we say in Brooklyn- fuggedaboutit.
Greg had a conference call also at 9PM last night so par for the course. A 7AM and 9PM conference call on a Sunday. LOL but I am not complaining. It pays the bills and these calls at home (even on a Sunday) are worth it if he can work from home occasionally.

Have a good Monday girls. (((HUGS))).

 

[missy]

Dearest Scandi!!!! I missed your birthday and today we will celebrate both of us Leos! I shoulda realized we are both lionesses. Roarrrrr. So sorry I'm late with my wishes but they are heartfelt and I wrote you a quick (cause I'm running late oy) poem..



Dearest Scandi I just found out
(Thank you Facebook and must remember to take more often a look)
You're a fellow Leo
And birthday girl
And your special day was last week
So I had to give you a shout
And let the good wishes out

I know you're having a terrific trip
Here in the USA
Hoping every day is a happy day
With your lovely family
Beautiful kind and very hip
Hope your birthday was terrific
And that everything is going perfectly

To the sweetest girl around
We care so much about you dear Scandi
Couldn't let your birthday go without a sound
Hope your celebration was special and is continuing

Wishing you happiness, health and joy
Throughout the year and beyond
May life continue to bring you
Love laughter and sweetness
To you and your lovely family
Forever blissful in togetherness

So sorry I missed the exact date
But hopefully it's not too late
To write you this birthday poem
From the heart expressing so
How much we value and adore you

So happy birthday dear nirdi girl
Welcome to the USA
When you and your family got here
It was a very happy day

Hugs and happy birthday wishes
From all the nirdis and ps sisters
Sending you love
Today and always
Big hugs
See you later!

XOXO

 

[Austina]

Hope you had a lovely birthday @Scandinavian
View attachment 505453

When is the other lionesses birthday please ?

 

[PierreBear]

Hello NIRDI friends! This past weekend was a celebration as I’m a Leo baby as well. We just did some simple things and sweet DH wanted me to pick out a new tanktop/outfit for our upcoming family visit to the California area. We did our usual training of running on Sat and a bike ride on Sunday. Nice restful weekend but it was way too hot and got a heat rash with my training. I promise I’m not naked and rather embarrassed about my tan lines. Yes, it looks like I’m still wearing shorts!



@marcy – It must be fun watching the acrobatic flying team! Thanks for asking about my leg. I learned a valuable lesson this week about how important it is to rest. If I’m honest with myself, I get anxious or have doubts in my abilities and usually think that the more “workouts” I do the better even if it’s not a hard one and can be considered “active recovery.” I took the whole week off from running and just did cycling and swimming. This past Saturday, I had one of the fastest runs I’ve done in quite awhile even despite my fear of my leg. Hope to continue to stay strong and be smart with practices.

Sorry to hear about the neighbor encounter. I try to tell myself that perhaps they were just in a rush or was stressed out and just wasn’t behaving the way they should behave. On the topic of people, I think I’m noticing that more and more people don’t ask questions to learn more about you. I find people interesting and curious and love to ask about where they live, go to work, hobbies, interests etc… but in return they don’t ask a single question. A bit bizarre and uncomfortable to have dead silence.

Glad Marty got approval for travel. Must be a relief to not have to worry about small things like that. Do you ever join in with him on an LA trip? Heard it’s a fun place to visit and in fact will be making a trip out there soon to visit family.

Hope the family visit goes well. A trip to the gym and hiking?! Wow that sounds like my type of day!

Scandinavian – Lovely photos! Keep them coming! Happy Birthday! I hope you share your diet/working regimen. You look amazing!

@junebug17 – Thanks for the kind words. My leg discomfort healed on its own, luckily. Way to go on being bold and getting a shorter haircut. What a sweet DH to bring up getting bigger studs! You said you were 57. So what about 5.7 total carats, which would be 2.85 on each ear? : ) hahaha Yes agree on the expenses though. Sometimes I think wow this could essentially be a used car that I’m carrying on my finger etc…

@CJ2008 – It will be my first full ironman… hopefully I’ll finish it. I’ve done 4 half ironman distances so I just felt that it was time to do the full one while I’m able and have the time at the moment. It sounds crazy but it’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and then a marathon at the end which is 26 miles. I’m not fast or talented by any means but I’m determined to do something I never ever thought I would do in my life and actually got into this “sport” by accident. It’s really just an activity that DH and I like to do together rather than spend time apart.

@Austina – That is such a cool photo of you driving a 40 ton lorry. How did you get this idea? How did it feel driving that beast? I LOL @rainwood ‘s comment about fitting into Texas. It is true that there are a lot of big trucks and SUVs here.

