The Bachelor Proposes.....Again!!!!

And this week, we saw, yet again, another proposal on The Bachelor. How many has that been so far? I guess the better question is, how many have actually lasted? So with these questions in mind, I thought I would take a trip down "Bachelor Memory Lane." Of course, if you're not a fan of the show, you can stop reading right here.

Season 1 -- The Bachelor debuts to much fanfare and huge viewing audiences. Our bachelor, Alex Michael chooses, but doesn't propose, to Amanda Marsh leaving Trista Rehn disappointed at not getting the final rose. She will eventually become the first Bachelorette finding love and marrying Ryan Sutter on national TV. They have since had a baby boy. Success Story #1....and the only true success story this show has produced.

Season 2 -- Aaron Buerge from Springfield, Missouri proposed to Helene Eksterowicz but that engagement was called off a few months later. He had presented her with a $29,000 Harry Winston sparkler which he had paid for himself, refusing ABC's offer to buy the ring. When they split, the ring was auctioned off on Ebay for $28,300. He and Helene definitely left on bad terms so he doesn't go into the history books as one of the more popular bachelors.

Season 3 -- Andrew Firestone, of the famous family with the same last name, proposes to Jen Shefft. She ended up moving from Chicago to California to be with him but, like all former Bachelor relationships, they split up shortly thereafter. Funny enough, he wasn't in the tire business but had many vineyards producing wine. He's now engaged to a model. She was definitely one of the more popular women to be cast on this show.

Season 4 -- Bob Guiney, the biggest laugh of all the Bachelors, ended up giving a "promise ring" to Estelle Gardinier with the words that "he wants to see where we can go from here"....well, we all know how far that went. He ended up marrying Rebecca Budig, an actress from All My Children and also the host of The Bachelor repeats.....so he did end up finding true love as a result of The Bachelor.

Season 5 -- NFL player Jesse Palmer gives Jessica Bowlin the final rose and also a one way ticket to New York to join him there. It probably should have been a round trip ticket as they broke up not even a month after the finale aired. He is now a sportscaster for ESPN and, apparently, his appearance on The Bachelor helped him to get this job because of his popularity on that show. Obviously, he is no longer playing football.

Season 6 -- Byron Velvick, pro bass fisherman, proposed to Mary Delgado. They have been engaged since but wedding plans have been delayed since Delgado's recent arrest in a domestic battery charge against her fiance Velvick. She wasn't one of the original bachelorettes to walk out of the arriving limousines. She was originally on Season 4 starring Bob Guiney and The Bachelor cast her once again to help her find true love. This season had a twist where three other women were added to the mix a few weeks after the season had started. I should post her mug shot here but that wouldn't be too nice of me.

Season 7 -- Actor Charlie O'Connell couldn't decide between the final two woman so asked if he could date them in the real world before making a decision. This was an unusual request but one the show granted. He ended up choosing Sarah Brice on live TV with the once again, dreaded "promise ring". Needless to say, they have since broken up. I would have to say that this was my least favorite bachelor. There really was nothing very appealing about him.

Season 8 -- Travis Stork presents Sarah Stone a $90,000 ring but it is on a necklace and is to be a symbol of "the connection they found here in Paris." They actually broke up before the finale even aired. Once they left the romantic setting of Paris and returned to their respective hometowns of Nashville (where they coincidentally lived minutes away from each other), reality set in and it was over before it even started. They both felt had they met each other in Nashville without the backing of the show, they might have had a connection. But I guess there's no comparison between Paris and Nashville.

Season 9 -- Prince Lorenzo Borghese once again pulls out the dreaded "promise ring", this time a family heirloom, and hands it to Jennifer Wilson to see if their relationship will work in the outside world. Obviously it didn't as he was dating runner up Sadie Murray after breakup with Jennifer. Jennifer was also dating a co-working before the finale aired. This was probably the most talked about season of The Bachelor. I enjoyed it but most viewers did not and were very vocal about it. Many of the scenes were set in Italy and I especially enjoyed seeing places I had visited when I was there a few years ago.

Season 10 -- Officer and a Gentleman Andy Baldwin proposed with a $50,000 ring to Tessa Horst. Since he's been all over the tabloids dating Marla Maples, I'm guessing it didn't work out with Tessa. This was a very, very popular bachelor especially when he showed up wearing his Navy white. He was handsome and charming and, as the title goes, definitely an Officer and a Gentleman. I know he's been deployed since being on the show and he's often in the news doing some good things with Habitat for the Humanities. He was definitely a good catch for whomever ended up with him.

Season 11 -- Brad Womack ends up rejecting both women in the final rose ceremony. Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas were sent packing but DeAnna will be getting the last laugh as she has since been cast as the next Bachelorette. He will go down in Bachelor history as being the most "despised" bachelor....the one who didn't have a spine. Leading both girls on to the very end, he decided neither was good enough for him. He also had a twin brother who was on part of the show acting as if he was Brad. Perhaps his brother could have committed as Brad definitely couldn't.

Season 12 -- In the most recent episode, Englishman Matt Grant proposes to Shayne Lamas of the famous Lamas acting family. I really, really enjoyed this season especially because of Shayne. She was funny and charming and, even though she's an actress, appeared to be much more real than any of the other girls. Matt described her as someone he never thought he would end up with but loving everything about her. His pet name for her was "monkey" and, as the show progressed, it became quite an endearing term. As a matter of fact, when he proposed, he said, "Monkey, will you marry me?" Very cute and very real.

