A Day trip to Ireland

Cop'er & I met AriCaVa & her brood at the Irish Festival in Church Hill today. We had a late start, b/c... well... you know, it was the morning. Plus, Cop'er didn't know he was 'invited' to go until I woke him up to get the day started.

When we got there & were parking the car, Cop'er mentioned "Kilts aren't Irish, are they?" (as we watched a kilted gent gross the street). Now, this got me thinking. I am assuming the name is just that, a name. "Irish" was obviously encompassing everything that could have been English, Scottish & Irish. After all, those bagpipes weren't Irish either & i would have hated to miss out on those!

We ended up checking out all the little tents they had set up. I can't lie - we did come home with some things. Even Cop'er didn't come back empty handed!

We tried some traditional Irish food... spiral fries???

ok, maybe not from thee Emerald Isle.

Jelly & Otoño Poco recognized us, but weren't too keen on being separated from Mommy. I can't say that I blame them! There were millions of people there! I'd have been worried about being separated too!

Fine... I MIGHT have exaggerated a little about the amount of people there. In my estimates, there were a million. Obviously, I have an imagination.

By the time we sampled the Irish fare and pilfered the Irish jewels, AriCaVa & her clan were long gone for naptime in a land far, far away. That meant it was time for Cop'er & I to make our exit.

The weather was be-u-tee-ful. You couldn't have asked for better! It was 77 in the car when we were leaving & it really felt like one of those days you are thankful to be alive.

Cop'er drove me down to Pony Pasture (a park, not some overt sexual reference) and we took in sights of the James River & many very pricey houses overlooking it. We have long discussed our 'retirement' and can agree that we want to live on the water somewhere. I think one of those houses might be added to the list! What a view!

In case you weren't keeping up on these things, today is the first day of spring... & what a glorious day it is! I hope there are many more just like this to come!

Cast of Characters

It's come to my attention that I am introducing more & more "characters" to my blogs & maybe it's time to do a little synopsis of these people & where they fit into the Grayzeee Life.

Cop'er = my husband, Aaron. We met on match.com & were married 4 yrs again. He's 'from' Missouri, though he's lived in many places since his dad was in the military. Cop'er is... a cop. He's also got a great retirement & pension! Hmm. Is that info only important to the woman who will be retiring with him???

Sister Fantanimal = my sister, Candice. She's the 'forgotten/overlooked/stepped over/pushed aside' (did i forget any of the words you told me to use?) middle sister. MEN - She's single!!! Sister F is an animal lover. I'd like to say 'dog lover', but I'm just not sure it matters what kind of animal it is! Her house is a menagerie with animals coming & going.

Sister KidEduc8r = my sister, Heather. She's the 'parents' favorite/baby/always got her way' (Sister F - did forget any of the words you told me to use for her?) youngest sister. (Yes, you guessed it - no boys in this family. Defective sperm?) KidEduc8r is a teacher of America's future. You know the kind - looking for snow days & school holidays. She's mommy to Ry-Guy & Caidelcake with another on the way.

Mi Madre = pretty obvious that this is my mother, mom, mama, Ellen. She's... hmmm... well, she's RETIRED! That's right. She now keeps a pretty mean house, cooks a wicked dinner & watches my nephews in her massive amount of free time. Sometimes she's just too tired to do all though, especially after a long battle with her computer!

Mi Padre = this is my pops, pox. dad, Ted. He's a pharma-father. We like that & enjoy having our own personal pharmacist 'on staff' at home. He's a collector of things too - coins, baseball cards, a few Civil War odds & ends (well, what did you expect - we live in VA!). Mi Padre also gave me a love for thunderstorms (something Mi Madre curses every summer)!

FlyRunner = my cousin, Angel. FlyRunner is a swimmer (from VT [scholarship] days) and mommy to Austin & Carter; wife to Collins (look for their character names in a future posting). She's a writer and photographer too - perhaps this runs on Mi Madre's side!? She is also a wonderful friend, soft-spoken and ballsy.

AriCaVA = you met her here. She's Betsy, the BFF, the big cheese, my 'go to' person. We met at Circuit City in 1994. After her west coast adventures, I am THRILLED that she calls VA home again. She's a landscape architect by trade, but I believe she likes "partner in crime to her BFF" as a better title. AriCaVa is mommy to Jelly and Otoño Poco; mistress wife to Mr. AriCaVA, who I have decided to introduce by another name later in this episode.

Cattails = I mentioned her lack of surprise about me in this post. She's Ashley, my lunch buddy, bridesmaid, DD, Saturday afternoon playdate. I met Cattails through Sister F. They were friends; now we are friends. Big ole happy family. She's a number cruncher and works for the state. (Possibly a State of Confusion?). She's wifey to DragonSlayer & mommy to Sweet Pea and soon-to-be Little Pea.

