I love Maggie & Kathy Griffin!

I was so tired last night when we finally got back that I let Kenna blog about her amazing experience and decided to wait till this morning to do mine! After all, it was her first Celebrity Meet and I wanted her to be front and center....and was she! Kathy may profess to not like kids but she was more than wonderful with the Kenna girl!

Kathy Griffin's Life on the D List is one of our "guilty pleasures" at our house. We love Kathy's wit and her ability to just not give a damn if people like her or NOT! Gee, who does that sound like???? So we were so happy to see she was going to sign books in Huntington Beach right when we planned to go to Cali! I have to give Den and Kenna kudos because we got to the bookstore and bought our books-Kenna wanted her OWN copy...and then they sat on the floor in line (we were number 55 in line THREE HOURS before Kathy was going to start signing!!!) There was no way I could get on the floor and my body has been feeling the "not my own bed blues" for a couple of days here...so I asked the people in charge for a chair. They said that I could go sit somewhere and join my people in line near the signing time....so I went across the store and read a book while Kenna and Den sat and waited. For the last hour they had to stand as there were so MANY people and they were sardined in so bad. I had a hard time standing the last half hour once I joined them!

The excitement level kept rising and rising and finally: there was Tom! Tom, her manager was up at the table....he looked so cute! So we knew they were close............and then we heard clapping and cameras of all types going off....there was Kathy, Maggie and Tiffany-her assistant!

They are SO tiny! And Kathy was waving her "put her hand way in the sky" wave! Then she chatted with the audience around her for a minute. She was wearing a Mumu, in honor of Maggie. (this was actually a signing for her Mom's book as well as Kathy's book) so she was focusing on her Mom. She then went on to explain that Maggie was beside herself because Maggie was told by Tiffany that Target now carries individual boxed wines! She said that they'd probably fit in her Mumu pocket! Hilarious as always.

Then they sat down and the line started moving! They were very gracious and spent time with each and every person chatting and yet it only took about 45 minutes to get up to them. I told the intro person that Kenna had her own book and I wanted a picture with Just McKenna and them (another person took your camera and did the pictures, you weren't allowed to take the personalized pic) but when they had Kenna go up the Intro person said: "These people came all the way from Phoenix to meet you and the little girl wants a picture alone with you guys!" Well, Maggie grabbed my hand and said" Oh, bless you for coming all that way. I said that Kenna just turned Nine and she was so excited to meet them and considered it her birthday present!" Kathy then asked her name and K says : Um, McKenna! and I bought my OWN book! Kathy looks at me and says: there might be some words in here that Mom won't like. I then assured Kathy that McKenna has not only heard them but most she has repeated!

All I can say is that Kathy and Maggie are much more beautiful in person than they even appear on screen and amazingly gracious and personable. They made us feel very special. It was an awesome time and we will always remember it.
http://www.ocregister.com/video/?videoId=110024162001&lineupId=1125901233

Passion Fruit! Tuesday

Of course it was Passionfruit Guava juice! Of course it was! So Den and I have had breakfast....but no potatoes today. They were replaced with French Toast, which looked good but too sweet for me, so I passed. Basically ate some sausage links and was done. Except for two glasses of Passionfruit Guava juice!!!!

It's raining a bit...which was NOT in the forecast but should "burn off" according to the locals soon.....so Kenna is still sleeping and we're gonna let her! Nothing worse than waking up a pre-teen! We shall plan out the day and attack it well! Later.............

Opa!

So we made it down around 7:45 a.m. to see if it was worth getting up for the "included" breakfast at our, thus far, wonderful hotel. I automatically saw the large beverage bar stocked with coffees, teas, some sort of juices and cocoa. Sailed right by all of that and the pizza oven-type toaster thingee which drops your bread out after burning it (it DOES)...and ignoring completely the waffle maker. I wanted to know what the big silver cylindrical vats held. First was some cubed type potatoes which looked dry and boring, the second held both bacon which looked lovely and sausage which looked a'ite. The third held some mighty fluffy and yet boring very yellow scrambled eggs. Then there was also an area with home made looking oatmeal and many toppings, a strawberry topping for said waffles, a bowl of peaches and fresh strawberries, dry cereal and yogurt. Oh, and apples and oranges.

Then I sat my large, real square plate down at a real table and a real chair and went back for a big cup of Joe. I emptied my requisite 4 creams in my cup and poured Full on caffeine in my cup. When I got back to the table, Den was there with Kenna's waffle which he helped her make and asked her if she wanted guava or orange juice. Guava juice? Guava juice? Pretty exotic, dontcha think?

So, I had to get up and get my Guava something (there were two fruits involved in this puppy) juice. I'll try to get more tomorrow and post what the second juice was....but lemme tell ya this: It's the best damn juice I think I ever drank! It was like nectar to the Gods and I'm not joking.

The next oops I made was assuming that those cubed potatoes were dry or bland. They were so spicy and yummy-not at all bland or dry. Two helping later I was very pleased. Eggs were bleh but the potatoes, divine. The peaches and strawberries were a surprise as well. Fresh and yum. Overall a much better showing than most "breakfast included" places go. Brava, Ayres Hotel and Spa, Brava!

