Halloween X 3

You may think that Halloween is frowned upon here in the desert. After all, it does typically include references to devils, witches, "the dead" or "undead"... as the case may be, & all things scary.  You would be right... and wrong.

Officially, the school's stance (um, the UAE's ruling) is that we DO NOT celebrate Halloween. Instead, we celebrate the changing of the season with a Fall Festival.... a time to come together as a school community to be thankful for all that we have, the year behind us, and the year ahead. Officially, there is NO Halloween themes allowed... That's that school's official stance & that is just what the Fall Festival did.

But.

The reality of the matter is that the UAE and it's local population love the holiday. It's extremely easy to find costumes, face make-up, props, and parties that will gladly allow you to let your alter ego roam free. Kids and adults can be anything from a princess (Disney or Egyptian) to a slasher dude complete with fake blood...  And just so you can fully experience everything, the parties and events range over 2 weekends. That means you can easily attend 3 or more Halloween (or non-Halloween) parties...

For us, it was 3. We attended the school's Fall Festival. We hosted a costume party for Lindsey's co-workers. AND, we attended our community Halloween Party on the patch of grass overlooking the beach.

Let me cover it all in chronological order.... Go get your favorite frosty beverage; this a long one....

My kids still LOVE Halloween. So costume selection started a full month ago. They discussed the pros and cons of several ideas. They looked online... We discussed various bits and pieces of costumes that we could make or buy. THEN, the costume shops popped up in the malls and all those careful plans went out the window as each of them found something that "spoke" to them in the shop.

For Devin, let's be honest, he picks his costume by what accessories he can claim. Guns, knives, nunchucks, swords, .... you get the idea... these are the goal.

He went with one of those full body suits in black so he could be a ninja. Add a little ripped up t-shirt for the belt and headband.... poof! All he needed was weapons. By the end of October, he had amassed quite a collection, too. I think he took a different weapon prop to each of the 3 parties we attended....

The girls also look at the accessories department. Madeline wanted a wig this year (I have the sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with what they are doing in theater class...) Olivia wanted a giant mustache...

The result? Meet Jon and "his" girlfriend, Mandy. They are hysterical and spent hours before Halloween night perfecting their personas. I was in stitches long before the end of October.
Olivia learned that mustaches make you sweaty (it is still in the 90s here on a "cool" day)... and Madeline says wigs are a pain in the head as they are always slipping off.

Ahhhh.... life lessons at such an early age.

So the Fall Festival occurred 2 Thursdays before (or the weekend before) the weekend of Halloween. Each elementary grade level sets up a booth on the soccer pitch with a game (or activity) and a craft (or another activity). As the kids go from booth to booth, they play the game (or activity) and collect candy & prizes (ummmm.. not "Halloween-like" at all....). Costumes are highly encouraged, but not mandatory. No "scary" costumes are allowed, however. There is a competition for the best grade booth AND for the best costumes.

Somehow, I got volunteered (and accepted) the job of co-chairing this year's Fall Festival. It was a lot of work, but a huge success.

I loved working with all the ladies & gentlemen who were the room parents, the staff volunteers, and the members of the parent association (GAAPA).  The evening went well and Olivia's grade even won the Best Booth competition.

Look at those GIANT hand-painted ears of corn!! The 5th grade spent a full month collecting large boxes so these could be constructed....

The booth was titled "The A-maze-ing 5th Grade" and included a (cardboard) corn maze & face painting.

Madeline helped out in the booth as a face painter... and Devin helped run part of the maze.

Even though about half the visitors to the booth had no idea what a corn maze is (um, you don't see many corn fields here in the UAE....), it was one of the most popular activities of the night. I was told after the event that kids would beg their parents to let them go through it 5, 6... even a dozen times!

The maze was nothing more than (a lot of) cardboard boxes zip-tied together with pictures of corn ears glued around the top edges. All the 5th graders made the corn ears (crossword puzzles, word searches, mazes, etc). Dead ends in the maze resulted in a "corny joke" such as "Why do potatoes make the best private investigators?.... Because they always have their eyes peeled!!!"  I know... a total groaner.....

Well, after all that fun, I needed a day or two off, so we spent the weekend (mostly) in our PJs. But, there is no rest for the weary, and Lindsey and I still needed to "perfect" our costumes....

