Cinco de Las Memorias de Mayo

Today's Cinco de Mayo pictures are brought to you courtesy of last year's trip to California where I had the extreme pleasure of getting together (again) at my favorite Mexican haunt in Stockton with blogging friends Katherine and Sandee along with Sandee's handsome hubby.  Zane, as the designated photographer, took the picture below as we were relaxing at the bar after Katherine and I had driven up from Santa Cruz where we had spent a wonderful day exploring her town.  Such happy memories that picture evokes!


The Cancun Mexican Restaurant is nothing fancy but it's been a favorite of mine ever since I lived in Stockton long, long ago in what now seems like another lifetime. My friend Cyndi and I visited there quite frequently and it was even one of the most popular places for take-out when hungry 911 dispatchers at the police department were in need of a meal.  It's so much easier to dispatch emergencies with a full tummy and would have been even easier had we been allowed to sip on a margarita like the one to the left but alas, the line had to be drawn somewhere! 

Since leaving the Stockton Police Department and California behind, Cancun has still managed to become a place where I have very fond memories of good times with new friends that I met through the wonder of the internet and this little thing that we call blogging.   For those of you who haven't had the extreme pleasure of meeting Katherine or Sandee in person, you've got no idea what you're missing as two nicer ladies (as well as their significant others) can't be found on either side of the country.

I'm hoping that someday I'll have the chance to get together with them again and share laughter and our lives over a margarita or two as well as a big ole' plate of really, really good Mexican food - the likes of which I'm never going to find here in Connecticut!

Honestly, it makes the really, really long plane flight more than worth it as you just can't beat the combination of good food, good friends, and good times.  ¡Le falto, señoras!

Three Years of Blogging and Friendships

Holy cats! Has it been three years already since I first started writing this blog? Seriously? For those who never had the chance to read my very first post, feel free to click here so that you can see what this blog was supposed to be about when I first started it back on July 25th, 2006. I think I have more or less, at times!, stuck to my original goal of writing about being a single parent though I'd have to say that has definitely not always been the case!

When I first started blogging, I'm not sure I knew exactly what I was getting into as I had no clue that there was such a thing as a Blogosphere, had no idea what a meme was (a French grandmother?!?), and certainly never knew that there were so many wonderful people out there to meet and become friends with both virtually and in real life.

I was thinking this morning about the wonderful group of people that I have had the privilege of meeting face-to-face; people who have enriched my life and made me laugh and smile and even break down a little bit of that "hugaphobia" that I have!

The very first blogger that I met was Ms. Maggie Moo who, at the time we met, was also a fellow Nutmegger ...

We met on September 2nd, 2007 and of course the very thing she did when we met was give me a big ole' hug. In addition to that one of the things I remember most about our meeting was the "tiny Margaritas" we were served and the fact that we had no problem spending four+ hours laughing and talking!

On October 5th, I got to meet my second blog-friend in real life, Morgen of It's a Blog Eat Blog World. Mo had taken the train down from Michigan to spend the weekend at Mags' house and we had a wonderful time of it slow-dancing in Mags' kitchen, eating some of her delicious food, and then exploring parts of Connecticut in one of the worst heat waves we'd had all year! Ugh!


Still, it was one heck of an outstanding weekend and we had such a good TIME even as we laughed our way through the HEAT of Gillette Castle!

On November 2nd of 2007, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting another blogger from Michigan - Carrie of Asara's Mental Meanderings, and her wonderful family. Carrie and Billy had taken a road trip with their two adorable children and we met at a Chili's not far from the hotel they were staying in. Mags joined us as did Amanda and we all had a really good time. Geesh, I look horrible in this picture so I think I'm going to have to get together with Carrie again to get a new one!


The next time I was to meet anyone from the Blogosphere again wasn't until March 29th, 2008 when I was ushered into the presence of Royalty at a Bertucci's Pizzeria in Glastonbury, Connecticut.

It was there that I met Queen Mimi herself who was visiting the north from her castle in Bloggingham and Princess Patti who had driven in from her estate in Ansonia. My hair looked like crap but in spite of that we had a great time laughing and carrying on and no doubt scaring the locals! It was a night to be remembered and we truly had A Royal Time of It!

On Saturday, August 9th I got together with royalty again when I met Princess Patti's husband and fellow blogger, Prince Ralph of Airhead 55 along with their lovely daughter the Lady Allegra at the local Olive Garden.

We giggled our way through a delicious meal and probably raised the eyebrows of a few other diners but I've come to the conclusion that when fellow bloggers get together, worrying about what other people think is not a problem!

