The Artist at Work

Thursday is art day at Violet's school and I was lucky enough to be the subject of her art project.

This is Violet and me eating ice cream at our favorite place - Chick-Fil-A. Violet was writing "Grandmother" on the line underneath but she didn't have time to finish. Either the teacher will learn you can't rush Violet or Violet will learn to complete a task within the allotted amount of time. Good luck to Violet and the teacher!

Dilly Bars

We were having lunch at Dairy Queen and Violet asked if we could have a Dilly Bar after lunch. Melissa had this questionable look on her face and asked "What's a Dilly Bar?" Then I had the questionable look on my face and said "You don't know what a Dilly Bar is?" I'm not sure if she was more confused about the Dilly Bar or the fact that Violet knew what a Dilly Bar was. Doesn't everyone know what a Dilly Bar is?

Dilly Bars have been around since 1955. Dairy Queen is known for their Dilly Bars. What I didn't know was they not only made them in chocolate but butterscotch, cherry and Heath. We did a little shopping after lunch then went back to Dairy Queen to get the Dilly Bars. Melissa was so embarrassed about asking for "Dilly Bars" at the drive-thru that I had to go inside and get them. We ended up getting the cherry Dilly Bars at Violet's request. Trust me, not the right choice. We all learn something new every day!

Bachelorette Party

What's a wedding without a proper bachelorette party. And where do 62 year old brides have their bachelorette party? Hamburger Mary's!

Hamburger Mary's advertises as a bar and grill for the "open minded" and offers a "flamboyant" dining experience with entertainment from "Dining with the Divas". In short, it's a drag club.

Instead of fully enjoying the show, Melissa, Trish and I were trying to figure out how the "divas" tape and tuck themselves to appear as such flawless young girls. This girl/boy/lady/man - whatever they like to be called - started out with this fancy dress but later stripped down to an all revealing leotard, kicking her legs in the air and dropping into splits on the stage. It was fascinating.

Pam is such a wonderful person and the greatest Aunt to everyone of her nieces and nephews. She deserves to have all the experiences every bride has. Just two more weeks until the wedding. I'm sure there won't be a dry eye in the house.

Bridal Shower for Aunt Pam

Today was Aunt Pam's bridal shower. It only took her a little over 60 years but she finally found her Prince Charming.

Violet was also invited to the shower. She'll be the flower girl at the wedding. I offered to be the flower girl but since this is Pam's one and only wedding, she decided to go the traditional route and have a 5 year old for the flower girl. Violet's being silly with the wrapping from Pam's present.

It's hard to think of things for someone who has just about everything. My gift to Pam was matching t-shirts. One said "Mr.", the other "Mrs." Pam loved them.

Not a bad time to get a picture of me, Melissa and Violet. We should have planned our clothes better and got matching outfits.

Pam isn't really my aunt. She's actually Jamie's aunt but everyone else calls her Aunt Pam, so why shouldn't I. Congratulations Pam!

Uber on the Appalachian Trail

Michele and I are still trudging through the Appalachian Trail but her hiking trip to Colorado and my laziness has put me way far behind.

So much so that Michele thought it might be funny to add a little caption to my character. Do you notice how her character never changes but mine is so versatile. Is Uber even available on the Appalachian Trail? She eventually has to go back home, then I'll make my move!

Appalachian Trail Update

I have no idea where we are on our virtual Appalachian Trail adventure. I know Michele is ahead of me and I know we're in Virginia climbing the Iron Mountains (part of the Blue Ridge Mountains). We might be over them by now. I'm waiting for an update from Michele.

Other than that - as you can see from the carton depiction - I'm tired. Michele has the advantage of being in Boulder, CO this month with Bruce (who, by the way, NEVER stops walking) and taking nature hikes each and every day. I'm waiting for her to get back to St Louis. I'm sure she'll take a few days off to recuperate and I'll forge ahead. Wishful thinking!!!

Violet Loses Her First Tooth

After many weeks of wiggling her tooth, Violet finally lost her first baby tooth.

Even though her permanent teeth are coming in, the dentist recommended the tooth fall out naturally as opposed to him pulling the baby teeth. The tooth was so loose this morning that Jamie was going to put a piece of dental floss around it and pull it out. By the time he got the dental floss in place, the tooth was out.

I guess the tooth fairy is coming tonight. What's the going rate for a tooth these days?