Led Zeppelin, alive and touring?

Led Zeppelin - that's the band I went to see the other night. At least according to the Subway employee.

It has become a tradition to stop at a particular Subway for dinner when we head out to see a favorite band at our favorite concert venue. While waiting in line, a customer not from my party asked an employee if there was a concert that night. He was probably suspicious due to the higher than normal amount of traffic driving through Middle of Nowhere Town. The employee ever so nicely answered this man's question. There was a concert on this night in question and the band playing was Led Zeppelin.

Luckily me and my crew weren't quite as clueless and were able to avoid the disappointment at the ticket window once we arrived at the concert venue. Although we all like Led Zeppelin, the four of us were really looking forward to...




The husband and I went to watch Def Leppard last year and it's quite possible that it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Not only do I love their music, but their stage show was fucking awesome!

A few months ago, when I heard the announcement that they were coming back, I begged and pleaded for the husband to buy tickets. When I mentioned the concert to my brother and sister-from-another-mister, drool spilled from their mouths as they asked to join us.

It would have been an awesome show without them, but those three people made the whole night that much better. I haven't laughed like that in a long time and my throat still hurts from all the talking, singing, and screaming.

I also need to thank my brother, again, for being so prompt in paying us back for his ticket. Because of him, I was able to purchase the t-shirt in the picture above. I also made another purchase, but it's only for the eyes of my husband. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*


So if you ever want to go see one of the best concerts ever, I highly suggest Led Zeppelin, er Def Leppard!

I worry, even when I don't have to

A night out with friends. I am ready to go. I wave to my kids as we drive away.

I wonder what they will do while we are gone.


From the passenger window I watch the fields pass by as we head down the highway.

I wonder if my son is still watching the bulldozers digging up Grandma's street.


We stop at Subway for dinner. Five dollar footlongs for all!

I wonder if my kids are eating their pizza. It's not from our usual pizza shop.


We arrive at the concert site and quickly open our beers. We chat as we watch those around us stumble to the ground.

I worry about what my kids are doing. Are they fighting? Did someone fall? They are quite clumsy.


We make our way in to hear a favorite singer. The music is loud as we sing along.

I worry my kids are watching too much tv. Did they choose a show not allowed in our home?


The music is over. We find our way back to the car. Traffic was light in the direction we chose. The back roads are dark, but they have an advantage.

I worry that my kids are still awake. It is much past their bedtime, and they don't like the dark.


From the passenger window I watch the fields pass by as we head down the highway. The fields that were once covered in sun are now peppered with the gentle glow of fireflies.

I worry about my kids, but I know they are safe. They are surrounded by family and I by my friends. We will always be there to keep each other safe.






*to answer the question as to what my kids chose to watch- let's just say my 5 year old now knows the theme song for Cops!*

Rockin' with my knight in shining armor

Mommyfriend Lori and Tina from Life Without Pink have teamed up to create Project Marriage- an interactive love movement designed to get back to the simple joys of marriage and the love that brought you there.

This month's challenge was to not only have a date night, but to avoid talking about the kids while on your date. The date part was easy. My sister-from-another-mister, the husband, and I had been planning out last Wednesday night since May, when Kid Rock announced he was coming to town. At first I was worried about not talking about the kids. It's something I love to do. But once the alcohol entered the picture, the kids were the furthest thing from our minds!




Sheryl Crow was also touring with Kid Rock, but we weren't interested in her. We chose to empty our cooler of tasty beverages while she played her show. We talked about things going on in our lives now as well as things from the past.

While we were talking, we realized that alcohol can be an ugly thing. When Mike's Hard anything claims to have a punch, the advertisers aren't kidding. Mike kicked my ass! But just when I thought I had it bad, we noticed a couple making their way to the venue. The girl was up against it! She could barely stand let alone walk. Security quickly swooped in to check on her, followed by the police. Once they showed up, her man bolted! Glad I wasn't her on so many levels!