Earlier in the year during a trip out to Stockton, California, I had the extreme privilege of meeting my first two West Coast bloggers - Sandee of Comedy Plus and Katherine of Wading Through My Stream of Consciousness - when we all got together on Friday, May 2nd for dinner at Cancun, my favorite Mexican restaurant of all!

Joining us were my friend Cyndi, Sandee's hubby Zane (the official photographer of the evening), and Katherine's significant other Dave (who now also has a blog of his own!).

This past May I found myself out in California yet again and Sandee and Katherine and I reprised our dinner at Cancun on Monday, May 4th. Unfortunately Dave was out enjoying his Teamster 5-0 Tour and couldn't join us but Zane was there with the camera again recording the event for posterity! We actually ended up closing the place down we were having such a good time and the evening remains one of the highlights of my trip West. Which also gives me good reason to go West again at some point!

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the meeting but during my trip to Stockton this past May, I also got to meet another West Coast blogger when I first arrived in Sacramento on May 2nd. Shortly after arriving in Sacramento I had the privilege of meeting up with Carol from A Letter To Me at one of the local IHops where we had a lovely late breakfast. Carol is originally from Massachusetts but has been living in the Sacramento area for quite some time. She truly is a lovely lady and I was thrilled to meet her though I wasn't smart enough to take a picture or have someone else take one!

On September 8th, 2008 I met my very first blogger from Across the Pond when Claire arrived in Connecticut in anticipation of our Blogger Beachhouse Vacation in Rhode Island. What a great birthday present (my 50th was the day after her arrival) but I can't post a picture as Claire has even more of a phobia of cameras than I do. We spent the next day going out to a birthday lunch with my friend Rhonda and then hit the local pub, The Harp & Dragon, with some of my friends from work and Mags who drove down for the auspicious occasion. Because I don't have a picture with Claire from that night (bugger the girl!) I'll post one from our beach vacation ... that's her with her back turned to the camera looking home towards England!

Finally, on Saturday September 13th myself, Claire, and Kai (who had flown into Hartford from Canada the night before) piled in the car with a lot of stuff en route to a week on Matunuck Beach in Rhode Island for our much-anticpated Blogger Beach Vacation. Joining us there was Mo, Mags, and Callie of Scrappin' With Life ... who had flown into Boston from the wilds of Oregon and come down with Mags and Mo.

I find it hard to believe that almost a full year has gone by already since we spent that week at the beach and I can't go back to Rhode Island at all without thinking about at least one or two things that happened during that week which included a ferry ride out to Block Island, a lot of really good cooking, and a ton of picture-taking!

Just last week I met another blogging friend who has found herself in Massachusetts for a few months while her husband is assigned to a job at a local yogurt plant. Lois from Lowdown From Lois is just like she is on her blog - warm and friendly and a real hoot to spend time with. You can't help but smile and laugh when you're around her and her husband Hank is just as nice - he also has that streak of sarcasm that I so enjoy in a person! I'm hoping we have the chance to get together again a time or two while they're on the East Coast.

So ... after all that, the question now begs to be asked ... who's next as I start on my fourth year of asking "Are We There Yet??" Any volunteers?? I have a few blog posts available for future meetings!!

Una cena excelente con el buen alimento y mejores amigos!

As most of you who read my blog on a regular basis know, I used to live in California quite a few years ago and I still have former in-laws that I keep in touch with as well as friends from that period of time in my life. They serve as a very good incentive to occasionally (very occasionally) make the rather long trip back out this way.

Another incentive is the Mexican food. I know I sound like a broken record but honest-to-God folks, you just cannot get good Mexican food in Connecticut - at least in my own humble opinion! For that reason, whenever I am out this way I have to make at least one - if not several - trips to my very favorite Mexican place - Cancun in downtown Stockton. It may not be the best in town by some people's standards but it was a favorite when I worked at the police department and it continues to be a favorite to this day. What can I say? I am a creature of habit!

After spending the day traipsing around Santa Cruz with Katherine and having a fabulous time (a post will follow on that as soon as I have more time), she and I came back over to Stockton and met up with Sandee and her husband Zane at my favorite Mexican restaurant and had a fantastic time. As a matter of fact, we ended up closing the place down as the time just flew by!

In addition to consuming that absolutely fantastic strawberry margarita that you see pictured above, I also broke from tradition and rather than ordering my usual #13, I opted for the Combinación del número seises and it was, of course, ¡Muy bueno! Honestly, if I could pack one of the cooks at Cancun into my suitcase and take him/her home with me, I would! Of course, then I'd be able to have Mexican food all the time and would have one less reason to come visit California ... hmm ...

