HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUNA!!!!

Today is the most wonderful day of the year....ITS LUNA'S BIRTHDAY!!! Happy 4th birthday to my little baby girl!!


We made her a wonderful gift that she seemed to like right away. Its a little structure that has brushes on either side because she loves to brush her face even when I'm not holding the brush. She played with it a little this morning, so I hope she's found a new favorite toy!!

Happy Birthday Luna!!

Mommy loves you!!! (kisses)

Hodge Podge

Hodge Podge is not a bait and tackle shop in Avalon, its also a slew of things (ok 2 things) for today's post....enjoy and TGIF!

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A typed message to Nicole....

Claudia: so we got Luna's g-i-f-t done last night! ITS AWESOME! I can't wait for her to use it!

Nicole: I'm glad you spelled it so I don't read it out loud and she hears me.

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This is a really cool site I found yesterday that really makes a great point about where our "stuff" comes from and where it goes after we are finished with it... Its a little long, but definitely worth a look! Just click on the link below and you'll be taken right to the site!

ZA-ZUUUU-UUUU!

Happy Birthday to Zuzana (aka Zazu)!!!

ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!! HA HA!!
ITS NOT OUR BIRTHDAY!! NO NO!!
CAUSE ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!! HA HA!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAZU!

ZA-ZUUUU-UUU!
(that sounds like the Yahoo singing guy, by the way)

WOO HOO!

No...not WaMu! Woo hoo! I got a new swim suit last night!

Now, like most women, I'd rather have a lobotomy rather than swim suit shop. Actually, I'd rather have one to get me through swim suit shopping!

Macy's was having a clearance sale on suits, so I figured why not head over there! When I got there, I realized clearance really translated into "we don't have your size"...but I kept hope alive. I scoured the racks for anything that wasn't hideous and would cover me that was in my size. I finally found 4 suits and headed into the dressing room.

In the dimly lit closet I found myself in, I peeled off my clothes (strategically avoiding looking in the mirror) and put on the first suit - a green and blue tankini. I turned around and braced myself for the horror....but guess what...I LIKED WHAT I SAW! Could it be? I just found a suit on the very first one I tried on?

That's not possible!

I tried on the others and they were horrible. So I fished into my wallet and found a coupon for an additional 15% off. WOO HOO!! So I bought it! At a steal of a price!! I figure I'll leave the tags on and try it at home tonight. Where the lighting is much more flattering! And then go from there.

But if memory serves me right, I think I'll be keeping it!

Honestly though - what are the chances that I found my suit on the first try. REALLY?

WOO HOO!

Never a dull moment...

...even when Sleeping Beauty rests...

10th Street & Union?

Yesterday on our way home from Avalon, my boyfriend and I decided to take the long way home and go to Ocean City (NJ, that is) to fish where he fished with his dad when he was little and also drive past the house he stayed in a few times. Being that all his memories are from when he was 12, even if he wasn't 12, ("hey babe, when did you learn to walk?" "I was 12"....), I warned him that the house might not look the same or even still be there!

So we packed up the car and headed north on Ocean Drive from Avalon. About 30 minutes later, we found ourselves at the southern end of Ocean City on a one lane road sandwiched between the ocean and bay. I asked where we were going...."I'm not sure. I know it was maybe 4 or 5 blocks from the beach". Wait, what? We don't have an actual address? Or coordinates?? Or anything that could give us more info than it being a house on a barrier island that is 12 miles long and 2 miles wide?? Are you kidding me??

After driving north for a while, he finally decided to call his mother (who wasn't sure) and then his cousin (whom had gone with them). His cousin was positive it was on the corner of 10th Street and Union Ave. PERFECT! We were already at 25th Street and the numbers were heading down, so in no time, we'd be on the corner of Nostalgia and Old School and then could head to the ice cream shop he used to go to - which he was sure was "nearby" too....great!

We finally got to 10th Street and were just 2 blocks from the beach, so we decided to hang a left off of Central Ave and head towards the bay. Wesley Ave. West Ave. Bay Ave. Water.

Nope.

Turn around...

By the time we hit the ocean, we realized, hey, we never crossed Union Ave. Hmm.... We revised our scientifically devised plan, and decided to just drive around...I mean, it has to be here somewhere, right?

We finally asked a beach-heading older woman if she knew where 10th and Union was. "Union Ave? I've never heard of it." Fabulous. Back to wandering aimlessly....

We finally found what we thought could be the bridge that he fished off of, and called his dad. Not the right bridge, but lo and behold, the bridge was on Wesley Ave and that WAS the right road. Because, you know, Wesley and Union sound the same.

After driving around for almost an hour and a half, we found the house.

HALLELUJAH!

And what's crazier is that it turns out in our scientifically motivated "driving around" we'd passed the house several times! And of course the façade was slightly changed! Though, I'll admit I was so happy we found it I wanted to jump up and down.