I wanted something easy. I needed freedom of movement & something I wouldn't suffer from heat stroke while wearing.  Lindsey wanted something a bit more complicated for himself.

Enter in... Little Red, All Grown Up.... and Edgar Allan Poe, Esquire.

My costume was easy... one red cape, 2 bobby pins.

Lindsey's costume was a bit more.... difficult to acquire:
... The "jacket" is half of a Mad Hatter costume. We had to sharpie marker the bird on the pocket black.
... The face paint is part of a Dracula kit.
... The hair has a lot of styling gel, but needed some stiff hairspray (it didn't quite make the night).
... The raven was actually flown in all the way from a Wal-greens (or was it a Target?) in the States by a fellow co-worker on a trip over from DC.     (Sometimes you have to out-source your costumes needs.....)

We were ready!!!

We hosted the co-worker costume party the day before Halloween and the ONLY requirement was that you had to come in costume! For those that didn't? Well, we will get to that in a moment....

I told everyone that there would be a "Pizza Bar" and drinks.... which means I called downstairs to the Italian restaurant and ordered 4 of every pizza they make plus 8 cheese-only pizzas; Lindsey made a trip to the bottle shop; I stocked up on water bottles, ice, and 2.5 L colas from the Waitrose in the next building. (Oddly, the 2 L cola is not in existence here... you have to get 2.5 L bottles. Huh!)

Those in attendance were asked to bring a side, snack, or dessert to share. We were stuffed to the ghouls in chips, cakes, pies, and candy.....

Let me say that Lindsey's co-workers do not disappoint in the costume department. We had everything from Cleopatra to a man in full gore make-up with an "unzipped" face.  There were complicated costumes, clever costumes, and super-easy costumes....

Can you spot Wednesday from the Adam's Family? How about a UAE tourist complete with camera and fanny pack of souvenirs?  A "cereal" killer? and the Flash?

We had real Pirates from the Caribbean ... pink pirates... rocker dudes... and even a "John 3:16" guy....

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox made an appearance ....

Even a little monkey... & dad, Wes (which I'm still unclear about the costume... but kudos for coming as someone who got to wear the hotel's bathrobe all evening!!!)

Some time during the night, Olivia ditched the sweaty mustache for fairy wings and a dress.  (I told you the kids had multiple costumes all worked out....) OH! And see Dave? with the un-zipped face!? He had an actual zipper!!! (Consequently, he won the genuine faux gold statue for "Scariest Costume"!)

Of course, we played Pictionary... it's a absolute *must* with this group.

The whole group is highly competitive and the smack-talking starts HOURs before the marker ever hits the white board. Teams are divided up (usually ending up in "the men of the office" vs "the women of the office") and it's generally a pretty evenly matched game.  Since it was Halloween though, I did print off a list of themed Pictionary words. Most were easy... but that didn't stop the crazy drawings that emerged.

I've never laughed so hard... the drawings for "scary movies", "Igor", and "spells" ... oh my.
I still don't know how the team guessed "headless horseman" from the amoeba shape that was on the board.....

This is the ONLY picture I have of me during the night... surrounded by pirates, frozen margaritas, and a greek goddess... The BEST!!!

Okay... so back to those few who dared show up without a costume....
Lindsey was prepared.

IF you came without a costume, there was a penalty: We provided a pirate's eye patch and you were handed a song sheet. At the designated time in the evening (ie after a few drinks) all the "eye patch" pirates gathered together and sang a little ditty for the rest of the crowd.

It was priceless!!! And, it turns out, that the "pirates" had some very good voices. I do believe they have a future as an acapella group!

Eventually, the night wound down to an end. The women of the office won the Pictionary game, all but 4 of the pizzas were eaten, and the kids were falling asleep standing up (some of the adults were too!) We sent everyone safely home and crawled into bed ourselves... for the next day would be HALLOWEEN!!!!

Ug.
By this point, I was already pretty "partied out".... but the kids were still ready for more. So, more it was...

For weeks, I've been helping a group of ladies in our apartment complex plan a Community Halloween Party. Many a night was spent organizing over a bottle (or 5) of wine. We managed to get approval for a big bash on the A Block "lawn" under the date trees facing the water. Last year's festivities were much the same & we took the lessons from our experiences then into account this year.