Ry-guy = my oldest nephew, Rylan. He loves to call Cop'er, "Snickelfritz" and play in our 'pirate ship' (swingset outside). He's a smart cookie, is in his first year of 'big kid school', loves drawing and is very sweet. Ry-guy is into being best buds with Cop'er and stirring up trouble when the 2 are together. I have to admit, Cop'er is VERY impressionable!

Caidelcake = my younger nephew, Caiden. He's 'the man' - much more rough & tumble than Ry-guy was, but loves him some fruits & veggies! He could put most adults to shame! Caidelcake loves being involved in anything Ry-guy is into and makes faces that will keep you laughing for hours. He also has a great sad face -- pretty convincing when he needs it! I totally fall for it!

Jelly = my honorary nephew, Jeffery (who I call Jeff), Since our first meeting when he was a mere 2 months old, we've been compadres. I'm Aunt Amie to him - even if he won't let ME read bedtime stories. We always have a great time eating pancakes & checking out everything in Michaels! 

Otoño Poco = my honorary niece, Katie. Katie & I are still feeling each other out. She's new to my world, so I understand it takes a little getting used to. I also know sometimes you just have to let it all out - just scream until it's out! You gotta be heard! I think she's starting to like me though. Just this past weekend I got a SMILE & A CRY out of her! Talk about progress!

Sweet Pea = Cattails' daughter, Sarah, who is 5. She's a character! I have this recent memory of her walking right into my house for a pool party. She just opened the door, walked in ahead of her parents & said 'hi Amie'... then walked right past me to where the action was. I was amazed by her seemingly fearless side! She's a talker & a questioner & I think someone is going to have their hands full when she gets older! Time to lock her into the bedroom!

DragonSlayer = Cattails' hubby, Kev... or as I like to call him Kevey and my 2nd husband. Since he was with Cattails before I got to know her, he came with that package. It's a good thing I think he's pretty cool! He's currently best known as director of "daddy daycare", but he also does a good interpretation of mechanic, computer repairman, mover, painter, gamer, friend. He's gearing up for the arrival of Little Pea... hoping for a repeat performance of pink.

DuJour = AriCaVa's hubby, Josh. DuJour is a chef! Calm your tastebuds down! He's taken! Well, I suspect for the right price he could be yours! Wait. I mean, for catering, cheffing, those food things. Not the other thing you were thinking about! He's quietly witty & one of the (if not THE) biggest Star Wars lovers I have ever met! DuJour is also outdoorsy &, from what I hear, might just be someone's Prince Charming.

Until our next casting call...

The Trip to Becoming My BFF

When it comes to the times in my life where I have made friends that have lasted a lifetime, I'd have to say it was college & the 7 years I spent at Circuit City. Perhaps it was the time in my life where relationships with peers were the most important part of life, molding me for the future, challenging me, keeping me sane in the transitional period into adulthood.

There are many people I am still very blessed to call friends--18 years later. I can't imagine what life would be like without them! We've grown up together, gotten married, gotten divorced, been through births & deaths, jobs & unemployment...

Through those years, there has been one person in particular who has managed to cement her place in my life. Little did we know that when I started working evenings part-time at Circuit City that it would be the makings of a lifelong friendship.

At the time, Betsy (let's call her "AriCaVa'" from this point out) was given the task of showing me the ropes and the inner workings of the Advertising Production Department. It's safe to say I don't remember much about the 'working' aspect. The images that come readily to my memory were 'snack time' every night at 7pm, and then dinner time once we were both working full-time; proofreading; felt tip pens; her engagement; her wedding; crazy co-workers; me dating someone she didn't like; understanding the signs of a 'bad day'... it really goes on & on.

Then AriCaVa & Mr. AriCaVa decided to move to Arizona.

What? Do you KNOW how far that is??? It's not a day trip, for certain! Just HOW do you think we are going to stay friends when you won't even be in the same time zone???

I admit, in the beginning it took a little getting used to. She's not a big phone talker; I'm a big writer. We started with letters and emails, pictures & cards. It wasn't too hard, but not the same as being in the same city.

What about girls' night out? Who was going to see chick flicks with me? Would I have to find a new "go to" person?

At that time in my life, getting the money and time to go see AriCaVa in Phoenix just wasn't an option. I was only able to see her when she was in town visiting family--and let's just admit I usually had to be squeezed in because the trips were so frantic! Hey, not a complaint. I loved the chance to see AriCaVa when I could. It was ok though, because whenever we met up, we just fell into that familiar place in our friendship. And also, by this time we were keeping connected even better! We had moved from regular 'ole letters to actually writing in notebooks. It suited me anyway, because i just write THAT MUCH!

