BLOGFEST 2009




The welcome signs were in code.....blogger code, to keep the riff raff out.





What can I say? Yes, my bags were searched. Someone probably told Homeland Security that Grandma J was going to have "fun", and those feds always get suspicious whenever Grandma J decides to have fun.


Now, about Blogfest! Can anyone believe that Grandma J is capable of being tongue tied?




OOPS! Excuse me, Gustaf, we know you aren't tongue tied! Grandma J loves the way you blow her some kisses...yes, she does.



The experience was out of this world with the most breathtaking backdrop, and the most beautiful, talented, drunk funny, group of lushes bloggers on the continent.


Our wonderful hostesses, Chesapeake Bay Woman and Big Hair Envy left no stone unturned. Big Hair Envy went out of her way to provide Grandma J with ground transportation to and from the airport, and even swung by her home to introduce me to Cool Breeze, Snow White and Dodger......






Hi Dodger, I know you don't give kisses right away, but I love you and thank you for the hand shake. Kisses next time maybe?






Here's Chesapeake Bay Woman, who opened up her home to me....giving me the master bedroom! Honestly, I didn't deserve that, but boy let me tell you, I slept like a log. Seriously, the generosity around Camp CBW is out of this world.

All of the bloggers who attended are incredible photographers, and they have posted the most breathtaking sunsets, water scenes, and people photos on their sites. Please check them out.

I on the other hand will post a few that might give you a slightly different perspective, because the majority of photos I took of people were....








From the back.....





Or hanging out with Phil sporting a tux and his new sun glasses, like Noe Noe Girl. He loves his new shades....thank you Noe Noe Girl!





Except for this favorite of mine....CBW's mother with Phillip Johnny Bob, clapping along to a bit of entertainment.




And yes, Grandma J loved all the water stuff....lots of water stuff.

Please check out Chesapeake Bay Woman's site for a list of links to the other Blogfest attendees. They have some great posts and pictures.

I'M OFF!!

To meet several dozen bloggers at BlogFest in Mathews, VA....right on the Chesapeake Bay. You can check out the list of attendees at Chesapeake Bay Woman's blog. She is hosting this hootenanny at her home, with Big Hair Envy, another local blogger.

It's fair to say that most of us are total strangers have gotten to know each other pretty well, and you know, it's almost like taking a trip to hang out with family. I say family, in an abstract sort of way.

I packed comfy stuff....and nothing was ironed. Nothing fancy...just flip flops, a tooth brush and a bathing suite. I can hardly wait.

Of course I can't wait to see Phillip Johnny Bob, whose been hanging out in Virginia for about a month now.

I'm Wired

Yes, I have my car adapter for my phone, and my car adapter for my laptop....providing the rental has the same provisions as my own vehicle.

I have the AC charger for my phone, and AC connector for my laptop. I have an AC charger for my camera battery, and a couple 2 GB memory cards for it. My cell phone has a 2 GB itsy memory card to boot.

Another connector from my phone to my laptop should allow me to update my blog using ATT 3G should there be no wifi for me to steal.

I had a black cherry snow cone as I watched the All Star game and the dang NL lost again. St. Louis looks mighty nice at night. Stan Musial is an icon.

Chesapeake Bay Woman, the hostess with the mostest, sent the Blogfest itinerary and directions to all the attendees tonight. She also extended the invitation to any other single men bloggers who might want to join us.

I had to reprint the driving instructions from the airport in 30 font.....to read as I drive in case my GPS navigation person gets lost. Lord help me.


Big Hair Envy is co-hostessing this event, and between the two of them I know this event will be one big hootenanny.



So far there are about twenty five hundred bloggers showing up for a really good time right on the water....some camping, some in B&B's and some, like Grandma J are mooching off staying at Chesapeake Bay Woman's home. Can you imagine all these people showing up on your doorstep?

When Phillip Johnny Bob...



....gets down in the dumps the whole world seems a tad darker just keeps on spinning.

Grandma J would notice PJB staring our the window, confused over what was happening. This whole moving thing was new and foreign to him. He wondered just what did this new Spa place have, that the Compound didn't? Surely there couldn't be a better band of loonies this side of Albuquerque neighbors to entertain him there.

Grandma J was a bit put out to see all the junk Phil was force feeding himself. This plate of left over Easter candy troubled her. Especially since he didn't have candy in his Easter basket this year. Come to think of it, Phillip Johnny Bob didn't have an Easter basket.

Phillip Johnny Bob said it kept him "regular" was comfort food, and he was confused over this moving thing, and he knew JJ was riding around with Grandma J. He was jealous. He wanted to run away. That's when Grandma J came up with a solution...

He was going away on a well deserved trip. One that would take him to meet fiddler crabs new friends on the shores of Chesapeake Bay.

That's right, he's off to help Chesapeake Bay Woman plan the biggest blogfest ever....the Virgina Blogfest in Mathews, VA. Of course Big Hair Envy will lend a hand, and for that Phil is grateful.

