I'm leaving on a jet plane...

    Hi all! I just got back from a trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL with two girlfriends (Kim & Meike) for a conference.  This was my very first time flying without my husband, the traveling/airport/flying expert.  In fact, he travels so much for work that the dogs and I sometimes forget he lives here (just kidding). 

   I had a little trepidation about flying solo, even though my friends were there, I wanted to seem confident on what to do all by myself.  You know, fake it 'til you make it sort of thing.  I got myself checked in at Delta without an issue. $25 for a piece of checked luggage? Fine.  I wouldn't need to check luggage if I didn't have so many hair products that were over 3oz of liquid.  And yes, my 1 allowed ziplock airline regulated bag is STUFFED full of liquids under 3oz, including: Purell, chapstick (is that a liquid?), a teeny tiny bottle of hairspray, and toothpaste. I never flew before the regulation, so I guess it's best to not know how it was flying "back in the day". 

 
   When we got on our first flight, the first thing I noticed was that people were ordering alcoholic drinks right away, as soon as they could order. I assumed this was either because they are:
1.  Afraid to fly, 2. On vacation and want to start drinking as soon as possible 3. Just plain alcoholics.
Either way, does flying give you a pass to day drink as early as humanly possible? Adam and I have been on flights as early as 7am and people were drinking.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging, I'm just impressed by your ability to get drunk on a 45 minute flight and still make your connecting flight in ATL without ending up in the wrong terminal.  I would be passed out and never make it off the plane. 

   The first leg of the trip, I sat at a window seat next to an older man making his trip to Omaha, NE.  He
entertained me for a bit with a story about his "vacation" with his wife to visit friends in Colombia.  At first I thought, why would someone visit Columbia for a week's vacation? But when he said they flew into Bogota, I got it. He described this "vacation" as a week long trip to see long lost friends that lived near the Amazon River. They were excited to sleep in beds with nets (this was to keep bugs and the huge tarantulas away), without any electricity until 3-5pm everyday when everyone charged their cell phones. 
    I'm pretty sure he just described my own little pit of hell.  Any bed that requires a net saving you from gigantic spiders, snakes and who knows what else, does not a vacation make. He wife needs a medal or at least a small trophy for surviving that trip.  Needless to say, I told him I rode an ostrich on my last vacation and therefore, I was too cool to speak to him. j/k He read some John Grisham book and I delved into the luxurious Sky Mall Magazine.

    Sky Mall has EVERYTHING! And at 50,000ft. everything is super interesting!  I am obsessed with the iPad paintbrush (I'm not sure what I would paint or what app I would even need, but for only $49.99, I can paint a masterpiece!)

I don't see Adam carrying this at all.  First of all, Beau would be a pain in the butt to drag at 120lbs.  And at $95, I'm not sure why you wouldn't just put your dog on the leash and walk him? 

And for only $29.95

Maybe I should have shown the guy seated next to me so that he'd know he should have been afraid of the tarantulas.  *shivers* On the other hand, the t-shirt is in App State colors. Go Mountaineers!


    By the time we made it to ATL, we literally had about 10 minutes to make our next flight. My friend Kim and I were practically running and made it!  I turned around to ask where is Meike and she had texted me she was stopping for a crepe. I've never had a crepe, but it looked delicious!  We made it onto the flight and Meike got upgraded to a fancier seated section with her crepe.  Kim and I were on the LAST row on the plane, next to the bano.  The flight attendant said she'd thought we were trouble.  Perhaps.  And trust, there would have been trouble if we didn't get our free pretzels because I was "hangry". 

   Our flights back were exhausting and we were just ready to come home. I started reading a book by Beth Harbison, When in Doubt, Add Butter, a delicious chick lit easy read.  Although I have to say, if you're reading it make sure you have a snack handy because the main character describes her meals a lot and you're likely to get hungry. 

    The last flight was so turbulent we didn't even get a drink or snack! I sat next to a pilot and since he wasn't panicking, I wasn't going to either.  Am I the only one that likes that stomach drop feeling?

    Of course there is a lot of other stuff that happened on the trip, but I'll have to tack that on to another blog another day.  Time for dinner.

   Also? Sky mall has this available for $1999  - I'm thinking about getting it for Adam for our 5th anniversary.  5 Year traditional gift is wood, so it would be appropriate.  And who wouldn't want a life size growling grizzly bear? 

