WWJD ??

What Would Jodee Do?  I have no idea why, but that is what was in my head in the shower Saturday morning after a long Succulent Summer Sisters' Friday.  

Friday started early with Heather, Trey, and Liz coming by.  

Trey was an excellent addition to the summer sisters.  We ate and gabbed and had a nice time.  Unfortunately, the 3 of them had to leave early.  Right as they were leaving, Aimee and Susan arrived.  They arrived via blue line with a big cooler and Costco pizza in hand.  The passengers on the "L" were really hoping that Aimee and Susan would share their bounty, but luckily they kept it all for us.  

Jodee arrived a little while later, and the wine drinking commenced.

I do have to pause here and tell everyone that Aimee broke one of the sacred Summer Friday night rules.  As I was walking Liz out, I let Aimee and Susan know that the door was open and to make themselves comfortable.  Do y'all remember one of the Summer Sisters Friday night rules said:  walk to the terrace with your eyes closed and ignore my messy home.  Well, Aimee needed a plate and looked in the cabinets for a plate.  Lo and behold, Aimee found the 'hidden' mess.  OY.  Now she wants to come over and organize my cupboards.  Oh Aimee, Aimee, Aimee, you were supposed to ignore the mess.

Camel was in her party dress for the evening. 

 Aimee was really hoping that she had to use the bathroom so that she could use the Poo Log (a very special birthday gift from Don).

Tracy finally arrived from Indy after bad traffic and some confusion arriving in my 'hood. It was so great to see her again. She always cracks me up.
I received some great birthday gifts: a peace t-shirt, roses, an orange phonebook, a phone wallet thingy (I think that is how they advertise it), and a cool wallet/pouch. How lucky I am to have such caring, generous, beautiful women in my life.

I am upset with myself. I did not count how many bottles of wine we drank. Normally, that is not so important, but I will explain later why it's important this night.

Susan asked if I had any red pepper for the pizza. Here is the red pepper I have. There is so much of it, it needs its own chair.
Do y'all remember the blog entry I just wrote about hating flip flops? Well look at this solidarity and support for my cause that these summer sisters showed up with.  Can you tell which shoe/foot is mine?

Ignacio was able to join us for an hour or so, and Jodee and Ignacio love to discuss politics and started right in.

I guess we had a really good time and here is the part where I'm sorry I didn't count all the wine bottles. I think the Summer Friday concluded at 12:30 or so. Jodee had to leave her car and come back for it the next day because it wouldn't have been a good idea for her to drive home.
And poor, dear Aimee.   Aimee, Aimee, Aimee. She was umm, how shall I say it? Incapacitated all Saturday morning. Good thing Tracy was spending the weekend at Aimee's house. Scottie Too Hottie was out of town, and poor Ella need someone to take care of her. Aimee was having a little gathering at 2pm on Saturday, and I am aware that at 1pm, she was still sleeping. I don't know how Saturday went, but I sure hope Aimee was feeling better. CHEERS!

The Fall of me

Alrightie then, let's see if I can put this into words.

I am ready for fall. Summer provides so much pressure for me. In Chicago, we cram so much into the three months of summer, and it is a lot of work... and GUILT.

When the weather is nice, we are expected to go out and enjoy it. The warm weather leads to less clothing, sandals, and swimming.

Less clothing: JUST GREAT! I have gained weight and less clothing means less opportunity to hide the bigger butt and abundance of arm flab.

Sandals: OY!! I hate my feet and therefore I don't wear sandals, and it appears I have developed a 'jealousy' of those who can. However, pretty feet or not....flip flops are BAD. They are bad for your feet and, in my humble opinion, do not flatter the legs or your cute summer outfit. And...no one in Paris wears flip flops (and that is how I judge fashion, if they wear it in Paris, then it is A-OK :) ).

Swimsuits: did I mention I have gained weight? My mother has a pool in her backyard. I have two of those "look 10 pounds slimmer" swimsuits (YEAH RIGHT), one has two pieces- a tankini kind of thing, and the other is a one piece. I have gone swimming two times at her home so far this summer. Those slimming swimsuits are hazardous. They are so damn tight, that they wear me out getting in and out of them. The first time, I wore the tankini. After swimming, I went to the bathroom to change my clothes and in the process of removing the tankini, I got stuck. I was trying to get the top half off over my head, and I got stuck. I started to panic. I had to yell for Ignacio to come and help me get out of the torture device (this is not the first time). The second time I went swimming at my mom's house, I wore the one piece. At least the one piece doesn't make me panic, but I do have to take a break mid-way of putting the suit on. It just wears me out. Hey Nat--- just lose weight! Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say.