Jack wasn't working at the Post Office and this guy told Grandma J not to take his picture. She obediently said, OK.




Too bad smug postal worker doesn't know that Grandma J doesn't use flash in well lit buildings.....Gotcha, Mr. Postman!

Travel safely, Phillip Johnny Bob. I hope you write home, and I will see you next month. JJ says good riddance have fun dude.

JJ & Grandma J Get Fit......

I'm turning a new leaf.....again. This time JJ and I are gonna partner up and get fit together because, yeah, you guessed it, we are both out of shape.


Huh? Yes both of us. JJ just looks thin because he's the type that photographs thin.

You all know about all my previous attempts to diet. There was the Blogger Spank My Fanny Big Butt Smackdown Diet that Big Hair Envy hosted.



Grandma J went out and bought the look, to get psyched up.



She even hit the mechanical aids with a vengeance!

This time Grandma J and JJ decided to partner up with another pair who have it all together....

........ because by golly, this pair has nothing on JJ and Grandma J. And, don't you love how Grandma J jumps from the 1st person to the 3rd with the ease of a Jackal Yeah, I made that part up.



So....tell me, how do you stay in shape??

Letter S Monday

We are already at Letter S, and Grandma J is so tired of rusty animals and overcooked vegetables that she decided to go with an honored profession. Not that she knows anything about the profession itself, but she knows a whole lot about the professionals.

Do you now what profession Grandma J is talking about?

All four of these great men were Presidents of the United States. Three of them were Surveyors. You guessed it, didn't you? I knew you would.

I worked with surveyors for several years. They climbed mountains, swam oceans and flew into the heavens. Then they woke up and went to work. Actually, they did all of that...well I'm not sure they considered it work, maybe more like a passion.

Any pictures I might have of surveyors, would be more fun and less work, except for one hard worker.......

This is a picture of a picture emailed to me. The original is framed behind glass...too bad it's not clearer...never the less, you can see the dedication in his eye. Here is another view......

Unfortunately, no one could find this one to take a picture for me. I found this picture of a picture that I took in 2001 of the same hard working surveyor .

I do know a surveyor clear across the country in the state of Virginia.

Here is Cool Breeze Musings with his crew, Big Hair Envy.

I can't wait to meet them at the Virginia Blogfest in July. Will you be there?

brought to you by A to Z Mondays, Check it out, and come join us.

GOOGLE ME NEEDY



Big Hair Envy did this cute little exercise that she found on Facebook....I stole it from her because I'm good at that...and I don't do Facebook. I know, shame on Grandma J! Anyway here's how it works:

You put your first name, followed by the word "needs" in the Google Search, and post the first ten things that pop up. Thank you Rebeckah for explaining it to me.

So here goes......

1. Grandma J needs....help (some of my friends can tell you this.. you don't need to google it). It said all that...Google knows my friends?

2. Grandma J needs....to get her head out her ar*e! Tell me something new, and Rebeckah, you weren't joking!

3. Grandma J needs....a Man. Please God, haven't I suffered enough? :)

4. Grandma J needs....a new piece of equipment. Oh goodie, I see a Roomba in my future!

5. Grandma J needs....to research the presidential oath. Will I be taking it anytime soon?

6. Grandma J needs....to exercise caution. Or just plain exercise.

7. Grandma J needs....some fashion tips. Are you kidding? I need a full makeover.

8. Grandma J needs....to mourn for 100 days. Umm, that would be lent x 2.5 .

9. Grandma J needs....needs a plastic surgery intervention. Is that cheaper that the whole enchilada?

10. Grandma J needs....to be thinking outside the box. Hellooooo, I moved to Texas, didn't I?

Now that was a lot of fun! Go ahead and try it!

She Let Me Have It!

Suz over at Day By Day....My Life As A Busy Bee, bestowed an award on me.


It's the One Sweet Blog Award. I can hear your mumbling to yourself, "What was Suz thinking?" Well, I for one think Suz is very intuitive. And I thank her for this honor.

If you've never visited Suz's blog, please do! She's a wife, and a mom with two dogs, a cat or five, and God knows how many tropical pets like gators, iguanas and frogs. She loves her home, car, cell phone and nails. Her bathroom is to die for, or at least it will be when they get all 42 shower heads synchronized to music. Did I mention that Suz is anal loves a clean orderly home?

Well, enough from me, go check out her blog for yourself...and please DO NOT leave any finger prints on her highly polished black bedroom furniture.....

One thing Suz has pointed out to the whole blogging world me, is that I'm too lazy to personally pass on awards. I usually leave it up to you, my reader to come get it if you want it. This time I'm going to pick one recipient who I think is sweet...that's right, just one.

I want to give the One Sweet Blog Award to my friend Cool Breeze over at Cool Breeze Musings. He is fairly new at blogging, and his blog covers a plethora of subjects. Don't ya just love the word plethora?

