Nance and Nancy

For years that's what it was.....Nance and Nancy. You never saw one without the other. Like two peas in a pod -- like N&N's instead of M&M's, we were together all the time.

I met Nance when I was working for Xerox in Lake Success, New York. She was a secretary for the Branch Service Manager while I was a secretary for the Branch Sales Manager. Between the two of us, we ran the entire office. We were pretty much the same age (I think she's younger by about two years), both had blonde hair and light eyes and both of us had married our childhood sweethearts. We became close when we were divorcing those same childhood sweethearts. So needless to say, we've been through a lot together.

We were also working at a time when there weren't too many women in sales. Working for a progressive company such as Xerox, they were looking to add more women to their sales force. Enter Nance and Nancy....we were both promoted from secretarial positions into the world of sales. Our lives changed from that moment on and we now had even more in common. Being in sales for Xerox meant going away to their facility in Leesburg, Virginia for weeks on end for training. And the best part was that I got to do this with my best friend, Nance. So picture this....about 500 men and ten women in training in Leesburg. Instead of it being like work, we looked upon it as a vacation. Boy did we love to go there. I have so many memories of time spent with Nance and many of them occurred in Virginia. Here's a picture of us during one of our Xerox training sessions in Leesburg. I think this must have been the "How To Close A Quick Sale" course.

After our divorces, we were both single for about five years and spent those five years doing basically everything together....working, summers in the Hamptons, spending time at each other's apartments and driving around in our "hot" cars. She had a Datsun 280Z and I had a Firethorn Red Camaro. I remember going to the Hamptons for the weekend and staying out so late into the early morning hours of Monday and then just driving straight to work. Life was definitely good!!!

Nance and I both remarried at about the same time and she moved to Virginia and I moved to Pennsylvania. This picture was during my shower where they gave me coffee mugs with both our names on them. I've only seen her about a dozen times since then but she will always remain one of my best friends. We just know that we love each other.

Nance married her best friend Greg who is a pilot for a national airline. Consequently, they're able to fly around a lot. I remember her telling me once that they made a quest to play golf in every state in the United States. When I was visiting her a few years back, she had a shelf on the wall with fifty golf balls with each one representing a different state....they had achieved their quest.

Like myself, Nance and Greg are great animal lovers. After their two beautiful dogs, Thurmond and Yogi died, they rescued another beauty, Jeb. Jeb is still alive and well and appears on every one of their Christmas cards.

Another quest of Nance's was being a good Christian and this is where she has also been successful. She volunteers a lot of her time in helping younger teens in their quest as well. I admire her for this. I know she wishes I was more like her in this respect but she's happy enough that I'm still a believer in my religion.

Before there were ever acronyms like BFF, Nance and I had our own acronym for our relationship. It was WAF and we signed everything we sent to each other that way. Here's the proof which was included on one of the last gifts she sent me. I kept it because it reminds me of the BFF friendship we had before anyone even knew what that meant. Afterall, we were WAF. So to my beautiful and caring friend Nance, I wish you a very happy birthday. I'd give anything for just one more ride in that Datsun. From Pennsylvania to Virginia, let the shouts be heard that today's your day. I miss you and hope to see you again very soon. Love, W.A.F

Drafted by the Pirates

Those of you, who are avid readers of my blog, (and apparently there's over 300 of you out there), have read that my godson, Jarek Cunningham, was slated to play baseball at Arizona State University in the fall now that he has graduated from Mt. Spokane High School. That was before he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the MLB draft last week. This came as a bit of a surprise as Jarek had injured his knee playing basketball and had missed his entire senior year of playing baseball as a result of that injury. I got the call from my brother while I was in Vegas and my first thought was that he better not give up going to college just to play baseball. At the time, it was all up in the air as they still had to sit down with the Pirates to find out what the deal was.

Well, that meeting took place this past weekend and, apparently, the offer was good and he signed with the Pirates. I can't be angry with Jarek because this is his dream, something he's wanted his entire life. Some kids want to go to college to have that college experience but Jarek just wants to play baseball and have that experience. I believe in striking while the iron is hot and what if he didn't sign now and never got this opportunity again.