Once Sheryl had played a good number of songs, we decided we should make our way in. We found a spot on the lawn where we had a good view and could be easily found if any of us had to leave for a drink or bathroom break.

Before we knew it, Journey was being played. Once we heard "born and raised in South Detroit", we knew the show was about to start. The next few hours were full of screaming, singing, and dancing. I'm honestly surprised any of us had a voice by the end of the night. Especially after Bawitdaba. Flames were flying on the stage and Kid Rock revealed all of his sexiness by taking off his shirt.


By the final song, Born Free, I realized that the three of us had sobered up for the most part, but that wasn't the case for other people there. I was trying to get a video of that last song because the pyrotechnics were just awesome. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a man. He was so nicely waiting for me to finish before walking in front of me.

When I lowered my phone, he came over to talk to me. I don't remember much of what he said because it was loud, but I did mange to catch "computer", "face page", and "tree house". This was when the husband swooped in to make him move.

The guy began to shake my husband's hand as more gibberish spewed from his mouth. He obviously had no interest in leaving us alone. Since he refused to listen to my husband telling him to move along, the husband knocked his beer out of his hand and pushed him away. Thank goodness for my knight in shining armor because that was the one and only time of the night where the cops were no where to be seen!


Minus a few bumps in the road, which are par for the course, the night was amazing. Just like with the 2 previous times I've seen Kid Rock, his show was exhilarating. Seeing him with 2 of my favorite people made it so much better. I can't wait until our next concert experience in August.


I would like to point out that my friend also has a child. We all managed to make it through the night without talking about any of our kids. Until we got back to my mom's house and found my son sleeping under her boyfriend's feet!

The games we played

I remember being very young, perhaps three or four. The light from my Grandma's small corner lamps bounced off the dark paneled walls. The folding card table was placed squarely in the room. Surrounding it were my Grandma, my mom, and various uncles and aunts. Their hands overflowing with cards, the table lined with rows of cards. They played games such as Pinochle and Canasta. Games with too many cards for my little hands to hold.

When it was my turn to play, we would play Go Fish and War. War was always my favorite because I was so good at winning!


As I grew older, cards continued to follow me through my life. Many nights I played Cribbage with my parents. I can almost hear my dad shuffling the cards. I can almost feel the soft, smooth wood of the board against my fingers. But the rules of the game have since slipped my mind.


When I was seven, I found my best friend. As we began to hang out more, I learned that her family loved to play cards as well. Her family could often be seen around their dining room table playing a game of Pinochle. It brought me back to the days of watching my own family play.

We could never quite figure out how to play the games the adults played, but her and I became quite good at playing 500 Rummy.


I will never forget a family vacation to a cabin in the woods when I was a young teenager. My best friend was allowed to join us and we were both so excited. The cabin was anything but small. The ceiling in the main room spanned 2 floors and the walls were lined with glass. My parents slept in the first floor bedroom with my younger brother, while her and I had free reign of the remaining four on the second floor. If we closed the door, we could talk and laugh into the wee hours of the night.

We would spend our time talking about friends and boys. While we talked, we always played a card game. We would play the fast-paced game of Spit, or the guessing game of Golf, and we always ended with 500 rummy.


One of those night in the cabin, that game of 500 turned into 1000, 1500, and on and on. We played until our eyes couldn't stay open for another second. We had heard noises in the woods. A loud bang, and a scream. Oh my goodness, what do we do? Waking my parents meant walking down the dark, narrow steps and through the tall open room. If there was a killer on the loose, surely he would see us through all of those windows. Quietly playing cards would surely make everything alright. And that's what we did. We finally fell asleep shortly before the sun woke up for the day.

To this day, my best friend and I get together as often as we can to play cards. We still play the same games. We still talk about friends and boys. We still laugh too loud.

I could tell you about playing Trouble as a child until we broke the popper. I could share a story about the time I agreed to play to long version of Monopoly with my dad, and it lasted a week.

