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

Thanksgiving/Holiday Season Rant

I try to follow the moto that "The family that plays together, stays together." There was NO play in my family growing up, so I want to make sure that my kids enjoy their time with me and want to spend their soon to be valuable and scarce holiday time with me.  

I love Thanksgiving because its about being thankful (for friends... family... health... and even distance haha). Its Xmas and even Hanukkah (a sort of purposefully made to be materialistic holiday)I dislike the most. All this hype and spending under the pretense of religion when there is very very little religious about the season for 90% of the people. Bah Hum Bug! haha

I saw this posted on Facebook. It always gets touchy this time of year...I agree with this pic but in reverse. If I am Jewish tell me Happy Hanukkah, If I am Christian then wish me Merry Christmas and if I celebrate Kwanza then bid me a joyous Kwanza holiday... but If I dont celebrate something why would you tell me to enjoy Ramadan, or happy Holi/ Dhuleti to me just because you celebrate it? I do not view it as a political issue or some right being taken away. If you care to say something nice to me, for my benefit, then know me well enough to know what I celebrate. If you dont, dont think that wishing me your holiday greeting, that I dont celebrate, is saying something nice to me. We live in a multicultural world now. There might have been a days when we didnt but like it or not, the world has blended and changed. I for one, believe that there is no way 'God' could have just one religion. The world is made up of lots of wonderful people believing with diverse religious views. I think we often forget that these are religious holidays and everyones beliefs are different. So, spread joy, peace and love this holiday season. Celebrate your holidays to the fullest and may the spirit of the season, whatever you celebrate, be upon you. #holidayseasonrant #sayinghappyholidays

Week 8 - Jewish Weddings, Old friends and a Red Wrap Dress

 This week I had some sentimental firsts.  Two old college friends got married in a beautiful traditional Jewish ceremony.   This was the first traditional Jewish wedding I have ever attended.  That might not seem so unusual unless you knew that I'm Jewish! lol  All the Jewish weddings I have attended that were officiated by a Rabbi were also dual religion.  My own wedding there was a Priest and a Rabbi.  It's a lovely blend, but some of the traditions were lost in the mixing.

This wedding had all the bells and whistles!  They had a Huppah, or wedding canopy (apparently the custom dates back to tent dwelling nomadic days in the desert!)  The bride and groom 'circled' each other 7 times (traditionally it was only the bride that circled but modern times calls for each to circle the other 3 times then they both circle together once. I read that it is supposed to represent the 7 wedding blessings, 7 days of creation or demonstrate that the groom is the center of the brides world.  

I think the breaking of the glass is the most popularly known part of the wedding ceremony.  Depending on whom you ask its supposed to be  a symbol of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem,  a representation of the fragility of human relationships and or  a reminder that marriage changes the lives of individuals forever. It's also the finale and official signal to shout, "Mazel Tov!"  A few prayers and good wishes and we were off to celebrate the official coupling! 

There was the Hamotzi, or blessing of the challah bread, then the the Hora generally called the chair dance, to the song Hava Nagila. =] I didnt do that at my wedding and now I am sorry. It looked like such fun and is part of a long cultural tradition. Once that was done, the bride and groom made a speech, we ate, drank and were merry.  Loads of photos including one of all of the UD graduates >> 

Among the UD graduates were 3 of my sorority sisters (me with 2 below).  I haven't seen them in decades!  They hadn't changed a bit! <3 So you might be wondering about the significance of the red wrap dress... When I was 16 I had my Bat Mitzvah (yes its usually at age ... thats a story for another post! lol).   I wore my mothers red silk wrap dress. When I was looking for a dress to wear to the wedding, I became all nostalgic.  Because I was thinking about my traditions and missing my mother, I went out in search of another red wrap dress.  Thank goodness for Diane von Furstenberg and her classic style of dress still being available! lol You might not believe me, but I haven't worn a wrap dress (mostly because it wasn't figure flattering ) since I was 16.  #jewishwedding  #redwrapdress #doubledelmarriage

Week 7- Puerto Rico Baby - Bioluminescent Bay, Cushman Cart and Salsa

Girlfriend/Birthday trip to Puerto Rico.  Crazy fun was had by all! 

My first "first" of the week, was a ride on a Cushman Cart ^^ in the airport!  This nice man offered to take us to the part of the terminal we needed.   6 Giggly gals on a cart buzzing through the airport waving must have been a sight to behold! haha

The weather was perfect!  84F and sunny most of the time. The resort has a beautiful pool with local iguanas visiting regularly. Really soft sand beaches and clear and blue water topped it off.  The only rain we got was when we were heading through the rainforest area to kayak and that turned out to be a blessing! (more on that in a second!=])

I love Puerto Rico's rich culture and history.  As and example, they celebrate Christmas from Dec 15-25th and begin decorating in early November!  This is followed by New Years and The Kings Days (celebrating the 3 kings). I believe this ends on Jan 9th. Long Christmas season for sure! haha

I was a bit disheartened when the tour guide mentioned that 65% of Puerto Ricans do not speak English.   (According to Wiki its even less http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_in_Puerto_Rico)  There seems to be a large % of the population living in the continental US  as well.  (4.9mil as of 2012 vs 3.5mil that live on the island  http://www.pewhispanic.org/2014/08/11/puerto-rican-population-declines-on-island-grows-on-u-s-mainland/).  Puerto Rico does not pay federal taxes either and they vote in primary but not in presidential elections.