I'm sure his brother Brendan, who is already a student at ASU, is disappointed that he won't get to see his brother play for the Sun Devils but I'm sure he realizes that Jarek has to follow his dream just as Brendan has to follow his. Different strokes for different folks as they say. Needless to say, the fact that he's been drafted by an east coast team works well for me and the fact that it is a team in Pennsylvania almost seems like fate to me. Of course he would want to play for a team where his Aunt Nancy could travel to see him play.......every game.

But, of course, it will be quite awhile before he gets to Pittsburgh. The first stop is Bradenton, Florida where he will play Rookie level ball for the Pirate's team there. I guess there's a ladder you climb before you make it and the better you are, the faster you climb. I know one of the stops is at State College which would really be nostalgic for me since my own son Michael just graduated from Penn State. In looking over some of the Pirate's information online, I see there is also a team in Altoona, PA which is actually the campus where Michael started at Penn State before heading to the main campus in Happy Valley. So it seems to me that Jarek should start working very hard so he gets closer to me as I'm sure he'd like me at his games.

When my brother Michael first told me that he had been drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first thing that came to mind (after being excited for Jarek, of course) was trading baseball cards way back when. Any of you readers from my generation might remember doing this as a child. I always had a lot of Pittsburgh Pirate cards that I was willing to trade in the typical "got 'em, got 'em, need 'em, got 'em" fashion. It's funny how your memory works but I remember the cards of Donn Clendenon, Bill Mazeroski, Hal Smith, Smoky Burgess, etc., all in their Pirates' uniforms and, might I add here, that I really didn't like the uniforms way back then. They're much improved now.

I was reading some funny stuff on a Minor League Baseball site and it said that there's "buried treasure in the Pirate's farm" and the organization used to be "tight with the doubloons" but have made some good trades lately. I can see that I'm going to have some fun with this in my blog. I guess as long as they don't pay him in pieces o' eight or make him walk the plank, he'll be fine. So ASU's loss become the Pirates' gain. In a way, I'm sad for ASU because I was really looking forward to him playing college ball. But, I see great things ahead for my godchild. As they say on that old pirate ship, "Full steam ahead".....Next stop Bradenton!!!

EDIT: I think I've mentioned here before just how funny my brother Bobby is. This morning I get an email from him and he's talking about Jarek and he says this in the email...... "If Jarek plays winter ball in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico, he'll be a Pirate of the Caribbean."

lolololololol......and I'm still laughing!!!

Irreplaceable, Trusted, Down-to-Earth

These are just some of the words used to describe Tim Russert. Russert, who died suddenly on Friday of a clot that ruptured in his artery, was one of the most beloved people in broadcasting. I didn't know him and hardly ever watched Meet The Press, the show he helmed for 17 years, yet I'm so sad now that he won't be on the air any longer. He was just a fixture to me, someone I took for granted, someone I always thought would be there when I felt like watching him. And now he's gone and I'll never get that opportunity again.

He leaves behind not only a wife but a 22 year old son that he loved above all things. I know this as a fact because he was always talking about his son to anyone who would listen. This makes me the saddest of all because his son was almost the same age as my son and had just graduated from college. They had all been in Europe together celebrating and he had come home early to go to work. Work was something he loved; something he was good at; something he was devoted to. It was almost fitting that he died while "on the job."

There is no one, who has spoken publicly about his death, who has been able to speak of him without tears in their eyes. It's just so heartbreaking to see. He has been called the preeminent political journalist of our time, so it almost comes as a national tragedy that he won't be here to witness this upcoming election. During an interview, he said he liked to stick to the facts, "like Joe Friday on Dragnet." He was always considerate of the person he was interviewing yet always seemed to ask the questions we the audience wanted answered. There was nothing better than having Russert ask a question and not getting the answer he wanted and then playing a tape of his guest saying something completely different a few years prior. If you weren't going to tell the truth, you might as well just not go on his show because he would catch you every time.

I think I really started to notice who he was when he authored the book dedicated to his father called, "Big Russ and Me." Since I'm such a huge reader, it was definitely something that caught my attention. That was when I saw a different side to Tim Russert. He was no long Tim Russert the journalist, he then became Tim Russert, the son. When I heard about his passing, all I could think of was how sad his father would be and how he probably wouldn't want to go on living without Tim in his life. There can be nothing worse than outliving your own child. I know he's in his eighties now and just a few weeks ago, Russert had moved him into another adult facility. I also heard his son say on The Today Show that his grandfather had also lost his son-in-law in the past few months and he was like another son to him. So it's definitely been an unbelievably sad time for this elderly man.