We secured prizes for a costume contest, up to and including 8 (yes, EIGHT) tickets to Ferrari World and Yas WaterWorld. (Thank you Jesse & Denay!!) We even had backpacks, gift vouchers, coloring books, & toys donated.  In total, we had over 24 prize bags to award....

The local management company agreed to supply us with tables and rubbish bins... plus the workers to move said items into place.

The ladies and I divided up the activities and planned 6 carnival-like games. We had "Ghost Bowling" (toilet paper rolls stacked like tin-cans & knocked down with tennis balls), Pin-the-Eyes-On-the-Ghost, Monster Sack Races, Witch's Hat Ring Toss, and Cardboard Jack-o-Lantern Bean Bag Toss.  The idea was that the kids would play each game, get a stamp in a "passport" (a kind of record book to keep up with what games they had played), and then come back to the Prize Table for a surprise (small Halloween themed party-favor type trinkets).

Last year we had about 250 kids attend ... we expected about the same kind of turn out.. maybe a little better.

The week before the event, we were given the "okay" to put our fliers up in the lobby areas (and elevators) of all the buildings. I think we put up about 50 fliers throughout the entire community.

YIKES!!! The turnout was better than anticipated.

We had set up 5 tables to hold the food (everyone was encouraged to bring a finger food to share) and they were all overflowing. People were literally stacking containers on top of each other just to fit the snacks on the table.

The kids LOVED it. I was so busy during the night that I never took any photos.

 Everything I have here are photos I've pirated off the other ladies from that night. I'm just guessing, but I'm pretty sure we had over 400 kids! I worked the passport and prize table and I ran out of passports about an hour into the evening. It was wonderful to see so many of our Al Zeina neighbors out visiting with each other and enjoying the community.

The event ran from 5-7 PM and by 6:30 (the costume contest time), it was full on dark. The costume judges had a hard time deciding with so many good costumes, but all the prizes were awarded. Olivia and Madeline both won a small prize. They were ecstatic!

After a quick cleanup, it was time to go trick-or-treating. One of Lindsey's co-workers had come to the Community Party with his family and we invited them to go Trick-or-Treating with us. Devin & Madeline chose to stay home and pass out candy. They were completely pooped after our other activities... Plus, I had a whole bowl of candy at home they could "sample" while waiting....

Trick-or-treating has always been exhausting to me, but it is especially so in an apartment complex. The rule was that you only knocked on the doors that were decorated for Halloween (as not everyone who lives here celebrates this holiday). Our building alone has 11 floors. Olivia & Trinity insisted on hitting each one...  But, on any given floor, there may only be 2 or 3 doors that are participating. Ug.

Olivia was smart. Before we left our flat, she put her roller skates on. Genius!!! Trinity grabbed one of our scooters... It got to the point where us adults would wait by the elevators while the girls zipped along on the roller skates & scooters.

In the end, we only visited our building block, a few of the villas, and one of the restaurants downstairs. We ended the evening with a nice walk/stroll by the beach.  We decided to call it a night.

The girls each had a small basket of candy and it was only 8 PM.... but on a school night.

All in all, another great holiday in the UAE. Not exactly "traditional", but fun nonetheless.

H.A.W.S.

A key element at the kids' school is teaching/training the kids to "own their own learning". It's a catch phrase you hear more and more in education, but I'm really seeing it happen here...

One of the PE teachers for the elementary grades had a really crazy idea:
Let's take some of the biggest health & wellness issues we face in the world today and let's let the kids tackle them. We'll have a health and wellness summit.

The summit was yesterday....
It was a huge success!

The idea behind H.A.W.S (Heath and Wellness Summit) was to get the kids researching the facts about big health issues (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.), present these issues in a "conference-like" setting, and then corroborate with their peers to make action plans on things THEY can do to solve these issues.  The older elementary grade (5th) would present to the younger grades (3rd & 4th).

Wow!

Over 2 weeks ago, the PE teacher came to GAAPA (the parent association) to ask for help and support. He needed guest speakers, parent volunteers for "Extreme PE", healthy snacks, and free goodie bags for all 3 grades. The event would be a full day that started with an opening program, then move into a rotation of "conference talks/presentations" given by the 5th grade groups, and followed by a closing ceremony where the actions were revealed.

Game on!

Even the art teacher got involved. She held a contest for the kids to create the HAWS signature artwork that would be used on all the HAWS advertising posters. Olivia came home fired up to win... She drew up an initial design and asked Madeline help her perfect it.