I love games and I have played many in my life, but cards will always be what I turn to. They seem to bring out the best in the people who gather around them.

I remember when

I remember when I met my first love.

I was 3, may be 4 years old. That was the year I got my very first Cabbage Patch doll. She had dark skin and dark, curly hair. At least as curly as yarn can be. I didn't care what she looked like because she was mine. Eartha Kissy was her name.


I remember when I had my first heartbreak.

A year or so after I found my first love, I lost her. I was playing with her at the make shift pond inside our local mall. We loved to watch the fish swim around as we ran back and forth across the bridge together. As we were leaving the mall I realized that she was still playing on that bridge. My first love was gone. My heart was crushed.


I remember my first bounce back relationship.

The day after my heart broke I woke up and saw her. She was shiny and new. Standing proud in her box. She had hair the color of fire that stuck out from under her astronaut helmet. Her name escapes me, but she quickly filled the hole in my heart.


I remember when we first met.

I stood in my lawn, the new girl in town. You zipped up the street on your bike, trying to keep up with your big sister. We were quick to become friends and soon we were both zipping up the street on our bikes. Trying to keep up with each other.


I remember when those 2 wheels became 4.

It took much practice, but after a few months, I could make a K with a car and park close to the curb. Those 4 wheels were all I wanted to get where I needed. Twenty dollars in my pocket is all I required. A tank of gas, a pack of smokes, and sometimes a drink.


I remember a time when the little things were all that mattered.


I remember a time when it didn't take much to reach your destination.


My goodness, how things have changed.

Nothin but a number

In a lot of ways I think I'm like most women.

One of those ways is that I sometimes freak out over my age.

I admit that I'm still thrilled about this being in my 30s thing. I'm 32 and even though I don't always like it, I will own that number.






That's not the kind of freak out I mean! And it's not the 32 that I mean either! Oops! Let's try this...

I am still young, and sometimes that shows. Inside jokes that me and my sister-from-another-mister had when we were 15 are still funny. And to this day, we still get stupid and laugh at them like we are 15.

The husband and I had our babies when were young. We both have friends the same age as us who are just starting their families. Sometimes, this can make me feel older than I am. But at the same time, I can still run around with my kids. When their kids are 9 and they're 40, will they be able to run around like we can?


Even though my young, and sometimes childish behavior, can shine through, there are moments when you would think I'm much older than 32.

Those times would be when you find me on my couch and in my robe. A cup of hot tea sitting on the floor by my feet. A crochet hook in my right hand and yarn wrapped around the fingers of my left.

Now be honest. When you think of a woman in her bathrobe, crocheting, and drinking tea, you certainly don't picture her as a young 32 year old, do you? Probably not.


This has been my hobby for almost 2 years now and I must say, I am hooked. Pun intended!

You can call me old all you want when you find me in this state, but I love to create things such as

and





and

If you want to see more things I've made, you can check them out on my other blog, here. Eventually, I'll add a link to this blog, but for now, I have a blanket to make.

Now where's my tea?!?

An unintentional stop

My flight home was due to leave at 8 in the morning. I didn't want to leave the happiest place on Earth, but it was time for me to come home.

I arrived at the airport at 6. After I checked my bags, I sat in the lobby watching the pinks and purples in the sky turn to shades of blue.

My flight had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia. From there it was a straight shot to Pittsburgh. My estimated time of arrival was shortly after noon. My best friend was picking me up from the airport. I had only been gone a week, but I couldn't' wait to see her.

Once I was safe on the ground in Georgia, I quickly figured out which gate I needed to go to. At the time I expected a 30 minute wait, but once I arrived at my gate I realized how wrong I was. The pilots who were supposed to take me home had decided that of all mornings, this would be the one when they chose to go on strike.