What makes this even sadder is that he died two days before Father's Day. If I thought my Father's Days were sad, I can only imagine how sad his son's will be since the date of his death will always fall right around this day. And when Tim ended his show each year on Father's Day, he always said, "Happy Father's Day Russ and to Luke, I'm proud to be your father." Sadly enough, he didn't get to say those words on the air this past Sunday as his seat was empty. His son was in the studio on Sunday witnessing the empty chair which he will now keep for himself.

He once referred to his show "Meet The Press" as a national treasure. I have news for him. He was the national treasure, not the show. Irreplaceable is surely the right word to describe him as no one will be able to fill his shoes on his show or in his life. As he would always say, "Go get em, Brother." Those are the words he'll most be remembered for and I hope he's doing just that right now.

Father's Day 2008

If I'm being honest, I stopped looking forward to Father's Day 16 years ago when my father was no longer here to honor and celebrate his life as my father. It actually hurts to go into a cardstore and pick out a Father's Day card for my husband while trying not to look at the cards meant for "best father" or "best Dad". Doesn't everyone really think that their father is the best anyway? I know I did and, come to think of it, many people at his funeral told me that they thought he was the best father ever and some wished he had been their Dad as well. He just had that ability to make everyone think they were special. There was nothing phony about it. He couldn't have been more sincere.

Here's a picture of him with Michael as a toddler. This was his pride and joy and he took every opportunity possible to spend time with him. Sadly enough, he died the week before Michael was to play in his first of many baseball All Star games. I look at Michael today and just know that my father would have loved everything about him. I could just see my father giving Michael tips on "how to play poker."

The day I was told that my father had died in his sleep, at the age of 72, still remains as the saddest day of my life. I just couldn't fathom a world without my father in it. Like many other sons or daughters caught in this situation, I have no regrets about our relationship as it was perfect in so many ways. As his only daughter, we had something so special and he never let me forget it. One funny thing about him was the fact that he never called me by my given name, Nancy. For as long as I can remember, he called me Sarah. If he wasn't calling me Sarah, it was simply just "Daughter". If you're wondering where the Sarah came from, it was after the actress Sarah Bernhardt who apparently cried at the drop of a hat. My father said that when I was younger, all my brothers had to do was look at me sideways and I would start crying. Little did he know, I was crying so he would yell at them. Who am I kidding? He knew why I did it. The quality of this picture isn't the greatest but it's one I just love.

I should mention here that right after he died, we adopted an abused dog. She already had a name when we got her. Her name was Sarah. Just a bit too coincidental for me. She came at the right time in my life and became my best friend when I needed one. Who's to tell me that my father didn't send her to me or, better yet, that she wasn't my father reincarnated. Ha, ha.....I'm going too far with that scenario. Here's my beautiful Sarah at the beach with Michael about eight years ago. If you're thinking she bears a striking resemblance to Belle, you're right. I got Belle a month after Sarah died because she reminded me so much of Sarah.

The cruelty of the timing of his death still makes me cry. It happened just a few weeks before my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and I had a huge party planned and it was going to be my chance to say thank you for giving us all a tremendous start in life. People were coming in from all over the country and instead of using their plane tickets to come to the party, they used them to attend the funeral. Sadly enough, my mother had a stroke the day after he died from the shock of it all so, in one weekend, my life changed forever. This was the invitation I had made for their party. After he had died, I remember going to their house to pick up some things for my mother, who was in intensive care in the hospital, and, on a piece of paper on the table, she had written down the songs she wanted them to play at the party. Then, on the refrigerator, was a note from my father to my mother telling her that he loved her. And this, after almost fifty years of marriage.

I gave the eulogy at his funeral because there were just so many funny stories to tell about the greatest man I ever knew. I just wanted everyone to go away with a little slice of the way I knew him. There were many people at his funeral that I had never met and they all had stories of ways my father had touched them. One story still remains with me and I'd like to share it here.

My mother was a great one for always sending him up to the avenue for one or two items she needed in order to make dinner. Since they lived in the city, this was a short walk there and back. For some reason, it would always take him hours to run this little errand and my mother would always be yelling at him for taking so long. At the funeral, a woman came up to me and told me something about my father that I never knew. This woman had a son who was mentally retarded (and excuse me if this is no longer politically correct to say it this way but this was the way she reported it to me). Her son used to sit outside her house on her steps. Apparently, when my father went up to the avenue for my mother, if this boy was outside, my father would sit with him for at least an hour just talking to him. These are the stories that still bring tears to my eyes because there were so many like this.

