Week 15 Orange is the New Black - AZ Prison Visit

This is definitely not a first that I aspired to have but it is one none the less. My brother is in an AZ St Prison for DUI charges and I went to visit him this month.   Since this was my first time in a prison I did some research and I have to say it is not easy.  I want to give a shout out to one blog I read that did help me http://www.jessicasoperationorange.com/faq 

She (I am assuming through her family and friends since I cant imagine that she has access to the internet)has answers posted to the simplest questions. What to expect, What to bring, and What to wear. With all that valuable knowledge it still took me 3 tries and two trips to  Walmart 2 times before I got in. Looking, I might add, like the poster child for Walmart as well! lol

 My first set back was my V neck shirt.  When I mentioned that it doesn't stipulate no Vnecks on their website, and that when I called no one told me I couldnt wear one, the guard looked at me and said, " Well honey, I am telling ya now."  Soooooo off to Walmart I went! haha

Me (above) in the Walmart bathroom changing into prison attire... seems that the hooks from my bra set off the metal detectors, so I decided to change 100% of my clothing so I didnt have any other issues.  3rd time was the charm! 

The 2nd day I saw him I wore the same outfit but with sneakers (flipflops in the car just in case).  You only have one failed attempt through the metal detector or they escort you out and you aren't permitted visitation that day.

The only things you can bring with you are 30$ in quarters in a plastic bag for the vending machines, your drivers license and the key to your car (with nothing else attached). #azprison #orangeisthenewblack #visitinginprison

So I had 8 hours with my brother the first day and 4 the second. Lots of Mountain Dew and vending machine junk food.  To be honest, that $30 goes pretty quickly over 8 hrs! 

There were loads of visitors wearing jeans (with buttons and zippers!) and tight clothes.  No "V" necks though lol.  I changed one small thing each time I went to visit him and on my final visit the 2nd weekend, I was in jeans, Toms, a tee with a cardigan over it. Dare I say I looked nearly normal! lol 

The stories he had were so interesting.  He never has felt unsafe thankfully and flies under the radar as much as possible. The gang mentality of life in prison helps with order and safety.  How everything is ordered is generally by race and the inmates rule the roost.  I learned some new terms like PCing (Protective Custody - when an inmate fears for their life due to getting in trouble with other inmates  for things like getting caught snitching or not able to pay off debts.) They are then immediately put in "the hole" and then transfer to another prison.  Getting a "Hot One" or invited to the back to get beat on for a minute or 2 in order to teach a lesson (ie wash your hands after you use the toilet, dont embarrass your race doing something you shouldn't etc.  Keistering... well you can guess that one... up the butt to smuggle in drugs, phones, nearly anything! 

One of the most interesting experiences I have had in a while.

Week 17 - Fleetwood Mac Concert

 Fleetwood Mac in Atlantic City. Great concert and wow they are all impressive for their ages! Stevie is 66... Mick Fleetwood and Chrissy are 71! They spent 31/2 hours full on entertaining. Great special effects.  Fun weekend with friends! :)

Always fun to go to a concert where you know all the words to all the songs!  The only downside to the week is that my son ended up in the hospital for 2 days because of a Mrsa infection in his elbow... maybe thatssss why he didnt clean his room?!?!? lol  He is fine now! #fleetwoodmac  #atlanticcity #Mrsa

Week 14 James A Mitchner Museum and NYE Wedding

The James A Mitchner Art Museum has been on my list of places I wanted to see for years,  It is directly across from the Mercer Museum.  It once was an old stone prison which makes its bones and story as interesting as its art!  http://www.michenermuseum.org/

New Years Eve, 12/31/14, I went to the wedding reception for one of my oldest dearest friends at the museum. Fabuloussss setting for a wedding and bonus... I got to see the museum as well! 

 We pledged our sorority freshman year together (Thats me right over the Sigma in pearls, and her 3rd row from the top, left side, second in, wearing brown stripes).

Both Kim and Joe have been married before. I was at Kims first wedding.  Her first husbands parents were at this wedding as well (In the photo below). Kind of a long story but a nice one.  One that I hope has had a happy ending for everyone. :) Great to see some other old friends too.

