Memorial Day fun

God bless Dlisted.com

I'm feeling good about the cheeseburger I ate last night. As my grandfather would say, she could give a man splinters.

 Go here for even more ridiculousness behind this picture.

Prisoner of war

The pitfalls of being the youngest Dilbeck.

 

PS- The third part is him getting squirted by a water gun. Please, refrain from calling CPS.

Road trippin'--mining town edition

We wanted to go somewhere for Memorial Day weekend, but we weren't sure where, how long, and all that jazz. We would just sit home staring at each other unless someone (ahem) planned the vacations, and considering I was wasted from graduation and end-of-year chaosity, it looked likely we were on for an epic staring contest.

My parents called and invited us on a meandering road trip on highways none of us have traveled. My parents would continue on to Tucson, we decided to wait and see where we would end up. Honestly, I'd rather move to Yuma than spend a night in Tucson, but the summer time crazies have hit and I was feeling open to anything.

We got on the road and headed towards Globe.

At the start, there was a lot of this.

We stopped in Superior to check out some antique stores. Cash was just as excited as his dad.

All of the cities we went through used to be busy mining towns, but now they are practically ghost towns. I adore the time machine effect being in these places. 

Maybe I don't need a trailer. I could just get an apartment in one of these downtown stretches for $20 a month.

We headed on to Globe and had lunch at one of our favorite places. Seriously, we drive to Globe just to eat here. 

I attempted to get a "proof" pic that Jeff and I were together, outside of our home, doing something fun.

We tried.

We continued on to a variety of antique stores. It's hit or miss in this area. Most of them are wannabe antique places--they border more on novelty. Proof: the hat.

We kept driving and meandered down the 77 through foresaken towns and landscape that inspired every freaking Western. I didn't get a lot of those pictures because I was easily entertained by other things.

ewwwwwww

When we got to Oracle, home of the Biosphere 2 and a stone's throw from Tucson, we chickened out and decided to say bye to my parents and go home.

Partly because things went from this

to this.

But mainly because I am a party pooper.

It was nice to get out of town for a few minutes. Next up, the bestie and I are going to LA for an Adele concert and general mischief. Ahhh, summer.

Coupon Confessional

Guys, I don't know how to say this: I am couponing. 

Let me be clear, the boys' closets are not crowded with cereal, I don't have enough tampons to last me through the apocalypse, and I am not pre-ordering pallets of candy and juice.

A lot of this is coming from a place of necessity. You see, at the end of the school year I get one "big" check that is supposed to last me the summer. Not only has my paycheck decreased, but our summer "bonus" is nil. Momma is nervous.

After watching the ridiculous shows on extreme couponing and seeing these people's asinine stockpiles (my favorite is the guy with a wall o' toothpaste), I decided I could at least start saving on things we needed. 

I started a little bit here and there, and within the last week I have had some big moments. It culminated tonight when I hit up the grocery store (with only one cart, thank you very much). I offered the woman behind me with a couple items in her hands to go in front of me, but she took one look at my notebook and my envelope of coupons, and said, "No, I'm good. I have to see this."

After everything was scanned, the guy did my coups. When he was done he kept scrolling through the register. He looked at me, he looked at my bags, he looked at the screen. "I don't know why, but you got a lot of stuff for free."

He must not watch that show and he must be new to his job.

Anyway, by the time he printed my receipt the lady behind me was doing the awkwardly-close-in-line-thing. As I was leaving she asked him how much I paid for the cart of groceries.

$26. Boom.

Thanks, Fry's.

I'm coming for you next, Walgreens.

Look what I found.

I think this will become a series for my thrift store challenge, because the stuff I have found defies imagination.

A classy top...

 in the LITTLE GIRL'S section...

with a creepier brand behind it.

 Celeste, Rachel, Cassandra...you are the friends with daughters that came to mind. Anyone calling dibs?

Heaven

We celebrated Mother's Day at my parent's house with my long-lost cousin and her family. (More on said cousin tomorrow.)

There was much eating, catching-up, playing, reminiscing, etc.

At one point I found myself laying on the swing in the backyard with Bradley. All I could see was the blue sky through the branches and leaves of the neighbor's tree. The sky was so blue and the wind sounded like perfection through the tree. I sensed my baby so close to me and we were both quiet and still.

I laid there with him absolutely sure that in that moment I was experiencing heaven. Whatever heaven is, that was it: the smell of his hair, the sound of the wind, the blue brilliance.

That moment of peace was absolutely divine. The timing was magnificent.

Sleeping beauties

Jeff tells me I sleep the same way.

I am glad I don't have to sleep with me. I don't even know if that makes sense, but you know what I mean.

Reunited

Many moons ago my cousin, Rika, came to live with us from Japan. She didn't speak Engrish very well, so I promptly taught her all the cuss words. (To be fair, when we went to Disneyland she taught me inappropriate phrases to mutter around the Japanese tourists.)

After I returned from England we rented a house together. Some people called it a brothel since we both started dating our now husbands while living there. TMI? I thought we were all adults.

We became really close and she is like a sister to me.

Yelling at me, like always.

 Skinny bitch.

FYI, I am 8 months pregnant here and clearly feeling good about being surround by size 2 types.

Then her ridiculously wonderful husband took her away from Arizona and dragged her all over the world while he did super secret missions with the Air Force.

She doesn't come to town very often, but Mark (the ridiculously wonderful husband) and Rika came to town before they move to Virginia. They should be on their way back to Arizona in 3 years. The countdown has commenced.

Haircut Ham

Cash got a haircut and proceeded to mug for the camera.

His hair reminds me of a senior citizen, former military man after a nap.

I told the chick who cut his hair to cut his bangs just above his eyebrows. Is there another set of eyebrows I am not familiar with?