In a way, my father was like Archie Bunker both in his political correctness and also in the way he always used the wrong words to describe things. When I was working the summer after high school, he would always be the one to wake me up in the morning. He would yell into my bedroom, "Sarah, your tea is ready and your heaters are on." I'm even getting choked up typing this line. "Heaters"....what the heck are heaters? Of course, he was referring to my electric rollers that he had to heat up for me before I got out of bed.

When I turned 40, I was out of the house most of the day as Bob was taking me and the kids to dinner at Windows of the World to celebrate. When we returned home that evening, there were over twenty messages on my answering machine all wishing me a happy birthday. Back then, we used the kind of machines that had little cassette tapes in them and I was smart enough to remove that tape and save it. My father is on that tape wishing me happy birthday and singing a song that he always sang to me......it's called Nancy with the Laughing Face....and starts....If I don't see her each day, I miss her. Sorry for her, she has no sister. Picture a tomboy in lace, that's Nancy with the Laughing Face. Little did I know then that this is the last birthday my father would ever be alive for and, sadly enough, my last happy birthday. Don't get me wrong....I do enjoy my birthdays but can they ever fully be "happy, happy" again and the honest answer is no because there is no day that I wake up and don't realize he's not here anymore.

So my wish on this Father's Day is that my kids feel the same way about their father as I did about mine. As I'm typing this, Bob is on the phone with Michael right now and Liz and Bryan were just here to have dinner with us so I honestly think my wish has come true.

Flag Day

Show me an American who doesn't love the American flag and I'll show you someone who just doesn't love their country. And since this is "my" blog, I can make statements like that if I feel like it. I get such a sense of pride when I see it flying anywhere. Recently, they did a "streetscape" project in one of our local towns and they now have small flags flying out from the lampposts. As you go down this street, it is such a beautiful sight.

I'm sure the younger generation didn't even know that Saturday was Flag Day so I'm typing this to clue them in.

It was on June 14th in 1777 that Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the emblem of our nation. The first rendition included thirteen stripes (red and white) and thirteen white stars on a blue background, the number thirteen standing for the thirteen colonies that made up our nation.......Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island. There are so many reports as to what the colors red, white and blue stand for but there is nothing definitive. So much of what has been said is purely speculative. It is written that George Washington proclaimed, "We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes will go down to posterity representing liberty."

The flag remained this way for 18 years until Kentucky and Vermont were added in 1795. It was another 23 years before it was changed again adding five more stars for Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee. From 1819 to 1912, twenty-eight more stars would appear and it would take another 47 years before another star was added in 1959 for Alaska followed in 1960 by Hawaii. They already have something in place for 52 stars just in case Puerto Rico and Washington DC are ever added as official states.

When I think of the flying of the American flag, there are three images that immediately come to mind...the placement of the flag at Iwo Jimo, on the moon and at Ground Zero.

In everyone's life, I'm sure there are memories of the flag that all American citizens hold dear. The one thing that we all have in common is the fact that it stands for freedom and liberty. As in the pictures above, the placement of the flag has represented retaliation, discovering new frontiers and the sadness we all felt when others were killed simply because they were Americans. In our lifetime, there will always be pictures and memories that include the American flag. May it always fly for you.

Viva Las Vegas

We're back from Vegas and wishing we were still there. It really was the most perfect trip. Having Liz and Bryan join me made it that much more special. This is the last vacation they'll take before they officially become parents. It was nice to see them so relaxed and enjoying each moment. Little do they know that these moments of relaxation will be short-lived before they know it. They're so excited about what's coming in August that it makes everyone around them just beam with happiness for them.

Vegas is really such an amazing place to visit. There's so much to do every minute of the day. There were times when we were walking back to the Bellagio from Caesars at 3AM and there were crowds outside walking with us. It felt like 8PM instead of early in the morning hours.

