Friday Fragments, Episode #152

I'm back from vacation and full of little bits and pieces/observations and tidbits, so today I will share "Vacation Fragments."  You, of course, are welcome to unclutter your mind of any type you like (but keep it Rated PG, okay?). For more information about Friday Fragments, please click on the tab above.

For other vacation posts from this week, check out some of our pics from Oceanside and my meet-up with Unknown Mami.

I really, really love the attitudes of folks from San Francisco. Everyone is so incredibly laid-back, and I'm really not exaggerating; it was nice. An example of this is what I found when I took out the sandwich I had bought to eat on the hiking trail in Muir Woods...

In case you missed it, it reads, "Med Muse Made with Love." (The sandwich was called Mediterranean Muse, and it was delicious, probably because of the "love.")

I find it kind of humorous that in northern California, they are all about organic stuff--no artificial anything for those folks, but take a trip down-state to Los Angeles, and they're all about fake everything--fake boobs, fake teeth, fake hair, etc.  I'm really grateful not to have the pressures of either. [Yes, I realize I'm overgeneralizing here--There may be a few exceptions to each of my observations.haha]

I don't think there are any overweight San Franciscans.

It's really too bad that if you live in the city, you have to be rich to be religious about eating organic foods.

When I offered my niece some of my Coffee-Mate, French Vanilla creamer (travel packets), she replied (sweetly), "No thank you; I don't put anything in my body that's not real." I thought that was adorable, and I don't mean that in a patronizing way; I think it's awesome that she is committed to treating her body with respect, especially since she's pregnant (and not drinking coffee anyway). As someone who drinks very little that doesn't come from a can or packet of mysterious powder, I kind of admire that.

I took a lot of pics on our trip. I just loved all the gorgeous flowers I found (especially in my friend Kandee's flower beds). Here's one of my favorites.

Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful? I just love it and the effect that just looking at it has on my mood.

I wrote several travel reviews for TripAdvisor when I was gone. If you're interested, you'll find them here. (My TripAdvisor username is CBean63.)

Here's a travel tip: If you're a fan of private bathrooms, television, refrigerators, and air conditioning (not to mention handicap accessibility), never choose a "historic" hotel to stay in while on vacation. Just sayin'.

Gay Pride Parade--
We went to the parade simply out of curiosity; that curiosity has been satisfied and then some.

Books-
I don't read many books (just blogs, mostly), but I do read a few books a year, and while on vacation, I read Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt.  I'm so happy I did, because it was wonderful. It's about a young girl (CeeCee) whose mom is mentally ill and how CeeCee copes and then ends up moving to Savannah, Georgia. This book just touched my heart (and made me want to visit Savannah).

Kyle and I put on more than a thousand miles on our vacation (and that's after we got off the plane!). Next time, I think I might choose a smaller state to visit.

Now I have to hit the home ground running--straight to teaching summer school for four weeks, starting Tuesday, and I am not ready. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend.

Okay, it's your turn to unload your fragments now. I made some adjustment to the linky thing, and hopefully, it will go more smoothly today.  As long as you have a backlink (link from your blog to www.halfpastkissintime.com in your post somewhere), it should work. Please be sure to stop by at least a few other fragmenters. It's set to list links in "random" order right now. If I get more than a few requests to leave it at Oldest-First, I'll switch it. Thanks for your patience!

P.S. The cute flip-flops and sunglasses dividers are freely shared by Photobucket user, Angwbc. Thanks, Ang!

Known Mami

As it's been pointed out, Kyle and I had a whirlwind tour of California--We really know how to cram in as much as possible into a trip. As busy as we were, I'm so glad we fit in a visit with Unknown Mami, who is now (of course) known (to me and Kyle, anyway :)  Here's what I now know for sure about her:

*She is gorgeous, and so are her Unknown Papi, PutPie and LunaPie.
*I got to hold little LunaPie, and she is truly gorgeous and one of the happiest babies I've ever met.
*PutPie is adorable and shy (which means she's smart enough not to talk to overly friendly people in the park). She is also a future Green Bay Packers fan.
*U.M. is warm, friendly, sweet (and younger than I me), and charming

Here's a photo of the two of us together. You'll notice her eyes look different, but that's because she was wearing sunglasses...

[Please excuse the sub-par quality of this shot--I don't know what happened.]

We were in a picturesque spot, so we had to get a few shots with "The Painted Ladies."

I talked her into taking off the bag! Get ready!!!

And, because I teased you, here's a shot of her gorgeous hair and her face!

What?! I didn't say her whole face! Sheesh! (Be happy with what you got!)

Meeting Unknown Mami was one of the highlights of my trip.  

Thanks, U.M.!

