THE REST OF THE STORY

So it’s been over 30 days and I think that might be sufficient time for a cliff-hanger, non?  (My apologies, sometimes those two years of high school French just slip out unexpected) 

Where were we?  Traveling back from Texas, ah yes.   I arrived back at PBI at about 4:30 pm on that first Monday in February – post Superbowl for reference.  My Harley Stud swept me off my feet and into my carriage and off we went to our Home Sweet Home. 

We pulled into the drive and Oh yes, I remember it well:

Twas the night after Texas and all through the house

Not a creature was stirring.  No one was in the house.

But out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter

I sprang from my reclined position in my car to see what was the matter!

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

Two delightful Canadians in a camper with lots of wine……and beer!

 

Tessa!  And The First Husband!  FTW!

I was sad to leave MLS and HBL but happy to come home to MHS.  And ecstatic to find Tessa and TFH in the drive!  OK, it wasn’t really a surprise.  If you’re a long-time reader, you may remember when MHS and I first met Tessa and TFH on their Florida vacation a few years back.  We had a great time then and were so excited to hear that they were heading back our way.  I heard through some sort of social networking that Tessa and TFH were headed south with a camper in tow.  A very exciting adventure ahead of them, I emailed Tessa and asked = pleaded that they come to visit. 

I received an email from Tessa when I was in Texas.  She said they were coming from the West coast of Florida and looking for a campground near us so that we could visit before they started heading back North.  Being the country girl that I am, I said that if they didn’t mind doing it “redneck” style, they could camp in our yard.  We live in a rural community and there is plenty of room for a make-shift campsite on our property.  (The Biker Nazi and Co. had just done the same for Christmas)  Much to my surprise, the very sophisticated Tessa took me up on my “redneck” offer and Yeehaw!  Let the games begin!

We had a delightful time.  We went to dinner at our favorite haunt with a Irish name (in Tessa’s honor) but alas, a very American menu.  Good stuff anyway.  We were joined at dinner by Daughter # 1.  After dinner, we all went back to the camper and may or may not have had too much to drink.  I will never tell.  But suffice it to say, we gabbed and gabbed, caught up on stories and made up stories.  It was really hard to go to work the next morning.  I hated to see Tessa and TFH go and I really hated to get back to real life but it is what it is. 

Tessa and TFH’s fun didn’t end there.  They moved their way North and even visited Daughter #2 in her college town.  (PS – They had never met before either) and then small world that it is, they worked their way to our home town in Indiana where they had business to conduct.  It really is a small world. 

And once again, I must recommend that if you have the chance to meet a bloggy friend, go for it.  I have never been disappointed.  I have been blessed beyond measure to have met such wonderful friends in these pages. 

 

Love and Kisses,

SMB

PS.  I had some surgery that will require me to work from home for a few weeks.  This may mean you will see more of me…..or not.  Time will tell. 

 

 

 

I CAN COUNT ON YOU LIKE FOUR, THREE, TWO

 

Every year when February rolls around, I want to crawl into bed and not stick my nose out from under the covers until March 1st.  Just like Punxsutawny Phil…..only different.  My beloved Lucy passed away eight years ago in February and since then the second month of the year has become my most dreaded time.  History has proven it is a sucky month to be sure.  After Lucy died, all sorts of mayhem has fallen upon us in February.   My apologies to those of you who have birthdays or anniversaries in this month.  You may have some special affection for the month of FebI’MGONNAKICKYOURARSEruary but as for me, I would totally vote to take it right off the calendar.   I mean, who needs the confusion anyway?  28 days?  29?”  Who can keep track?

And the weather!  Enough winter already!  OK, you’ve got me there.  February is quite beautiful for the most part in Florida.  It is usually sunny and about 72f.  Who can complain about that? But still….even so, I detest the month and all of the crap-storm it brings with it.

That is until this year…………

This year, I got smart.  About mid-January, I started feeling anxiety about the days to come.  Those January days just kept ticking by on the calendar and impending doom was weighing heavily on my shoulders.  I wasn’t sleeping well.  I was cranky.  No amount of chocolate chip cookies (read dough) or Cabernet Sauvignon was sufficient to quell the storm that was brewing in my heart. 