Some of the highlights of the trip:

• Great dinners at Maggianos, Spago and Bruzios
• Taking a Lincoln towncar to In & Out Burger and having it wait there to take us back while we ate
• Playing in the ladies' event of the WSOP even though I got knocked out when my pocket tens were cracked by quad twos.
• Seeing all of Michael's friends, some of whom I've spoken with either online or on the phone but had never met -- Daut, Smokey, Ozzy, Steve, Jessie, Johnster, Genius, Brandon, Josh, Bushman -- and then Josh and Steve's (Johnster's) beautiful girlfriends, Emily and Casey
• Lounging on the rafts at the Bellagio pool
• Playing poker and blackjack until the wee hours of the morning
• Reading numerous magazines and books by the pool while no one bothered me
• Spending time with my BFF Pat who just makes me laugh every minute I'm with her, especially when she's taking pictures with the professional poker players

Pat with Humberto Brenes and his shark

Some things that weren't highlights but were to be expected:

• Carrying around all of Pat's stuff since she refuses to bring her own bag..lol
• Leaving my phone at Caesars and having Bryan go back there at 4AM to retrieve it
• Continually losing money in those darn slot machines
• Delays both coming and going on US Air and then having to wait an hour for our bags
• Gaining five pounds on the trip

A disappointment:

• Not meeting Thorladen and pbdrunks!!!

But the best part of all was that one of my listings went under agreement while I was there. I had planted a St. Joseph statue in the front lawn of a property before I left and sure enough it sold while I was there. There's no better feeling than knowing that your entire trip was just paid for...and then some.

It never fails though when I leave someplace, especially leaving Michael, that I get teary eyed upon my departure. I wonder if that will ever end. It started when he left for college and it continues. I guess it's part of being a Mom. He'll hate reading this. So nothing happened in Vegas that I couldn't report. It was all good and we can't wait to go back again. Viva Las Vegas!!!

My Sweet Lorraine

When I graduated from high school, I was looking for a summer job before college started in September. Of course, I was only registered to go to Queensboro Community College since my parents didn't think it was necessary for a girl to go away to college.....even though my SAT scores were unusually high. Well, that's old news but still riles me today. My cousin Madelyn got me a job for an office machine company, Bohn Rex Rotary, on Park Avenue South. It was there that I met one of the nicest people I've ever known......my girlfriend Lorraine.

Lorraine worked for the President of the company and I considered her very worldly because she had been to "Hawaii". While I was taking the train to go to the beach on the weekend, she was on someone's luxury boat. I loved coming into work on Monday just to hear what she had done over the weekend. At the time, I was only 17 and I think she was 21 so there was a four year difference in age. When you're seventeen, however, anyone over twenty is considered much older. Lorraine and I became best friends. This picture was taken outside of my house in Brooklyn on the day I got married and Lorraine was one of my bridesmaids. In addition to being worldly, I also thought she was so beautiful.

The conversations I had with her were much different than the conversations I had with any of my other friends who were my age. She just seemed to know so much and her advice was given with much thought and usually based on her own past experiences. I remember one time being in Miami on vacation with some high school friends and meeting a guy who was much older than I was. They called him Chinatown. As they say now, "he was definitely into me" and I didn't know what the heck to do. One call to Lorraine set me straight. I wonder if she remembers that call. I remember it so well.....sitting on my bed in the Castaways Hotel and calling her for advice. She was way better than Dr. Phil would have been today.

She also dressed so well and every guy I knew was attracted to her. Would I say she was flirty? She probably was but it wasn't done intentionally. We had lunch together everyday, going downstairs in the building where they had pre-wrapped tuna fish sandwiches that were better than any I had ever had before. Then I remember both of us going on a diet together. At the time, I was probably no more than 100 pounds and wanted to be 95 pounds and likewise for her. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant we would go to but it was on 34th Street right across from Macys. We would order a hamburger without the bun and we thought we were so good. Perhaps we were the real inventors of the Atkins Diet.

Then Lorraine met Bob, a teacher and the love of her life. They're still married today and have two beautiful children. She is also a grandmother as her daughter Caren gifted her with her first grandchild. Here's a picture of Lorraine at Caren's wedding. Not much has changed.....she's still beautiful. There's a Tony Bennett song that describes her perfectly.... "She's got a pair of eyes, that are bluer than the summer skies. When you see them you will realize, why I love my sweet Lorraine."

In a nutshell, there is no one like her. Bubbly, beautiful, smart, loyal, sensitive, loving, vivacious and all of that spells Lorraine. And the best part is that she's still my friend. I don't see her as much as I'd like to and don't talk to her as often as I should, but if I list my friends, she's right at the top.

