New Years Eve

The end of 2015 is upon us. Was it a good year for you? Will you make resolutions for the new year? Will you at least stay up to watch the ball drop? This year, at least, all those revelers in Times Square won't be freezing their butts off! When I was younger, I always wanted to be in Times Square for New Years eve, just once. I got over it. Now, I see all those people and I think, what a nightmare!! Then I heard these interesting tidbits this morning;

These restaurants are all in Times Square.
1. Despite the fact there is no view of the ball drop at midnight, Ruby Tuesday is charging $1699.00 for a VIP table.
2. Planet Hollywood - $1599 for the Three's A Crowd VIP Table for Three. It includes one bottle of vodka, one bottle of sparkling wine.
3. Buca di Beppo - The Couple's VIP Package will set revelers back $1000. And there's no view of the ball!!
4. Bubba Gump Shrimp is charging $799 PER PERSON for dinner.
6. Olive Garden has the best deal. $400 per person for a 5 hour open bar and buffet meal.
Yeah, not rushing to New York for that honor! Whoa!! All of that AND 1 MILLION people!

We're going to settle for an early dinner out and maybe a movie at home. I know how boring that sounds but I'm totally OK with that!

How about New's Year day? Will you be hungover? Will you spend the day watching college football? Will you go to or watch the Rose Parade? I like to tune in to the parade for a little while. Now that I've actually had the pleasure of helping decorate a float, it's fun to see them, knowing the work that goes into it.

hahahHAHAHhahHAHhahHAHhahahHAHAHA

One of the first things I see in the paper this morning, made laugh right out loud! The irony, the wtf, the absurdity, I could go on and on. I just kept thinking, what does this say about us?! OMG it's just too funny!!!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2015/12/28/obama-donald-trump-gallup-poll-most-admired-man/77967868/

And please, can't you hear him now??

"I'm as popular as the Pope!"

Oh my

Honk honk!

Why do little cars have little sounding horns? If you're small, you should be loud, to compensate.
I hate my horn. If you drive a truck and you hit your horn, it says MOVE IT! My horn says, excuse me, excuse me please, pardon me. I hate it! No one takes you seriously. Grrrr. I want a big MOVE IT horn. Can you buy different horns for your car? Like you can buy different doorbells for your house? Hmmm. I'll have to check that out!

catching up

If you ever get a chance to see Straight, No Chaser, hurry and buy your tickets!!! They were fantastic! There were a Cole times that I forgot there wasn't any music. LOTS of fun 😊 Even my fella liked it!

Our poor little Greta is having back trouble again. It's great to have pain medication for her but it makes her really lethargic. She's just a little furry lump. I love our vet but insure wish he could figure out what's causing it!

Earlier this year, after driving around one day, my mom declared, I've decided that I'm going out to dinner every other Friday! There are a lot of places to eat around here and I want to try them. You're welcome to come if you want.  well, of course we said yes.  so we take turns picking a place to eat. Its actually pretty fun.  we've tried a lot of places we've never been. Yesterday though, my fella chose Olive Garden. Its been years since we've been to Olive Garden. Honestly, it was good. I was kind of surprised.

Are you a Star Wars fan? Are you SUPER excited for the new one? Have you seen it already? Its so funny to me how popular Star Wars with some 'fanatics.'. I guess its like a hobby? Hmmm.

Christmas is right around the corner! Are you ready? Yeah, me either. Its that ho, ho, hum thing. Plus, still NO snow!!! And no chance either. 😐 phooey.

hahaha!

These just made me chuckle!

I think they misspoke?

I read the funniest thing in the paper this morning:

INDIANAPOLIS -

Indiana residents will be able to purchase wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages on Christmas Day for the first time in decades under a change in state law.
  
Alcohol sales of any kind in Indiana have long been banned on Christmas Day.
  
But the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission said Tuesday that Hoosiers can buy alcohol drinks at any restaurant, bar, liquor store or grocery store that's open starting this Christmas Day for consumption on the premises. That's because of a change in state law that took effect in July.
  
The exception is in years when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, as it will next year.
  
In such years, liquor stores and grocery stores cannot sell alcohol, but people can still order alcoholic drinks at bars and restaurants.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

I'm pretty sure they didn't mean that if you buy alcohol at the store, you have to drink it there! I'll keep my eye out for the correction :-)

It sure made me laugh this morning!! 

