I was remiss while away and did not get in a single post or flow.  Our group spent a lot of time by the pool eating, laughing, drinking and counting our lucky stars.
Thanks to one of the group, we were lucky to be staying at the Fairmont Heritage Place in Acapulco.  We stayed in an amazing 3500 square foot outstanding villa with our own plunge pool and  resident Crabby McCrab in the outdoor shower.  The property was spectacular.  If I could pick it up and move it home, I would.  More importantly the property was safe.
That said, safety is a concern in Acapulco.  We were warned about and learned quickly about using only “safe taxis”, checking in with the armed guards before walking on the beach.  Got used to armed security protecting us on the “other side of the gate” of our resort while we waited for the hotel shuttle.  We sure weren’t in Kansas any more Toto.
We are so very very blessed to live in Canada.  For sure, we are not perfect and have poverty, and exploitation that occurs here.  But nothing like the acts of violence that happen in Mexico.  So happy to be home safe and sound

Just a quick post today as I run around like a chicken with its head cut off running last minute errands and cleaning our house before we head to the sunny south in the ungodly hours of tomorrow morning.
Yesterday I got my self cleaned up and headed into Effortown for a consultation with the new hair artist.  Yip…December 12 will be my official day to become a cheater.  If all works well, I won’t have this wonderful stripe of blonde then a mix of brown and grey hair lol!  Fingers crossed on that one, growing out will now supposedly not result in la stripe.
The “artist” I will be cheating with come with a lower price point that my old stylist, not much but some.  Why is it that women have to pay through the nose for hair care and guys don’t  Thoughts?

Ok I give up!  I have no idea how to be the parent of adult children.  My white flag is in the air..that’s it, I am done.
I attended an event last week where an acquaintance shared with me that she admires the way we raised our children and that we are their friend.  I thanked her very much but was a thinking to myself, really?  Their friends?  We raised our family away from any members of our immediate family for many reasons, none of which i will go into here.  We didn’t have much but were rich in our own minds because we had our little family.  We went everywhere together, a hockey game for anyone one of them, there we were.  Figure skating, yip there they are again.  Vacation?  A road to trip to Florida, Northern Ontario, sure can we all come and bring the dogs?  Joined at the hip.
We moved to the middle of nowhere and things changed a little.  My husband wasn’t at home as much as he was making his way in the big smoke but when he could we were all out to support each other again.  Our friends I think like hanging with our kids, playing with our kids even now that they are all grown and trying to find their own ways.  But how, pray tell how in the heck do you blend possible life partners into a group that has been this close without there being issues?  How do you discuss it without someone deciding that you are an ogre and not just trying to find a way to grow the family amicably.
I failed at it miserably in the last 48 hours if any one ever reads this and has the magic answer let me know

Today I began to pack for my very first carry on only trip  that I will be taking  very soon with the merry band of travelers that I often have the opportunity to play with.  For this trip one of the gang was able to snag  5 nights in a Hacienda at the Fairmont Heritage Place in Acapulco, when asked  it took my husband and I about 2.5 seconds to say Si, to this one!  We will have access to a washer and dryer so packing should be a breeze right?
I have a great Lug carry on that has been getting a work out lately.  I have a couple of skorts, capris, one pair of longish shorts, some shirts,my toiletries. Was feeling good, organized – and then I had a nasty thought, I need bathing suits.  O . M. G.  Bathingsuits.  As I have mentioned before I am a 50 something woman who is trying to get healthy and in shape.  I don’t want to be skinny, I want to be strong and healthy, those who know we would share that I am a bit of a klutz.  I need the strength to stay upright lol.   Here’s the thing, I talk a good talk but don’t follow up with the game, ya know what I mean?  I tried on a one piece bathing suit, strolled into the kids bathroom (where the best mirror is) and did my best not to cry.  How the heck did that happen to me, back in the day I was an athlete, now I look like a sackalete.
I need a game plan, I have trips booked that will require me to be strong, agile even (GASP I hear the crowd).  I need to get strong for me.  Ok, here it goes walking with our 2 dogs to the top of the road and back daily is not enough.  I need to add some more using my body weight, some cardio.  Feeling good that I can walk longer and faster than 2 ten year old dogs should not feel like an accomplishment.  So, Sunday morning first day of vacay, I am going to get up and go for a walk on the beach, a long walk.  I will find a place to try out some flows, no where where anyone can see me of course, now THAT would be embarrassing.  My downward dog looks like a, geez I can not even think of the words to describe it. Add some squats, some lunges…ya, I can do this.  My first goal – excercise on a vacation that is supposed to be for me time.
I suck at me time, but now its here in black and white.  Will keep you (if anyone else is out there) posted