A few years ago, Bob told me that he doesn't like to talk to people sitting next to him on planes. When I asked him why, he told me that all the friends he wants, he already has. I often think about that and realize too, that I already have all of my friends as well. Since I've been living in Pennsylvania, I've made two best friends and one more that I met online. Added to that, I have five other real friends that I would consider "best friends". Lorraine is one of them. As their birthdays fall, you will find out the others.

So from one of your best friends to one of my best friends, I wish you Happy Birthday today, my sweet Lorraine. I made this cake for you and now it's up to you to come and have a piece with me. Obviously, I'm joking because any real friend of mine would know that I wouldn't have "made" the cake but would have "ordered" it. All kidding aside, we will make that date for lunch and it will be in celebration of both of our birthdays....those we've missed and those to come. Have a great day my friend.

Jamaica, New York is #300

I'm sure, if you're a reader of this blog, you've noticed that I have a counter on the side that tells me how many people view it each day and where they're from. I wish it would tell me their names but, alas, it's not that smart. I am familiar with some of the areas, so when I get hits from these parts, I know it's one of my friends or relatives. For instance, Southfield is my Aunt Margie, Granby is my cousin Holly, Spokane is either my brother Bobby or my brother Michael, Naperville is my brother Kelly and so on. My girlfriend JoAnn has to confuse me because sometimes she views it from her home in PA and sometimes from her beach house in DE. Michael's friend Nat does the same coming in from different parts of Costa Rica. But then there are all the random hits. I have no idea where they come from. This is a picture of a sample counter. It's obviously not mine because I clearly haven't had 758,181 visitors yet and probably will never hit that number. But for a little Mom & Pop type of blog, I don't think I'm doing too badly.

Last week, I noticed that I was nearing 1,000 hits as I was at 999 and I was wondering who the 1,000th person to view my blog would be. Joann won that prize coming in at number one thousand. Since she views it more than anyone else I know, it was only fair that she got this prestigious distinction. Earlier today, I noticed that I was at 299 different cities/countries that have viewed my blog. I was wondering where the 300th viewing would come from. It happened at about 8PM today when someone from Jamaica, New York read my blog. Who are you? I wish I knew. Jamaica is close to JFK airport and is also close to Ozone Park, Queens which could mean it's my friend Paula from high school. I'm just not sure though because very few people leave me comments so I have no idea who you are out there.

The past week or so, activity on my blog has been unbelievable. So unbelievable that I can't even figure it out. I was used to getting somewhere between 10 to 20 hits a day and now that has increased to at least 50 a day and sometimes over 100. I don't think it can be random because it's happening everyday now. And the hits are from all over the world....places I've never heard of before.....Tuam, Ireland -- Fort Mcmurray, Canada -- Euless, Texas -- Tarnos, France -- Brekka, Iceland...... you get the picture. There's no rhyme or reason to it. The only thing I can think of is that someone posted the link to my blog on their blog and people have since checked it out. I wish I knew the answer to this riddle. In any event, I'm happy about the traffic because the reason you do a blog is so people can read it and now I definitely know it's being read....by whom, I don't know that yet but I aim to find out.

So, if you're out there and and you're reading it, please leave me a comment so I know who you are.....especially you Jamaica because you'll forever be known as #300.

What Happens In Vegas......

.....Stays in Vegas. I always loved this expression even though nothing really ever happens when we go to Vegas that we can't talk about when we get home. We're here now and arrived yesterday at about 5PM, after sitting on the runway for 2 1/2 hours before our flight actually took off. There's nothing worse than being on a plane and it leaves the gate and then the pilot comes on the speaker to tell you that there are 25 planes in front of us waiting to take off. That's exactly what happened to us but after waiting for about 1/2 hour, he came back on to say that we had to return to the gate because someone on the plane had a medical emergency. Then the good news was that we had to get in back of another 25 planes and start the wait all over again.

It's all good though. We're here so who cares how long it took to get here. We did comment that we could have flown to Rome in the time it took us to get to Las Vegas. We're staying at our favorite hotel, The Bellagio. There are so many choices when we come here but we always come back to the same place because we love it so much. Liz and Bryan arrived one day before us so by the time we got down to the pool yesterday to have a drink with them, they had already logged a full day in the sun. I really have to get a picture of Liz while she's pregnant and post it here because she really looks adorable.