I had the option of purchasing a ticket for another airline, or waiting for my original airline to find me another flight. Having just spent all my money at the Magic Kingdom, I was unable to buy a ticket for a thousand dollars. I was forced to wait. While pacing up and down the short hallway it occurred to me that I had to inform my friend that she shouldn't meet me at our airport at noon. This was before cell phones, so I had to use a pay phone to call her. Remember those?

I should also inform you that this was before smoking was banned from inside buildings.

I entered the pay phone room. Three of the dingy cream colored walls were lined with phones. The fourth was made of glass with an opening no wider than your average door frame. Every single person on those phones were just as frustrated as me. What does a smoker do when frustrated? Light one up. There were no windows nor any kind of ventilation. It was all I could do not to gag. And I was a smoker.

After what felt like hours, but was really closer to one, a flight had been found for me. But it wouldn't take me home. Yet another layover was added to my adventure. A detour, you could say. To New York.

I was informed that once in New York, my layover would be a quick one. I would be home before I knew it. What no one realized was that Pittsburgh was experiencing a rainy and thunderous apocalypse. This meant more waiting, more pacing, more phone calls, and much begging for "Delayed" to switch to "Now boarding".

After 2 hours of waiting, I was finally on my way back home. My flight from Laguardia to Pittsburgh International was the shortest of the 3, yet the most frightening. I have never experienced turbulence before than, and I have no desire to experience it ever again. My head bounced off the window like a red rubber ball more times than I can count. Suitcases from the overheads were thrown to the ground. Once stepping off that plane at 6 pm, it took everything I had not to kiss the solid ground I was walking on.

That is one detour I hope to never have to do again.

This week's Red Writing Hood assignment is to write - fiction or non-fiction - about a time when you took a detour. Where had you intended to go and where did you end up?


Orlando to Atlanta to Pittsburgh, with an unintentional stop in New York. I would just like to point out that I have now been to not one, but two New York airports and have yet to see any other part of the city. Hopefully someday I can. But I think I'll drive.

Proof that jokers are wild

A while back I won a gift card. Gift cards are my BFF! I love shopping and when someone else pays for it, that makes it even better!

The gift card I won was for an adult site called Pink Cherry. I had never heard of this site so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I browsed through the site trying to decide what they hell to buy for myself. I admit I looked through the toys, but nothing really jumped out at me. I already own a few and believe me, I am quite satisfied with them. So I moved onto lingerie, a growing obsession of mine.

I found this cute little black number that I knew the husband would absolutely love so I added it to my cart. I had a little money left but I wasn't sure what I could get with a few bucks. So I hopped over to the novelties. Maybe I could find some little gag gift that would make the husband laugh. What I found was even better than that! A deck of cards.

I knew my sister-from-another-mister had to have these!

I wasn't there when she opened her package, but believe me, I heard all about those men over the phone. Some good, some really hairy not so much.

When I went to her house a few nights later I was informed that we were breaking in those men. At first they were stiff, which I suppose is better than having them stick together. I will admit that we did have a hard time grasping onto them and a few ended up on the floor. But all in all, it was a good night!

If you're daring and want to see the other side
click away

Things like this remind me to grow old without ever growing up!

Cats and the supernatural

Since my new toy hasn't come in the mail yet, I think I'll tell you about our cat.

Not ours
but close enough
Courtesy of Google

Approximately 6 or 7 years ago we noticed a black cat in our neighborhood. It seemed fairly nice and was drawn to our backyard. Mostly because the husband was a sucker and would give it all kinds of attention.

This cat appeared to be full grown, so we knew there was no way to domesticate it. Also, we had a baby is the house who was the product of a man with allergies. Being a new mom, I didn't need to add anything extra to my workload. So we just enjoyed it's company when it came to visit.

The cat was known to hang out in the neighbors yards as well, but like I said, it seemed to prefer ours. I should probably mention at this point that the husband thought it was a good idea to feed the cat. Lovely, right?