Ho ho hum

Alright, the tree is decorated. Yes, I did it Sunday. But that's all I did. The rest of the 12 or so totes can go back in the attic. Humph! It's OK though. I mean, I'm not sad and I'm not missing all my stuff. I haven't even picked out all the Christmas movies from the library. I will watch Rudolph though. That's my all time favorite.

Speaking of Rudolph...many years ago, I bought a set of Rudolph figurines. I think I got them at Target. I like this set because the Bumble is actually furry. Pretty neat. And it's got everybody in it. I love this set. It disappeared about 5 years ago. I'm pretty sure that my fella threw it away unintentionally. But I've been mad at him, in my head, for the last 5 years. Every year when we get all the Christmas joy out, no Rudolph, butthead. I say it in my head, of course. 

This past summer, we decided to clean out the attic, buy totes/crates that were all the same, and clear, go through everything, blah, blah, blah. It took several weekends! We had a throw away pile and a Goodwill pile. We had a spot for Christmas joy, stuff we want to give back to the kids, stuff we want to keep but don't need, etc. It was MY job to go through everything. And if it was full of man things, I hollered at him. So there I am, sorting through this tote that had a bunch of miscellaneous things in it. And I came across this little box. When I opened it up, guess what I found?? Uh huh. All my little Rudolph figurine!!!!! YAY! I'm so happy! 
I quietly apologized, in my head  :-)

Now it's Christmas time. The Monday after Thanksgiving, I brought in the decorations for our office. It's pretty. I decided to put my little set of Rudolph and friends, on my desk. Several people commented on how much they love Rudolph. One young man even said, my wife would LOVE these! So I looked for them online, in case he really wanted to get them for her. I wasn't really looking for MY set, just any set would do. Well, I found MY set, on Ebay, for $255.00!!!!!! What?!?!?!? Oh yeah, I took them right home after that!

Happy December!

My, my time flies! I've just run out of time to do everything! And I don't even have a good reason. Man, I feel so distracted lately. And where's our December snow dammit!! Why is it going to be 60 on Saturday and not 30 with at least 4 inches on the ground? Humph.

Last weekend, we went to go see the ballet, The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer. Well, I loved the music, but the ballet is not my cup O tea. Neither of us had ever been to a ballet so we didn't have any expectations. While I can appreciated the skill and artistry of the ballet, I wouldn't go see another one. 

This coming weekend, we're going to go see an acapella group called, Straight, No Chaser.
If you've never heard them, check them out on YouTube. They're from my home state and we're really looking forward to it.

Oh, and Friday, my mom and I are taking a class to learn how to crochet! Because you know, I need to know how to do more things!! Next year, if you get a scarf for Christmas, you'll know why :-)

Geez, I haven't even gotten around to opening the wood burning kit yet! Hell, I haven't even gotten the Christmas decorations up yet! What is wrong with me???

sigh

I'm going to try and put my Santa hat on this weekend and turn this attitude around.

freebird

Oh you know it....Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. THE classic southern rock anthem OF ALL TIME!!!
Bill and I are watching them do  a live show right now and they're playing Freebird. I'm blissfully reliving my high school years right now. I totally dig it!! ITS AWESOME 😃

Happy Thanksgiving!

Parts of this year were pretty great. Other parts, not so hot. I was reminded though, that's exactly when you should be thankful for everything you do have - during the not so hot parts. Usually, I think I'm pretty good at that. But dang, some days it's hard! I know that there's so much to be thankful for. It's just not always easy to recognize those things, especially when you're day isn't going so well. Sometimes we lose sight of how much we have. Even when we have a joyfully happy day! So, during the coming year, if you happen to have a not so hot day, think about some small thing that made you day better. Perhaps it will be something as great as green lights all the way to work. Maybe it will be something as simple as getting the last cup of coffee in the pot or the last clean spoon in the drawer. Or even better, maybe a stranger will smile at you for no reason or let you cut into traffic. Everything you take for granted is something to be thankful for. Everything that makes you smile is something to be grateful for. Keep this little saying in mind; every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. Hokey I know, but true none the less.  

With that in mind, I'm thankful for;

Southwest Airlines $39 one way tickets to Washington DC!  - That was fun!

A windy autumn day

Good walking shoes

Disco music - or anything else from the 70's

Wheat Beer

Coloring books - doodle art has come a long way folks and validation is delightful!

News free days

Technology - awesome and scary!

Live entertainment - Especially if it involves singing and/or dancing

Hobbies - many

Greta and Pepper - woof!