Camping Habits

Don't let the smile or the stick fool you; Grandma 4444 is not, and never was, a fan of camping.

[Aren't the curlers hilarious?! And how about that "camping" coat?]

She says she just didn't like "the rain, the mud, and the sloppy stuff" resulting from bad weather,

which she said seemed to be the norm when they camped, 

though not, apparently, on this trip.

She only went along with it for the kids' sakes, of course, and I'm glad she did, 

because Mr.4444 (the little cutie in the light-colored sweatshirt) 

has very fond memories of camping as a kid.  

He's shared those memories and led our own family in creating the same fun camping memories

 for many years. 

(As a matter of fact, we still use that tent today!)

Of course, we've discouraged some of the practices his dad taught him about camping...

(Not that it makes any difference. And I'll save you that particular photo.)

These memories made possible by Memory Hub, 

which converted 447 old slides into digital images for our family 

for the total price of about $139 

(after giving me 100 slides free, in exchange for sharing my experience).

I only agreed to one post, but I've written others here and here, just because.

My Husband, the Comedian

As you probably know, sixteen-year-old Kendall was in Hawaii for two weeks. We missed her, but she texted us regularly, sharing her many fun experiences. She opened a photobucket account, too, and uploaded her photos as she went, sharing them with us, so that was fun to see.

 Mr.4444 let Kendall know she was missed by sending occasional text messages while she was gone:

"Malokanokakiki--That means I love you and hope you're having a blast!"

and more...

"If a guy asks if you want to see his coconuts, run!"

and....

"Boy, the grass is really going to be long by the time you get home; you're gonna have to bag it."

Kendall texted her dad (the chef in our family) that she was trying all kinds of new food and appreciated it but couldn't wait to eat "normal" food again. (She has a pretty conservative pallet. Chicken fingers are her usual fare when we go out to eat, for example.) Mr.4444 texted her back,

"The chicken fingers there are made from parrot meat. Be careful."

Later....

"Any pesky mosquitoes there? Or annoying boys?" [the answer was no on both accounts]

He didn't use up all his funny on Kendall, either; while I was in California, he kept up the text chatter, too. The day after Kyle and I left, I texted him, "How was church?" He replied...

"Great. Chicks were hitting on me. None under 60, though."


In response to my sending him a picture message of the ocean, I got this gem, inspired by a certain congressman's antics:

"Nice. Wanna picture of my junk?"  [And, no, I did not take him up on his offer.]

In response to my sending Mr.4444 a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge, he replied with,

"Don't jump! (or leave your heart)"

So yes, he missed us, and we're all back home together tonight, so the 4444 family had a happy little reunion.  (Stay tuned for a recap!) Meanwhile, I hope this finds you happy and well. I look forward to catching up with you :)

Sundays in My City: Oceanside

As I type this, I'm at my home-away-from-home city of Oceanside, California, at my friend Kandee's house. Therefore, for Sundays in My City, you're getting shots of this leg of our California vacation!

I took a walk to the San Luis Rey Mission yesterday. It's beautiful.

I can't get over the flowers here! 

Kyle tried his hand at surfing. Here he is, right after saying, "How hard can it be?!"

And here he is, right after saying, "It's harder than it looks!" 

(Yes, he had fun, but he wasn't able to stand on the board this time, though he was the next day.)

Saw this little guy at the local Farmers Market. He was sooo loving the attention.

 I got the sunglass lady's card but misplaced it.

 Email me if you're dying to contact the seller; I'm sure I'll find the card eventually :)

Today, we found some tide pools

And fun places to climb into (if you like that kind of thing).

And finally, my friend Kandee and me. 

What a sweetheart she is (to let us crash at her house) 

not to mention her sweet family (especially Carly, who gave up her bedroom for us!).

Thanks, again, Kandee!! 

Two more days of fun left in our memorable, mom-son trip!

Yesterday, Kyle said, "There hasn't been a single day of this trip that I didn't have a blast!"

In two days, I get to finally meet Unknown Mami!!! 

Until then, like you, I'll have to visit her at Sundays in My City.

Happy Sunday! :)

Saturday Sampling, June 25th, 2011

No time to read blogs while on vacation, but I definitely plan to partake when I return. Saturday Sampling is a collection of your favorite posts (yours or others) that you think could use more attention. I'm linking up one that was recommended to me this week (Thanks, Dawn!) so that I can come back to it later. Thanks for stopping by.  [If this is your first visit to Saturday Sampling, please visit the tab above.]

Friday Fragments, Episode #151

I'm in California this week, but I know the fragmented mind travels well, so I'm at it again. 

Consider these "West-Coast Fragments," and see if you notice a difference.