We took a 3 mile kayaking trip through red mangrove lined channels leading to Laguna Grande and the Bioluminescence Bay one day.  Since it had just rained and the plankton glows as a response to movement, the bay actually sparkled when you looked into the water! We weren't allowed to swim in the bay, but when you splashed your hand around and lifted it out of the water your hand sparkled too! The microscopic plankton, called Pyrodinium Bahamense, even lit up the paths of fish in the water. They looked like shooting stars!  Really a cool experience and something that has been on my Bucket List for ages! Glad to check off that box =]

Some highlights besides the wonderful pool and beach:
The El San Juan hotel - Gambling and dancing.  We even saw the lead singer from the band Kansas do a cameo appearance with the band.  I am not sure that he was so fabulous but the band was good and I knew all the songs! lol

Old San Juan, the historic district, was interesting.  We had dinner at The Cafe Puerto Rico (http://www.cafepuertorico.com/intro.html) The food has a latin flair, but isnt what I would call spicy. It came highly recommended but I thought it was just fair.(We ate at another place close to our hotel, called Platos Restaurant and Bar which was much better. The food at The Ritz was actually the best we had the entire trip... the Fish Tacos were AMAZING!) After Cafe PR, we went to a Latin/Salsa dance club.  Before this trip I might have said I knew how to Salsa a bit, but I was dreadfully wrong! lol  These people were awesome!  Visiting a Salsa club was definitely a first!

My favorite memory was the night we happened onto this small bar while walking back to the hotel for the night.  The bartender of this quiet place (literally only 4 people in the place at the time) quite literally dragged us in.  Just when we thought our night was winding down, it got a second wind.  We stayed for hours.  They let us manage the music, get a little crazy dancing on the bar and I even got to play bartender! A fun time was had by all.  =] The people of Puerto Rico were wonderful.  I need a vacation from my vacation! lol  #puertorico #bioluminescencebay #salsa #ritzfishtacos

Week 6 "Firsts"- Venice Beach, The Getty Museum, Fitz & The Tantrums

The week began in sunny California. 

Venice Beach.  Apparently because the water flows from the north, even on the hottest days, its always cold. 63F the day we were there.  We passed by 'Muscle Beach" where there are weightlifting machines on the beach and these Paddle Tennis courts (Especially funny since its an outdoor winter sport here). Its different from the sport I play in Philly.  This one is played on asphalt and uses a tennis ball.  We play on a raised, metal platform and use a hard ball like a racquet ball. They also serve into a different area of the court than we do.  The positions are the same and as far as I could tell the scoring was the same as well. Cool to watch!

Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in California, but you can see the signs with green crosses and an outline of a leaf EVERYWHERE! Most also have "the doctor is in" signs and advertise that for 40$ you can see a doctor and get a prescription! lol 

The same day we visited The Getty. It is a gorgeous facility and free (Besides the $15 parking fee lol) After you park, a monorail takes you to an expansive stone building that itself is a piece of art! The views were amazing and the gardens wonderful to walk through.  We didnt even see the inside of the museum because of time restrictions, but I did get a few little things from the Museum Shop (which also is a good way to find out what masterpieces are in the museum).  I would have liked to have seen Vincent van Goghs "Irises". A list of the most popular paintings in the collection can be found here http://laist.com/2013/10/29/most_popular_paintings_getty_online.php#photo-1 

Italian travertine stone with fossils

The bougainvillea is on a rebarb trellis! Very clever and just beautiful! 

My week finished back in Philly and on Friday I went a tasting menu dinner (chief decides the 6 courses) at Ella's http://elaphilly.com/  delicious but not a lot of food.  Then to a concert of a band I never heard of (though I did recognize some of the songs) 

Fitz & The Tantrums played at the Electric Factory on Friday. Super fun concert!  Saturday night I attended a Hoe Down Birthday party for a friend and I can add Square dancing to my list of firsts for the week too!  Its probably been since 4th grade gym class since I attempted Square dancing! lol Notice I said attempted... I wasnt good then and I am not good now! haha  Unfortunately I also lost my Iphone so no pics from the party (License and Credit Card inside the phone case too) =[  #fitzandthetantrums #thegetty #venicebeach #ellasphiladelphia

Week 5 -The Breeders Cup 2014 - End of Month 1!

In Thoroughbred racing, the International "Breeders' Cup World Championships" is the culmination of the horse racing season worldwide. Its location changes annually so having been in LA the day and year it was also held here was quite lucky! =]   

Amazing views of San Gabriel Mountains.

 California Crome (winner of the Preakness and Derby this year) was the local favorite for the final race... he came in 3rd.  I bet on about 6 races and my net profit was $2.60! Woot! haha

'Bayern' won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic by a nose.  Great ending race!  Fabulous experience Thanks to my friend Brad for organizing and driving! #breederscup2014 #californiachrome #la