And then....we found the old ice cream shop. Only now, its the Island Grill Steak House....but that's ok! We ate there anyway. Because after driving all over Ocean City and seeing every inch of it, I built up an appetite.

I have to admit, though...even if it was my first time in Ocean City, I had a blast! And having him there - and both of us laughing like goof balls because of the craziness we went through - made it even more fun!

Oh, and no, no fish were caught either....but, hey, that's ok too!

Is Social Couth Passé?

My best friend told me about a text message invitation to a baby shower. A text message. For this Friday. Received this past Tuesday. For what is being called a "Beer & Diapers" shower. At a BBQ joint.

Yee haw.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the TEXT MESSAGE said to reply ASAP.

Guess they wanted to make sure there's enough beer?

(you can't make this stuff up!)

Her husband - much to his credit - pointed out the drastic social faux pas by saying that whole situation - including the text - lacked social couth (which is the best thing I think I've ever heard)...!

So I wonder, is social couth passé?

Not to top that (because I doubt you can)....I was in the ladies room earlier today at work doing what ladies do in ladies' rooms. As I'm doing what I'm doing, a woman walks in ON THE PHONE and enters into the stall next to me where she continues to speak to the man she was on the phone with. And I knew it was a man because I could hear him! And I'm sure he could hear me.

Talk about stage fright!

What is with people these days? Not to sound like an old codger, but come on people! Put the phone down for 5 minutes while you "go"!

Holy cow. What's the world coming to?

Its Dad's Day!!

¡Felíz Cumpleaños a tí!
¡Felíz Cumpleaños a tí!
¡Felíz Cumpleaños a papá!
¡Felíz Cumpleaños a tí!

Happy Birthday Daddy!! I love you!

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Thanks to Zazu for sending me this!

My two cents...

I just read an article that told of how some extreme animal rights groups have been using violent means of activism against professors and scientists who conduct tests on animals.

A long time animal rights supporter myself, I often speak out about the horrors that go on in the name of research and education. I've written letters, spoken to people face-to-face, posted here of what's going on, heck, my mother and I even went to Washington DC and participated in an animal rights march! These tests are not necessary as there are other means of research. The barbaric things that are done to cats, dogs, mice, monkeys and other animals in the name of science are sickening and must be stopped.

HOWEVER

I believe that using force against these scientists isn't helpful.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was an advocate for change through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. He was able to do wonders for this country in the area of civil rights because of his beliefs that violence doesn't pay.

Groups who use violence to get their point across aren't doing that. True they may get a handful of people to stop what they're doing, however, they also loose credibility and are dubbed "wackos" and other names for their scare tactics. And other scientists are able to continue.

Now, don't get me wrong. I would LOVE for the scientists who do these barbaric tests to have the same tests done on them. I'd love it. Wouldn't want to see it, but I'd love for it to be done to them. Or worse. However, violence doesn't pay.

Instead, people should hold rallies and protests. If they go to the homes of these scientists (as the article pointed out), then stand outside with signs and use the public areas (streets and sidewalks) to make a point. Yell through a bull-horn, post fliers and signs. But don't invade the homes of these people by throwing items. Don't paint their houses and use violent confrontations. That does no one any good and gets the protesters put in jail.

I'm all for stopping these experiments! I'm all for making people pay for their atrocities. But do it in a way that will get the point across and do it in a way that won't make things worse!

Happy Birthday...

...to our country!

Tomorrow, our country will celebrate Independence Day. Not to be all mushy and reminiscent and such, but I do think this is an opportunity to remind people that this year we have a historic situation in our country and now is the time to be part of history.

Whether you support Barack Obama or John McCain or whatever other independent presidential candidates might join the race in the next few months, I truly believe that everyone in this country should participate in November's presidential election. Take an active part in the direction this country will take in the future... It doesn't take long to vote and registering to vote (if you're not already) is easy as (apple?) pie!

A lot of people say that they don't like any candidates, and so therefore, they don't vote. To that I say that it is everyone's responsibility to do the research and see where candidates stand on issues that are important to them and then pick whomever is closest to their beliefs.

Often people don't like the direction the country is going in morally or economically or with our policies, but then they don't vote. One huge way normal citizens can have a say in how things go is by voting! Even if your candidate doesn't win, at least you had your say and your voice was counted. Otherwise, what did our forefathers fight for? What did the men in the revolution fight for if our own citizens won't speak out? Why did women and other minorities fight for the right to vote if their descendants (US) don't vote?

Tomorrow our country celebrates it's 232nd birthday. Maybe that should be a time for more than just parades, fireworks, and bbq's. It should also be a time for us to look at what our forefathers fought for and take a stand and decide to VOTE!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!