#Jamesmitchnermuseum #kimswedding #nye

Week 13 Mayan Museum - Cancun Mexico

 ***MEXICO***  Its been a family tradition for the last several years to go away between Christmas and New Year.  We have gone to Cancun for the last 4 yrs and never once left the resort to explore any of Mexico's rich culture. This year,(as a first for me and my family) I forced the troops to the Mayan Museum.  It was directly next door to our hotel so it wasn't too difficult a sell.  The only unusual/difficult thing is that its the only place in the area that doesn't accept US Dollars or even credit cards so we had to exchange money to get in.  We were unprepared.

 (Sunset Beach Vollyball and pineapple drinks were not part of the museum admission price!haha)

 The grounds are well kept and impressive. There are several Mayan ruin sights there, as well as some other structures. Its not a place that will leave you awed but it was worth the time and effort to get a taste for the culture.   Some huge Iguanas and interesting native trees.  Big termite mounds all over...

 Inside (raised onto a higher lvl so that there isnt the risk of flooding) there is a nice exhibit of ancient remains found in Tulum dating about 14k yrs old.  There is another of the remains of La Mujer de las Palmas or "the Woman of the Palms".  They believe these are the remains of a person that lived 10k yrs ago during the Ice Age! Some other tools and bones of wildlife are there as well.

Clearly everyone was as impressed as I was! haha  It was a fun afternoon!  #mayanmuseum #cancun 

 Can you see the drawings in the rocks above?

Never Fear! I might be unmotivated but I am keeping up!

Mayan Museum in Mexico, old friends and a New Years Eve wedding  posts coming soon.
Plans in the works for the Polar Bear Plunge in Feb. Off to a prison in AZ next week!
Life is good!

Week 12 - Dog Park Experience

My first ever dog park experience.

My friend Betsy and I brought our pooches out this week.  We chose an overcast but lovely, 50 degree winter day.

A little background, Betsy has a beagle, Katy, that is adorable and well behaved.  Unless there is food involved, then her listening is a bit more of a crap shoot.  She is on a special diet due to food allergies so is always hungry or eager for different food providing options like trash cans and friendly people...)  My lovely critter, a 10 pound Alpha male maltese, Theo, is an OCD-ish dog that loves people but does not play well with other animals. He has some anxiety issues and a bit of a Napolian Complex as well (hence why I havent brought him to the dog park before! lol).

Hartford Park has an off leash park for dogs, located within the 31 acre Harford Park. The area for dogs (off leash) is about 5+ acres and includes a stream that dogs are allowed to splash in and a dog-friendly drinking fountain. There was a steady stream of social, well-behaved dogs running free when we arrived.  I kept Theo on his leash but was able to graduate him from 3' to about 20' of line by the time we left.  He is a smart dog and finally figured out that picking on the giant dogs is probably not in his best interest!  This park must be as close to paradise, for a dog, as is possible.  I would swear that all of the dogs had smiles on their faces!

The downside to this experience was that my dog came home COVERED in burrs! I spent about an hour Googling how to remove burrs and another hour picking/cutting out the burrs and bathing the dog.  Still after all was said and done, it was fun for all of us!  At one point one of the dogs there, pooped out an orange sock. Not many places you could discuss that and have people laugh with you then share their ugly stories with you.  Like the time we had guests and my dog came prancing into the middle of the room with someones hot pink underwear in his mouth! lol 

Week 11 - Christmas Songs and Epiphanies

Last week I had an epiphany.

I have been rushing around trying to make firsts happen when in fact, they are all around us each and every day!   It was pointed out to me that technically trying a new shampoo (Yes I found one that will change your life!!!) DOES count as a first.  New foods, even striking up a conversation with a stranger is a first.

The issue I have with using these as my weekly first, is that they dont help me achieve my actual goal.  The reason I am doing this with the firsts, is, in part, to prove to myself and others that at any age, you can have new experiences, adventure, growth, learning and LIVE! Age is not just a frame of mind.  Old is old (wow that was profound! haha) You can give in and acquiesce to being old orrrr you can jump in and swim like Michael Phelps until the current takes you away!  There is always time for growth, reflection and new experiences. My belief is that its when you stop trying, when you stop moving through the pain and going out of your comfort zone, you step closer and closer to death. That is just me though and I know there are people out there that will read this and think I am out of my head.  Maybe... but its my blog and my life... so I can be :).