Days would go by with no sight of her. Him? We never really looked into that, so for the sake of the story, we'll say the cat was female. Then she would show up for some food and attention. We grew rather found of our cat and over time the kids enjoyed the extra company, too.

About a month ago, our cat had passed away. We knew she was getting up there in age and we knew the inevitable was bound to happen. As I said, she wasn't really our cat, but we did enjoy the company she brought.

In the few weeks after the cat had passed, I swore up and down that she was still there. At night I would hear noises as if something was walking on our back hill. The sound wasn't heavy enough to be a person or a large animal, like a deer. The logical side of me thought it was the leaves falling, since it was Fall. But the ghost lover side of me thought otherwise. I never felt threatened. I felt that, if this was the cat, maybe she wasn't ready to move on yet. Soon after, I stopped hearing the noises.


Last Saturday I was at my sister-from-another-mister's house for a get together with some friends. I got home rather late, but before I went to bed, I stepped outside for a bit. The first thing I noticed were tiny cat footprints in the newly fallen snow. The direction of the prints were towards the porch. I searched and could not find footprints anywhere else in the yard. I have seen other wild cats through the years. Maybe that was it, but I found it rather odd to not find any prints leaving the porch.

You can call me crazy for believing in all that ghost stuff, but I take comfort in the thought that our cat is still gracing us with her presence.

30 bucks to jump a guy

I'm not really sure what the going rates are these days. It's been a while. But I was drunk and he needed something from me.

I couldn't very well turn the man down now, could I?

It was actually fairly easy. I just had to maneuver myself into the right position. He really didn't do too much. It was more me doing all the work.






Oh, for god's sake people! I jumped a guy's truck at a concert. Get you minds out of the damn gutter, will ya?!

Last Thursday was the Jimmy Buffett concert. I believe it is written in stone somewhere that you MUST tailgate for this show. We had our food and were getting our drink on - my mom and I with our mojitos and my brother with his Dr. Pepper.

Next thing we know this guy 2 spots over was asking for jumper cables. We don't carry any, but he did find some. I offered to give him a jump and he offered me $30. We tried passing it off as a good deed and returning the money, but he finally dove into my passenger window and shoved the money between our purses.

I should have known it would be an eventful night after that. And it was.

After 2 hours I finally found my husband. No, I didn't lose him. He went with a friend who took our extra ticket. But my husband's state of mind, or lack of, is a whole other post!

My mom, my brother, and myself found a decent spot in the lawn to park our asses. I forgot about the beachballs or else I would have packed some armour. I don't know exactly how many people this place holds, other than a lot. See...

People bring beachballs and toss them around until it gets dark. Those fuckers hurt!!!

Thank god the music started and the balls seemed to have slowed somewhat. But once the music started, the real crazies started to come out. Like Jack Sparrow. Who knew he was a Jimmy Buffett fan?!

I wish I could show you an awesome concert picture, but it turned out that our awesome spot got the glare from all the lights on stage. I guess I could show you a blurry yellow picture, but I think I'll spare you!


There's still some tension between my mom and I, but all in all, it was a kick ass night! I even learned a few things!

For example, it you ever have the desire to try a mojito, make your own. The pre-made stuff, especially the cheap shit, it equivalent to drinking straight shots of vodka. Yes, we were feeling pretty good before we even left the parking lot for the show!

I've also learned that coconut bikinis rarely cover one's own coconuts. And this applies to both men and women.

You're welcome for the lovely mental image! Would it help if I pointed out that the men whose coconuts were rather large also didn't like to wear anything under their grass skirts?

You're welcome!

Love gone sour, suspicion, and bad debt

In a black and far off corner of my mind

There's a box of something I can't quite define

It reeks of love gone sour, suspicion, and bad debt.

Do you know where you're going when you've taken your last step
Do you know what you get?

Girls Night Out!

As for the love gone sour, mixed in with some suspicion, thank you for the support. The bad debt, well, that's just part of the song.