She submitted it, and... lo and behold.. it was chosen!
Her poster became the artwork for the summit! It was featured on all the advertising and she was presented with a poster-sized foam-board printout of her work during the closing ceremony.

The event would be a full day that started with an opening program (about an hour) of 3 key speakers about health and fitness:

There was a dietitian

... a yoga instructor

and a body builder.

Then the kids were released to their preassigned "conference rooms" (classrooms) to move into a rotation of "conference talks/presentations" given by the 5th grade groups.

Let me pause to explain how this worked.
The 3rd & 4th graders were the conference "attendees"; the 5th graders were the conference "experts". The experts (groups of 3-4 kids) chose topics of interest to them that they researched for their presentation. Each expert group was assigned a presentation time (Session 1, 2, or 3) and conference room (classroom in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade halls).

The conference attendees were then allowed to choose which talks they would attend for each of the sessions on a first come/first served sign-up basis. The "experts" not presenting during a given Session time, would also choose a talk to attend. This ensured that each room would have a balanced number of attendees in any given room during the allotted times.  To break up the sessions, there would be "Extreme PE"/snack between Session 1 & 2... and lunch between Session 2 & 3.

Now, let's talk about the session presentations:
The 5th graders had chosen topics of interest to them, then created a 45 minute presentation. They ran the talk just like what you'd expect at a working conference. There was an ice-breaker/mixer so that the 3rd-4th-5th graders in the room could get to know each other a bit.

(Doesn't this little guy look just like Kid President??)

Then the kids filled out a K-W-L chart (What do you KNOW? What you WANT to know? What did you LEARN?) to focus the group on their topic.

There was usually a power point presentation that contained a video or website link with facts about the issue, why it's important to study it, some problems that are still unanswered, and what's currently being done to solve the issue.

At this point, all the groups had the attendees break into small groups and brainstorm how THEY could help to solve/tackle the issue (there was a large poster for each group to record their thoughts).

The talk ended by completing the "L" section of the K-W-L chart and the presenters thanking the attendees for all their hard work.

Olivia's group presented during Session 2 which is when I took the above photos. Her group's topic was diabetes. They did really well and I was so proud of her. I even let Madeline take an absent mark in her history class so she could attend her sister's talk.

I worked the Extreme PE time between the 1st and 2nd Sessions.

We had the entire gym (it was a black flag day: too hot to be outside) where there was an obstacle course with hula-hoops, jump rope tricks, toss the (rubber) chicken, hurtles, funny walk, and soccer skills sections. We also had 2 Zumba instructors who led a "dance class" and a yoga instructor who challenged the kids to some poses.

After the final session, the kids all came back to the auditorium where they were congratulated for all their hard work and shown (just a few) of the outcomes generated as hanging scrolls of their working papers.

It was a loud and proud moment.

The PE teacher then challenged every kid to continue to follow through on the actions they decided. Each kid went home feeling like they (a little 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader) had made a huge difference in the world today. It was pretty awesome to witness.

Bon Jovi... Rocking it even at 50!

So, Bon Jovi came to Abu Dhabi last week.

I knew he was coming before we came home to Texas over the summer. The ladies in my coffee group had discussed his concert set for October one morning in April (or was it May?) .... and long, long ago... back in my teens... he was a pretty big deal in my every day life. So when a group of ladies said... "We should go!" I agreed.

Lindsey, apparently, did not have the same fondness for Jon. He didn't want to be my date.
Strangely, neither did a lot of the husbands... so we girls took ourselves!

Now, it's a been a few years since I was in my teens...
Okay... more than a few... A lot!

But that means a lot of years have passed for Jon too... and there was much speculation amongst us ladies as to how the years have been treating him. He's over 50. What would he wear? Can you pull off leather pants at 50? Would it even be wise in the UAE heat?

... I'm no spring chicken either.  To be honest, I wasn't sure I'd make a late night outdoor concert... old foggie that I am.  But, alas.... you gotta "live before you die" & "take a chance"!

So, with the careem (chauffeur service) car ordered, we were all set to rock-n-roll!

Did I mention du Arena is an outdoor venue.. in Abu Dhabi? We arrived near 7:30 pm. It was probably in the upper nineties with 60% humidity, but the sun was already down AND we had a slight breeze. So, we all immediately commented on how we'd lucked out and gotten such pleasant weather! Our tickets were for the general admission standing area somewhere in the middle of the venue's viewing area. After a stop at the beer stand, we headed toward our ticket area.