Actually, I have come to the conclusion that I have many more reasons to come visit California again as Katherine has promised me a plane ride up the coast, dinner at Shadowbrook (a very cool restaurant in Santa Cruz that you have to take a gondola down the hill to get to), and other assorted attractions plus it would give me the opportunity to see Sandee and Zane again who are just absolutely fantastic people (even though Zane is kind of like Teller in the Penn & Teller magician act as he doesn't speak much - if at all!).

Now I know you're probably wondering why there aren't any pictures of all of us at dinner last night and the reason is that Zane was the official photographer and you'll just have to wait until I get copies from Sandee. I was too busy sucking down that drink and diving into my food to even worry about anything but an obligatory quick picture before I ate it all!

Speaking of food, I need to get my shoes on and get out of here so that I can meet another old friend for lunch this afternoon. Scott is a sports writer for the local paper, the Stockton Record, and we want to get together before he has to head into work this afternoon.

Katherine - again - thank you for a wonderful time in Santa Cruz, I enjoyed every minute of it and am so glad the weather decided to be nice! Sandee and Zane - thank you again for dinner and for making the trip over to Stockton to see me, it was great to see the both of you again! I guess I'll have to start thinking about that "next time" now!

The Best Part of Blogging

When I began blogging a bit over two years ago I had no idea that I was going to make so many wonderful new friends but that's exactly what has happened and I feel my life is that much more enriched because of them. The chance to meet new people really has become the best part of blogging.

One of the nicest people that I've met through the virtual world of blogging I also had the extreme pleasure of meeting in real life when I was out in California last May. It turns out that not only does she have a fantastic sense of humor, a very handsome husband, and a hot boat but she's also got a birthday in September and that birthday is today!

Sandee, myself, and Katherine in May

Be sure to go by Comedy Plus and wish Sandee a very happy birthday and while you're at her blog I'm sure you'll be able to find something to make you laugh right out loud (not that fake LOL stuff but actually laugh right out loud!) as she finds some of the best jokes ever to share with us every single day!

Normally in the Blogosphere we like to post pictures of cake in honor of another blogger's birthday but no cake today because I think there's something Sandee might like even more ...

Here's to you, Sandee, and best wishes for the happiest of birthdays! May there be many, many more for you and Zane to share together! I am very proud to call you my friend!

It Was the Best of Times!

It's hard to believe that it was only one week ago tonight that I was on the West Coast and meeting two of my favorite bloggers at my favorite Mexican restaurant but that's exactly what it was. As cold and rainy as it is here in Connecticut tonight, I find myself wishing I was right back there not just for the warmer weather but for the fantastic company that I found myself amongst when I got to meet Sandee from Comedy Plus and Katherine of Wading Through My Stream of Consciousness.

I had posted a few pictures last week of our meeting but hoped to have more once our personal photographer/videographer (Sandee's husband Zane) had a chance to forward them to us. He has now done so and now I get to share a bit more of the night with you. Bear in mind while looking at these pictures that we got to the restaurant while the sun was shining but it was fully dark by the time we called it an evening. All told we spent almost four hours together but it hardly seemed like one!



In addition to the slideshow, I've got a video clip that I thought I would share with you that you might find amusing as - what do bloggers talk about when they get together? - blogging of course! Unfortunately I was sitting right next to Zane so my voice (which I hate!) is the loudest but I think you can hear everyone else, too.


I had an absolutely fantastic evening with Sandee and Zane, Katherine and The Teamster, and - of course my good friend and sidekick, Cyndi. The food was good, the margarita was great (and not tiny!), and the chance to meet two people in person that I've come to know through our adventures in blogging was the best part.

I have met so many wonderful people since I started this blog and my life has been enriched by all of you no matter whether I've met you in person or only virtually and I want to take this time to thank you all for being a part of my life - you're the best!

Yes, Cyndi. There Really Are Bloggers!

I doubt the Cancun Restaurant in downtown Stockton will ever be the same after last night when myself, Sandee, and Katherine descended upon the establishment to finally meet after having known each other virtually for quite some time now. Rumor has it that they've posted a sign on the front door stating that they reserve the right to refuse service to bloggers or people with cameras but I haven't been able to verify that yet!