Go check out his blog and congratulate him on his award. Cool Breeze is married to another cool blogger, Big Hair Envy! Now you have two blogs to check out, if you haven't already.

The Letter B

is for Blogger Butt Smackdown

or......

Mary Mary, Quite Contrary, .....How does your diet go?

This is my results for week two of the South Beach Blogger Butt Smackdown that Big Hair Envy is hosting. I'm a bit disappointed....I lost weight, but only 2 lbs. This brings my grand total to 6.4.

It's also Alphabet Monday, hosted by Suz....go check out her blog.

A is for....

And this is so appropriate because, as you know, I started a diet a week ago. Of course I hate to go on and on about it, but in the first week, I lost a whopping 4.4 lbs. Yeah me! I turned my statistics in to Big Hair Envy who happens to be hosting the South Beach Blogger Butt Smackdown!! Of course I am doing the Atkins diet because I love being different am familiar with it, and find it better geared to my needs.....like losing enough weight to equal a baby whale.

So I will Do my Aerobics to firm up as I slim down. The reason this is so on target is because Suz at Day By Day....My Life As A Busy Bee , reminded me that this is A to Z Monday. I always miss the start of these theme posts so I feel lucky this time.

Care to join me?

CHANGING TIMES

Did I tell you I was on a diet? Well, in case I forgot, guess what? I am on a diet. No, don't run for the hills...I promise, I won't beat it to death....but seriously, hear me out.

I was looking for a bit of history on how people tackled their weight problems in the past. By past I mean way past.....like in the dark ages early 1900's.



You could stay thin by eating tape worms. I'm guessing they ran around inside you and ate up all the fat....until what?

And, as time marched on, and men fell in love with their trucks, the options they were looking for went far beyond the cosmetics.


Yeah, they were concerned about how they were gonna haul that overweight woman around? All I can say is, "Hello, Big Three!"

Of course it was also considered just fine to be the family who loved.......




LARD!




OR the mothers who gave their babies Coke!

Now, excuse me....I think I'll go have a bowl of jello.


Tomorrow is my one week weigh in......I'll be reporting my results at Big Hair Envy's Big Butt Bikini Smack Down....or something like that. Lord help me!

COUNT ME IN

When the New Year made it's debut, Big Hair Envy, decided Grandma J needed to lose weight to host something called the first South Beach Blogger Butt Smackdown. Not be be confused with a South Beach Blogger Vacation. No, a Butt Smackdown is a kinder gentler way of saying diet.

So here's how it works. If you sign up on the South Beach site, and create an account for just $5.00 per week, you get all kinds of benefits.....like a daily newsletter, menu plans and a shopping list. You can also track your progress, and schmooze with your "Beach Buddies". The thought of joining was a bit of Déjà vu...like when you play with your Webkinz.

I saw all the other bloggers saying stuff like "count me in", or "I'm ready", "I'm scared, but I'll do it", "I'm sooooo ready to do this", and finally, "I'll have a beer because it's five o'clock somewhere". This is where I start to make the hard choice of jumping in with both feet. I decide to do the Atkins diet....not much different, but one I know will work for me once I commit to it.

Off to Walmart to buy a scale...a nice one. It measures body fat mass, and hydro stuff as well as pounds. Since I've gain 1/2 ton in the two and a half years since I quit smoking, I was sure that I had all those components. I spent a couple of hours trying to program the thing. Once I thought I was done, I kept getting a huge "E", which is short for ERROR.



Back to the instructions.....the scale kept wanting me to program persons 2 thru 6, and there was no getting around it. By eleven o'clock at night, I was back at Walmart, getting a cheaper scale....one that would allow me to be a one girl team.

That was Sunday.

I also bought all my meat, cheese, eggs and green veggies. For dessert I have a plethora of flavors of sugar free jello.



I've been doing two fifteen minute exercise sessions a day.

Now I can tell the Host of the South Beach Blogger Spank My Fanny Butt Smackdown,

"Count me in!"

Hey, I Know That Lady!

Here's how the mail routine goes down around here. I don't get bills in the mail....well I do, but I also get them all electronically through email at least a week before they arrive in the mail, and they are already paid electronically. I write one check a month, for my rent because if they don't have an electronic bingo board they don't have a website, so no electronic payments.

Back to the mail routine.....I go to my mailbox, popularly referred to as the gossip pit, about twice a week. Usually it's just to empty out the weekly circulars and ads....they get filed right into the trash can that's chained to the post. Yeah, like someone would steal it?



I never read these circulars and ads, but today.....I was board. I sat on the couch and started shuffling through all the circulars and flyers.



Then I looked at the Walmart ad because I knew they'd have some great deals...like the wii, and the ipod shuffle.


then something caught my eye.....



Something looked familiar....very familiar!




Hey, I know that lady!!! Yes, it's one of my favorite bloggers, Big Hair Envy. Take a minute to visit her blog. Tell her Grandma J sent you...or maybe not.