Sooo back to my first for the week!  I was asked to participate in an international rendition of a classic Christmas song.  10 people from all over the world, each have a part.  Out of my comfort zone for sure!!  I used to be a pretty good singer.  Loads of solos at school functions, chorus and even sang with a band for a spell for fun... phew... those days are gone! Yikes I suckkkk now! haha  So I am supposed to sing the 4 Calling Birds part of 10 Days of Christmas.
I have to redo it because I found out I have to sing it all the way back through the numbers... eek! lol  I will add in the finished video when it is complete! =]

Week 10 - New Places - Bonita Springs/Naples

 Bonita Springs Girls Weekend for my Birthday

I am late in writing my post for this week.  Its been busy busy busy! I went with 3 of my favorite people to celebrate my birthday. One of my friends has a house in BS so we stayed there.  It was great!  Weather was 80 and mostly sunny.

Karen and I went down a day earlier so we spent Thurs exploring the area, grocery shopping for the weekend and then saw a beautiful sunset over the water.  There is about an hour difference in sunset time from PA to Southern FL.  I figured it would have been a little different but not a full hour more daylight. (One more reason to move to Florida! haha)Thurs night we went to Pub Night at the Clubhouse where we were staying and met some nice people. Most of them were well older than we are.  We felt like young whippersnappers ( Wondering... exactly what is a "Whippersnapper"??)

Friday we drove to Sanibel Island and spent the day on the beach. Its natural and wow were the people friendly. Even my British traveling companion was forced to talk to strangers! haha (She always makes fun of me, saying that I will talk to anyone... )

Friday night the other 2 of our friends arrived.  Sat we shopped, ate at a great restaurant called AZN in the Mercado section of Naples.  We saw the sunset at The Turtle Club in Naples.  On the way home we crashed a Christmas party and danced a ton! Great fun. =] 

I didnt love Sanibel, but I think Naples is a place I could live or spend winters! =]  I loved the area.   (Loads of restaurants and shops just steps from the beach!  People of all ages too...)  Now to get my spouse to agree on that! haha  I dont think it will happen.  #whippersnapper #naples #Girlsweekend

whippersnapper

1

nsomeone who is unimportant but cheeky and presumptuous

Synonyms:

jackanapes, lightweight

Week 9 - Poker Tournament with World Champions and As Seen on TV

Our Annual Texas Holdem Tournament was held at our house again Monday.  Approximately 60 (7 tables) people including special guests!  Professionals Annie D uke, Eric B rooks and another poker champion gold bracelet winner joined this year.  

Usually this is a male only event but since there would be a female player (Annie), a handful of women from the league I play in were also invited. 

 My son and I had the honor of playing with both Annie and Eric at the first table!  Last year Annie was the Tournament champion (Yes I was realllyyyyy nervous!).  This year she was probably just being gracious in returning the champion trophy and didnt win (not to mention she was sick with a lousy cough).  In any event it was a really fun evening.  By the first merge, our table knocked out both Annie and Eric.  In the end I was the longest standing female, top 13th.  Top 9 were paid with the winner taking home 1K!  Playing with and even just watching a professional player is interesting! They were helpful with tips, fast to correct and overall really lovely to play with the lot of us!  Speaking of tips...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxBZxUSLTso  Annie's Top 5 Poker Tells!

Also on my list of firsts this year an As Seen on TV gizmo! "Veggetti "I will post a video asap but I will say that I dont think it was worth the money.( $9.95 at Ross so thats really discounted).  It didnt work with parsnips.  Worked well with zucchini but I cant see it working well with many other veggies. I will give it a go again soon. My hope was to use it to make veggie pasta for sauce.  Ohh and snow for Thanksgiving!!  I didnt host this year.  We spent it in Maryland with family. My nephew announced he was getting married and that he and his gf were expecting in July '15!  It will be so nice to have a baby in the family again and my first nephew getting hitched!

#veggitti #pokertournament #thanksgiving #babies