Air conditioning

Modern medicine - saving lives every day

Snow days - there's something to be said for living on a dead end street

1/2 Price Books annual $2 or less sale

Queso dip - mmmmm, gooey cheese

Youthful exuberance and wonder

Hugh Jackman might be the next James Bond! (hey, it's my list)

Happy people

Free parking downtown

Pandora - you know, for all that great disco music

Fresh pineapple

My favorite DJ's on the local country station

Art - not that modern crap though

Avocados and craisins in my salad

A new roof - functional and pretty!

24/7 Christmas music - right around the corner!

Visitors - always welcome. But you know, call first J

Birds at the backyard diner

Sleeping late on Saturday

Amazon - if they don't have it, you don't need it

The cutest twins ever born!

Besides all of those fun, silly, wonderful things, every single day, I’m thankful for my job, a dependable car, a home, a fridge filled with food and more than I need. Every single day, I am profoundly thankful for my wonderfully diverse family and a strong, patient husband who never tires of being married to me. Every day, I know that I am loved. What more could a girl ask for? What about you? Make the world a better place, spread the joy, tell me 3 things that you're thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Life is good. Bee Happy.

Sometimes people DON'T suck

This story was so sad to me;

http://www.wthr.com/story/30513011/public-encouraged-to-attend-burial-for-unclaimed-veteran

But then this follow up made me cry, in a good way;

http://www.wthr.com/story/30538469/overflow-crowd-for-unclaimed-veterans-funeral

best news of the month...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/16/church-flying-spaghetti-monster-massachusetts-religion/75862946/

Oh my gosh this is the funniest story ever!!!

Life's mysteries

Cancer. That's a mystery.
Migraines. There's another one.
The deep, deep, sea.
Why cats get the crazies!
Politics and the United States tax code.
The human brain.
Allergies!
Worm holes.
Insomnia. What's up THAT?! Really, I got 3 & 1/2 hours of sleep last night. Grrrrr. And for no reason at all. No extra caffeine. No nap during the day. No big dinner. I wasn't reading an exciting book. I wasn't playing an exciting game. No social media before bed. It wasn't too warm or too cold. I'm not consciously stressed about anything. I just couldn't go to sleep! AND, today is 1/2 over and I'm still not sleepy? Good grief. I'm sure I'll have a good sleep debt going by the weekend :-(

I think this is BS

First of all, it says, "processed meat eaten daily". DAILY! OK, who really eats hot dogs everyday??? Or bacon, everyday???? Come on now.

Second, what a great way to get people to cut back on pork, huh?! Sometimes I wonder if this kind of stuff is true. It's a great way to control the public's intake of certain things, isn't it?? Hmmmmm. Just sayin'.

Don't eat eggs - oh wait, it's OK to eat eggs. Don't eat butter - oh wait, margarine is synthetic, eat butter. Don't eat beef - oh wait, you need red meat in your diet. Don't eat carbs - oh wait, you have to have carbs and sugar for your body to function properly. 

sigh

Oh please make my dreams come true!!

Will Hugh Jackman be the next James Bond????

Oh please! yesss, yessss, yesssss!!

high falootin'!!

Where I live, use to be a small town. I haven't lived here my whole life - only for about the last 10 years or so. When I was in high school, this town was known for being stuck up and snobby, filled with bitchy residents. Upper class and way upper class. It's a bona fide city now. Not a BIG city, but a city none the less. Anyway, sometimes it cracks me up that I actually live here now. But even after decades and decades, my small city still has a reputation for being snobby and stuck up. I don't know...I just don't see it. I mean, it's not worse than anywhere else? I don't run into a lot of people that think they're better than everybody else just because they live here. Funny. 

OK, now that I've set that up...
We only have a couple grocery stores. Marsh and Kroger. Marsh is pretty new. Kroger has been around a looooong time. Our Kroger has been around since we were still a small town. It showed. So, they closed for almost 3 months while they remodeled.  I don't like Marsh so I was soooo anxious for Kroger to re-open. Finally, the big day came. It's awesome! It's bigger and newer and has a cafe and valet parking! The deli is better and the produce department rocks! I'm so happy!!

But...I see why we have a reputation. (the valet parking was the first sign) First, you can pick your own mushrooms now;

I know, right!?! And sometimes when I go in, they have lettuce growing too!

We also have a newly expanded craft beer and wine section;

Do you really suppose someone is going to buy a $250 bottle of wine, at a grocery store??? Hmmmm.