Sandee brought along her handsome husband Zane who took pictures and videos all night long in order to document our historic meeting, Katherine arrived on the back of a beautiful black Harley Davidson with her hunky Teamster, and I brought along my bestest friend Cyndi who, like Virginia with her Santa Claus, was skeptical that bloggers really existed. Ah but yes Cyndi, they really do exist and they are even more wonderful in real life than they are on the web page!

Big hugs were exchanged all the way around in the foyer of the restaurant (and it didn't even occur to me that I'm not necessarily the hugging type) before we took over a table smack in the middle of the restaurant and ordered drinks and dinner. When my margarita arrived I immediately thought of Mags and our first meeting when the margaritas we ordered turned out to be tiny little things hardly worthy of the name! Much to Cyndi's bemusement I immediately whipped out my camera to photograph my drink but I think she was finally getting somewhat used to the idea that bloggers take pictures of absolutely everything and anything!

Naturally I had to take a picture of my dinner when it arrived, too as I had been talking up the great Mexican food at Cancun for way too long NOT to post a picture of it so that people could see what I was talking about. Cyndi again shook her head thinking I had totally lost it while Katherine and Sandee knew exactly what I was doing and why! Sometimes I think being a blogger is somewhat similar to being a member of a society or group as there seems to be some sort of unwritten Blogger Code starting with "Thou shalt have thy digital camera with thee at all times and photograph non-stop"!

Sometimes we even make people repeat things as I did when Sandee and Zane toasted each other and then kissed when their glasses of wine arrived. Apparently it's a tradition for them and, being the overly romantic type that I am, I thought it was just the sweetest thing ever and I definitely needed a picture! They were more than happy to oblige and do a repeat for a photo op and I got the distinct feeling that it was a ritual that they participate in quite frequently - and I don't blame them in the least! Ah, love!

It's funny how when you meet a blogger in person, you don't feel like you're meeting someone for the first time as you know so much about them and their lives beforehand. I felt like I was spending an evening with old friends as we laughed and joked and shared stories and I think that Cyndi felt just as comfortable as she added her own brand of "snarkasm" to the conversations. I'm sure it was easy for Sandee and Katherine to see why I would break my oath of "I'll never go to California" again to visit the friend who knows me better than I know myself.


The time just flew by and before we knew it it was 10:00 and, with The Teamster having to get up at 4:30 to go to work, it was time to go. As we walked outside, the sky over Stockton lit up with fireworks - just for me! Well ... okay ... maybe not just for me but for The Ports, Stockton's minor league baseball team who had apparently just wrapped up their game but the timing couldn't have been better. I think that fireworks should be set off whenever blogging friends are able to get together and meet!


We posed for a few more pictures and then exchanged hugs again before Katherine and her beau saddled up and got ready to make the trek south. As Sandee and Zane and Cyndi and I walked to the parking lot we talked about how wonderful it was to have finally met and how much fun it would be to someday have a Blogger's Convention where we would have the chance to meet so many more of the dear friends that we've made through this pastime of ours. It really is so special when you finally get to meet people that you have come to think of as friends and I was so happy to have met two of those very special people last night at one of my favorite restaurants with my favorite friend along for the journey.

This trip has really been wonderful so far and I'm so glad that I overcame my hesitations at coming West as meeting Sandee and Katherine along with Zane and The Teamster was truly an honor and one of the highlights of my life. It appears that I've got two very good reasons to come out to California again!

A Roar for Powerful Words!

Sandee of Comedy Plus awarded me the following award on the 25th of November and - believe it or not - since then I've been mulling over who I would like to forward it on to -

A Roar For Powerful Words!

The originator of this award is Seamus of The Shameless Lions Writing Circle and this what Seamus had to say about this award:

"When I set upThe Shameless Lions Writing Circle, one of things I had in mind was that we as a group could encourage and celebrate good, powerful writing on the Internet/blogosphere. This is why I've come up with a new project to try to do exactly that, while of course at the same time increase exposure for the 48 members and their individual blogs. A Roar For Powerful Words is the chance to scream from the mountains the good news about the powerful posts that are produced every day in the blogosphere, despite what some mainstream columnists and journalists claim. This is also a good chance to examine exactly what it is that makes writing good and powerful."