Last night we had dinner with Michael and all of his friends (9 of them came) at a fabulous Italian Restaurant called Maggianos. I had never heard of it before but apparently they are in locations other than Vegas. I highly recommend this restaurant if you haven't been before. You pick out two of everything....two salads, two appetizers, two pastas, two entrees and two desserts......and they bring enough for the entire table. It was great because I got to sample things I might not have ordered on my own. There was one appetizer, a ravioli stuffed with mushrooms, that was out of this world.

Having dinner with all those boys is so much fun because I like them all. Pat is so interested in poker and was ready with all of her questions as soon as she met them. I was really so honored and flattered that they would all take the time out to come and have dinner with us. It just goes to show what nice boys they all are. I know when people hear that they are poker players, the first connotation is that they are probably some degenerate kids. I was proud to be sitting at the table with every single one of them....all very well spoken, well dressed, highly intellegent and best of all......cute!!!!!!! One of them was missing last night and he's arriving here in Vegas today, driving from South Dakota. He's the first friend Michael made when he started playing poker online so there's a special place in my heart for Josh.

Tonight we're going to visit them at the house they rented in Vegas. They'll all be here for seven weeks playing in many of the WSOP events that lead up to the main event in July. I was involved in the rental of this property so I'm eager to see it. They said it's really great and I did well in picking it. It's an 8700 square foot home with eight bedrooms and a beautiful backyard. The one thing they especially love about it is that there is a room leading out to the backyard area that is totally open giving you much more space to entertain. It also have a great media room where you can view movies and apparently they have hooked up Playstation to this big screen and are now able to play FIFA soccer on it.

Well, it's almost 100 degrees here and I'm off to the pool. I see I'm almost at 1,000 viewers of this blog and wondering who that 1,000th person will be. Since I'm in Vegas, I'd lay odds that it will be Joann. I'll be back soon hopefully tanner and richer!!

The Best Ever!!!

Today was a big day for me......Linda, Pat and I went to see the long anticipated Sex and the City movie. While I know some of the reviews were not great, I couldn't imagine not loving it. And my most critical reviewer of all, my friend JoAnn, loved it and that was enough for me to know that all the professionals reviewers were obviously mistaken.

First of all, let me say that I don't know how anyone would not love this movie. And I'm convinced that all the bad reviews were written by men who had no connection with Carrie and her friends. If you were a fan of the HBO series, you are positively, absolutely going to love every minute of it. I think it's about 2 1/2 hours long and it could have lasted 5 hours as far as I was concerned.

The writers left no stone unturned. Every question I ever had was answered. I laughed and I cried.....and I cried in at least five different spots. It was exactly the reunion of Carrie & Co. that I was looking forward to seeing. And the addition of Jennifer Hudson to the cast only made it better. The clothes were phenominal from the Manolo Blahniks to the Louis Vuitton bags for what would Sex And The City be without all the designer accessories.

I'm not going to give away any spoilers so don't worry about that. The movie, however, opens with a few scenes from the TV show and right away, you're reminded just how much you have missed this show.

As much as the fans loved the fabulous foursome, we also loved the supporting cast of characters, Mr. Big, Steve, Harry, Smith, Stanford, Anthony and even Magda. As each of these appeared on the screen, I got the chills remembering all those seasons of SATC where I sat glued to my TV in anticipation of what was to come. I hated to see it go off the air and was so happy that they were coming back one more time to satisfy their fans. I think the fact that they waited a few years to do this made it even better. By this time, we were hungry to see what was going on in their lives since we last saw them. And one thing I will mention is that they all looked unbelievable. The years have only made them look better.

One of the trailers I saw said, "They're Back" on it and after seeing this movie, I can only say that they're back and I'm so happy. I'm sure I'm going to go and see this again because that's how much I loved it. I'm envious of anyone who hasn't seen it yet because they have such a great viewing experience ahead of them. I'm wondering if everyone will come away from this experience with the feeling that they have to update their wardrobe. I know we did and we all laughed about it.

So movie day was another big hit....probably the biggest and best for the three of us. Someone mentioned to me that the cast had signed up for two move movies. I can only hope that this is true because then we all have so much to look forward to. As Carrie would say in response to a question, "Ya think so?" and the answer is, Yes, I think so........it was fabulous. I'm counting the days until I see it again.