Side note: I don't really like beer.. but they had wine... snobby? Maybe.. but I'm over 40 and I know what I do and don't like these days. I wanted wine; not beer... even if we are at a Bon Jovi concert. I decided to get a glass of "red grape" and a bottle of water (for later). Little did I know, but they won't let you have the lid to your water bottle. I paid and then received a small clear plastic cup of red wine and an open bottle of water.
How am I supposed to manage two open containers at once? I asked for the lid to the water bottle and was told "no". Wait.. what? I'm still not sure why no one was allowed their lids, but I've got an idea. Remember this for later.....

After the concession stand, we managed to worm/thread/elbow our way close to the stage... well, closER to the stage. We finally claimed a small patch of breathable air on the left side a little in front of the spotlighting structure. It wasn't great.. but it wan't bad either. We had an unobstructed view of the big screen and you could see the stage if you stood on tip-toe. Of course, I'm vertically challenged, tip-toe wasn't going to cut it... it would pretty much be the big screens for me!

The night started with a (local) cover band I've never heard of. They were quite international with a singer from India, a guitar player from Australia (I think), and a drummer from South Africa (who liked to wear a rat head mask). It was quite weird, and yet, entertaining. After an hour or so of these guys, there was a half hour (45 minutes.. but who's counting?) break while the stage was reset for Bon Jovi.

Finally, the stage started to glow, the lights started to flash, & the opening chords of That's What the Water Made Me started to play... Bon Jovi was making it's way on stage. I took this picture not to show the band.. but to show all the smart phones that came out. EVERYONE was trying to get a picture/movie of the band as they arrived. I was laughing so hard.. it's a sea of screens! You can't even SEE the stage!!!

I'd like to say that I sang along to each & every song, but it would be a lie. The group has a lot of new songs out that I just don't know. They played a good mix of the newer stuff and the old classics I remember. I sang the ones I knew until I was almost hoarse. I looked up the playlist after the concert:

Jon is looking good, by the way.

He didn't try to pull of leather (smart man)... but he did keep his long sleeves until the Encore section. Bless him.

I honestly don't know how he (or the band) managed. It was sweltering standing in the audience... It must have been an oven on stage under all those lights. AND, the humidity was well up near 60% all night. He was "glistening" midway through the first song and visible dripping by the second.  The guitars must have been slick... I can't even imagine how slippery the keyboard keys must have been. I thought for sure that at least 3 sets of sticks would go flying during the performance.

But the band put on a great concert, singing for well into 3 hours. It was a really fun, if not sweaty, night. We were all very happy.

Okay... see the open water bottles in this picture?
Let's return to that now....

When the final encore was played, the crowd literally did an about-face and started moving towards the exit. I really don't think there is a better way to describe it.. we were quite literally "part of a herd" that bounced/jostled/shuffled towards the exit... the ONE exit. Seriously.

People bought a lot of beer/wine/water/etc.  Most people just tossed their empty containers on the ground, and, in a crowd this size, that amounts to a lot of trash... at your feet.  Feet you can no longer see because you are packed shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, front to back with your nearest fellow concert goers.

Ahhh... now I think I know why there were no lids allowed. An open water bottle will crush when you stand on it; a sealed one won't. Perhaps, in anticipation of this mass exodus, the organizers had the forethought to realize that a sealed water bottle is MORE of a tripping hazard than an open one?
Who knows.. but I can definitely say that I stepped on A LOT of unseen trash on my way to the exit gate.

In any event, I survived the night in one sweaty piece.
I'm not sure that I'll attempt another outdoor October concert venue in Abu Dhabi soon, but Bon Jovi still rocks, in my book!

Catching up is hard to do....

I'm behind.... sorta. I've let life get the better of me as we've returned to Abu Dhabi and I've fallen woefully behind in posting...

Many of you have messaged me asking if we are all "okay"... and we are. So here's an attempt to bring you up to speed since my last post... oh so long ago....

School is well and truly underway. First projects are in the books, first tests have been recorded, and after school activities are in full swing.

Within the first 2 weeks of school, Devin's biology class was making edible models of the cell.