***
I don't always share my Favorite Friday Fragmenter, but last week, I was inspired! Single Mom in the South has a little girl who is just as sweet as pie. Here's a couple of her gems from last week:

"Mamma, you should send us to camp, because then you will have quiet time.  You can stay home and do adult stuff with only adults."

"Mamma, we can get dressed together because we are both girls.  It would be weird if you got dressed with an a boy, mamma!  Why would you do that?"

Why would she do that, indeed?! Super cute, SMITS. I hereby bequeath the coveted award:

Lisleman's fragments last week really cracked me up, 

but the rules say that a month must go by before you win the award again, so I'll just link to him this time :)  What rules, you might ask?
Well, you could check the tab above, 

but I'll admit you won't find this particular rule, as I just made it up. 

***

Tip-of-Day for Venice Beach visitors: Use the restroom before you go! 

Also, don't worry about medical care while there; they have plenty of assistance to address any ailment:

The Haight, Berkeley, The Mission(s), San Francisco Bay Bridge/Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, Yosemite, L.A., Venice Beach--That's what we've visited so far on our trip. Up next, surfing (Kyle, not me), tide pools, Unknown Mami, Gay Pride parade, and concert in the park!

Hope you're having fun, too :)

Blackmail Photos

Aunt Bette is very straight-laced. She's a retired English teacher and Sunday school teacher, after all. 

She's a God-fearing woman who wouldn't say "shit" if she had a mouthful of it, 

and I've never known her to drink alcohol. 

She's an upstanding woman, a fantastic mother and grandmother, 

dedicated to her family and all things innocent...

....Which is why this photo, circa 1960(?) or so, of Bette

 the one and only time that anyone knows of her consuming alcohol to excess, is such a treasure. 

Doesn't she look adorable? 

Poor Bette; judging from the photo,

 this may be the reason she never drank again.haha

Yet another reason to get old slides converted into a 21st -medium.

Thanks, Memory Hub!

Disclosure: Memory Hub is a media conversion service that gave me 100 free photo slide conversions at the cost of 39 cents each, in exchange for my honestly posting about my experience. I paid for the remaining 347 slides to be converted to a digital CD, and am very happy with the results.  

Checking In

We're having a blast in California, of course. So far, we've been to the The Haight, "Treasure Island," 

Golden Gate bridge, Muir Woods (hiking), Berkeley campus, and did a LOT of eating 

(and that's just a day and half's worth!  

Today, Kyle and I are heading for Yosemite for a couple of days. 

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a few pics from our trip so far...

Only in California (at the bio-diesel gas station)...

(I'm referring to the out-of-control plants/flowers all over the gas pump.)

View from Marin County something-or-other (sorry--I'm in a rush and can't remember the name!) 

Also sorry if the horizon line is crooked--I've had no time to monkey around with edits :)

 Cutest couple ever (my niece and her husband)

I'd post more, but a lot of them are vertical, and Blogger is fighting me on rotating those, 

so you'll have to stay tuned :)

I also want to give a shout-out to Michelle, of Honest & Truly, who made it possible for me to win a $100 VISA gift card last fall (or thereabouts) on her reviews/giveaways page. THANKS, MICHELLE! We're going to put it to good use this week! :)

Gotta run!

Til next time....

Hawaii Hello

OMG! As I type this (and schedule it to publish on Sunday), my heart starts to race with excitement--By the time this posts, I will be in San Francisco, home of the one-and-only Unknown Mami, who hosts this weekly photo-theme, Sundays in My City! I'm not meeting UM until next week, though, so you'll have to stay tuned for that shot :) 

[Please note that our house is not empty. Plus, there's nothing valuable in it, unless you count Mr.4444 (hm), 

so don't even think of trying to rob us (and leave my husband alone, too, 

if you know what's good for you, and watch out for our vicious golden retriever, too)!]

On to this week's pics!

Kendall is still in Hawaii. 

She's been checking in with us now and then via text and sharing her photos via Photobucket. 

And this one's a favorites, of course.

The next one is a lesson for all of us about horizon lines. 

When taking a photo of a landscape (or waterscape), pay attention; try to keep it straight. 

Otherwise, the crooked horizon distracts from the subject of your photo.

Hooray! Picnik to the rescue! Use the "Rotate" button to fix it!

I love Picnik,

and I adore that shot of Kendall and her sister/friend.

What a lucky kid.

Visit Unknown Mami to see more beautiful shots from cities around the globe.

Father's Day Wishes

Because Amy, of The 4th Frog, inspired me with her Wishes for her hub's birthday, I'm going to follow suit for Father's Day, for Mr.4444....

