Florida Escapades

I have returned to the cave. The cavemen missed me and they jabbered all the way home in the van from the airport to home. They were fighting for talking time. They were talking over each other. They were so excited to tell me everything they did while I was gone.

The beach was great! I went to Cocoa Beach and spent time on the Cocoa Beach Pier. I ate fresh crab legs at a tiki bar called Oh Shucks. They had a beatnik band playing, and it was so nice to just listen to music and enjoy crab legs while overlooking the ocean and having the fresh sea air blow against me. So relaxing. After my fabulous meal, I sauntered along the coast. The sand was hot, so I walked along the shoreline and let the waves hit my legs. I searched for sea shells to bring home. I found lots. The boys were sure excited to look at them all.

I only spent about an hour and a half in the sunshine. I did put on some sunscreen, but I didn't put any on my back, as I can't reach back there. I didn't see anyone who I was willing to let rub lotion on my back either. Mostly families and old, leathered, Floridian sea fishermen. So I figured a little sun wouldn't hurt. WRONG!!! What happens when you take a pale northern girl and put her on a Florida beach? SUNBURN CITY!! OUCH! I wonder what shade Crayola Crayons would describe the shade of pink my back is and still is. It's at the itchy stage. I'm sure I'll be molting soon. I also burned my scalp where my hair parts. Dang, I always forget about my head. Won't that be lovely when it starts peeling. I'll look like I need to use Head & Shoulders in a big bad way.

After spending the entire afternoon at the beach, I took my sandy, ocean soaked self back to the airport. I turned in my car. It was pouring so badly that it was hard to see, and I didn't see any gas stations in which to put gas into the rental. I figured forget it, I'll just get tagged for gas usage at the rental place rather than deal with trying to save a few bucks. My rental car had 12 miles on it when I took it off the lot and I returned it with 197 and only used half a tank of gas. WOW! That's awesome mileage.

I arrived at the conference in time for the Sunday evening festivities. Sunday night was their meet and greet. It was great to see people with in the industry that I haven't seen since last year and even meet some new ones. It was at the meet and greet that my group from my work all got invited out to dinner with Peoplenet. Who am I to pass up a good steak dinner?

Monday I attended guest speakers, classes, and exhibits from 8 am - 5 pm. After lunch they served a great tiaramasu. It was LOADED with alcohol! Best desert I've ever had. I need to know how to make that. I wonder what their recipe is. I think the chef tripped when he put the alcohol in it. They had two political guru's speak and they were very entertaining. Even humorous. Who knew political analysts were funny?

Monday evening they provided diner and entertainment. They served steak over a seafood and veggie medley. I sent my steak back to get cooked as I think my steak was still mooing. I'm sure I heard it moo. Blech! The waitress looked at me annoyed and told me my steak was cooked medium well. I told her, to get me one that was over well done then. She promptly brought me another steak. Delicious! And this one was cooked just right. I'm shocked not many people complained or sent theirs back. When we were talking of dinner the next day, most people either said they didn't eat it or it was delicious. I said I sent mine back and they looked at me like I was crazy. Oh well...they either went hungry or ate cold meat, while I had perfection. What's so wrong with that??

The entertainment was The Three Grands. WOW! They were amazing and so fun! Three guys on grand piano's, a drummer, a guitarist, and a sax player. They were so fun to listen to. They took requests, but none of our table's requests got played. They played mostly all 70s and 80s music, so I knew the words to most of their songs.

Tuesday again, I attended guest speakers, classes, and exhibits all day. Then I got ready for another steak dinner. The steak house we went to was on site at the hotel. It was FABULOUS! Best crab cakes I've ever had, and also quite possibly one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. They had to butterfly my steak so they could cook it to my liking with out it being tough. They did a great job of that! Again, lots of red cold slabs of steak mooing at my table. Not me...No way!

Wednesday I attended another class and then got ready to make the trip home. I got a ride to the airport with some friends and had a long wait until my flight. So I took my time. I had lunch at The Macaroni Grill. Oh their bread was oh so yummy. I bought the book "Wicked" and started to read that. My sister highly recommended it. It is pretty good. Then I hopped on my laptop and found some free internet. Whoo Hoo!