I baked the cake, but he did everything else. I promise. He picked the flavor, the icing, and all the candies to represent the various organelles. It was one project his sisters were keen to help him put together... with the hope of getting to eat the leftover bits & pieces.

The "new & improved" uniform is proving to be a disappointment.
One week in and this is the tie.

I had to hand stitch the thing back together and tell the kids to be extra careful. We shall see how this goes... I'm glad I only bought one new full uniform per kid this year and I'm extremely glad we are allowed to use last year's as long as they fit properly.  Never have I been so happy that my kids don't quite grow as the expression says....

We bought another car.

We now have his and hers older model Porsches.  I'm driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo... that has seen much better days. You can tell this car was used for a fair amount of dune bashing before it was "retired to expat", so to speak. We've ordered a new driver's seat for as all the gears controlling the height adjustments are completely stripped. I pretty much have to sit on a pillow to see over the dash at the moment, but the new seat should be in any day now. That said, it drives great & is a lot of fun. I just wish the AC was a lot colder. Even after the freon (or whatever is being used these days) was recharged, it still can't quite get cold enough for my tastes. To be fair, however, it's still pretty hot and the car is an oven when left in the sun any length of time....

The big Abu Dhabi Falcon & Heritage EXPO was in late September. This time, Lindsey got to come with us. The kids were kind of "ho-hum" about everything (since it was pretty similar to last year) with two exceptions: the Japanese lollipop artist & the food stalls.  We missed the Texas State Fair and they were really jones-ing for anything on a stick.

We did get the requisite falcon and Saluki dog pictures.

Devin is liking his tennis lessons with Coach Kenny. They meet at the school for an hour around 5:30 PM on Wednesdays. It's finally cooling off a bit, so it's almost a pleasant evening. Lindsey has been managing to take off work at a somewhat reasonable time and can usually meet him there by 6-ish. It's nice because I'll put Devin in a taxi from our house (boy, I never thought I'd utter THOSE words!) to the school around 5, and Lindsey can bring him home.

Madeline & Olivia decided it's just too hot for golf these days, so they took up ballet again instead. It's been a bit of a challenge finding a studio in our area. In addition, the girls studied a Russian curriculum in the States and everything here is RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) out of London.  We finally decided on Turning Pointe. Olivia is in Level 3 and Madeline is in Level 4. (I have no idea what that means other than they meet on separate days....)

Olivia's class meets at the Al Ghazal Golf Clubhouse (upper room) which is... get this... a sand golf course. I had no idea such a thing even existed. There is NO grass; no "greens"; no water.  It's one giant sand trap as far as I can tell...

Crazy!

Madeline's class meets in the dance room at Al Yasmina School. It's a class of 16 girls. Madeline is the only one from the States (most of the girls are British or Australian) and she tells me they all "adore" her accent. LOL! She thinks it's hilarious.

Of course, "down days" are still our favorite activities and the kids have been doing everything from RC cars/planes (which need a lot of repairs)...

... to practicing their magic tricks on each other, me, Lindsey, the neighbors, building security, the cleaners... you get the idea.

I'm still filling my time with book clubs (I'm in 3), coffee mornings, ladies groups, and subbing at the school... when they let me. So far I've been allowed to cover Kinder, some of the elementary grades, Biology, Chemistry, & Environmental Issues. I did 3 days in biology & chemistry; I was extraordinarily happy. We covered on microscope & sketching skills in biology....

Kids these days are clever, too. Here's a couple of girls using their smart phones to take a picture through the ocular. THEN, they sketch the image from their phones onto the paper. It negates all that squinting & back and forth from the eyepiece to the paper.  Plus, no worries that someone will "bump" your image out of focus/placement.
Yup, working smarter, not harder!!!

I've also been an Algebra teacher and a History teacher, briefly. Next week I get to do an extended (over a week) stay in Algebra teaching inequalities.... I shouldn't be so excited, but I am. LOL!

I still find shopping an adventure every single day. At least I can honestly say that grocery shopping is never boring. In fact, it's almost like a game of Where's Waldo... only with things like relish & applesauce.

"Well lookie there! The sweet relish is with the picante sauce ... and the applesauce is with the mustard! Very cheeky, stock boys... very cheeky, indeed!"

It's been a busy few weeks...

There's more, of course. But I'll post about my Bon Jovi concert and Olivia's HAWS day later. Right now, I've got to switch the laundry...

Some things NEVER change....