Open Letter to My Sister

Dear Brandi,

I don't know wether or not you read this, but hopefully this message will find you. This morning I dressed Lily in the shirt that you gave her at my baby shower and I sat and cried while she played. I hate that you are missing this time with Lily when you are so close.

Daddy tells me that you've gotten the jackass out of your life. If this is true please call us. I'm not mad at you, I never was.

Love,

Shelley

Funny Lily

Lily LOVES Zelda! and they both love me. I am sitting at the computer and both my babies have to be on my lap!

Lily is so cool in her chair! She goes right to it and rocks and rocks. She is going to love this chair for a long long time! (see how good I am that it now matches the other furniture?!)

This week she is into hats and bracelets. Forget all the new toys she got for her birthday, she has to play with mommy's bracelets.

and I think she is either getting a new perspective on life or maybe trying to be a gymnast, one or the other.

She wore the hood up ALL DAY!

My trip to NYC

Four nights in New York and it has been six nights since returning and I am STILL so tired and not even caught up yet! NYC was awesome! I have always wanted to go there and it was so much better than I expected.

Tonya and I stayed with a friend from here who moved up there about 6 months ago. He lives in New Rochelle and runs a bar in Manhattan so we got to experience riding the train right from the start. We flew in at night and it worked out well that another friend lives in NYC and volunteered to pick us up from the airport because Dan had to work. So, Rob picked us up and took us to the bar where Dan works and then we rode the train back to New Rochelle. We got in about midnight and the last train leaves at 1:57 so we had enough time for a beer.

The next morning we went to the trade show so Dan rode with us into the city and from there we were on our own. Thank goodness he was there though because we wouldn't have known what to do by ourselves! He told us how to identify the cabs that are available and told us how to give the directions to where we were going. We hailed a cab and got there, but unfortunately Dan had given us directions to the wrong place! We needed to go to Pier 92 on the Hudson and he sent us to Chelsea piers which happen to be Piers 58-60. So, we hailed another cab.

The trade show was fun. I have very minimal trade show experience so I really learned alot. It was also nice to finally meet some of the people that I have been working with for a year now and only corresponding via email and telephone. Everyone was really cool, really friendly and I got a bunch of new leads and new suppliers.

We cut out a little early and headed back to Dan's bar. We had a couple of cocktails and then Dan got off work and showed us around a little. That night we got a kick because one of our old bar backs from O'Malley's came and met us for dinner. Here we were in NYC and having dinner with two old friends from Hollywood! This happened to be the same day that the water main exploded and so we weren't able to ride the subway to Grand Central to get the train back, we had to take a cab to Grand Central instead.

The next day Dan joined us on the train again and we had lunch at a diner near Union Square. We got a subway pass and a map and Dan left us on our own to find our way around. We went to see the statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. We got to the trade show by subway and then walking the last 10 blocks. We did some more buying and finished up so that we didn't have to go back the next day. Then, we went to Times Square and wandered all over the city. Then that night Dan's fiance came into the city and met us for cocktails and we had a great time.

Friday, our last day in the city. After sleeping in, we took the train into town on our own and found our way around with no problems. We found the lingerie company that I am trying to buy some sexy costumes from for my costume shop and it just happened to be on the top floor of a building right near the Empire state building and the guy was so cool as to take us out on the roof to get a great view. Then we took the subway to Greenwich Village and got a little lost. We didn't realize that we were lost until after walking for about 20 minutes we found ourselves at the same subway stop WHERE WE GOT ON! So, we hopped in a cab and told him to take us to the meat packing district. We had dinner at an outdoor cafe and then found Red Rock West. This is one of the Coyote Ugly type bars where the bartenders are also the entertainment dancing on the bar and pouring liquor on guys. It is a biker bar and the people there were really fun. Then we went to another bar that was pretty much the same thing called Hogs and Heifers but the people there were kinda obnoxious. Our next stop was a Rockabilly bar called Otto's Shrunken Head. This place was really cool! One of the bouncers at Dan's bar bartends there on Friday nights and he had told me about it earlier in the week as soon as he saw my business card. It was a ton of fun and I totally could have sold entire wardrobes to all the people there. I kept dropping business cards everywhere.
Trying to get back on the train by ourselves after visiting so many bars was not very easy and ended up proving to be impossible. Once we got to Grand central, Tonya started running one way and I was insistent that the train was the other way. Well, I was right but once you've missed the train, what really matters right? A $65.00 cab ride and about 45 minutes later we find ourselves back at Dan's but POOPED!
Our flight left EARLY the next morning and it was not a fun ride back.