For the past 10 years or so KB, a good friend of mine and I have taken road trips to pick up, return my kids to their universities and colleges both in the good ole USA and here in Canada.  Some have been eventful, hearing the drag slap, drag slap of what turned out to be a pregnant hooker walking home in her shoes that were too big (drag slap!) with her pimp riding up, down and around the street on his bicycle at 5:30 a.m in a quiet little mid west town. Getting caught in the middle of a street biker gang intimidating a grid locked group of cars at 2:30 in the morning in downtown Chicago.  I could go on – but perhaps another installment.  Last April we took what we thought would be our last trip – this one to the east coast of Canada to a beautiful town located in the Annapolis Valley.  My baby girl was graduating, soon to leave the nest , err country to begin a year of travel. All. By. Her. Self GULP!!!!   Mother alligator tears!!    KB and I had come to take back to the middle of nowhere in Ontario all things baby girl just had to hold onto, as well as the winter tires for her car.  Said car would return with the girl.    We had some fun in the valley, great hikes, good food, learned that we like Cider thank you Annapolis Valley Cider company and then headed home.  KB and I were both sad when we said goodbye at the parking lot, she to head back up to her beautiful home me to the middle of nowhere.  Our last university/college road trip was over, never to be repeated.
Move forward four months, while everyone thought the baby girl was preparing to  spread her wings and fly to the UK to begin her travels; she had  in fact applied to a new program at a different university on the east coast.  Lo and behold, she was accepted and would begin a B. ED program in September.   WOOT!!!!   KB and I are gonna get at least 2 more road trips!!!   I mean, way to go baby girl!!!
Last week KB and made another trip, returning to the east coast most of the stuff we had dragged back to Ontario in April and only managing to get lost once.  We don’t get to see each other that much and have a lot to catch up on…we chat, look for what ever nature chooses to show us (this is where our kids would tell you how lame we are..HAWK!!).  We stop for food breaks which are really just disguised pee breaks as we are of that age.  This time our first thought that something was amiss was when we had to slow down – next thought, a traffic light on the highway what’s going on?!?  WTF?  We found a place to pull off the road, figured out how to use the GPS of the car we were driving and realized we had managed to find ourselves an hour and a half off the highway.  We still don’t know how we ended up in the middle of farm country in Quebec but we did make it back to where we should have been eventually…never could figure out how to get the GPS to talk to us.
Today, baby girl takes her next step in growing up, she begins her first practicum.  She has stressed over her lesson plans, shopped for just the perfect clothes to make her look like “real teacher” and posted selfies this morning of her full look to our family What’s App account.   One giant step toward adulthood and getting off the payroll of Mom and Dad.  Btw…she did get a little time in the UK before school began I think it lit the travel bug.


Hey Baby Girl – You will rock it today!

I’m thinking about cheating….on my hairstylist. I have been a faithful client for about 8 years now.  His salon is located in Effortown, the type of salon that you worry about whether or not you are dressed appropriately and have make up on ya know?  The kind of place where if you don’t dress “up”, the staff is better dressed than you.
Now that said, when you walk in it has a lovely calm atmosphere, you are offered tea or coffee, water.  On occasion, you are offered a taste of some sort of food that “you just have to try!”  We, myself and my daughters feel like we have become part of the family; and being part of the family you don’t really have a say in what happens to your hair.
I remember a couple of years ago when Baby girl came home for Christmas and declared she needed a hair cut, it proboably went like this, “Mom, I need to get my hairs cut!”  Yip, hairs, all of them not just one..she thinks she is sooooo funny!  Anyhoo…we took the extra time to get ready…drove into Efforttown and had said cut performed.  Just a bit cut off , just the ends please.  Next thing ya know, the whole way home I heard “but now I look like a soccer Mom”.  Just what every 20 year old wants to look like, lol.
I have been coloring my hair for a long, long, long time…I was blonde when I first entered the salon and was quickly “updated” to dark brown.  Like a goof, I faithfully strolled into the salon every 6 weeks for a touch up.  Leaving enough money each time that it caused more than a little bit of marital anxiety.  Having been retold (told I was retiring – gee thanks employer!) keeping that schedule was not going to work.
Just what color was my hair, I mean, really really?  I took a four month hiatus from color and cut to find the truth.  Wow!  I real hair color was no where as dark as they were taking me, and not just because of the grey dear invisible readers!  Yes, yes, there was grey but not a ton.  Into Efforttown I go.  Salon guy was a bit pissy that I hadn’t been in, told him I wanted to grey gracefully and showed him a cool bob cut I wanted.  Can you do this?  Sure, sure, it will be easy he said.  Guess what?  Came out looking like a Soccer Mom with hooker blonde hair?!?
Its time I think to try something new…to cheat.  I am soooo nervous of this…Can I do it?

I have been contemplating beginning this blog for quite some time.  To be honest, I have no idea how to do this – be prepared for new blogger errors!  I began submitting reviews to Trip Advisor a number of years ago, I was finding planning trips for my family to be a bit on the challenging side and thought perhaps my two cents worth could assist others.  How the heck did that lead to this you ask?  I don’t have a clue lol.  I am a 50 something year old woman who is trying to have fun, get healthy, work out,  figure out this how to parent adult children thing, travel and figure out my next steps.  Whew!  Holy run on sentence Batman!  My husband, 2 dogs,a negotiable number of children and I live in Ontario, Canada in the middle of nowhere but in the middle of everything.  You know, that place between two towns where you decide which town you are going to shop in is determined by how much effort you want to put into yourself that day.  Lets call the two towns Effortown and Waayyyy to Comforabletown from here on in.
I have taken the blogging plunge here on this day as it just felt “right”, time to stop thinking and start doing.  I have no idea if anyone other than me will read this blog, but if a miracle happens and someone finds this – I hope it puts a smile on their face, makes them chuckle or prompts further thought.  I am going to try to write a little something here each day.  Let the emptynesteralmost game begin!  Hope I don’t bore you to death :)