I have to say this last episode actually brought tears to my eyes. Will it work? Who knows? But what was obvious to the viewers was the natural connection between the two. I just hope Shayne wasn't doing this to boost her acting career. If she was, then she is clearly a great actress. I thought she was absolutely adorable and it was almost worth watching just to see the clothes she wore as she was quite the fashion horse. Apparently she brought three separate suitcases on the show and they were all filled with shoes. She's definitely a girl after my own heart.

The question remains, why do these relationships all fail? I guess there's an easy answer in that perhaps the contestants are there for the wrong reasons or they're apparently falling in love in a fairytale setting. Once they hit reality and the outside world, all of the perks of falling in love on TV are removed. It's like meeting someone on vacation and everything is perfect until you get back home to your sometimes mundane life. I also think part of the problem, and probably the largest part, is that these two people are separated from each other for sometimes two or three months from the time the taping ends until the finale is aired. This would test even the greatest relationship let alone one that hasn't even had the opportunity to survive.

The fact remains, however, that the viewers are still there to watch this love affair blossom whether it survives or not. As much as I say I won't watch it, I'm always there with my pad and pencil on the first night trying to pick the winner. Shayne was definitely my first choice this season and I'm glad they ended up together. Time will tell if it's forever.

And It's.......David versus David

The last time I remember a David being in a battle, it was versus Goliath. This time, the stakes are not quite as high but it will be a battle just the same.

As Season 7 comes to a close, we end up with quite a great final two.....David Cook and David Archuletta. Since my favorite, Michael Johns, was sent home well before his time, I now have to root for David Cook even though I believe that David Archuletta is the crowd favorite. He's a young 17 year old and has the vote of all the youngsters of America and they are the ones who do most of the voting. I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win.

I honestly believe, however, that sometimes it's better not to be the winner because then you're not tied to their record company and forced to do music you really don't want to do. A perfect case in point is Daughtry, who didn't win and is a star in his own right now. He didn't have anyone telling him what to do.....he just did his own thing and did it well. I think David Cook could be a star whether he wins or not. The same probably holds true for the other David which means that the finale has two of the best and most talented singers from which to choose.

David Cook has something different though. When he sings, I get the chills. David Archuletta is quite the singer and has a great voice but his humbling, naive smile is beginning to get to me. And the fact that he has a stage father really turns me off. I can just see him riding on David's fame and his money as well.

No matter who wins on Tuesday, they're both going to have great careers ahead of them. Brandon Schaefer, of poker fame and great friend of Michael's, mentioned to me that the judges should pick one singer each week and give them "immunity" which would keep American Idol from becoming a popularity contest. When you think of it, this idea sounds really good and might even make the singers perform better just to win this coveted weekly prize.

I also think, to make the future seasons better, they need to do away with some of the stars they bring on the show. Who needs to see a 17 year old kid singing Dolly Parton or Neil Diamond songs? It's almost as bad as making a rocker sing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song. The choices of these stars for a "young" show is horrendous. This season was probably the worst I've ever seen as it pertains to song choices forced upon them. Most of the time, they were singing songs they had never heard before, most of which were popular long before they were born. It's no wonder that so many of them forgot the lyrics while they were on stage.

One thing I know for sure is that this time, I am definitely going to vote. I complain every time when my favorite doesn't win yet I usually forget to vote. So this time, I am going to do my part and cast as many votes as possible for David Cook. Who knows? It could be my vote that makes him the winner!

The Prodigal Brother Returns

It's always exciting to get some out of town guests especially when it's one of my brothers. My brother Bobby is vacationing in New York this week traveling here from the great state of Washington. Bobby is my brother who is closest in age to me having been born 19 months after I was so, growing up, we were inseparable. Sadly enough for me, he relocated to the West Coast in the 70's and has remained there since. And it's not just that he relocated there that's the bone of contention....all three of my brothers did!! Well at least I was the loyal one staying back here on the east coast where my roots are. I always kid them about this.

He's here with his wife Pam and two other couples...his best friends, also from Spokane, Patty and Bill Reeves, and other close friends of his, Linda and Sam. They have a fun-filled week lined up and one of the things on their agenda was to have dinner in "Little Italy". Since we're less than two hours away from NYC, I drove in to have dinner with them and, since Michael was still home, he was able to join us. Liz and Bryan both work in the city so they came as well. So it was ten of us for dinner.

When Liz was growing up on Long Island, one of her close friends, Rosanna, had parents who owned a restaurant in Little Italy. So, whenever we want some good Italian food, we always go to their restaurant. It's always great to know the owner because you get such great service. I have to say the food at their restaurant never disappoints. It's nothing short of spectacular. We had ten different entrees and everyone enjoyed their meal starting with the appetizers and ending with some terrific cappuccino. Just in case you're ever looking for a great place to eat in Little Italy, I highly recommend Lunella at 173 Mulberry Street....and tell the owner Nancy sent you.

After listening to the week they had planned, I almost felt like staying with them. They're seeing Jersey Boys tomorrow night, the Yankee/Mets game on Saturday, touring our old stomping grounds in Greenpoint on Thursday and squeezing in The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building and all the other great spots in the city. For a city boy who moved out West, he's playing the role of a typical tourist this week and enjoying every minute of it. Of course, the highlight of the trip will undoubtedly be when he has egg creams on Manhattan Avenue. Wish I could be there for that.

I have to say it was a little sad saying good-bye to him after dinner last night. I kept on turning around after he walked away to look at him one more time. It's just hard to be so close to someone and know that you might not see them again for awhile. I guess it's my turn now to make a trip to Spokane. That's definitely not as exciting as a trip to New York City but I'll take a trip to visit my family over excitement any old time.

Happy Mother's Day

I think one of my most favorite things in writing these blog entries is finding the pictures/graphics to use. There are so many out there that sometimes it takes me more time to pick the one I want than to write the entire post. So consider this flower pot filled with flowers as my Mother's Day gift to all of you mothers out there who read my blog because it took me almost an hour to decide on this one.

I had a delightful Mother's Day which was celebrated yesterday in New York with Liz, Bryan, Michael and Bob. They had brought all of my presents there so I got to open everything yesterday. I loved everything so much that I don't even know where to begin.

I'll start with the basics, something I really wanted, something I use all the time and something that just broke last week....my electric frying pan. This one is even better as it has a glass cover so you can see what you're cooking without having to take off the lid. Then I got a new running/walking watch. I'm always using Bob's when I take Belle out on one of our extended walks so it's nice to have one of my own. This one is purple which makes it even more fun and I know Bob will never use mine now. Since I'm always watching Netflix movies, Michael bought me two DVD's...one of which he's been telling me for weeks I need to see and that is Charlie Wilson's War. The other one, Holiday, with Cameron Diaz, is a movie he saw on a plane and he said he knows I will like it. Between the next two gifts, I can't decide which is my favorite. They are both going to be so much fun for me.

First is a scanner and I don't think they realize how much fun this is going to be at their expense. My girlfriend Joann's daughter, Laura, has one of my most favorite blogs to read everyday. And yes, I said everyday because Laura had made it her New Year's resolution to write something everyday. Well lately, Laura has had a lot of old photos on her blog....some of her prom, some of her earlier days as a figure skater and even some of Joann's older relatives. I asked Joann how she got these photos onto her blog and she told me one word -- "scanner". So now I have my very own scanner. I can see it all now....pictures of Liz with her braces, pictures of Bryan as the wannabe rocker he aspired to be, pictures of Michael ad nauseum, pictures of Keith with blonde hair, pictures of Bob "with" hair and pictures of me, young and thin, of course. I could go on and on and I will with my new scanner.

The next present was from Bryan and I do believe he has trumped everyone this Mother's Day. He's so clever and so good with graphics. He gave me a laminated ticket to the Borgata to play in a poker tournament "with him". I know most of you won't appreciate this (Joann) but to me this is the best gift. I get to do something I love with someone I love. That's always the best present of all. So I thank you dear FSIL for your very unique and very special gift.

As if the day hadn't been special enough, when we got home there was a box on our front porch. I opened it up and it was two dozen red roses. Who gets 2 dozen roses? Well I guess I do. This was from Michael's friends and ordered by one of my very favorites, Josh. I do a lot of the searching out and leasing the houses they use in Vegas all summer and this was their way of thanking me for my efforts. So I thank all of you boys and can't wait to see you this summer.

And last but not least, when we were growing up, on special occasions, my mother used to make this bacon, egg and onion sandwich for us on a kaiser roll which she got from my Nana who used to make the same thing. Well, when I got up this morning, my house smelled like my mother's house on Hausman Street as Bob was in the kitchen making me that very same sandwich. So this gift just might have beat them all. There's nothing like bringing back memories of one's childhood.

I think this post is getting rather long and if you've made it this far, I thank you. I wanted to devote the rest of this entry to my own mother and wishing her a very Happy Mother's Day. She's now living in Pennsylvania in an independent living facility called Twining Village. It's really beautiful and I'm happy she's there. Unfortunately for me, she never wants to leave and as much as I beg her, it's like pulling teeth to get her to come here for any of the holidays. I think Christmas and Thanksgiving are the only two days she will join us for dinner. They just installed a computer center in Twining Village so, when I go there, I'm able to show her this blog. Now that I have a scanner, I'd like to show everyone my favorite picture of my mother and me. This is also her favorite picture of the two of us. And, since my Aunt Margie (my mother's sister) is also one of my readers, I know she's really going to appreciate seeing a picture of her sister. By the way, this picture was taken twenty years ago and I do not look like this any longer but, thanks to my scanner, today I do.

So Mother's Day 2008 ends up being quite a hit for me. But even with all the gifts, my favorite gift of all was spending it with my family. They made it quite a special day for me.

Baby Love

There's not many people who can call their upcoming arrival "Baby Love" and really mean it, literally. Since my favorite son-in-law's (aka FSIL) surname is Love, as in Bryan Love, we can rightfully refer to this baby as "Baby Love". After he's born, we'll be looking into the hospital nursery and it will say Baby Boy Love on the cradle.....until he's given his real name. And Liz and Bryan intend for this to be a surprise and probably won't tell anyone the name until the baby is born. Whatever the name is, I'm sure I'm going to love it as it will fit this baby perfectly.

We celebrated Mother's Day yesterday on Long Island with Liz and Bryan and it was the perfect opportunity for me and Liz to go shopping for the baby's room. Most of the decorating is already in progress and they had a couple of paint samples on the wall to choose from. This is the second baby boy's nursery that Liz and I decorated together. The first was when she helped me decorate Michael's room before he was born. She was 8 years old at the time and we spent countless weekends shopping for just the right items. Now the tables are turned and I'm the one helping her. I got off pretty easy this weekend only having to purchase the rug. We went to a store called Bellini's and this is the same store we went to for all of Michael's things twenty-four years ago. When we were in the store, I asked them how old they were and they said they've been in business for twenty-six years. I told them I had shopped there for all of my baby things almost twenty-four years ago and they said I was the first customer they had met that had shopped at Bellini's that many years ago. Liz and I are always on the cutting edge of finding new stores. This is the rug we picked out. Bryan refuses to admit that his son will have a polka dot rug in his room so we are now referring to this rug as the "one with the circles on it."

It was such a fun day and even more exciting as they had their new bedroom furniture delivered yesterday as well. With all the work they've had to do on the house, it's such a work in progress. But by the time Baby Love arrives, the master bedroom, the guest bath and the nursery will all have been completed. We're buying them the furniture for the nursery as a present and that's being delivered next weekend. Once the room is finally done, I'll post some pictures for you all to view. That will conclude this week's episode of HGTV's newest show, "Decorating with Nancy and Liz".

Mother's Day Revisited

As Mother's Day approaches, I start to think of past Mother's Days and reminders of when the kids were younger. At that time, we always had three of them here (Keith, Liz and Michael) celebrating with me. Now that Keith is in Florida and Liz is in New York, it all falls on Michael who is still here. This week he thought he might take a trip to Vancouver to play in a tournament there. He asked me if we could celebrate Mother's Day on Wednesday instead of on Sunday. I actually looked at him like he was crazy. Needless to say, he did not go to Vancouver.

Tomorrow, we'll be going to Long Island to visit with Liz and Bryan and have our Mother's Day celebration with them. Since their baby is due in 3 1/2 months, I'm sure we'll be doing some decorating of the baby's room as well as some shopping. Liz never misses the opportunity to take me shopping whenever I go to New York. I can just imagine how much this Mother's Day trip is going to cost me. And to think that next year, she will be a mother and celebrating her very first mother's day. Now she'll get to experience that very special day once a year.

Last year, they came here for the weekend and I had to work on that Saturday. When I returned home from work, there were flowers planted everywhere in my garden. That was my present.....all of them had spent the entire day making the yard beautiful. It was a vision of beauty when I pulled into the driveway and saw what they had done. That Mother's Day stands out for me as one of my favorites.

But, if I go back in time, there is one all time favorite Mother's Day for me. That was the year when Michael got his first job umpiring in some of the younger kids' baseball games. I'm guessing Michael must have been about eleven or twelve at the time. He was so proud that he was making his own money. He decided that he was going to buy me a Mother's Day present and pay for it himself. For days on end, I would catch him watching QVC and could just imagine what this viewing would result in. Later on, I found out that once he decided what he wanted to purchase, he called up the 800 number to place his order. They asked him for his credit card number which he obviously didn't have. He then called Bob in his office and explained what he was trying to do. Bob, of course, gave him his credit card to use in lieu of Michael giving him the cash.

So all this went on behind the scenes and then it was Mother's Day morning and I was presented with the gift. It was beautiful and one I will treasure all of my life. At the time, those diamond tennis bracelets were all the rage so that's what he purchased. Of course, it wasn't real diamonds but looked close enough. In the middle of the bracelet in gold, it spelled out the word MOM. This gift was precious enough but it was what he said to me when I opened it that I will never forget. He said, "Just in case anything ever happened to you, they would know your name." As I'm typing this right now, I'm laughing and crying at the same time. To him, MOM was my name and I was obviously the only MOM to him. I ask you, as a mother, does it get any better than that?

In the following years, it always became the joke in our family that Bob could spend hundreds of dollars on my present and maybe even thousands if it was a good year and Michael would stop into the local Hallmark store and buy some little thing and it would always be my favorite gift. Poor Liz, who spends countless hours trying to find just the right thing, says she can't even compete with Michael's gift....no matter what it is. But Liz, just know that yours are just as special to me as his are. Afterall, you are the favorite daughter! Keith prefers to take the easy approach with a greeting card and gift card...again a very appreciated gift because the gift card is always to somewhere I love.

So as another Mother's Day approaches, I wish all good things for all you mothers out there and I hope that all of my son's friends, who read this blog, make your Mom as happy as my kids make me.

Adios Mexico!!!

In other words, "We're Home", and that will officially end our Spanish speaking titles for now. The trip was terrific -- short but great. Considering that we arrived there on Thursday and left very early on Sunday morning, we basically had only two full days there. For a trip with business acquaintances, that's a perfect amount of time. Had we been there with family or friends, I would have liked another two days, at least.

This was my first trip to Mexico and, based on this experience, I would definitely go back. I would very highly recommend the place where we stayed, The Iberostar Grand Paraiso Hotel in Riviera Maya. It's only a year old and there's a lot to be said for a new hotel. Bob even agreed that he would like to go back with the family and, since he's usually so critical, that's quite a compliment coming from him. One of the things that we both noticed was how especially friendly all of the staff were. You couldn't pass anyone without them saying "Hola" and that includes all of the landscapers, beach staff and even the armadillos. As promised, I took some pictures. I know you're all going to complain that there aren't any people in these photos but I took them at the last minute and, since I was the one taking the pictures, it wasn't possible to get myself in them!!
Here's the beautiful beach with a kind of hut-like structure just in case you wanted some shade -- and believe me, you needed to get under the shade as the sun was very, very hot.

This was our room. All of the rooms were quite large and beautiful. I'm not sure if you can see this in the picture but there is a step down from the bedroom area into the sitting room area. One night in the dark, I got up to close the curtains as there was some light filtering in and forgot there was a step there. After sliding on the marble floor, I ended up with quite a bruise. I was just so happy I didn't break my ankle because this fall had "break" written all over it.This was the view from our terrace and this building was one of the many restaurants on the site. The walkway took us directly to the pool and the ocean so it was only about a minute from our room. This was a lovely swing on our terrace. Bob remarked that it was unusually comfortable. I should have taken a picture of Bob while he was "in" the swing but I didn't have the camera handy while he was lounging as I was lounging on the sofa right across from him at the same time.

I made one huge faux pax on this trip and I'm surprised I was so stupid. Since we were going to arrive at the hotel by noon, everyone was telling me to pack a separate carry-on with everything we would need to go to the beach as soon as we got there. So I packed our bathing suits, flip flops, coverup for me and all of our suntan products. What was I thinking?? You can't bring any liquids on a plane or anything in excess of 5 ounces. Needless to say, everything was confiscated by airport security. I was so mad because I'm highly allergic to anything other than Clinique products and was afraid I wasn't going to be able to purchase them there. Fortunately for me, I was able to buy them in the Duty Free shop in Mexico. Unfortunately for me, they were three times what I had paid for them in the states. Well, you live and you learn. I won't make that mistake again but at least I'm comforted in knowing that the airport employees will be using excellent suntan products this summer.

One thing I was very thankful for while I was gone was my DVR. I have it automatically programmed to tape certain daily shows just in case I find out there was a good guest on that I would like to have seen and can then go back and watch it. Well, while I was gone, Oprah interviewed all of the girls from Sex And The City on Thursday and Tom Cruise on Friday. Rachel Ray also devoted an entire show to Rosie O'Donnell. These were three things I would have been disappointed to have missed but thanks to my trusty DVR, I got to watch them all last night.

I can't wait to see the Sex And The City movie which opens on May 30th. Do you hear that Linda and Pat?? We will be there...no excuses. That means no studying Italian for you Linda and no "Wheels On Meals" that day either!! As I'm no longer a Tom Cruise fan, I didn't think much of that interview but was interested to see his home in Telluride. On the other hand, Rosie O'Donnel on the Rachel Ray show was the "old" Rosie from her talk show and not the "political" Rosie as seen on The View. She was really enjoyable to watch as she was there doing crafts and talking about everything else other than politics. It reminded me of how much I loved it when she had her own talk show but I quickly remembered how much I disliked her on The View.

So once again, we're back on solid ground in the Estados Unidos. I'm not sure yet where next year's company trip will be but I'm especially hoping that I win it once again and, more importantly, that Pat wins it as well because it just wasn't as much fun without here there in Mexico. Our next trip is to Vegas on June 5th and we are already counting off the days.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

By the time most of you read this, we'll have already landed in Cancun, Mexico and traveled south to our destination of Riviera Maya. I'd like to say that someone took this picture of our plane while it was in the air but we all now that's not a possibility. But just picture me in the window seat right in front of the wing. A few people have asked me where Riviera Maya is so here's a little map for your viewing pleasure.

So my quest to lose 10 pounds before we left is over and, as expected, I wasn't successful. But I did lose 7 lbs. so I really can't complain. These last few days were very tough making it harder and harder to do my walking. By Sunday, after having walked six days in a row, I was exhausted so I had to take a rest. I figured if God rested on the seventh day, so could I. Then it rained on Monday so I couldn't go again. But I picked it back up again on Tuesday but had too much to do on Wednesday to get ready to leave that I never made it that day either. But I'm happy with my progress and I leave knowing I tried. Hopefully, I'll get to walk on the beach when we get there, which is much better than walking around my neighborhood.

When we get to the airport tomorrow, I know one thing is for sure.....I'm going to have the best luggage tag of everyone. This was a gift given to me by my BCFF, JoAnn. Just in case you don't know who JoAnn is, she's the one who always leaves comments on my blog....something I wish all of you would do. That's one of the most fun things about having a blog -- reading your friends' comments (or your son-in-law's). To show my appreciation for this great gift, I took a picture of it before Bob brought the suitcase out to the car. Thanks again JoAnn. Now I'll feel like Belle is with me no matter where I go.

Speaking of Belle -- right now she is not a happy dog. As soon as the suitcases come up from the basement, she gets depressed. It's so sad to see her like this. I've heard this from other people that dogs know when you're leaving and she absolutely knows we won't be around for the next few days. Fortunately, Michael is on his way home from Amsterdam so he will be here with her.

So I leave you all for the next four days. I promise to take some great pictures while I'm there and will share them with you upon my return. Hasta entonces, N. Maria is having fun in the sun.

Dia Cinco

Well, I have reached Day 5 in my quest to lose 10 pounds before we leave for Mexico on Thursday and I don't think it's going to happen. I've done everything I said I would do -- eat only Jenny Craig food and walk Belle every day adding on 5 minutes each day, and it's still not happening. As of today, the total weight loss is 3.5 pounds. I guess I really can't complain about losing that much weight in five days and the goal to lose 10 pounds in 10 days is a bit unrealistic at my age. So I'm happy with the 3.5 and hoping that the next 5 days will see another 3.5lb. weight loss.

So as not to make this blog totally boring, I thought I'd post here what songs I was listening to on my Ipod during my walks. Since I can't list all of them, I thought I'd list the first song I listened to and the last song I ended with each day.

Day 1 -- 4/21/08 -- walked 45 minutes -- started with Shooting Star, Air Traffic and ended with No One, Alicia Keyes.....listened to 12 songs, lost 1 lb.

Day 2 -- 4/22/08 -- walked 50 minutes -- started with Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson and ended with Irreplaceable, Beyonce.....listened to 13 songs, lost 1 lb.

Day 3 -- 4/23/08 -- walked 55 minutes -- started with 1973, James Blunt and ended with Crazy, Gnarls Barkley.....listened to 15 songs, lost 1/2 lb.

Day 4 -- 4/24/08 -- walked 60 minutes -- started with Fall Away, The Fray and ended with She Will Be Loved, Maroon Five -- 16 songs, lost 1/2 lb.

Day 5 -- 4/25/08 -- walked 65 minutes -- started with Like A Star, Corinne Bailey and ended with Last Kiss, Pearl Jam -- 16 songs, lost 1/2 lb.

I'd have to say that if I didn't have a dog to walk and an Ipod to listen to while I'm doing it, I don't think I'd be able to walk these distances....it would be much too boring for me. I really think I should have started this quest with a 30 minute walk, adding 5 minutes to each day. Since I started at 45 minutes, with adding 5 minutes each day, by Wednesday I'll be walking for an hour and a half....that's a lot. As I increased each day's time, I really didn't have that much of a problem with it but my poor dog did. I just hope she can do the full 90 minutes. Today it's a little cooler so perhaps it will be easier for her.

Since I walk in my neighborhood, there are many other people outside either walking, jogging or gardening and they love to talk to me when they see me. Don't they understand I'm timing myself!!! I feel so rude saying, "can't stop" while I point to my watch. Another thing is when someone else is walking outside and wants to walk with me. Don't they understand that I want to listen to my Ipod!!! I say this laughingly but it's actually true. Leave me alone when I'm walking. lol

Today Belle and I get to go for 70 minutes. She's already following me around waiting for me to reach for her leash so gotta go, we're outta here.

Nueve Dias

That's right....it's nine days to go before we leave for Mexico. Each year, the top agents in my company are rewarded by winning a trip to a fabulous destination. Last year it was Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and the year before that it was Rome, Italy. This year we're heading to the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso in Riviera Maya. That's the good news. The bad news is that BFF Pat did not win the trip so she will not be there with me. A few of her deals that should have closed last year got delayed and ruined her chances of winning. So I guess I'll have to drink my Pina Colada's without her.

Isn't it always the way that your plans of getting ready for a big trip are usually put off until the last minute? I wanted to lose 10 pounds before we left and haven't done it yet. But, there's still 9 days to go. Can I do it? Yesterday was day one so I delved right into it by eating Jenny Craig food all day. This will be my plan to stick with her food until I leave. I also took Belle, my beautiful border collie, on a 45 minute walk. I'm going to try to add another five minutes to it each day. When I got up this morning, I had already lost one pound. So I think it's possible if I can stick to this. Of course the most excited person in this whole routine is Belle, who goes crazy every time I reach for her leash.

Michael is in Amsterdam right now and plans on getting home to watch Belle in time for us to leave. Apparently there's some festivities going on there next week called Queen's Day which just might rival his Carnival experience in Brazil a few months ago. Queen's Day is the annual Dutch national holiday in honour of the late Queen Juliana’s birthday. I guess there's something to be said for partying on the water as opposed to the land as all of the pictures I've seen of this event show all of the boats going up and down the canals carrying all of the revelers dressed in orange, the national color, since the Queen is from the House of Orange. I'm looking forward to some great pictures from him so I can post them here.

I'll let you know how I'm progressing with my plan and will give you an update on Dia Cinco....that's Day Five for those of you not fluent in Spanish. Until then, hasta luego!!!

Over in Monte Carlo

Here's a picture of where all the action has been taking place over the past five days....the very beautiful casino in Monte Carlo. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and, with that, Michael's dream of winning the Grand Final in Monte Carlo did not come to fruition. We can't even be sad about it because he had an amazing run coming in 5th place and winning $666,060. But for someone who's as competitive as he is, the money really means nothing to him. It's all in the challenge and all in the "win". He got to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat off and on all day. But in the end, it was not to be. So he'll stay in Monte Carlo for a few more days (apparently there's some big tennis tournament there this weekend) and then head off to Amsterdam for a week or two. He definitely needs a vacation after this grueling week.

It really was an amazing experience to be able to watch this entire final table online. In Liz' office, they had the IT people come in and remove the blocks from the computers so she and her friends could watch. And while it was stressful for Michael, there was no lack of stress back here in the states as there was a flurry of emails and text messages and phone calls going back and forth all day. There are so many great pictures and video interviews online already and it's been fun seeing all of it. I'd like to thank pokernews.com and cardplayer.com for these photos. But when I sent Liz this last picture of Michael's final hand, she just cried. They say a picture says a thousand words.....well this picture said three million words. lol I love it though because it shows the true emotion of the culmination of a fantastic event in Michael's life -- one he won't soon forget.

If you're thinking that Michael wore the same thing today as he did yesterday, you're right. Aside from the fact that he's superstitious, he just loved being in France and wearing something that said United States on it. A prouder American you will not find and he wore this proudly representing his country in this event.

When he decided to become a professional tournament player, I told him if he made a final table, I would be there. Well, this is his third final table in three months and I haven't made it yet. By the time I find out that he's has made it there, if he's playing in Europe, it's too late to get on a plane. After this event, however, I have promised him that no matter what, I will be there. Perhaps I have to be in the stands rooting him on to make it happen. Bob says it just wasn't his time to win yet but we do believe it will happen. And guess what, you'll be the first to read it here!!!

So from the final table in Monte Carlo, I bid you Au Revoir.....until next year.

Big News from Monte Carlo

As I reported in a previous blog entry, Michael is currently playing in the Grand Final of the European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo. This is the largest European event and culminates another season of European Poker. It would be the equivalent of our World Series of Poker here in America. This is a five day event which began over the weekend and ends tomorrow. The unbelievably great news is that he's still in the hunt. They started out with a field of 842 and there are 10 left. These ten will compete tomorrow until we have a winner. Right now, Michael is in third place with 1.6 million chips. First prize for this event is 3.2 million dollars. There were so many photos taken of him today but this one is my favorite. I'd like to give credit to Cardplayer.com for this picture.

As much as we love following him in these tournaments, Liz and I are all about what he's wearing. I had bought him this Polo sweatshirt for Christmas (it says United States on the back) and he told me if he went deep in Monte Carlo, he would wear it. He just loves wearing something in France that says USA on it. I wish I was there to pick out his outfit for tomorrow's final table...only kidding Michael but he's tempted to wear this again. He definitely wants our country represented.

So if anyone's wondering what I'll be doing tomorrow, you won't have to think twice. I'll be glued to my computer watching all the action live. If any of you are interested in following it, just go to http://www.ept.com/ and click on the sentence that has the words ept live in it. You can also follow the action at http://www.pokernews.com/ or http://www.cardplayer.com/.

So as they say in Monte Carlo, Bonne chance Michael. And as we say in America, One Time -- he'll know what that means.

All Work and No Play

It makes it hard to blog when there's no fun stuff to report because work is interfering with life. Just as the trees come into bloom, the people looking to buy houses begin to come out of the woodwork. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that I'm selling a lot of houses; it just means that there are a lot of people out looking at them with me driving them around. The good news is that eventually they will all buy something....it's just a matter of "when". This weekend I sold a house to a couple who relocated here from Wisconsin. They've been in temporary housing while they've been looking. The amount of time I've been working with them is.....two years. Yes, you read that right. That's how long it took them to make a decision on a home. They both travel a lot in business and they, themselves, got bogged down with work and didn't have enough time to look. I thought you'd all enjoy seeing a picture of my office above.

This is a customer Pat and I shared so we will also be sharing the commission. I told Pat that since this is basically money we weren't counting on, we should take a trip to Vegas to play in the ladies' WSOP tournament. I think I now have her convinced to do this which should make for some great blog entries. The last time we were in Vegas together was for Michael's 21st birthday which would make that almost three years ago. The fun we had was above and beyond any of my blog entries thus far. As I was typing this blog, my manager called to ask me a question and I told her about Pat and I going to Vegas. She has two words for me....."I'm In". Looks like she'll be going as well. This could be trouble because she's even more fun than Pat is. Michael will also be there when we go as he usually rents a house there for seven weeks during the WSOP event.

Speaking of Michael, he's playing in a tournament right now in Monte Carlo. This is day two of the event where 842 players began and, as I type this, there are 155 left. If he continues to get further, that will be a great blog entry for me to type. He just texted me and, at the break, he is currently sitting on 93,000 chips which is well above the chip average at this point. Updates to follow as he progresses. ....Update: Play just ended for the day and Michael now has 136,800 chips with 129 players left. On to Day 3 for him!!

I watched a great DVD from Netflix last week called The Best of Youth which was a miniseries shown on Italian TV. It was replete with subtitles but really was a moving story spanning three decades in the lives of two brothers -- one becomes a psychologist and the other a police officer or, as they say in Italia, policia. At first I found it slow moving but then really got into it and was sorry when it ended. This was recommended to me by my BCFF JoAnn, who is known to most of you as one of the few people who leave comments on my blog.

As far as this past weeks TV, I'm disgusted with American Idol. My pick to win, Michael Johns, was eliminated. Why was he eliminated? Because enough people didn't call in to vote for him. Should I be angry with myself? Yes I should because I'm one of those people who watch the show and wait for everyone else to call in and pick the winner.

I'm also disgusted with Big Brother because, as usual, the houseguests are turning on each other and the alliances that were formed at the beginning are crumbling. When are these people going to learn that in order to win, you have to be loyal to those to whom you've promised your undying support?

Last week was also my mother's 87th birthday which we spent shopping at her favorite store Boscov's. Shopping with my mother is a trip unto itself but she gets such pleasure out of it that I'm happy to oblige. She also had some pictures of me sent to her by her sister, my Aunt Margie, which showed how truly ugly I was when I was younger. My mother had complete control of my hair and my clothes and it's amazing she even let me leave the house looking like I did. Thank goodness I had a job when I turned thirteen which gave me some money which in turn gave me some power to make myself look more presentable. Otherwise I'd probably be an old maid!!!

Well, that's it for now. All work and no play makes my life unbloggable. Hopefully I'll be able to post something great about the happenings in Monte Carlo. Until then....it's back to work.

Movie Day Returns

After a 6 1/2 week respite, by popular demand, movie day has returned. Our intial push to see all of the movies nominated for an Academy Award was so successful that we actually needed a rest before we continued our weekly foray to the theater. I've actually been available to go to the movies each week but Pat has been so busy with work and Linda told me she "had to study" and, therefore, was unable to go. You all don't know how funny these words were when she said them to me. "Study", I said. What the heck are you studying? Well, since she's going to Italy in September, she decided to take Italian 101 so she would know the difference between fusilli and farfalle when ordering pasta in the restaurants there. I can now report, however, that she is an Italian dropout and has since opted to learn Italian from tapes. So now that the "studying" fiasco has ended, she was available, once again, to participate in our weekly ritual.

Having both read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory when it first came out, we were very anxious to see the movie. If someone was to ask me if the movie was true to the book, I really couldn't answer that question since I read it so long ago and don't remember all of the specifics. Having said that, I thought the movie was excellent. There's not much you can change in the story of Ann Boleyn and Henry VIII. Let's face it, we all know that heads will roll in the end. I've always loved the story that there was another Boleyn girl involved in this love triangle and I thought Scarlett Johansson played the part of Ann's sister Mary beautifully. Natalie Portman was an excellent Ann Boleyn and Eric Bana looked better than Henry VIII ever did. Let me put it this way -- if Henry VIII looked like Eric Bana, he probably would have had twenty wives. After reading this book, it began my obsession for learning all things Tudor related. It was a fascinating regime and Philippa Gregory is a master at telling a great Tudor story.

Lunch today wasn't in a very exciting place but it was good nontheless. We went to one of my favorite diners. Favorite because of the food but mostly favorite because of the name. Just in case this picture is too small to read the print, it's called Michael's Diner. It's been there for years and we used to eat there quite often when Michael played ice hockey as it was on the way to his hockey rink. As usual, it was good, quick and the menu was twenty pages long. And, once again, we were shuffled to a booth right next to the kitchen so that when they brought out the food carts, they would practically hit your arm while passing you. Needless to say, we were immediately moved. Some things never change. I know, there's a sign on me that says, "Please seat me at the worst table you have".