Birthday MONEY!!!

Lily got a few bucks for her Birthday and since she got a new swimsuit too, we decided to spend her birthday money on a pool!

My dad sent the money with a letter telling Lily to spend it taking her parents out to dinner. Ross and I decided the at a pool would bring us all much more joy than one meal.

The box said "easy 1-2-3 setup" but it took us forever. It took both of us deciphering the instructions for the pump! We got it filled about half a foot when we realized that it was too close to the screen and it leaned up against the pole, so we had to drain all the water back out and start over. My neighbors must think we are insane. I left our bucket at work the other day so we were both standing inside the pool scooping water out into the yard with mixing bowls.

We finally got it up and running and once Lily got up from her nap we had about 20 minutes to play in it before the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in.

So far, I think she is really going to like it. I sure know that Ross, Zelda and I do!

Lily's Birthday

For Lily's birthday we had a little BBQ. It wasn't anything big, just a couple of folks over for some burgers and to sample some Carlsburg. We had a great time and Lily sure made out with some really cool gifts. Ross and I bought her a little toy that has animals that you drop into slots and then there is a set of keys to get the animals back out. Well, it turns out that Ross and I got the worst gift for her because it is way too difficult for her to manipulate. The animals have to be EXACT and the color of the key has to match. I think I'll have to put it away for a few months.

She got several pairs of pajamas (that she really needed)and they are a little big but that is good because she will get lots more wear out of them that way. She got a new bathing suit and several great little stylish outfits that I am having a good time with. I love to dress her up and can't wait for her hair to get long enough for hair bows and ribbons.

Toys- wow they really make great toys now-a-days. She got this giraffe thingy that you put balls in his mouth and they ride around on a slide and come out the bottom. When the ball passes through the mouth it sings and lights up. Lily LOVES it. Another great gift was an airplane to ride. This one has controlls that make the propeller spin and light up and it sings songs too. She loves to push it around or have us push her, but her legs aren't long enough yet to ride it herself. She got a 'little people' train set that sings. This is so funny to me because I remember the 'little people' I had when I was a kid and these are way more advanced. The old ones were just little cylinders with a ball head, these guys are bigger and more detailed. Actually look like people somewhat.

Lily had her own cake and was so funny. She was so dainty about eating it. We were all waiting for her to smash it all over her face but she politely picked up a pinch at a time and for about 10 minutes or so, barely had anything on her face. Then, I guess it must have been once the sugar-rush kicked in, she started picking up hand fulls at a time. It ended up all over her head. I ended up with it all in MY hair too because when I got her out of the seat she took a hand full of my hair and the other hand gripped my shirt...BEFORE I cleaned her hands. It was great though, I am so proud of my baby!

and you see from the picture who REALLY got the treat of Chocolate cake!

She was sweet during the whole party and although she cried a few times when Emily bullied her, she had a blast. Emily was a little better this time about being mean to Lily (she is 10 months older) but she still pushed Lily down a few times. :(

Ross and I (of course) stayed up too late tasting Carlsburgs and playing games so Saturday was a pretty useless day around here. Thank goodness Lily has a bunch of new toys to play with to keep her busy so Ross and I could relax.

365 Days!

Lily is one today! Ross and I are definately more excited about her birthday than she is. I will probably regret this down the road, but I can't wait until she can get excited about her birthday too. This year we got a break because it doesn't really matter about what we get her for a gift or which actual day we celebrate. We also didn't have to hide her gifts from her, she was with us when we shopped and we could wrap them right in front of her.
She picked out a new outfit for herself to buy with her gift card and cash-ola from her cousins in Melbourne and she is going to wear it tonight at her party. I took this picture and video this morning as she was waking up to show how excited she was about being a whole number for the first time in her life.