I began to joke about running away from home.  Getting on the Florida turnpike and just driving until I ran out of gas, money and SweeTarts.  I mentioned this several times to a good friend of mine who shall remain nameless but you may know her as Midlife Slices.   Well, MLS, being MLS, did what MLS does so graciously, she extended an invitation to me to stay at her home and refresh my spirit.  Or maybe I invited myself……..I’m not really sure at this point…..but that is neither here not there, right?  Plane tickets were purchased, plans were made and Feb.1st found me on a plane to Texas. 

MLS and her Hunk a Burnin’ Love, aka HBL, greeted me with open arms at the airport and whisked me off to their home.  One might ask if I was a little worried about traveling to a complete stranger’s home and relying entirely on them for transportation (read no escape route).  Well, to tell the truth, MLS IS strange but she is no stranger to me.  We met several years ago right here in these pages and a beautiful albeit warped friendship (Love ya, MLS) has developed from there.  And was I a little nervous about climbing into their SUV after seeing HBL open the back to load my luggage and spotting duct tape and blankets wadded up in the cargo hold? Not one bit.  Did I feel any apprehension while riding in the dark in a place completely foreign to me as they drove me out into the middle of nowhere.  Actually, no, I didn’t. OK, I may or may not have checked my iphone no less than a dozen times to make sure of a signal. 

OK, the real truth is that MLS and I actually met in person almost a year ago when after complaining about needing a getaway, a girls weekend was planned and executed with two other “perfect strangers”, known here in the interwebs as Fat Cat Crochet and Nothing Fancy.  I was in blog darkness then and have yet to write about that escapade but just you wait……I will write about it……as soon as I can remember the details. 

MLS and HBL welcomed me into their home and treated me like ……well….like the Queen that I am.  *snort*   They wined me and dined me.  They soaked me (in a hottub) and choked me (with jalapeno chips).  They booted me (cowboy, of course) and suited me (off to cowboy church).  They cowed me and WOWed me at the rodeo!  I even got manure on my pants!  Now I’ve run out of rhymes but let it suffice to say that I had a darn good time and my spirit WAS refreshed.  I left Texas with my soul at peace and with a newfound love for all things of the Lonestar state.  Hot sauce! Steak!  Caramel Pecan chewy things that are to die for!  Cowboy hats!  Cowboy boots!  Beer served while you are shopping!  Cowboy church!  MLS!  HBL! 

Words cannot express my gratitude for the friendship and hospitality of MLS and HBL.  And I can’t say enough how blessed I am to have met such wonderful friends here in bloggyland.  My dear peeps, if you ever have the chance to meet and greet with a friend with whom you’ve connected here in the interwebs, don’t walk, RUN, straight to the nearest Starbucks (but take a bodyguard….one has to be careful) and share a cup of Joe with them.  And if they are normal like you…….or abnormal as was the case with MLS and me, invite them into your home,  You won’t regret it.  Well, MLS might but that’s a different story. 

Thank you, MLS!  I love you like my luggage……even more.  LIKE YOUR LUGGAGE! 

 

And when I got home……you’ll never guess what was waiting in my drive…….

 

To be continued.  

 

Hugs and Kisses,

SMB

 

 

WHO COULD IT BE NOW?

I can't believe some of you actually accused me of being a tease! OK, I guess I asked for it. But I really didn't mean to drag it out this long. You see, it's after 10pm as I write this and I just got home from work. Yeah…………it's great to be me today. MHS is out partying (at our nephew's 16^th birthday party) so I quickly changed into blogging attire (jammies) and settled into the sofa with a glass of red wine and a supper of two squares of dark chocolate that I've been hiding saving since Christmas.

It was about a week ago, while tweeting on Twitter, Chasaveen mentioned she would be leaving their home in Canada for Florida in a few days. My little ears perked right up and my wheels started turning. It took me all of about 3 seconds to direct message her and ask what her Florida destination was. She replied that she would be in a city that is about an hour south of where MHS and I live. I asked if she would be interested in meeting me for the beverage of her choice. She said that if we were close to where she was staying, she would love to. That's when I began to panic.