I really want to see 21 but Linda cheated on me and saw this with her husband Jim so I might have to wait for it to come out on Netflix as I don't think Bob would be interested in seeing a movie about Blackjack. Hopefully there will be another good movie for us to see this week. In the meantime, it's "Thumbs Up" for The Other Boleyn Girl.

The "Birthday" Weekend

Since our birthday girl now lives in New York, it's hard for us to see her on her birthday. As a result, we planned to celebrate on Saturday with dinner out, preceded by the opening of presents, of course. My having to work all day Saturday kind of put a kink into our plans but we still managed to work it out. The plan was for Bryan and Liz to arrive before noon and I would get home prior to 5PM.

In addition to celebrating her birthday, we also got to celebrate something else as the happy couple were going to find out the sex of their baby on Saturday morning. "Don't call me on the phone and give me the news that way", I told them...I want to hear it in person. I was in my office at 11:30AM and they stopped in on the way to our house to give me the news. And here it is .......................................

That's right -- as Bob and Michael have said, another lefty first baseman is being born. As Bryan says, we will now have our first shortstop in the family. Since my brother Michael doesn't read this blog, he can't refute this as he would surely say that he was the first shortstop in the family. You might ask why he doesn't read it. His response to me was that he doesn't have time for "mundane minutia".

Well, getting back to the weekend. It's so exciting for us to know the sex of the baby as it enables Liz and I to begin the nursery decorating plans. She has so many great ideas and I can't wait to see them come into fruition.....or to pay for them to come into fruition while Bryan does most of the hard work.

Speaking of paying, it easily segues back to the birthday presents. As predicted, she was screaming as she opened each one. The bad news for her was that she wasn't able to open any presents until I got home from work. I had ten gift bags perched on the fireplace just to tease her. She only called me once while I was working to ask me when I'd be home. I couldn't have been in the door 5 minutes before the presentation began. What were her favorite gifts? I know my friends will be asking this question. Hmmmmm......I think I'd have to say the Gucci shoes followed a close second by the David Yurman necklace. The other eight bags were filled with many different maternity outfits that don't even look like maternity outfits any longer. As the saying goes, "these are not your mother's maternity clothes." I don't even know if there is such a saying as I think I just made it up.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Amici Milano in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. I know this probably sounds scary as Trenton is considered the 4th most dangerous city in the United States but there is this little Italian section right in the middle and there must be over twenty-five different restaurants there. This is one of our favorites....small, quaint, great food, nice ambiance and the perfect place for a birthday dinner.

So all in all, it was the perfect birthday celebration. Our girl turned 32 and she's about to become a mother. It doesn't get much better than that.

Tomorrow FF Linda and I are finally going to the movies again. She knows I found out the sex of the baby and she wants me to surprise her when I see her. I plan on wearing a powder blue turtleneck and a light blue plaid Burberry scarf. Let's see if she realizes the significance as soon as she sees me. I just hope she doesn't read this blog before she leaves her house as it will spoil the surprise. But, since I know she loves my "mundane minutia", my plan might be foiled.

A Tree Grows In.......Pennsylvania

Every year, I wait for this tree to bloom as it is the true sign of Spring for me. It is also the first tree in our yard to bloom. You have to capture a picture of it right away as the blossoms shed very quickly.

This tree is also my very favorite. It's a cherry tree and it was planted so that whenever I looked out my kitchen window I would see it. I know the exact age of this tree as I received it as a gift from my friends in 1992...the year my father died. This was something they had planted in my yard so each year it bloomed, I would be reminded of another favorite of mine and probably my most favorite person ever. I certainly don't need a tree to remind me of my father but each year this gift brings such a smile to my face when the pink flowers appear.

We certainly didn't have many trees in Brooklyn where I grew up and my father used to love to come here and sit on the deck and appreciate all the trees surrounding him. I could write stories upon stories about this great man who I called Dad but there isn't enough room in any blog entry to tell them all. I often wonder how I cound ever move from this house and leave this tree behind. I've even thought about burying Sarah's ashes (our beloved border collie) under this tree but, if we moved, I know I couldn't leave both.

So while the trees didn't grow much in Brooklyn, they're certainly alive and well here in Pennsylvania.

A Momentous Day in our Family

April 2nd has always been one of the most important days in the Martin family. We're reminded of it months in advance so we have plenty of time to prepare for this occasion. When I think back to all the other April 2nd's I've celebrated, they can only bring a smile to my face as I was celebrating the birthday of one of the most special people in my life and that would be my daughter Liz. Even though I didn't give birth to her, she's every bit a daughter to me as if I had. She was four years old when I married my husband so I've gotten to celebrate 28 birthdays with her so far.

I often wonder what life would be like without being able to celebrate these birthdays. For one, I'd probably be wealthy. But, on the other hand, I would have missed out on some of the most fun moments in my life for to make Liz happy is to make everyone happy. I can't even begin to describe the joy she gets when she receives a gift. Since she loves anything that's a name brand, she starts screaming and crying as soon as she sees the box so that by the time she opens the present, it's almost anti-climatic. This kind of response makes me want to outdo myself in the present department each year. This is the first year I'll be buying presents for a "pregnant" Liz so most of the gifts will be maternity related.

In years past, with Bob working in New York City, we usually had dinner at a great restaurant there. Since he's now working in Philadelphia, sadly, this is no longer possible so our birthday celebration this year will have to be relegated to the weekend. And, as this weekend approaches, I say, "Let the Screaming Begin."