Finally it was time to get on the plane. After a whole afternoon of wasting time at the Orlando Airport. Oh well, I was ready for the down time. I was exhausted. I slept the whole way home on the plane. Which is just the way I like it.

Now, I'm back to reality. I was pretty busy getting unburied at my cubicle. Now I'm ready for the weekend!

I ran away from the cave

I'm in Florida! Away from the hubby and kids. I'm here for business, but took a couple days before the conference for some R&R. So far I've done just that. It sure is great to get away. Most of the time so far I've just been hanging out poolside at the Tiki Bar. The weather has been great. Hot & sunny, and absolutely NO bugs.

Today I went shopping and bought souvies for the hubby and kids. It was the hugest gift store I've ever seen. They had tons of Disney stuff. Everything in there was pretty cheap too. So I managed to get a couple of goodies for myself.

Tomorrow I am headed to the beach. It's about an hours drive. I can't wait.

Sunday late afternoon, I turn in my rental car & head over to the Marriott Convention Center for my work conference. Which is the reason I'm in Florida to begin with. I just decided to come out a couple days early and get away from the cave.

So, I've left the cavemen together. I do hope they can survive with out me. I'm sure they will be fine. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

More Evolution

Well, the cave is evolving quite nicely. I added a new coffee table. I got my treasure at Pier One. A bit of my own creation too. I searched all day online for the perfect coffee table and then BAM! it hit me. I had an idea. So shopping time for me. :) It is a glass top coffee table, with an oakish red colored metal frame. I have two elephant statues, two antelope type skulls and horns, and a neat looking plant in the center under neath. (Yes, pictures will be posted!)

My entertainment center turned curio cabinet has turned into quite the neat thing too. My husband was amazed at how quickly I filled it. I ordered a very neat looking bucking bronco with cowboy sculpture to really set it off. Not only did the statue arrive in the mail broken. ARG! But also, it is discontinued. So I can not get another one. WHAT!! So the search for the perfect piece continues.

We have not received the kids beds yet. I ordered them online two weeks ago. The kids each picked their own. Of course they are not matching. Heaven forbid, they have the same bed. Their room remains undone. :(

The hubby is rather enjoying the new 64 inch TV. Sports are great to watch on it. The rest of us have hardly been able to use it for our own viewing pleasure. The littlest caveman has pretty much owned the new recreation room. And the oldest cavechild still thinks he owns the big guy upstairs. They aren't big fans of the "no X-box and no cartoons on school night" rule. Big bad mean mom!

I was able to sell pieces of furniture on Craigslist. They were sold rather quickly. So that was nice to be able to put money back into the checking account which I've been so fond of lately.

Earlier in the week, we borrowed our neighbors pull behind trailer. We went to Great Grandma Marge's house (bless her soul, she's been in the nursing home for a couple of years now). Her house has finally sold, so we went to move some furniture out that we wanted to keep in the family rather than let some random stranger have all her things. So we acquired a lovely six foot long dresser with a mirror. Of course it doesn't fit in our bedroom. Blasted for odd shaped walls. But it's a beauty and I'm sure eventually I'll find a way to make it work. We also acquired a bookshelf, a lamp, and an outdoor gliding metal double seated chair. It's a pretty cool patio chair. It is in dire need of a paint job, which will be an easy remedy.

This morning I woke up and found the oldest cave child sitting on my brand new glass top coffee table. :O I promptly screeched for him to remove his bottom off my coffee table and the lad looked at me in amazement. Like I was speaking a foreign language. He said "Why?" To which I hollered in bewilderment "because it's made of glass!" Geez, total caveman moment there!

I have been cleaning and organizing all week. Tomorrow we are having our annual bash at our house. We invite all our friends over once a year and live it up. I am also throwing my birthday party in with it, so we aren't having a late fall party (when it's too cold), and we don't have to have two parties. I purposely did not put on the invitations that we were celebrating. No gag, you are such an old hag, gifts for me please. So the surprise birthday party is on them. :) No chance to give them that moment to make me feel old and haggered. I am a sneaky one. :)

My house looks great. It feels so good to finally have a house that is not one giant toy room.