And then one evening when I was shopping, I could hear music - not elevator music either. Like real music! Then, I looked up, at the cafe above the deli. This is a horrible picture but you can still sorta see it - a guy. A guy sitting and playing guitar...and singing. Live music at the grocery store. 

yep, I see where the reputation comes from now :-)

creepy

You know I want to embrace technology! I think it's AWESOME! But it still seems so invasive and creepy. I always feel so conflicted! For instance, I was looking at some of the DC pictures I took on my phone. I noticed up at the top of my screen, it says where that picture was taken! Whoa. On one hand, I think that's SO COOL. And then I turn right around and think, ewwww. I don't want my phone to know where I am all the time!! Yes, I just figured out I can change that in my settings, and I did. But still...

see?...

That's some serious GPS!!!

Love your boobies!

October is breast cancer awareness month!

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second

most common cancer overall. It is a leading cause of cancer death in less developed 

countries and the second leading cause of cancer death in American women, 

exceeded only by lung cancer.

Around the World:

• Nearly 1.7 million new breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2012.
• Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and men worldwide. In 2012, it represented about 12 percent of all new cancer cases and 25 percent of all cancers in women.
• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in 140 of 184 countries worldwide.
• Globally, breast cancer now represents one in four of all cancers in women. 
• Since 2008, worldwide breast cancer incidence has increased by more than 20 percent. Mortality has increased by 14 percent.
  ​According to the World Cancer Research Fund International

In the United States:

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women after skin cancer.
• 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in 2015. 
• 62,570 new cases of breast carcinoma in situ (non-invasive, has not invaded nearby tissue), including ductal carcinoma in situ and lobular carcinoma in situ.
• 40,290 women will die from breast cancer.
• 2,350 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men. 
• 440 men will die from breast cancer. 
• The five-year relative survival rate for female invasive breast cancer patients has improved from 75 percent in the mid-1970s to 90 percent today. 
• The five-year relative survival rate for women diagnosed with localized breast cancer (cancer that hasn’t spread to lymph nodes or outside the breast) is 98.5 percent. In cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes (regional stage) or to distant lymph nodes or organs (distant stage), the survival rate falls to 84 percent or 24 percent, respectively.
• There are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., including women still being treated and those who have completed treatment. 
  According to the American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2015

Our nation's capitol - day 3

We didn't really plan to do so much on our 3rd day, but it turned into our longest, most cram packed day of the trip! We hit the street at 9:00am and didn't get back to our hotel until 7:30pm! We walked, according to my FitBit, 10+ miles. Whoa!

So, we went to the üUS Capitol. Pretty awesome. They're doing some refurbishing so we didn't get to see the rotunda :-(  But we got to see the original Supreme Court, where Thomas Jefferson was sworn in! I love the past.

Then we went to the US Library of Congress. The largest repository of knowledge IN THE WORLD. OMG!!! I think it was my favorite building of them all. It was also the first 'electrified' building in DC. It was gorgeous! You just have to see it. Every corner of every room is magnificent!

And on display, they have the very first bible ever "printed"...

...as well as this hand written bible!

It was really something.

Next stop, the US Botanic Garden and Conservatory - I've never been to a conservatory!

I like bark. I don't know why. Oh wait, yes I do...it's cool! 

look at how cute this one is....thorns and hearts!

This display was great...who knew that the roots to some things were soooooooo long!!!!

OK - onward! This is going to be the longest post in the history of IndyScooterGirl.

On our way to the National Archives building, it was kind of weird. There are so many people from all over the world, in DC, that for a second it didn't even feel like you were in America. I've never heard so many different languages and seen so many different kinds of people.

OK, the National Archives. No photos here. Not allowed. And it's dark. And you probably don't know this but, The Declaration of Independence, which gave me goose bumps to see, is barely visible. You can hardly see the J in John Hancock. It's soooooo faded. It made me kind of sad. and happy that I've gotten to see it while you still can. 

Then we decided, what the hell, it's a beautiful day and it's only about a mile or so, let's walk down to the Lincoln Memorial!

I know Bill said before we went that he didn't care about seeing any of the memorials, but 

I'm pretty sure he's glad he did.

It's impressive for sure!

                                            

 And the view is fantastic!

We passed this place on our walk;

And the Vietnam War Memorial;

Put yourself there. Look at those people standing in front of the wall. Look at how long that wall is. Imagine allllll those names. Tragic.

The Korean War Memorial;

The World War II Memorial;

I think that covers our last day. It was an amazing journey, walking through so much history. If you've never been, it should be on your bucket list. I promise, you'll feel things you never have before!