You see, Chasaveen, on Twitter, is Tessa of Nuts and Mutton. If you read Tessa's blog, you know that she is brilliant, charming, funny and uh…..brilliant. That's brilliant squared. If you're not reading Tessa's blog, well, why aren't you? Go there now. I'll wait. .......................................................

So I began to get nervous. I worried what she would think of me. It's so easy to hide behind these pages. But in real life, it's all out there for everyone to see. What would she think of the real SMB? Scary, I know. Tessa is accomplished and educated and I'm ………….well, I'm just SMB, a country girl from Indiana.

Once Tessa and The First Husband arrived in Florida, we were busy texting and calling and tweeting our little fingers off trying to make a plan to meet. The plan was set and reset and then reset again yesterday. Tessa and TFH were touring the area near my office so we decided to meet there. When she called me from the parking lot of my office building to let me know of their arrival, I quickly grabbed my bag and flew out the door. I was so excited, I ran to hug her and stepped on her toe. Way to make a great first impression. *sigh* TFH is suffering from a little bug (that he probably caught on the airplane) and was considerate enough to refuse my offer of hugs all around. We decided to go to my beloved inlet to have a few drinks. It was a little cool but what better way to enjoy Florida than to have a few drinks at a tiki hut bar. We jumped into our cars and they followed me to The Square Grouper. While most of you have probably never been there, you may have seen it. Alan Jackson filmed parts of his "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" video there.

I called Midlife Slices on my way from the office to the inlet for moral support. She was most encouraging as usual. I said, "What if they think I'm a weirdo?" Janie reassured me by saying, "You are a weirdo." And then I began to relax. I am what I am. And if Tessa didn't like me? Well, shame on her. I mean, what's not to like, right? Riiiiiiiight.

MHS joined us at the tiki bar. We selected a table out in the open where you could see the inlet and the boats that were not going in and out due to the cooler weather. Nevertheless it was a nice setting for our get-together. Tessa and TFH are a lovely couple. Tessa is Irish turned Canadian and they had great stories about Ireland and Canada. MHS and I found ourselves completely charmed by their company.

I've never been on a blind date but I've watched enough movies to know that you never make plans for dinner. Just drinks. That way, if you don't hit it off, you finish your drink and you're on your merry way. But once our glasses were empty and our stomachs were growling, MHS and I didn't want to leave them just yet. We wanted more. We invited them to our favorite sports bar which is like our Cheers. The food is good and the atmosphere is relaxed. D1 (aka Fancy Nancy) will be mortified that we took them there. D2 was jealous. We ate dinner and laughed and shared more stories about family, friends and travel and when the time came to part, we were sorry to see them go. I enjoyed their company so much, I'm thinking of packing up and moving to Canada. Look out, Tessa, here we come!

We did take some pictures but Tessa made me promise not to post them. I don't like it but I can respect it. You'll just have to trust me when I say she and TFH are a beautiful couple. I guess we'll have to wait to see what if anything Tessa has to say about our meeting to get "the rest of the story". And if she doesn't say anything, we'll know she does think I'm a weirdo.

Have you ever met a bloggy buddy? Do you want to? If you come to Florida, do you want to meet me?

OH SHIRT!

You'll never guess what I did tonite. And I had such a good time! And then I came home. That was my first mistake. The evening was going so well. And I had to ruin it by coming home.

You see, on Monday nights, I live for 24. Me. Jack. And a glass of wine. That's right, I gotta have me some Jack Bauer. MHS and I had big plans tonite but I wasn't worried because we have TIVO! Or a reasonable facsimile of it. DVR, whatever. TIVO knows I love Jack. But tonight, TIVO let me down. TIVO is not my friend. I don't know why TIVO decided to keep me from my beloved Mr. Bauer tonight but that's exactly what he did. And you know what? I don't even care. OK, maybe I cried care a little bit. It was worth it.

MHS and I met one of my dear, sweet bloggy friends for drinks and drinks turned into dinner. I've never done that before. It was like a blind date. So exciting. And I'm going to tell you all about it.

Tomorrow.

Tonight, I'm exhausted from all the excitement and then the emotional breakdown frustration of missing Jack. (Don't cry for me, Argentina, I'll watch him online tomorrow.) Man, I love the interwebs.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode where I reveal who the mystery blogger is…………………………….