*I wish you the ability to fall asleep on demand (snore-free, of course).
*I wish you a lottery win, so you can achieve all your dreams that keep you from falling asleep quickly at night.
*I wish you the joy of retiring at a reasonable time.
*I wish you at least thirty years of grandpahood (beginning a minimum of five years from now).
*I wish you a 20-year-old's joints, muscles, vision and hearing to last the rest of your life.
*I wish you the catch of the biggest large mouth bass you've ever seen.
*I wish that your wife would suddenly embrace ironing so that you might never need to iron your own shirts again. (Good luck with that one.)
*I wish you a 60th wedding anniversary (to your current wife, of course)
*I wish you a self-mowing lawn.
*I wish you a spell over Cooper so that he doesn't run away, shed, or roll in or eat dead stuff.
*I wish you ten more years with Cooper (Lord, help me!)
*I wish you the reincarnation of Mel and Max, the best cats-friends we ever had.
*I wish you a normal-width foot size, so that you can buy any kind of shoe you like.
*I wish you twice the joy you give to others through your generous, loving spirit.
*I wish you grandkids (in about ten years) who live close enough to fully enjoy.
*I wish you the patience to lie on a lounge chair on a sandy beach for more than ten minutes without getting bored.
*I wish you a magic wand to wave over your sinuses and clear them up for all eternity.
*I wish a sugar-daddy for your mom.
*I wish you one more year with Grandma Florence.
*I wish you inner peace.

I love you with all of my heart, Mr.4444. Thank you for being the kind of dad every kid deserves.

Happy Father's Day.

Saturday Sampling, June 18th, 2011

I've been gearing up for my trip with Kyle, so I haven't had a lot of time for blog reading. That's why I especially look forward to your offerings. Thanks for sharing your favorites.

Friday Fragments, Episode #150!

WOOHOO! It's the 150th anniversary of Friday Fragments! Isn't that incredible!? That means that at least 750 fragments have been released from my cluttered mind. Yikes--Who knows what might have occurred, had I not been able to do so. Countless lives have likely been saved, of course. Let's keep this thing going!

***Is there anyone in this world who doesn't like peaches? How about grilled peaches?  Mr.4444 and I enjoyed them for the first time, yesterday, when I made Summer Grilled Peach and Bratwurst Kebabs, the recipe for which I've posted on Mrs.4444 Cooks. (They were delicious!)

***Last week, I read about a sweet little tradition that Vodka Mom's and her fellow teachers have for the last day of school. (Go ahead and read it--It's heartwarming.) I shared that at our middle school all of the teachers stand outside and wave goodbye to the school buses as they drive away. The bus drivers beep their horns, and lots of  kids wave back and yell good-bye.  For every kid that gives us "the finger," teachers do a shot at the bar later. (JK, maybe.)

We also blast Alice Cooper's "School's Out'" song over the P.A. (which can also be heard all over the neighborhood surrounding the school).  This year, we also considered "Take This Job and Shove It" (given the political mess this year) but came to our senses pretty quickly, of course.

***I finally got my camera back from the shop after 28 days, and I can't fully express my joy in this, as I felt incomplete without it. I liken it to taking a laptop or pen away from a writer -- I survived (obviously), but it just made me feel out-of-sorts to not be able to take photos. I look forward to being back in the photo-taking groove.

***California, here I come! I'm so excited about my trip with Kyle!  Stay tuned for pics and commentary from the road!

***Having watched a really great Momversation video called Should Siblings See Each Other Naked, I got to thinking about attitudes about nudity.  I've always admired the fact that Mr.4444 never got the "You should be ashamed to show your naked self" memo. That man can walk around in his birthday suit with nary a thought (except when the kids are around, at which point he shows appropriate modesty, of course). I have seen many, many photos of that man's bare butt (group and individual "moon" shots from the old days). What is up with that?!

***Linky Tools has upgraded its site and is now offering some cool new features. One of them is a "Like" button, which I'll be excited to use for Saturday Sampling posts.  Another feature will prevent those linking up to FF from linking if they have not included a backlink to this blog in their post. (How cool is that? No more drive-by linkers for me!)   I especially like Linky Tools because Brent (the owner) is a nice, Christian guy who is dedicated to good customer service and is very responsive. Thanks, Brent!  Check out Linky Tools for more details (and let me know if you have any issues in the transition time).

P.S. I had the Linky List set to "scramble," so everyone would get a fair shot at being read, but I found it annoying--It's too hard to figure out which ones I've read, so I switched it to be in order of when they were linked. To be more likely to get visitors, remember that I publish on Thursday nights at 9pm central.

***I've had the pleasure of being listed in The BZ House That Love Built's list of themed posts for Friday Fragments and Saturday Sampling. Cheryl's list of Theme Day Options is extensive, and I highly recommend you bookmarking it for those times you are stuck for an idea of what to write about. Thanks, Cheryl!

Got Fragments? Use this for your linking pleasure...