Until - we meet again .... ciao!  xoxo, Becca

"Airline food is the tiniest food I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Any kind of meat that you get — chicken, steak, anything — has grill marks on each side, like somehow we’ll actually believe there’s an open-flame grill in the front of the plane" .Ellen de Generes

Weekend things

  I haven't written since November?  Well, either nothing interesting has happened since then or I have been majorly slack on writing.  I'm going to go with the latter. Especially because over that time I've been busy working, holidays, I turned 30, had a surprise vacation to Grand Cayman and did I mention work?

  I just read an article on Yahoo! that is titled, "Things you should never buy used", it's number one "thing" was a used mattress. I certainly hope that no one in their right mind would think it would be clean to grab a used mattress out by the road to take home and "clean up" for their own use.  YUCK! I am pretty sure no one has yelled out while driving near a dumpster, "OHH!! I mattress!!". 

  I don't know about you, but whenever the time changes it messes me up for at least a week, sometimes two.  I am a morning person, and while I love the longer, sunnier days, I absolutely hate that it's darker in the morning when I wake up. 

   Saturday night, Adam and I went out with my sister and brother-in-law to Wild Wings in North Charleston. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the drinking partying college kid I once was; taking naps at 3pm so I could pre-game at 10pm and go out with my girls by 11:30pm to Klondike or a house party.   These days I'm perfectly happy watching a Dateline segment on a Friday or Saturday night or wonder if the 48 Hour Mystery really is a  "mystery" because the guy they are interviewing is already in an orange jumpsuit.   So when my sister told me we'd be going to see one of our favorite local bands, Soul Fish, but they didn't go on stage until 11pm, I knew I was going to have to rally!

    I don't normally like hanging out at the Wild Wings in North Charleston because it's usually filled with smoke.  Thanks North Charleston for not joining the rest of the state in the smoking ban.  We started the night with some beer and sitting at the bar, waiting on the band to get started.  After a beer, I headed to the bathroom.  The scenario in there was that there were 3 stalls:  1 where the lock didn't work (WHY!?), 1 where the door was so close to the toilet no one over 90 pounds could ever get in and out because the door opened inwards, so I chose door number 3, it seemed normal until I shut it.  The back of the door had a sign that said, "TO OPEN DOOR, PULL HANDLE UP".  It was then that I noticed the door handle on this side was just kind of hanging there.  I semi-panicked, pulled the handle up trying to get it to open and sure enough it just kept swinging around and around.  The stall was "bricked in" from door to ceiling and the bottom of the door was almost to the floor, so there was no way out. Needless to say, after a 10 minute battle with the door, I finally made it out safely, vowing next time to use the bigger stall that doesn't lock.

     - On a side note, why don't the doors lock!?  It is my biggest pet peeve in a public bathroom that doors don't lock! The door handle had a lock on it, which apparently stopped working in 1993, so they decided to put one of those latch locks on, where you slide the lock over to fit into the loop and click down.  They NEVER match up to lock in the loop.  NEVER!   Who is putting these locks on the door that they can't match it up properly!? I wouldn't think it would be THAT difficult!  And don't get me started on the automatic flushers that don't automatically flush.


     Once the band got started, Adam and I were doing a great job of staying awake and lively. That's when a group of women sat next to my sister and ordered the largest order of garlic wings I've ever seen.  An entire plate of garlic wings!  The smell was so strong that I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping vampires away for a few days and I didn't eat any garlic wings. 

  We made it home at 1am (or 2am if you've already set your clocks forward like we had!). I only had one beer, but the staying out late and getting up early (I can't sleep past 7:30am ever), made me feel slightly hung over and my voice was hoarse.  Adam and I agreed that we'd stay out late again sometime next year.   haha  I don't blame it on being 30, but I do enjoy being home hanging with my husband and dogs way more than a smoky bar.

  OK, time to get up and get moving! Hope you're having a great week! 

  

Rebecca's ammendments to the SC Driver's Manual

Why is it that it seems more and more people in the state of South Carolina are incapable of driving by the rules? I'm sure everyone took the driver's test at one point or another, so when exactly did they forget what to do? Adam makes fun of me for driving like a "grandma", but I maintain that I just follow all safety precautions and am a mindful, alert and defensive driver at all times. My dad was the colonel of the highway patrol, so I learned from the best!

Here are just a few minor suggestions (or pet peeves, whatever you want to call them) that I think should be added to the handbook.