According to Seamus, this award can be distributed "to those people who have blogs we love, can't live without, where we think the writing is good and powerful." Considering that Sandee chose to pass this award on to me, I am quite honored and flattered both as that means she felt that my writing was worthy of such recognition. Thank you so much, Sandee, that really means a lot! In addition to myself, Sandee passed the award on to a wonderful group of other bloggers:

1. Mo @ It's a Blog Eat Blog World
2. Ian @ EDog's Everything Page
3. Ann @ A Nice Place In The Sun
4. Richard @ Untwisted Vortex
5. Mimi @ Mimi Writes

Needless to say, I am in some most excellent company but now it's my turn to pass this award on to several others. This has been a tough choice because I love all of the blogs that you see listed on my sidebar and feel that they are all written by excellent writers with a lot of different styles and personalities. However, I can't just blanket-award it to everyone so after a lot of painful wracking of my brain and nail-biting decision-making, I award "A Roar for Powerful Words!" to the following powerful bloggers:

• Travis of Trav's Thoughts - Travis writes some of the most detailed and well-written posts that I have seen anywhere in the Blogosphere. I am always impressed and awed when I stop by his blog - plus he leaves some damn fine comments, too! Even though it isn't a requirement of this award, he is a man with a romantic streak who isn't afraid to show it and that speaks volumes because it means he writes from his heart and I applaud that, I really do.
  
• Maddy of both Whitterer on Autism and Alien in a Foreign Field - What an amazing, amazing, amazing woman Miss Maddy is as she not only writes two excellent blogs with thoughtful and thought-provoking posts but she does so while raising two autistic sons and a daughter. Add on the fact that she's a Brit transplanted in the San Francisco Bay area and she deserves a lot more than this little ole' award!
  
• Patois of Whee! All the Way Home! - From Haiku to her Jump One Jump Twosday feature to her Weekly Wonderings and so many other great posts in between, Patois writes posts that are just wonderful and moving and - yes - powerful! She is a most excellent writer and compared to her, I feel a bit like a hack!
  
• Jeni of Down River Drivel - What can I say about Jeni other than the fact that this Old Avon Lady writes from her down-home heart and soul and one of these days I'm going to drive to Pennsylvania simply so I can sit down across from her with a pot of coffee and plate of cookies and just gab, gab, gab, gab, gab!
  
• Jamie of Duward Discussion - Even though she is currently stomping me in several on-going Scrabulous games (which doesn't surprise me in the least as I've no doubt at all that she is a much better Wordsmith than I!), Jamie was one of the very first people who came to mind when I was debating who to pass this award on to. I always learn something when I read one of Jamie's posts and I always feel something which means even more. Knowledgeable, witty, and compassionate are three of the best words I can think of to define Jamie. Plus, she has the same name as my youngest daughter!

These five people are just the tip of the iceberg of wonderful writers that I read on a daily basis but in keeping with the theme of the award, I am limiting the number of recipients to just five and am hoping that they, too, will pass this award on to five of their must-reads.

Travis, Maddy, Patois, Jeni, and Jamie - please go by Seamus's post to choose the color of your award (they're available in three colors) and let's see if we can keep this wonderful award going, shall we? Oh, and keep up the wonderful writing!

Catching Up ... Or At Least Trying To!

********************

Went to get my blood work done at the lab this morning and got the initial results back from the doctor which all check out okay. Apparently the Lyme Disease test takes a little longer but for the most part everything, including my blood glucose levels which can be tricky, are within normal limits. Like Kat, one of my doctor's nurses, always tells me "you can't have anything simple or normal, can you?" She is so right! So, I guess I'll wait a little longer and see what's what. I haven't had as much of the numbness and tingling today as I did the past few days so maybe whatever it is will be just some passing mystery malady that clears up on its own after clearing out my bank account with those outrageous co-pays we have! I'll let you know once I know something more.

In the meantime, I am horribly remiss in posting this next tidbit ... way back on October 3rd, I received the following award from Zubli and Shinade -

- and I am quite honored at having received it. Thank you so much to Zubli and Shinade!

Now if you thought I was late in posting that award, this next one is even later! Sandee from Comedy+ gave me this award on September 25th and it's quite the special award as I really do love Christmas and all that it stands for (aside from all the commercialization that is!).


This award originated at Santa's Community Blog and can be passed on to as many other bloggers as I'd like. According to Santa, the Spirit of Christmas Award:

"Quite simply it is those that have a generous and giving nature. Those who care about others. Those who have a kind word to say or a broad shoulder to lean on in the times that others need that. Those who display the "Spirit of Christmas".

To that end, I am passing this lovely little award on to Mimi for obvious reasons, Akelamalu because she's just the sweetest ever, Mighty Mom from Texas who has a wonderful blog that shows off her giving nature, and two of the nicest Connecticut bloggers I know - Patti and Ralph who are also husband and wife. Awardees can pick up the award code here and then pass it on to whomever they also feel displays the "Spirit of Christmas". A very belated thank you to Sandee for this very nice award!