Over the years, there were several BIG events I was lucky enough to have AriCaVa by my side... the couple's shower Cop'er & i were thrown for our wedding, my bachelorette party, my wedding. She wasn't just HERE for my wedding, she was my Matron of Honor. Where some ladies don't make the best MOH, AriCaVa was fantastic! She was so awesome, saying the right thing, doing the right thing, being supportive. Doesn't get better than that!

I have always been so humbled that she would fly all the way back to VA to partake in the activities of my life. I know the cost to both take time off work & purchase multiple plane tickets to the east coast was more than I could ask for. I can't imagine her not having been there though.

Cop'er & I got the chance to meet up with AriCaVa on a trip we took to Las Vegas. No, we didn't meet them in Sin City, but rendezvoused in beautiful Sedona. Cop'er & I made that side trip more for me to meet up with my best friend than to see Sedona, but it turned out that I loved all aspects of that journey and was glad to have seen it with her. (If you haven't been to Sedona, I highly suggest making time to go!)

Eventually the 'shine' of Arizona wore off, AriCaVa packed it all up again & found a new residence in... California??? When you hear the words "We're thinking about moving," you HOPE the next sentence is "We've decided to move back to Virginia."

But not... further west???? (& was she going to move all my notebooks with her?).
Personally, I thought it was time for her to move back to her FRIENDS and family.

Ok, fine... move further away if you must. (Secretly hoping they don't fall in love with the far west coast)... Sure, I guess i can still do the long-distance friendship thing.

They settled in Monterey, a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean. While sounding as picturesque as it looked, it seems the weather left a little something to be desired. I believe AriCaVa referred to it as permanently foggy, cool & missing the 4 seasons of the East Coast.

Darn. Sorry to hear that. That really sucks.

It was here in Monterey that our friendship took on a new facet. AriCaVa brought Jeffrey (we'll call him 'Jelly') in the world--even if it was into the Californian world! She was a mommy!

uh... i don't know how to act around Mommies. How would that change our friendship? I have no idea what we will have in common--i don't do diapers!

Jelly was born in December and i was able to make my way to California before he turned a year old; 2 months later, in fact. What an incredible time! It was so wonderful to see AriCaVa with her firstborn, learning the ropes; me, being able to practice and patent the famous "butt pat" with Jelly.

AriCaVa is the kind of friend & mommy who doesn't make every conversation about 'what baby does'. (Have I mentioned I love that about her?) We still talked about the same things, laughed over nothing & compared how nutty our husbands were. She never made me feel like I was 'less than' or 'didn't understand' because I wasn't a mother. You really can't ask for more than that...

Wait... I lied. You can. How's about moving back to Old Virginny???

Fast forward to my next birthday ----> I received a card/package from AriCaVa, as I usually do. What was in the package was the best part! She'd sent a notebook she'd finished writing in. It was small, so i could read it in one sitting. When I got to the end, she said she knew where they were moving next. (Yes, i knew they were thinking about moving again. They just weren't digging the West Coast with all it's expensive lifestyle, crazy weather & no BFFs).

You're right. I don't know if she really SAID that, but it was definitely implied!

Anyway, I thought to myself --- YES! Finally she is going to say she's moving back to the East Coast, somewhere like Charlotte or Charleston or New York or Philly. YEAH! Those are all easy plane rides away or a day trip driving. This was going to be awesome!

Except... she didn't mention any of those cities. I reread it again. Did she...? Really? There?

Hell yeah!!! HappyHappyJoyJoy! What AriCaVa did say could be some of the sweetest words a BFF can hear: "We are moving back to Virginia." (By this time, it had been about 10 years since they picked up their life in VA). I don't know that I have ever had a better birthday surprise... Well, except that year my parents changed the spelling of my name, but that's another story.

It seemed like forever and then it seemed as quick as the blink of an eye, but finally they were on the East Coast. Though they didn't move into my neighborhood like I campaigned, I'm just fine with a drive across the river. I have never been a fan of "South Side", but I do love getting together for girls' day, dinners, lazy get-togethers, holidays, celebrations and should either of us have one, emergencies...

Here's hoping I don't hear "We're talking about moving again" anytime soon!

* There is one side note I'd like to add: When 'unloading' their belongings from the cross-country move, they found themselves with a little something extra. AriCaVa, Mr. AriCaVa and Jelly added a special shade of pink to their new home: Katie (We'll call her "Otoño Poco"). Now their family is complete.