Now, there is supposed to be an included nightly Manager's reception and I saw none tonight but the hotel is touting this: "yea, there's no papers delivered due to the observed State Holiday" today. But tomorrow I want a generic house glass of Vino and a monotonous assortment of appies. Oh, that's right. Tomorrow we're going to Kathy Griffin and her Mom Maggie's book signing. Drats, foiled again, but by Wednesday evening I'll be searching for said drinks and appies, Ayres!

Oh, yes, the Opa! Part: McKenna loves all things Greek so we decided to search for authentic Greek food for her to try. We found a great little place and had Gyros and Hummus with Pita and assorted other Greek items. She liked it, Hey, Mikey, she'll eat anything! (that's quite an exaggeration as she's usually quite picky) but we are happy to say that McKenna had her Greek food and I had some very tasty Pita if I do say so myself!

Overall it was a day of shopping and being chilly. We played cards in the courtyard for quite a while and then sat around the fire pit to stay warm! (wasn't it some 50 degrees hotter just a bit ago? And now we're freezing!) Well, that's why we're here!

Hello Again Long Lost Friend (California!)

I am back after a few month's absence! I love this area so much that I really wish I had unlimited income so I could be here all the time. Well, so the entire family could afford to be here all the time! Except when they wanted to visit somewhere else....which I guess could happen. No, I really can't!

We are staying in a lovely, lovely place here in Mission Viejo. I will include the link to the Hotel. I shall return here again and again if it stays this nice!

http://www.ayreshotels.com/missionviejo_spa/

They are all suite rooms with wonderful amenities. Check out the photo tour on the site. Den is sleeping and not feeling very well, but the other two of us shall venture out soon to view fireworks from the lawn of the hotel! It's a non-balmy 75 degrees high here today. Probably much cooler by now. We walked out of Chili's after our "linner" @ 3 ish and Kenna says: "It's like room temperature out here. Same as inside! I love it and I'm never gonna leave!" Considering it's a 40 degree drop from home, I agree!

Antsy girl is ready to go find some fireworks.....so we shall leave soon to see if we can see them. It's been a few years since I've actually seen them live as I have zero desire to sweat like a piggie while viewing them!

We were going to check out Balboa tomorrow but a friend told me that there are really huge waves hitting through Tuesday so we may re-evaluate our itinerary. We are going to go buy Kathy Griffin's book and stand in line to meet her Tuesday evening in Huntington Beach! Kenna and I love to watch her show! Her Mom Maggie will be there with her book as well. What fun!

Hopefully, we'll have pictures. Well I'm gonna get the camera out and see about these fireworks. More later, friends. Good to be back on here posting!

Oh, and it wouldn't be a 4th of July tribute without mentioning my Aunt Helen. May you and Uncle Ron and Stevie, and Steve and G&G Martin and Johnnie Otto and Patty and ALL the rest of you whom I love on the other side have a rockin' day! I know that you are making everyone wait a half hour after eating to swim and there's enough food for an army! Love you all!

How to be a Father (written from a female perspective;)

What does it take to be a father, dad, pops...daddy, whatever you choose to call yours? My daughter has always called Den Daddy or Dad. I capitalize to show the importance of the person.....he has been there to guide her, shape her, hold her, laugh and cry with her. He has sat in a hospital as she lay recovering from surgery and prayed for her as we've struggled with her issues.

I know that even if Den and I were to not make it as a couple, he would always provide for McKenna. She would be his first priority, as it should be. That thought comforts me. The knowledge that Kenna and Dad have a pretty good relationship makes me very happy. They have some things in common that Mom just doesn't get (or doesn't want to!)...like Phineas & Ferb. Yea, great...glad you guys enjoy it.

Dennis is her protector...the other half of the Parental Guiding Unit. She has such a bond with him that has been forged and shaped as if making a sword of strength. They will sustain this bond for life!

Dennis and I decided to change our entire lives when Kenna was three. Dennis was always on the road, traveling for work and we spent many nights saying "night night" on the phone.....way too many really. Dennis was tired of missing all the big milestones in her life, so we sat down and decided to sell everything we owned and move to Arizona to start over. Den came down first and began looking for a job which would keep him home and at home each and every night. He made sacrifices.

Dennis is a Father. Dennis is a Daddy. Dennis is there for our daughter on a continual basis. She is blessed because of this. She will probably have better relationships with men than girls from broken homes, and she will always have special times with Dad.

My niece Chelsie is graduating from ASU's Honor College this week. She will be a part of three different graduations, one for Honors, one for the entire class of ASU students and one for her college of Criminal Justice. She is also receiving a special award for those students who have had perfect gpa's for each semester they've attended. Pretty special right?

Her Mom is going to be at every graduation...and the open house. Her mom is going to be standing proud and smiling at the shining accomplishments of HER daughter. Chelsie's Father will be there as well....only it won't be her biological father...it will be my Dad. Her Grand Father. Her Bumpa. The special man in her life.

Bumpa deserves the position. He has guided and worried over her, he's "had her back" throughout her entire existence. He has provided monetarily, spiritually and physically for her. He has always offered her advice, help and been proud of her accomplishments.

This blog is entitled How to be a Father. For some men this is an easy formula. There is one basic rule for being a Father....and that is to BE THERE FOR YOUR KIDS. Be there. Whether you have to drive across town or drive/fly across the nation. You have to BE THERE and put in the time..........or you are just a sperm donor.

The Father is the one who laughed and cried and worried and carried and sat with and read stories to and put to bed and drove home from school and taught to drive and......................is THERE. NO MATTER WHAT!

If you aren't being there for your kids, what does that say about you? Is there something more important in your life?

Voluptuous not consumable on prime time? Fox and ABC say NO!

I'm a very curvy woman. I shop at stores which cater to women with lots of curves. I eat, dammit! Okay, I'm eating less these days but even when I am the size I want to get to: I'll still be considered a Plus Sized Woman.

My husband actually told me about this story and I can't believe I hadn't heard about it yet. Apparently, ABC and Fox decided that a Lane Bryant ad was too risque for them to air. Why? You ask? Because they DARED put women in their bras and panties on the commercial. Now, doesn't this happen often with Victoria's Secret? Ah, never! Do they show lots of Little bras and teenie little panties during their annual fashion show? You betcha!

What is the difference? You tell me.....because I'm really sick of being a second class citizen. What gives anyone the right to say that the beautiful model from the Lane Bryant ad is any less of a person of beauty than the women modeling for Vicky's?

Discrimination is running rampant in many parts of the country right now based on Ethnicity but nobody ever talks about the discrimination that fat people go through every day of their lives. In fact, except for in very few places, it's quite legal to discriminate based on weight. Yup. Legal.

I will NOT fly Southwest Airlines due to their "buy two seats" mentality. Is it fair? If I buy three seats for myself, my daughter and my husband, even though we fit across the three seats well, they say my daughter is entitled to her own whole seat...and they would make both myself and my husband buy second seats. Your money may be refunded if the plane isn't full............right.

My problem with this is that it IS an unfair regulation. Does a person who is six feet, five inches and knocks the back of my seat the whole flight have to buy the seat in front of him? No. I've never heard of that happening. Does the person who talks to you annoyingly during the entire flight have to buy the seat next to them so you don't have to listen to their inane chatter? Nope. Never heard of that. Does the screaming baby get a second or third seat to accommodate all the screaming. HA! They don't usually even have to have a ticket for that child.

So, why does the fat person get the discrimination? Because our society lets them get away with it. Society allows fat people to be ridiculed by comedians, discriminated against by employers, and basically left to fend for ourselves.

I'm here, I'm fat. Get used to it!

It's a Sunday kind of thing....

Looks like Sunday is my day to post! I'll try to get better about going so long between posts. This past week has been full of ups and downs for me. Mentally, physically and every other -ly! I went to my yearly women's physical a while ago and had what my Doc called a "funky" in office little EKG. So she made me wear a Holter monitor for 24 hrs. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I guess it has kind of scared me to think there's something up with my heart. Sometimes I over think things and sometimes I just don't think about things that are really bothering me so I think I've been doing a little of both on this subject!

This same week, McKenna had her 24 hr. EEG monitor. Hers was MUCH more intrusive and bulky so we basically came home with her get up on and hung out together the whole time. She did really well and I was so proud! We rewarded ourselves (though I am trying super hard never to reward with food ;) by going to Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert. It is a heavenly place near her Docs and has been on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Worth the trip to anyone near Phoenix! Their food is very organic, they have their own Agritopia Farm for all the produce and they purchase free range chicken and really awesome grass fed beef. It's still a burger joint, but with a twist!

I have fallen for their Grilled Chicken with...oh, I'm gonna go steal their description. BRB.

"Pesto Chicken Sandwich" Fresh thyme-marinated Chicken, Swiss, roasted red bell pepper, grilled mushrooms, farm-made Pecan Pesto. Now their site says Swiss...but it is actually Fontina and it is huge and heavenly! Their fries are made fresh as well. Oh, just go look at their page and then plan to visit! I may start reviewing lovely dining places around here as well!
www.joesfarmgrill.com

So I've been slowly trying to eat healthier and lose some weight. I have to get better about exercise though. The Wii is good but I will be honest and say I don't get it going enough. I've got a goal and I'll let you know if I EVER make it! I count dress size instead of weight. Easier for me. I've gone down four sizes since last year. I want to lose slowly so that is good I think. I've done it just by changing eating patterns.

I will probably lose faster now that I gave up my addiction to Pepsi! Pepsi is my crack and I mean that! I was addicted to soft drinks...but I have been soda pop/carbonation free since I returned from California. Let's see...that's 42 days "sober"! I plan to stay that way.

I won't even address my philosophical opinions on the week at this point. I just got my baby back from Nana and need to snuggle.....more later. Maybe!