It Obviously Runs in the Family

My mom’s side of the family is always full of jokes. They are pull pranks on each other and say smart comments to each other all the time. Naturally, I experienced this as I was growing up since this behavior was transmitted to our immediate family. With that said – it apparently has also been transmitted to Juan Ma. Here’s the story of how I got a dose of my own medicine this morning:

This morning Juan Ma was flying out at 10:00am from Atlanta airport. He and Michelle came to our house last night to spend the night (half way to the airport). As they were setting their alarm we were discussing morning traffic in Atlanta and whether they should leave the house at 6:30am or 6:00am to be at the airport by 8:00am. They ended up leaving the house at 6:15am.

At 7:54am this morning I send a text to Juan Ma: Hola Juan Ma! Where about are y’all?
At 8:09am he replied: Stuck in traffic.

I flipped out in my head. All I could think about was how stressed Michelle must be. And how he might miss his flight. And are they in traffic at Stonecrest where traffic bottle necks? Or are they already at 285?

Right when I was thinking about whether or not I should call them to find out the answers to the above my phone rings… it’s Juan Ma calling and the time is 8:09am.

Fern: Juan Ma – where ARE y’all??????
Juan Ma: at the airport about to check in
Fern: ……………
Juan Ma: did I scare you?
Fern: YES!
Juan Ma: hahahahahahahha

Labyrinthine Mind

We all know those people who when asked "What's he like?" you find yourself at a loss of words. You can start with: he's well rounded, he's intelligent, he's funny. But then you end up saying "you just really have to meet him".

That's how I often feel about my little brother - it is nearly impossible to describe him accurately. He is a newly ordained (one year ago) Catholic priest and to his parishioners he's Father Pablo. To me (besides being the typical little brother...) he is a great man with both feet firmly grounded, he's full of life, creativity, initiative... he is also a blogger!

And although I have his blog listed as one that I follow, today I am posting about it because I want to share it on the main page of my blog. Go check it out. It will give you excellent food for thought: Labyrinthine Mind

Inexplicable Feelings

There is something about summer that I am having a very difficult time finding words for. I just don’t know how to describe what this season of the year brings with it. I think somewhere between the extended hours of sunlight that bring afternoon freedom and the warm (or scorching hot) days with the sun shining (or burning) down is where this inexplicable feeling lives.

I don’t know what it is about summer. All I know is that I love it – even as an adult. As kids we love summer for obvious reasons: no school, no responsibilities. But when we grow up and get jobs and have to work year-round (except for when we go on vacation) the weeks, the months, and the seasons all seem to run together.
Not here – I look forward to summer the minute it starts getting cold. And when summer finally gets here I enjoy every single minute of it. Is it hot? Yeah – 108 degree heat index (as I type this). Is it muggy? Yeah – 65% humidity.
Is this feeling happiness? Is it freedom? Is it serenity? Maybe it is a strange longing to be out in the sun, enjoying the warm weather every minute possible. Who knows.

One Bowl

I love watching this:



I guess she's always been after his bowl...

A Bad Bad Bad Novel - Part 2

Here is the continuation to the bad bad bad novel.

We went home and waited. They showered and I blogged. Once it got to be 8:00pm I realized I was not going to get to go to Michelle's house to participate in the birthday feast. So I proceeded to eat a tuna salad sandwich...

Finally the towing truck got here and he was able to safely drive down to the scene:


And pulled the car out - it was dragged like a little toy car! Check out where the tire had gotten stuck.


There will be no more trips to the pond as long as we're around this neighborhood.

The End.

A Bad Bad Bad Novel

There are situations in life where you feel stuck in a bad novel. You pause for a second and think: how did I get stuck here? What am I doing here and how am I going to get myself out?

Today I was driving to Michelle's house for Juan Ma's birthday dinner and got a phone call... my mom, Pablo and my mom's friends were stuck on a dirt road that leads to the pond of the new neighborhood. They needed me to turn around because they needed the cardboard in the back of my car.

Thoroughly frustrated, I turned around at the new spaghetti junction (not an easy task to do or think through) and drove back.

I drove down the sandy road and finally found them. As I turned me car off, I paused and observed the scene (I really wish I had taken a picture). I saw something out of a bad bad bad novel.

They were literally in the middle of the woods and it was hot, it was muggy, ants and bugs were everywhere. The front part of the car had gotten stuck so everybody was trying to dig it out.


[These were taken before I got there]

Thoroughly confused (and still frustrated) I approached the scene and found this:



We tried that and did not work, the tire started smoking actually... so the mastermind behind the strategies gave it some thought and finally we all broke down and decided to use the cardboard to help create traction.


That did not work either. Pushing did not work either. We even thought about piling on the trunk to create leverage, but then realized it was too dangerous and someone could potentially get run over.

Pablo ended up calling the road side assistance. We locked the car, everybody piled up in my car and we left. Now we wait.

The End

[I guess it could be: To be continued...]

It's All Looks

Remember this post?

Well, last night I started a list. It only had two things: napkins and fly swatter (ours has gone missing, no idea how). This time it was in a bright neon pink post it pad (not note, but pad).

I left it next to the refrigerator - which seems to be the [inappropriate] home base for all lists. This morning we wake up and I go to add clothes detergent to the list:

Me: Love, have you seen the list?
Norm: It's next to the fridge
Me: PELLET!!!!!

Then I walk past Cali's cage and see this:

You might have to click on the picture to zoom in and see the bright neon pink pieces of paper...

So now I'm confused. Can Cali reach the counter if she puts her heart to the jump? Did Pellet knock the post it notes off the counter and then Cali grabbed it from him? (she's good at that).

Even worse... did Cali eat the list from this post and I blamed Pellet?

Who knows. If I owned a video camera I'd set them up and turn it on every night until I figured out what was going on. Until then...

Favorite Spot

In the last few weeks we've come to find out that Pellet has an all-time favorite spot on the porch. He loves to lay on the porch right outside the kitchen door.


Our house sits right on the bend of the road and this part of the porch is right on the corner of the house (facing the road) so Pellet lays there and watches the cars go by.


Then, when you come outside and pet him (when Cali is not around), he gets on his back and lets you rub his belly.



This laying on his back thing is also part of the morning routine:

1. Dogs (mainly Cali) wake up Fern and Norm.
2. Either Fern or Norm get up and let Cali out the back door.
3. Pellet lays by the food and water bowls (he's got a bladder the size of Siberia).
4. When Fern or Norm walk past the food and water bowls Pellet rolls on his back and asks for his belly to be rubbed.
5. This happens every.single.morning. Just like that.

Our pups are great!

Overcoming the Fears

Today I went tubing in the lake for the first time. Ever.

Just about all I had been hearing from Norm and friends lately was about how much fun tubing is. So today, thanks to encouragement from our close group of friends (it really was encouragement, not to be confused with peer pressure... that's so 8th grade) I got on the tube - AND LOVED IT!

It was so much fun (although my arms feel like jell-o, I lost an earring and I got a cut on my ankle). Thanks to them I overcame the fear of getting on the tube (and getting in the lake).

I'd type a longer post but for reasons stated above I physically cannot.

UPDATE: Video of Juan Ma and I tubing - this was my first time. Pay attention to the very end - this is when we got knocked off. It was lovely.