Birthday gifts

The first picture is of a birthday card from the family in Melbourne and Lily is wearing the backpack that I bought her. She got a gift card to her 2nd favorite store Target (the fabric store is her first favorite because she sometimes gets to walk around out of the cart there and all the ladies know her and coo over her) and some cash-ola. The backpack I picked up for a dollar at JoAnn's and Lily wears it all around with a diaper and wipes in it. She looks so cute with it because she looks like a big girl ready for school.
And the second picture is where yesterday the FedEx guy dropped off a box. I put the box in the middle of the living room and went tot the kitchen to get a knife to open it. I came back around the corner to find Lily on top of the box. Can she really already recognize that Barbie pink? We get big boxes here a couple of times a week for my webstore and she never climbs up on top of those plain brown boxes.
Grandaddy has spoiled her again. He sent her a 6Volt battery powered ATV! This is the smaller version of the power wheels that we drooled over as kids. Lily was excited about it right away. She tried to climb up on it the whole time I was trying to put it together. She pushed it around the living room and everything.
The battery took 14 hours to charge so we didn't get to try it out until this morning, but we got it on video.

She was great. For those of you how can't see the video, she put her hands right on the handlebars and worked the 'go' button right from the start. She was just smiling so big the whole time and drove right into the furniture.
Thankfully the thing goes very slow because she has already tried driving while standing and driving backwards, and it has only been an hour!
It is already super hot outside and it is only 10AM so I'm going to wait until the evening to test it outside. As long as it doesn't rain, things get a little cooler around 7 or so.

MY CHARITY AUCTION....Check it out!

I usually do charity auctions in October for Breast Cancer awareness month, but the space in my "warehouse" (aka my computer room) is getting crowded so I decided to clear out some stuff now. This bag is absolutely beautiful but just hasn't sold well online. I think it is one of those things that is better in person than in a picture. I'd appreciate if you'd forward this listing on to anyone that you think might be interested. Thanks.

Such a big girl...sitting facing the front!

The guidelines for turning the carseat from back-facing to front-facing is over 20 pounds AND one year in age. Well, Lily met the 20 pound goal months ago and even though she has a week left before her first birthday we went ahead and moved her to the big seat. Because we have to ride in the HOT Honda now, I felt like her being backwards was making it even hotter for her. That car doesn't get much relief from the windows being open, but Lily was missing out on it. Sandy had given us a seat, but since we wanted one for each car I had bought this one for her last week and she has been playing with it ever since. I think I need to get her a little Lily sized chair or something.
She was so sweet because as soon as we left the driveway she started laughing. I can only assume that she was enjoying the wind in her face.

Yes, I took this picture from my cell phone while driving, isn't that terrible of me? I'm still concerned about what to do when it rains. The air system has been completely dismantled in that car so the defrost doesn't work either. So, when it rains if you roll the windows up, the Heat isn't the only concern. The windows fog up and there is no way to de-fog them. So, we have to be hot AND wet! I can't wait to get another car!!

O'Malley's Screwed me over yet again

I should have known that it wasn't going to work out.
About a month ago Brian the manager at O'Malley's Ocean Pub (using the whole name so this might hopefully show up in a search)asked me if I'd like to work a beer tub for the 4th of July. I'd always made mad money on the 4th because it is such a beach holiday. Being that O'Malley's ocean pub is located on Hollywood Beach, Florida (maximizing search keywords) it is pretty busy there on the 4th. I happily agreed to work. I loved being a bartender and still wish that I worked there. I had a great time, made great money and there are plenty of really great people who work there and hang out there. So, getting geared up and ready for working today, I spent the last three weeks designing and making a new outfit and making sure to let everyone know they needed to stop in an see me at the beer tub in front of O'Malley's Ocean pub.
Well at about 11AM today, July 4th my friend Veronika calls me to let me know that that Brian had asked her to call me to tell me that they have given the beer tub spot to another girl and thanks anyway but they no longer need me to work.
I guess to them it is no big deal, but to me it is a very big deal. Firstly, I need the money and was counting on the extra cash. Secondly I feel foolish that I spent so much time and money making a complete outfit. I was also looking forward to being a bartender again even if it was just for the day. So, I'm pretty depressed about it now.
I was really upset when they wouldn't hire me back after the baby and I'm pretty sure that what they did was illegal and this most recent screw over just reminds me how unscrupulous and unprofessional the management is at O'Malley's Ocean Pub in Hollywood Beach, Florida.
I think it is pretty weak that Brian didn't call me himself. He told Veronika that it was Joe Udell (the GM) who made the decistion and that he didn't find out until then either. Trying to shift the blame to Joe. I am positive that it was Joe who did make the decision because he hates me, but I think it was weak of Brian to not bother to tell me himself and make Veronika do it. He expressed to Veronika that he was so sorry and that he felt so bad, but I think if he felt badly he should have called me himself. And one of the reasons to go with the other girl and not me was that she had taken off work from her stewardess job to do it. What about me? Doesn't taking off from being a mom count? obviously these men don't understand what it is like to try and arrange for childcare on a holiday!

Photoshoot yesterday

I was so nervous about the photo shoot yesterday but things went pretty easy. The photographer was realy cool and easy going so it made everything go nicely. After I got back I checked out his work on his website and if he makes me look anywhere near as good as the photographs on his site I will be very very happy. If you want to check it out it is www.markwemple.com
We started at the crack of dawn and good thing too because it was so hot that I would have been a big pile of sweat if it had been any later. We took a bunch of pics at Young circle park, some at the beach and some in front of the Hollywood Library because it has cool archetectural lines. I felt like a star because everyone was stopping and looking. He had all these big lights and gadgets and things. The beach pics were of me in the water up to my knees and Mark ended up soaked trying to get the right angle.
I wish I could see the pictures but unfortunately I have to wait until the magazine comes out. Apparently there is some rule against anyone seeing the stuff before it goes to press.
This is all so exciting! I've been telling everyone that I am going to be famous. Really, I don't want to be famous, just want to be able to contribute to my household financially. Right now I am barely making enough to have anything left over after paying the babysitter!

oops forgot to put in the pics

Little headbanger

I love this age that Lily is right now. Or, I guess I should say the 'stage' that she is in right now. She imitates and responds, concentrates and plays. She is really coming into her own personality. It must be very difficult for babies this age because it is obvious that she has needs and wants that she is acutely aware of, yet has very little ways to express them. When she and Zelda are playing and Zelda is getting the best of her she doesn't quite know what to do. She knows that she wants Zelda to let go of the ball, but she isn't strong enough to just take it away and can't tell Zelda to drop it. And, can't tell me to make Zelda let go, so she squeals. Some of these little things are quite cute and endearing, others are just plain obnoxious. I have to be very careful not to react to some of the actions so that I don't encourage her to continue.
Her latest interest is music. She LOVES music. (David, if you read this you'll be interested to know that De Novo Dahl is one of her favs!) She has a little steering wheel that is supposed to be on her stroller that she carries around all day long. I took it off her stroller because I think she was annoying folks in the line at the Post Office. It has a horn and engine noises and another button that plays songs. She dances to almost anything with a rhythm and has lately started bobbing her head up and down. It is so cute because she really concentrates on it. I got it on video here.

Did you see those crazy shoes? She LOVES them and always brings them to me to put them on her. I'm pretty sure she got that from me.

Today I am so nervous because tomorrow morning I have a photo shoot. I really don't like having my picture taken mainly because I feel stupid standing there trying to look my best. And I am very very nervous because this is a really big deal for me. I interviewed for what I thought at the time was a no-big-deal article about ebay that has now turned into a VERY BIG DEAL. I am going to be in Entrepreneur Magazine's quarterly ebay edition. At first, I naively thought it was just a little pamphlet thingy but have discovered it is a real magazine with real subscribers who pay real money to read it. I was excited at first about the free press and even more excited (and nervous) when they asked me to send a picture. And now I am overly excited and overly nervous because they are sending a professional photographer down from St. Augustine to do a REAL photo shoot with me for the magazine! I have been completely over-thinking the whole thing. I am now worried about what the article might say, will it make me look stupid? will I take a good picture? will I actually hurt my store's business? I am just so nervous! and it doesn't help that the shoot is at 8AM! I have to be up early enough to make myself pretty and get Lily up and organized then drive her to Cooper city so Sam can watch her and be back here all by 8AM.