1. IF you insist on driving a loud, noisy, and annoying motorcycle, please have the decency to get the hell out of my way so I don't get scared I'm going to run you over with my SUV. Also, please wear a helmet. There shouldn't be an option, the only other option is your brain being on pavement. And thirdly, please do not pop wheelies on I-526 on, near or around me as I'm driving.

2. If you are going to turn into my lane, I recommend indicating that! I think there's this thing called a ... blinker. Down is for left, Up is for Right, please use it. Also, make sure you look before heading over to my lane too!

3. If I can hear your radio, while I'm inside my vehicle with the windows up, then yours is at a decibel that is uncalled for in my standards. No one needs to listen to rap that loudly, unless of course, you've been shot and can no longer hear through your eardrums.

4. If I can feel your bass in my car, then you are also listening too loudly to your music. *See #3.

5. If you must pass me because my going 10mph over the speed limit is too Slllooooowwww for you, then please do so quickly and don't look over at me while doing so. Also, I reserve all right to laugh at you, smile, and wave as the policeman that you didn't see pulls you over right in front of me.

6. Since when did putting a tribute to your dead relative on a window decal for the back of your vehicle become the proper way to pay your final respect? Jojo will be forever remembered because we have immortalized him on our crown vic, with the tinted windows, and the ultimate vehicular accessory, "Dubs".

7. Whats with all the damn Beanie Babies on the back of someone's vehicle? Seriously. They are stuffed animals... is this your form of car alarm?!

8. Is there a law that says if you drive a truck and live in Summerville or Goose Creek, SC, you must tint your windows with a confederate flag in the back and put your names on either side? Thanks Brooks & Tina for clearing up just who's truck it is!! Bet it confuses you when Tina drives, doesn't it?

9. If you are a truck driver for an 18-wheeler please do not honk your horn over and over trying to get my attention while driving in the lane next to me. I am pretty sure my car is not on fire or has a flat, so I could care less that you think my legs are sexy. I am noticing your incessant honking, I'm just pretending to be turning up my music and therefore, drowning you out. (And yes, this happened to me... recently. Gotta love North Rhett)

10. And lastly, what's with the people who pass me going 100mph that are reclined in their seats? RECLINED!!!!!! Is the lumbar on your heated leather seats so comfy that you feel the need to lean back and relax to the fullest as you barely put one hand on the wheel?

ok, thats it for now.. not necessarily amendments per Se, just pet peeves. haha

Crazy Baby Lady

Let me start by saying, that I normally do not get in political or other debates on here b/c I like to write funny, witty things about my life, but I can't ignore this one....

I haven't commented on this yet because I wasn't going to force my beliefs or thoughts on to any of my readers, but I can't NOT saying something anymore! I'm sure by now most of you have heard of the woman that just recently had eight babies. I usually try to stay Switzerland on baby topics because as a woman that doesn't have any and probably will never have children, I feel like my opinion doesn't get to account for as much as a mothers would ....in the topics of children. But I cannot stay quiet about this any longer.

So, the Crazy Baby Lady (Aka, Nadya Sulman) said in her interview on "The Today Show" with Anne Curry that she was NOT on any sort of welfare. She got kind of rude with Curry, going on to say that she will be able to provide for her 14 children with lots of love, etc. and that after she is done with school she will be able to afford them.

Perhaps she was stretching the truth just a little? This morning on "The Today Show", Anne Curry sorted a few things out for the viewers. Apparently, Ms. Crazy Baby Lady doesn't think food stamps or public assistance is welfare. Excuse me?! She receives $490 a month for food (that was before the 8 babies were born), she also receives federal public assistance for three of her children that are disabled.

Let me be clear here, I am NOT criticizing those on welfare, I am putting this woman under the microscope because she knew she was in financial need and STILL made the decision to have more children through fertility treatments!! That is like me saying, "I think I'll go buy a Cadillac today, even though I don't have the money for it, the government will be there to help feed me!". This woman is in la-la land!

They showed a video of her and the babies this past week on "The Today Show" and it showed something that really gets under my skin. This woman has 14 children, she's in school, she is getting assistance, she claims to be responsible and mature enough to handle all of the children...yet, she has time and money to go get a French manicure?! I have no children and work in a spa and I don't have time for such luxuries! Watch for yourself below.

Am I the only one that thinks this woman should have stopped with her 6 children? I'm sure she will love them all very much, but sometimes its hard for parents to show the attention, love, & support to just one or two children, I find it very hard to believe that one person will be able to support, love and attend to 14 kids! unbelievable.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy