so saturday is the day ...

This very Saturday, this coming Saturday, I will ...

meet my daughter's boyfriend
meet my daughter's soon-to-be fiance (yes, same person)
see my daughter's workplace
see my daughter's living quarters
eat at the restaurant that she eats at daily
eat at the restaurant that she can never eat at (but I can)
order drinks at the bar that she hangs out in (her bf is the head bartender)

and just, in general, enjoy all that Honolulu has to offer ... aboard a big ship.

Sunday we'll head to Maui and start the process all over again.
Monday we'll disembark and try out the "Road to Hana".  I've always wanted to do that.
Tuesday we'll head to the Big Island and see if it's still there.  There's been a volcano erupting, I hear.
Wednesday we'll change positions on that Big Ol' Island, provided it's still there.
Thursday we'll head to Kauai and take in a Luau.  The pig is already trying to escape ...
And on Saturday, back we go to Honolulu for an extra day. 

It's a whirlwind and I'm very nervous.  Yes, I am.  And I don't know why.

Maybe it's because of Rick and his pain problems.  Or his cognitive problems.  Or all of his problems in general.  Maybe I'm the problem.  Most likely ...

Maybe it's because I was just in Honolulu in October ... and it weren't real pretty.  Maybe it's because I don't like ships.  Or harbors.  Or flying.  Or travelling.  Or vacationing.

Odd.  I used to live on a cruise ship.  I grew up around harbors.  I used to be a flight attendant.  I used to be a travel agent.

Hmmmm.  Maybe I just drank too much caffeine this morning.

because i'm crazy ...

I just decided that I won't have enough granite in my upcoming new house.

I will have it in all but one bathroom, and of course, it will be in the kitchen.  But I began to feel that the dining room and the family room would feel left out ... so I just signed away to have granite put there, too.

Hey, it's only money.    Sure hope my house sells.

And because I'm crazy, I decided to have a garage sale this weekend.  It's supposed to rain.  Strike that, it's supposed to STORM! 

And because I'm crazy, I just signed up to be a hippo in a game at my school.



Never mind that my back is out currently.  Never mind that I'm risking it to go back out during this game (assuming it ever comes back in.)  And never mind that I'm NOT 21 anymore.  Nor 31, 41 or even 51.  Never mind that I'm crazy.

By the way, those fools on the floor grabbing balls?  Those are the hippos.  The very thing I signed up to be.

Sure hope my house sells.

But speaking of really, really crazy ... I reorganized my garage last night.  (Gee, I wonder why my back is out!)  Stuff I'm keeping over here ... stuff for said garage sale over there ... and stuff that I'm hiding from Rick goes under here.

Know what Rick said when he noticed?  "Hey, I like what you've done with the garage!"  Um, all I did was push stuff to one side, push the other stuff to the other side and remove a car.  Pushing that car out was a killer. 

There's now room for us to play "Hungry Hippos" in our very own garage.  Wanna play?  Yeah, me neither.  What if I put some granite in there?

.

in honor of easter ...

Since Easter was yesterday and since I'm all about posting opposite of what everyone else does ... here's a video that I found quite amusing.  No religious tones (although I AM all about that) and no chocolate bunnies (had quite enough of those yesterday, thank you very much) ...

Enjoy.   And yep, this is pretty much what I see and hear everyday.

or ....

https://youtu.be/lGvV-ha6x7Y

.

bang, bang .... my baby shot me down

The reference to Cher's song actually does not apply here.  My baby didn't shoot me down.  But the roofers did.  Down, dead.  And I was ready to shoot all of THEM at 6 AM this morning.

 So ... the roof is going up; the buckled wall has been repaired; and all is right with the world.

Oh wait.  We still haven't had the surgery.

Okay ... once we get the surgery taken care of, all will be right with the world.

Oh wait.  We still have to find a house to live in.

Okay ... once we decide on which house to buy, all will be ...

Oh wait.  Gotta sell our house first.

So ... the roof is going up; the buckled wall ...

NOTHING IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD!

Except Spring Break starts in approximately THREE hours.

Ahhhhh, all is right with the world.

;)

some things are just so simple ...

Some things are so simple, they're funny.  And some things are so ridiculously simple that you just stand and marvel at them.

This, however, is not one of those things.

Surgery for Rick has been in the works since NOVEMBER.  That's November of last year.  He was scheduled for a spine stimulator trial in November that didn't actually happen until JANUARY 30TH.  Two days later and it would've been February.  Good grief.

So, after the trial, and after we were told he qualified, we were told that he would receive the "real" surgery, the "real" stimulator within two weeks ... four weeks at the VERY MOST.  Um, it's been THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS now and surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. 

HOWEVER ...

We're only a "GO" if  Doctor A will sign off on the procedure, which she won't do until she receives a copy of the cardiac clearance that was faxed to the surgeon.  The cardiologist sent the clearance to the surgeon, skipping Doctor A.  In the meantime, the hospital needs the chest XRAY that Doctor A is in possession of ... but won't send until she has the cardiac clearance.

So ... our family room wall is being repaired right this moment; the floor-buckling people are at my house right now fixing the floor-buckles; our roof is being replaced on Friday and I have packers coming tonight to help me load up the POD that's sitting in my driveway.  It's easier to plan a house move ... than to schedule Rick's surgery.

He's smiling here.  He won't be, though, once I tell him the good news ...

                 

This about sums up my life right now ...

This does, too ...

.

I've said it before ...

... and I'll say it again.  "If you're going to be in the Kahle family, you have to be willing to perform."

Meet Buddy.  Buddy became a Kahle on December 9th of 2016.  He was Rick's birthday present ... as we had just lost our dear Midnight.

Buddy had no idea what he was signing up for.  None.

Not only has he endured costume after costume, he now has to endure my love of the theater.  And film.  And television.  Yep, Buddy has just entered the world of television.  How and why, you ask?  Welp, I auditioned him, I took him to a "set" and I enticed  begged  forced him to perform.  Silly dog.  He did it, too.

Buddy is a "spokes dog" for Farmer's Insurance.  Apparently they offer pet insurance now ... and Buddy is there to help entice everyone to buy it.  I'm not gonna ... but you should.  'Cuz you're rich.  Everybody's rich.  I'm not, though.

Here's the cast:

We're partial to the little guy in Greg Brady's spot up top.  Although, honestly, they're all cute.

They were welcomed like the stars they were ...

Here's Buddy acceptance letter:

First stop ....  the potty room.  

Placed down on doggy level, as if they could read it.  Buddy can't read yet, though.  I know this because he christened the wall of the studio the moment he got there.

Ugh.

Next stop ... Craft Services.  Dog treats for everyone!

And ... the star!

 

 

... sporting each of these fine costumes.  Never mind that they are from his Halloween trunk.

This beautiful gal was the hostess.  I hope to look like her one day.

Meet Melissa Bankard.

She hired Buddy.

Buddy has a crush on her.  I know this, because he didn't want to leave.

And there you have it.

All Kahles have been "in the movies" now.  Except for Jeannie.

We don't let her perform ... since she's only interested in adult films.

;)

only me

 Only I would wear these shoes ...

... on a day when my windshield looked like this.

Yep, that's my windshield.  Those be ice flakes.  I'd say 'snow flakes' but it was darn near too cold to be snowing.  It was icing.

Wanna see a close up of the lovely shoe I chose to wear?

I swear, I haven't got a brain in my head.

No, wait.  I distinctly remember someone telling me it was going to be warmer!  No, really.  I heard that.  It was no longer going to be 9 degrees out ... so, in my little head, it was BEACH WEATHER!

Hence the sandals.

Yeah, no.

Well, it WAS warmer.  40 degrees IS warmer than 9 degrees.

It is, right?

Fortunately, my desk at work comes equipped with this ...

Just don't tell the fire marshall.

.

my greatest acting assignment EVER!

Sssshhhh, don't tell anyone, but I didn't do my job last night.

Well I did, but I didn't.

My second job, three nights a week, is that of a security guard.  At various Frisco venues.  Do I like it?  Yes and no.  I like being a security guard and bossing people around ... and I like my coworkers.  And I like bossing my coworkers around. 

And I like all of the shows that I work up in Oklahoma, too.  I like the dinner they feed me up there, 'cuz I love pizza.

But what I don't particularly love ... is when my equipment fails.  Malfunctions.  Dies.  Kaput.  And last night it did.   The wand that I use to scrutinize  embarrass  torture scan folks before they step foot into the arena died.  It UP AND DIED. 

And you know what my supervisor said?

FAKE IT.

And so I had to.  And so I did.

I spent two hours "wanding" basketball patrons before they could enter the stadium and I had to look like it mattered.  I had to pretend like it was beeping if something suspicious "alerted."  A coworker (remember, I like my coworkers) kept trying to make me laugh by making beeping noises behind me.  I no longer like my coworker.  I no longer like my job.  I'm going to Hollywood instead.  Because if I can pull that off ... AND I DID ... I am the greatest actress that ever lived.

I even caught a knife in someone's pocket.

Now THAT'S really good acting!

;)

Since last checking in, my dear, darling, daughter Elizabeth has been dragging me all over creation completing tasks that she has been unable to do while cooped up on a ship for 18 weeks.  18 LONG weeks, as she tells everyone who'll listen.  And d,d,d Elizabeth has missed quite a few things while being gone.  Most notably, Chipotle.  It's hard to believe, but that child went a whole eighteen weeks without Chipotle.  I'm sure Chipotle noticed.  I'm sure they were considering filing Chapter 11 over it.  Maybe 13.  Maybe both.

Besides Chipotle, I've also eaten a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal that d,d,d E prepared, as well as a gluten-free fish and quinoa meal just last night that she put her brain to.  The Thanksgiving meal?  Well, I've had better.  This one would've been better, too, if we hadn't forgotten the mashed potatoes.  The fish last night?  Well, a glutenful crusting would've been nice.  But fish?  All plain and alone?  Huh uh.  And you may keep the quinoa.  Please keep the quinoa.

We've seen Reba McIntire in concert, we'll be seeing Celtic Thunder soon and, of course, her favorite, Cirque du Soleil.  She's drug me along to Christmas Light Display after Christmas Light Display.  Can't get her to put lights on OUR tree, though. 

Tonight is a holiday concert at our church.  We'll go.  Wouldn't want her to miss that.  (Actually I'm singing in it ... so I wish she WOULD miss it.)  I'm sure we'll find a gluten-free bakery after that.

If you drive by my house in the next five weeks, you will not see Rick's car in the driveway.  Nope.  That car has travelled to as many events with d,d,d E.  I can't tell if it WANTS to go or it if just likes that it's finally getting some action.  Rick doesn't drive it much anymore.

And finally, d,d,d E has a little jaunt planned to Miami now.  It's always somewhere.  If she drags me along, I swear I'll drop from exhaustion.  I'm not 26 and I don't climb steamship stairs for a living.

I'm ready for that long winter's nap, Santa ...


ho, ho, yawn.

.

recapping

Our trip was short and sweet so there's not much to recap ... but here goes.

When you go to Hawaii ... watch out for Nene's.  They are allowed to cross when they see this sign.

I took this picture of this gorgeous golf course.  I didn't notice the storm coming in.  I also don't see the restaurant we ate at.  

A)  I was totally in the wrong spot for our dinner that night.

B) I didn't care, because the view was beautiful.

C)  It was my birthday and I was allowed to do whatever I wanted.

We eventually did find the restaurant we were looking for ... but it was nowhere near here.

It was nowhere near here, either.

But it IS a gorgeous shot, thank you very much.

This pretty sight was our view from our hotel room.  

Not too shabby.

Rick liked it, too.

We enjoyed this view while dining on our fine Hawaiian cuisine.

McHamburgers and McFries.

Yea, Hawaii!

And while we were "home" in our high-rise digs, my dear, darling daughter was "home" in her own digs.

Meet, The Pride of America ... my daughter's home away from home.

Behind all of that barbed wire, security guards, police and passenger-check-in stuff ...

lies a tiny twin bed and a tiny Barbie-sized closet that my daughter calls "home" ...

for three more days anyway.

;)

tap tap tap ** is this thing on?

Sheepishly she asks, "Is anyone still out there?"

If so, I'm back.  Something called life hit me in the gut.  We've had a hospital stay, a new school year starting, the purchase and loss of a new home and the realization that my beautiful home that I KNEW would sell overnight, won't.  I stood back, took a long look at it and said, "Nope.  Not pretty enough.  We'll be lucky to take a loss on it."  There were three floods in our house last year and they have certainly taken their toll on our house.

So ... here we go.  The house hunt continues, school has started, Rick is home from the hospital and ... yes, life goes on.

Oddly enough, the song "Life Goes On" is currently playing on the radio.

It figures.

And ... Houston has flooded.  And not just flooded, but flooded its brains out.  Being a hurricane survivor myself, I'm extremely interested in this weather event.  Not just interested, I'm nervous.  Nervous WITH them and nervous for them, too.  I can live without hurricanes, I can.

But, I promised a few photos and I'm making good on my promise.  If nothing else, I've chosen a few light-hearted ones ... 'cuz, you know, life is funny?

It really is.

So, in no particular order ...

Here's the house we were having built.  Looks small here ... but it really wasn't.  It was my dream house.  And nothing else will ever compare to it.  No, I'm not bitter, YOU'RE bitter.

The condo that we stayed in in Idaho for two months.  Felt like two years while we were there ... it's like the blink of an eye now.

It is going up for sale, too.  Long story, don't ask.

I SAID, "Don't Ask!"

We came home to our little house on this little lake.  

Were we glad to be home?  Yes.  Will we leave again for another summer away?  I hope so.  But being gone for a summer was a bucket list thing.  And I get to cross it off now.  It's time to move on to sky diving and bungee jumping.  Oh wait, wrong bucket list.  Those aren't one mine!

Highlight of our trip this summer?  Denny's.  You think I'm kidding?

When there's nothing around you for miles and miles and miles and miles and ... well, Denny's can look pretty good to you.

Not really.

But I will take Denny's over these two beauties that we ate this summer.

Seriously.  Keep the elk, please.

One last highlight.  We went searching for a church that Rick used to attend when he lived in Spokane.  He was baptised at the little church in Spokane, too.  And ... he wanted to find it.

We think we did.

Windows were all boarded up.  Church was apparently a thing of the past here.  In fact, it weren't even a church when it bit the dust.  I guess weddings and events were a thing of the past, too.

Remind me not to get married in Spokane.  Probably wouldn't last.

And shortly after that, we headed home.

Saw some more of this ....

and a lot of this ...

(which is a lot of nothing, come to think of it)

I looked like this a lot (most of the time) ...

Saw some more of this ... 

And now?

We're trying to get ready for this:

Not really.  I'm not quite ready yet.

And Kitty is just praying for anything from Santa.

She hasn't been so good this year.

;)

School's Out For .... summer

School ended on Friday.  My day job will continue for one more week, though.  My second job started up again on Saturday.  I took about a month off from my second job, trying to heal my injured arm and elbow.  I needed another month off, though.  As a security guard, I have to "wand" folks and make sure they're not carrying any knives or other weapons ... or Fritos.  Yep, food is never allowed.  Knives slip by us sometimes ... but never a Frito shall enter the venue.

Anyway, now that I'm back working that second job in full force (oh yes, full force) I'm remembering the real reason I took a month off.

This weekend I worked a soccer game ... and a high school graduation.  The soccer game?  A breeze.  Well, not literally ... it was HOT out there.  But that graduation!  Oh that graduation.

The regular local schools had all finished their ceremonies so yesterday was what I believed to be a magnet school.  You know, the smarty pants schools.  Unfortunately, CHARTER schools and MAGNET schools are not the same thing.  I sorta got those all mixed up.  And those smarty pants kids?  Not so much.  The graduation that I worked was a charter school graduation.  Six of them, actually.

Definition of charter school?  CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION.  Yep, I work a graduation for a bunch of jail heads.  Not parrotheads; that's next week when I work the Jimmy Buffett concert; and that's another type of jail, I'm sure.  These kids?  Jailheads.  

You know what?  The kids were fine.  But oh, those parents.  And those teachers!  I was yelled at, barked at and had water bottles thrown at me.  Those parents were not happy ... and yet, you think they would be ... finally getting their little darlings graduated out of high school.

"Charter schools serve significantly higher percentages of minority or low-income students than the traditional public schools. Charter schools accept students by random, public lottery."

Yeah, who knew?  I certainly didn't.  I do now, though.  

Wanna know something sad?  The number of young girls who crossed the stage, in their caps and gowns, carrying their small children.  The first young girl carrying a baby across shocked me.  The next one didn't.  The one who came with three children, though, did.  What a hard life she has created for herself.

Now, on to Parrothead dome.  Can't wait to see what all the excitement is about there.  If my shoulder and elbow hold up ... maybe I can learn a few things about Jimmy Buffet on Saturday.  
Maybe he went to a charter school, too.     Or maybe he should have.

;)

Thing 2 and Thing 3

Kahle 1 is home from Maryland ... and Kahle 2 is now home from California.  Kahle 2 travelled to California at the same time that Kahle 1 travelled to Maryland ... except Kahle 2 went for very different reasons.  Sadly Kahle 2 went to say a final goodbye to his mother.  She passed while he was there.

Know what Kahle 3 did while #1 and #2 were out of town?

ANYTHING SHE WANTED!  Yep, she was a single girl again!  WHEE!!!

Fast forward to today ... Kahle 1 and Kahle 2 are heading out again.  Both are going to California this time for the funeral of Rick's mom.  Yes, my mother in law, and yes, I'm not going.  I've got to work and it's graduation weekend ... so missing any time at all on this weekend is not an option.  So, I'm staying behind being ...

A SINGLE GIRL AGAIN!   YESSSSSSS!

Calm down, Kris.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 don't need to know how ecstatic you are about all of this ...

But I am!

And you'll never believe what the first thing was that I did as a single girl ....

??

single girl ...

Here's what Kahle 1 has been doing while I've been single:

Meet my dear, darling firefighter.  Not your traditional firefighter, I admit, but still cute.

She appears to be missing an important part of the uniform, though.

Notice the water behind her?  I'm assuming that's where she'll get her water supply from ... if there's a real fire in camp.  Hey, it's convenient ...

Fire gear?  I guess.  Kind of looks like machine guns, if you ask me.   Hey, what kind of camp is this?

People waiting their turn to fight some fires?  Grab a gun, guys!

Liz and her friends went sent inside this makeshift house/hotel/building/store? to put out a fire and rescue a stray person who couldn't get out/find their money/pay their hotel bill/eat dinner? today.  Next time I'm shopping and can't get out ... I can notify Liz.  She can rescue me.

Super Girl Liz.  She killed a dummy.

Next up:  righting a raft.  Never should've wrong it in the first place, I'm thinking.

Flip it!  Flip it good, Liz!

Wanna see what a mock/makeshift cruise ship looks like?  

A lot like a makeshift/mock  hotel/store, if you ask me ...

I wonder if this thing can sail...

Here's another view:  I doubt this one can sail, either.

I see no portholes ... must all be inside cabins.

Here's our little fire-fightin' gal now.  

She passed her tests on water, under water and in the store.  

Fingers crossed that she can resuscitate Annie tomorrow.  Annie is a traditional dummy used in CPR classes.  Let's see if Liz is a traditional dummy as well.

Just kiddin' Liz!

;)