@missy – Love your bling photos and cat photos. You know all my favorite things. I think we are sisters at heart as I got a heat rash from training in the sun over the weekend. Did you ever get resolution from your lab work yet?

 

[azstonie]

Junie, LOVE your Cartier tank watch! That size is perfect on you. If you have time, tell me/us what the shopping experience at Cartier was like!! Are they cranky about people trying on, re-trying on, something else, back to the first one, etc etc?

Austina, great gift, the "experience" gift!! Once you've got all the 'stuff' ya want, its about the experiences and fun, right? Happy belated birthday to our sweet Spinone girl too!

Scandi, Happy Birthday Girlfriend! I'm glad you're livin' large for it!!!

Marcy, good luck with the nephew. If he's anything like the kid across the street (20) you'll need a bomb blast to get him moving

PierreBear, that is exactly the heat rash I get when I work out. Great pic! It's like we have the NIRDI Rash Club, hi Missy our other member!!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Junebug, I love your watch. It looks fabulous on you. If I was in to watches that would be the style I’d pick. I am glad to hear you and your DH went out for a nice walk; I can’t believe August is almost here. Darn that reminds me I need to do the club newsletter which I usually post on the first of the month. There goes my evening. Have fun shopping for studs. IDJ has a good reputation on here for PS quality diamonds at reasonable prices. The reason I initially went with Whiteflash is because IMO the diamonds I saw in person that were AGS0 versus GIA XXX I felt were better performers. Marty said I was nitpicking but that GIA XXX I had was traded in within 5 months and it wasn’t soon enough. The interview was kind of fun; I sent some of you ladies the link in our group thread. She misquoted me a few times but it’s a pretty nice article.

Sharon, it seems like you have a watch similar to Junebug’s but I might be mistaken. It would be hard to keep track of who has what here on PS.

Calliecake, I am sorry to hear about your dad’s wife. That is tough. That’s nice your family had a little distraction celebrating your SIL’s birthday. Big hugs to all of you at this difficult time. Our nephew is coming Thursday this week. I am sure Marty will keep him busy.

Austina, you tell your DH we think you’re great and we know it won’t go to your head. Of course we’d notice your jewelry. Your funday outing sounds great. At least your assignment can’t get any complaints from the participants. Your menu sounds delicious. I am sure no one was left hungry. Do you like to cook? I like telephone interviews over television. I get way too nervous on camera. I think I’d be safer in a tank than a semi truck - or maybe the world would be safer from me.

Missy, you nailed it on the head; being able to laugh keeps me in a way better state of mind. It’s keeps the negativity at bay. You described perfectly what happens when too many people try to cook. It can become chaotic and I know everyone is just trying to help. I know; I love cheap gas. The grocery store we shop at keeps a tally each month of how much you spend and you get fuel points. Marty’s high protein and calorie diet keeps those discounts coming. Darn that toe for still pestering you and worrying you. Good luck with the podiatrist next week. Great birthday poem for Scandi and I adore Olaf.

Happy Birthday Scandi.

Happy Birthday PierreBear! Oh no to your rash. I hope it gets better. I am glad you rested your leg and had a great run this week. Sometimes it’s hard to know for sure but I lean towards resting first then pushing it again. I notice too the art of conversation isn’t what it used to be. I would consider a trip to LA with Marty. I always love the beach and my favorite artist has his studio there. There is also a Porsche driving school so I’d enjoy that. Now I need vacation money though. Have fun on your trip to visit family there. Do you have any special plans while you are there? Best of luck to you in the Ironman.

Kristie, I had to chuckle at using a bomb blast to get that 20 something moving. A lady I worked with years ago at the photo shop used to say “you’ve got to light a firecracker under their butt to get them moving”. It was usually appropriate about that person too. How are you doing?

Marty’s doctor appointment went okay. He thinks it’s Bicep tendinitis. He is recommending Marty take Advil, reduce the weight on presses but increase the reps. If it’s not better in a month he’ll give him a cortisone shot.

I made an eye appointment for both of us this month. I am noticing little wavy lines in my left eye - oh oh. And now the more I compare eyes I sure notice a difference in apparent size. Probably because I’m checking it too much.

I worked late today but just to finish something I started. I thought I had it all done last week but then found out I’d done is completely wrong. It’s new to me so it’s fun to learn new things.

Have a fabulous day.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Going home tomorrow! But just wanted to stop by and tell you what most of you know! Missy - and Greg - are the nicest people in the world! Big hug from the chipmunk family!

 

[Scandinavian]