A few weeks ago I had heard that The Clarks were coming to a fair. I decided to ask Traci, my sister from another mister, to join me in an escapade to see them, sans midgets. It's been far too long since her and I have gone out together.

Wal-Mart at midnight doesn't count!

The fair wasn't exactly close so I Binged some directions. I think Traci was afraid to use my phone so I took the old fashion route and wrote them down. All I have to say is thank god the husband bought me my phone and there is a navigation app on it. We would have been lost in the middle of nowhere, literally, without the woman inside my phone!

Except for the bazillion mile walk uphill (both ways, in the snow with no shoes) to the fair, we had a blast. If this event happens next year, we might take the kids. And the shuttle from the parking lot!

I met some URL peeps IRL, which was just awesome! After we found the port-a-potties and kettle korn, we made our way towards the stage. There were a bunch of rows made of hay bales to sit on and we found a prime location. But then we noticed that people were milling around the 2 bale high wall in front of the stage. Hell ya we relocated up there! 5 feet from one of our favorite bands! See...

that's the bale we stood behind!

The concert itself - just awesome!

The woman behind us, not so awesome.

She appeared about halfway through the show and was so close to us I could feel her breathing down my neck. There weren't that many people by the stage, she could have given us some breathing room. And the way she was dancing, I think she was trying to dance with us.

To make matters worse, her hand kept brushing our asses. After the fifth time hitting mine,a little too low for my comfort level mind you, I blew! Maybe it was pent up anger from the other night, but she needed to quit fucking touching my ass. And I told her just that.

She apologized and backed off. But here's my thing - if I'm dancing and accidentally bump into someone, especially their ass, I will move so I won't do it again.

We left as soon as the music was done and watched the fireworks as we walked back to the car. All downhill this time thankfully! Another thing to be thankful for is our sense of humor. Those roads were dark and windy with no street lights. Not somewhere I'd want to drive alone! I guess that's what I get when I refuse to take the most direct route!


Hopefully soon we can have another girls night out that's just as fun.

Oh hell, any time we go out it's fun. Even those midnight trips to Wal-Mart!


How was your weekend?



*lyrics from Cigarette, by the Clarks*

Out with the old, in with the new

It's been a long week. It actually started last weekend and it hasn't stopped yet.

Last weekend we noticed that our water heater was leaking. Not only did we have to clean up the water that was coming from it, but we also had to clean out the basement and the storage room garage. 4-45 gallon trash bags and 3 huge piles of cardboard later, we finally had room to get the old water heater out and a new one in. I'm sure there was a reason why we had all that crap in the first place, but what the fuck? Why did we wait this long to go through it all?!?

Tuesday was the big day! Our landlord was sending out his guy with our present. Of course 2 hours into his work he realized that the ignitor was busted. Figures! Water heaters and this house don't mix. I guess we forgot to pass that message along! Eventually all was fixed. Tuesday night I had the most awesome shower. Ever!


Wednesday I had to take my boy in for his yearly check-up. I don't feel like going into in at the moment, but if you want to read my thoughts on how shitty that experience was, go here. I also had to take my boy for blood work to check for allergies. I do not like needles or blood. Good thing one of us was calm about the whole thing. The 5 year old!


Thursday the landlord was supposed to send his guy out to fix something else, but he never showed. It's not an immediate emergency and quite frankly, I don't feel like calling again. It can wait a bit!


Today... well, I still have to figure it out. At some point I have to take the kids to the library. I also have a shit load of other stuff that needs done around the house. Some of these things I have a deadline for, too. I hate deadlines! Hopefully I can relax at the pool after dinner and forget about my to-do list. I hate those, too!


Wait. The pool is going to be filled with a bunch of screaming midgets. So much for relaxing.


I guess I'll have to wait until Saturday when my sister from another mister and I are going to see one of the best bands ever! The Clarks!

Maybe I can convince her to hit the bar up afterwards. Although the drive isn't exactly short. My bed might actually look better than a bar at that point!