This summer I have been wearing skirts because my pants are too tight. In order not to have 'chub rub' (inner thighs rubbing together uncomfortably), I wear Ignacio's boxer briefs under my skirts. It's a great relief. Hey Nat-- just lose weight! Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say.


When the weather is nice, if I don't go out and enjoy it, I feel guilty. I welcome a rainy day where I have to stay inside. I can read or knit, and not feel guilty.

The lakefront is filled with happy, healthy people jogging and bike riding in the great weather. I hate them all. Joggers just piss me off. I have trouble running across the street, and here are people running for miles just for the fun of it. Skinny bitches. Yes, I have resulted to calling skinny women 'bitches'. If they are skinny and pretty, they must be bitches, right? They can't have it all, that just wouldn't be fair.

Summer says: you should be outside enjoying the weather and being happy.
I just don't want to. I don't want to feel the pressure of having to be happy. Of having to go outside to take advantage of our short summers.

Fall, please come soon. I want to wear my scarves (to hide my boobs), jackets/blazers (to hide flabby arms and boobs), fuller pants (to hide the hips).

Listen, I could show my ankles all day long. They are hot! But the rest? Meh. Hey Nat-- just lose weight! Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say.

I want to stay inside and read and knit and watch movies. I don't want to feel guilty for doing so.

"Sun, sun, go away, come back another year."

Summer says: be happy! Well, sometimes it's not so easy to be happy.

Let me hibernate. Is there any rain in the forecast? I'm running out of boxer briefs.

Obsession

I am in love with the show So You Think You Can Dance. Right now, they are showing season 5. In season 3, there was such a beautiful, touching piece. It is choreographed by Emmy award winning Mia Michaels. Mia lost her father to cancer, and this piece is about her and her father, and the two of them getting to meet in heaven for a brief time. Please take a look.

Succulent Friday

This past Friday was a very succulent one.

We got off to a rough start. I met Susan, Aimee, Ella G*, Roman, and Crispin at their car. Aimee started getting the stroller loaded and realized that she forgot Ella G's diaper bag which meant no diapers, no pj's, no bottle, etc. So Aimee said she needed to go back home to get the bag. I suggested she just go to Target. She went to Target, and the evening was saved. I was just thankful that Aimee remembered the pizza and wine and only forgot the diaper bag.


Crispin and Roman had on these really cool t-shirts. (of course they were cool, I made them). Ella was wearing a cute dress and I wish they had it in my size!

Aimee brought this kick-ass pizza from Costco. Day-amm, that thing was good. Susan made some really yummy guacamole, and Jodee made pesto and brought wine and Champagne. I contributed Garrett's popcorn and sweet potato chips. It was a very delicious smorgasbord.


I was very amused when I glanced at the table to find a diaper sitting on a plate. Has succulent summer sister Fridays resorted to this? Yes! And isn't it wonderful? Good food, good drink, good gossip, and no cares.


You know what the best thing is about these Fridays? The leftovers. I feel like Homer Simpson. "Yum...peeeesssssttttooo." Guacamole coma. Ignacio got a hold of the last piece of pizza. Shit.


The next Succulent Summer Sisters Friday night will not be until August 14. I am hoping that we will have a very special guest.



*Ella G is her celebrity name

Forf of July

Normally, on the 3rd of July, a lot of the gang comes over after the downtown fireworks to wait out traffic.  This year, since Aimee is a mom, a lot of our normal activities aren't normal anymore.  So, this year, our gathering was MUCH smaller.  It was Jodee, me, and Ignacio.  We ate and drank wine.  Then, we ate and drank wine.  Later, we ate and drank wine.  I haven't drank that much wine in a long, long time.  I can remember that at the end of the night, Jodee, Ignacio, and I were doing ballet on the terrace.  I can't think of a better way to end the night, can you?

Camel vs Piccolo

For those of you who don't know, in addition to my two cats, Piccolo and Sweetness, I got a dog, Camel on mother's day.  Here is what happens when you have 2 cats and a dog.

FLIP

A big thank you to Jodee. She helped me get this cool little video camera. Now all I have to do is think of ideas on how to use it. When I saw Jodee yesterday, I told her I was thinking of ideas. One of my ideas was to interview one person at each dinner. That way, each month someone will be featured. Nothing fancy, nothing long. Just fun. And then, I can add an interview to each blog post. Hmmm....what shall I ask you?