Happy Halloween (for Real)

Guess what goofy girl forgot to bring the camera on to the MetroBoo outing??? Yep - me. It was in Steve's truck & he went to a work golf tournament that morning. Fortunately, my friend who went with Lexi and me to the zoo brought her camera. She hasn't had a chance to e-mail me yet. I only have these photos from when Steve was able to join us. The zoo was packed, but most of the kids were hovering around the candy passing out stands so they didn't interfere with our fun. We really enjoyed seeing all the different costumes as well as the animals. Lexi is going to be Halloweened out soon. She has a party at daycare today. Then tonight (weather permitting), we'll be enjoying the festivities on the beach. I guess overkill is pretty good for her first Halloween.

Tags: Happy Halloween, kid costumes

The Joy of the Friday Before Halloween

It is Friday today and I am really looking forward to the weekend. We are planning to take Lexi to MetroBoo (the Halloweenized MetroZoo). It will be fun to dress her in the costume (pictured above) and see all the little animals & wild kids there. Halloween is always a fun time, especially with a little one around.

As I look back on the week, I realize that I have learned a lesson. Basically, it is true that you can throw money at a problem and it will go away, especially if that problem is a person. I paid a beggar at the Heat game $1 and he stopped pestering us. In fact, he began giving us praises as he walked away. That same day, for considerably more money, we got a messed up relative to move out of my father-in-law's house. This particular problem was once our houseguest for about a month. Since I was ready to strangle him in that short time, I have felt sorry for my father-in-law for this entire year that he lasted there. I know it has been difficult, but it is going to be much better. Now, the sun is coming back out and none of us will be responsible for him and he KNOWS that. I am so optimistic about this situation that I have convinced myself that we will not have to spend the next few holidays with him. I will still keep my fingers crossed though.

For now, it is Friday & I feel Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Tags: Halloween at MetroBoo, paying off relatives

Let's Go Heat!

Still busy - thank goodness pictures speak a 1000 words. As you can see, we went to the Heat pre-season game last night. We only stayed until half time/Lexi's bedtime, but we made it on the jumbotron twice (too bad the picture didn't come out well).

Tags: Miami Heat, Heat game, baby's first sporting event, AAA

Ripping Out the Hair

Don't ya just hate it when you have so many freaky deadlines that you feel like ripping out your hair? Then, you realize that less hair would cut down on your morning prep time and therefore might not be such a bad thing. Plus, Halloween is coming & the strange new look could add to whatever costume I might end up wearing. Right? Basically, I have to keep this short...like my hair is going to be.

Tags: stress, ripping out hair

Miami's First Chill in Time for Halloween

We have our first cold front for Fall. ...burrrrrr.... Ok, more like put away the tank tops for the day. The low is a chilly 60 and the high for today is 75. Tomorrow, the high will be 80. Then, I think we are going to be enjoying the mid 80s for a while. For those of you up north, big deal right? It has been in the 90s lately, so this is GREAT! Lexi and I can take our evening walks in decent weather.

Tags: Miami cold front

Daddy's Daughter

In Miami, as far as my husband is concerned, we have 2 seasons - football & non-football. He likes all sports (and basically ANYTHING on ESPN), but nothing compares to footy, footy, football. Anyone who knows him, knows that he is a complete sports freak. I like sports too, but will never be able to compare to the fanatic I married. As you can see, Lexi is well on her way to learning the importance this time of year has for her Dadda.

Tags: Miami Dolphins, Sports Fanatic, Next Generation

Finally Friday

Today, I am relieved that it is finally Friday. Even though I had a big presentation to clients rather early this morning as was not able to wear casual Friday attire (you know how I HATE that). My week has been full of deadlines with proposals and presentations galore. This time of year is always busy, busy, busy for me.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a crazy night that is making today more blah than usual. Lexi was on one of her whimper and cry every hour schedules. It doesn't happen very often, but it is not a surprise. She does this when she is feeling particularly bad from one of her daycare diseases (being dramatic). She started at 11:55pm. She did it again at 12:55am and 1:50am. I just have to hold her for about 5 minutes before she falls back to sleep, but it really breaks up my night.

If that wasn't bad enough, at 2:50am the fire alarm for the building went off. Let me tell you that it is LOUD! Would you believe that Lexi slept through it??? The girl wakes up at the slightest sound or light and managed to sleep through this.

