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Dont forget to check out Marey's site over there
<---- she has a great raffle fundraiser going on!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled nonsense dose of insanity.

FRIDAY MATINEE on Monday Sunday

After church I met up with the family for a movie....we went to see Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherpeanutbutterspoon.

Let's just cut to the chase...it stunk. I mean it really stunk big time. Go ahead and see it, and if you like it, then you stink too saw a different movie, or something bizarre happened and they made two versions.

First of all....I love Vince Vaughn more than you can even imagine. It borders on scary. But this movie was so never going to happen in real life, not even in Disney real life. How's this....Bolt was more realistic!

There were funny moments, and some hysterical moments. But the story? It stunk. Did I already say that?

I was disappointed in the silly roles that Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek had. But....there was one bright moment for me.

Jon Voight. His role as Katie's father was very touching. It was a serious and heartfelt scene. I could feel the love he has for his daughter...his real life daughter. I hate that he can't do anything to reconcile with her. He's a man I admire for many reasons, and I'm glad they didn't give him a silly slap stick role.

After the movies we headed back to my daughter's home.

It was a family affair and Marianne, my son-in-law's mother, made him his favorite egg rolls. I scooted out before dinner because this is the last evening they will share together in a long time. She heads back to Arizona in the morning, and he heads back to Iraq in January. That's an Adidas logo that lit up from the flash...what?

They usually have a huge tree....somehow I was surprised (pleasantly) that the kids picked out a cute short one...well 6+ feet.

I don't know what it looks like finished, but they were having a blast.

Along with new laptops and the like from their Oma.

I think JJ wants to go to Arizona!

Oh, and the movie?? I give it two and a half skunks!

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...
..is no secret

Because, when Grandma J steps into the world of gambling, corruption and brothels, she shares it all with her peeps! As my oldest daughter alerted you to on my last post, my flight out of the local regional airport, who's slogan is "We'll Take You There" was canceled, as were all flights to Houston, where I was supposed to connect to Vegas. The weather was fine, so why were all flights cancelled? Let me tell you...it's because it's the same friggin plane that travels to and from this local regional airport and Houston all day, and the next day. And because this condition is permanent and terminal (as in airport terminal), Grandma J wasn't happy with rescheduling for the next possible flight...the next day! So she walked all the way over to the only other airlines and got booked on their next flight which connects out of Dallas to Vegas.

Because this other airline is located about ten feet away, they arranged the change with the original airlines electronically. So, off we go, and because of the changes, Grandma J arrived in Las Vegas five hours late, but at least it was the same day.

I met Tabatha's Mommy, Marianne, who is also my son-in-law, Sgt. John's Mommy too...and my friend.
We stayed at the Four Queens downtown....
which isn't ritzy like The Strip with all the panhandlers and prostitutes. It's where the whole Vegas thing started way back when. It's also where the fabulous Fremont Experience is. Several years ago Fremont street was closed off for two blocks of hotels, that were renovated and covered to create a plaza with kiosks and a great laser show several times a night with great music.
Our room was on the fifth floor, and this is the view. This is what the covered Fremont Plaza looks like during the day from the street level.

These next pictures are from our room for the light show...which moves too fast for Grandma J's cheap camera.

And lookie who Grandma J found in the casino?

We had a blast, meeting old friends.

And getting chummy with people with familiar names, like John Wayne.
And maybe inhaling too much laughing gas...or developing a food allergy or something that might affect our small motor skills....just saying.

But two days later, the fun came to an end... or did it?

The final chapter of this junket is still raw and painful. Spending 22 hours to get home, with eight of them hanging with my new roomie was not the icing on the cake, just saying! The icing, if you want to call it that, was the fact that out of the zillions of others who attended our sleepover in the Houston airport, my new roomie and I were the ones who found the only four comfy chairs to make matching beds.

DIVA UNLEASHED
or Lady And The Tramp, the sequel

I'm a dog lover. I don't own a dog anymore, and I don't plan on getting one any time soon. I don't have a yard for a dog to play in, and I think a dog needs a place to romp. I also have some travel plans that would take me away for up to a month at a time, and dogs are pack animals, they thrive on being part of a family. You can't train a puppy in increments either. Besides, I have JJ to play with, have sleep-overs and car rides.

Last Christmas, I was staying at my daughter's home. Her mother-in-law, Marianne, came for a week to celebrate the holidays with her son and his family. This was a special Christmas because she arrived in Texas the same day her son (my SIL) arrived home from Iraq.

I always enjoy seeing Marianne. When I drove to Texas from SoCA last year, I stayed at her beautiful home in Tucson for two days. Now, a bit of background...Marianne is the mother of six grown men. That's right, six boys, and no daughters....until she got Tabatha. So how excited were we when Tabatha came to spend the holidays with her big brother us too?

Now JJ is quite hyper, and neither he nor Tabatha are used to being around other dogs, let alone share the same territory for a week. To our surprise, they couldn't get enough of each other. Romping and playing, chasing each other, even lying down together when they got tired. Luckily they were both fixed, so we didn't have that worry. JJ was so attached to Tabatha that he threw a fit when Tabatha and Marianne went to bed at night and shut the bedroom door. He won that battle and wormed his way in to sleep with them every night.

So fast forward to this May. I emailed a picture of JJ to Marianne. One that I took with my cheap digital point and shoot camera. Similar to these two that I took today.

JJ loves to dare me to take his toy..within seconds of my arrival.

And he listens when I ask him if he wants to see Tabatha.

Yesterday, I got a lovely note from Tabatha and Marianne, with these pictures.

Can you tell "someone" is thrilled to finally have a little girl? Does JJ have good taste or what? and really? I don't think I could be as dedicated to a dog as Marianne is to Tabatha, but I'm tickled pink that she gets so much enjoyment from this pampered little princess. It fulfills a small little void, and she has her little baby girl to spoil. And my son-in-law has a cute little sister (oh, yeah, he will love me saying that). Tabatha is a lucky little lady. JJ like so many guys loves him a high maintenance lady!