The alarm happened to go off last Saturday at 7pm, so we are aware that it drives all of the tenants out to sit on the porch. If we stayed inside, we would either go deaf or insane. As you can guess, I was annoyed & Steve was EXTREMELY annoyed. He wanted to bust the alarm or put tape on it. I just went to my closet to find slippers. As I was carefully picking up the sleeping baby, the alarm shut off. We were too tired to be mad at that point and were probably back snoozing in minutes. ...so yeah for Friday and the hopes of a great weekend!

Dinner?

Hubby: "Thanks for dinner!"

Me: big smile & snickers (thinking dinner? - we had tuna fish sandwiches)

Hubby: "What!?! It was good."

Me: It was just tuna fish, but I'm glad you liked it.

Steve was supposed to work late last night so I was either going to skip dinner or just make a sandwich. When he called to say he was getting off, I told him we would be eating tuna for dinner. I hate to admit this, but since we moved to SOBE I have only made one real dinner. The local joints are just too tempting.

Striking Deals

Sometimes in life when you pay extra it is just a waste of money. Other times there are benefits beyond your wildest dreams. Just south of South Beach, there is an exclusive island called Fisher Island. The only way to get there is by ferry. I have heard that Oprah, Tom Cruise, and numerous other stars have condos or houses there. Like many in Miami, I know someone that knows someone that lives there, but no direct links. Basically, the place is pretty much a mystery to me.

Last week, I started enjoying my commute home from work. I drive opposite of traffic through the Gables, hit a small stretch of US-1 and I-95 and then I am on the famous Macarthur Causeway. I get to see the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, the Port of Miami, Parrot Jungle, Star Island, the Marina and even Fisher Island before hitting the Beach. I have gotten use to taking in the beautiful scenery.

Twice last week (Tuesday & Thursday), all of Miami was covered with clouds. Tuesday, I noticed that there was only one area glowing from the sun and wouldn't you know that it was Fisher Island. I laughed and thought, so that is what they pay for. Thursday, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that once again everywhere else was gloomy from the cloud cover, but this time Fisher Island had half of a rainbow that looked like it ended on top of them. I am beginning to wonder just what kinds of deals are being struck over there.

Tags: macarthur causeway, fisher island, star island, miami beach

Stroller Scenes of SOBE

Pancake Girl Marries Non-Pancake Boy

My family is big into breakfast. Every Saturday morning, my mom used to make a huge breakfast that included pancakes or waffles. We like them so much, that she often would make pancakes for dinner one night a week. I guess we are just carb-loving bread eaters and this is the breakfast version. How can you not love a flap jack covered with butter and syrup? Thinking about it makes me hungry right now.

Unfortunately, my hubby is not so much of a pancake lover. In fact, he is only mildly interested in them once in a while and definitely NEVER for dinner. He prefers eggs and hash browns for Saturday's breakfast. Sometimes, I can talk him into homemade breakfast burritos with those ingredients and salsa in a tortilla. I can even get him to agree to wanting French Toast, but pancakes and waffles are usually a no. What? How could anyone not love pancakes? My solution: I just have to stop asking him what he is in the mood for & make what I want. Now that I think about it ...pumpkin pancakes sound delish!

Tags: pancakes, waffles, breakfast lover

Too Many or Never Enough?

Somehow I have convinced myself that there are a few things you just can't have too many of. Apparently, I have fooled myself into believing this to the point that I have pushed the limit on buying these items. I am sure the list could be long, but recently I have noticed that we have enough flashlights and fingernail clippers to stock every room in a large hotel. I can blame my father for the fingernail clipper thing. For my entire childhood, I remember that once a week he would go off on a tirade that there were never any fingernail clippers around and that we should all learn to put things back where they belong. He became like a broken record. Every time he went off, I couldn't help but think to myself that they are really cheap so he should buy 100 pairs and stash them all over. That way, he would surely find one whenever he needed it. As an adult, I have bought and stashed them all over and we NEVER have that problem.

Going overboard on purchasing flashlights happened when I moved to Miami. Every year right before hurricane season begins, the hype about buying supplies starts. Now, I admit that I don't rush out to stock up, which ads to the problem. All the stores move the flashlights near the registers. When I am in line at Target, I remember that I should get a few things. I don't want to go back through the store, but hey look at this nifty pack of flashlights. Surely, the power will go out at least once this year and they will come in handy. My old ones could be burned out or broken and they don't have these great new colors or features. Basically, I realize that we may not have water, gas, or snack foods, but there will be enough light for us to cut our fingernails.

Tags: fingernail clippers, flashlights, shopping extremes

3 Things Meme

I've been tagged by the notorious Wizeup.

3 Smells I love:
1. baby lotion
2. fresh baked bread
3. pumpkin pie

3 Smells I hate:
1. stinky alleys
2. burnt coffee
3. fish heated up in the microwave at work

3 Jobs that I have had in my life:
1. Marketing Manager
2. Media/Marketing Specialist
3. Project Controls Specialist

3 Movies I could watch over and over:
1. Our wedding video to tease Steve about how nervous he looked
2. Much Ado About Nothing
3. Christmas Vacation

3 Fond Memories
1. Falling in love with Lexi at the hospital
2. Steve completely surprising me with the marriage proposal
3. Family get togethers

3 Jobs I would love to have:
1. Foreign Service
2. Travel Journalist
3. SAHM

3 Places I have lived
1. Katy, Texas
2. Melbourne, Florida
3. Doha, Qatar

3 Things I like to do:
1. play with Lexi
2. blog
3. walk on the beach with Steve & Lexi

3 Of my favorite foods
1. almost anything with ranch dressing on it
2. pasta
3. fresh baked bread (sucker for carbs)

3 Places I would like to be right now
1. on a Caribbean Island
2. Europe
3. basically on vacation almost anywhere

3 Websites I visit daily:
1. the blogs listed on the right under connecting with
2. bank of america
3. hotmail

3 Things that make me cry
1. difficult deaths
2. stories about people hurting kids
3. crappy parallel parking spots (just not much for crying)

See Paige, you had no faith in me, but the day is far from over...

Unpacking? - Never!

Yesterday, we did the final clean up and removal of the rest of our junk from the house. Steve felt a little sentimental because that was our first home and the first place Lexi ever lived. I was just glad that we were done moving. I guess I was also annoyed because the title company said we had an open permit, which we supposedly had taken care of back in June. I had to call the county to have them fix their records, which turned into explaining the whole story several times to each person I was transferred to. I am ready for that all to be over with.

When we got home last night, I was still not in the mood to unpack the kitchen supplies and I realized that it is a good excuse to check out another fine eating establishment in our area. I must thank Amy for recommending Fratelli La Bufala. Steve had pizza and I had calzone and they both were amazing. Who wants to unpack and cook when there are so many local places to eat? Perhaps, I can stretch out this avoidance of unpacking until the weekend or more. Amy has also recommended Clarke's and so we must try it. It is only right to explore the area and become a local rather quickly, right? Surely, I can come up with at least 365 of these reasons/excuses. Like today, we are closing on the house & should celebrate that.

Tags: Unpacking, eating out, SOBE

Rainy Mishaps

Last night when I got home from work, we decided to head out for dinner at the Big Pink. For some reason, we have never been there, but have seen it many times on tv. They are one of the few places for SOBE residents and reporters to hang out during hurricanes. They also make deliveries in pink Volkswagen Bugs. It is a place that you just can't miss.

As we were crossing the street to go in, we felt a few rain drops so we decided to sit inside. I wondered for a second if we should just head home now because the weather might get worse and we were several blocks from home. Since our food and kitchen items are still packed, we stayed. The food was surprisingly great, much better than the crappy TGI Fridays we had the night before (I'm still not sure why we even went there).

About 10 minutes before we were ready to go, Lexi fell asleep in my arms and I noticed the rain had subsided. We quickly paid, packed up everything (baby stuff & left-overs), and headed out. The rain was light at first, but got worse with each block. By the time we got a block away from the apartment, it was pouring. We were all wet.

We finally got under the cover of the front stoop and Steve began searching for the keys. They weren't in his pocket, they weren't in the diaper bag, they weren't in the stroller, and I didn't have them. He started to get really frustrated and ticked off. Right then, a guy came out of the building and we were able to go into the lobby. I handed Lexi to Steve and looked through the bag and stroller again. I looked at Steve and could tell that he was having nightmarish visions about what we were going to do and how we were going to spend the night (he got the extra potent worry gene from his mom).

It was one of those rare moments when neither of us brought our cell phones or we would have called the restaurant to see if the keys were there. There was no other option, but to go back out in the rain. I told him I would go look in my car because we had them when we got Lexi's stroller out. No luck. I came back and told him I was going to run to the restaurant since I was already dripping wet. During the walk there, I wasn't as nervous as I probably should have been. I walked in and a group of guys were sitting at our table. I asked the waitress, but she hadn't seen them. I walked over to where we had parked the stroller & saw them sitting on the floor where nobody would have looked. I realized right then, that if we had our cell phones we would have been told the keys weren't there. We would have given up on that idea. So, this was a little bit of good luck on a bad luck night.

I ran back to the apartment to find Steve nervously waiting on the front porch with Lexi. I held up the keys like we had won the lottery.

Tags: lost keys, rainy night, SOBE, Big Pink

How We Met

Five years ago today, I was working for an engineering company that was developing the island of Cococay for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. The project manager was horrible at paperwork and running the office so things on the island were not going as well as they should. The company asked me to move there to put it in order. I think they asked me because I was single and one of the few people in the company crazy enough to go. Everyone knew it would not be a walk in the park, especially since I would be living in a construction trailer and there were VERY few women living on the island. My need for change and adventure can drive me to make insane decisions. I'm glad I met Steve, but a portion of the experience is nightmare worthy thanks to the horrible company I was working for.

I had been there 2 days, when a construction team came. I drove the mule down to the dock to pick them up and they were all surprised to see a non-Bahamian blonde chic on the island. I gave them a tour of the island and took them to their new home (also a construction trailer). One of the guys in that team was my future hubby, Steve. We were friends for the next 5 months and started dating when we came back to the States.

Today is significant not only because it is the anniversary of when we met, but because it is his mother's birthday. The fact that we met on her birthday and we got married the day after my father's birthday suddenly seems so strange given that they both died this year. We could ponder the meaning of all of this or simply choose to celebrate life. Perhaps that will come next weekend, when we finish moving a few more things, cleaning the house, and unpacking boxes.

Tags: life, meeting mr right, cococay

Funny Photo & Finally Friday

This is actually a funny photo. I usually just post silly or cute ones of Lexi. Her hair is finally long enough to get messy when she takes a wild nap. That is what I call a true milestone to celebrate.

As everyone knows, IT IS FRIDAY! Although we will be packing, moving and cleaning at a frantic pace this weekend (once again I have procrastinated), I feel the joy of Friday today. I have been thinking about the positive and negative aspects of this move. Overall, I love that we will be making a change because that sparks my interest. It will also be nice to become more familiar with a different area of Miami. Ok, so I would rather move away from Miami, but I am stuck here for a while so I might as well talk myself into being thrilled about moving to the beach.

Here are the things I am looking forward to:

• Living in an area that is pedestrian friendly
• Being close to parks, the beach, shops, and cafes
• Very short commute for Steve
• Driving across the MacArthur Causeway everyday (one of the best views in Miami)
• Having no yard work
• Being completely debt free
• Being able to hoard lots of money for future dreams

Things I am not looking forward to:

• Hurricane evacuations - I can no longer wish for small hurricanes to give me a day off of work because it will mean we have to find a place to stay
• Parallel Parking on the street instead of the garage at our house, especially when it is rainy
• Giving up large capacity washer and dryer for small ones
• Memorial Day weekend and the Rap Fest/Urban Beach Party
• Being out of range of my favorite radio station from the Keys

In general, I choose to believe that life on SOBE will be livelier, that I'll see my husband more (because it will not take him FOREVER to get home), and that Lexi will like being outside more. I also might actually get to meet Amy since she lives south of 5th too. Then again, I never ever ever ever run into anyone.

Tags: Moving to SOBE, view from MacArthur Causeway, Finally Friday

Feeeeeeding My Addiction

A very friendly fellow blogger was kind enough to allow me to change the design of her site (Here in Panama ). **I have mentioned that this has become an addiction for me, right?** She simply asked me how to do something & I practially begged her to let me try a new design. Yes, I need to start a Bloggers Anonymous. My addiction to blogging is consuming me! I admit it.

Her name is Christy and she is an American living in Panama (which is pretty similar to Miami). I check her site out practically everyday. She has great stories about life, traveling, and a very cute baby. Go check out her site for the stories. You already know she is nice. She actually let me mess with her blog, even though I am sure she knows I'm crazy...

Tags: Here in Panama, blog designs, cute baby

Drama Momma

The weird ones came and picked up their furniture, but there is no drama to report. The pajama lady didn't even show up. Her niece came with 4 guys. Actually, two of them were about 13 years old. They cleared out our house and we now have an echo.

I realized last night, that I was so occupied with the drama the weird women were causing that I completely forgot to mention the strangest thing that happened on Sunday. Another woman pulled up to our garage sale in a little Honda. When she got out, we could tell that she had just come from church. She had a black floral dress on and high heels. She sifted though some clothes and asked about the microwave.

She began chatting with one of my friends who stopped by and was holding Lexi. She asked if Lexi was her daughter and she said no. Then, the lady proceeded to announce in a very loud voice that she had an abortion 4 months ago. She said she has 4 kids already and didn't need another one. What do you say to a stranger that has just announced something like that? The answer was nothing. We all froze. She didn't skip a beat though, because right at that moment she saw what she really wanted... the best pair of hooker shoes your money can buy.

I was given them as a gag gift about 5 years ago. They were red with a thick band around the ankle and 4" spiked metal heels. They came out of the Victoria Secret Catalog. I got them for Christmas from an 80+ year old rich man that was working on a development project with me. He told me that I work too much and I need to live it up more. I think they were over $50 and had never been worn, but Ms. Announce the Abortion got them for a mere $5 and will probably be wearing them to church next Sunday.

Tags: Victorias Secret, drama momma, garage sale

Move is On!

We got the letter today. It looks like this weekend we will officially become South Beach Residents. I can hardly believe it. Thanks to all of you for your finger crossing & well wishes. Good vibes always come in handy.

Tags: South Beach Residents, SOBE, moving

Closer to What???

For the past week, the Daily Review (a Miami paper that focuses on the law and real estate) has had numerous front page articles about the housing market. Of course, all of them were dismal. Yesterday, the clip above was in the paper. All this makes me want the sell to go through even more.

Yesterday was the official day that we were supposed to get the letter that I can't stop talking about (buyer's proof of financing). I called our realtor around noon, after my husband called me. Of course, my husband is dieing to know when they will give it to us too. Our realtor called the buyer's mortgage broker who said they would have the letter tomorrow, which is now today. She also wanted to know if we could close this week. What??? They want us to be moved out right after they provide the letter? As it is, it would have been smarter for us to wait to put a deposit down on an apartment until after they provided us the letter. I just told her that we will be happy to close next week like our contract states.

What can I do? Life marches on. I am hoping for the least stressful way, which still involves packing and moving. Oh & I can't forget another visit from the garage sale weirdos who showed up last night in a little vehicle stuffed full with 15 kids to pick up the furniture. Needless to say, it is still sitting in our house so they will be coming back to create more drama.

Tags: Daily Business Review, house for sale, housing market

Welcoming all kinds of Weirdos

We were sitting in our driveway when her Escalade swerved in. She stumbled out wearing silk pjs and closing her top, but not before exposing her sagging chest. She turned to shout at the million kids in her car to stay there. She frantically shuffled around glancing at our items for sale while clutching her purse, probably trying to hide the fact that her buttons were missing. I told her that we have furniture inside if she was interested. She nodded that she wanted to go in, so I asked Steve to handle it. I was taking care of Lexi and helping some other buyers. They were in there for about 2 minutes when she comes rushing out practically yelling that she would be right back with her niece who just moved into an apartment and would be buying everything we had.

We didn't see them again until they knocked on our door 6 hours later. This time she was wearing a short black wig and clothes. Steve didn't even recognize her until I told him she was the pajama lady. Once again, their car was full of about a million kids. Her niece gave us cash for our living room set and then she said she would be right back with a big red truck. We haven't seen her since. I hope she comes and takes it all quickly, but part of me is dreading the ruckus that they will cause with their noisy ways. I just hope they don't show up after Lexi is asleep.

The garage sale was very successful. There were many odd characters besides this lady (including a crackhead woman on the bike), but that is to be expected when you live a few blocks away from the hood. This weekend, we met more of our neighbors than we had in the year and a half we lived there. The ones from our little subdivision were all very nice. I guess we should have had a garage sale when we moved in. They all mentioned that we are lucky our house sold, because many have been on the market longer without any bites. The more I hear and read about the market, the more I hope this sales goes through.

We only have a 2 big items left and a few people said they would be back during the week to buy them. No real commitments, but I can always have a little sale next Saturday. Plus, I put the items on craigslist. Now, we just have to pack the rest & cross our fingers that everything goes well with the buyer's financing.

Tags: garage sale, house for sale, neighbors